The Messenger: Rev. Dr. George B. Moody, Interim Pastor
Scripture: Acts 16: 14 -15
14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.
15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Message Highlights:
Sunday’s sermon was a continuation of last Sunday’s message from the book of Acts which gave an accurate account of the birth and growth of the church from Jerusalem into the rest of the Roman Empire after Jesus’ ascension.
In this week’s text, Paul had a vision in which God directed him to the region of Macedonia. He and his companions (Silas and Timothy) traveled to Macedonia, where Paul addressed a church where “A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened.” (Acts 16:14) When she and her household were baptized, she was touched so deeply that she begged him, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” (Acts 16:15) The Lord had opened her heart to listen, and she made a public commitment to him.
Later, as Paul and his companions went to prayer, they met a demon-possessed slave girl who followed them for several days. When Paul ordered the demon to come out of her, the demon immediately came out. Paul and Silas were then attacked by the slave girl’s masters, who stripped and beat them and put them in a dungeon. Around midnight, Paul and Silas began praying and singing. Suddenly, there was an earthquake, and the prison doors opened. However, Paul and Silas did not flee. Affected by the love of Paul and Silas, the jailer asked what should he do to be saved. They told him to just lean on the Lord, and you will be saved.
There is healing, deliverance, encouragement, love, and unity when we open our hearts up to the Lord like Lydia.