“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.” (Acts 17:10-15)

The church in Berea does not get much “screen time” in the Bible, yet their value to all churches and individual Christians should be crystal clear. As much confidence as we have in our training and experience, no pastor has ALL the right answers. In fact, we should be acknowledging with humility every day that we may not be right in our exposition. That’s a much better position to put oneself in when trying to exposit and teach a Biblical interpretation – remember, the only one with the completely correct interpretation is the One.

That said, good pastors work through the scriptures daily, seeking to go deep and discover God’s truth for themselves as part of their own journey, and many of us come up with solid, faithful teaching as a result. Yet, that is not enough for any particular church or individual believer. Each and every one of us believers need to be searching the scriptures on our own and praying for understanding through the Spirit and learning as much as we can. Do not just be a listener or spectator, jump into the game and learn on your own. Grow discernment and desire knowledge that leads to wisdom.

Just like the Jews that came to Berea to try and mess everyone up, that strategy is employed by the enemy today (think health and wealth gospel) over and over again. The ones who stay true and learn for themselves are the churches/individuals who will be best equipped to endure to the end and combat against the lies. So, in short, pick up your Bible and study! Have a great afternoon 🙂