The short history of the Bereans (pronounced buh -‘ree - ins) is related in the Bible in Acts chapter 17. The Apostle Paul had been preaching in the city of Thessalonica. Many people, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the Gospel message and accepted Jesus as their own personal Savior. However, the Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah grew envious of the great things that were happening and incited a riot to drive Paul and his followers away. Paul, and his traveling companion Silas, left the city in the middle of the night and traveled to the next town to begin preaching the Gospel there. That was the city of Berea.

In Berea, Paul followed the pattern he used in most cities when he first arrived. He went immediately to the synagogue, the place where the Jews met to worship, and began preaching the Gospel message. Using the Old Testament Scriptures, Paul explained the promise of a Messiah that God had given, first to Abraham and repeatedly to the nation of Israel. He explained the prophecies that told about the Messiah, and he showed how Jesus uniquely fulfilled every one of those prophecies. The Bible tells us in Acts 17:11 that the Bereans “were more fairminded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

These were truly noble people. They had accepted the authority of God’s Word in their lives. They were eager to learn the truths contained in the Bible because it was important to them. When this controversial person named Paul arrived in town, they sat patiently and listened to what he had to say from God’s Word. On the one hand, they were noble because they did not prejudge Paul and reject the message he brought to them just because it was different than what they expected to hear. The message was certainly challenging, but they gave it a fair hearing. They were also noble in that they did not simply accept the message Paul brought because of his position. He was a well known apostle of the Lord Jesus who had studied with the best Jewish teachers before his salvation. Yet everything he said was examined carefully to see if it matched the Scriptures. The Bereans were noble because of the respect they had for God’s Word above everything else.

We have named our church Berean Baptist Church because it is our desire to be like the Bereans. Here, the Bible is honored above all other sources of wisdom. We come to God’s Word eagerly, expecting great things from it. We do not reject the messages we receive simply because they do not fit our preconceived notions. Nor do we accept what is taught simply because the person sharing the message is noteworthy. We search the Scriptures to see if the things we hear are true. Those things that align with Scripture are accepted gladly, even when they require us to change the way we believe and live our lives. Those things that are at odds with Scripture are rejected, no matter who the messenger might be. By God’s grace, we will always be recognized as those who receive the Word with all readiness and search the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things are so.