Nougat 27

And the legacy lives on … Here’s today’s Holy Nougat

“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.” Acts of the Apostles 17:11 NLT

Now here is the mystery – we don’t have a letter to the Bereans; yet there are TWO to the Thessalonians. What happened? In my mind, there are three possibilities. A) the Bereans never needed further encouragement; somewhere along the line, they lost interest (we learn later in the text that Thessalonians came and riled some up to reject Paul); or C) they might have been ‘absorbed’ into the Thessalonian congregation. At least one Berean went on to become a missionary alongside Paul; so we might assume that all was not lost.

Moreover, two Berean denominations were founded centuries later amongst the Scottish Presbyterians and in the USA. The former evolved to what we now call Congregationalists; and the latter have zero regard for Trinitarian theology. Here is the lesson for us: we may ‘follow’ an individual or group as they follow Christ, (1 Corinthians 11:1). Ultimately; we have to seek Christ for ourselves.

The Bereans have left us an invaluable legacy. But until we get to reading the Bible for ourselves, their legacy has no real value. Further, our questioning and engagement of scripture ought not be solely for our benefit. We expand our spiritual knowledge to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. Let’s not forget the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus’ words to his disciples remain applicable to us – Go … Teach Everyone … Baptizing. Likewise Acts 1:8 saw the disciples being commissioned as witnesses just before Pentecost.

Whereas we may not know what became of the Bereans, we hold to their legacy. We search scriptures to expand our knowledge AND to grow in Faith so our witness of Christ is credible.

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May all we seek be found in Christ