We are told in Acts of the day when Paul hastily departed Thessalonica under the cover of darkness. He was sent quickly by the brethren to escape the mob of Jews who were jealous of his success and who craved to bring his preaching to a halt. When Paul arrived at Berea (about 50 miles away), he sought out the synagogue just as he had done in Thessalonica. His custom was to bring the gospel to the Jew first and then to the Greek.
We read of his Berean encounter in Act 17:10-11: 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 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.
What a fine compliment Paul pays to the Bereans. Although he had some success in Thessalonica, the Bereans appeared to be more open and receptive to his teaching. They were doers of the Word. An additional compliment is rendered by announcing that they, “searched the Scriptures daily to find out if these things were so.” It is apparent that a portion of the teaching done by Paul came from the Old Testament. In being diligent, the Bereans studied from their scriptures to confirm what Paul was saying.
We at Karns should strive to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. Do we study the scriptures daily to see if the lessons we hear are so? Do we have a strong desire to learn God’s Word, to find out what He wants of us? If it were somehow possible for Paul to visit us at Karns, would we be worthy of the same compliment as the Bereans?
For the elders, Tony Williams