Lydia – Selling to the Seller
Lydia’s story is a beautiful testimony of how the gospel transforms lives. She was a successful merchant, a worshiper of God, and a seeker of truth. When the message of Christ reached her heart, everything changed. Her life reminds us that the gospel comes, captures, and changes all who believe.
The Call to Follow Christ
Luke 9:23-24 – Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.”
Like every disciple, Lydia’s story begins with the call to follow Jesus. True life is found not in clinging to our own way, but in surrendering to Christ.
The Gospel Came
Acts 16:13 – On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.
The gospel often comes in simple, unexpected moments. By a riverside prayer gathering, Paul and his companions shared the good news. Among the listeners was Lydia, a woman of influence and means, dealing in costly purple cloth.
Acts 16:14 – A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.
The Word of God came to her ears-but it was the Lord who opened her heart.
The Gospel Captured
John 6:44–45 – No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets: And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to Me.
Salvation is not human achievement-it is the work of God. Lydia was listening, but it was the Spirit who drew her to Christ.
Acts 16:14 – The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.
The gospel did not just reach her mind; it captured her heart.
The Gospel Changed
Acts 16:15 – After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Faith always produces change. Lydia immediately identified with Christ through baptism, and her household followed her example. Her faith expressed itself in hospitality—she opened her home, using her resources for the kingdom of God.
Final Reflection
Lydia’s story shows the power of the gospel to transform lives: it came through the Word, it captured her heart by God’s grace, and it changed her into a generous disciple. Her life reminds us that true faith is both inwardly genuine and outwardly active.
Leave a Reply