IN Acts 17, an extraordinary community was noted by Luke the historian and was praised for their consistensy in studying and applying God's word:
"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 [Bereans] 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. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men." (verses 10-12, NKJV)
So "Be like the Bereans!" became a common tagline today among serious students of the Bible. But who were they and what can we learn from them? What made them commendable in the eyes of Luke, the historian/writer of Acts?
Are you anything like a Berean today?
Berea (or Beroea) was an ancient town situated in southwestern Macedonia (or Greece). It was a Hellenistic gentile community with mixed Jewish group. In Acts 17:10-15, Paul and Silas were making their way along different towns preaching the Gospel, until they arrived at Berea (v.10). To find some communality with the brethren, they went straight to a Jewish synagogue (v.10). From here we see that the name of Jesus Christ was still unknown to the Bereans, but they had a very remarkable character when it comes to receiving God's Word. Let's check on their traits to know them:
1. "Noble-Minded ('Fair-Minded'-NKJV)". What does it mean to be of noble (in character) or fair minded? To be noble and fair-minded simply means to be balanced, respectful, with high regards to things good and upright. It also means they were no respecter of persons, in so far as using the status of a person to discriminate the words they were hearing to understand. The Bereans' nobleness probably were borne out of their respectful regard to God's word as do God's 'princes and nobles' were rewarded for their diligence, "I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me." (Prov.8:15-17)
2. "Eagerly Received God's Word." Do you still feel the excitement whenever you hear the idea of reading the Scripture or Bible study? Do you have the zeal in sharing God's word? Do you eagerly listen? These are the qualities the Bereans had, whenever they heard God's word expounded to them. The idea is, like the Bereans, we need more Christians who are more excited about the things of God. We need more believers who have not lost their passion in serving Christ. We need more dedicated 'saints' who have not left their "first love" (Rev.2:4). To develop this kind of attitude we need to remind ourselves of the admonition of Paul when he wrote, "Be kindly affectionate...not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope" (Rom.12:10-12). The key is in the enthusiasm you put into knowing God and His Word (2Tim. 4:2)
3. "Searched the Scriptures Daily". Obviously, while the Bereans were quick to receive Paul's message, the Bereans weren't naïve. They didn't take Paul's word for it, but searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." Such a remarkable regard for God's word! How many people still read the Bible daily? It goes without saying that we really need to constantly instill the daily habits of reading the Bible (Deut.6:7) This is our only defense against fake 'messiahs' (both in politics or religion), from wrong sources of information, fakenews, and facts that easily drown people these days. It is interesting to note that the only Bible the Bereans read was what we call the 'Old Testament'--the New Testament was still being written. We need to diligently search, and build on the habits of reading God's Word daily. (John 4:34)
Because of these remarkable traits of the Bereans, they were able to prove and rightly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (!)
"Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of Greeks, prominent women as well as men." (Acts 12:12)
Let's be like the Bereans too! As apostle Paul advised Timothy:
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2Timothy 2:15)
| RDH
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