Spiritual Growth

FEATURED: Israel – God’s Divine Decoy for Your Salvation by Harlan Perry

FEATURED: Israel – God’s Divine Decoy for Your Salvation by Harlan Perry

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There’s a whisper in the bones of many believers today, a gnawing sense that
something is deeply wrong with the religion we’ve inherited. You’ve probably felt it
yourself: the stale traditions, the formulas that don’t bring freedom, the gospel
reduced to rules and rituals, and a holy dissatisfaction that no sermon seems to fix.
You’re not alone. This book is for those like you, the disillusioned, the seekers, the
ones who hunger for raw grace and spiritual clarity in a world drowning in religion.
The heart of this book is a bold, almost scandalous idea: God used Israel as a
divine DECOY, a strategic, calculated misdirection designed to blind Satan and the
rulers of this age to His actual redemptive plan, WITHOUT LYING OR
DECEPTION. In other words, Israel, with its law, temple, sacrifices, and covenants,
was not the final expression of God’s kingdom. Instead, it was the setup of the decoy
so that when Jesus Christ came and Paul’s gospel exploded onto the scene, Satan and
his minions were caught off guard. The plan was hidden in plain sight.
To understand this, we need to get clear on what a “decoy” really is. In sports,
especially football, a good decoy maneuver is a masterstroke of deception. A
quarterback fakes a hand off to a back running past him, and if the back actually can
seem like he has the ball, it sends the defense into trying to tackle him, but instead,
the quarterback still has the ball hidden behind him and quickly gives it to another
back heading to the other side of the field, defenders are watching mostly for the first
backs actions. The defenders, misled by the decoy move, are left off-balance, creating
space and opportunity for the real play. God’s redemptive strategy worked the same
way. He made Satan focus on Israel, the chosen people, the law, the temple, all of
which looked like the main event. But in reality, it was a grand distraction, a setup for
a far greater revelation.
The Apostle Paul exposes this in no uncertain terms when he says in 1 Corinthians
2:7–8: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which
God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age
knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” This
scripture is a damning indictment of Satan’s ignorance. The rulers of this age,
spiritual powers aligned against God, missed the entire point of the cross. They
thought killing Jesus was their victory, but it was their downfall, the turning point
where God’s hidden wisdom was unveiled.
Why did God hide the mystery for so long? Because grace, pure, unearned, radical
grace, was a game-changer that could not be stopped once revealed. Satan could
handle law, rituals, and religious systems; he thrives on control and performance. But
grace? Grace disrupts his entire system because it breaks the power of sin and death
without human effort. To conceal this explosive truth, God used Israel as a divine
decoy, a kingdom within a kingdom, a people set apart, not as the ultimate goal, but
as a stage prop for the greatest show of redemption the world has ever seen.
Many believers today are still caught in this old system, trapped in religion’s snare,
trying to earn favor with God through rules, sacrifices, and spiritual hustle. Satan
loves this because it keeps believers predictable, manageable, and ultimately
powerless. The irony is thick: the very system Satan used to try to stop God’s plan is
still seducing believers away from the true gospel. But God’s grace is louder, brighter,
and more liberating than any law-based religion. This book will show you how to
break free from religious performance and step into the freedom of Paul’s gospel, the
gospel of faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone.
If you’re tired of the hollow religion of form without power, if you’re hungry for
the real Jesus, the one Paul preached, who is not just a figure in history but the living,
resurrected Lord who calls you to freedom. You are exactly who this book is for. It’s
for the truth-seeker who refuses to settle for a gospel that’s been watered down or
disguised. It’s for those willing to walk through the uncomfortable truth to find the
glory of unfiltered grace.
This isn’t a comfortable read. It’s a wake-up call. A spiritual wake-up call!

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FEATURED: Contending with Paul 3 by William Cobble

FEATURED: Contending with Paul 3 by William Cobble

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Lydia

Lydia only appears in the Book of Acts. Since the church in Philippi began with her conversion, one would expect to find her in the greetings section of Philippians, but she receives no mention in any of Paul’s letters. She does, however, hold the distinction of being the first known European convert to Christianity. Acts shows her as a businesswoman who was likely financially independent. Clothes colored with the royal purple dye of Thyatira were considered luxury items and her trade had likely brought her to Philippi to sell to the wealthy clientele there. Her home was obviously large enough to accommodate servants, guests, and ultimately a Christian assembly. Since there is no mention of a husband, Lydia was most likely single at the time she met Paul:

“On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:13-15)

Lydia, or at least her home, will make one additional appearance in Acts later in the same chapter. Her residence appears to have become the meeting place for a burgeoning Christian congregation in Philippi:

“After leaving the prison (Paul and Silas) went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.” (Acts 16:40)

A Theory
The appearance of devout women meeting beside a stream at a place of prayer on the Sabbath speaks to them being Jewish. This seems confirmed by the description of Lydia as “a worshipper of God.” That it was only women meeting outside on the sabbath could be evidence that there were not enough Jewish men in Philippi to make up the quorum required to establish a proper synagogue, which necessitated ten Jewish males over the age of thirteen. By the author of Acts relating this information, he may be showing an interesting contrast: Lydia, while a Jewish woman, was forbidden from founding a synagogue, but as a Christian she could found a church within her own home.