Got Questions?
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)
I don’t know about you but I have lots of questions I just can’t answer. For example:
I’ve got more but I don’t want to take up too much space. By the way, if you know the answers to any of these silly questions, please feel free to email me. - I’d enjoy the entertainment.
I like people who ask questions. It’s a sign they are actually thinking about what they are hearing. So many times people just assume the person they are listening to actually knows what he is talking about. Just because someone has a podium and a microphone doesn’t mean he’s got all the answers – or that he is speaking the truth.
The context of the verse above tells us that Paul and Silas had been in Thessalonica preaching the Gospel. (Acts 17) But some of the citizens were jealous and created an uproar. They stirred up the people so much that it became dangerous for Paul and Silas to remain there. So the believers hustled them out of town in the middle of the night and sent them to Berea. Of course, when they came to Berea, they continued preaching. Now the people they found in Berea were of a different sort than those in Thessalonica. We read in verse 11 that the people in Berea were of more noble character than the Thessalonians. Why were they more noble? The answer to that question is found in the way they reacted to the Word of God. They received the message with “great eagerness,” but they also started asking questions like; “It this true?” “Does it agree with the Bible?” These are great questions. Even though they were excited about what Paul and Silas were preaching, they didn’t just accept it at face value and walk away. Paul and Silas were great preachers, but not so good that the Bereans didn’t want to validate what they were saying with the Word of God.
In so doing, the Bereans were revealing what they trusted as the authority over their life. You see there’s a fundamental question you and I need to ask ourselves: “What is going to be the authority for my life? What’s going to be the basis for my beliefs and my behavior? What’s going to be the guide that I rely on? What’s my North Star? What’s my compass?” The Bereans had answered that question. For them the authority over their life was the Bible.
When it comes down to it, we really only have only three options. You either have yourself, the world, or the Word of God. You will either build your life on what is right in your own eyes, what culture says, or what Christ says. The Thessalonians, who stirred up the public against Paul and Silas, were an authority unto themselves. They determined that they would be the judges of what was true and not true. If someone didn’t agree with them, they would run them out of town. Truth for them was a creation of their own wisdom. They ran Paul and Silas out of town because in their own eyes, it was the right thing to do. They stirred up a mob of unruly characters and drove them away. They were their own authority.
When Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, they could have been met with a different response to the message of the Cross of Christ. The Bereans could have held a community meeting to determine if the message of the cross was true. They could have polled the community and voted and allowed culture and community standards determine whether their preaching would be accepted or not. They could have allowed the world’s standards to be the authority over their lives. But instead they examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. They opened up their Bibles and read. They looked for answers in the Bible. They measured what they heard and their life circumstances against the truth of God’s Word. The Bible was their authority.
You know, I doubt that Paul was afraid or intimidated by their questions. In fact, my guess is he welcomed them. As the Bereans went home and searched the Scriptures I’d bet that it warmed his heart. They were asking questions, but they were also looking for answers in the only place where they could find absolute truth – God’s Word.
Got Questions? Go ahead and ask. Easy questions. Hard questions. Search the Scriptures like the Bereans. I guarantee you will never exhaust the extent of God’s wisdom in His Word. But, (and it’s a BIG BUT) be willing to submit to its authority over your life as you find the answers.
To All the Noble Bereans,
PT
I don’t know about you but I have lots of questions I just can’t answer. For example:
1. Why isn’t phonics spelled the way it sounds?
2. Why are there Interstate highways in Hawaii?
3. You know that little indestructible flight recorder box they always find after a plane crash -- why isn’t the whole plane built out of that stuff?
4. If a cow laughs, does milk come out of its nose?
5. Why haven’t I ever read this headline: “Psychic Wins the Lottery!”
6. How come Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?
7. Why is abbreviated such a long word?
8. Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
9. What do you call a male ladybug?
10. If they squeeze olives to get olive oil, how do they get baby oil?
11. If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what do humanitarians eat?
12. Why isn’t there another word for synonym?
13. Why do doctors call what they do practice?
14. Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
15. What was the best thing before sliced bread?
I’ve got more but I don’t want to take up too much space. By the way, if you know the answers to any of these silly questions, please feel free to email me. - I’d enjoy the entertainment.
I like people who ask questions. It’s a sign they are actually thinking about what they are hearing. So many times people just assume the person they are listening to actually knows what he is talking about. Just because someone has a podium and a microphone doesn’t mean he’s got all the answers – or that he is speaking the truth.
The context of the verse above tells us that Paul and Silas had been in Thessalonica preaching the Gospel. (Acts 17) But some of the citizens were jealous and created an uproar. They stirred up the people so much that it became dangerous for Paul and Silas to remain there. So the believers hustled them out of town in the middle of the night and sent them to Berea. Of course, when they came to Berea, they continued preaching. Now the people they found in Berea were of a different sort than those in Thessalonica. We read in verse 11 that the people in Berea were of more noble character than the Thessalonians. Why were they more noble? The answer to that question is found in the way they reacted to the Word of God. They received the message with “great eagerness,” but they also started asking questions like; “It this true?” “Does it agree with the Bible?” These are great questions. Even though they were excited about what Paul and Silas were preaching, they didn’t just accept it at face value and walk away. Paul and Silas were great preachers, but not so good that the Bereans didn’t want to validate what they were saying with the Word of God.
In so doing, the Bereans were revealing what they trusted as the authority over their life. You see there’s a fundamental question you and I need to ask ourselves: “What is going to be the authority for my life? What’s going to be the basis for my beliefs and my behavior? What’s going to be the guide that I rely on? What’s my North Star? What’s my compass?” The Bereans had answered that question. For them the authority over their life was the Bible.
When it comes down to it, we really only have only three options. You either have yourself, the world, or the Word of God. You will either build your life on what is right in your own eyes, what culture says, or what Christ says. The Thessalonians, who stirred up the public against Paul and Silas, were an authority unto themselves. They determined that they would be the judges of what was true and not true. If someone didn’t agree with them, they would run them out of town. Truth for them was a creation of their own wisdom. They ran Paul and Silas out of town because in their own eyes, it was the right thing to do. They stirred up a mob of unruly characters and drove them away. They were their own authority.
When Paul and Silas arrived in Berea, they could have been met with a different response to the message of the Cross of Christ. The Bereans could have held a community meeting to determine if the message of the cross was true. They could have polled the community and voted and allowed culture and community standards determine whether their preaching would be accepted or not. They could have allowed the world’s standards to be the authority over their lives. But instead they examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. They opened up their Bibles and read. They looked for answers in the Bible. They measured what they heard and their life circumstances against the truth of God’s Word. The Bible was their authority.
You know, I doubt that Paul was afraid or intimidated by their questions. In fact, my guess is he welcomed them. As the Bereans went home and searched the Scriptures I’d bet that it warmed his heart. They were asking questions, but they were also looking for answers in the only place where they could find absolute truth – God’s Word.
Got Questions? Go ahead and ask. Easy questions. Hard questions. Search the Scriptures like the Bereans. I guarantee you will never exhaust the extent of God’s wisdom in His Word. But, (and it’s a BIG BUT) be willing to submit to its authority over your life as you find the answers.
To All the Noble Bereans,
PT
posted by Larry | 9:00 PM
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