RETURN TO THE SOURCE

I cannot stress how important it is for you to dig into the Word for yourself. This is something I am extremely passionate about because at one point in my walk, I was listening to messages and never returning to the source - the Bible. I was taking what any pastor/speaker said about the Scriptures they made reference to and I ran with it. Their interpretation of the Word became my interpretation. This is dangerous because unfortunately, there are people who do not take time to feast on the Word before preparing a message. They will simply use the Word to prove a point, this is called eisegesis.* I am here to encourage you to study the Word for yourself. Make this something you do daily. And after you listen to a message, make it a habit to go back to Scriptures they made reference to and see if they were handling the Word rightly. I believe this is a common thing we forget to do today.

BE LIKE THE BEREANSActs 17:11 says, “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.”
In this passage of Scripture, Luke is referring to the Bereans. Let’s break down what we see Luke saying about them:They were more noble than the Jews in Thessalonica,They received the word with eagerness,They examined the Scriptures to see if [these things] were so.
I want to focus on their “relationship” with the Word. They were eager to receive teaching from Paul and Silas. They examined the Scriptures, which was only the OT at their time, daily. They didn’t have a casual relationship with the Word, they had a faithful relationship with it. And when they received the Word from Paul and Silas, they went back to ensure that their message lined up with Scripture.
Luke commended them for doing this and I believe it is something believers today should also put into practice. I know you might have heard “let us be like the Bereans” millions of times, but let’s do it. There are many pastors/speakers using the Word wrongly and it is doing damage to the Church. Let’s make an effort to examine the Scriptures daily. When you carve out time in your day to do this you will begin to see the benefits. As you are listening to a message, you will (more than likely) be able to discern right then and there if the Word is being used rightly because it is tucked in your heart.
A PRACTICE FOR ALL BELIEVERSYou might be thinking: “Well, that was only for the Bereans. There’s no way I can get into the Word and understand what it means.” Friend, I’m here to remind you that you can. I want you to remember this truth: God is always with you. This means that He is with you during your time in the Word. As you rely on Him and faithfully dig into Scripture, He will meet you there and He will show you what His Word truly means. By the grace and power of God, you can do it.Let’s be like the Bereans. 
RESOURCES*Learn more about the difference between exegesis and eisegesis: https://bit.ly/2Kxkf6T
This post was originally published on August 13, 2019.