Be (watchful) on (your) guard, alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous (act like men of courage). Be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13
In context, "Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was not at all inclined to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity. Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong. Do everything in love. You know that Stephanas and his household were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Now I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours as well. Show your appreciation, therefore, to such men." - 1 Cor 16:12-18
Have you ever "put yourself out there" only to be passed-up or unnoticed. Its uncomfortable at best, and can be demoralizing if we take it personally. However when we trust God's timing we are able to carry on and continue in faith, courage and love. The story of Apollos is interesting, in Acts 18:24-28 we see a bold but immature believer who was FAT (faithful, available, teachable) - goes from good to great.
"...Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well...He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately...
Apollos had been thinking about going to...the brothers and sisters...encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers...asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed... Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah."
I did a word search to learn more about Apollos and found that 1 Corinthians 1-4 is largely about "who's better" - but really it's about Christian leadership. Christian leadership is Spirit-empowered dependence on Christ, the power of the cross, and faithful stewardship.
Sometimes the answer is yes but not now
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