The Noble Bereans

Paul continues his 2nd Missionary Journey by visiting the cities of Thessalonica and Berea. Several people began to follow Jesus in Thessalonica, but others were jealous and caused trouble. Paul went on to Berea where the people received the message of Jesus with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. Troublemakers from Thessalonica soon followed and caused so much trouble that the Christians escorted Paul to Athens for his own safety.d 

We should follow the example of the Bereans and study Scripture to understand what is true.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Acts 17:1-15

2 Timothy 2:15

Outline:

1. Paul and Silas preach in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-4)
2. Jealous Jews retaliate (Acts 17:5-9)
3. Paul teaches in Berea (Acts 17:10-15)

Tips for teaching children:

• Help the children learn how to use their Bibles.  Talk about it being a collection of 66 books gathered into one book.  Look at the table of contents together.  
• Teach them how to look up a Scripture reference (book, chapter, verse). Practice looking up verses using that same format.  Simple verses for the beginning Bible reader might be Genesis 1:1 and John 3:16. 

Tips for teaching adults:

• Questions to ask the class: 1) Why would Paul go to the synagogue first to preach about Jesus?  Who would be his audience? 2) What could they have been preaching about Jesus for the Thessalonians to understand them as claiming Jesus is a rival king to Caesar?  3) How serious is this charge about Jesus?
• As a teacher, it is good to develop your skills in studying the Scripture.  Here are some tips to keep in mind when reading, studying and preparing for your class: 1) Read the text in its context.  Don’t just pick out one or two verses out of their context.  Things make sense when put into their context.  Read the passage and then re-read it, thinking about how the text flows and how the parts of the text connect.  Try to get into the habit of reading paragraphs instead of single verses.  Context is everything.  

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  The Noble Bereans 

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

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