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 check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth. (Acts 17:11 NLT)
Do you believe everything the preacher says? Or do you keep him honest by comparing what he says to what you read in your Bible? The Berean Christians did the latter, and scripture commends them for it.
It is so important to understand that preachers, pastors, elders, whatever you want to call them, are simply teachers of the Word of God. Where they follow the Word of God, and are true and honest with it, then we should follow them. Where they go off on their own and preach something other than God's Word, we should not follow them. For our only authority and source of truth is the Bible - God's perfect Word.
So when you listen to your pastor this Sunday (and I hope and pray you will be faithful to that), don't just take everything he says at face value. Keep him honest. Go to the Bible and study what he has taught. Both you and he will benefit from such attention to the Word. You will be stronger in your Christian walk. Your pastor's ministry will be stronger, and your church will be stronger.
And when all that happens, others will be attracted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice the very next verse, which tells us what happened in Berea when they chose this approach - Therefore many of them believed. (Acts 17:12)
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