13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
16:13
And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.
Paul’s team went to Gangites River, about one and a quarter miles from Philippi. It may have been that the Sabbath day worship by the riverside was the place where Jews worshiped. The Jewish population was so small that they could not assemble enough men to form a synagogue, which was ten men.
16:14
Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God.
Lydia was a businesswoman who sold “purple.” from the city of Thyatira, a city in the province of Asia. “Purple” cloth was valuable, which only the rich could afford. Royalty often wore purple. Lydia was a person of means and a Gentile proselyte to Judaism.
Thyatira was the site of one of the seven churches in western Asia Minor (Turkey) that Jesus signaled out in Revelation 2:18-29.
The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to the gospel; her salvation was by divine initiative.
16:15
And when she and her household were baptized,
Paul’s team baptized both Lydia, her family, and her servants. Evidently, Lydia led her household, including family and slaves, to Christ.
she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
Lydia persuaded Paul’s team to lodge with her family, and the team accepted. Her house must have been considerable. Her home became the mission center for Philippi.
PRINCIPLE:
God is sovereign in the salvation of souls.
APPLICATION:
The interaction between the soul and God is at play in salvation (Acts 13:38). The message came from Paul, but salvation came from God. God worked through his message. If God is not directly involved in the salvation of the soul, then it is not a genuine conversion.
