SenTENces: Bereans

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more nobleminded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men… Acts 17:10-15.

1. In our fallen world many (not all!) wicked people exist outside the walls of the Church.

2. Therefore, the rest of the wicked people exist within the walls of the Church.

3. I am so fatigued at the level of compromise and corruption within the leadership of today’s Church.

4. We live in a bubble to believe that every church, every pastor, or every “confessed” believer is an authentic follower or work of the One True

God.

5. False Christians are in the pews, in leadership, and in the pulpit teaching to the detriment of the health of the sheep.

6. Often, the fruit of the unregenerate posers presents identical to those in the church who may be regenerate, but disobedient.

7. So, we commend the likes of those discerning Ephesians who are lauded by Christ for sniffing out impostors– “you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false” (Revelation 2:2).

8. As well, we commend these Bereans mentioned in Acts 17 who were more noble as they 1) Received the Gospel with eagerness, 2) Examined the teaching of the pastor (Paul) to validate that they were in alignment with the Scriptures, 3) They protected this teacher (Paul) from harm later on.

9. The Bereans were people of discernment and discipline for which the New Testament holds them in high regard.

10. In the midst of the dismal fidelity of the church regarding Scripture may we raise the bar of faithfulness, may we be found faithful with the nobility and the legacy of the Bereans.

(Kelly Larson is the pastor at Bishop Creek Community Church, an Evangelical Free Church. The church meets Sundays at 700 Hobson St. (corner of Hobson and Keough) at 11 a.m. (760) 872-7188. Larson’s blog is at TheShepherdsPen. com.)