Acts 17:10-15

10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. (NIV 84)

FROM THE LESSON

John G. Fee - born in Bracken County, KY in 1816, Fee was called by God to preach the gospel of "impartial love" to his native state of Kentucky. In 1853, Cassius Clay gave him 10 acres of land in Madison County to come and pastor a church in that area. Fee would establish a church, a school, and a tiny village. His vision for the school was the co-education of the races. When Fee was asked to name the new settlement, Fee called it Berea after the Biblical town in Acts 17. His hope for the people of the new settlement was they would, like the Bereans of the New Testament, receive this message of "impartial love" with great eagerness.

Compare and contrast - one thing you pick up on when studying the writings of Luke, both his gospel and Acts, is he often uses the writing technique of compare and contrast, where he places two people or events side by side in order to make a point. It is a very effective way to write and it forces the reader to stop and consider the two very different responses. Some examples of this technique are found in Luke 1, Luke 4, Acts 4, and in Acts 17.

Humble and hungry (verse 11) - the Bereans still stand today as the Biblical model of how to receive the Word of God. They received the word with great eagerness, this takes humility. Humility is the attitude that allows you to receive a word from someone else. They also examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true, this takes hunger. Hunger is a feeling that happens daily and not just on the first day of the week. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1 Have you ever noticed Luke's use of the writing technique called compare and contrast? Some of the examples are of Zechariah and Mary's responses to the angel in Luke 1, the reactions of Nazareth and Capernaum in Luke 4, the responses of Barnabas and Ananias in Acts 4-5, and the responses of Thessalonica and Berea in Acts 17. Spend some time comparing and contrasting these different responses in Luke's writings. Discuss the effectiveness of this writing technique. 

2 The Bereans were "humble and hungry" instead of "zealous and jealous" like the Thessalonians. How does the example of the Bereans serve as a model for you of how to receive the Word of God? How does it challenge and encourage you?

3 Whenever and wherever the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, there will be opposition. This is because Jesus came into the world not just to be born a King at Christmas but to become your King at conversion. There are some who want Jesus to be their King, however most do not. How does the language of Jesus reigning and ruling on the throne of your heart change the way you live?