Conversions in the Book of Acts> “Rescued from Idolatry” Acts 16:11-15 Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Though most of my life I’ve served in the military, in the past four years I’ve been involved with the Saugus Rotary and Business Networking International. There I’ve seen up close the struggles and dreams of business men and women. Running your own business is a daunting task and takes a great deal of fortitude.
The Apostle Paul had received a vision to travel to Macedonia. He was compelled to bring the Gospel to this former region of Greece, now part of the Roman Empire. Paul set off by boat across the Aegean Sea and arrived at the city of Philipi, ten miles inland, a Roman colony and military outpost. His reception wasn’t too friendly; on the entrance to the city was a posted a sign barring any unauthorized religions. So outside the city gates Paul found a group of people gathering for prayer beside a riverbank.
I know this sermon is of special interest to our woman’s group, the Lydians. Lydia was a wealthy business woman, a dealer in purple cloth. She was originally from Thyatira, and Lydia may not be her actual name; we might translate this as “a Lydian woman”, since the city of Thyatira was located in the nation of Lydia, in modern-day Turkey (also the destination of one of the 7 letters of Rev 2-3). The purple cloth she manufactured and distributed was a valuable and expensive material, often worn as a sign of nobility. The purple dyes were extracted from various shells and roots. In fact, it’s thought that Lydia was also the trade/brand name of her company product, similar to Sarah Lee or Calvin Klein. In spite of competing in a male-oriented society, Lydia was likely a leader in her community, and perhaps a key member of the Philipi Chamber of Commerce! She manufactured a popular, successful product. When we lived in San Antonio, we often went to the famous downtown River Walk, near the Alamo, lined with restaurants and shops. There we passed a store called Things Purple--everything you could imagine, but in purple.
Paul shared the Good News, but he was only the messenger. The Holy Spirit did the saving. We’re told in verse 14, “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” God does the work, removing our spiritual blindness, giving us trusting hearts, enabling us to see the truth of God’s word and believe. The Spirit effectively draws us to salvation. Paul had no qualms about telling women about Jesus, though he’d been taught: “It is better that the words of the Law be burned than be delivered to a woman”. Obviously Paul had a much higher view of women, and did not let gender differences pose an obstacle. Lydia and her household are led to saving faith in Christ. Lydia becomes the first European convert to Christianity.
Lydia was saved from idolatry; she was delivered from what often can be the idolatry of business. As I’ve said, I have great respect for business people, but running a business also runs the risk of idolatry. Business people are hard working, and they can be tempted to trust in their own efforts. They’re tempted to make their business their religion.
You know your work is becoming idolatrous…
>When your Bible is the Wall Street Journal and Business Week Magazine.
>When economic indicators become more important than spiritual growth.
>When you become so self-focused and self-centered that you stop caring about the needs of others. In effect, you become Ebenezer Scrooge.
>When success becomes an obsession. You may get to the top of the ladder of success, only to discover you’re on the wrong ladder!
>When it consumes you. Many business people are driven. They become workaholics. In Japan, the pace of work is having a physical toll. There’s a new Japanese word, “karosh”, meaning “death from overwork.” Doctors in Japan have found a significant connection between high job stress and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, i.e. high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. The high-pressure demands of one’s workload can kill. Over-work is part of a competitive, zero-defect mentality. Job insecurity in our volatile economy contributes to work distress. The result is an unhealthy work environment. An example is the corporate “fight song” of a Japanese Pharmaceutical firm titled, "Can you fight 24 hours for your corporation?"
I recently received an email comparing work to prison: “In prison, you get time off for good behavior…at work you get more work for good behavior.” We work like crazy to get promoted, and with each promotion comes increased responsibilities. Having a strong work ethic is admirable, but work can begin to take over your life; it can even take your life! We need to learn to work smarter, not harder. Instead of doing more with less, we may need to do less more effectively.
>When you become defined by your job. The next time you’re introduced to someone, you might ask, “Tell me about yourself.” Often the first thing you’ll be told is what they do for a living. It’s healthy to feel good about what we do, to feel that what we’re doing is important, but not to the point where we lose our identity. Too many people love their jobs too much. Work can not only be idolatry, it can be a subtle form of adultery. Over coffee with a career officer I casually asked, “How’s your mistress?” He nearly spilled coffee on himself and assured me he wasn’t cheating on his wife. I told him I knew that--he didn’t have time for an affair. With concern for him I explained that his real mistress was his work, which often causes us to be unfaithful to our families. That mistress will eventually divorce us—we call it retirement. We even get alimony—a pension. But we can’t go back. At that point we begin to realize: “I am not my job.” We need to be “defined” by our family relationships, our friendships, and our faith.
>When your ethics and values become affected, and you start to do whatever it takes, whatever works, to get ahead. We saw this in the recent Enron and WorldCom scandals. In the race to succeed and make money, moral and ethical considerations can take a back seat. Pragmatism and materialism then become the driving forces. We need to name our values, and live by them.
>When you begin neglecting family and God. It’s easy to develop a misguided loyalty. I remember a friend of mine whose wife was complaining about his unreasonably long work hours. She reminded him that their next-door neighbor came home and had dinner with the family. The husband proudly explained to his wife, “That’s because he’s not going where I’m going.” I attended a retirement ceremony for a Command Sergeant Major who publicly thanked his wife “for taking care of the family so I could devote 100% of my efforts for the Army.” Our values can get so twisted that we can be proud of our neglect. Accolades and making a good income aren’t enough. Being loyal to our company is admirable, but we need to appraise our priorities.
After trusting in Christ, Lydia insisted that Paul and Silas stay in her home and use it as a base of operations while in Philipi. She had a place for guests to stay and servants to see to their needs. She likely started a house-church. Lydia’s first action after being baptized was offering a warm welcome. Her open heart led to an open house, which is why our church honors Lydia as an example of virtue and hospitality. In his letter to the church at Philipi, Paul asks his “loyal yokefellow” to encourage the Christian women who are trying to live for Jesus (4:3). A few scholars suggest that Paul married Lydia, and that she is his “yokefellow”, although that is a very unlikely, fanciful speculation.
Christian conversion amounts to a new outlook, a new motivation, and a new relationship toward God and others. This means that when we come to Christ, we become new persons. Conversion is more than merely adopting a new set of beliefs--it is experiencing a new creation, which is the work of God. Only the Spirit can produce such change. Businesswoman Lydia was saved from idolatry. God can deliver us from bondage as well.
