[The Holy Spirits (Ladies and) Gentlemen]
Acts 17:10-15
With the mission in Thessalonica closed, we now come across the people of Berea. Today, let us think about what it means to be a gentleman through the Berea Church.
First, they are not obstinate sole arbiters.
Berea was a minor city located about 80 kilometers to the southwest of Thessalonica. As trouble brew, the believers in Thessalonica send Paul away under cover of darkness. Paul endures the humiliation to adhere to the Holy Spirits strategy. The word translated to 'sent' in verse 10 is used twice in the New Testament with the other time being in Acts 13:4 when the Antioch Church dispatched Barnabas and Paul: 'The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit'. Luke used this word to note this midnight escape was orchestrated by the Holy Spirit. Paul fled when it was necessary even if it caused indignity, but that did not mean he stopped his mission. Paul was from Tarsus, Cilicia, Asia Minor (Anatolia). Before the vision of Macedonia, he was only concerned with the mission in Asia, unable to even consider Europe a possibility. He obeyed and arrived at Macedonia, but did not know the geography, customs, or culture. So Paul admitted that he did not know and followed as the believers told him. The Holy Spirits gentlemen acknowledge their ignorance and show obedience to their subordinates and colleagues. If it is good for the Word, they immediately comply. They do not insist on obsolete ideas. Paul was not obstinate nor a lone wolf. He always worked with people. No one put importance on coworkers as Paul did. The believers in Thessalonica and Berea realized this. That is why they actively helped Paul before he asked. Even with the Jews out for blood, there are people who help Paul. It was thanks to this community of cooperative ladies and gentlemen that Paul was able to carry out spreading the Word, business as usual.
Second, they receive the Word with great eagerness.
If we look at verse 11, the Bereans 'were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness'. It is because they received the message that they were of noble character, not the other way around. Even more noteworthy than their eagerness is that they examined the Scripture to see if Paul was correct. Here, 'examine' is translated from the Greek word 'anakrino'. The prefix 'ana', meaning 'up', intensifies 'krino', meaning to judge or separate, by indicating it was done 'up to' its conclusion. The word was used in the forensic sense of a judge scrutinizing evidence to reach a verdict. Thus, we should examine our lives in light of the Word to separate out the flaws. This requires research and corroboration, to eat and chew, and application to our actions. Why did the Bereans examine the Scriptures to check that Paul was speaking for God? According to verse 13, the Jews in Thessalonica came over to agitate the people. So the Bereans needed to judge whether Paul was speaking the truth. To examine everyday is to test by taking the teachings to our actual lives. That is what 'to see if what Paul said was true' means in verse 11. And the conclusion of the investigation was to choose 'Jesus is Christ.' As a result, the believers in Berea grew in number.
Third, they do not halt the missionary journey.
As the news that many Berean Jews and Greeks believed Pauls message reached Thessalonica, the jealous Jews there went to Berea to sow confusion. They employ the same methods as they used in Thessalonica. However, Paul was certain this was the road God had called him to. With the city in increasing commotion, the believers of Berea extracted Paul from the city as the Thessalonian believers had. The 'sent' in verse 14 also implies that they dispatched Paul to carry out his mission. But the Bereans were of more noble character and yearned for the Word, so would not have wanted to let Paul go. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirits gentlemen cooperate with the dispatch instead of pursuing their own interests. Oddly, this time, Paul goes alone. This was to shield Silas and Timothy from escalating danger. Everyday, the ministry was carried out amongst great tension. Both the party that left and the party that stayed behind were holding down their allocated place for the mission. We must assume some risks for the community in order to fulfill our roles. The Bereans, who were nameless new believers, escorted Paul from Macedonia to Athens, a journey of 320 kilometers, without even being asked. They went to the coast instead of going straight through land, although it is said they eventually went on land. It was perilous. Each member of the Holy Spirits community came together as brother and sister to keep the mission from stalling. It is only Jesus who can keep us persisting in the face of such incessant obstructions. When the Jewish leadership hounded Jesus on the Sabbath, he replied 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working'. And so we too, in our family, church, and the world, must not quit our mission of upholding the Word and our families. Seeing the journey to its completion is what being together with the Lord means. Such are the noblest of lives in the eyes of God as are the lives of the Holy Spirits ladies and gentlemen.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you may become the Holy Spirits ladies and gentlemen.
