Lydia – Acts 16:11-15,40

     Lydia was a God-fearer. That is, she was a gentile (non-Jewish) who worshipped God. She met Paul on the river right outside of Philippi and believed his testimony about Jesus. She is described as Lydia from Thyatira, who was a dealer in purple cloth.
      It is possible that this woman’s name was not Lydia. She might have been a woman of Lydia, which was a geographical region, and Thyatira was a city in Lydia. When Paul writes to the Philippians he mentions different women, but never uses the name of Lydia. We can safely believe that if there was a Christian woman in Philippi with that name, Paul would have mentioned her and sent greetings. The story in Acts indicates she had been important to his work in Philippi. Unless she had died or moved away, the absence of Lydia as a name lends support to the supposition that it was the region from which she came. But there aren’t any clues as to which one in Philippians might be “Lydia.”
      Lydia was a business woman. She seems to have been prosperous and the head of her household. Her business was dealing with purple cloth. Purple dye was difficult to attain and consequently expensive. This is why it became known as a royal color, kings being the ones who could afford it. The Israelites, however, included at least one purple thread in their prayer shawls, a reminder of God’s concern for rich and poor alike.
     Thyatira was a city famous for its dyers of cloth. Lydia herself may have been a merchant who had set up business in Philippi. She wasn’t a travelling merchant because she appears to have had a permanent home there. After meeting Paul and believing his witness to Jesus, she and the members of her household were baptized as Christians.
     The head of the household would have had the authority to make a religious decision for everyone. In the Old Testament, Joshua does so when he urges the Israelites to “choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
      If Lydia did make the decision for everyone, they still appear to have become sincere Christians, because Paul had a good relationship with the Philippian church, a foundation of which had to be Lydia’s household. One reasonable explanation for this could be the fact that Lydia subsequently invited Paul to stay in her home during his time in Philippi. This would have been an economic help to Paul, relieving him of the need to earn a living while there. But from the point of view of the household, it gave an opportunity for further instruction in the Christian faith. A further example of Paul’s feelings of closeness with the Philippian church is the fact that they were the only ones he allowed to contribute to his expenses while he was at other churches.
     After Paul and Silas were released from prison in Philippi, it was to Lydia’s house they went first. One can imagine how the fledgling Christians were feeling. They believed in Jesus, but the man who had instructed them in the faith had been imprisoned. What would happen?
     Paul’s immediate return to Lydia’s household is a sign of his concern for them. It also demonstrates his confidence in their regard for him that him. He and Silas met with the believers to give them encouragement before leaving for Thessolonica.
    
What affect do you think Lydia had upon her household's sincerity of faith?