RESPONSE AT BEREA
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Opening Prayer
Lord God, thank you that your Spirit of truth dwells in me. As I read your Word today, make me attentive to his voice and ready to act on where he leads me.
Read ACTS 17:10–15
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
In Berea
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Where are you most often confronted with falsehoods concerning the gospel?
Paul and Silas were sent forty miles to Berea under the cover of darkness, to ensure that no further public disturbance began. Again, they went first to the Jewish synagogue to preach, where many Jews and Greeks believed. However, as in Thessalonica, the response was divided.
William Barclay reminds us how important Thessalonica was.1 The great Roman road from the Adriatic Sea to the Middle East was called the Egnatian Way and the main street of Thessalonica was actually part of that road. If Christianity was firmly rooted in Thessalonica, it could spread both east and west along that road, a highway for the kingdom of God. Considering all this, Luke chronicles these missions with surprising brevity, drawing our attention to the way the Scriptures were preached and heard. In Thessalonica Paul ‘reasoned,’ ‘explained,’ ‘proved,’ ‘proclaimed,’ and ‘persuaded’ (see vv. 2–4), whereas in Berea the Jews eagerly ‘received’ the message and diligently ‘examined’ the Scriptures (v. 11). Paul’s arguments and his hearers’ studies went hand in hand:2 sound practice!
There are many false doctrines today and we need to check with the Word of God to see if the teachings we hear are biblical. When I decided to do my BD, I joined a college that was theologically very liberal. I decided to explore whether my evangelical faith was robust, so I applied my scientific training in mathematics and physics to my theological studies. I discovered that the Bible was accurate and trustworthy, but the particular brand of theology I was taught was often based on speculation. I came out believing more strongly than ever. I have continued to do this all my life. I encourage you to explore the Bible like this, questioning doctrines such as the prosperity gospel.
Apply
Check everything you hear preached against the Scriptures and pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth.
Closing prayer
Loving Father, help to hear your call on my life and follow it in ways consistent with your Word.
1 William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, Daily Study Bible Series, revised (Westminster John Knox, 1976), 127. 2 John Stott, The Message of Acts, BST Series, revised edition (IVP, 1991), 274, 275.
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