Know What You Believe: Searching the Scriptures Like the Bereans

In this Wednesday evening service, the pastor continued the study “Know What You Believe,” drawn from Acts 17:10-12, where the Bereans were commended as more noble than those in Thessalonica because they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. The message pressed home the believer’s responsibility to base every conviction on the Bible itself – not on preachers, theologians, or tradition – and to be ready to give an answer, while being honest enough to say “I don’t know, but I will find out” rather than confusing seekers with speculation. The primary purpose of the Bible, he reminded the church, is to show men, women, boys, and girls how to have a relationship with God. Turning to Ephesians 6:11-13 and Ephesians 2:2, the pastor warned that believers live in a hostile world engaged in spiritual battle, where the devil deceives and blinds the minds of the lost (2 Corinthians 4:4), just as the serpent beguiled Eve from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). Like the blind man of John 9, we may not answer every question, but we can testify to what Christ has done for us. Practical exhortations followed: grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), study to show thyself approved (2 Timothy 2:15), be faithful in church attendance, take advantage of Bible institute courses, disciple others, and choose one book of the Bible to master through the rest of the year. The message closed with a survey of the Baptist distinctives – biblical authority, autonomy of the local church, priesthood of the believer, the two ordinances, individual soul liberty, saved and baptized church membership, two offices, and separation of church and state – along with historical testimony that Bible-believing churches have stood apart from Rome since the days of the apostles. Know what you believe, and let the Bible be your final authority.