41. Ladies First!

Random Question

What is one red flag for you in a friendship?

Lesson

Recap

Paul and the crew did lots of travelling our last lesson, approx. 900kms.

Anyone remember what modern day country they passed through? (Turkey)

Was this their plan? (No, the Lord redirected their paths twice, telling them no)

And they were making their way over to Troas where Paul would receive the Macedonian call.

Someone joined the missionary team, does anyone remember who that was? (Luke, from the use of “we” in vs. 10)

Here in vs. 11, they listen to the call and set sail for Macedonia (Modern day Greece). And by the way, at this time about 20 years have elapsed since Pentecost in Acts 2.

Vs. 11

Acts 16:11 NKJV

11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis,

What locations are mentioned in vs. 11? (Troas, Samothrace, Neapolis)

We’re going to need the map for this bit…

Map:

- Set sail from Troas and land on the small island of Samothrace.

- Samothraki: Part of Greece, still called this name today.

(Zoom in to see landscape)

Judging by the map, what kind of landscape should we expect to see in Samothrace? (Mountainous)

5000ft in elevation

(Show photos)

People called it “Poseidon’s Island”, people thought that Poseidon would stand on Mt. Fengari (Highest mountain there) and would look over to the Trojan war.

Back to Bible map:

- So, it had taken them one day to make it this far…

What place do they go next? (Neapolis)

Neapolis:

- 240kms trip (Troas to Neapolis). Their return trip takes them 5 days (Acts 20:6), this time the Lord sent wind on their backs and it only took two days.

- Neapolis is right on the edge of the ocean, and it kind of acts as the gateway to Philippi.

This is modern day Kavala (SHOW PHOTOS)

Vs. 12

Acts 16:12 NKJV

12 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.

Where did they go from there? (Philippi)

16 kms walk (3-4hrs)

Remember with our study in Philippians, the city is part of Macedonia, which is a Roman colony. The city had ultra Roman values…

Philippi was an outpost for the Roman imperial authorities, Rome wanted Philippi to be copy-cats of themselves, so they sent retired soldiers there with the promise of lot’s of great benefits and Roman freedom.

So, that’s our scene, they’re in Philippi, and settling into the place God had led them this far to get to…

Vs. 13

Acts 16:13 NKJV

13 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.

Can someone help describe what’s happening here in vs. 13?

Paul and his crew waited until the Sabbath to get their work started…

Why wait until the Sabbath? (Paul’s missionary strategy… This was pretty typical for him)

Usually you’ll find Jews those days gathering in a Synagogue, what’s different about their meeting in vs. 13? (Women gathered by the river)

Why aren’t they in a Synagogue? Check your Study bibles…

According to Jewish tradition, you needed a minimum of 10 families with men as heads of the home to gather together.

What does that tell us about the Jewish population in Philippi? (Not too much! There might be lots of ladies though!)

Instead of having a synagogue, the Jewish women of the city got together around a lake to pray.

Halfway through vs. 13 it says that this is where prayer was “customarily made”, do any of you that have it different in your bible? What does it say? (Think, consider, believe)

There’s some intent in this… They didn’t just stumble into this prayer meeting, they expected the prayer meeting to be happening. They looked for this opportunity.

What does this teach us about the way we go about sharing the gospel? (Opportunities will not always fall on our laps, we need to make the effort to create opportunities)

Another thing, they didn’t have the women come to them, they came to the women, where they were at. This is simple but so smart. As you think about opportunities to share the gospel, consider, “Where are the people going to be?”

Kings Square: We’ve got a group from church that goes to Kings Square every once in a while, we made the decision to create those opportunities and go. Find the people where they’re at.

What does Paul and the crew do when they got to the women? (Sat down and talked)

See how simple that is?!!

Paul didn’t start preaching, he didn’t silence everyone and impose himself on them…

They came down on these ladies level, and just chatted with them! Maybe they talked about the beautiful river for a bit, or the blue skies, where they lived, what they do…

- Great gospel opportunities often happen when we engage with people on a personal level. When we first let them know we care about them.

Why do you think this is important when we share the Gospel? (Because people won’t value the message if they don’t feel valued)

If I’m treating you guys like a number, will you want to open up to me?

See Chloe

Me: “Greetings Chloe. Sit down, we have matters to discuss.”

Chloe: “Wha.. ok.”

Me: “I heard you say something a few weeks ago that was disturbing, it’s about time you get some counselling on this. And… Let me warn you, I will also be rebuking you soon.

Let’s begin! What did you say to your sister at 12:24pm, last Sunday in line for lunch at the potluck? Remember? When you shouted at her? And remember, don’t leave any details behind!”

Chloe, if I approached you like this, are you giving me an ounce of information?

Right! First of all, I was super rude not asking her how she’s doing, listening to her story about her week, etc. But then, I just assume she’s going to listen to my speel on how awful of a person she is.

Does this work? Why not? (Because it’s super impersonal! We need to show others that we are down to earth, on their level, and that we care about them!)

That’s what Paul and his crew does, they talk with them. And eventually the discussion turned to the Gospel…

Vs. 14

Who overheard the conversation in vs. 14? (Lydia)

Acts 16:14 NKJV

14 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.

Whiteboard (Volunteer needed)

Let’s work together here…

What information can we gather about Lydia in vs. 14?

Seller of purple (Cloths)

Anyone have an idea why this is noteworthy? Study Bible will help…

Purple clothes were ultra fancy, only royalty wore purple, and the reason for this is really neat. To make purple clothes, you’d get the dye from a certain shellfish, squeezing it to get just a few drops. These snails were rare and the work to get these was long.

So, based on her job, what can we assume about her financial situation? (She’s rich!)

What else do we know about Lydia?

From Thyatira

Worshipped God

Does this mean she was a Christian? (No, she was a Gentile proselyte, not fully done her conversion process)

Based on this fact, what can we assume about her spiritual situation? (Not saved yet, but SEARCHING!)

What did the Lord do to her as she was listening to Paul speak? (Her heart was opened)

Open = To make open, cause to open. The emphasis seems to be on the fact that it wasn’t her that opened her heart, it was the Lord doing that work in her.

The blooming of a flower…

- Waiting to see if it blooms… Not ready… until… It’s ready!

How should the fact that God opens the hearts encourage us when we evangelize? (The burden of responsibility is not ours!)

Our job is to share the message, the responsibility of converting souls is God’s. We’ve got the easy part of the job!!

1 Corinthians 3:5–7 NKJV

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Vs. 15

Acts 16:15 NKJV

15 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.

Her and her whole household are baptized (Involves servants too, probably)

What does she say to Paul afterwards?

Can you say it in your own words?

You know what she’s saying? “If you think I’m truly saved, you’re going to accept my offer to host you guys.”

Good thing she was actually saved! Can you imagine how awkward that would be if they weren’t sure she’s saved?!!

What are they telling her if they say no? (You aren’t saved!)

I can picture her looking keenly at them, waiting for their response. AWKWARD!!

But they were confident in her salvation, so they accept her offer.

She ends up hosting them multiple times whenever they need a place to stay, and she has the church gather in her home (Acts 16:40).

What can we learn about her offer to host the missionaries? (Hospitality is such a BLESSING)

Hospitality is a ministry of blessing. It’s so powerful because as a host, you are being vulnerable and opening your life to your guests.

Are they going to see good things about your family? (Hopefully!)

Are they going to see the ugly side too? (If they stay long enough!)

But the beauty of all this is that you’re showing them how you walk with God as a family, through the pretty moments and the ugly ones. Hosting people is a silent sermon, speaking to the guests as they watch you serve one another, serve them, love and interact with one another.

Lydia recognized that her home was a gift from God, and that she should use that gift to the benefit of the church.

Acts is big on displaying the huge role that women played in the early church. Ladies like Priscilla, Damaris, and Lydia and just a few of many who showed how essential women are to the body of Christ.

Application

In evangelism, find people where they’re at, and be personable!

God opens hearts, we just share the message!

Hospitality is such an impactful ministry!