Swindoll Study Bible and Searching the Scriptures - Flipbook - Page 20
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P hilippians 4 : 9
PHILIPPI
Generosity Flows
from Grateful Hearts
PHILIPPIANS 4
ROMANIA
Black Sea
BULGARIA
MACEDONIA
Philippi
GREECE Aegean
Sea
TURKEY
CYPRUS
Mediterranean Sea
LIBYA
EGYPT
ISRAEL
Red
Sea
This outdoor chapel on the Krenides River stands at the traditional
site where Lydia and her household were baptized.
ACCORDING TO JEWISH TRADITION, for a synagogue to be established in any
given city, ten Jewish men had to be present and able to regularly attend. But that
standard apparently was not able to be met in Philippi. So instead of a synagogue,
we find in Acts 16:13-15 that women of faith gathered every Sabbath not far outside
the city gate beside the Krenides River. On one occasion, as Paul and Silas spoke to
the group, a woman named Lydia responded with faith, and she and her household
were baptized.
Lydia’s simple invitation to the men revealed her generosity: “If you agree that I am
a true believer in the Lord . . . come and stay at my home” (Acts 16:15). As a merchant
of fine purple cloth, Lydia could afford generous hospitality, and she opened her
home to Paul and his companions. At Lydia’s insistence, the missionaries lodged in
her house. Her home would eventually become a place where local Christians gathered together (Acts 16:40).
Lydia’s hospitality may have served as the catalyst for the generous and joyful
spirit of the new church Paul established in Philippi. Years later, when the apostle
wrote to the Philippian church, he recalled their generosity at his initial meeting with
them (Phil. 4:15). No doubt Lydia participated in those early gifts. She understood
that when a generous God redeemed her life, every part of who she was became His.
She honored the Lord with all she had, including her heart, her home, her time, and
her treasure.
Lydia and the Philippian church serve as a marvelous model of the fact that
our worship of God can be expressed with anything we choose to offer Him. As
Paul expressed regarding the Philippians’ financial gifts to him, gifts from a generous heart can be “a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God”
(Phil. 4:18).