Be a Berean
What does it mean to be a “disciple” of Christ? The word disciple (mathetes) is the Greek word for student. In the first century, a “disciple” was a student who disciplined himself or herself in the teachings and lifestyle of a master. A disciple of Aristotle, for example, was someone who not only sat under his teaching, but who sought to follow both his teaching and his pattern of life. Being a disciple of Jesus certainly includes following the teaching and example of Jesus, but it goes much further, affecting every area of life (Matt 4:18-22; Luke 14:25-33).
During the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, he traveled to Thessalonica (now Thessaloniki, Greece), where “he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead” (Acts 17:2-3). While some of the Thessalonians believed, others ran Paul and his crew out of the city. From there, they went to Berea (now Veria, Greece).
- 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. (Acts 17:11)
These Bereans exemplify what it means to be a disciple of Christ, receiving the Word of God with all eagerness and turning to that Word to test all belief and practice. As such, the term “Berean” has come to be used to describe the spirit of a genuine disciple of Christ.
One of the best opportunities for us to be “Bereans”, laboring to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18), is by gathering together on Sunday mornings to examine and reason from the Scriptures together. If you’re not regularly attending one of our two adult Sunday school classes (“Pioneers” and “Seekers”), I strongly encourage you to visit one at 9:15 this Sunday morning.
Also, we plan to launch a third class on May 1st that will begin with a series of lessons on how to interpret the Bible. If you are not already a faithful “Pioneer” or “Seeker”, I hope you will consider visiting the “Bereans”!
