Introduction
William Ashley Sunday (1862 - 1935) was a professional baseball player who played in the National League for eight seasons.
On a Sunday afternoon in Chicago, during either the 1886 or 1887 baseball season, Billy Sunday and several of his teammates were out on the town on their day off.
At one street corner, they stopped to listen to a gospel preaching team from the Pacific Garden Mission.
Attracted by the hymns he had heard his mother sing, Sunday began attending services at the Pacific Garden Mission.
The word of God was proclaimed, and Billy Sunday heard the good news of the gospel.
After some time, Billy Sunday’s heart was opened, and he was converted to Jesus Christ.
He began attending the Jefferson Park Presbyterian Church, close to the ballpark and his rented room.
After his professional baseball career, Billy Sunday became a well-known evangelist, sharing the gospel with tens of thousands.
The conversion of Billy Sunday happened when he heard people on a street corner sharing the gospel.
Today, we will examine the story of a woman who was converted when she heard some people share the gospel while she and her friends were near a river.
Lydia was a sinner in Philippi who was converted through the ministry of Paul on his second missionary journey.
Let’s read about the conversion of a sinner in Acts 16:11-15.
Scripture
Let’s read Acts 16:11-15:
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Lesson
Acts 16:11-15 teaches us that God is sovereign in the conversion of sinners.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. We Must Discern God’s Guidance (16:11-12)
2. We Must Share God’s Word (16:13-14a)
3. We Must Affirm God’s Work (16:14b)
4. We Must Detect God’s Transformation (16:15)
I. We Must Discern God’s Guidance (16:11-12)
First, because God is sovereign in salvation, we must discern God’s guidance.
The apostle Paul’s home church was in Antioch in Syria.
Paul and Barnabas were sent out on Paul’s first missionary journey from the Antioch Church (see Acts 13:1-4).
Paul’s second missionary journey also started from the Antioch Church.
Paul began his second missionary journey with Silas (see Acts 15:40).
Early in his second missionary journey, Paul added Timothy to the missionary team (see Acts 16:1-5).
Paul wanted to proclaim the gospel in the cities of Asia, but the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from speaking the word in Asia (see Acts 16:6).
Paul pressed forward, seeking to discern God’s guidance.
When Paul, Silas, and Timothy were in Troas, a town on the coast of the Aegean Sea, he had a vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9).
Finally! God directed the missionary team, which now consisted of Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, to Macedonia, which was located on the continent of Europe.
Luke writes in verse 11, “So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis.”
Samothrace is an island in the Aegean Sea. The missionary team spent the night there and sailed to Neapolis the next day.
Neapolis was a coastal town in the colony of Macedonia.
Luke writes in verse 12a, “…and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.”
From Neapolis to Philippi, they traveled about eight miles inland on foot, which probably took them two to three hours.
Luke notes in verse 12b, “We remained in this city some days.”
One commentator notes that “some days” could be several weeks.
However, I want to stress that Paul and his team were discerning and following God’s guidance.
They were not permitted to proclaim the gospel in Asia because God wanted Paul to proclaim it in Europe.
As Paul pressed forward, God eventually provided guidance through the vision of the man from Macedonia.
Rich Mullins was a Christian musician. He was sometimes asked how to discern God’s guidance.
He would say:
“I don’t think finding God’s plan for you has to be complicated. God’s will is that you love him with all your heart and soul and mind, and also that you love your neighbor as yourself. Get busy with that, and then, if God wants you to do something unusual, he’ll take care of it. Say, for example, he wants you to go to Egypt.”
Rich would pause for a moment before flashing his trademark grin. Then he would say, “If that’s the case, he’ll provide 11 jealous brothers, and they’ll sell you into slavery” (Carolyn Arends, “Consolation Prize,” Christianity Today [June, 2013], 64).
Friends, God calls Christians to tell sinners about Jesus.
He wants you and me to proclaim to people in our circle of contacts that Jesus is alive and changing lives.
That may be our family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, or strangers.
Don’t wait for unusual signs from God before you do anything.
God will close doors that he does not want you to go through.
Just tell people about Jesus.
II. We Must Share God’s Word (16:13-14a)
Second, because God is sovereign in salvation, we must share God’s word.
In verse 13, Luke tells us, “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.”
Paul’s usual pattern of sharing the gospel with Jews was going to the local synagogue.
He was invited to speak to the Jewish men because of his previous credentials as a Pharisee and having studied under the famous Gamaliel.
However, for a synagogue to exist, at least ten Jewish men who were heads of households were needed.
The Jewish community in Philippi was so small that they did not even have a synagogue.
When there was no Jewish synagogue in a city, the resident Jewish community was to assemble under the open sky and near a body of water to have a place for prayer.
Aware of this detail, Paul and his team went to the riverside, to the place of prayer, where they sat down and spoke to the women who had come together there.
Paul was using the opportunity to tell this group of women about Jesus, the fulfillment of Messianic hopes.
Now, you may have picked up an interesting tidbit.
Paul’s vision was of a man asking Paul to come over to Macedonia and help them.
Who were the very first people to whom Paul spoke?
Not men, but women.
Luke notes in verse 14a, “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God.”
We don’t know all the details about Lydia.
Thyatira was a city in the province of Asia.
Thyatira was known for its purple dyes, which were very expensive.
Lydia owned a business selling purple goods.
From what we shall learn in the next verse, Lydia was likely divorced, widowed, or single since she was the head of her household.
Luke described Lydia as “a worshiper of God.”
That means she was not yet a full proselyte to Judaism.
She had learned about Yahweh and the coming Messiah.
She was interested and seeking to know more.
She was worshiping God but did not have the whole truth about God.
In any event, Paul shared the good news about salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
He connected the Old Testament with the coming of Jesus and how Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.
Lydia learned the truths of the gospel from Paul.
Ken Smith was a Presbyterian pastor who played a pivotal role in Rosaria Butterfield’s journey to faith.
Rosaria was a tenured English professor at Syracuse University and a committed feminist and atheist.
She was also deeply involved in the LGBTQ+ movement and lived with her “girlfriend.”
Their story began when Ken wrote Rosaria a thoughtful letter in response to an article she had published criticizing Christianity.
Instead of being confrontational, Ken’s letter was kind, respectful, and genuinely curious about her beliefs.
This approach intrigued Rosaria, and she decided to meet him.
Ken and his wife, Floy, extended warm hospitality to Rosaria, inviting her into their home for meals and conversations on many occasions.
They didn’t pressure her to convert but instead engaged in open, honest discussions about faith, life, and Scripture.
Their kindness and willingness to listen created a safe space for Rosaria to explore Christianity.
Over time, Rosaria began reading the Bible and wrestling with its teachings.
Ken’s patient and compassionate approach, combined with the transformative power of the word of God, led her to a profound encounter with Jesus Christ.
She eventually surrendered her life to Jesus, leaving behind her previous worldview and embracing a new identity in Christ.
Friends, share the word of God. It is the power of God unto salvation!
III. We Must Affirm God’s Work (16:14b)
Third, because God is sovereign in salvation, we must affirm God’s work.
In verse 14b, Luke writes, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”
That is such a beautiful statement!
“The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”
Paul was sharing God’s word with Lydia. We don’t know exactly what he said.
We know that the Lord opened her heart to the gospel's truth.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was known as the Prince of Preachers. In a sermon in 1884, he said:
“The Word of God calls every sinner to repent and trust the Saviour; but that call brings nobody to Christ, unless it is accompanied by the special effectual call of the Holy Ghost” (C. H. Spurgeon, “‘Speak, Lord!,’” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 43 [London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1897], 339).
John MacArthur put it this way:
“Salvation does not depend on clever evangelistic strategies, or the skill of the preacher, or a masterful presentation. It is not a human work at all; it is God’s work” (John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1994], 94).
The apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the Corinthians:
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7).
Our task is to share the gospel.
We must share it as often as possible and with as many people as possible.
We must share the gospel as well as we can.
Yet, it is always and only the Lord who opens hearts and grants people the gift of saving faith and repentance.
The Rev. John Geddie (1815 - 1872) was “the father of Presbyterian missions in the South Seas.”
He is currently my favorite missionary.
He pioneered missionary work in the New Hebrides islands, now known as Vanuatu.
The people he was trying to convert had never heard of Jesus.
Moreover, they were also cannibals.
On one occasion, he was upset because the British Navy had punished some of the islanders for what they had done to one another.
He wrote the following words in his diary:
“The weapons of our warfare in the glorious work to which we have devoted ourselves, must be spiritual, and not carnal. We shall do far more to subdue, humanize, and elevate these natives with Bibles in our hands, than with the whole British navy at our backs. It is the grace of God alone, which can change the disposition of the heart, and bring these savage islanders, clothed and in their right minds, to the feet of Jesus.”
Geddie knew that only God changes the heart.
He died on December 14, 1872.
A tablet, prepared in Sydney, was placed behind the church's pulpit in the village of Anelcauhat on Aneityum, where he had preached.
This was the inscription:
“In memory of John Geddie, D.D., born in Scotland, 1815, minister in Prince Edward Island seven years, Missionary sent from Nova Scotia to Aneiteum for twenty-four years. When he landed in 1848, there were no Christians here, and when he left in 1872, there were no heathen.”
Friends, God alone opens hearts!
IV. We Must Detect God’s Transformation (16:15)
Fourth, because God is sovereign in salvation, we must detect God’s transformation.
What happened to Lydia after the Lord opened her heart?
Did Lydia carry on her life as before?
Was there any outward evidence of an inward change of her heart?
Luke recorded two pieces of evidence for us.
First, Lydia was baptized.
In verse 15a, Luke writes, “And after she was baptized, and her household as well.”
Lydia received the sacrament of baptism, a sign of God’s promise of salvation and her inclusion in the covenant community of God.
Not only was Lydia baptized, but her “household as well.”
This is one of five instances in the New Testament where entire households were baptized.
These household baptisms are those of Cornelius (Acts 10:2 and 11:14), Lydia (Acts 16:15), the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:34), Crispus (Acts 18:8), and Stephanas (1 Corinthians 1:16).
Who was included in a household in Biblical times?
A household included all those living and serving in the house. It might include a spouse, children, other family members, and servants.
As I mentioned earlier, Lydia likely had no husband since she was the head of her household.
We have not been told of any children in her household. So, I will leave the issue of infant baptism until we get to the Philippian jailer.
However, others in Lydia’s household were baptized with her.
The reason they were baptized was because of the solidarity of the family.
The head led the household, and the entire household entered the covenant community of God’s people.
So, they were all baptized.
However, I want to emphasize that Lydia was baptized after the Lord opened her heart.
She received the sign and seal of the covenant by being baptized.
The second evidence of an inward change of heart is that Lydia engaged in hospitality.
In verse 15b, Luke writes, “… she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us.”
Lydia had a large home because she urged Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke to stay at her home.
It is possible that the Philippian Church met at Lydia’s home as more believers were added to the number.
Hospitality is evidence of a new life in Christ.
Some people confuse hospitality with entertainment.
Karen Mains helpfully distinguished “entertainment” from “hospitality.” She writes in her book titled Open Heart, Open Home: The Hospitable Way to Make Others Feel Welcome & Wanted:
“Entertainment says, ‘I want to impress you with my beautiful home, clever decorating, and gourmet cooking.’ Hospitality, however, seeks to minister. It says, ‘This home is not mine. It is truly a gift from my Master. I am his servant, and I use it as he desires.’ Hospitality does not try to impress but to serve.
“Entertaining always puts things before people. ‘As soon as I get the house finished, the living room decorated, my place settings complete, my housework done—then I will start having people in.’ ‘The So-and-so’s are coming. I must buy that new such-and-such before they come.’ Hospitality, however, puts people before things. ‘We have no furniture; we’ll eat on the floor.’
“Entertaining subtly declares, ‘This is mine—these rooms, these adornments. This is an expression of my personality. It is an extension of who and what I am. Look, please, and admire.’ Hospitality whispers, ‘What is mine is yours.’ Here is the secret of community that is all but lost to the church today.… The hospitality of [the] first-century church clearly said, ‘What’s mine is yours’ ” (Karen B. Mains, Open Heart, Open Home: The Hospitable Way to Make Others Feel Welcome & Wanted, rev. ed. [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002], 29–30).
When a sinner is converted, everything changes!
The transformed sinner wants to obey the One who saved him or her.
The new creation in Christ wants to share what has been so transformative with others.
The new child of God loves to tell the story of Jesus and his love. One of the best places and ways to do so is by inviting people into your home.
Conclusion
Dr. Philip Ryken once wrote:
“The sovereignty of God does not make our ministry unnecessary—it makes it mandatory! The work of salvation is God’s work from beginning to end. Nevertheless, God uses us—as he used [Paul]—to accomplish his saving purpose.”
May God use you and me to share the gospel with many unconverted people and see them come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Amen.
