By Ashlea Massie

Many men, women, and children are being led astray today by false teachers—all because of a lack of studying the Scriptures. In Acts we see that the Bereans were cautious when hearing Paul preach. They didn’t immediately accept what he proclaimed as truth; rather, they looked at the Scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true and not heretical. The Bereans set an example for us today. 

Questioning

Many of us sit in church, taking in what the minister says without even examining his words. Are they true? Does the Bible say the same thing as what my minister says? Instead, we sit back and accept it all as truth, because as our minister, surely he must have studied it more extensively to come to the conclusion that he did. 

Yes, we must trust our ministers. But they are human and sinners too, just like us; because of this, let’s consider the things said from the pulpit and see for ourselves if they agree with the Scriptures. I don’t believe ministers purposely lead us astray; rather, they are not perfect, and what comes out of their mouths will never be. Because of this, we need to take in everything with a grain of salt and examine it according to God’s Word. Have a question about what’s said in the sermon? Write down your thoughts and take a close look into the Bible.

Examining

When we do this, not only do we grow spiritually as we delve into God’s Word, but we can also prevent others from being led astray. We can examine the Scriptures and discuss them with a teacher, always with respect. This is how we know if our minister is biblically sound. If he isn’t, then we can approach the church leaders with our concerns. 

God has given us the Holy Spirit, and we don’t need to belittle ourselves to think that just because we don’t have a divinity degree that we can’t question what is in the Scriptures and double-check for ourselves. We can, as seen by the Bereans, and we are encouraged to do so! 

Ashlea Massie teaches high school students and is pursuing an M.A. in literature. She also enjoys freelance writing and blogging (everupward-excelsior.blogspot.com).