Half-Berean

Our senior pastor is out of town, so our new assistant pastor has this week's teaching and preaching responsibilities. On Wednesday he taught on "the unbiblical idea of seeking God's will". Even before he introduced his first point someone objected. And after his lesson more emotive objections were voiced.

Public rejection of teaching is sometimes necessary. But I've been in many churches where the rejection is often premature. Most of the time it takes place in a small group setting where submission to an authority's teaching is intentionally minimized or even ridiculed. This attitude is often justified as being "Berean".

The Bereans were commended for two reasons. We all know the part about "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were correct." But it seems we have collective-amnesia, forgetting that first they, "received the word with all eagerness." (Acts 17:11)

When listening to the teaching of a God-ordained authority is my attitude full of eagerness in what I am receiving? True, there are times when I'm hungry for bread, but I get a stone instead. But how many times have I been offered bread, yet was too skeptical to receive it? The truth is that, at best, many of us are only half-Berean.