The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.
Acts 17:10-12 ESV
Have you ever felt like life has drained you of your spiritual vigor, like you don’t have enough faith to face the things that are coming at you? Most of us have. Fortunately, the Bible gives us many illustrations of how we can stay tanked up, ready to quench fiery darts and move mountains. One such instance was in Berea.
After being chased out of Thessalonica by rioters, Paul and Silas end up in Berea. Instead of heading for a bed or the hotel restaurant, they went straight to the synagogue. There they found a group of people who were more noble than the rioters. The Greek word eugenḗs can refer to those who are of noble birth, or it can describe those who show a noble and fair mind. That’s the crowd we’re looking for.
The Bereans showed their noble mind by their eagerness to hear the Word. This was not a 30 minute Sunday homily on how to be nicer people. This was a daily passion to hear what God has to say. More than that, they didn’t take Paul’s word for it. They took what he said and examined it. Get that! They didn’t just skim their notes; they thoroughly examined the Scripture. Since most people didn’t have a torah at home, they probably met in groups at the synagogue to see if Paul’s teaching lined up. They did it every day.
Now notice the result: Many of them believed. Faith came to noble-minded people with a zeal for the Word and who studied it carefully every day. I wonder if that method might still work!
Here’s my idea. Let’s get in our prayer closet and ask God to forgive our apathy and give us a new hunger for His Word. Let’s go to church and get around like-minded people, people of like precious faith. Let’s bust out pen and paper (or tablet and stylus) and take notes on the message. Then let’s look in our own bibles and see if it’s in there. Let’s talk about it with other believers. Let’s keep it in our mind and our mouth until it overflows out of our heart. Problem solved, faith revived, victory follows!
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