The Conversion of Lydia

At the end of our Lord's ministry he left certain instructions for His disciples.  In particular He left instructions for them to go into Jerusalem where the Promise of God shall fall upon them Lk 24:34. He also told them that He now has all authority and in order for someone to be made a disciple, a Christian (a term not used until Acts 11:26), they must baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Mt 38:18-19. In the second chapter of the book of Acts we see the fulfillment of this promise. Peter stands up with the eleven, gives a defense of the events occurring, and gives a stirring sermon, which convicts the hearts of some three thousand Jews.  Peter and the other apostles carry out another of the Lord's instructions, namely, the conversion to discipleship. “Men and brethren what shall we do?” Acts 2:37. We read in verse 38, “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” They simply carried out the Lord's commandments and about three thousand souls were added to them. From that moment forward we will be told of conversion after conversion, the conversion of Jews and Gentiles, of poor and rich, or male and female.  The gospel is for all no matter what your status in life is.  What is similar about all of them is that baptism is an essential element of their conversion.

Background Leading Up To Lydia’s Conversion

If you would, skip several chapters, skip over several of these conversions until we come to one in particular.  It is the story of Lydia.  And it is recorded for us in Acts 16:6-15. First let us set the stage.  Paul is on his second missionary journey accompanied with Silas and Luke.  As you recall Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement concerning John Mark and they parted ways.  So we find them in the area of Lystra and Iconium.  Timothy now joins the threesome and they make their plans to enter into Asia.  But the Holy Spirit forbids them. They then try to enter into Bithynia, but the Spirit forbids them as well.  They end up in Troas an important city on the coast of Mysia in northwest Asia Minor modern Turkey, Troas was situated about ten miles southwest of Hissarlik, the ruins of ancient Troy. It is there that 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.”  So they went to Macedonia. 

 History of Lydia

Lydia’s home was Thyatira. It was about 300 miles away and was famous for it’s purple dyes. We can also see she was  good at business and a woman of means to carry on a business so far away from her native land. The Bible says she was a “seller of purple” used only on costly goods. Either she sold the coloring matter or the fabric already dyed.  There was a great demand for this fabric, as it was used on the official apparel at Rome and in Roman colonies. She was also a Jewess or a proselyte because she worshipped God. Notice that her business affairs did not make her worldly, because she kept the Sabbath and was a worship of God. She kept the custom of praying with the other women that gathered. Yet we find that she still needed to be converted---Why?

The Sermon

Here Paul and company sit down and speak to the women who met there.  Sitting was the Jewish attitude for public speaking; it was not mere conversation, but more likely conversational preaching. The simplicity of the Gospel is presented.  The plan of salvation is delivered, for we note the effect of the sermon.

When she heard the things spoken by Paul, the gospel and the Lord opened her heart v.14. The heart is that part of man that thinks, reasons, understands, believes and condemns. The preaching of the gospel enlightened her heart of mind.

A person's heart is closed against instruction when it is unwilling to hear it or to obey it. God had led Paul and his company to Lydia. They had preached the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit to her, and caused her to understand; hence, in this way the Lord "opened" her heart. In turn she gave heed to the things spoken by Paul. She then believed... “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” Heb 11:6 and was baptized…“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” Mark 16:16. The gospel message is addressed to hearts of men.  No matter who they are.

If you want to be saved, let the word of God open your heart now.

Carlos Aguilar

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP TEACH THE LOST?

Wouldn't it be great if everyone of accountable age in our county was a member of the church?! Wouldn't it be great if every member of our fleshly family was a faithful member of the church?! Wouldn't it be great if every accountable person in the whole world was a member of the church?!

Is that really our desire? Do we truly want people to be saved in this life and go to heaven to receive life eternal? Can we honestly say that it is our goal to help as many people as possible to become faithful followers of Christ so they can be saved? If so, how much are we working to accomplish that goal? That is what we are supposed to do when we set any type of serious goal - work hard in order to achieve it, right?

Jesus told His apostles to preach the gospel to every person in "all the world" Mark 16:15. We know that. He told them that He wanted repentance and remission of sins to be preached "among all nations" Luke 24:47. We know that, too. Further, the New Testament plainly reveals that salvation is in Christ 2 Timothy 2:10, and that those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ are still in sin and will be lost eternally 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9.

In view of the lost estate of those who are not in Christ, and taking into account Jesus' charge to preach the gospel to all people in order that they might be saved Mark 16:15,16, I suggest that each of us ought to ask him/herself this sobering question: How much effort am I putting forth in order to "get the gospel out" to the lost in my own area?

Sometimes when congregations are searching for a new evangelist, they ask prospective preachers this question: "If you served as our preacher, what would you plan to do to help make this congregation grow?" My thought on that question is this: Hey, shouldn't every member of the body of Christ ask him/herself that same question "What do I plan to do to help the church grow"? We think so, seeing that the Lord wants all saints to be teachers! Hebrews 5:12.

"But, what can I do to help teach the lost?" If that is what you are thinking to yourself, believe me, you are not alone. Many Christians sincerely desire to be involved in teaching the gospel to others, but feel like they are not up to the task. They may think that since they are not capable of standing before an audience and skillfully delivering a lesson, then they are of no value to the church when it comes to evangelism. Or, they may feel like knocking doors to spread the gospel is not what they are cut out for, so they cannot really be of any help in teaching the lost.

Hold on, now! God does not require each person to be able to deliver skillfully a public lesson, nor does He require every saint to go out and knock doors. Those are not requirements for salvation. So, please don't "get down on" yourself if you feel that public speaking and door knocking are not your "ball of wax" or "cup of tea."

If you feel uncomfortable in the above two areas, that does NOT mean that there is nothing you can do to help spread the gospel of Christ to those who are lost. There are a lot of things that members of the church can do in the realm of evangelism. We are going to list several of these below. As you go through this list, see which of these you might be able to take part in. I have no doubt that most Christians can do at least some of those things noted.

"What can I do to help teach the lost?" What about doing some of these --

1.  Teach your own children or grandkids.
2.  Give appropriate tracts to friends, family members, co-workers, & others.
3.  Lay tracts out on the tables in hospital waiting rooms, at nursing homes, etc.
4.  Be a good example before others, which might eventually lead them to obey and glorify God Matthew 5:16.
5.  Pray for those who teach and preach. Pray for their courage, as well as for open doors to teach Col. 4:3.
6.  Encourage friends, co-workers, and family members to sign up for a Bible correspondence course.
7.  Help grade and return Bible correspondence courses.
8.  Distribute copies of the bulletin to people about whom you really care.
9.  Invite folks to attend our Bible classes worship services, gospel meetings, etc.
10.  Conduct private one-on-one studies.
11.  Arrange private studies with friends or loved ones so that some other member of the church can teach them.
12.  Tape a sign on the window of your car that advertises a Bible correspondence course or the service times.
13.  Give tapes of appropriate sermons to those you care about.
14.  Ask people if they would like to watch Bible slides or videos, such as the Jule Miller series, in the privacy of their own home. 
15.  Knock on doors to distribute tracts or invite people to services or special events.
16.  Pass along appropriate bulletin articles to those who "need to hear that."
17.  Volunteer to baby-sit for those parents that have younger children so they can go out to teach or make visits.
18.  Visit those non-Christians who have attended our services.  This is a great way to make them feel comfortable and to find out how interested they are.
19.  Write a brief note or send a card to non-Christians who have attended our services. This personal touch is a great way of letting them know that we are interested in them.
20.  Visit, write, or call erring members of the church. Remember, if they are unfaithful, they are just as lost as those who are outside of Christ.

No doubt, there are a number of other things that we could add to this list of "possible ways to help teach the lost." I am confident that in this list of 20 items there are some activities in which most, if not all, of us could engage on a regular basis, if we will just put our mind to it!

If we will all pitch in and work together, we can be a powerful force in getting the gospel to lost people. God wants all men to be saved, and so do we, don't we? The efforts of each one of us in the realm of evangelism are greatly needed. Let us all determine to do more, to work harder, in order that more people might have the chance to hear Jesus' saving gospel! Let us work for Him with these great thoughts in mind: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" Ecclesiastes 9:10; Col. 3:23.

Why not examine SELF, and see if there is any evidence in MY OWN life that I have a love for lost souls?  It is not too late to start producing the evidence and I am confident that fruit for the Lord will be the result.  Brethren, the night IS coming when it will, indeed, be TOO LATE Jn 9:4.  

I would like to mention one more VERY POWERFUL and yet simple item to add to the 20 listed above.  Use the following as a part of your signature on your Email program:
<< Study the Bible Online at: http://www.churchofchristoroville.com -I Do>>

By doing this, you give everyone to whom you send Email an opportunity to study for themselves from the website, the truth of God's word.  Everyone who visits this site and begins one of the Bible Correspondence courses online is assigned a teacher to help them through the courses.  You may, by the simple device of an Email signature, be indirectly responsible for sending us another student, and possibly saving a soul.

 Modified from an article by Roger Campbell via David Lemmons ~ LemmonsAid; RDT,sr.

We can influence others only as much as God has influenced us.

Don't let the things you can't do stop you from doing the things you can do.