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THE BEREANS AND THE TRUTH

Berea (modern Verria) was located approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Thessalonica, a district of Macedonia (Greece.) The name means “place of many waters.” Mount Olympus, an extraordinary landmark, stood within view of what was once known as; Berea. This must have been a beautiful place to live as it rested between the sea and the mountains. The warm, ocean wind would have contrasted the chilly, snowcapped mountains in the distance.
Christians who lived there in the time of the apostle Paul were considered to be nobler than the Thessalonians. Why were the people of Berea considered to be more noble than the Thessalonians? As Paul preached to them they received the message with great eagerness, but examined the Scriptures every day to see for themselves if what Paul was saying was true. This story is found in (Acts 17:11).
None of us is so learned concerning the Bible that we don’t need to search the Scriptures for ourselves. As believers of the Word we have the right to ask questions and seek proof of the teachings we hear. Teaching and preaching must align with God’s Word, or it is false teaching. Even the smallest portion of Scripture has to align with Scripture as a whole!
We aren’t to argue, nor are we to seek to find fault in our pastors or teachers, but rather to confirm truthful explanation of what we hear by checking with the only standard of truth – the Scriptures themselves.
Study the Word of God; discover the Truth personally, and prepare yourself to receive the true enlightenment an anointed preacher or teacher will provide you. Do you own an exhaustive Bible concordance (Vines), an easy to read Bible dictionary (Vines Complete Expository Dictionary), and some good commentaries? These are just some of my favorite references; but there are other good ones to choose from. Like the Bereans, we too can exercise the noble practices they modeled, and always verify what we hear with what is written in God’s infallible Word.
Here in my blog; “Secret Place,” I would never intend to mislead you, but I am not without human error at times. So, please read any Scriptures I may refer to for yourself to make sure what I say aligns with God’s Word. Feel free to check my facts. In doing so, you will surely discover a lot more about this awesome God we serve.

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