By Olivia Obijiaku
Parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria have been charged to defend the faith with the knowledge they have acquired over the years, as Christians, who go to Church and who study the Bible. The Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Dr. Tijjani Ezekiel Danlami gave the task in the parish on Saturday, May 16, 2026. He leaned on the day’s first reading on Acts 18: 23-28, in which Apollos taught accurately about his knowledge of Jesus, in catechizing that, offering the little that one knows, may save others from doom, as well as offer the giver an opportunity to deepen their knowledge.
The clergyman recalled how Priscilla and Aquila, two young females who could not have access to the scriptures, because they were not circumcised, used the knowledge they acquired from listening to Paul’s teaching concerning Jesus, in teaching Apollos, who did not know about the baptism of Jesus, more accurately Jesus and His baptism.
“Nobody is a tabla raza.” The told them. ”You have something to offer. Do not be ashamed about the little you can offer. People may be saved, souls may be won when you present it. No matter how little you feel know the Word of God, present it at any given opportunity. It can be in your office or at home. Defend your faith with the little you know.”
“You have been a Christian all these years. You have been coming to Church. You have been reading the Bible. Say something about it. You do not need to go back to the parish priest all the time, because he studied Theology. Defend your faith. We are all theologians because we love God. We have this thirst to know Jesus. We have come to understand that God is our Creator and we have come to believe in Him. So, use the little you know well.”
Clarifying that nobody knows it all, because no matter how much they know, there is things they do not know, he cited Apollos saying, “Apollos was teaching accurately. But he only knew about Jesus. He had no idea about the baptism of Jesus. And so two young girls Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and taught him more accurately.”
“The two young girls were not theologians. They were not Rabbis. By the way, then, as women, because of lack of circumcision, they could not even read and interpret the scripture. But they became friends of Paul and heard about Jesus from Paul. When they came across a man who was eloquent, vast in scripture and accurate in his teaching and was even arguing with the Jews, the Pharisees in the synagogues they took him aside and taught him more accurately concerning Jesus and the baptism of Jesus.”
Fr. Danlami observed that though Apollos knew and taught that, Jesus is the Christ, and that he went about defending Jesus, he had no idea about the baptism of Jesus. He summed that, “No matter how much you know, there is something you do not know.”
