A Merchant Called Lydia

Lydia was a successful merchant who sold her goods to the wealthy and elite of her day. What need did she have of a Savior? She was a Gentile who had grown up in the midst of a pantheon of gods. Why would she care to hear about the God of the Jews? Why should a Roman citizen from Thyatira living in Philippi be drawn to a Jewish carpenter crucified on a cross in Jerusalem? The Book of Acts recounts the stories of numerous men and a few women God chose to use to plant His church in the first century. This is the story of one of those – a merchant called Lydia. Explore her story and the story of the times in which she lived — the portion you may already know … and the rest of the story that could have been.