Acts 16:11-15 (NIV)
From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul and company wasted no time in getting to Macedonia, and went as directly as possible to Philippi, one of the largest cities in the district. While they waited for the Sabbath, they checked out the city and found that there was no synagogue there, which indicated that the Jewish population, if there was any at all, was very small.
Where there was no synagogue, it was the custom for any Jews in an area to gather for prayer and worship somewhere within a Sabbath-day’s journey, often along the banks of the river through town, which was centrally located and easily accessible. So, on the Sabbath, that’s where Paul and his team went.
They found a group of women there and began to talk with them. One of them, Lydia, was a gentile God-fearer. She was a dealer in purple cloth, an expensive commodity, and was originally from Thyatira, about 100 miles southeast of Troas in the province of Asia. She was worshiping by the river with members of her household, both family members and servants.
As they listened to Paul’s testimony about Jesus and his own story of salvation and transformation, Lydia and her household members believed, and Paul baptized them on the spot – the first converts in Macedonia, and a very propitious beginning.
Lydia was naturally a generous person who was devoted to God, and she had now become a member of the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus. Her heart was open to these missionaries, and she offered her home as a base of operation for them while they were in the city. They recognized this as a blessing from God and accepted the offer.
In just a few days’ time, God had confirmed to Paul and the rest that Macedonia was indeed His calling for them at that time. He had led them to open prospects and had moved them to conversion, and had even provided pleasant accommodations for them. So, they settled in and got to work.
Father, this again points out very clearly that You are at the center of all successful evangelistic efforts, and that, if we follow Your lead in everything, You will do all the heavy lifting, and will receive all the glory for the successes that come as a result. Thank You for helping me to see this truth. Amen.
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