Search It Out Yourself

In this week’s reading, we see Paul and Silas as they travel and minister in various places. Their journey is not easy. They face persecution, beatings, and even imprisonment. Time and again, they are sent on to new locations, either by the Holy Spirit or by local believers seeking to protect them. 

As they move from place to place, the message they preach is received differently. Some respond with openness, while others reject it. In Acts 17:10–12, we read about a group who responded in a great way, the Bereans: 

Acts 17:10–12 (NKJV) 
10Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11These were more fair-minded 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. 12Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 

What stands out to me is verse 11: they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 

The Bereans didn’t accept the teaching at face value; they took the time to search the Scriptures for themselves. 

That example feels so relevant today. In many churches, PowerPoint slides have replaced physical Bibles. While these tools can be helpful, they also make it easy to present information without encouraging people to engage directly with Scripture. If we’re not careful, we can become passive listeners rather than active seekers of truth. 

Beyond the church, we live in a world saturated with content, much of it now generated by AI. When we see a photo or video online, we often have to stop and ask: Is this real?  

In the same way, we need to be discerning in our spiritual lives. 

Just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn’t mean everything they say should be accepted as truth. We are called to test what we hear against Scripture. Verses can be quoted easily, but are they being used in the right context? It’s possible to take passages, reshape them, and make them support almost any idea. Scripture is not something to be shaped to fit our ideas; it is truth that shapes us. 

If we don’t take the time to examine Scripture carefully, looking at the surrounding context and the full message, we risk being led astray. Over time, misunderstandings, if they go unchallenged, can even become embedded in church culture. But when we return to Scripture, we anchor ourselves in what is true. 

The Bereans set an example worth following: receive the message with openness, but always return to Scripture to test and confirm what is true.