Be a Berean!

by Fay Barlow
(Lexington, Sc)

Study to show yourself approved

Acts 17:10-11 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

Sometimes it’s easier to take someone’s word about something, rather than examining the facts for yourself. And sometimes those in authority like to keep their power over others by discouraging thought.

Throughout the ages, people have hoarded their superior minds over others. The educated have told the uneducated what to think and believe. The religious have done the same. God’s Word has been taken out of context in order to justify one’s behavior. And I have, at times, turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the truth because I listened to the word of man and did not challenge it against the Word of God.

I want to live like a Berean. I want to hear the word of God from preachers and teachers and I want to read about Him in books. But I don’t want to accept what others say about God without first examining what the Scriptures say. I want to be able to read the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me about its meaning in my life. I need to check what I hear and make sure it is in line with what the Word of God says. And when I read or hear something that is in direct contrast with God’s Word, I want a red flag of truth to stir within my soul and challenge me to search truth for myself.

I guess it’s the difference between knowing about God and abiding in Him. Anyone can say they “know about God”. They can even say they believe God exists. But never moving past the “knowing”, into the “getting to know”, is like hearing about a pot of gold in your yard and maybe even believing that it is there, yet never searching for it.

The Bereans wanted to know all there was about God. They wanted to examine all the facts and understand what they might be getting into. And Paul and Silas encouraged them to do so, because they knew that the Word is truth. Paul and Silas understood the validity of the gospel and gladly invited the Bereans to think, search and examine their testimony and the scriptures.

How exciting it may have been for Paul and Silas to be with the Bereans. These were men and women who took salvation seriously. They didn’t just hear the gospel and add it their list of rituals or mix it in with their heritage. They considered what they were hearing. They thought about the words. They examined the facts. And their eyes were opened. Their “getting to know” God and His Word, through the disciples testimony and their own “digging” set them on a path that brought about a treasure beyond compare. They didn’t just hear, believe and know that salvation was true, they searched for it.

It is the religion that keeps one from examination of its truth, that a shaky foundation is built upon.