[at Philippi] On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us. Acts 16:13-15
The Spirit of Jesus has lead Paul and Silas straight to Lydia and the women by the river. Scripture says that ‘the Lord opened the eyes of her heart (Ephesians 1:18) to listen eagerly to what was said in a familiar/friendly way by Paul.’ Paul, Silas, and Timothy find Lydia, dealer in purple cloth, praying to God. They share Christ’s Good News and she is Baptized in the river. In yielding her life to Christ’s salvation she receives New Birth and is desirous of the cleansing transformation found in Baptism.
The eyes of our hearts are closed until the work of our Lord opens them to His salvation and Spirit. So, when a sinner is saved by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ then they live out the rest of their lives in Grace. Yet, if one were then to later turn away from the Holy Spirit and deny the Spirit of Jesus that person would find themselves in a hell on earth in their soul. Christians help and pray with the lost to turn back to Christ.
When Lydia asks Paul, Silas, and Timothy to abide in her home her invitation will result in she and her household hearing more of Christ’s life, teaching, and Words. She will learn to pray In Jesus’ Name, the Lord’s Prayer, some of His Parables, stories, of His love for us, all about His crucifixion and death, and the full witness to the tombstone being rolled away by God, and she will learn Easter Resurrection. They’ll tell her about Pentecost and His Spirit alive within our hearts. These she will tell and preach to others and her Christian community will expand and deepen as Christ opens hearts to Him.
