What we can learn from Priscilla

Priscilla worked with Paul. She and her Jewish husband, Aquila, who was born in Pontus, were living in Rome, but had to leave Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all the Jews from Rome  They arrived in Corinth, Greece, where they set up a tent-making business. Paul arrived in Corinth on one of this missionary journeys, and met them both. He lived and worked with them because he was a tentmaker too.

When Paul left Corinth for Cenchrea (where Phoebe was a deacon), they accompanied him. From there he set sale for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.  They arrived in Ephesus, where Paul left the couple to oversee the work there while he traveled on to Jerusalem and Antioch.

Apollos, a Jewish speaker arrived in Ephesus from Egypt. He knew the Scriptures well and was eloquent and enthusiastic, speaking out boldly in the synagogue. But he had some areas of weakness in his theology. Priscilla and Aquila explained (the verb here is plural) the way of God to him more accurately.

Paul specifically mentions Priscilla and Aquila in three of his letters. In Romans 16:3 and 2 Timothy 4:19 he greets them.  In 1 Corinthians 16 he sends greetings to the Corinthians from them and the church that meets in their home.

In every context where active ministry is concerned, contrary to Greek and Hebrew custom, Priscilla is mentioned first. This means she had a significant, probably even the dominant role in what went on. Luke speaks of her teaching Apollos with approval. Paul describes her as one of his co-workers in ministry.

Priscilla and Aquila are a great example of a married couple working together in ministry. It appears that Aquila encourages Priscilla to take an active, if not the more prominent role, in ministry. We need more examples of this.

I am very blessed that my husband, Tony, has done everything he can to make sure I play as active a role as the Lord leads me in ministry. Tony is a gifted speaker and communicator. A number of years ago, he realized that if he did everything, I would always remain in the background. So he started sharing his platform with me. In the beginning, I didn’t communicate nearly as well as he would have done, but over the years I’ve gained in confidence. Now we are both active in the Kingdom, each in our own right and in our own spheres.

(This story comes from Acts 18)