|
What Does An Influential Woman Look Like? Trinity Bible Church 5/14/06
Introduction: Acts 16:13-15
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. 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. 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. NKJV
Today is Mother’s Day and we want to honor our moms in everyway scripturally possible. Where would we all be without our mothers?
But being a wife and mom isn’t always easy or appreciated:
One night at the dinner
table, the wife commented, "When we were first married, you took the small piece
of steak and gave me the larger. Now you take the large one and leave me the
smaller; You don't love me any more..."
Today we are going to learn about a new church plant, the first one in Europe! It is the church in Philippi and its first converts are the interest of Luke as he writes this narrative of Acts.
I. Productive.
A. Lydia – a seller of purple. She was a merchant from another city but she was in Philippi to do business and make a profit. Some scholars say she was widowed took over her husbands business upon his death. We don’t know for sure, just that Luke tells us she was involved in fabric trade and productive enough to own a large home with room to house guests (4 of them with Paul’s party).
B. What is God’s most normal way to provide for His servants? Isn’t it through the generosity of His people? Here Paul and his companions were well cared for because someone was productive in business and had the means to put them up.
C. Many churches today depend on the women of the fellowship. Let me ask you a question - are they afraid of hard work? No, they are industrious and productive! Read Prov. 31:10-31 at home, this is the woman God says will be praised.
All the women in my life are Prov. 31 women; my mom, wife and daughter are all hard working and useful to God. As I look around Trinity Bible Church, I see the same qualities that were in Lydia here in many of you as well, we survive as a fellowship because women aren’t afraid of hard work. You volunteer readily and serve happily!
II. Praying.
A. In Philippi. When we are introduced to Lydia, she is by a riverside with others engaged in prayer. If you were to read the verses right before this, you would see that the Apostle Paul was seeking God’s will as to where he was to go next to do his missionary work. One city after another had a big “NO” over it. Then in a vision he was directed to come to this area. Why? Was it because there were no sinners to save in the other areas? Of course not. We can’t speculate exactly why, but this one thing we can say – “there were some women praying in Philippi!”
B. Power. I want you to know - there is power when women pray; wayward husbands are won to the Lord, backslidden children come to their senses and turn from sin and seek God. I have a praying mom and wife and owe much of the success of my life, ministry, and the spiritual health of my family to their prayers!
C. Who is the best dressed woman? Do you want to look your best this summer? Are you concerned about being fit, tan, or what fashions are you going to wear? My advice? The best looking women in the Bible - were women of prayer. So clothe yourself with prayer this summer and you will be beautiful just like them!
One day, a little girl is
sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly
notices that her mother has several strands of white hair sticking out in
contrast to her brunette hair.
We have come through many trials as a congregation. One of the most dependable resources I as the pastor have is the praying women of the church!
III. Perceptive. Acts 16:14, 25
One of those listening was a woman named Lydia…
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. NIV
A. Useful in the church. Luke is careful to detail the first converts in Philippi, one of the commentators I read (Wiersbe) suggested he was from this city. That may be important, but right here we see a necessary ingredient to usefulness in the church – listening. I supposed it’s because the chief role of a minister in the Christian congregation is someone talking (me), it could be assumed the most important thing you can do for God is talk! But let me be first to say this, “I’ve learned more by listening that by talking”.
B. Have you ever wondered what it is that sets some apart for usefulness to God? Among other things, they are listeners. Acts 16:14 NIV says - who was a worshiper of God
First and foremost, Lydia was a listener to God (worshiper); then when God’s servants came to preach the Gospel, she continued with that same heart and listened to them as well.
Listen to One Thine at a Time. Good listening is like tuning in a radio station. For good results, you can listen to only one station at a time. Trying to listen to my wife while looking over an office report is like trying to receive two radio stations at the same time. I end up with distortion and frustration. Listening requires a choice of where I place my attention. To tune into my partner, I must first choose to put away all that will divide my attention. That might mean laying down the newspaper, moving away from the dishes in the sink, putting down the book I’m reading, setting aside my projects. Robert W. Herron in Homemade, June, 1987
No One Listens. The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who came down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.” Source unknown
Have you ever wondered why you have two ears and only one mouth? Maybe it’s an indication that we are to be listening twice as much as we talk!
IV. Proactive.
A. Order. Look at the order in how she is introduced to us. · She’s a praying woman that meets with other praying people. · She’s industrious and hard working. · She’s a worshipper of God. · God opened her heart to the Gospel. · She is baptized and influences her entire household to be baptized. · She compels the missionaries to let her finance their housing.
B. Peace? Did everything go “Peachy”? Did life just open up for more and more blessings? No, a girl with a demon gave them problems, the townspeople persecuted them, the soldiers beat Paul and Silas and then imprisoned them.
C. When you’re proactive in your service of God, you would expect everything to go smooth wouldn’t you. We expect trouble when we do things wrong, when we are lazy about spiritual things, but not when do everything you can to serve God!
After Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison as rebel rousers, what do you think Lydia was tempted with? Do you think she may have feared she was following a cult? Do you think she may have feared they were false leaders otherwise God would have protected them?
That would be understandable, but the same thing happened in Mexico – the missionary started a new church, the religious radicals came and beat up the new converts, stole their homes and drove them out of the village. The young Christians were confused as to why it was happening to them. When the missionaries showed them the words of Jesus in Matt 5:10-12, they rejoiced to suffer for Christ and His gospel.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. NKJV
Since she was proactive in her faith before, we can only suppose she was again when the apostles were thrown in prison.
How about you? Are you going through a time of confusion and difficulty? What will protect you during this time is the same thing that has protected you up to now. “Trust in the Lord w/all your heart…” is what Prov. 3 says, “And the Lord will direct your steps”. This was true with Lydia, it has been true in my life, and it will be true in your life too.
Conclusion: The church in Philippi grew to be one of the great churches of it’s time. The first converts in Europe were there, one of Paul’s most personal letters he ever wrote was to this church. How did it all start?
With a woman named Lydia, as Paul Harvey would say: “Now you know the rest of the story”.
If your church is going to grow in grace and be more useful to serve our generation, God will be raising up Lydia’s. Will you be one of them?
(For further study)
How good a listener are you?1. Since you think about four times faster than a person usually talks, do you use this time to think about other things while you’re keeping track of the conversation? 2. Do you listen primarily for facts rather than ideas when someone is speaking? 3. Do you avoid listening to things you feel will be too difficult to understand? 4. Can you tell from a person’s appearance and delivery that there won’t be anything worthwhile aid? 5. When someone is talking to you do you appear to be paying attention when you’re not? 6. Do certain words and phrases prejudice you so you cannot listen objectively? 7. When listening are you distracted by outside sights and sounds?
Someone to ListenTeenage prostitutes, during interviews in a San Francisco study, were asked: “Is there anything you needed most and couldn’t get?” Their response, invariably preceded by sadness and tears was unanimous: “What I needed most was someone to listen to me. Someone who cared enough to listen to me.” Who ListensTwo psychiatrists meet at their 20th college reunion. One is vibrant, while the other looks withered and worried. “So what’s your secret?” the older looking psychiatrist asks. “Listening to other people’s problems every day, all day long, for years on end, has made an old man of me.” “So,” replies the younger looking one, “who listens?” Listen SlowlyWriter Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days. He got nervous and tense about it. “I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day,” he recalled in his book Stress Fractures. “Before long, things around our home started reflecting the pattern of my hurry-up style. It was becoming unbearable. “I distinctly remember after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin’ and I’ll tell you really fast.’ “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, ‘Honey, you can tell me—and you don’t have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly.” “I’ll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’”
*As a boy, I attended a wedding and afterwards brought a piece of wedding cake home to a friend of my grandmothers that couldn’t attend the wedding for health reasons. I had forgotten the entire event but years later, upon telling this friend of my conversion to Christ she reminded me of the kind deed I did for her saying, “I was so impressed with you that I prayed often for you.” Look at me now!
On their 50th wedding anniversary, a couple was asked the
reason for their long and happy marriage.
Driving to a new restaurant,
a woman took several wrong turns. When she finally found the right road, she
asked her husband, "Why didn't you tell me I was lost?"
The Bible is clear about husband’s loving their wife, this guy obviously isn’t listening!
|