Priscilla and Aquila, a couple Paul met during his missionary journeys, are a great example of how Christian couples should be.
Though the Bible does not list every single detail about their lives, we can very much learn lessons from them, things we can apply in our very own lives.
In this article we'll take a look at a few things every Christian couple should learn from this remarkable duo. Even single Christians can learn from them.
What Priscilla and Aquila teach us
1) Couples should approach God together
We first read of Aquila and Priscilla in Acts 18 as they meet the apostle Paul:
"After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers." (Acts 18:1-3)
The Bible does not mention if this couple were already Christians prior to meeting Paul, but one thing we're sure of is that they drew closer to the Lord together, as a couple who spent much time listening to Paul.
"And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks ... And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." (Acts 18:4, 11)
This is something every Christian couple should learn and live by daily. A husband and a wife should come to the Lord together. They ought to urge one another to Christ-likeness.
2) Couples should serve the Lord together
Later in the same chapter, we read how Aquila and Priscilla joined Paul in serving the Lord.
"So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him." (see Acts 18:18)
This is but the start of the many years that Aquila and Priscilla would spend serving the Lord together.
After a while a certain Apollos shows up, an eloquent man who is "mighty in the Scriptures," although all that he knew is the baptism of John the Baptist (see Acts 18:24-25). Aquila and Priscilla helped him understand who the Christ is:
"So [Apollos] 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. And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ." (see Acts 18:26-28)
3) Couples see each other as partners in the Lord's work
Aquila and Priscilla exhibited such unity, they were one in their secular job of tentmaking, one in their love for each other, and one in their service for the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were so united, they didn't have any problems with who was doing what in their ministry.
Author and Pastor Richard L. Strauss, in an article titled "Side by Side - The Story of Aquila and Priscilla," noted that based on the number of times Priscilla (or Prisca) is mentioned before Aquila, many believe that she was the more prominent among them. Her husband apparently had no problem with it.
Couples today ought to learn from Priscilla and Aquila.
We husbands should realize that there's nothing wrong with letting our wives take a prominent role in serving the Lord. Instead of suppressing our wives' desire to serve God, we should support them and encourage them to give their utmost to Christ.
Wives, on the other hand, must never think or feel that they're simply second-rate compared to their husbands. While wives ought to submit to their husbands, they must never let any discouragement or lack of support kill their desire to serve the Lord.
