The Conversion of a Business Woman (Acts 16:14-15)
The Conversion of a Business Woman
Acts 16:14-15
INTRODCUTION:
I want to begin this lesson in Lubbock, TX, 19 years ago… April 2003… I received an email a few months before from some Christians in Lubbock, TX. They had an exchange student from Moldova, the city of Ungheni. It’s about 30 minutes from Iasi, Romania across the border from where we lived. Her name is Olga Pahom and she had become a Christian while in the states. They asked us to encourage her in any way we could. We made a connection with Olga and started sending her notes from our Bible lessons.
Then she emailed us and tells us she found a friend in her apartment block who had a “heart for Jesus” - her name is Iulia Munteanu. She told us Iulia was a Baptist. She said Iulia wanted to study through our Apologetics Press correspondence course. I sent Iulia the correspondence course and I sent Olga the Spiritual Sword issue on the Baptist church and told her to use it with Iulia as she saw fit and appropriate. They began studying together.
Later, Iulia told Olga that she saw that the Baptist church was wrong and the two began studying together twice a week - and taking the Lord’s Supper together on Sundays. At first, Iulia saw nothing wrong with her baptism in the Baptist church. Olga continued studying with her and we continued sending Olga material. Then one evening after Wed Bible study, Iulia called me to talk. She was moving closer to obeying the gospel.
We encouraged her to be baptized there in Ungheni since obedience is so important. But there were no Christian men there to do it. Olga is to be commended for how she handled the studies with Iulia. If Olga had not had a proper understanding of baptism and its purpose, she would not have been able to help guide Iulia in the way of the truth more perfectly. We commended both Olga and those who initially taught her for her conviction regarding the truth and the necessity of Bible authority. Eric, my teammate, and I had gone to Sighet, Romania to baptize another Baptist into Christ, Olga emailed and said that Iulia was coming to Iasi that Sunday to be baptized for the forgiveness of her sins!
Eric and I understood that she would be at the train station at 9 AM. Bible study started at 10 AM. We didn’t know if she wanted to be baptized before services (which we assumed) or if she wanted to study further and then be baptized after services. We contacted the Granic family whose wife was a Christian, to use their bathtub in order to involve some Romanians in the process. We also scheduled a fellowship meal after worship so Iulia could meet the Christians. Eric’s wife and Rachel both had to stay home because both of us had sick children.
Eric and I were 30 minutes late getting to the train because we went to the wrong train station! We did not find her, so we returned to the building and began Bible study, not knowing what happened. Around 10:20, Rachel called Eric’s cell phone (I did not have a cell phone), and told us that Iulia was at our apartment - she had come in to a different train station, a smaller one that we didn’t expect. So, I left immediately to get her and bring her to the building.
After Bible study, around 11:30 AM, we were discussing when / where to baptize her since our schedule had changed when she told us that her train back to Ungheni left at 1:20! Daren and Julie’s apartment was the closest (they were in the United States) and Eric had their apartment keys at his house; he left to go get them and we moved our worship services to Daren and Julie’s apartment.
The Christians sang while I filled the bathtub, a long process when only the shower head works! After her baptism, we served the Lord’s Supper and Eric taught a lesson on evangelism. Iulia did not get to stay for the fellowship meal but she did take a banana with her for the trip! At the station, we found out that her train was to leave at 2:06 so we had not missed it. One thing you learn in mission work is that you have to be prepared for plan “X” (the unknown!)!
Iulia went with us to a youth seminar in Pitesti, Romania two weeks later and we had about 18 hours on the train to get to know her better. At one time, she talked about going to the university in Iasi to study French and English, primarily so she would be able to worship and work with the Christians in Iasi!
When I wrote Olga earlier this week, I asked her if she knew of anything relative to Iulia since we lost contact with her. The last contact we had with Iulia was a postcard she sent Rachel and me from Chicago many years ago. Olga said that she too had lost contact with her; the last she heard, Olga had graduated from the university with a degree in social work and was talking about getting her Master’s degree. But there is no church of Christ in the village where Iulia lived, at least at that time.
The conversion of every single person is important in the eyes of God and when you convert someone, you never know where that process is going to end. Quite honestly, sometimes it ends in disappointment; every person is challenged in his or her own way to stay faithful to the Lord. Sometimes, the conversion ends in happiness.
Tonight, I want us to study the conversion of another woman, this one was also a European, in the city of Philippi - Acts 16.
THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY:
This mission trip started once the elders and apostles in Jerusalem came to the conclusion that non-Jews did not have to be circumcised to be saved. So, 16:4 - Paul and Silas set out to share that letter from the church in Jerusalem with the new “Gentile” churches of Christ. They visited many, if not all, the churches which were established on the first mission trip.
In 16:9-10, God sent Paul a vision of a man who was in Macedonia, calling for the Christians to help them. So, Paul and Luke and Silas (perhaps others) set out to go to Europe.
Paul and Silas took the shortest possible route to get to Europe. They stopped off at the island of Samothrace but did not linger, apparently not preaching there. We have discovered a religion practiced on the Samothrace island, revolving around a central female deity called Demeter (or Ceres). The religion was practiced at night; perhaps Paul observed the practices. The goddess was married to Mercury. Twin demon gods were also worshiped: the Cabiri. Hades and Persephone were also worshiped.
Samothrace is 69 mi2. There is a lot of farm land and scrubby hills. West of the ancient city was the Sanctuary of the Great Gods of the pagan religion practiced there. You walked through a marble archway 65’ across and the sanctuary overlooked the sea. There was a 295’ long porch with columns that sheltered pilgrims who came for the pagan worship. It was around 49 A. D. when Paul passed through here.
Neapolis was the port on the Aegean Sea for the city of Philippi. This city is just inside the Roman province of Macedonia. The founders of Neapolis built it in a natural amphitheater and harbor and it became an important crossroad on the Via Egnatia, which connected Europe with Asia.
The Via Egnatia was a long road, 493 miles, that ran from Apollonia on the west coast of Macedonia to Kypsela on the east coast, north of Samothrace. A milestone was found in Thessalonica which listed 260 Roman miles from Thessalonica to each end of the Via Egnatia, suggesting that Thessalonica was the half-way point.
The road was built in 130 B. C. A Roman proconsul oversaw much of its construction and his name was Gnaios Egnatios. It was built as a military road but eventually became the international commercial and migratory route between Asia and Europe. Just like our own modern interstate system, the Via Egnatia helped launch an economic boon throughout this region, going on during NT times.
THE CITY OF PHILIPPI:
Paul and his mission team would have entered Philippi from Neapolis on the eastern side through the Neapolis Gate. At the end of Acts 16, when he left for Thessalonica, he would have passed through the western gate, the Krenides Gate. Philippi was not important until the Via Egnatia was built. It was originally named by Alexander the Great for his father, Philip of Macedon.
The city was populated with army veterans by Emperor Octavian and in 27 B. C., he named it a Roman colony Colonia Julia Augusta Philippensis. This raised the stature of Philippi, freeing their citizens and lands from direct taxation. We have not found a whole lot from archaeology that relates to the NT period. A forum has been found larger than a later forum unearthed which measured 325’ by 164’. North of the forum was a large basilica. The city was known for its gold and silver mines in the area.
The city was so small, it could be traversed in about 10 minutes. It covered an area of only about 167 acres with a population between 5,000-10,000 composed of Thracians, Greeks, Macedonians, and Romans. No remains of a Jewish synagogue have been found in Philippi.
The location of Lydia’s baptism has been proposed from three locations. One is the Ganga River, just west of an arch. This proposed location, however, is almost 2 miles from the city. Another place could be close to the Krenides Gate, on the Krenides stream 1/2 mile from the forum. A third location is near the eastern Neapolis Gate. There was a stream near the gate at one time.
As for the prison where Paul and Silas were housed - which is getting outside of our chosen text of study, there has been found a small crypt north of the forum. As early as the fifth century, Christians have thought this was Paul’s former prison. There was a theater in Philippi when Paul visited. The theater was built by the Greeks but renovated some time after Paul had visited Philippi.
THE CONVERSION OF LYDIA:
On the Sabbath day, Luke writes in verse 13, the mission team went outside the gate to a river side, supposing that there would be a place of prayer there. Again, we have found no remains of a Jewish synagogue in Philippi. The mission team sat down and engaged the women in conversation, in Bible study, as they assembled.
There was a woman there named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purpose fabrics. Thyatira had an active life during the early centuries after Christ. It was an important center for the wool trade. Other inscriptions we have found mention business people who engaged in dying fabrics and fullers - “fullers” were the ones who cleaned the wool of dirt and oils. Archaeologists have found an inscription in Thessalonica which spoke of another person who dealt in purple dyes.
You probably recall that Jesus will have John write the book of Revelation to the church of Christ in Thyatira; 2:18ff.
The main source of purple dye was marine shells and the body of a female scale insect. The pigment was a rich red. The most highly prized was a sea purple, obtained from the snail Murex brandaris. These pigments were highly prized because of their brilliance and their colorfastness. There was a “Tyrian double-dipped” garment which cost 1,000 denarii per pound (remember, a denarius was 1 day’s salary!). It is estimated that it would take 12,000 snails to produce 1.4 g of crude dye. So this was a labor-intensive process.
Now, there were also cheaper imitations made from vegetables or minerals. We do not know if Lydia dealt in the luxurious dyes or the cheaper imitations.
Luke notes (ver. 14) that Lydia was a “worshipper of God.” This is a designation for Gentiles who worshipped God according to the Jewish law. That shows that Lydia was moving toward a relationship with God already. Luke also writes that Lydia was “listening” to what Paul, Luke, and Silas were teaching her. In that way, the text says the “Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” Those who believe that the Holy Spirit operates directly on our hearts will use Lydia as an example; but, as always, if you read the text itself, you will come to a better understanding of what the Bible teaches. She was already worshipping God; she was already listening to the message of the gospel - that’s how the Holy Spirit works, correct? Through His word - then the Lord opened her heart to respond to what the missionaries were teaching.
We must open our hearts to the teaching of the word of God. That is the fundamental requirement for anyone to be saved from their sins - you’ve got to open your heart to the teaching of the Gospel message and submit your heart to God’s will.
So in verse 15, we see the result of Lydia opening her heart to the teaching of the Gospel. She and her household was baptized. They were baptized because Peter had said back in Acts 2:38: “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, Lydia did not actually receive the Holy Spirit until after she was baptized. But it was at that point that she was saved. And, whether she was currently married or not, she and her household were all baptized and saved. Households at that time - like in Romania today - could easily include multiple generations; we’re not necessarily talking about babies or small children because they would not be old enough to believe in Christ. But, we could be talking about grandparents, uncles or aunts, nephews or nieces, even servants or slaves. Lydia had an important influence on those around her. As we would expect from a business woman.
Once Lydia was baptized, she prevailed on Paul and his mission team to stay at her house, suggesting wealth, a house large enough to house visitors. And the mission team stayed there. In fact, after Paul and Silas were arrested and then released, we notice at 16:40 that they left the prison and entered Lydia’s house and saw the brethren there - which suggests that the church, perhaps even the jailer and his whole household (16:34) were worshipping in Lydia’s house. This was a young congregation of the Lord’s church.
But, by the end of the book of Acts, when Paul writes the letter of Philippians, the church of Christ at Philippi was already scripturally organized with elders and deacons (1:1). Perhaps a big part of that influence was Lydia. Now, incidentally, we notice from 17:1 that Luke was no longer with Paul and Silas on their subsequent mission trip. Luke apparently stayed behind in Philippi, where there was a medical school. He stays there until Paul passes through Philippi again in 20:5-6. So we know of Lydia and her household, the jailer and his household, and Luke who stayed, lived and worked with the church in Philippi for some years. Then, as I mentioned, the church is able to appoint elders and deacons by the end of the book of Acts.
Take home message: Everyone needs to hear and respond to the gospel of Christ. Every person can contribute to the health and growth of the church, if they will open their hearts to the teaching of the Lord.