Lydia (Acts 16:6-11, 12-15) sold purple dye and purple cloth. She was a prosperous businesswoman from Thyatira doing business in Philippi. The color purple was restricted to only the rich and influential people because purple was the most precious of all colors. So, Lydia’s clientele was the rich and famous. There is only a certain kind of person that can cater to that kind of crowd, and Lydia was successful at it.

But Lydia was also a woman of prayer. The synagogue was known as a house of prayer, but when there was no synagogue, people met in groups by the river outside the city. Paul, looking for a prayer group and knowing where to look since there was no synogogue, found a group outside the city gate by the river (Acts 16:13). Lydia and other women were worshiping God in this place (Acts 16:14). There were no men present, for whatever reason, but Paul sat down to talk to them anyway.

Being a worshipper of God, Lydia listened carefully to what Paul had to say. It was God who opened her heart so she could understand and respond to Paul’s message. She believed in God but had not yet responded to the message of Jesus Christ.

This new message was that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. He died, was buried and rose again to demonstrate victory over death, the punishment we deserve because of our sins. Lydia’s heart was opened by God and she believed this new message. Then she and her household were baptized. This shows that she had great influence on her household and the respect they offered her. She then invited Paul and his companions to her house to stay while in Philippi.

When you are in the business of selling, you also learn the art of serving others. It is not just making the sale but good salespeople also know it’s about serving and caring about your customers after the sale. I had someone explain to me one time that products may come and go, become obsolete, or break, but the service you offer will make a lasting impact. To be successful in sales, you also have to offer service and consider the product you offer is a service to customers.

So, Lydia was in the habit of serving others from all walks of life. She did this by offering her home and by being a woman of prayer. Paul had been hindered from going into several regions in Asia where they attempted to go. Then he saw a man in a dream begging him to come over to Macedonia to help him (Acts 16:10). This dream may have been a direct result of the prayers of these women by the riverside.

There are several things to learn from Lydia.

First, you may be a devout believer in God but not be saved. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:231) The name says it all…Believe that Jesus is “Lord”, the Son of God, the name above every other name whereby you can be saved. “Jesus” is the name given to the Son of Man, born of a virgin, physically living on this earth. The “Christ”, the Messiah, the one promised ages ago to come to suffer and die, to take our sins on Him so that we will not die. Lydia heard this message for the first time and believed. She took Jesus to be her Christ, her Messiah, her Savior.

Second, it is God who opens our hearts and those hearts around us. It is God who initially opens the hearts of people to respond to the invitation to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, each time you come to His Word, pray that He will open your heart so that you may understand what God is saying to you in that passage. Pray that God will open the hearts of unbelievers so they will be able to understand and believe.

Third, your outward actions show what you believe inwardly. Lydia served other people. This was her initial reaction when she became a believer. God opens us to believe in order for us to bring others along also. Lydia did this by bringing her whole household to Jesus, and then by showing hospitality and serving Paul.