God opened a woman’s heart! What happened then marks the birth of the Christian church in Europe.
Apostle Paul and his companions covered almost 15,000 kilometres on four missionary journeys. They were on the road for many years. His second journey between the year 50 to 53 took him to what is now Syria, Turkey, Greece, and the city of Jerusalem. Finally, one night a man appeared to the Apostle with a request: “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16: 9). Paul and his companions packed their belongings and continued their journey.
Philippi, a place steeped in history
The Macedonian city of Philippi in modern-day Greece started out as a settlement called Krinides, which has existed since 362 bc. It was later conquered and renamed into Philippi by King Philip II of Macedon. Then it came under Roman influence and finally saw two battles between the Caesar murderers Brutus and Cassius and the Caesar supporters Mark Antony and Octavian. As a Roman colony, the city adopted the Roman lifestyle and culture.
Apostle Paul travelled inland to Philippi along the Via Egnatia, the famous Roman military road. It was the road between Rome and Byzantium and a life-artery for the region. He stayed there for a few days with his companions. On the Sabbath, he went outside the city gate to the river, assuming that people would be praying there. He sat down with some women and talked to them. Among them was a woman whose heart was opened by the Lord to “heed the things spoken by Paul”, as we can read in Acts 16: 14. Her name was Lydia.
Who is Lydia?
The name is a designation of origin. She originally came from the region of Lydia, an area in what is now the western part of Turkey—more precisely from the city of Thyatira.
There was a mixed population in her new hometown of Philippi, which is why different religions existed side by side. Lydia was a woman who worshipped God. She was obviously not a Jewess, but a Gentile who kept the Law of Moses and attended Jewish services in the synagogue.
Lydia must have been an emancipated, intelligent, and prosperous woman. She successfully traded in purple cloth, an expensive and valuable status symbol at the time. She was a single woman and owned her own home. And being in charge over her own household she could do as she pleased.
When Paul’s words fell into her heart, she and her entire household were baptised and she begged him, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay” (Acts 16: 15). This is the first documented Christian church in Europe.
Faith then and now
God touched Lydia’s heart and enabled her to believe. Through baptism, she and her household publicly professed their faith and Jesus Christ. She even went one step further and let her gratitude speak for itself: she invited Paul and his companions into her home. Then as now, Lydia is a beautiful example of how Christ can be made known in everyday life. For whoever acknowledges God will also be acknowledged by Him.
Photo: Purple_Lamp – stock.adobe.com