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REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “a seller of purple”. In ancient Rome, purple was the colour of royalty wealth and power, a designator of status. A seller of purple goods was a wealthy person who probably knew and had connections with wealthy people. We are told by Luke the historian in Acts of the Apostles that Paul and Silas on one of their missionary and evangelistic trips had an encounter with a seller of purple. “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:14-15)

Dear friend, Lydia was a wealthy woman but she realised that spiritually she was poor therefore, she paid attention to the preaching of Paul and was saved. Jesus assures us that “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3). Truly, ” What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:36-38). Lydia realised that beyond her purple goods trade or business, salvation in Christ was necessary for her eternal life, she understood that her wealth served a purpose on earth but it is meaningless to her salvation unless she took a personal decision to be baptised and accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Zacchaeus also came to the same realisation that his wealth cannot guarantee him eternal life therefore he “stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:8-10). Unfortunately, the rich young man who had encountered Jesus Christ was so obsessed with his wealth that he missed the opportunity to be saved. Jesus said to him “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this, the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man, this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:21-27) In other words, it is possible for the rich to be saved if they acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and not their wealth.

Beloved in the Lord, we realise that Lydia was a worshiper of God yet she was not saved. This is interesting, isn’t it?! “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized” (Acts 16:14-15) How can a person be a worshipper of God and not be saved? Dear friend, you may be a church attendee or a Sunday worshipper but it does not mean you are automatically saved, it is for this reason, Jesus admonishes us “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:21-24) In other words, it is possible to be a pastor, church elder, singer, usher, an active member who attends church regularly and supports the church financially but if Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Saviour throughout the days of your life and you do not follow His perfect example by putting into practice His Words then you have no inheritance in His Kingdom, we are only deceiving ourselves by only dramatizing Christianity but not pleasing and living according to the teachings of Christ! Lydia moved from being a nominal worshipper of God to a believer and a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. In our 21st Century, it has become fashionable and prestigious to associate oneself with the Christian fraternity and some particular churches but whether people have a personal relationship with Jesus is another matter for discussion. Dear friend, are you merely a church attendee or do you have a personal relationship with Jesus and for this reason, you have dedicated your entire life including your wealth, body and time to the service of God? When Lydia had truly experienced Jesus Christ through the hearing of the Gospel, she was ready to use her resources for the service of God, she was hospitable and generous to the bearers of the Gospel, “And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:15) With her salvation, she began to support the ministers of God with her wealth and resources. Our salvation must lead us to serve and become good stewards of God’s grace and blessings upon our lives. A person who does not understand the value of salvation will keep holding on to his or her ephemeral wealth without generously using them for the glory of God. It is for this reason Paul wrote to Timothy to admonish the rich that “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Lydia, the seller of purple was a good example, I hope we shall also do the same to please the Lord as a sign of our salvation. Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, strengthen us to remain faithful to God and be good stewards of His blessing, may we never compromise or render our salvation worthless by becoming obsessed with earthly wealth and businesses. Amen.