The Bereans sought 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 been contrasted by the chilly,
snowcapped mountains in the distance.
The Christians who lived
there in the time of the apostle Paul were considered to be more noble than the
Thessalonians. Why were the people of Berea
considered to be nobler 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 to them 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 Bible 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.
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.