Receiving Correction with Humility: Lessons from Aquila and Priscilla

In 1985, engineer Alan McDonald faced a difficult decision. He had serious concerns about how cold weather would affect rubber O-rings in a project he was working on. When he brought these concerns to his bosses at NASA, he was shut down and demoted. Then, on January 28, 1996, the Challenger space shuttle exploded just 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven astronauts on board. The cause? Those very same rubber O-rings that weren’t pliable enough in the cold January temperatures.

This tragedy occurred because someone thought they were too smart to be corrected by a frontline worker. The consequences were devastating - setting back space travel, demoralizing NASA, and costing lives.

How Do You Handle Correction?

How do you like to receive correction? At work? At home? In your spiritual life? Have you given a mentor or peer the right to speak truth in love to you when you get off track?

It’s easy to ignore, argue, or criticize someone when they bring correction. But if we do that enough, we can find ourselves growing cold and inflexible, eventually leading to disaster over what could have been a simple fix.

For better or worse, our lives will be filled with correction - from parents and teachers when we’re young, from spouses if we’re married, and even within the church. But being corrected can make us better, not bitter.

Proverbs tell us: “For the commandment is a lamp and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” We all need course correction. The question is: how do we handle it and from whom will we accept it?

Apollos: A Model of Receiving Correction

In Acts 18:24-26, we meet Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well. He taught about Jesus with enthusiasm and accuracy, but his knowledge was incomplete - he only knew about John’s baptism.

When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching, they took him aside and “explained the way of God even more accurately.” Consider this situation: Apollos was an educated, successful preacher from Alexandria (home to one of the largest libraries in the ancient world.) He had a top-notch Greek education, are up in the Jewish faith tradition, had the spiritual gift of preaching, and was already fruitful in ministry.

Then along came two blue-collar tent makers who pulled him aside to correct him. How would you receive that correction? Apollos could have said, “Thanks, but stay in your lane. I’m not telling you how to make tents.” But he didn’t.

Along with his communication gifts, Apollos possessed enough humility to receive correction from a different part of the body of Christ. This is an excellent snapshot of how the church should function - different parts working together for one purpose.

The Power of Humility When Receiving Correction

When receiving correction, we need a posture of humility in any area of life. If we think we’ve arrived, we’re in trouble. With humility, we’re able to hear from God more clearly and be used by Him much more easily.

There’s a proverb so important it appears three times in Scripture (Proverbs 3, James 4, and 1 Peter 5): “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” For emphasis, we might say God actively resists the proud but actively gives grace to the humble.

Do you want God actively resisting you? Or do you want Him actively pouring out His grace into your life? The good news is that you get to choose. If you choose pride, you’ve chosen to have God actively resist you. If you choose humility, you’ve invited God’s grace into your life.

How to Give Correction: Truth Wrapped in Love

When giving correction, we must deliver truth wrapped in love. Ephesians 4 tells us: “We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of the body, the church.”

Think about espresso beans. Have you ever eaten a roasted espresso bean? It’s crunchy, dark, and very bitter - like snacking on dirt. But people will pay good money for these beans if they’re covered in dark chocolate. The bean isn’t any less bitter, but it’s wrapped in something that makes it easier to swallow.

Similarly, when giving correction, we need to wrap the truth in love. There will be times when you need to correct a child, employee, friend, spouse, or sibling. If you can wrap that truth in love, it transforms from bitter experience to one that actually improves the relationship.

The Results of Proper Correction

How did things work out for Apollos after receiving correction from Aquila and Priscilla? Acts 18:27-28 tells us that he went on to Achaia where “he proved to be of great benefit to those who by God’s grace had believed. He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.”

The correction Apollos received made his ministry even more effective. We need each other as followers of Jesus. We can’t afford to be “lone wolf” Christians or to surround ourselves only with people just like us. We need others to fill in our gaps and blind spots - the ones we don’t even know we have.

Aquila and Priscilla: Ministry Partners

Aquila and Priscilla lived an amazing ministry life as a couple. They were equals - in fact, Priscilla’s name is listed first more often than Aquila’s in Scripture. Perhaps she had more public ministry gifts, ran their business, or had the teaching gift while Aquila was the quiet, supportive one. What we do know is that they partnered together in ministry as equals. This ministry couple used two powerful tools to share the Gospel and shape the early church: their business and their home.

Using Your Business as a Ministry Tool

Acts 18:1-3 tells us that Paul met Aquila and Priscilla because they shared the same profession - tent making. Their business was the connection point for their ministry. It introduced them to Paul and started them on the adventure of brining the gospel from city to city around the Mediterranean.

Have you ever considered your business as a ministry tool? Your business isn’t a distraction from ministry - it’s a key component. The contacts you make at work give you access to rooms you’d never otherwise enter. The skills you’ve developed over thousands of hours are for more than just making money - they’re a way to make disciples.

If every person who became a Christian quit their job to become a pastor or missionary, we wouldn’t have Christian lawyers, bricklayers, surgeons, hockey players, filmmakers, or architects. We need followers of Jesus in every aspect of the marketplace.

Your influence at work is unique. Your pastor can’t show up at your job and share the gospel with your coworkers - they don’t know him, haven’t built trust with him, and probably wouldn’t let him in without a security badge. But they know you. They trust you. Your words have weight at work.

Using Your Home as a Ministry Tool

The other tool Priscilla and Aquila used was their home. In both Romans 16 and 1 Corinthians 16, Paul mentions the church that met in their home.

What if your home wasn’t just a retreat from life but a launch pad for life-giving ministry?

For Aquila and Priscilla, their home wasn’t an escape from the crowd - it was a powerful tool for ministry that shaped the first-century church.

You may not be able to preach, write, or plant churches like the Apostle Paul, but you have unique skills to connect with people and help them experience Christ’s love and presence.

Overcoming Fears About Hosting

Lets address some common fears about opening your home for ministry:

• “My home isn’t clean enough.” People aren’t looking for cleanliness - they’re looking for connection. Yes, do the dishes and clean the bathroom, but if there are socks on the floor or mail on the counter, nobody will mind.

• “I don’t know enough to host a Bible study.” Hosting is about being available, not being an expert. You don’t have to teach - there are plenty of video resources, books, and study guides available. Think of yourself as a facilitator, not a teacher.

• “I don’t have any free time.” How many of you will eat a meal today? Could you set a few extra chairs and ask some reflective questions? That’s a small group. Think less about adding to your schedule and more about doing what you’re already doing for redemptive purposes.

Jesus as the Master of Correction

Did Jesus ever have to correct anyone? He had to correct everyone! The Roman government didn’t understand Him. The religious people who thought they knew God best didn’t understand Him. Even His closest followers barely got it after three years with Him.

Jesus was always correcting people, and He did it with truth wrapped in grace. He connected with what people already understood, then expanded their understanding. Most often, Jesus corrected people through stories - stories about fishing, farming, real estate, family relationships, weddings, and weather. Instead of debating rules, Jesus used stories that illustrated the heart behind the principles.

Life Application

As followers of Christ, let’s commit to these two principles:

• When receiving correction, take a posture of humility.

• When giving correction, deliver truth wrapped in love.

Ask yourself these questions this week:

• Am I humble enough to receive correction from unexpected sources?

• How can I use my business or workplace as a ministry tool?

• Is my home just a retreat, or could it be a launch pad for ministry?

• When I correct others, do I wrap the truth in love?

Remember, we need each other in the body of Christ. As Ephesians 4 reminds us, Christ gave gifts to the church - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers - to equip God’s people and build up the body. “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

The commandment is a lamp, the law is light, and “reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Thank God that He loves us enough to correct us and that He’s placed people in our lives to help us grow, see our blind spots, and fill the gaps in our faith.