God makes the first move in a person's salvation.
Les Feldick teaches that Jesus chose His disciples—they did not choose Him (John 15:16). He also points to Acts 16:14, where the Lord opened Lydia's heart after she heard Paul's preaching, and to Matthew 16:17, where the Father revealed to Peter that Jesus is the Christ. Man in his own desire will never seek God; God is the seeker.
John 15:16 — Jesus directly states that He chose the disciples; they did not choose Him.
Acts 16:14 — The Lord opened Lydia's heart, showing God's initiative in her conversion.
Matthew 16:17 — Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ was revealed by the Father, not by human insight.
The Bible shows that God takes the initiative. In John 15:16, Jesus told His disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." The choice began with Christ, not with the disciples. In Acts 16:14, Lydia, a worshipper of God, heard the Apostle Paul: "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 opened her heart, enabling her to attend to Paul's message. In Matthew 16:17, after Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." The revelation came from the Father. Second Corinthians 4:4 also describes the condition of the unsaved: "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."
Les Feldick teaches that God always makes the first move in salvation. He points to John 15:16, where Jesus told His disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," showing that their place with Christ began with His choice, not their own initiative. He also cites Matthew 16:17, where Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed His identity but the Father in heaven had. Using the account of Lydia in Acts 16, Les emphasizes that even a religious person who believes in God can be lost. Lydia worshipped God, but she was "as lost as lost can be." Paul preached to her, but Paul did not open her heart — the Lord did. Les says, "Man in his own desire will never seek God. God is the seeker." He tells believers not to take credit for finding salvation: "God found you, and brought you to the place where you believe." Les also explains that the god of this world blinds the minds of those who believe not, and unless God strips away that blindness, even believers are helpless — "that's going to take an act of God Himself." At the same time, God uses human instruments: He has almost always used one human to lead another to a knowledge of salvation. We do our part by opening the Scriptures, but the Holy Spirit must open the heart. After the Lord opened Lydia's heart, she attended to the things spoken by Paul and became a believer.
Les Feldick teaches that even the great apostle Paul could not open Lydia's heart with his preaching: "It took the work of the Holy Spirit to open Lydia's heart, and then the words of Paul took root." Yet God has almost always used one human instrument to lead another to a knowledge of salvation. We have to do our part by opening the Scriptures, but we cannot force anyone to believe; God has to open the spiritual heart. The preaching is the means, but the opening of the heart is God's work.
Yes. Lydia was religious, worshipped God, and had a certain amount of the knowledge of God, but she was lost, "just as lost as the ones we just read about in 2 Corinthians 4." Her eyes were blinded by Satan just like anyone else's. When Paul came on the scene, the Lord opened her spiritual understanding. Having religion or a concept of God does not save a person; the Lord must open the heart.
After the Lord opened Lydia's heart, she attended to the things spoken by Paul and became a believer. Les says, "The Lord opened her heart, but that in itself didn't do it" — she still responded to the message. Salvation is not a matter of forcing anyone to believe; it takes an act of God. But once God opens the heart, the individual attends to the Word that has been spoken and responds in faith.
Christ's Choice of His Disciples
Jesus told the disciples that they had not chosen Him, but He had chosen and ordained them — the first move in their relationship was Christ's own choice, not theirs.
Lydia: Religious but Lost
Les points to Lydia, a religious worshipper of God who was still lost; neither Paul nor Barnabas opened her heart — the Lord did.
God Is the Seeker
Les teaches that man in his own desire will never seek God; God is the seeker who finds a person and brings them to belief, just as the Father revealed Jesus' identity to Peter.
The Holy Spirit Opens the Heart
Les stresses that even the apostle Paul could not open Lydia's heart with his preaching; the Holy Spirit had to open her heart before Paul's words could take root.
From Religious Knowledge to Spiritual Understanding
Lydia had religion and knowledge of God, but her eyes were blinded by Satan; the Lord opened her spiritual understanding, yet she still had to attend to what Paul spoke.
Blinded by the God of This World
Les connects 2 Corinthians 4:4 to salvation: the god of this world blinds the unsaved, and unless God strips away that blindness, even believers are helpless — salvation takes an act of God.
Human Instruments and the Opened Heart
God uses human instruments to lead others to salvation, but the decisive act was the Lord opening Lydia's heart; she then attended to Paul's words and became a believer.
The Lord Opened Her Heart
Les briefly reads the account of Lydia, noting that the Lord opened her heart so that she attended to the things spoken by Paul.
John 15:16: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Jesus states that He initiated the choice of His disciples.
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 decisive act in Lydia's conversion was the Lord opening her heart.
Matthew 16:17: And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Peter's confession of Christ was revealed by the Father, not by human reasoning.
2 Corinthians 4:4: 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.
The unsaved are blinded by the god of this world, showing why God must act for anyone to believe.
God does. Jesus told His disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16), and Les Feldick teaches that man in his own desire will never seek God — God is the seeker.
No. She believed in God and was religious, but she was still lost. The Lord opened her heart when Paul preached, and then she attended to the things Paul spoke.
No. Les teaches that even the apostle Paul could not open hearts with his preaching; the Holy Spirit must open the heart, and unless God strips away the blindness caused by Satan, no one can believe.
After the Lord opened Lydia's heart, she attended to the things spoken by Paul and became a believer. God uses human instruments to share the Word, but the opening of the heart is God's work.
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