1. Search the Scriptures

Text: Acts 17:10-15

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now, the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. (i.e., Gentiles)

13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

Paul obeyed Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 10:23: “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.” But this advice didn’t mean fleeing to another place to hide; instead, it meant fleeing to another place to preach the gospel. And that’s what Paul did.

Note that the Bereans were “of more noble character” = “an attitude of the mind” (fair-minded & open-minded).

The Bereans eagerly received the message, not with bias, prejudice, and preconceived ideas like the Thessalonians. They were…
• Humble enough to be told something.
• Open enough to re-examine their beliefs.
Humility is foundational to learning.

Ps 25:9, “[God] guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

The Bereans were humble and open to re-examining their beliefs even though Paul’s teachings contradicted their former views.

I encourage you to do the Berean thing and humbly and eagerly listen, but don’t stop there.

[The Bereans] examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. No doubt they did this together. They would have read and discussed and maybe debated with each other. These are very healthy things to do—I encourage you to do likewise.

The Bereans weren’t gullible—where nothing is wrong. But neither were they cynical—where nothing is right. The result of their open-minded, humble inquiry led to faith in Jesus for many Jews and Gentiles. Let’s be like that!

2. Question what you hear.

Every time I teach the scriptures—whether it’s a sermon, blog, podcast, or Tuesday Night Live—I do so as someone who has trained and studied diligently for many decades. But that doesn’t mean I know everything. It doesn’t mean I’m infallible. It doesn’t mean I’m always right, and it certainly doesn’t mean I never change my mind.

I encourage you to search the Scriptures and question what you hear (from me and others).

Here are a couple of significant statements:

The Bible is not just a book of answers; it was written to provoke questions.

Scripture should never be used to shut down a discussion. It should be used to generate debate.

As you read and study scripture, what questions can you ask about the text or story? I suggested three questions last week:

• How does this point to or reflect Jesus?
• In what way(s) does this draw me into intimacy with Jesus?
• Does this verse or story align with what I know about Jesus?

Other questions could include:
• Why do you think the people acted in the way they did?
• How would you suggest they behave?
• How would you respond in similar circumstances?
• Were they good people who responded poorly because of experienced trauma?
• What would Jesus do?

A question has power that surpasses the answer. The Bible and God are supposed to be explored. It is a healthy engagement that, if done with respect, causes growth.

Genesis 32:22-32, Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” The name Israel means “he struggles/wrestles with God.”

It’s okay to wrestle with God and scripture. The Bible permits us to search, question, and grapple. Now, this might be counterintuitive to those of us raised in a Western context:

The scriptures reflect our messy life experiences. We can read its pages and find stories, songs, proverbs, and principles that resonate with everything we face during life’s ups and downs. The Bible has done its job if our discussions cause powerful positive change.

Now, I realise this can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable like we’re all adrift and unsure of our beliefs. So, I’ll finish by giving you an anchor point: one word: Simplicity!

Whenever I have doubts, confusion, or unanswered questions, I always bring myself back to the simplicity of Jesus—who He is, what He did, what He does, and what He’s going to do!

Simplicity!

We lose simplicity when we try to make our faith more complex than it needs to be.

When Jesus was asked by His disciples, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus’ disciples were jostling for position—grown men acting childishly. Jesus reminded them they must never lose their childlike qualities even as they mature.

The Bible is exceptional and life-changing, but it’s not always easy to comprehend. When I’m confused, I return to simplicity, which is beautifully illustrated in the story of Karl Barth, who is often regarded as the greatest Protestant theologian of the twentieth century.

His prolific theological studies and writings shaped a century and were instrumental in combating liberal theology. His commentary, The Epistle to the Romans, is considered by many to be one of the most important theological treatises of all time. Barth’s theology found its most sustained and compelling expression through his thirteen-volume magnum opus, The Church Dogmatics, which is widely regarded as one of the most important theological works of the century. The Church Dogmatics runs to over six million words and 8,000 pages and is one of the most extended works of systematic theology. In other words, Karl Barth was well acquainted with the complexities of scripture.

And yet, when Karl Barth was at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago during his lecture tour of the U.S. in 1962, after his lecture, during the Q & A time, a student asked him if he could summarise his whole life’s work in theology in a sentence. Barth responded, “Yes, I can. In the words of a song I learned at my mother’s knee: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Simplicity!

Discussion Questions
1. Share instances when you were open-minded about something, which led to positive change. Conversely, have you closed your mind to something that has restricted you?

1. Discuss: “The Bereans were humble enough to be told something and open to re-examine their beliefs.” Does this describe you? Why or why not? Consider Psalm 25:9.

2. Discuss: “The Bereans weren’t gullible—where nothing is wrong. But neither were they cynical—where nothing is right.” Do you have any experiences of gullibility or cynicism? What were they, and what was the outcome?

3. The story in Acts 17 encourages us to question what we hear. Have you ever been in a setting—church or otherwise—where questions were discouraged? How did you feel about this? What were the outcomes? Are you encouraged knowing you’re part of a church where questions are encouraged?

4. Discuss these two important statements:
   • The Bible is not just a book of answers; it was written to provoke questions.
   • Scripture should never be used to shut down a discussion. It should be used to generate debate.

5. Read and discuss 1 Thess. 5:21. How does Paul’s instruction inform our topic of searching, wrestling, and questioning?

6. Read and discuss 2 Corinthians 11:3 and discuss the important of simplicity as an anchor point for our relationship with Jesus.