LIFE SCRIPTS

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Acts 16:11‭-‬15 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/act.16.11-15.NIV.

Paul and his companions responded to God’s message and headed out to Macedonia. There, they ministered the word of God boldly and as they did, several people (women) came to listen to them. Women are a window into the society. When they embrace the gospel, they create room for the community to experience Christ. We see this from the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, Mary Magdalene among others. Here, scripture zooms into a woman called Lydia. She seemed a well to do lady now that she was a dealer in purple clothe which was sold to the wealthy and royal. She also came from the city of Thyatira. Thyatira has been mentioned in the book of Revelation. So here comes a lady who was a committed believer from a city which seemed to experience faith struggles welcoming Paul and his entourage to her house. Opening up our houses and inviting others in the faith builds our faith. The book of Acts is rife with examples of churches starting in houses and impacting cities and communities. Church as we know it was not the model that was used in the book of Acts. Here, church happened in homes where people met in small groups. And this is why small group fellowship matters if anyone wants to grow in the faith. Lydia not only listened to the preaching, she invited Paul into her house. That way, there was accountability, encouragement and exhortation at a personal level. Small group fellowship builds us in ways that we cannot even imagine. It edifies and encourages us.