People of the Bible
Who Was Lydia in the Bible?
Lydia was a businesswoman and seller of purple whose heart the Lord opened, the first recorded convert in Europe, who opened her home to the church.
Lydia was a dealer in costly purple cloth in Philippi, a worshipper of God who gathered with other women for prayer by a river. When Paul spoke, the Lord opened her heart to believe, and she and her household were baptized.
At once she pressed the apostles to stay in her home, and her house became a gathering place for the young church in Europe. A woman of means and hospitality, she used what she had to shelter and support the work of the Gospel.
Key verses
“Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”Acts 16:14, King James Version
“And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, come into my house, and abide there.”Acts 16:15, King James Version
A key moment
By the riverside, as Paul speaks, God opens Lydia's heart to believe, and this successful merchant immediately opens her home to the messengers of Christ.
What we learn
We learn that faith is God's work of opening the heart, and that those He saves respond with generous hospitality, offering their homes and means to His people.
How Lydia points to Jesus
Lydia's conversion shows the Lord Himself opening a heart to receive the Gospel of Jesus. The first believer in Europe was a woman of business who turned her resources over to Christ, a picture of a life opened by grace and poured out in welcome.
Common questions
Where is Lydia in the Bible?
The book of Acts, chapter 16.
What can we learn from Lydia?
We learn that faith is God's work of opening the heart, and that those He saves respond with generous hospitality, offering their homes and means to His people.
The same God who met Lydia is near to you today. Step inside The Living Bread to read the Scriptures, pray, and walk with the family of God.