Check It Out

Read Acts 15:36–18:22

1. Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2. As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. . . .
5. But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. . . .
10. That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
11. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:1-2, 5, 10-11

Awise person carefully checks out certain people, places, and things before utilizing them. A new babysitter, a public bathroom, and a new car should definitely be checked out before being used. Some people, however, just skip this step and assume that all is OK. They like to live dangerously.

Checking things out is also a good practice for people sitting in the pews. Take the Bereans for example. They do not take everything Paul says as gospel truth. They compare what he says about Jesus with the Old Testament texts and are blessed by it.

Unfortunately, not all of Paul’s audiences are as studious as the Bereans. Each one presents a different challenge—jealousy, skepticism, and apathy. As you read, learn from the way Paul handles these challenges.

The people in Berea had more than a surface interest in the news about Christ when they heard it. They listened carefully to Paul’s message, considered its merit, got out their copies of the Scriptures, and checked it all out for themselves (Acts 17:11). Always open but never careless, they verified each teaching diligently before embracing it wholeheartedly.

A preacher or teacher who gives God’s true message will never contradict or explain away anything that is found in God’s Word. That is why we need to think about what we hear, to evaluate sermons and teachings. If we do this and the message is true, we will benefit all the more by understanding it better and seeing more clearly how to apply it. If we do this and the message is false, we will spot the error and not follow a mistake.