10That same night the Lord's followers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea, and after they arrived, they went to the Jewish meeting place. 11The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true. 12Many of them put their faith in the Lord, including some important Greek women and several men.
13When the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica heard that Paul had been preaching God's message in Berea, they went there and caused trouble by turning the crowds against Paul. 14Right away the followers sent Paul down to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
I can't believe it. The Thessalonian religious leaders weren't satisfied with simply kicking the Apostles out of their town (and, of course, beating them)...now they felt a need to run down to Berea and enforce their standards on the neighbors.
This is typical of insecure people. Everybody has to think like they do or they get nervous. Sound like any Christians we know?
Conversely, the Bereans came to faith through serious study of scripture...to find out if the teachings they received were true. Wow! What a contrast. Even in conflict they conducted themselves like mature Christians...caring for the welfare of the Apostles.
We don't need to analyze this any further. The salient question is simple: "Am I a Thessalonian or a Berean?" It matters to God.
Live boldly out there today...
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