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"And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' And she prevailed upon us."
(Acts 16:15)
Our sweet baby boy is named Ethan, which means steadfast. If we had welcomed a girl, we planned to name her Lydia. Maybe we will also have a girl one day, and maybe we'll keep the name Lydia, or perhaps we will find another name that we love. But Lydia in the Bible will always be a figure whose story I love. We don't know much about her, but what we do read is particularly encouraging and challenging. As the first recorded European convert to Christianity, I pray that like her, my neighbors here in Europe and my children will have their hearts opened by the Lord to believe and follow Him. Check out the beginning of Lydia's story here:
"One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.' And she prevailed upon us." (Acts 16:14-15)
Yesterday we talked about proactive hospitality. Lydia is a great example of doing just that. She "urged" the missionaries to stay with her while they were in Philippi. The phrase at the end of the verse "and she prevailed upon us" further emphasizes the fervency with which she insisted on their staying. Lydia was a seller of purple goods, which were usually rather expensive. She seems to have done rather well for herself because verse 40 indicates that her home was even big enough to host the church that met in Philippi. After Paul and Silas were freed from prison, it says that they went to visit the house church at Lydia's home.
"After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia's house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed." (Acts 16:40, CSB)
Lydia joyfully received the Gospel and followed in obedience with baptism. Then her very next act was one of hospitality! It seems that it was a natural response for her. Follow Jesus, then welcome in the stranger. She didn't know the Lord, she was a stranger to the Kingdom. Then the Lord welcomed her in, and in response, she welcomed others in. In this, we see that her hospitality was an expression of her faith. How can you use hospitality to be an expression of your faith in Jesus? Lydia's hospitality was about more than just giving people a place to sleep or food to eat. Her home became a hub of spiritual formation and growth. How might your resources be used to encourage the faith of others?
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