Title: Lydia Believes/Acts 16:11-15
Today's text is going to focus on 'the importance of women'.
Paul and his companions were the first in Europe to come to Philippi. Philippi's original name is Crenides, but in 356 B.C.E., King Philip III of Mygedonia expanded it and renamed the city Philippi after himself.
It was a place where agriculture developed and trade flourished because of the proximity to the sea.
A city that has the conditions to become a base for evangelism is called a ‘Gate City’.
Where did Paul go first when he entered a new city?
I went to the synagogue first. And with the synagogue as the starting point, they started evangelism.
However, there was no Jewish synagogue in Philippi. Because there were few Jews in Philippi. It took at least ten men to build a synagogue.
What did the Jewish women in Philippi do, and the women who came and went to Philippi to do business?
I didn't say, 'I can't worship because there is no synagogue!' gathered by the river. Verse 13, “On the sabbath we went out to the river to see if we had a place to pray, and we talked to the women who were gathered there.” This river is the Gangites.
If there was no meeting place, the Jews built an open-air prayer place by the river or the seaside, and on the Sabbath, they sat down to read the Bible and pray. At this time, the Bible was not common, so I often memorized the Bible.
In the Bible, especially in Deuteronomy 6:4 and below, “Hear, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is called the Shema doctrine.
And when I met a rabbi while traveling, I would take him to him and listen to him.
The Jewish women in the city of Philippi did the same. Paul and his companions went there.
Evangelism in Europe started like this with women's gatherings.
Among them, a woman named Lydia accepts the gospel. Lydia is a purple cloth trader. Lydia's hometown, Thyatira, was a developed commercial district, and they dealt with a lot of purple fabric. Lydia may have sold a lot of purple fabric to and from Philippi from her hometown of Thyatira.
In verse 14, there are important words that you need to know in evangelism. “The Lord opened his heart to obey Paul’s words.” Evangelism requires the Lord to open a person's heart. That's why they say, 'Evangelism is not what people do, but what the Lord does.
When we evangelize, we must pray like this. ‘Lord, don’t you know that I am trying to evangelize to anyone? Please open that heart.”
In a mission organization called College Student Mission, they go out with an evangelism brochure called “Sayeong-ri” and have two people go out to evangelize.
One person explains people with great insight and hard work.
Then another person prays earnestly by the side. ‘Lord, please open this person’s heart’ ‘Lord, open this person’s heart’ This is a method we should refer to.
A person who is chosen by God and opens his heart is a happy person. He is a blessed person. There are several places in the Bible that say, “Blessed are the chosen of God.”
And we should also pray for our hearts to be opened. When you come to church, you must first pray, “God, open my heart.”
If your heart is closed, no matter how good a sermon or a good praise may be, it will not come in. Even Jesus cannot enter.
Lydia was a woman with an active personality.
When they accepted Paul's evangelism, they were baptized. didn't delay.
There are some people who believe in Jesus but have not been baptized for decades. I don't know what you think, but it's hard to praise.
Then he invites Paul and his companions to stay at their house. I wanted to hear more. In verse 15, it is said that he compelled.
Lydia's home is in Thyatira, and since she often came to Philippi to do business, she must have had a house in Philippi as well.
Because purple cloth was a luxury item, Lydia seemed to have a lot of money.
Paul and his companions stay at Lydia's house.
When it comes to the European continent, it can be called a Christian continent, where there were many churches. Now, many of those churches are empty, which is a problem, but there are still many.
Christianity in Europe began with a woman named Lydia.
The European church started in this woman's house.
A woman who opened her heart to accept the gospel and actively went out became the starting point of Christianity in Europe.
And here we see one way God works.
Paul wanted to spread the gospel to Asia. But God did not allow it. So I came to Europe.
The first person I trusted in Europe was Lydia, an Asian woman. Lydia's hometown is Thyatira, a city in Asia Minor. Among the seven churches in Asia Minor mentioned in the book of Revelation, there is the church of Thyatira.
If Lydia went to her hometown of Thyatira, she would have evangelized to her family and the people there. Judging by his active personality, there is no reason to remain still.
God allowed the evangelism in Asia to proceed. Not through Paul, but through a person who was evangelized by Paul.
We must give up the mind that we must do it.
Lydia was a stepping stone for evangelism in Europe and evangelism in Asia.
I hope that among the saints here, especially the sisters, like Lydia, you will be active.
I hope that you will become those who strive to gather in any circumstance, those who pray to open the door of their heart and pray that the door of their own heart will also be opened, and members of the congregation who actively evangelize.