[0:00] Go to verse 12. Paul and Silas, his partner, are missionaries, and they're on their second journey. All second journeys are with Silas.
[0:13] And they are at the city called, now you spoke about this, Philippi. Every dictionary has been Philippi. Not everybody called it. It's always Philippi.
[0:24] That's what I call it. From thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony.
[0:36] And we were in that city by certain days. On the Sabbath, we went out of the city by the river he died, where prayer was long to be made. That's the way the king of King puts it. We would say where prayer was customarily made.
[0:51] And we sat down and spake unto the women which resorted to the thither. That there means there. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord came from.
[1:08] That she attended unto the things which were spoken of all. When she was baptized in her household, she besought us, saying, If you have judgment and faith in the Lord, come into my house and abide there.
[1:23] And she constrained us. It came fast that we went to prayer. I don't think I'll read the rest of that. Turn over to the end of the book. Paul and Silas, then, got in trouble.
[1:37] Got thrown in a jail there to provide. And then they were let out after some miraculous things happened. In verse 40, the last verse said, They went out of the prison and entered into the house of Lydia when they had seen the brethren.
[1:54] So there were other people there. This has been some time now since Lydia's baptism. And they were having a meeting at her house.
[2:05] The brethren of the other people that you've got saved, they're getting to church together. And so they're meeting there. And they had seen the brethren. Isn't this something? They've been in stocks and they've been beaten.
[2:17] And now they're comforting the brethren. They comforted those people. So they saw the brethren. All his house comforted is then on them. And then departed.
[2:28] That's the last mention of Lydia. By what led you. The only times that she was mentioned. You know, by what led you. Several years ago, my second daughter, whose name is Anita, after having had three sons, had a little girl.
[2:52] They wanted to use names out of the Bible. As her older sister had done. They named the boys Stephen and Daniel and Matthew.
[3:04] I guess they expected another boy, but they didn't have a girl named Ray. That was one reason. Another reason is the other two sisters had gotten all the girls' names.
[3:15] And I got Sarah, Rachel, and Anna, and Lisa had gotten Elizabeth, and Esther, and Rebecca, and Abigail.
[3:30] And Anita says, what am I going to do? And I came to the rescue. The only grandchild in the 16th that I had got a name was Lydia.
[3:45] And Anita was sent from that side, which loved her purple. In fact, everything she's got purple, she goes overboard. I mean, their cabin, their phones, their purple, everything they have purple.
[4:02] Oh, they're purple. I saw a girl, I'm back in her purple town. I said, what are you doing? That's my wife. I got that wrong. So I said, Anita, since you're such a lover of purple, and Lydia was a seller of purple, why not use Lydia?
[4:24] Amen. And her eyes just lit up. She said, I never thought of Lydia. So every year, about this time, maybe every year, she'll forget sometimes, I'll get a text or something, and it'll say, happy birthday, Paul Paul.
[4:41] I love you, Lydia. How old was she now? She didn't say, for a while. She's 19. Oh, she's 19. It's a strange thing.
[4:54] It seems like the old guy didn't know what I was in here. I agree. I don't know how that happens. By the way, my fourth daughter, Laura, she's a gay girl.
[5:09] She had a little girl, and she said, they didn't leave me any names in the Bible. So she went to her ancestors. She had two little girls, one of the boys, and she named her first one, Lenora, which is the name for Paula, and you know, as the grandmother.
[5:30] She named her second one, and Lee, which is the name of my grandmother. And the little boy, Link, that was Paula, and you know, was dad's name.
[5:42] And it's not Salt-N-T-Warp, Link, I didn't forget, it's L-I-N-K, that's his name. I used to tell Paula, that's the only time I've ever heard of that name, and I can't say it, but Laura's little boy, named Link, he can't.
[5:55] Has anybody ever heard that name before? You have? Really? Look at that. That's probably where they got it. You have it.
[6:07] How old would your dad be? Over a hundred, if you could be there, so they didn't get it all too good. Anyway, that's my story about Lydia.
[6:21] This Bible, Lydia, however, is a unique lady. A very special lady, I think God chose her to be what she was, and to be in the position.
[6:31] She was in first. She was a businesswoman, and there were many of those in those days that owned their own business and very successful, and therefore, probably wealthy.
[6:43] You didn't see many wealthy women in those days, nor many women that owned businesses. Did you lose me? No, sir. I had a ring, so I had to bring you down a little bit.
[6:53] All right. She was wealthy. She sold purple cloth, and purple was an expensive cloth, dyed with an expensive dye, and wealthy people only wore that.
[7:07] You remember the rich man in Luke 16 was clothed in purple, married sumptuously every day, only rich people sold. When she sold some of that cloth, she made some money on it, and therefore, was a wealthy lady.
[7:23] Secondly, she was the first Christian convert in the continent of Europe. All the others up to this point were in Asia, and since England is in Europe, Germany, France, and other places that sent people over here, she is our first ancestor.
[7:43] A Christian faith in that sense. She's the first European that was saved. And then third, she was, no doubt, as we've seen just the inside of it here, the foundation of that great church in Fort Worth, and of all Paul's churches, it was the greatest one in that country.
[8:05] And so, they were meeting in her house there in Fort Worth, and so, not many women were foundations of churches, some very unique ladies. How did a rich woman become all of that?
[8:22] Well, you know, the Bible doesn't tell us much about some of these people. I read you all the verses there are in here about her. But you have to sort of read between the minds a little bit to figure out why it said what it did.
[8:36] And it said the Lord opened her arms. Then you read the rest of it, and you find out she had a big heart. She wanted to do everything for everybody. She used her wealth properly, opened her home for the church, the free church, and so on.
[8:54] So, we're talking about Lydia's heart and figure out what I think about her heart. Number one, she had a seeking heart, didn't she? You know, she had religion. It says she worshipped God.
[9:07] She reminds me of an email called Lydia. It was a very religious man and seeking and I'll tell you what, anybody that's seeking God is going to find him.
[9:19] The Bible says that more than one. He's going to seek and he's going to find him. Nobody's looking for him and he won't find him. Even if he's a native in the middle of a jungle somewhere, if he's looking at the star and he's saying, where are you, somebody is going to be sent to that little grass hut and they're going to tell him about Jesus.
[9:41] That has happened many times. If you're seeking, you're going to find him. She was a church attendee. She worshipped God. She always had a hungry heart and therefore was easy to win to Christ.
[9:57] She wanted the truth. God sent Paul a long way to this person to see him. But he found her. You know God needs soul winners that are closer to some of these prophets.
[10:15] Is he going to have to send somebody to the butte or some other place because we're not doing the job? I remember Dr. Rice told a story one time and he got off on the wrong road and went 40 miles before he realized it.
[10:33] He looked at his gas caves and said, well, here's a little service station. I'll just go ahead and get some gas and get back on the road, right road. The attendant came out and John Rice said, sir, do you know the Lord or are you a Christian?
[10:48] And the guy started crying and said, no, I don't. I'm not wanting to know. Nobody can tell me. Dr. Rice got him saved just like that. He put that in one of his books and said, if God had soul winners in all these places, he wouldn't have to send me 40 miles out of my way to get to my family that was ready to get saved.
[11:12] Well, he had to send Paul a long way to get her. She's a seeking sinner. And are you available to find somebody that's seeking? I love to find the seeking people.
[11:23] I don't like those that have to beat over the head to get them to listen to me. And I certainly don't like those that cut you off in the middle of the center by slamming a door. You find somebody that's looking for it.
[11:34] That's my hand. Next time you find one, you stop right there and say, let me get my hand. I might need some secrets. I like to tell this half 10 years ago, I guess.
[11:47] I like to tell it because I like to remember it because I knocked on the door out of the neck. I like to tell you where it was. It's behind St. Joseph's Worker back in that area. I worked in that area one day a year ago.
[11:59] I knocked on the door and a man about 80 came to the door and he said, are you the man that's here to tell me how to do more again? Come on. I said, I sure am.
[12:12] He said, come on in. And he sat me down on his couch and I said, now tell me, why are you looking at someone and telling me how to do more and he said, my son lives in Hawaii and while he's there he's not, what are you going to say?
[12:26] He's going again. He said, he's been writing letters and he's praying for somebody to come by and tell you, dad, how to be more again. And he said, I'm going to ask how to do more.
[12:40] And I said, well, I'm going. I'm the answer to your son's prayer. God sent you to your door. It's not easy to get saved. He was right. I like the seekers.
[12:53] I like those that want it. So she had a seeking heart too. She had an open heart and they said, well, God opened your heart. He never forced the heart. It had to be open anyway.
[13:05] It was easy to open. He's not going to force. There's that person in Revelation chapter 3. He said, behold, I stand at the door. If not, I can use that at the door of the heart when you talk to the kids.
[13:18] If any man opened the door, I'll come in. And so we have to open the door and we have to open the heart. But when it just starts open, God opened it the rest of the way.
[13:32] And he opened her heart. I think millions of us are seeking. We don't find many of them around here to see. But I believe millions are seeking.
[13:45] I believe millions are religious in seeking like you are. I don't think they know it. But there are probably millions of people who are not satisfied. They know that there's something more and you former Catholics in here there's nothing wrong with being a Catholic.
[14:04] Catholic is great and the things it does right. I think the doctrine though has left by. So we need to tell you how to say that. I'm going to tell you.
[14:15] But all of you, weren't you seeking? Yes, sir. How many Catholics are seeking? See, you would have never listened to anybody like me had you not been looking for something that you didn't have.
[14:29] And my question is why don't all of you like you find that all of you? Farmer, you and Delores, you went to that church up there. What's the name of that?
[14:40] The sheriff. You went there years, didn't you? All your life. Why couldn't you and Delores go back some Sunday and say could we speak for just a minute?
[14:58] Why couldn't you say, we grew up here. I've been here all my life and I've got something important to tell all you do. What would be wrong with that?
[15:08] They wouldn't let you do that. But if you could, I wonder how many would listen to you? They'd all hear it and I don't know how you want.
[15:23] Why can't that happen? Why can't we do that? Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if you could do that? Would all of you like go back to a former church? church? Amen.
[15:35] I think many of them wish they had what you had. But because of tradition and family and other things, they're not going to ever do it. Their hearts aren't open.
[15:46] You've got to have an open heart. I've said this often, I wish I could open the hearts with everybody I talk to. Just get your heart, just a crack, just open it, let some light in.
[15:58] But you won't open it if the hearts are closed. The devil is a heart closer. I believe there are many seeking on what they're seeking. So when we come along, they think it's not that.
[16:13] I'm Catholic. I'm Lutheran. I've got my religion. You've got yours. You've heard it all.
[16:25] You're like that lady over on the St. John 3. How many times you go to church? I said three. She said I go every day to get out of here. What I don't understand, I mean we're pretty nice people but we're not there to be fussy people.
[16:44] Why aren't they nice? What was that little girl, what did she pray? Lord, make the bad people good and good people nice. Why aren't they nice to you?
[16:59] I'm not an enemy. If they're Christians, I'm a Christian too. Why couldn't they be blessed? Come on. I don't understand. Their hearts are closed.
[17:10] Just closed. Why aren't they all like Nicodemus? Lord, can I come over and ask you a few things? This is the whole John chapter 3.
[17:22] He didn't sweat on the door and leave. listen to God more again. He was steeped in religion. One of their best teachers. I'll tell you something. I thought about this. One of the greatest men who has ever warned you was John the man.
[17:37] Because brother, he started it all. Nothing before him. He had to start it before Jesus ever came along and he died. I got family.
[17:48] John had to convince his people. There is coming one better than I. I'm not even going to worry that he'll lose his shoe. But he's going to die for this end of the world.
[18:01] And the man had a whole crew of people. What a great man he was. How did he convince all those people? But he did. He was sent here to prepare a people for the Lord.
[18:14] And the Lord came. He just came out with John. He's a great man. I don't know how he did. I started a church one time with scratch.
[18:27] And I like to scratch my mouth after death. I mean, you just get a little storefront and you got a dozen people with the kids. Two families of others, two, three families.
[18:40] And you knock on the door and say, my church, my church, I don't know about that church. That's a candy store. That's my church. Well, it used to be a candy warehouse, but now it's a church. Well, how many people do God?
[18:52] I wish they never asked that. Now, why is it with him always too honest? You can be too honest, you can be honest. They say, how many people do have?
[19:04] And I would be if that came with an answer. Well, you know, she would say,! It was six months before we ever talked to anybody that joined in that time.
[19:22] I have a lot of respect you know, you have tried that, you tried. And these missionaries, and Franklin missionaries, thank God for them, they're starting from nothing, man. I told you later, I was so pleased to see pictures of Dana Dice's church in New York City.
[19:40] And all this time he's been up there, that's a hard place right out of town, right down down there. I didn't know what he had. Boy, he's got a beautiful little place.
[19:50] It's just painted up fancy, assigned, beautiful inside this first class. And a whole bunch of people were there. I was pleased to see that. We've been supporting him since he started.
[20:02] He's done a great job. These missionaries need your prayers and your appreciation. Well, she had an open heart. Can you hear it?
[20:13] Have you ever noticed the two people can hear the same message and one of them weeps and they'll get mad. One has an open heart, the other has to close.
[20:25] Let me tell you something. If you're sitting in here and your hearts are going to be closed, open. The truth is not going to hurt you. The truth never did hurt you. It'll help you.
[20:37] It'll help you. We're just going to give you the Bible and just open it up and listen to us. Just consider what we're saying. Let us tell you our signs of men.
[20:49] We'll give you scripture for it. Just open it up. What closes are? What religion does. Self-righteousness does. I know as much as you do.
[21:01] Love of sin, I don't give up something. Pride, many things but let his heart open. Be sure you're open. Don't close your heart.
[21:13] Now then, number three, she had no beating heart. She attended unto the things spoken by Paul. Now that's always an amazing thing.
[21:23] Here's this guy from across the world. She's never seen and never heard of it. And yet she believed what he said and did what he said. Isn't that an amazing thing about soul?
[21:36] I go into a home and 30 minutes later, the first time I've ever seen that guy, 30 minutes later or so in an hour, I say, sir, you believe what I'm telling you?
[21:50] Yes, I do. Why would you? He doesn't know you. What you get over your days right here and ask Jesus and say, I sure do. That's an amazing thing.
[22:03] The only ghost has to be in there who are saying. Well, that would never happen. Never happen. But many of you are saying because you trusted the man or lady that you never seen before.
[22:15] But something inside you said that didn't be true. Well, she had an obedient heart. She tended to the thing spoke about there used to be such things as full service gas stations.
[22:33] I'm going over this. Don't get ahead of me. You drive up to this gas station and a fellow coming running out and say, can I help you? And you say, 10 calories are ready.
[22:47] Yes, sir. Can help? Well, you check the oil will. do all that free is good for you.
[22:57] He's working himself a dead one. Nowadays, would you check it yourself, buddy? What do you think I have?
[23:09] But back in the old days, every service station was a school service. And they'll obey you, man. They'll do what you ask. But did you know that it also not enough to certain!
[23:26] We met more than one. I didn't know what to do. I grew up there and this guy walked in the yesterday. I said, sir, he said, what can I do for him?
[23:46] And you know what I know. I'm skeptical, right? I'm thinking he wants to do something for money. wants to wash my windshield or something and add money.
[24:04] That's what I was thinking. Then I noticed there are others going to another car. And I was sitting there trying to figure it out. I in Oregon.
[24:46] No, I was there too. Yeah, New Jersey. That's not where we were. Preacher, I think I saw a sign on one of the gas stations on JFK that they're going to be doing that on a certain day.
[25:01] No. Here in the view. Yeah. I think there was a sign that said full service on some certain day of the week.
[25:12] I hope it catches on the way. Boy, did I feel important. Didn't have to bump on gas. This little guy running around doing what I asked him.
[25:24] All them in Argentina are like that. Full service. Maybe it's coming back. I remember when it went out.
[25:36] I didn't like it. I didn't like that bump on gas.! I got used to it and I didn't know what to do with him. They want to please you.
[25:48] They just do it. It doesn't cost you anything. It's amazing. A good proof of salvation.
[26:00] You don't question Jesus. You come to church, you really get born again and preach or something and say, I need to do that. I need to do that.
[26:12] I told you about Brian Spears. That's the way he was. Brian and they learned something new. They go home and he says, I figure out to do this.
[26:24] And in one year it's kind of that you got saved. They got saved.! Well, obedience is the key.
[26:45] When you learn it, do it. She was baptized. There's this guy from across the world who tells me that he needs to dust me under the water. Never heard of it.
[26:56] Not going to do it. Not needed. Not needed. She had an obedient heart. I imagine he explained what baptism was. There's this woman that told him this fellow a couple hours.
[27:08] And then she says, I give my family to tell him what you told me. And he did. And they all got saved and baptized all of them. It's amazing to think about that.
[27:20] Perfect strangers can change lives of them. Many times we're obedient to our hearts not even. You heard little kid He was swum in and his dad said, stand up, I'm going to teach you some part.
[27:37] Stand up. He just said, like you're doing. His dad said, I said, stand up, son.
[27:48] I don't want to stand up. I told you to stand up. You're going to stand up for I'm going to be the jury as well. He said, that's better.
[28:00] He said, I'm not standing up on the inside. A lot of us, we do what we have to do. We're going to do it on the inside.
[28:12] We're going to hang on on that inside. I'm not going to obey you. If I do, I'm not going to want to. Well, convenient hearts want to please God if they not.
[28:24] What about yours? Takes an open heart to get saved. Takes an obedient heart to get blessed. And then finally, she had a servant's heart.
[28:37] Takes a servant's heart. That's right. She had a servant's heart. Please come stay in my large home. I can just hear her saying I have so much room here.
[28:50] In fact, I want to serve you while you're here. If you want to, you can use my home and tell her it's wonderful news and other people. Not even having to get around.
[29:02] Serve. Rich woman. Serve. She constrained him. I actually thought, well, we don't want to pull.
[29:13] know you're coming. I have plenty of room and I will not take no pronunciation. Oh, I like to like you. Like you.
[29:24] I like that. Was it last Sunday? Well, last Wednesday. I mean, I was wondering if that person had that. Well, it was Wednesday, I think, you said.
[29:35] Taking you your wife out of the heat. What did you want to do? She constrained me, man. I didn't want to. I like these constraints.
[29:50] Now, we're going to do one. Take it down. And I argued and argued and argued. How do you like these people who say, oh, would you all like me on the Sunday?
[30:04] They don't mean. They don't mean. Anybody that says, well, I'm so going to go sometime, we'll have a little, little, little, they don't.
[30:15] But when they say, next week, when they say, Tuesday night, brother, you're going to be at my house Tuesday night. BOT, he's got a bunch of these fresh tomatoes out of his garden and he's going to get a haul killer.
[30:39] Tuesday night, you're going to be at my house. Tuesday night, I love constraints. that's the way she was.
[30:50] She was a good strainer. You're going to meet in my house. Old, old brother of mine was a good strainer. When I got older down to that church, he came up and said, brother, what are you going to do next Sunday?
[31:00] I said, brother, I don't have a place to preach. He said, yes, you do. I said, I do. He said, yes, you do. You're coming to my house and preaching to my next Sunday.
[31:12] We're going to start a church. And you know, I would have been in there longer because I've been in there five years. That's the first time I'm kicking down.
[31:23] I'm still trying to build a good church. It's a denomination. I didn't believe it. But that old man said, we're going to build one of those independent churches you've been talking about. We're going to start my house next Sunday.
[31:35] I laughed and turned in. That's why I'm here. That's why I respect you and so what? He gave you this real kick when God returned to do it the easy way.
[31:48] So it's okay if you want to feed us sometime. Just to assure you, but you insist. She insisted because she meant it.
[31:59] Well, God told Abraham, bless thee and make thee a blessing. You want to get a blessing for people. Good to get a blessing better get a blessing and that's what a service does.
[32:19] Somebody said, we're not pressure boards and somebody else said, you know what? The Dead Sea is the Dead Sea is the Dead Sea. So it takes in from the Jordan River and never gives out.
[32:33] You never in. Water just takes it in. You gotta pass it on to somebody gives you something. You ought to be thinking about what you can do to somebody else. God blesses you when you are trying to somebody to pray.
[32:51] That's what a service does. Well, what about your money? What about your money? Did you know the Bible says work with your hands that you might be able to give to the Lord?
[33:05] We work with our hands so we should help the bank. We take care of number one brother if we aren't supposed to do you know I'll take care of my family I'll take care of my family I'm a great that's a gospel to me help look for somebody that you can help don't you understand that if you help somebody help God you take care!
[33:30] Right Yeah I've got a brother West had a pastor named Jim Brown he's a buddy of mine good man good preacher well I don't get I want to get to me he had a lady come one time I heard she said this lady came to me one time and she said man I want to get to work I want several jobs he said well I gave her nursery clean insurance a sister she learned out that went on for a couple of weeks he said she came in said that's it I quit she said I am sick and tired of being used by everybody in this church and he said now let me see are you the lady that a few weeks ago came and asked for all these jobs she said yes but
[34:46] I wanted to serve God not people you can't do a thing you can't do a thing you won't know she said no he said maybe God's well somewhere you can't do a thing that's good and that's the truth you think you're serving God you're not doing one thing for God that's just the way it is she had an open heart so she could get saved she had an obedient heart so she could be blessed and she had a servant's heart so she could be a blessing it is heart right ahead please Lord I will be willing