Devoted: 6 Days With Women in the BibleSample

Priscilla: A Partner in Ministry

By: Susan Lafferty

As we focus on Priscilla in Scripture today, we’ll see that the work of her hands reflected the story of her life. She and her husband were tentmakers. And they moved from place to place. But in the midst of upheaval and transition, Priscilla lived faithfully in the present.

Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, grew up as members of the Jewish diaspora in the Roman empire, eventually living and working in the city of Rome. The diaspora were Jews scattered outside of Israel at various times in their nation’s history. Because of this dispersion, there were communities of Jews all across the empire. Thus, as believers began taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, they often found synagogues and shared the gospel there.

Priscilla and Aquila were forced out of their home and made their way to another city in the empire—Corinth, the provincial capital of Achaia. What appeared to be unsettling upheaval in their lives was used by God to direct their path.

The apostle Paul lived and worked with Priscilla and her husband. Most likely, Paul followed his typical pattern of teaching the gospel message in the synagogue (Acts 17:2-3). Thanks in part to Priscilla and Aquila’s hospitality in the gospel and with the arrival of Silas and Timothy, Paul was able to stop tentmaking for a time and focus completely on his teaching ministry. The couple played a vital role in the advancement of the gospel in Corinth.

After the events in Acts 18:1-23, Priscilla moved her “tent” again. This time, she and her husband accompanied Paul to Ephesus, where he left them and continued on his journey.

The next verses tell us about a man named Apollos who showed up in Ephesus eager to tell people about Jesus, but who spoke with incomplete knowledge of the gospel. Verse 26 tells us that when Priscilla and Aquila heard what Apollos was teaching, “They took him aside,” which literally means “they received him.” Perhaps they received him in their home for this time of important explanation. They graciously took the time to teach Apollos a more complete picture of the gospel.

Priscilla devoted her life to Christ in the temporary place. She invested her heart and mind to grow and learn, then instructed others in the truth of the gospel. She opened her home as a place for the body of believers to gather and worship.

We live in a temporary world. Perhaps you are on the move or witnessing constant change all around you. How will you follow the example of Priscilla to live faithfully in this moment? With whom will you share what it means to live a life devoted to Jesus? Prayerfully consider how God has positioned you to join Him in His work during this season of your life.

Read about Priscilla in Acts 18:1-28.

For more of this study by Lifeway Women, visit lifeway.com/devoted.