Not everyone who teaches about God, and about Heaven is wanting to please God, or is ready to go to Heaven! (Matthew 18:1-3.)
This has always been true. Jesus said this about some teachers and worshippers of God around Him – “These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” (Matthew 15:8-9.)
There is no doubt that Jesus would still have to say the same about many religious people today.
The apostle Paul wrote about people who were zealous for God, but whose zeal was not based on truth and obedience. (Romans 10:1-4.) He found the same thing when he crossed over into Europe. A diary written by his companion Luke says: “From Troas we put out to sea and … traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony… On the Sabbath we went … to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was Lydia … who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” (verses 11-14.)
Lydia and her friends listened as Paul told them that true worship of God was only possible through the Priest and Saviour, Jesus Christ. (Acts 26:16-20. 16:30-31.) Lydia’s mind and heart were opened by God to the Good News of Jesus, the only One who could forgive her sins and could bring the sinner to be right with God. (verse 14.)
What will YOU do with the Good News that only Jesus Christ is able to forgive your sins, and bring you to God? (1stPeter 3:18. 1stTimothy 2:5-6.) Will you be angry with this message? Will you continue to think you are fit to worship God because you think you have had your sins forgiven by some other person, or by some other way?
The Good news preached by the apostles was very clear about Jesus Christ. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12.)
Remember, it is not enough to consider yourself a worshipper of God (Romans 10:1-4. Matthew 7:21-27. 15:3-11.), you must worship Him “in Spirit and in truth” having Jesus Christ as your only Priest and Saviour. (John 4:22-26. Hebrews 7:23-27.)
Lydia became a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ that day, and so became a true worshipper of God from then on. The people of her house also accepted the Good News. Together they were baptised as new believers and true worshippers of God. (verse 15.)
Not only was Lydia's heart opened by God to the truth, but Lydia's home was opened for the missionaries to use. (verse 15.) The Gospel had come to Europe to stay, and today that same Good News is being told to you.
Read about it in Acts chapter 16, verses 11-15.
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