Berean?

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:10,11 NIV

I’m one of those annoying people who treats their faith as important. It is important on a surface level as I sit in a pew, sing the songs, pray, and soak in the sermon which has been prepared by a Godly pastor. But it’s more than that. If I am going to believe in the Gospel that my church teaches, and that it is truth, then for me it is important enough to know why I believe it. So, the theology behind the doctrine is important too because it must be in harmony with the Bible.

The result in my case is that I will look into the beliefs closely, and check them against Scripture and only then what other commentators say. The reason is simple. When we do anything else in this life, or buy into any secular scheme, we do it with much care. This is more important than choosing my next car, so it must be even more important that I get my theology right.

So far, so good, but there can be a problem that comes with the quest. While chasing up, and checking out the truth of doctrine, I find myself asking other pastors and leaders whom I respect, what they think, and more importantly, believe. This can come across as questioning their own faith, and that is far from the truth. I am not in college or university, so I don’t sit at the seat of learning to sharpen my faith. I have to do that part by bouncing my thoughts off other human beings, and I try to choose carefully. Unfortunately, I have found to my horror that I have unwittingly offended as I chase the importance of my church’s theology.

After all, each church has its own take on interpretation, so do I just stick a pin in a sheet of names and go there? Do I blindly accept the doctrine of the church I attend, or do I find out why? Eternity is real, so my thinking is that the articles of faith I accept are important. I trust I will be like the Bereans and examine the Scriptures first and foremost.

Question: How do you and I confirm the beliefs that are important to us and our church?

Why This Church?

Do you know what your church stands for? The things it accepts or frowns on? Have you checked anything out to your own satisfaction? Whoa, too many questions there I hear you say. However, there are reasons why we find ourselves in our particular place of worship, and the biggest one is that we just like it there!

I was brought up in a Christian home, with Godly parents, so it was easy for me to see that the Christian faith actually works, and I wanted some of that for myself and my family. Added to that was my observation that most non church goers I knew didn’t seem to fare as well when hit hard by life. So, for years I went along to the same fellowship, and grew up ‘in the church’. Not a bad thing at all. How about you? But why your particular church? We can give different reasons.

I was sent to Sunday School as a child, and never really stopped. Perhaps that’s your story too. Some of my best friends still go there, and we use it as a place to meet up. The singing and sermons make me feel good about myself. Or maybe, like me you have experienced a personal encounter with the living God, and no other reason is as important. Let’s go back to the beginning. The church you attend is there for a reason, but do you know and understand what that reason is? Do you know how it differs in doctrine and practice from other churches? If not, don’t you think it is worth finding out?

Shouldn’t we find out what our church believes about things like: The Bible, Creation, Evolution, Salvation, Heaven, Hell, The Christian Life, Sanctification, Marriage, Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Homosexuality to name just a few. I hope I have given you something to think about, but the most important thing is this, don’t stop going to church!