BRUCE C WEARNE, in his study of Acts of the Apostles, looks at the passage in which Lydia came to Christ when Paul visited Philippi…
So, [without much further ado] we set sail from Troas, making straight for Samothrace, and then, on the next day, we went on to Neapolis. From there we went to Philippi, the leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days; and on the sabbath day we ventured outside the gate to the riverside, seeking to find a place of prayer; and there we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered. A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyati’ra, a seller of purple goods, was one of those who had heard us and she was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to attend to what Paul had to say. And when she with her household was baptised, she besought us, saying, “If you judge me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” She was earnest in her support of us. – Acts 16:11-15/transliteration by Bruce C Wearne
PURPLE CLOTH: Lydia was in lucrative trade in purple cloth. PICTURE: Michael & Christa Robert/www.freeimages.com
IN A NUTSHELL
Lydia was a prominent businesswoman from Thyatira. She was an early convert in this new mission field. She not only became an important supporter of the Gospel in Macedonia but also elsewhere as well.
As the story unfolds, things fall into place. Luke has witnessed how the church began in Macedonia. Philippi and Thyatira were places along a trade route from Macedonia reaching deep into the province of Asia. Asia was where the Holy Spirit had earlier on prevented Paul’s party from travelling. But now, having “come over to Macedonia”, the party witnesses the conversion and baptism of a wealthy businesswoman and her household. The convert’s name was Lydia. She was from Thyatira.
Thyatira became one of the seven churches mentioned in the Revelation of John (Revelation 2:18-29). To get there from Philippi you had to go to the port city of Neopolis and travel by sea to Troas. You would then retrace the path that Paul and his company had just recently trod.
Earlier I said that Luke has written his story on the pattern of Jesus’ parable of the sower. This can be shown again and again throughout this book. The word gets broadcast in all directions. But some falls on soil that has been prepared by God’s Spirit. Lydia is part of that harvest. Lydia’s business was the dye trade; she sold garments and other material dyed purple. People live in God’s world with a variety of responsibilities. They have marriages, families, households and workplaces. They have friends, buy from various shops in the marketplace, play games with a local netball team and eat at a favourite restaurant. God’s Kingdom comes in all these kinds of relationships. From within such social relationships the Gospel is sown, broadcast all over.
Philippi was the destination of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. A strong church grew there. As we read this passage, 2,000 years later, we get a sense of the geography of Paul’s work as the Philippians came to know it. People always have to understand where they are in relation to other places. And people do not usually stay in one place all their lives. But if you were sitting there listening to Luke tell the story just after he wrote it, you would want to know where these places were in relation to your own home. It is good to read this part of the Bible with an atlas close at hand.
OPEN BOOK – HINTS FROM THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS: LYDIA
BRUCE C WEARNE, in his study of Acts of the Apostles, looks at the passage in which Lydia came to Christ when Paul visited Philippi…
So, [without much further ado] we set sail from Troas, making straight for Samothrace, and then, on the next day, we went on to Neapolis. From there we went to Philippi, the leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days; and on the sabbath day we ventured outside the gate to the riverside, seeking to find a place of prayer; and there we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered. A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyati’ra, a seller of purple goods, was one of those who had heard us and she was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to attend to what Paul had to say. And when she with her household was baptised, she besought us, saying, “If you judge me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” She was earnest in her support of us. – Acts 16:11-15/transliteration by Bruce C Wearne
PURPLE CLOTH: Lydia was in lucrative trade in purple cloth. PICTURE: Michael & Christa Robert/www.freeimages.com
IN A NUTSHELL
Lydia was a prominent businesswoman from Thyatira. She was an early convert in this new mission field. She not only became an important supporter of the Gospel in Macedonia but also elsewhere as well.
As the story unfolds, things fall into place. Luke has witnessed how the church began in Macedonia. Philippi and Thyatira were places along a trade route from Macedonia reaching deep into the province of Asia. Asia was where the Holy Spirit had earlier on prevented Paul’s party from travelling. But now, having “come over to Macedonia”, the party witnesses the conversion and baptism of a wealthy businesswoman and her household. The convert’s name was Lydia. She was from Thyatira.
Thyatira became one of the seven churches mentioned in the Revelation of John (Revelation 2:18-29). To get there from Philippi you had to go to the port city of Neopolis and travel by sea to Troas. You would then retrace the path that Paul and his company had just recently trod.
Earlier I said that Luke has written his story on the pattern of Jesus’ parable of the sower. This can be shown again and again throughout this book. The word gets broadcast in all directions. But some falls on soil that has been prepared by God’s Spirit. Lydia is part of that harvest. Lydia’s business was the dye trade; she sold garments and other material dyed purple. People live in God’s world with a variety of responsibilities. They have marriages, families, households and workplaces. They have friends, buy from various shops in the marketplace, play games with a local netball team and eat at a favourite restaurant. God’s Kingdom comes in all these kinds of relationships. From within such social relationships the Gospel is sown, broadcast all over.
Philippi was the destination of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. A strong church grew there. As we read this passage, 2,000 years later, we get a sense of the geography of Paul’s work as the Philippians came to know it. People always have to understand where they are in relation to other places. And people do not usually stay in one place all their lives. But if you were sitting there listening to Luke tell the story just after he wrote it, you would want to know where these places were in relation to your own home. It is good to read this part of the Bible with an atlas close at hand.
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