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Acts 17 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
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  Testament. In each episode, we take just a
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  few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New Testament,
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  exploring the truths God is teaching us through His Word and
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  expanding our view of who He is. Before you listen, make sure
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  you've gone straight to the source, either by reading
• 0:19
  today's chapter of the Bible yourself or listening to today's
• 0:22
  read along episode in this podcast feed.
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  If you haven't done that yet, feel free to pause and do that
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  now. And when you're ready, let's
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  dive into God's Word together. In Acts chapter 17, Paul meets a
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  really special group of Jews as his missionary journeys take him
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  to a place called Berea. There's not much scriptural real
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  estate devoted to this group, but the few verses where we see
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  them in this chapter serve as a powerful example for us on how
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  we ought to receive the Word. Listen to these verses.
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  The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to
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  Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of
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  the Jews. Now these were more noble minded
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  than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Word with
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  great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether
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  these things were so. Therefore, many of them
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  believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.
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  So Paul and Silas arrive at Berea, and as was their custom,
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  they began teaching in the synagogue about Jesus and the
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  good news of the gospel and listen to how these Bereans
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  received the Word. This would have been new
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  teaching for them. They did not know that Jesus was
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  the Messiah. They were hearing the gospel for
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  the first time, but they didn't respond with immediate rejection
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  as many did. Nor did they have the attitude
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  of the Athenians later in this chapter, who used to spend their
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  time in nothing other than telling or hearing something
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  new. No, these Bereans receive the
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  message eagerly and take it straight to Scripture.
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  They examine it, they test it. They weigh it against the
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  revealed Word of God that they did have.
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  And when they do, many of them realize that this message must
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  be true. This message is in line with the
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  Old Testament. This Jesus really is the
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  Messiah. He really is the Son of God.
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  He really did die to atone for the sins of the world.
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  And he really did rise again on the third day.
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  In First John, we're told to test the spirits to see if
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  they're from God. Paul in Galatians 18 tells us.
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  But even if we are an Angel from heaven should preach to you a
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  gospel contrary to what we have preached to you.
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  He's to be accursed. We have received God's word, and
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  everything else we hear can and must be tested against the
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  revealed word of God. We don't accept a teaching as
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  facts simply because the messenger is eloquent or because
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  he appears trustworthy. We don't accept a teaching is
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  true just because it sounds palatable to us.
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  No, we test it against God's infallible, inerrant, sufficient
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  word. Every day we are presented with
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  thousands, millions of little ideas, little sales pitches that
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  presume themselves to be true. Be Berean.
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  Test what you read, test what you hear.
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  Test what you were taught against the truth of God's Word
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  and eagerly receive what is from Him.