Time to be a teapot

Time to be a teapot

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple 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, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us. (Acts 16:14-15)

We have lived so long in a country blessed by Christianity that sometimes we almost speak as though it all started here. But Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians that once we were “without Christ … having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). The day came when, by the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit of God, the Gospel arrived in Europe. How thankful we should be for that day! And it began in the heart of one woman, Lydia.

Paul and his fellow workers arrived in Philippi with the absolute assurance it was where God had placed them. This assurance gave them holy confidence in their service. But the Lord did not direct them to every place they visited in the city. No, they decided this by a daily faith. Their ministry began by finding a place where the Jews prayed at the riverside. They quickly connected with people at this meeting place. They didn’t preach to the women they met, but, most naturally, engaged in conversation with them. Amongst these women was Lydia, a businesswoman from Thyatira and a proselyte. The Lord “opened her heart.”

In John’s Gospel chapter 4 the Lord went to Sychar’s well to meet a woman of a different kind. She was not cultured or running a successful business, and her life was a mess. Nor do we know her name. But in gentle conversation the Lord opened her heart. Afterwards, He told His disciples, “Look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35). What did the Lord Jesus mean? He saw, in a world so damaged by sin, countless people who were ready to receive His salvation, but it needed His people to reach out with His love and grace.

During the lockdown, I have begun to reflect on how effectively I have followed the example of the Lord Jesus, of Andrew and Philip, of Paul, Silas and Timothy. It wasn’t that they took opportunities to lead people to salvation. It was that they made such opportunities. Do I see “fields … already white for harvest!”? Do I at least look for opportunities to present the Lord Jesus?

It is so encouraging to see how quickly Lydia enters into the fellowship of the Lord’s people. She was so eager to provide her home as a base for Paul and his companions to continue their service.

The teapot is a remarkable thing. It only exists for two purposes: to receive from above and give to all around. The Lord poured His love into Lydia’s opened heart, and, to display that love, He opened her home. He still does the same.

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