Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Acts 18:24-26
Eloquence is no substitute for biblical accuracy! Apollos was “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures,” but was not grounded in the correct meaning. This is not to say he did not love and want to serve God. It just means that his knowledge and experience with the Scriptures was not mature enough to be preaching. That he was mighty in the Scriptures, is probably a reference to his passion and eloquence about what he did know, though his knowledge was yet limited. Praise God that He sent Aquila and Priscilla to take “him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”
Some who preach, but probably should not, need to know more than they do. This is why Paul warned Timothy not to appoint preachers who are too inexperienced (1 Timothy 3:6).
Others who preach, but probably should not, need not only to be more experienced with the Word, they need to wrestle with the Scriptures instead of regurgitating other people’s sermons. That said, it is not bad to read commentaries and other sermons as we wrestle with the text of the Bible. Apollos heard from Aquila and Priscilla. As one great preacher explained, “I milk a lot of cows, but I make my own butter!” However, preachers cannot hope to speak to God’s people until God has spoken to them.
Another great preacher, commenting on those who can preach well but don’t study to prepare their own sermons, called them “actors.” Actors can be very convincing, but if they are not wrestling with the text to get God’s message into their own hearts, they may simply be acting rather than preaching.
Pray for those who preach—not that they be dynamic, dramatic, and engaging—but that they will have heard from God for themselves before attempting to speak for God!