Uncle Solomon and Abraham with their nephew, Jack.
God cares for orphans and widows. He cares for people that are hard to reach. He cares for the poor. And, like Lydia of Thyatira, he especially rewards those who seek him and worship him. God loves all people. And God takes pleasure in all he has made (Psalm 104), and he has an excellent plan to bring His Good News to people - just as He does in this passage.
I’m writing this during the Christmas season of 2022. I’m mindful of the great lengths God goes to rescue us. He is the Shepherd that searches for and saves the lost sheep. I need to care for what God cares for. I recognize and thank God for everything He made. This is a season of grand celebration. I hope it is for you and your family, too. Everything depends on God. We see in this Acts 16 story of Paul's trip to Macedonia. We hear about a foreigner, Lydia, who was a long way from home (she's at Philippi, and she's from Thyatira - my guess is she is relocated to Philippi and is widowed, but we have no facts on that in the Bible). Lydia, we're told, has a significant business. In this passage, Lydia and her entire household become baptized believers in Jesus Christ. It is similar to the Cornelius and Peter story we read about earlier in Acts. God saw her heart. He saw her struggles in Philippi, and God went to miraculous means to call Paul and Silas via dreams to Philippi and the riverside where Lydia was worshiping God.
God is looking at our hearts. He’s looking to see if we love him and care for people. As we sing Christmas carols this year, let us be singing praises to God, for it is good to praise and worship God with song. God’s looking to see if we refuse to let the world corrupt us. Or if selfish ambition, pride, arrogance, greed, and selfishness are our true motives. Are we aligned with the world? God knows. He sees it all. And we, like Lydia, should be earnest in showing that we are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 15) - not for show or gain, but for devotion to God for what He has promised us. The Bible is clear about what pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father is (James 1:27). Lydia knew this, as did Paul and the faithful men with him. Baptized believers led by the Holy Spirit practice true faith (loving our Rescuer and loving people He cares for).
Paul taught Timothy they needed to do whatever it took to be servant messengers of Jesus. I don’t think Paul compromised the elders’ decision by having Timothy circumcised. Having Timothy circumcised, he showed Timothy it is ok to remove barriers that block the spread of the Gospel. Timothy was free to do whatever would open more doors for Christ as long as it was in line with goodness and God’s principles of right living. If Timothy had to get circumcised to be allowed into specific settings (synagogues) where he and Paul were journeying, so be it.
God is looking for people with pureness of heart and holiness. It matters. It matters that each of us strives to live a blameless life. A life of integrity before God. Here's a minor aside. I don’t like tattoos. I don’t want any. And generally, I don't like them on others, but occasionally I'll see one that looks manly - usually on the forearm of an old man. But I know that a tattoo is external. It may tell us something about a person's past or story but little about their heart. God sees right through externalities. He sees through fancy clothes and other charades. He looks to what we think of Him and how we see others.
We need to be wise with this short time God has given us. The world still pleads for the truth, for the word of God. Notice that Paul, Silas, and Timothy (and Dr. Luke!) went from town to town, instructing believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. They were honoring Jesus by honoring the explicit teaching about freedom in Christ. The Acts 15 message is one of freedom in Christ and holiness. Just like those towns 2,000 years ago, our communities today have many seeking after God. It’s a bumper crop, for sure. But somebody has to do the work to get the grain to market. A lot of it will spoil in the field. As we prepare to do God’s mission work, let us be marked by purity of thought and action. Goodness, common sense, and right living. Christians must have the highest moral standards because of our relationship with God. May we be spiritually and physically fit. But may we also be open-minded enough not to let legalism close doors that should be opened for the truth. We do this because we are His prized possession, his children. It is a shame and a fact that Church is filled with hypocrisy and conflict. This is not right, and we must do what we can to let our actions honor and please God.
Holy Spirit, eternal God, please lead us today as you led Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We need help. Let us be the ones to serve and care for our neighbors. And let us give generously to the poor and speak the good news message as we care for widows and orphans (v. 9).
Let’s be open to God’s communication - whether by reading his word, prayer, or visions. And let’s pray the Holy Spirit will prevent us from going where we ought not to go - and lead us to the riversides where those that seek Him need to hear His message. Let us be sober-minded and obedient to the draw and prompting of God. And may our work and our households, like Lydia's, be blessed by God.
Thank you, Lord God, for what is before us today. Lord Jesus, let us trust in You today to show us how to love and care for people. Amen.
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