A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

The Apostle Paul spent years of his life traveling throughout the Mediterranean countryside preaching the Gospel to whoever would listen. He went from town to town, planting churches as he went.

In Acts 17, Paul arrived in Thessalonica. After preaching there a few times, those who opposed him stirred up the city against him. They made false accusations, hired thugs and created a mob, chasing Paul out of town and effectively ruining his ministry there.

Paul went on to Berea, about 45 miles away. Things were much different there. There was an eagerness for the Word of God and when they heard Paul, they didn’t respond with anger or violence. Instead, they examined the Word to see if Paul was right.

Because of the way they valued the Scripture, many people came to know God. The writer of the book of Acts describes them as “noble-minded.”

Acts 17:11

“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”

This is the legacy that the Bereans have left to us; they taught us that when we are in doubt, it is best to look at God’s Word.

God has given us His Word as a resource to be used. A Bible does us very little good when it sits on our shelf collecting dust. It is meant to be held in our hands, opened to our eyes and read.

This is how the Word works. Read your Bible and grow in your faith.

2 Timothy 3:15

“...from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”