Title Lydia's Faith Acts 16:11
Contents
Where do we place the meaning of life? The meaning of my life lies where I am used.
Today's text is that Paul, who came to Philippi, the first saint in Macedonia, preached to women who had gathered to pray at the riverside (Angides River) outside the city on the Sabbath. Among them, a woman named Lydia opened her heart and accepted the Word. Therefore, he received great grace and devoted himself to Paul's missionary work. At this time, we are trying to bring forth grace together with the words of Lydia's faith.
1. Faith to honor God (12)
(Lydia serving God)
When the Reformed Bible introduces Lydia, it is expressed as a person who honors God. Lydia's name is prefixed with a beautiful modifier. How cool is the phrase "Lydia who honors God"? Respecting God is the best attitude of faith. At that time, Lydia's hometown, Thyatira, worshiped the sun god Apollo. Even in the midst of such idolatry, Lydia, a frequent merchant of Thyatira, served and honored only one God. Not only that, he served and honored God well in the midst of his busy schedule. Lydia had her hopes in God rather than business and money, and she honored God. served only God.
Dear saints! Lydia escaped from the world's idols and the temptations of material things, and had faith to serve and honor only God.
2. Faith in Prayer (13)
(On the Sabbath, we went out to the river outside the door to see if we had a place to pray, and we sat there and talked to the gathered women.)
Here we see people gathered to pray on the Sabbath. Paul and his companions also found a place to pray, and the women living in Philippi were also gathered there. Where there was no synagogue, it was natural for the Jews to choose a quiet place to hold their meetings. While looking for a place to pray, the evangelist group met women who were praying, and they took the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with them. Prayer is a means of ingesting God's grace. Prayer is something that cannot be overemphasized no matter how much we emphasize it. Without prayer, the spiritual life of the saints is like death. Without prayer, we cannot experience God's grace, God's power, and God's power, and we cannot experience God's answers.
Dear saints! To receive God's grace, you must have a prayer life. God uses those who pray as tools to make his own history.
3. Faith to donate one's house (15)
(Come into my house and tell him to stay, and he compels him to stay.)
Lydia, who received the grace, wanted to receive the apostles and dedicate them. He enjoyed having the apostles of the gospel in his house. The phrase 'if you know me as a believer in the Lord' here means that you are now a changed person and a person receiving grace. It means that you will now believe in Jesus, receive grace, and live a true life of service. The Lydia woman knew that it was her privilege and blessing to treat the evangelist. So I was forced to do it. Lydia, who received grace, not only opened the door of her heart, but also opened her own house. He opened his house and treated the servants of the Lord. He provided shelter and food for the servants of the Lord who had nowhere to live and nothing to eat. And he set up his house as a place of worship where the saints gathered and prayed. In the end, Lydia's house became the Philippian church.
Dear saints! Lydia must have thought that it was just for that time that she had succeeded in business and had a large house. Lydia did not give up the house reluctantly, but with joy and joy, she volunteered and gave up her time and money.