How to Hear

Paul experienced this during his second missionary journey:
1) Blind Rejection: the Jews in Thessalonica by and large blindly rejected the gospel. This wasn’t driven by intellectual objections or not understanding it- it was driven by what they loved- by their commitment to the status quo. They loved having crowds come to synagogue- they loved their comfortable interpretation of Scripture- and when Paul’s teaching got in the way they reacted with jealousy and hostility. Far too often this is us- we ignore, dismiss, twist Scripture when it messes with our lives- when it threatens our idols.
2) Eager Examination: The Berea’s respond very differently to God’s word preached- they receive it 1) eagerly- with anticipation, enthusiasm, readiness and 2) with examination- with discernment- filtering what Paul said through the OT Scriptures. This is a model for us to follow. It’s all too easy to get apathetic- unengaged in our reception of God’s word. Need to repent, ask for grace to change.