Acts 16:13 -15 – TPT – When the Sabbath day came, we went outside the gates of the city to the nearby river, for there appeared to be a house of prayer and worship there. Sitting on the riverbank we struck up a conversation with some of the women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia, a businesswoman from the city of Thyatira who was a dealer of exquisite purple cloth and a Jewish convert. While Paul shared the good news with her, God opened her heart to receive Paul’s message. She devoted herself to the Lord, and we baptized her and her entire family. Afterward she urged us to stay in her home, saying, “Since I am now a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.” So we were persuaded to stay there.
Luke told Lydia’s story for a reason, she was an important participant in the advancing of the kingdom of God. Let’s take a moment and take a look at God’s plan being unfolded in Lydia’s life. First, the Lord opened her heart when she heard the gospel preached. This is all of our stories, someone preached, we heard the word, then God opened our heart. Lydia was Paul’s first convert in Europe and became instrumental in the advancing of Paul’s ministry in the future. In today’s passage we see how the Lord used Lydia’s testimony to reach her whole family, this could be your story, your testimony being used by the Lord to reach your whole house. Next we see Lydia insisting that Paul and company stay at her home investing her resources into the work of God. Apparently those first services in Phillippi were also conducted at Lydia’s home. Next we notice that Lydia dealt with the higher income people in Philippi because of the nature of her business, only the affluent could afford the fabric she was distributing.
As you read on in the book of Acts you will soon discover it was the church in Philippi that began to support Paul with their finances. It would be safe to say that Lydia was behind a significant portion of this financial support. Philippi supported Paul all the way through his imprisonment and his ultimate death in Rome.
Let’s rehearse for a moment what we know about Lydia. Possibly first convert in Europe. Her testimony won her family to the Lord. Her home became the hub of the church in Philippi. She was influential in the business community and probably won many well to do families to the Lord. She was also involved with financing one of the most famous ministries in history, the apostolic ministry of Paul. So maybe the Lord has plans for you, it just could be in the business world where you find your greatest spiritual success.
