Check It Like a Berean

When Paul preached in Berea, the people didn’t just accept what he said. And Luke praises them for it. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Notice both halves. They received the word eagerly. And they checked it. Every day. Even when the preacher was the apostle Paul.

That is a good habit for us. Not to be cynical about every sermon, but to hold what we hear up against the text. Does it match what the Bible actually says? Or does it just match my mood, my politics, or what I already wanted to hear?

It is the same spirit behind counting it yourself. Don’t take anyone’s word for what the Bible says. Open it. Read it. See whether those things are so.