Episode 146: A businesswoman's heart opened by the Lord

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting

mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the Light of the world

and the life of all. Give us wisdom by your law and

enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge.

Sanctify our souls by Your truth, and grant that we may be

obedient to your words and may fulfil Your commandments at

every hour. O you who?

Enlightens the rational with the knowledge of Your greatness.

Do enlight, O my Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate

upon Your holy and divine Scriptures at all times, O Lord

of all, Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

Forever. Amen.

Books of the Acts of the Holy Apostles of our Lord and our

Savior Jesus Christ, chapter 16, verses 6 to 10, I believe.

Yeah, we read that Paul had a vision of a man, and a vision is

different to a dream vision. You're not asleep, you're not in

deep sleep. That's a dream.

But Paul sees a vision of a man who pleads with him to go to

Macedonia and to help them. Obviously we we ascertained that

Paul was being guided by God through the vision.

It was God. It wasn't a out of the body

experience or a phenomena. No, no, no, it was a vision that

God had worked through. In the book of Job chapter 33

Job 33:14–16

verses 14 to 16, we read because God speaks with one and does not

do more with two and by the lips he is not understood,

unspeakable, unfathomable, we say unspeakable more by the lips

he is not understood. So in the Divine Liturgy of the

Holy Qurbana, when you hear the word, especially in the English

liturgy, unspeakable meaning, lips cannot give you the

description, the understanding, the the, the quality of the Lord

God. They cannot explain God with

lips unless God through your mind, your conscience, your

wisdom, works through the Scriptures, the church, and

reveals Himself as He has, plays me to His name.

So because God speaks with one and does not do more with two

and by the lips, he is not understood in a dream and in a

vision of the night when sleep falls on man in slumber on the

couch, then he opens the ears of a man and in their revolt he

will humble them. So therefore God speaks to to

Saint Paul in a vision through a man and Paul is humbled and Paul

is obedient and does exactly what the vision has commanded

him to do. And then in verse 10, we read

that we understood this is Luke. Now when he says we from this

point onwards, when we read we Saint Paul didn't write the Acts

of the Apostles. Barnabas didn't write the Acts

of the Apostles. Saint Timothy didn't write the

Acts of the Apostles, who wrote the Acts of the Apostles, which

is an extension to the Gospel of Luke.

Yes, yes. So it says we, Luke is saying we

understood that our Lord was calling us to evangelize them,

knowing that it was for a vision.

Then they understood. And I read to you an

interpretation, a commentary of one of the fathers.

I think it was origin. Listen, he writes.

Listen shepherds of the churches, listen God's

shepherds, his angels always come down from the heaven and

proclaim to you today a Savior is born for you, who is Christ

the Lord. Luke chapter 2, verse 11.

Luke 2:11

For unless that shepherd comes, the shepherd of the churches

will be unable to guard the flock well, not unable

completely, but they won't be able to do well.

So if there is a shepherd of the flock, the priests, the prelates

know that without cross, without Christ the Good Shepherd, we

can't guard the flock well. The flock will be in danger.

When I guard and lead my own understanding, wisdom and

knowledge. No, no, but through God, praise

be to his name. Their custody is unweak unless

Christ pastures and guards it along with them.

We're reading the apostle, he writes.

We are coworkers with God. One Corinthians 39.

A Good Shepherd who imitates the Good Shepherd.

A Good Shepherd who imitates the definite article The Good

Shepherd Jesus Christ, praise be to his name, is a Co worker with

God in Christ. He is a Good Shepherd who has

the best shepherd with him, pastoring his sheep along with

him. For God establishes in east or

established in his church apostles, prophets, evangelists,

shepherds and teachers. He established everything for

the perfection of the Saints which are the faithful of the

church. Ephesians 411151 Corinthians

12/28 And he concludes by saying, let this suffice for a

simple explanation of what verse 10 was saying, that we knew that

God is calling it without God, without the calling of God, no

man takes anything of his own will and understanding and

knowledge and power and wealth and fame.

No, no, no, unless it be given to him from heaven.

Saint John the Apostle, sorry, Saint John the Baptist said to

his apostles, when they or his disciples, when they said, you

know that guy that you were speaking to, you know you were

talking to us about He's baptizing more people and he put

them in their place. Let's continue verses 11 to 15.

Therefore, sailing from Traus or Traus, we ran a straight course

to Semothrace and the next day came to Nepalis and from there

to Philippi, which is, which is the foremost city of that part

of Macedonia, a colony we're not going to go deep into.

You can look at the, the, the, the maps that are in the Bibles

and, and make yourself aware and, you know, educate yourself

on the actual journeys or the missions.

And we were staying in that city for some days and no.

And on the Sabbath day, obviously see on the Sabbath

day, what happens, prayer has to happen.

So on the Sabbath, on the new covenant Sabbath, which is the

Sunday, the 1st day of the week, you need to be in church, not on

by the, by the lake casting your, your fishing line or

trying out your boat. No, not going shooting and

taking your rifles and shooting, no, unless you have to.

You shouldn't be at work if you don't need to.

You don't need to work. Come to the House of the Lord.

That's the message of the scriptures.

So this Sunday, I'll leave it up to your conscience.

What are you going to choose the House of the Lord or your free

time and socializing? I'll leave it up to your

conscience. And on the Sabbath day, we went

out of the city to the Riverside where prayer was customary made,

and we sat down and spoke to the women.

Whoa, who met there? The women met there to pray, not

to read coffee cups and enjoy their social media scrolling and

go out for a coffee at Starbucks.

No, no, no, they were praying. So my these sisters come

together in prayer every now and then.

That's amazing. It'll do a lot of good for the

world, trusting God in the power of prayer.

Now, a certain woman named Lydia heard us.

She was a seller of purple, that is material from the city of

Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to

heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household

were baptized, that means her husband, her mother, her father,

her father-in-law, her mother-in-law, her children, her

infants and her, her, her, her maidens, and all those who were

household were baptized. She begged us, saying, If you

have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, not to you to the

Lord, come to my house and stay. So she persuaded us.

Wow. We see that the the progress of

the preaching of the word is so rapid.

So in verse 15, chapter 15, verse 39, that dispute between

Barnabas and and Baraba and and Saint Paul when they split

because of John Mark, St. Paul didn't want to take John

Mark with them. But you know, there was that

argument. So we know that that was a

divine plane, a plan. Now it was divinely inspired.

So now we learn from this, bringing it home and applying

it, that God works through our division at times.

God can work through our, our full foleys.

God can work through our difficulties and problems we

have. We just have to be patient.

God can work through the evil of a person who does, who, who has,

who has denied him. God can still work through that

person. And we see in the history of

Christianity that that happens. This is God's amazing,

unfathomable, unspeakable power and plan and work and will

praise His name. If it wasn't for the whole work

of the Holy Spirit, beloved Macedonia would not have

accepted the word. They departed and this Saint

Paul started heading towards or he was told you need to go to

Macedonia and Macedonia now has accepted the word.

So what I'm trying to say is never ever claim that you are

doing you did you touched, you opened, you preached.

No, no, no, It's God working through you through foolishness,

through your through your, you know, weakness.

God can be glorified. That's why Jesus said every time

people say anything to you, you say I am but an unworthy

servant. The rusty tool in the shed that

God has used for his glory. And God can and will when he

when it pleases him, when it appeases him, when it's the time

for him to use these things. We don't know when, how.

No, we don't. But we know that yes, when God

chooses to, He will, and He can, and nothing can stop him.

No wars, no legislations, no evil evil, no satanic acts of

the world can stop the work of God when He is ready to move and

to work. No, beloved, don't be, don't be

mesmerized and don't feel helpless because of of what's

happening in the world, the evil that is happening in the world,

the satanic deeds that we hear that are happening in the world,

that will not deter the holiness of God and the power of God.

God can use that. God can through the evil and the

satanic work of man produce children from Remember 9/11 911

the churches were packed. The churches became packed.

Now it started subsiding. I know you know, every time

there's a, a major catastrophe in the world, the churches are

packed, but I believe that from those 10,000 people that start

attending church, 3000 stay God touches their heart for a,

through a message, through a preaching, through a a worship

hymn for the the words of the liturgy, the Holy Divine Liturgy

of the Eucharist, through the Eucharist itself, through the

prayers of the holy Saints, through the worship of the

brothers and sisters who have gathered together.

God can touch and God can work, beloved.

And this is happening now, early in the beginning of the church.

So such a rapid progress of the Word is a sign that what

happened 15/9 was more than just a human fallout and

misunderstanding and disagreement about what we need

to do, especially in the church. Beloved.

Yeah, there are divisions in the church.

Yes, there are always fallouts in the church.

But remain silent, be still and know that God is in control.

He could be using that to glorify, to increase people to

come and to be, to worship him, and to be saved.

God is not in need of the service of man.

Remember that. I've repeated it so many times

in these past verse episodes. God is not in need of the

service of the man, though man is in need to serve God, to be

drawn near to God, to be cleansed by God, to be received

by God, to be saved by God, to be protected by God, and to be

shepherd by the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord God, praise be

to His name. In verse 13, there are women

gathered by the Riverside praying House of prayer, it says

which is never praying. They could have been praying to

the Lord who is the truth. How do we worship you who are

you You know those who haven't accepted Jesus Christ and

they're confused if there are if there are listeners and I

encourage you to to promote these episodes not not for views

and and and you know promotional purposes.

No, no, no, no custody, God forbid no.

Promote them to touch people's hearts, to bring people to

salvation. Bringing people to God means

they are saved, not that God is more glorified and magnified.

No, those who are not in the Christian faith to listen to

these words. If you're seeking the true God

with all your heart and mind and soul, pray to the Lord Jesus

Christ and He will reveal to you the true God because He is He

manifested it to us. Praise be to His name.

You don't need to you don't need to have known about him or or

understand and have been you know, you know, have that wisdom

where you know exactly. No, no, no, just just the name

of Jesus Christ that demons shudder.

Lord Jesus, don't don't don't call him Lord yet.

No Jesus, I hear about you. I want to know the truth and

when time comes, he will reveal himself to you.

They sat with the women and now these women were praying again.

Our sisters who are listening, you gather for coffee, you go

out for coffee, you go out for drinks, you go to do your

manicure and pedicure and pedicure and pedicure, whatever.

It is great. God bless you.

Why don't you come together in prayer every now and then?

Why not pick up the phone and say, Hey, dude, hey, homie, what

are you doing? Come over, what are we doing?

We're going to pray. Why don't you go to the churches

Mother Day church at at interlock.

The side door, not the door that's in front of the side door

is always open, always open. It's unlocked.

Call a few sisters. Likewise with brothers, but

we're talking about the the women here.

Call a few sisters and say, what are you doing?

Let's just go to the House of the Lord and pray.

I was glad when they said to me, we are going to the House of the

Lord, says the psalmist. Pray and then you'll hear and

then your heart will be opened. And don't think that because

you're a woman you're not permitted to come to the church

or the House of God. No, no, no.

Don't. Don't ever think of that.

If anyone tells you, if Nana tells you, you say Nana, God

bless you. Pray for me.

I'm going to the House of the Lord to pray.

They sat with the women, the apostles sat with the woman.

Wasn't there any man, there weren't there any men in that

city, but they saw that they were praying.

That's what drew them. Prayer draws the Lord God to us.

Prayer. Prayer draws, prayer draws God's

attention. Prayer draws the Holy Spirit to

US. Prayer draws the Saints of our

Lord to us, beloved. Along with their prayers, they

sat with the women to speak to them.

Why? Well, Paul explains it very

nicely in Galatians chapter 3 verse 22.

Galatians 3:22

For all those faiths that are out there who believe that, you

know, I was hearing a a Muslim cleric who said God created this

animal, God created this animal and that animal was a woman.

Well, let me tell you my my beloved Muslim friend, you're

not an animal. My was Muslim female friend,

you're not an animal. You're God's creation.

You've been created in the image and the likeness of God.

Don't listen to what your book tells you, what your prophet

tells you. You're not an animal.

No, you're not. If you've been forced to believe

that, rebuke Satan in Jesus name.

Look at what Paul writes in Galatians 328.

There is neither Jew nor Aramean, neither servant nor

free person, neither male nor female doesn't mean there's no

gender. Yes there is.

There are two genders, male and female, and Jesus spoke about

that. God create them in the

beginning. God created them, male and

female praise between his name. But I'll tell you what, what?

What Saint Paul's talking about. Neither male nor female.

For all of you are one in Jesus the Messiah, in salvation, in

the salvific plan of God, only through his Son, our Lord Jesus

Christ. There is no partiality.

No partiality. God would not say to you, my

beloved Muslim, a friend, female friend.

God will not say to you away from me.

You're owning an animal. No, no, no, God will say to you,

yes, my son died for you. Just believe in him, just like

Lydia did. And that's why they go and

preach and talk to the women. And in verse 14, we see that

Lydia, who was a Jewish businesswoman, Wow, how long ago

was it? Or or how long ago were women

permitted to drive cars in Saudi Arabia?

Five years ago, 10 years ago, so before that, women cannot, could

not do this. Women could not be in business.

No. Well, maybe Saudi Arabia has

subliminally under the table, received the word of God and

allows women to have businesses. There's nothing wrong with a

woman who has a business, but so long as they continue to worship

God. Not for glamour, not for

glamour, not for brands, No, no, no, for God's glory.

A Jewish woman, a Jewish businesswoman conducting her

business. And the Lord, we read, opens her

heart because she worshipped God.

She conducted her business according to what she knew of a

God. Now what she was taught, we

don't know. Maybe it wasn't the right way,

wasn't the truth, but she had a concept of God.

Listen to what I'm saying. So if there are faiths out there

who have a concept of knowing God, allow the Lord Jesus Christ

to bring that concept into fruition, to know that Jesus is

the way through to God the Creator.

The Lord opens her heart. That's who we should rely on to

open the heart. God, God will call.

Jesus said himself, no one comes to the Son except he whom the

Father brings. No one.

It's God who opens the heart. So when you hear, you know, you

Robbie and I, you know God bless you.

All glory be to God. Only God is that.

If there's any vain glory in me, Lord, cleanse me from that.

So when I hear Robbie, you said something and it really touched

my heart and it opened my mind. No, no, no, God did it.

It's not Robbie. Robbie is that.

Keep in mind always, always Robbie is that rusty tool in the

shed, that tool that God uses for His glory, that unworthy

servant, that idle servant that God is using for His glory.

God opens the heart not by force, no, no, no.

Which hearts that does God open? The hearts that are seeking the

truth, the way, the life, which is Jesus Christ, praise be to

his name. If you're seeking the truth, the

way the life, call out to Jesus Christ, He will open your heart

and your mind. Why?

Because in Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 10, God says, I, the Lord

Jeremiah 17:10

God, examine the heart. No one knows the heart.

No one we dare to sometimes say, I know what's going in your

mind. No, you don't.

You know, sometimes when we go and visit a, a person that is

really hurting and he's in pain and sorrow and, and you know,

suffering, say, I know what you're going through.

They turn around and say, no, you don't, you don't know what

I'm going through unless you've been through it.

And even then your circumstance could have been different to

mine. So don't claim that you know No,

no, no, no. The best, the best healing words

are to say God knows what you're going through.

God knows exactly your pain. He feels you, He's with you.

Hebrews chapter 4, verse 13. And there is no created thing

Hebrews 4:13

hidden from before him that is God.

But everything is naked and open before the eyes of him to whom

we give an account. So it is the law that opens the

hearts, that is the hearts that are winning.

There are hearts that are not willing.

They're disabled, unable to sing.

They they don't want to hear. You cannot do that.

We say you cannot pour water on a what's ARA?

Yeah, sorry. Para Para pumpkin.

Pumpkin. A pumpkin that is not, that is

not pierced, you cannot pour water in it.

Not at that, at Mia or something.

Like me. You cannot do that.

I've gotta go. Next episode, I'll tell you what

it actually means. Sorry.

Squash. Yes, squash.

Thank you, Steven. It's the producer, right?

Some people just don't want to. You go and tell people to pray

that the Lord will change you. No, no, no, pray that you want

to be changed first. Lord, instill in me, I want you.

I plead with you to instill in me the desire to change.

And when I do have desire and it's genuine, Lord, you change

me, right? Remember, I've said take my will

into your hands. Lord, I relinquish my will so

that your will be done, so that thy will be done.

So when we want to pray for for God to touch hearts, we must

pray that the Lord will instill in that mind, in that will, in

that desire, in that heart, the desire to want to change.

And then when that happens, that is when that person comes to

God. God will then draw or run out to

that person. There are many that may have

heard the the the preaching of Saint Paul, but we're unable to

receive it. You know we don't hear that all

those women took heed towards Saint Paul, but Lydia was taking

heed and when she did see there's always something that

needs to come from us. There's always.

So deeds are important beloved. We are saved by grace aiming to

that, but Ephesians 210 we need to continue with the deeds that

God had four beforehand had established the giving heed may

have been Lydia's listening, giving heed, but the opening was

God's work. One great example is Abraham,

Abraham. I'll tell you why I said I

didn't say Abraham, Abraham, Genesis 12123 And the Lord God

said to Abraham, go from your land.

So you need to do something, Abraham, when you do, if you, if

you will to do it and you obey to do it, you can say no, Lord,

I don't want to do it. When you obey to do it.

And from where you were born, and from the House of your

father go to the land, I shall declare to you.

So from you is the movement, from me comes the blessing.

And I shall make you a great people.

And I shall bless you, and I shall enlarge your name, and it

will be blessed. And I shall bless those bless,

blessing you. And I shall curse those who

curse you. And in your, and in and in you,

and in your seed, all generations of the earth shall

be blessed. And we have that blessing.

Hugo I will bless Proverbs 16 verse 9 the heart of a son of

Proverbs 16:9

man or man plans his ways and the Lord God orders his steps.

It's not the Lord God laughs. One version says the the heart

of a man plans his ways and the God and the Lord God laughs what

they've done. So this it's just sometimes

they've devoured the word of God and woe to those who have

touched the word of God and interpreted according to their

own motives and and and doctrines want to impose their

own doctrines. No, the heart of a son of man

plans his ways and the Lord God orders his steps or blesses or

determines the steps. And in this this case it was

both God's doing and Saint Paul's.

So she receives the word and follows by baptism.

When she had received the word, she didn't start babbling and

jabbling and hobbling and start to, you know, convulse and roll

on the ground. No, she didn't do that.

Number one, she was baptized. Why?

Because the Messiah loves His Church and gave himself up for

her sake to sanctify and purify her in the washing of water.

That's baptism and in the Word. So you who have been, who are

listening, who are Christians, we've been baptized, we've been

accepted. The Lord as their Savior have

been baptized, put to death with him.

You've been sanctified, purified, you've been washed,

your sins have been washed away. Now you're being cleansed by the

word. Each time the Holy Spirit is

working, you be received cleansing in baptism, in

absolution, in the liturgy of the the Holy Eucharist, the

Qurbana, Qadisha, the Holy Qurbana, we receive the

cleansing. And I read from Ephesians 526,

no repetition of a mere prayer. Repeat this word.

Come here and repeat this for me.

No, be baptized, you believe, be baptized and, and she's going to

confirm her, her her faith now. And now you will continue to

grow in the word and to be sanctified by the word.

And to sanctify doesn't mean you're going to have a Halo.

It means to be set apart. What she says after baptism,

that is her and her household. That is children as well.

It doesn't say children. It doesn't say children.

Didn't you know excluding children when Jesus did the two

miracles of the feeding of the 4005 thousand?

It actually specifies not including women and children.

Well, why isn't it specifying it?

Why isn't Luke specifying here? No, because the children were

also involved. So once she was baptized her and

her household, she then proves that she knew what she was saved

by, which is faith. She didn't say if you have

deemed me a great woman or if you have deemed me a devout

woman or I have some a gift for you.

No, no, no, look what she says. If you have deemed me, deemed me

to be faithful to the Lord, to the Lord, be faithful to the

Lord, not to man, be faithful to the Lord.

And if she is faithful to the Lord, all the more she is

faithful to to them, faithful to them unless they saw otherwise.

But they didn't, they saw her faith.

And she doesn't say stay with me or come to my house and stay

with me. No, no, no, she said, come.

She said enter my house. What'd she say?

Sorry, She said if you see me faithful, come, Lord, come to

come to my house and stay. She said come sorry.

She doesn't say stay with me. She says come to my house and

stay. There should be alarms going off

now. John 1320 Timeless truth.

I speak to you, whoever receives him whom I sent receives me, and

whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

And she was receiving the apostles pleading that they

would examine that she was faithful.

What a faithful woman. She was a woman and she was

lowly and a manual labourer. She was just working, making

money, making a living. However, Saint John Chrysostom

writes, she was a lover of wisdom and the beginning of

wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and hence she receives that

crown of glory on earth to be extended into heaven.

A faith in Jesus Christ, praising glory be to His name

now and at all times and forever.

Amen. We hope you enjoyed this week's

message. Please don't forget to rate and

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all.