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Being a “Berean Christian”The Book of Acts, part 42Acts 17:1 – 15

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Paul left Luke in Philippi to care for the new believers and fledgling church there – because the “we” sections of the Book of Acts stop for a while.

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Acts 17:1“Now, when they had passed through Amphipolis & Apollonia, they (not “we”) came to Thessalonica, where there WAS a synagogue of the Jews.”

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Acts 17:2 – 3 “And Paul, as his custom was, went into the synagogue, and for three Sabbaths, reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating (by using Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament) that the Messiah had to suffer, and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you IS the Messiah.’”

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Acts 17:4“And some of the Jews believed, as did a great multitude of God-fearing Gentiles, and not a few prominent women.”

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“God – fearing Gentiles” = Greek

“Sebomene” just like Lydia in Acts 16 down by the river.

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Acts 17:5“But the Jews who did not believe, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, they set all the city in an uproar, attacking the house of Jason (where Paul was staying) and trying to bring Paul out to the people.”

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Acts 17:6“But when they (mob) did not find Paul, they (mob) dragged Jason and some other believer’s before the city officials.”

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“City officials” = Greek “POLITARCHS”

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To this day, we have never found the word “politarch” in any extant Greek document.

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But in the last 50 years, archaeologists have found 64 occurrences of the word “politarch” on stone inscriptions they’ve dug out of the ground!

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At the time of the Apostle Paul, Thessalonica was indeed ruled by 5 magistrates who bore the title “politarchs” – a title used nowhere else in the Roman Empire.

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Only someone who had actually been in Thessalonica during the 1st Century AD (like the Bible says that the Apostle Paul was) could have known that the local rulers were called “politarchs”!

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“The more they dig out of the ground, the more the Bible proves to be right”

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Acts 17:6“But when they (mob) did not find Paul, they dragged Jason and some other believer’s before the POLITARCHS, crying out, ‘These men, who’ve turned the world upside down, have now come here too.’”

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Acts 17:7“‘And Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are defying Caesar’s decrees (HOW?) – by saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.’”

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Acts 17:8 – 9 “When they heard this, the crowd and Politarchs were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the other believers post a bond and let them go.”

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In this bond, Jason had to guarantee that Paul would stop preaching and disturbing the peace – and leave town!

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Acts 17:10a“As soon as it was night, the brethren sent Paul and Silas away to Berea.”

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At the time of the Apostle Paul, Berea was a commercial center with a sizeable Jewish community.

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Berea continued to have a large Jewish population for the next 19 centuries until 1943 – when the Nazis deported the entire Jewish population to concentration camps.

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Acts 17:10b“On arriving there, Paul and Silas went to the Jewish synagogue.”

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#1 – Out of respect for their position as God’s special people.

#2 – Because their knowledge of the Old Testament gave Paul a “head-start” with them.

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Paul didn’t have to teach them about God’s Messianic promises in the Old Testament – all he had to do was to show them how Jesus fulfilled all of these promises!

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Here in Berea, Paul comes across some Jewish people who were radically different!

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Acts 17:11“Now the Berean Jews were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and they SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES DAILY to see if what Paul was saying was true.”

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Acts 17:12“Therefore, many of them BELIEVED, and also not a few Gentiles, prominent women as well as men.”

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John 5:39(Jesus) “You search the Scriptures, because you think that by them you possess eternal life; yet those very Scriptures bear witness of me!”

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John 5:40“But YOU REFUSE to come to Me, so I can give you eternal life.”

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Acts 17:13“But when the Jews at Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the Word of God at Berea, they came there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.”

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Acts 17:14“And immediately the brethren sent Paul to the coast; but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.”

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Acts 17:15“And the men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens . . .”

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Acts 17:15“. . . and after receiving a command from Paul for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all haste, they departed.”

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SO WHAT?

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“Be a Berean Christian”

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A “Berean Christian”:- A serious student of God’s Word.

- A person who knows their Bible.

- A person who rigorously examines God’s Word regarding every issue in life.

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A Berean Christian takes every issue in life and interprets them ALL through the lens of God’s written Word.

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Joshua 1:8“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it…(i.e., be a Berean Christian), for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.”

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Strive to be a “Berean Christian” and when the dust settles, you’ll always be glad you did!

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