Laying the Foundations of Faith
Acts 16:14-15
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After Christina Onassis died at 38 her stepsister Henrietta Gelber said,
"She lacked a sense of achievement, what she was striving for was just
to be a normal human being with normal family relationships, which was
virtually impossible in her situation. She had houses all over the
world, but she never really had a home." (http://www.freshministry.org/illustrations.html)
Sixteen years have past and I still feel bad for Christina.
All the riches she acquired in life are hollow substitutes. She lived
in beautiful houses but never had a home.
During Paul's second Missionary journey we meet a businesswoman
who had more than a house, she had a home. Acts 16:14-15 says "And a certain
woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped
God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the
things which were spoken of Paul. [15] And when she was baptized, and her
household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful
to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."
(KJV)
There are a few things I want you to notice about her home.
First, notice that her house was a place of Worship. Acts 16:14a
says "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city
of Thyatira, which worshipped God." (KJV)
While it is true that all that we do during this service should
be worship, it is also true that this isn't the only place where we worship
God.
Tyler Burkum, lead guitarist for Audio Adrenaline says, "the worship
movement has been huge all over the world, but it shouldn't stop in our
church. Let's go into this world and worship with our lives."
The group created an umbrella group of 15 Christian mission organizations
to encourage their listeners to reach out to their friends and neighbors.
Burkum describes the Go Foundation as an organization that pairs Christians
with ministry organizations that can use their talents. Burkum says, "God
uses talents to interest people." He says the Lord uses his talent on the
guitar most.
Burkum says, "You don't have to walk onto a bus and hand out flyers
to worship God. You don't need to go to church and play a guitar. You don't
need to take a Bible and thump them on the head to tell someone about God.
You don't need to be passive either. You can be totally on fire and use
your life as an example." (http://www.freshministry.org/illustrations.html)
I believe AA's strategy is a valid one because it is built on
the premise that worship isn't confined to an event or a building.
An attitude of worship also consumes believers who open up everyday activities
to the presence of God in their lives.
Not only was Lydia's house filled with worship, but it was also
full of hospitality. Acts 16:15b says, "she besought us, saying,
If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and
abide there. And she constrained us."
Someone has said, "Poetry is love illustrated, hospitality is
love demonstrated."
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