42nd Annual Brethren Disaster Relief Auction -- 97
JOHN MINNICH
A Seller of Purple
The overcast sky shrouded the early morning boats while the crew unloaded their catch at the Tyrian dock. Their baited traps had yielded a record number of Murex snails. An observant woman glided among the crates of snails and was soon making an offer for some of the best specimens. This entrepreneur, Lydia, was a maker of Tyrian purple using thousands of snails. They were boiled for days in giant lead vats, producing a terrible odor, while chemicals were extracted producing a purple dye. This royal purple wasn’t just an indicator of wealth, it was also a symbol of political power. Lydia took several pounds of dye, each pound worth three pounds of gold, to her business in Thyatira. It was here that she sold her highly sought after purple cloth to wealthy businessmen. In addition, Lydia also sold rich dyed red fabric using the popular local madder roots to make the famous red dyes from this region. In time Lydia moved west to the city of Philippi, purchased a house and expanded her business to the wealthy Romans in this area. Philippi was a miniRome and was located on the Via Egnatia, which gave direct access to Rome. As a seller of purple, Lydia, the business woman, was a lady of means. She was a woman who excelled in her career and knew not only how to survive but thrive. It was during this time that she began connecting with the local women. They would meet for prayer alongside the picturesque Gangites River. Acts 16:13-15 reveals that Paul and his traveling companions arrived in Philippi and met with the women for worship on the Sabbath. I see here a brief portrait of Lydia and what happened when God changed her heart. She begins to soak in every word that Paul is sharing. She is focused and concentrating. There are no distractions. Her smart phone is turned off! Paul is speaking to her heart. How well do we listen to God’s Word being preached? Do we have ears that hear when God’s Spirit speaks to us? Events begin to unfold in Lydia’s riverside conversion. As she focuses on the message, the Holy Spirit is busy at work in her heart and life. God opened her heart. Alongside this rippling river is a beautiful picture of human initiative and divine quickening. The Spirit is testifying to the truth of Paul's words along with convicting Lydia that she needs to surrender her heart and life to Jesus. God is seeking Lydia because she cannot seek Him, and she is unable to come to Christ unless God the Father draws her to Him. During open heart surgery, the surgeon deftly cuts the heart open to repair a heart valve or to dissect a part of the muscle. But even more amazing is how God opens up the heart of His child, and gives them a “new” heart! Praise God for hearts that love God and love His people! As Lydia’s heart is changed, she is transformed
into action. God delights to choose ordinary people and use them for His glory. The significant thing for us to notice is that when God wanted to enter into a new continent so that multitudes of people in that continent might be saved, He chose Lydia as the channel through whom He would work. Lydia’s opened heart was the vantage point for a forward movement for the gospel in Europe. Think what God can do through one life when He gains complete control of it, and it is yielded to Him! Lydia springs into action and brings her family, her servants and their families to hear the message of Jesus. They are converted and baptized! She is passionate about having everyone who lives under her roof know and experience Jesus as their Savior and Lord. How passionate are we to live and share the gospel and life of Jesus Christ to those God brings across our paths? Lydia responded with persistent hospitality. I love the way she talks to Paul. In Acts 16:15, she is straightforward-- "If you judge me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay there." We see here a little more of Lydia's personality. The same gifts that made her an excellent sales person allowed her to persuade Paul and his team to make her home their headquarters. She is using the gifts that God had given her as a good business woman to be a good hostess and evangelist. What a challenge for each of us to not only be a hospitable people but also to live our lives in such a way that no one can find fault in us. It’s interesting that right after this incident, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned. Following an earthquake, the jailer’s salvation and their interesting release, Acts 16:39 says that they went straight to Lydia’s house. My guess is she gave them some royal purple attire as they went on their way! There are a lot of individuals that we may want to look up to as our role models. I believe one of the best ones any of us could find is here in the life of Lydia. May God give us Lydia’s passion with our family, our work, people we meet and all that we are…… to His honor and glory! John Minnich is a member and Sunday School teacher at White Oak Church of the Brethren. He also leads Bible studies at various churches and Brethren Bible Institute. He is a heart technologist at Lancaster General Hospital and is a national speaker on heart-related topics.