Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Power Walk Ministries broadcast. We're so glad that you've tuned in today as Pastor Paul Cannings continues with the series titled Intentional. In the book of Acts chapter 16 we read about Lydia and her contribution to the ministry of Paul and the New Testament Church. We're told that God opened her heart and explaining what this means and its results, Pastor Cannings brings us this message today titled a true worshiper.

Dr. Paul Cannings: I believe everyone wants to experience God. It's not that God does not want for us to experience him. I mean he pours his Holy Spirit into us at the point of salvation. Titus chapter 3 verse 4 through verse 6 says he pours him in. Now this Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 through 4 says the same thing. It's not that God doesn't want that God is everywhere all at the same time. He says our body is his dwelling place in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16 and 17. So it is not that God does not want to become a personal experience for us.

Paul experienced that so much that Paul would say it's no longer I that live. It is Christ that lives in me. So this is not something that is unachievable. The issue is are we willing to experience that? And then when that happens, what does that move us to do? That's what I want us to continue to look at as we spend some time in Acts chapter 16 verse 14 and verse 15. When we look at Acts chapter 16 we find this in this woman named Lydia. A distinctive situation for her and that she's the first European to accept the gospel and make a difference for God in a significant way.

And it's not like the Bible talks about her a whole lot, you know. Her impact is so significant that the Bible has to put her in here and she is not a massive teacher or a person who is going to change the world in terms of how she's going to get behind Jesus Christ like the women of Luke 8 and serve Jesus Christ so you can go about doing ministry, do the background work for him so you could get about getting the ministry of God done. Now this woman is a wealthy woman that didn't let her wealth corrupt her.

So the Bible says can take place like Matthew chapter 6 verse 19 through 24 and 1 Timothy 6 wealth can corrupt people. You got the whole thing of Solomon, God deciding to bless Solomon and it corrupted him. So it didn't corrupt her. What wealth did was provide her a means to take care of her family. Provides her a means to be able to have a successful business as a single woman who was self-built getting it done and take care of not just her needs but when God touches her life she takes care of the needs of his ministry because her heart was right.

This heart that God wants to transform. In the Bible the heart is not this pumping organism inside of us. In the New Testament the heart represents the mind of the person, the emotions of the person, the wisdom of the person is defined by the context of that verse of that passage of scripture. In her situation it's obviously that she had a mind for God. Why? Because she says in verse 14 she worshiped God, meaning she reverence him. How in the world did that happen? It happened by osmosis. What do I mean by that? She is taking her purple garments which was something was significant in their day from Thyatira into Philippi where she was selling it to the Jews who were there worshiping God.

She got more and more exposed to the Jews who were worshiping God and learning about their view of God and their history of God and how powerful a God he is. And then when she reflects on the folks in Thyatira who are worshiping all kind of gods, all kinds of images, she reflects on that and realizes this God is the true God. She is recognized that in her own initiative. She is most likely comparing all of these images and gods that the Romans would establish. But she's going now to the Jews and she's hearing about a God that is a living God, not a God that is a pagan God sitting on a stump somewhere that people bow down to.

This is a living God. He has made this nation what it is. He opened up the Red Sea and she starts to reverence God. That's what this word worship means. She's referencing God. She's in such an awe of God she becomes devoted to him. So she's no longer just going there just to sell. She's going there to be a worshiper with the Jews because she's now devoted to this God that she's hearing is a living God. Understand that this woman because of the mindset that she has, God sees it. And when he sees it the Bible teaches us right here in verse 14 of Acts chapter 16 it says of the city of Thyatira which worshiped God heard us whose heart the Lord opened.

Oh this is powerful sentence here that just blows my mind. Who heard us because God had a person who was already receptive to him. He sees this field that we talk about, this good soil that we talk about last time. And when he sees this good soil he would literally allow Paul. I believe this is an arrangement of God. What do I say this is an arrangement of God? It's an arrangement of God because I see this repeatedly take place in scripture. Let's just pick up Rahab. She hears about their God. She's on the city gate.

She's a prostitute on the city gates, right? Which the travelers are visiting her. She hears about this God. She has all of this exposure to this paganism. But in spite of all that exposure she keeps hearing from the travelers about this God that opened up the Red Sea. When you deal with these 2 million people in the wilderness you see a fire and a cloud and then when you look at their temple there's a cloud coming down over it and their leader has a cloud coming over his tent. So they're coming and and they're viewing this and she's saying man that's a living God.

So when the spies came she's going listen I I need to help you all. Please hear me. These spies do not need to go and spy out the land and see what's going on and all that side of stuff. God doesn't need them to tell him how to fight this war. He went after Rahab because Rahab's heart was right. That's why I said yesterday it doesn't matter who we are. We tend to think we got to do all this stuff to come to Christ. No, his grace is sufficient. We are saved by his grace, not by works.

He's not impressed with our works. He says our works is like filthy rags to him. When we come to God it's not what we bring to the table, it's what he already brought to the table. And he is saying that when we come we have to have a heart that is receptive to what he wants to do with it. So this heart becomes how we live. This heart becomes who we are. This heart becomes how we think. This heart becomes how we operate because this heart was good soil. It wasn't thorny bushes. It wasn't rocky soil.

It was good soil. This is what he sees in this woman who was intentional about finding out about God in the midst of a polytheistic system. What does that word mean? In the midst of a lot of gods that were being worshiped, temples being built, money being made because of people set of sorority, fraternity type lifestyles and she still in spite of all of it sought God. What what what what does this word carefully heard us, heard us. The word heard does not just mean I'll hear a message today and move on. It means because the heart is so receptive when the message is being spoken it hits such good soil.

She's already to go do it. So she's going to worship to be awe of God, to be devoted to that Jewish God, Yahweh. But she hasn't done anything yet because she's still hearing laws and rules but she's not hearing all these different things attached to the spiritual movement of God. But when the word of God shows up through Paul, Paul is showing up with this word of God. I have still believe it's an arrangement. You got so many examples about that. You you've got Jesus Christ showing up when a demon possessed man. You got Jesus Christ showing with a Samaritan woman.

He sets up these meetings because he knows they are ready. Folks, who does God find us to be? Good Bible scholars know the word of God and can argue over the eternal security, ecclesiology, post trip, mid trip. What are we doing with this word? Because when when the word of God finds good soil it ends up doing something. That's what James is saying in the book of James. He's saying hey y'all claim to have this word but where is your works? You're just hearers of it. You don't do nothing with it. So instead of being productive you end up fighting one another chapter 4.

And so you end up demonic chapter 3 verse 13 through 18. So where is your faith? You got all this information but there's no action with it. So your faith is dead just like the demons can hear all this information but they don't do anything with it. Do they believe it's correct? Yes. They see Jesus in all of his power, perfection in his glory. They can't help but believe Jesus is Jesus. They've been exposed to him. But they are not going to do anything he says. He says it it's almost like a demonic faith because he later on defines this faith in chapter 3 verse 13 through verse 15 as just a wisdom that is earthly.

It's not productive. So you see when this woman hears it she's hearing it but faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So her faith is ignited, right? We are saved through faith, not by our works but as a gift from God. So he is saying to us that this woman heard us. She heard us whose heart the Lord opened. He opened up her life, her mind to understand the word of God. Now she could see and understand what she's been gravitating to this whole time. Why? What does all of this come from?

Her commitment, her intentional actions to be in a place where she could be devoted to God and God spots that. How does God see us when we worship him? Does he see us as coming to here so we know what to do? Coming to here so we know how to live. Coming to here so our whole lives are surrendered to him. See this woman became a powerful movement for God because her heart, her commitment to God, her devotion to God, her willingness to worship God was intentional because her focus was right. This is not having to do with all the stuff that's going on.

It has to do with our heart. It has to do with whether or not we sincerely love God, whether or not when we came to him it was just all about our needs and about what we want and what he needs to do for us or what we willing to do for him because he's already done so much for us to give us eternal life, to save us, to rescue us from our sinful ways, to rescue us from hell and to give us an eternal hope of heaven and to give us a chance to grow in the Spirit so we have joy and peace and long suffering and can love anybody.

Is that what blows us up to go yes Lord? Because God has to keep doing things for us before we become so excited to go do things for him. This time is really teaching a lot about the heart of a true worshiper. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Thank you Pastor Cannings. Lydia's focus was on the Lord and she was intentional and how she chose to contribute to the spread of the gospel. Now if you have questions about what it means to follow the Lord and you'd like to know more, call us at 281-260-7402. That's 281-260-7402. To order a copy of this message series log on to powerwalkministries.org. And while you're online look for Pastor Cannings' book Making Your Vision a Reality. It's a resource for leaders and it will also challenge you to take an active part in God's work. Again that's powerwalkministries.org. Here once again is Pastor Cannings.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Years ago I was blessed to be raised in Guyana, South America until I was 16 years of age. Going home is a special thing and it's a blessing that God has blessed us to be able to be there from November the 13th through the 17th. And we would appreciate if you would support this effort. For this particular trip is $7,500. And we would appreciate if you would join us by going to the website powerwalkministries.org. Powerwalkministries.org. We will be serving people generally and also the leaders of the assembly there in Guyana. Join us by being involved in this ministry effort as we serve.

We don't want to be a burden to anyone. We just want to serve and be effective in our service and then return back here to the states. So I look forward to you supporting us by going to powerwalkministries.org. Powerwalkministries.org. You may not be physically there but you could be spiritually there in the impact that God will bless us to make in Guyana, South America November the 13th through the 17th. Look forward to hearing from you. We'd appreciate your prayers. Thank you so much.

Guest (Male): For further information log on to powerwalkministries.org. Or call us at 281-260-7402. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 920517 Houston, Texas 77092. And now remember begin with a deep reverence of God and out of that will stem the passion, excitement and desire to take every opportunity to share the gospel.