First Things
Domain. Direction. Desire.
The domain. Purple goods stems from the biblical account of a woman named Lydia who, much like Paul’s rhythm of tent-making and preaching the gospel, was a seller of purple goods by day and taught the Scriptures by night. In fact, it’s at the intersection of each other’s ministry that Paul shares the hope of Christ to Lydia and the Holy Spirit opens her eyes to the true gospel. Lydia would go on to be baptized as a disciple of Jesus, provide shelter for church planters, and undoubtedly continue her ferocious study of the Scriptures in light of Paul’s teachings.
Like Lydia, most of those reading this blog will be a seller of some sort of purple goods. Whether you sell commercial real estate or Mary Kay, whether you’re a high school science teacher, a stay-at-home mother, or a physician’s assistant, may each of us be like Lydia, both sellers of purple goods and disciples of Jesus Christ.
The direction. This blog aims to further men and women in their knowledge of and application of God’s word. My hope is that this would be landing place for rich expositional study, overwhelmingly applicable to everyday life. You’ll see everything from an article about one verse in the Bible to posts regarding the application of the Gospel in the midst of the culture and current events of today. And maybe even an article or two about college football. Just because.
My hope is that stories of redemption, restoration and reconciliation because of the gospel would abound, that disciples would be made, that Scripture would be treasured, and that our spheres would be impacted by various sellers of purple goods who are readying themselves in the Word by the Spirit. And, ultimately, that as the gospel takes deeper root in our lives, the Lord would graciously bear much fruit for his great glory.
The desire. My passion is to teach the Word of God, helping men and women grow in Christlikeness as a result of encountering God’s Word and allowing the truths of Scripture drip from head to heart. My hope is that we would be people who not only learn about God but deeply love our God, that we’d not only be trained in the truth of the Scriptures but also transformed to look like our Savior.
The tagline of purple goods stems from Revelation 19. The church is called to prepare herself, that she might ready herself for the second coming of Jesus Christ. As the bride of Christ, she is called to make herself ready as she is clothed with the purity of her Savior – in “fine linen, bright and pure” (Revelation 19:8). The church is clothed in Christ, and this blog seeks to help ready the church and remind her of the pure and secure identity in being children of God.
May purple goods be a means of growth, a resource of truth, and an encouragement to see and savor King Jesus – that we might ready ourselves a little bit more, with each passing day, for the good of his church and the glory of his name.
PurpleGoods 