A NEW VOICE IS HEARD IN PHILIPPI

Paul arrived in Philippi, capital city of Macedonia, after travelling by sea and road from Troas. Following an overnight stay on the island of Samothrace, he arrived in Neapolis, the sea port of Philippi. Luke[1] notes that Philippi was a Roman colony. Charles Ryrie[2] tells us that …  

   A Roman colony was like a piece of Rome transplanted abroad, so that those who held citizenship in a colony enjoyed the same rights they would have had if they had lived in Italy.

Timothy, Silas, and Luke accompanied Paul. Theirs was a new voice in the city. They brought a message of hope for the people. They were fulfilling the prediction Jesus made to his disciples after his resurrection.

   Then he opened their  minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:45-48).

Lydia was among those who responded to their message. Who was Lydia? From Luke’s record we learn that she was ...

A WOMAN FROM THYATIRA

A Commercial Centre

Thyatira was an important city in the Roman Province of Asia. Its name today, in what is now Turkey, is Akhisar. The city of Thyatira was about 30 kms east of Pergamum, the capital of the province, and about 40 kms north of Sardis, capital of the former Kingdom of Lydia. Positioned on one of the main roads of the region, Thyatira was a place of much commercial activity. Among its manufacturing industries were wool and linen production, dyeing, garment making, pottery and brass working, leather work, tanning, and bakeries. Trading in slaves was also part of the business life of the city. Dyeing and the trade in woollen goods was one of its prominent industries.

The Trade Guilds

Workers in the various trades were organised into guilds. Each industry had its own guild. The guilds provided a number of benefits for their members and the opportunity for social interaction. It was almost impossible to conduct a business without being a member of a guild. The IVF Dictionary[3] tells us that for Christian business people, one of the difficulties was that guild meetings “were inextricably bound up with acts of pagan worship and immorality.”

There were also times when the guilds aggressively opposed Christianity. When Paul preached in Ephesus for example, so many people became Christians that the sale of silver statues of the great goddess Artemis dropped right off. This upset “a silversmith named Demetrius” to such an extent that he called a meeting of the silversmith’s guild “along with the workmen in related trades.” (Acts 19:24-25). He stirred them up by reminding them, “Men, you know we receive a good income from this business.” He told them that they would not only lose business because of so many becoming Christians but their goddess would be discredited. (Acts 19:25,27). The result was that “soon the whole city was in an uproar,” and the lives of the missionaries were at risk. (Acts 19:19-31).

Another example of the power of the guilds comes from early in the second century AD. In AD 112 the Roman emperor Trajan sent Pliny (Gaius Plinius Secundus) to act as governor of the province of Bithynia in North West Asia Minor. In one of his reports to the emperor, Pliny describes the opposition meted out to one of the churches. The butchers’ guild had become so worried about the drop in sales of meat used in sacrifices to the gods that they tried to restrict the activities of the church. For a short time they were successful. In the latter part of his report, Pliny[4] wrote ...

   Nor has this contagious superstition spread through the cities only, but also through the villages and the countryside. But I think it can be checked and put right. At any rate, the temples, which had been well nigh abandoned, are beginning to be frequented again; and the customary services which had been neglected for a long time, are beginning to be resumed; fodder for the sacrificial animals, too, is beginning to find a sale again, for hitherto it was difficult to find anyone to buy it.

From Luke’s diary of the team’s experiences in Philippi, we learn that Lydia was ...

A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS WOMAN

Luke describes her as a “seller of purple.” The term purple can refer to either the dye or the cloth after it has been dyed. Bible translators are divided on the question as to whether Lydia traded in the dye or the cloth. Either way, her business prospered. It seems that she ran an agency in Philippi for the manufacturers in Thyatira.

The purple dye was extracted from the root of a plant named ‘madder’ or from the shell fish ‘murex’. The dye made from the shell fish was much more expensive than that from the plant. The dye produced many shades of colour from rose red to sea green or blue.

Luke’s mention of “the members of her household,” and the fact that she was able to offer accommodation to the four missionaries would seem to indicate that Lydia’s home in Philippi was a large one. Luke does not give enough information for us to know if she was married, widowed, or single. We are now ready to trace the course of ...

LYDIA’S SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE

Her journey would have begun with ...

An Awareness Of The Unseen World

Lydia would have at least known about the activities associated  with the gods of her people. Growing up in Thyatira, she would have known for example, about the local hero-god Tyrimnus. Barclay[5] tells us that his image appeared on coins, where he was pictured on horseback armed with battle axe and club. In her youth Lydia’s parents may have taken her to the large temple of the goddess Cybele at Sardis, just 40 kms from Thyatira.

Lydia would have been well aware of the spiritual powers belonging to the demon forces of the unseen world. Paul referred to these powers when he wrote of “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12). Knowing of these things would have made Lydia fearful at times. The gods could not be known personally, only feared and offered sacrifices to placate them.

But there was another awareness stirring in the heart of Lydia. An awareness that there was something or someone else out there. This is the feeling that exists in the heart of every person in every culture. Don Richardson[6] refers to it as “Eternity in Their Hearts.” In his book of that name  he presents “startling evidence of belief in the one true God in hundreds of cultures throughout the world.” Paul spoke of this inner awareness when he wrote, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” (Romans 1:20).

It was out of this awareness that Lydia progresses to the next stage of her spiritual pilgrimage. She then became ...

A Worshipper Of God (vs. 14)

The phrase ‘worshipper of God’ was used of Gentiles who had not converted to the Jewish belief system of Judaism, but who had gained some understanding of the Scriptures by attending synagogue services. As adherents but not members of the synagogue congregation, such people were known as ‘God-fearers.’ There was a large Jewish community in Thyatira. Lydia’s search for God would have led her to the synagogue there. As a God-fearer she would listen to the Scriptures being read from the beautifully decorated hand written scrolls. She would have taken part in the prayers.

For a synagogue to be established in a community, it was required that at least ten male Jews be resident there. In the Roman colony of Philippi it seems that the Jewish community was too small for the formation of a synagogue congregation. This would explain why Lydia and the other women met for prayer on the banks of the nearby river. F. F. Bruce[7] writes, “Outside the city walls, by the River Gangites, there was an unofficial place of worship where a number of women, God-fearers and possibly some Jewesses, met on Sabbaths and holy days to recite the appointed synagogue prayers and thanksgivings.” It was here that Lydia heard for the first time a clear presentation of the Christian message. As she listened with wonder to Paul’s message  ...

The Lord Opened Her Heart (vs. 14)

Unless the Lord opens our heart, spiritual truth remains elusive. Isaiah explained it to the people of his day in these words.

   For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read and say to him, “Read this please,” he will answer, “I can’t, it is sealed.” Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read and say, “Read this please,” he will answer, “I don’t know how to read.” (Isaiah 29:11-12.).

And Paul put it this way.

   The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:13).

But Isaiah did not stop with the reference to closed hearts and minds. He went on to speak of a promise the Lord had given him.

   On that day the deaf shall hear words of a book and out of their gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. (Isaiah 29:18).

Lydia was a person who discovered the truth of those words. She heard the words of the book as Paul taught from it. She saw that what she heard was true. The Lord opened her heart. Only the Lord can open hearts. Not argument, not psychological processes, not counselling procedures, not the power of persuasion, only the Lord. Zechariah wrote, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6).

In the course of her spiritual pilgrimage Lydia has now moved on from being a worshipper of God to one who has come to know him personally. She has trusted in Christ for her salvation. But now as a Christian business woman it will not be long before she becomes aware of ...

A Problem To Be Faced

In carrying on her business, Lydia would have been compelled to be a member of a dyers or cloth making guild or both. This may now present some difficulties for her as a Christian. Professor Blaiklock,[8] Emeritus Professor of Classics at the University of Auckland, explains the nature of the problem ...

   These organisations were a source of major difficulty to Christians who sought, in their converse with the pagan world around, to keep a clear conscience. It was difficult for Christians, whose trade depended upon a measure of goodwill, to carry on their daily activities if they obviously abstained from fellowship with their colleagues. On the other hand, since all the callings of trade and commerce were under the patronage of pagan deities, fellowship, and indeed membership of a trade collegium, involved the compromising act of libation or sacrifice at the guild dinner.

We do not know how Lydia handled this problem. We are not told if she remained a member of her guild or not. We do know however, about ...

THE VALUE OF HER CHRISTIAN SERVICE

To Those Of Her Household (vs. 15).

Following her decision to acknowledge Jesus as her Lord, Lydia’s first concern was for members of her own household. This would have consisted of family members she was responsible for, servants, and possibly some of her employees. Lydia called them all together and told them that she had become a Christian after hearing the Christian message there at the riverside. After listening to her testimony, the whole household decided to be baptised with her.

To The Missionary Team (vs. 15)

After the baptismal service, Lydia offered accommodation to Paul and his fellow workers for the remainder of their stay in Philippi. Sensing that they were wondering if they might be an added burden in her already crowded home, she pointed out to them that by accepting her offer they would be giving her the opportunity of being greatly blessed by the Lord as she gave hospitality to his servants. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” The ability to give hospitality is a precious gift. (1 Peter 4:9-10, 3 John vs. 7-8). And finally there was Lydia’s valuable contribution ...

To The Growth Of The Church

Lydia’s offer of hospitality gave the team a base to work from while they were making the Christian faith known in Philippi. They visited the meeting place of the God-fearers on a number of occasions and taught from the Scriptures. Wherever they found opportunity they presented Christ as the Messiah people were looking for.

So many people were giving attention to the message Paul and his fellow workers were announcing, that it aroused fierce opposition. A young girl trapped in the evil world of the occult led the opposition. For several days she continued to hurl a sarcastic taunt towards the missionaries, “These men are servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved.” (Acts 16:17). The words were meant to ridicule but in them the occult world was forced to acknowledge the servants of the Lord and the liberating truth they brought. And then in a wonderful example of the grace of God in action, the slave girl herself was set free from the evil spirits who controlled her. Her owners were enraged when they realised the loss of income her deliverance would cause them. The rioting they initiated in the city resulted in Paul and Silas being flogged and put in stocks in the prison for the night.

In spite of the intensity of the opposition many became Christians, including the jailer and his family. And so the Church, of which Jesus said, “The gates of Hades will not overcome it,” (Matthew 16:18, was planted in Philippi. Its members most likely met in the home of Lydia. It was there that the team said farewell to those they had introduced to the Saviour. Luke’s diary entry for Philippi ends with the words ...

   After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. (Acts 16:40).