Dr Paul Allen

In his second missionary journey, Paul made a sudden detour to Berea after the fledgling Christian church in Thessalonica was violently threatened. While Paul’s plan may have been disrupted, his pattern of ministry was not: in Berea, he continued his established method of reasoning from the Scriptures in the synagogues with Jews and other God-fearers.  There is not a lot told to us about the people of Berea except that they were “nobler than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Luke clearly admired their enthusiasm for the Word, and Christians for centuries after have admired the same. To this day, it is not odd to find their name adopted by congregations. In my own city, we have a Berean Baptist Church.  Colleges have taken on these Berean Jews as their namesake, and settlers in Kentucky hundreds of years ago named their small village Berea—now it’s the fastest-growing ci...

Christogram (labarum) with Jesus Prayer in Romanian. Jesus Prayer in Romanian Doamne Iisuse Hristoase, Fiul lui Dumnezeu, miluieste-ma pe mine pacatosul. English translation Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner. This image appears on the cover of all editions of Romanian translation of Philokalia Français : Christogramme entouré de la Prière de Jésus en roumain (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." ( Romans 16:17-18 ) In order to mark and avoid those professing Christian teachers and leaders who are promoting doctrinal heresy (thus causing divisions among Christian believers), it is obvious that we must exercise sound biblical discernment and judgment. This judgment must be ba...

Image via Wikipedia The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea , and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue .  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica ; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.  ( Acts 17:10-11 ) Why were the Bereans more noble than those in Thessalonica?  2 reasons: 1) They received the word with all eagerness. 2) They went back home and examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul and Silas preached lined up with the word of God. We should always receive God’s word preached to us with all eagerness. We shouldn’t sit there, arms crossed with an “I dare you to try to teach me something” attitude. At the same time that doesn’t mean we must accept everything a pastor says without question. We can be both eager to hear God’s word preached, yet at the same time be discerning. It’s not wrong see if what a pastor preaches lines up wit...

Image via Wikipedia “[The Bereans ] were more noble- minded than those in Thessalonica , for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so” ( Acts 17:11). God honors spiritual discernment . On his second missionary journey Paul, accompanied by Silas , preached the gospel of Jesus Christ in the city of Thessalonica. They weren’t there long before the gospel took root and many turned from their idolatry “to serve a true and living God” ( 1 Thess. 1:9). In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul says, “We also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God.” Their open r Image via Wikipedia esponse to God’s Word made them an example to all the believers in that area (1 Thess. 1:7). But as exemplary as the Thessalonians were, their fellow-believers in Berea were even more so. God called them “noble-minded” (Act...