Check it Out

Paul’s second missionary journey was hard (Acts 16:1 – 18:22).  He was, to say the least, not received well in all of the places he traveled.  There are a number of important things that can be learned from this journey.  Look at Acts 17:1 – 15.  There is a contrast here between those in Thessalonica and those in Berea in their response to the truth.  The Thessalonians stirred up trouble with essentially a riot so that Paul and his companions were sent away for their own safety.  The Berean’s responded quite differently, Acts 17:11 outlines their response:

• Received the Word with great eagerness
• Examined the Scriptures daily, to see if Paul was right.

This response is called “noble minded.”  That is a great model for us to follow.

Focus on the second point for a second.  Even though the Bereans eagerly received what Paul said to them, they did not accept what he said uncritically.  That is they went to the source, the Scripture, and validated that what he said was true.  They took personal responsibility to make sure that what they heard squared with what God had revealed in His Word.

We are flooded today through the internet, mp3, TV, radio, books, magazines, and church with “Christian” content.  Is what is being presented “so?”  Any presenter worth listening to will encourage you to validate what they are saying and not to accept what they present without daily searching the Scriptures to see if what they said is so.  We are responsible for what we believe.  We are responsible to check out what we are told.  It is a “noble minded” pursuit.