Wednesday, June 3 — Leaders Who Build Other Leaders
The best gift a leader gives isn't what they do themselves. It's who they make ready to go further than they ever did.
Acts 18:24-28 — KJV 24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: 28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
Acts 18:24-28 — WEB 24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside, and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Explanation
Apollos was the kind of man who walks into a room and changes the temperature — eloquent, well-educated (Alexandria was a center of learning), and on fire for God. He was already preaching boldly. But there was a gap. He only knew "the baptism of John." Somewhere along the way his understanding had stalled before the full message about Jesus had reached him. He was gifted and incomplete at the same time — which, if we're honest, describes most of us.
Now watch what Priscilla and Aquila do, because it's a clinic in building other leaders. First, they don't correct him publicly. They "took him unto them" — pulled him aside, into their home, into relationship. They didn't humiliate a talented man in front of the crowd; they invested in him in private. Second, they didn't shut him down. They knew real talent when they saw it, and instead of feeling threatened, they poured into it. Third — and this is the beautiful part — when Apollos was ready to move on to Achaia, they didn't cling. They blessed him and sent him with a letter of recommendation. He went on to become one of the most effective teachers in the early church, "mightily" proving from Scripture that Jesus was the Christ.
Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers, not celebrities. History remembers Apollos's preaching, but it was their quiet mentorship that made it possible. That's the kind of leadership this week keeps circling back to: the kind that multiplies. A caring leader meets a need once. A multiplying leader raises up someone who'll meet that need a thousand times after they're gone.
On Sunday we'll meet Deborah, who refuses to keep the spotlight — she pulls Barak forward and insists he lead the army, even when he's hesitant. That's the same instinct. Great leaders are not collectors of credit. They're developers of people.
So here's the Wednesday challenge. Is there an "Apollos" near you — someone gifted but unfinished, talented but stalled? Maybe a younger coworker, a new believer, your own teenager. The temptation is to compete with rising talent or to correct it loudly. The better way is the Priscilla-and-Aquila way: take them aside, fill in the gap with patience and respect, and then — hardest of all — let them surpass you and send them out with your blessing.
Thought for the Day The best leaders make room for someone better.
Reflection Question Who has more potential than they realize — and how could you privately invest in them this week instead of correcting them publicly?
Prayer Father, free us from the insecurity that competes with the people we're supposed to be building. Give us the humility of Priscilla and Aquila — to mentor in private, to honor the gifts in others, and to send people out further than we ourselves have gone. Make us multipliers, not hoarders. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: Deborah, a Leader in a National Emergency.