"And a vision appeared to Paul in the
night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into
Macedonia, and help us."
The Macedonian who called upon Apostle Paul to
come and preach the gospel to them, was he already regenerated, or was he still
dead in trespasses and sins, and needed the gospel preaching to be regenerated?
"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."
Was Lydia ALREADY regenerated before Apostle Paul met her, or was she regenerated through the preaching of Apostle Paul?
Is the Lord's opening her heart to understand the things which were spoken to her the same a the Lord regenerating her from her state of death?
Preaching the gospel is very necessary, but it is necessary ONLY for the purpose for which it was divinely ordained.
What did Paul's evangelism accomplish in Lydia?
==========
Constanzia ·
I always felt like he WAS regenerated.. why
else would he care enough to listen to Paul or call for him in the first place?
Is the Lord's opening her heart to understand the things which were spoken to her the same a the Lord regenerating her from her state of death?
YES
The Lord is the only one who has the power to
change someone. I think opening her heart is the same as regenerating her. He
didnt need Paul " but it is necessary ONLY for the purpose for which it
was divinely ordained."
Regeneration happens when God wants it to..
Pharoah was ready to cave several times but God harden his heart because (I
think) God wanted people to witness 'more of' his awesome power. Not only to
prove a point but to seal, stamp it and send it home HARD.
Saul on the road to Damascus saw the vision..
there is no mention of someone preaching to him before hand.. He was really bad..
persecuting Christians and all.. His heart was open because God wanted him...
His own agenda didnt matter, he stopped dead in his tracks lol literally. God
is the one with the power to open even the most unlikely of hearts// regenerate
them.
I hope all that made sense, it did in my head
lol
Constanzia
As I said in my earlier post and forgot to
mention it to tie it into what I was just saying.. I think regeneration has a
lot to do with being open hearing and understanding. If a person is not regenerated
they can not/will not 'hear'..
Constanzia
Ironically enough I was reading tonight and I
came across some scripture that said what I was trying to 🙂
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion.
**16 So then it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.***
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even
for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in
thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Romans 9:15-18
Sing
"Is the Lord's opening her heart to
understand the things which were spoken to her the same as the Lord regenerating
her from her state of death?"
YES
====
Does that mean that regeneration took place
by the aid of Paul's preaching?
Constanzia
Does that mean that regeneration took place
by the aid of Paul's preaching?
In my opinion, NO. God is the only one with
the power to regenerate (I consider regeneration='Holy Ghost') someone. He does
not need human aid at all. He is Almighty.
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
"For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest
any man should boast."
"So then it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
"For he shall be great in the sight of
the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled
with the Holy ghost, even from his mother's womb" Luke 1:15
Who preached to him?
"With God ALL things are possible"
-Jesus 🙂
Sing
You answered my question,
"Is the Lord's opening her heart to
understand the things which were spoken to her the same a the Lord regenerating
her from her state of death?"
in the affirmative... therefore indicating
that the Lord opened Lydia's heart because of hearing the preached word.
Constanzia
Now I am confused..
"Therefore indicating that the Lord
opened Lydia's heart because of hearing the preached word."
Ok.. if this what I said it is not what I
meant. I believe the Lord opens hearts BEFORE hearing the preached word.. How
else would one receive the word?
After more consideration, I am more confused
about regeneration.. I am not sure if is the same thing as open heart.
I think I may have misunderstood the question
or I put worded wrong. Sorry for the confusion lol.
Sing
There is a great distinction between
regenerating a dead person, and opening the heart of a living person to
understand something.
The former is quickening, the latter
enlightening.
Many confuse enlightening a living person as
regenerating a dead person... thus ending with the common error of gospel
regeneration.
Constanzia
See now.. My husband has been trying to
explain that to me, and I just did not get it.. The way you put it makes sense.
I get the difference now.. I think so many
people use them interchangeably.. so that is how I was thinking.
Thank you for making it easier for me to
grasp, brother Sing 🙂 and taking the time to help me understand when some people
would just argue 🙂
