Yes — both Scripture and Les Feldick teach that God must act in a person's heart and understanding before that person can believe the gospel.
The gospel is hidden from those who are lost, and Satan has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, so the light of the glorious gospel cannot shine on them. Les Feldick uses Acts 16 where the Lord opened Lydia's heart as the pattern: no human teacher can do that work, but once God opens the heart, the words of Scripture take root.
2 Corinthians 4:4 — Explains why people cannot believe: the god of this world has blinded their minds.
Acts 16:14 — Shows God opening Lydia's heart so she could attend to the gospel spoken by Paul.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 that if the gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost, because the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, "lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." This blindness is the reason lost people cannot see the truth. In Acts 16:14, God's initiating work is seen when the Lord opened Lydia's heart so that she attended to the things spoken by Paul. In Matthew 16:15-17, Jesus tells Peter that his confession did not come from flesh and blood but from the Father in heaven — another example of God revealing truth.
Les Feldick begins with the dilemma in 2 Corinthians 4:4: Satan has totally blinded the eyes of those who do not believe, so they cannot see the truth of the Word of God. As believers try to enlighten unbelievers, they wonder why they cannot get through, but there is nothing they can do until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness. He highlights Lydia in Acts 16: though she worshipped God, she was still lost; Paul could not open her heart, the Lord did. Even the great apostle Paul could not open hearts — only the Holy Spirit can, and then Paul's words took root. At the same time, God has chosen to leave His Word in the hands of human believers; they must be there with Scripture and be ambassadors for Christ, but they cannot force faith. Man in his own desire will never seek God; God is the seeker.
The gospel is hid to them that are lost, and 2 Corinthians 4:4 explains why: the god of this world has blinded the minds of them who believe not. Les asks why believers cannot get through to people who are going their merry way to a Christless eternity, and answers that Satan has totally blinded their eyes to the truth of the Word of God. He stresses that there is not a thing believers can do until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness. This blindness is not about church membership or Bible reading; it is specifically the blindness of those who will not believe.
Acts 16:14 describes Lydia as a worshipper of God who heard Paul, and "whose heart the Lord opened." Les emphasizes that although she worshipped God and was religious, she was still lost. Even the great apostle Paul could not open her heart; it took the work of the Holy Spirit to open Lydia's heart, and then Paul's words took root. Les applies this to today: believers can do nothing to get across spiritual truths unless the Holy Spirit opens the heart and spiritual eyes of the listener. She then attended to the things spoken by Paul and became a believer when she was baptized.
Les points out that God has chosen to leave His Word in the hands of people, not angels, and He almost always uses one human instrument to lead another human to a knowledge of salvation. Therefore believers are responsible to be skilled in Scripture and to share it faithfully. Once the Lord opens a heart, the person still must attend to the things spoken, as Lydia did. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5 calls believers ambassadors for Christ, serving in a foreign environment and bringing people to reconciliation with God. But even then, the heart-opening is God's work.
The Ungodly Are Without God
Les defines "ungodly" as being without God and says God saves both the down-and-outer and the up-and-outer, showing that every person needs God's saving grace.
Satan Blinds Unbelievers
Les says Satan has totally blinded the eyes of those who do not believe, and there is nothing believers can do until God removes that satanically inspired blindness.
The Gospel Is Hid to the Lost
Les explains the gospel is hidden to those who are lost and that Satan has blinded their minds, which is why they cannot believe the Word.
The Lord Opened Lydia's Heart
Les shows that even the apostle Paul could not open Lydia's heart; the Holy Spirit had to do it before Paul's words could take root.
God Uses Human Instruments
Les says God has almost always used one human to lead another to salvation, but Lydia's heart was opened by the Lord before she attended to Paul's words.
Believers Wait on the Lord
Les explains there is nothing believers can do to win a lost person until the Lord opens their heart, yet believers must be there with the truth of Scripture.
Blinded Because They Will Not Believe
Les clarifies that God has blinded the minds of those who will not believe, not those who haven't joined a church or don't read their Bible.
God Is the Seeker
Les teaches that man in his own desire will never seek God; God is the seeker who opens the heart, as He did for Lydia and as the Father revealed the truth to Peter.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
This is the key passage Les uses to show that Satan blinds unbelievers so the gospel's light cannot reach them.
Acts 16:14: 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.
The Lord opening Lydia's heart is the primary biblical example that God must act before someone believes.
Matthew 16:15-17: He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Les references Peter's confession to show that God the Father reveals spiritual truth; it does not come from human reasoning.
Yes. In Acts 16:14, the Lord opened Lydia's heart so she attended to Paul's words. Les Feldick applies this to today: only the Holy Spirit can open a heart and spiritual eyes, and until He does, the words of a preacher or teacher will not take root.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says the gospel is hidden to those who are lost because the god of this world has blinded their minds, so the light of the glorious gospel cannot shine on them. Les calls this a satanically inspired blindness.
No, believers cannot open a heart — that is God's work. But believers are responsible to be there with the truth of Scripture, as Paul and Barnabas were with Lydia. God has left His Word in the hands of people and uses them to bring others to salvation.
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