Acts 17- The Purpose of an Open Mind

Please start by reading Acts chapter 17.

Paul, Silas and Timothy are continuing their second missionary journey in this chapter.  They have just left Luke in Philippi and are continuing through Macedonia and further into Greece.  In this chapter they visit Thessalonica, Berea and Athens.  I want to look at their time in Berea and Athens.

In Berea and Athens we see two different reactions to the message of the Gospel.  Both reactions to the Good News start with an open mind, but the end of these two stories are different.  This makes us wonder, "What's the purpose of an open mind?"

In Berea the people "received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek woman and many Greek men." (Verse 11b-13)

The Bereans had an open mind.  They were open to hear what Paul had to say.  They didn't hate him just because what he had to say was different.  The Bereans then went home and examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.  The Bereans are a good example for us.  Have an open mind but be sure to find out if it is true and once you find the truth do something about it.  Many Bereans realized they found the truth and they committed to it.

Now let's look at what the Athenians did when they heard the Gospel.

The Athenians heard Paul preaching and they were intrigued by his message.  So the Athenians, who spent all day chatting about the latest ideas, invited Paul to explain the Gospel to them.  So, Paul explained the Gospel clearly.

The Athenians had an open mind.  They were open to hear what Paul had to say.  They didn't hate him just because what he had to say was different.  However, the Athenians, save a few, didn't do anything about the message they heard.  They kept their mind open and most likely discussed a new "truth" the next day.  I mean, these people had so many different philosophies and religions that they had an idol to an unknown god so they wouldn't miss any.

Both the Bereans and Athenians had an open mind.  Both openly heard the Gospel message.  So, what's the purpose of an open mind?

My pastor says (I'm not sure where he got this) that the purpose of an open mind is the same as the purpose of an open mouth... to bite down on something good.  We can't possibly think that we are uberintelligent because our mind is open to everything.  An open mind is a great thing, but an open mind that doesn't bite down on truth is pointless.  The Bereans had an open mind and found the Truth.  The Athenians had an open mind and let the Truth pass them by.

In our lives we need to have an open mind.  But the purpose of an open mind is not to accept truth and garbage together or to do nothing about the messages we hear.  The purpose of an open mind is to find the truth and bite down on it.  So, have an open mind, but bite down and savor the Truth of the Gospel, like the Bereans did, today.