THERE IS ALWAYS a fresh, real-time presence in Luke’s accounts of his travels with Paul. Part of their second missionary journey probably took place in the spring of 49 A.D.; already well on their way from Antioch in the south, they are now heading across the Mediterranean the seventy or so miles from Troas to the small island of Samothrace as an overnight port of call. “From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi.” (Acts 16:11) The time of the sea journey to Samothrace is quite fast; under sail, the spring winds favor their route. It is approximately the same distance to Neapolis in Asia Minor, where they will make landfall and head overland to Philippi, a bustling Roman outpost located in what is now modern-day northeastern Greece. The sense of purposed movement is important, with each place named being as a waypoint towards a destination, that being Philippi. Something is about to happen that involves an act of the Holy Spirit.
Luke records, “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer.” (Acts 16:13a) Paul and Luke are now in Gentile territory, but they are searching for Jews with whom Paul typically would share the message of Jesus first. In later journeys this would no longer be true, and he would be looking for ways to share just with Gentiles. Here, there was apparently no local synagogue, and they are looking for where the Jews might be congregating for prayer, in this case at the local river.
Scripture notes, “We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.” (Acts 16:13b) Until there were ten Jewish men, a synagogue could not be established in a town, and this seems to be the case, as this place of prayer outside town is a spot where women, very likely mostly Jewesses, have gathered; Lydia is noted as being “a worshiper of God” (Acts 16:14b), and there is as yet no Christian church established here. Lydia is from Thyatira, about forty miles away, and it makes sense that she would be coming to this city under Roman hegemony because she is “a dealer in purple cloth.” (Acts 16:14b) The making of purple dye was a thriving industry that depended for value upon the scarcity of this natural resource obtained from grinding Murex shells; one drop was typically extracted in this process. The dyed purple cloth was a highly desirable product, as its use was dedicated and confined to the royalty of various nobles, especially in the Roman hierarchy.
Lydia is an important person in God’s eyes, and therefore in Paul’s; she is influential, and has many contacts that can assist in the spreading of the gospel. We begin to understand the urgency and sense of quick movements in Paul and Luke’s travels—this day is appointed, and must not be missed. We wonder how long of a conversation went on by the river that day. Perhaps it was leisurely, with Paul speaking about his first and now second journeys. It is not far-fetched to think that he would tell her of his testimony of meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road some years ago, and how that changed his life. Certainly, given the opportunity, he would tell her of how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the O.T., and about his life, ministry, death, and resurrection. She listens; her entourage listens. “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” (Acts 16:14d) She did not just listen, interested, to what he had to say. The Holy Spirit had already prepared her heart, and so she acted. “When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home.” (Acts 16:15a)
Not only is she moved to act, but also the members of her household. This might include servants as well as family members. In any case, all were baptized, and typical of A.N.E. hospitality, Paul and Luke are invited to come to her home—possibly a second home, uniting her business and her market—to refresh themselves, no doubt to share food, and perhaps to spend a night. “‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.” (Acts 16:15b) Luke and Paul are putting into practice the mission Jesus gives all disciples. “Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it.” (Matt. 10:11-13)
Paul and Luke have made something like a thirteen-hundred-mile journey from Antioch, by foot, sail, and foot again, to have this specific encounter, not knowing in advance where, when, and with whom it will be. Scripture gives us only the sparsest of detail of this journey until the encounter begins to occur. The reason for the journey is the spread of the gospel—evangelism—and this act of the Holy Spirit now punctuates the journey with a rich unfolding of this work of God, not just in Lydia, but in her entire household. This will lead to the planting of the church in Philippi, and is a tremendous encouragement to Luke and Paul in energizing the work they will pour into spreading the gospel throughout Asia Minor.
While some are gifted as evangelists, all of us are called to evangelize. Our journey need not be some great travail of body and soul, calling us over wide expanses of geography and terrain; it might be something as simple as visiting the neighbor nearby. The mission, however, is the same: to share the gospel. We don’t have to be educated theologians, we just need to share our lives and stories—our testimonies—with others as a natural outflow of that which we find important to speak about. It is critically significant for each one of us to understand just how important this is, for us and for our listeners. This same Luke writes these words of Jesus in his gospel. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory.” (Luke 9:23-26) Proverbs pointedly informs us, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” (Prov. 11:30)
Q. Does the Holy Spirit have a divine appointment for me today?
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