Faithful Servants Dorcas, Lydia, and Phoebe

Godly Women are Integral to the Health and Ministry of the Church

Intro: Gal 3:28

Galatians 3:28 NKJV

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Through the ministry of Jesus Christ, the barriers erected by human tradition, prejudice, and social standing were eradicated. Jesus initiated the tearing down of those barriers, and this has continued through the ministry of the church.

One of the basic social barriers was the status of women. In Jesus women lives were transformed, several of them became part of His entourage of traveling disciples and supported His ministry financially.

Whatever our skin color, language, or social standing, we are all members of the same body of Christ. Revelation 7:9–10 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Whether we are male or female, we are of equal value, a radical concept for the first century. Our purpose today is to affirm the effective ministry of Godly women in the church and their contributions to the kingdom of God.

DORCAS: FAITHFUL AND HEALED

Acts 9:36–39 (NKJV)

At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died.

Dorcas, or Tabitha, lived in the town of Joppa, a city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Dorcas was also called Tabitha, Dorcas is a Greek name meaning “gazelle,” and Tabitha is the Aramaic version of that name. Sis. Dorcas, or Tabitha, was was known for her good works and acts of love a charitable person who made things, especially clothing, for the needy in Joppa. She was much loved in her community.

the impact this one women had

her love and care for others

her example of a Godly women

When she became ill and died, The believers who knew Dorcas heard that Peter was in the nearby town of Lydda, and they sent for him. The Bible does not specifically say that the disciples at Joppa were hoping for Peter to resurrect Dorcas, but they did call urgently for him.

When Peter arrived at the home where Dorcas’body had been laid out, he went up to see the body. There were many widows there, weeping. They all showed Peter “the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them”tangible evidence of Dorcas’loving service.

Up to this point in the book of Acts, there is no record of anyone being raised from the dead. What happened next is proof that our God is full of glorious, unrestrained power: “Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed.

Resurrection of Dorcas

Acts 9:40–43 NKJV

But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord. So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

This miracle like others recorded in Acts, caused many to believe in the Lord. Bringing Dorcas back from the dead was not done for Dorcas’ sake, Peter knew she was in paradise, with Jesus, and that her life after death was preferable to her life on earth. Peter’s motive, at least in part, for raising Dorcas to life may have been for the sake of the widows and others in Joppa who needed the help Dorcas could provide. This miracle performed in the name of the Lord led many to faith in Christ.

Dorcas is a fine example of how we are to meet the needs of those around us. Christians are to “continue to remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10). As disciples of Christ, we are to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). This was the type of religion Dorcas practiced. We also see in the story of Dorcas how the Body of Christ functions as a whole. We are united in Christ, and the believers in Joppa mourned the loss of Dorcas as a close family member. “There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern and value for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Corinthians 12:25–26). Dorcas was one of their own, and her absence left a huge void in their lives.

LYDIA: GRACIOUS HOST

Apostles Come to Philippi

Acts 16:9–15 (NKJV)

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.

And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

HE MOVED IMMEDIATELY

Lydia’s Conversion and Hospitality

Acts 16:13–15 NKJV

And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Acts 16:40 NKJV

So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

Lydia heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Bible says that God opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying (Acts 16:14). After she believed, Lydia was baptized, along with the rest of her household. Whether “her household” refers only her family, or if there were servants included in the number, is unclear from the biblical account.

After Lydia’s conversion and baptism, she insisted that Paul and his friends come to stay at her home, if they judged her to be “a believer in the Lord” (verse 15). Luke says that “she prevailed upon us,” which indicates the fervency of her desire to be hospitable. The missionaries did indeed judge Lydia to be a true believer, and they stayed at her home while in Philippi.

Lydia’s conversion marks the start of a new epoch in the Bible. Up to that point, the gospel had not gone further west than Asia Minor. In fact, on this journey, Paul’s original intention had been to stay in Asia, but God had changed his plans. The Lord sent Paul a vision calling him westward across the Aegean Sea and into Macedonia (Acts 16:6–10). Lydia, although a native of Asia Minor, is the first person recorded to have been saved in Europe.

Imprisoned

James 1:2–4 NKJV

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

PHOEBE: GENEROUS-SERVANT

Romans 16:1 NKJV

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,

Letters of introduction to strangers were common in Bible times. The mention of Phoebe in this way means that she was probably the bearer of the letter to Rome. The name Phoebe means “bright and radiant,” and from Paul’s comments about her it seems that those words characterized her personality and her Christian life.

Paul’s reference to Phoebe as “our sister” indicates that she was a member of the Christian church and his sister in Christ.

Ministry of Phoebe

Romans 16:2 NKJV

that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.

Her designation as “deacon” (or “servant” in the ESV) could mean that she held an official position within the church as a deaconess or simply that she was someone who was known to serve the church faithfully (the Greek diakonos means “servant”).

Whether or not Phoebe had the title “deaconess,” it is clear that she was a trusted member of the body of believers in Cenchreae, a seaport about eight or nine miles from Corinth.

Paul commends Phoebe to the Roman believers and asks that they receive her in a gracious and friendly manner into their homes and hearts with love and affection. She was to be welcome in their church fellowship. Asking for her to be received “in a way worthy of [God’s] people” means that the church should treat Phoebe with the special respect and Christian love that should characterize all believers. Phoebe was to be aided in whatever business she would be conducting in Rome.

Paul adds that Phoebe was a helper of many. Phoebe may have shown great kindness in various ways to other Christians, perhaps receiving them into her house in the manner of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–40).

Paul himself was a beneficiary of Phoebe’s kind servant’s heart. Whatever Phoebe’s precise role in the church, the inclusion of her name in Romans 16 is a testimony to her character and ensures that she will never be forgotten.