Not Alone

What if the part of the Christian life you've been trying to figure out by yourself is exactly what the Lord meant to give you through His Church?

Christ is risen! (One, Last Time!)

One of my very first jobs was at the fast-food restaurant Burger King. Man, that was a hoot. I loved that I could work there after school and on weekends and get a free hamburger, too.

They even had a great jingle: “Hold the pickles. Hold the lettuce. Special orders don’t upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way, at Burger King!”

Now that I think about it, that mindset really says a lot about my generation and the generations we raised. Having it any way we wanted has become slavery to perpetual adolescence. No wonder kids aren’t really maturing until their late twenties nowadays.

“They took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately.”

If we pamper our passions and feed our desires without a disciplined way to tame our passions and mature our desires, we become slaves to those very passions and desires. And it all starts with the foolish notion that I have to do it my way.

Today is Wednesday of the Sixth Week after Pascha, and it is the Apodosis (Leave-Taking) of the Feast of Pascha. Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, when the Risen Lord takes His glorified physical body into the very heart of the Holy Trinity. After that, we enter the ten days of waiting between Ascension and Pentecost.

But we never wait alone. We never pray alone. We never live the Faith alone.

---

Today’s Lesson: Acts 18:22-28

In those days, when Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesos. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully confuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

---

Apollos was a gifted man. Eloquent. Educated. Zealous. Well-versed in the Scriptures.

He preached boldly and accurately about Jesus, as far as his understanding went. But he didn’t have the whole story. And without the whole story, his gifts could only take him and his hearers so far.

Then Priscilla and Aquila enter the scene. A faithful Christian couple. They listened to Apollos. They saw both his gift and his limitation. And they did something remarkable. They took him aside and “expounded to him the way of God more accurately.”

Apollos didn’t bristle at the correction. He received it. And the entire region of Achaia was blessed because he did.

What Can We Take From This?

First, no one comes to the fullness of the Faith alone.

Apollos was already a believer. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. He was teaching accurately what he knew. By any reasonable measure, he was a successful Christian leader. And yet, the Holy Spirit knew he needed more.

So the Holy Spirit sent him Priscilla and Aquila. Not a book. Not a Lecture Series. Not even a voice from heaven. He sent him people!

This is the pattern of the Faith.

None of us comes to the fullness of Christ alone. We need the Apostolic deposit handed down through the Church. We need the wisdom of those who have walked the path before us. We need the correction of those who can see what we cannot see in ourselves.

Jesus did not establish a school where individuals could pursue private enlightenment. He did not establish a club where like-minded people could gather around shared preferences. He did not establish a self-help society where techniques could be exchanged.

He established a Church. A Body. A Family.

The reason is profound. God Himself exists as Persons in Communion. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One God in eternal, perfect, mutual love. We are made in His image. So we cannot truly know ourselves, much less the God who made us, except in communion.

“Me and Jesus got our own thing going on” is not Christianity. “Me and my Bible” is not Christianity. The Church cannot be “denominated.” The Faith was never meant to be a private possession. It is the inheritance of a Church that cannot be divided by space, time, culture, or even death.

Next, true humility is the gift of being teachable.

Notice what Apollos does. He doesn’t argue with Priscilla and Aquila. He doesn’t pull rank by reminding them of his eloquence or his learning. He doesn’t get defensive about what he already knows. He simply receives what they have to teach him.

This is humility in its purest form. The willingness to be a student even when others might think you are already an expert.

Most of us struggle with this. We resist correction even when it would help us. We bristle when someone gently points out something we have missed. We treat the suggestion that we don’t yet have the whole story as an insult rather than a gift.

When the priest’s homily challenges something you have long believed. When a fellow parishioner offers a perspective on the Faith you hadn’t considered. When a spiritual book reveals a depth in the Tradition you didn’t know existed. When your spiritual father suggests a discipline you have been avoiding.

These are Priscilla and Aquila moments. The question is whether you will receive them with the humility of Apollos or close yourself off because you think you already know enough.

The Faith is too vast for any one of us to grasp alone. Receive the help. Welcome the correction. Be a lifelong learner in the community of saints.

Finally, the Resurrection has created a Church that cannot be divided.

Today’s reading describes a beautiful pattern. Paul goes from place to place strengthening the disciples. Priscilla and Aquila teach Apollos. The brethren in Ephesos send letters of encouragement to the disciples in Achaia. The whole Church is connected, moving together, supporting one another, sending one another forward.

This is the Church the Risen Lord established. One. Holy. Catholic. Apostolic.

Not just a local congregation but a living Body that stretches across continents and centuries. The same Christ we worship today is worshipped by Orthodox faithful in Greece, in Russia, in Egypt, in Romania, in Africa, in Asia, in lands we have never seen. We are united with the Theotokos, the Apostles, the Martyrs, the great Fathers, and every faithful soul who has ever called on the name of Jesus Christ.

This is why Pascha never really ends. Each Sunday is a little Pascha. Each Liturgy gathers heaven and earth into one worship. Each prayer joins us to the prayers of the saints. We are never alone in this Faith because the Faith itself is the communion of Persons made in the image of the God who is Persons in Communion.

As we leave-take the Feast of Pascha today, we don’t leave-take the Resurrection. We carry it with us. And we carry it together. As The Church, The Body of Christ!

The Apodosis of Pascha

Today, the Church observes the Apodosis, or Leave-Taking, of the great Feast of Pascha. For forty days we have greeted one another with “Christ is risen!” and “Truly He is risen!” We have sung the Paschal hymns. We have lived in the radiance of the empty tomb. Today we sing those Paschal hymns one last time before the Feast comes to its formal close.

But the Resurrection itself does not end. Tomorrow we celebrate the Ascension, then we enter the ten-day vigil leading to Pentecost. The Church gathers us up and carries us forward together into the next chapter of God’s saving work.

The Apodosis teaches us that no feast is meant to be experienced alone. The Paschal greeting was always meant to be exchanged. The hymns were always meant to be sung together. The joy was always meant to be shared. Even as we close this Feast, we close it as a Church, together, awaiting what the Risen Lord will do next in us.

Your Response Today

Here is one practice for today. When you find yourself thinking, “I can figure this out on my own” or “I don’t really need anyone else for this,” pause and ask:

“Where in my life am I trying to live the Faith alone, when the Lord has given me a community to walk with?”

Then pray simply:

“Lord Jesus Christ, You established a Church, not a school of individuals. Help me to walk with Your people, learn from Your people, and grow with Your people into the fullness of who You created me to be.”

The Risen Lord is not done with you yet. And He has placed you in a community where the rest of your formation will unfold. Receive the gift of not being alone.

Being Orthodox on Purpose means embracing the Church as the family where the Risen Lord forms us together into the fullness of who He created us to be!

---

A note from Fr. Barnabas: This devotional uses our refined format. If you find these changes helpful, or if you have suggestions, please let me know. Your feedback shapes this ministry.

---

P.S. Though You went down into the tomb, You destroyed Hades’ power, and You rose the victor, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women, “Hail!” and granting peace to Your disciples, You who raise up the fallen.

Our New Video Project still needs your help.

“The Journey Continues…” Project: creating a teaching series on how to practice your Faith after you convert to Orthodoxy. Topics will include going to confession, wise fasting practices, setting up your prayer corner at home, and more!

Would you consider a Special Gift to Faith Encouraged for this Project?

Every gift is doubled up to $25,000

Your Tax-deductible gift can be made here - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/QFKQ4GL6MQBBQ

Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV