5^th July

“And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many prominent Greek women and men.”

Acts 17:11-12

What would the church of Jesus Christ look like if all people who listened to the Word of God being preached, took the approach of the Bereans and searched the scriptures, in hunger of the truth? Listening to ‘preaching’ or ‘teaching’ isn’t just an opportunity for us to be fed, like going to a spiritual petrol station. Rather it is so much more than that. It’s an opportunity for us, individually, to allow God’s Word to penetrate our hearts and transform us completely.

As we search the scriptures for a deeper understanding and affirmation of what is being preached, we further allow the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to us and implant the ‘word’ into our hearts. If we just listen to a Sunday service message and don’t prayerfully re-visit what we have learnt, how can we possibly expect our lives to be transformed? We will just end up being attracted to emotion driven sermons, that satisfy our feelings, but do not transform our lives! Look what happened with the Bereans, ‘as a result, many Jews believed, as did many …Greek women and men.’ When we actively are pursuing God, His Word becomes a necessity for our lives. It has the power to save and transform us completely.