"...there are those on the political and social scene today who wish to restructure our society and remove the issue of business competition under the guise of equality. If someone is successful, the government should confiscate most of what he or she makes and redistribute it to those who are not successful. Christian people who know the Bible shouldn't fall for it. The natural result of doing your work "heartily" and becoming skillful is that some end up being more skillful than others and their businesses move ahead. You will not find a place anywhere in the Bible that says such competition is bad or that such a person who succeeds should be penalized. Actually, such activity is commended and rewarded."

In an interview with INC. MAGAZINE, Philippe Kahn related how he launched his software company, Borland International, in 1983 by setting up an elaborate scam to deceive an ad salesman. He wanted to stake everything on one full-page ad in the computer periodical, BYTE MAGAZINE. This plan had only one obstacle: He didn't have the money and knew the magazine wouldn't extend credit to a company without customers. So before the ad salesman arrived at his two-room office, Kahn hired extra people to make the company look busy and well-capitalized. He then prepared a bogus chart that represented a media plan in which Byte had been crossed off.

When the salesman arrived, Kahn made sure the phones were ringing and people were scurrying around. While talking to the salesman, he casually pushed aside a chart that the salesman thought he wasn't supposed to see. The salesman saw it, noticed his magazine crossed off and took the bait. He insisted he could get Borland International into the magazine. Kahn said it wasn't the right book for him. The media plan was done and there was no money left for another ad. So the salesman offered Kahn good terms if he'd let him run the ad just once.

On the strength of that ad, Borland sold $150,000 worth of software, and a new company was born. Kahn voices no regrets according to the interview. Today he laughs about it.(1)

Before you try something like that, I need to tell you that it doesn't always work.

A butcher of a few generations ago who had just one chicken went into the back of the store to make it appear that he was picking out the best one from a coop full. He went back, slammed the coop, and cackled like a chicken and came back with the one and only chicken that he had to sell Mrs. Jones. He weighed it and said, "Mrs. Jones, that comes to $1.98." Mrs. Jones said, "Well, if you don't mind I would like one just a little larger." So he went back into the back of the store and made more noises, came back with the same chicken, and said it cost $2.25. Mrs. Jones replied, "I believe I will take both of them."

A lot of things today are done in the business world to make money, some ethically, some not. For many, pragmatism is the bottom line. If it works and makes a profit, it's O.K. For the Christian, though, the ethics of the Bible also have to be entered into the equation.

Some of you who are or have been in business for yourselves are familiar with some of the pressures of maintaining your Christian ethics while also trying to turn a profit. You've struggled with the issue of integrity.

In the sixteenth chapter of Acts we have the story of a successful businesswoman who became a Christian. Her name was Lydia. As a business person she too was probably familiar with the ethical tensions involved. As we look at her brief story in this message, we'll look at her conversion and also a few of the business ethics issues she must have faced. Please join me in your Bibles at Acts 16:11-15.

(Read it)

Let's look first at:

1. Her Identity.

It may seem at first to be irrelevant to discuss this woman's name, since it says clearly in verse 14,

"A certain woman named Lydia..."

However, I call your attention to it because some scholars believe this could be better rendered, "the Lydian" instead of "Lydia." If that is the case then what we have here is not her name but a reference to her place of residence. The text says she was from Thyatira. That is a city in the Roman province known as Lydia.

I guess it doesn't make a lot of difference to us living 20 centuries later except that it may when you and I get to heaven and ask to see and talk to Lydia, we might be introduced to someone who had an entirely different name while on earth...

Anyway, whether that is true or not, we'll follow the lead of the New American Standard translators and call her "Lydia" for our purposes today. It was a very common name in New Testament times. Let's look now at...

2. Her Business.

There are three things mentioned in verse 14 that tell us all we really know about Lydia's business.

A. Verse 14 tells us it was located in Thyatira.

Thyatira was a city in western Asia Minor (which is modern day Turkey). From the names discovered by archaeologists on some of its monuments, we learn that the city was a melting pot of many nationalities and customs.

Thyatira was famous for its trade guilds (organizations similar, perhaps, to our modern day labor unions). The archeological record indicates there were more trade guilds on Thyatira's chamber of commerce register than any other city in Asia. The business of Thyatira was business.

Membership in these trade guilds, necessary for financial and social success, often involved pagan customs and practices such as superstitious worship, union feasts using food sacrificed to pagan gods, and loose sexual morality.(2)  Most business people know that to be successful in business, you often have to mix and mingle with your clientele. This was the business atmosphere that this woman Lydia was exposed to daily. Knowing it can help us identify with what was involved in the conversion of this brave lady.

Within the trade guilds were dyers who specialized in exotic colors of fabric. That leads us naturally to the second piece of information we have about Lydia:

B. She was a seller of purple fabrics.

Apparently there was some specialization among those involved in the dying trade as to color types. In a day before synthetic dyes those in the trade would search all over the world to find the colors they wanted as they occurred in nature.

Purple was one of the hardest to find - and the most prized. It was extracted from tiny shellfish. Each creature yielded only a few drops of the precious liquid. As you might guess, purple was very much in demand and very expensive.

Since Rome came on the world scene, the demand for purple had skyrocketed. It was used to dye the toga, that skirt-like garment worn by Roman men of nobility. For Lydia it was a seller's market. She was in the right place at the right time. She had what every business person dreams about: a successful enterprise where demand outstripped supply.

Verse 15 tells us that Lydia was a homeowner. Home ownership was enjoyed in that day only among those who were wealthy. In our passage where it says that "she and her household" were baptized, probably the word "household" refers to her servants or maybe her employees who lived with her.

So a part of what Lydia dealt with in her life was the age-old businessperson's dilemma of maintaining faith amid the trappings of success. She would be familiar with the struggle of keeping God first in her business life.

By the way, though it isn't mentioned here, let me say that the Bible doesn't oppose competition in business. Striving for excellence in our business is what we are supposed to do. Proverbs 22:29 says, "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men."

Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."

I mention this because there are those on the political and social scene today who wish to restructure our society and remove the issue of business competition under the guise of equality. If someone is successful, the government should confiscate most of what he makes and redistribute it to those who are not successful. Christian people who know the Bible shouldn't fall for it. The natural result of doing your work "heartily" and becoming skillful is that some end up being more skillful than others and their businesses move ahead. You will not find a place anywhere in the Bible that says such competition is bad or that such a person who succeeds should be penalized. Actually, such activity is commended and rewarded.

In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the two men who worked hard and had an increase were the ones rewarded. The man who had his goods confiscated and given to others was the lazy one who buried his talent. Today there are political efforts to take away the rewards of those who succeed and give it to those who are lazy! What am I saying? I'm saying that there is nothing wrong with competition and success in business as long as it is done with integrity. Those who are rich as a result are not to be fleeced by a government. They are rather told they are to themselves be generous and ready to share.

There were two grocery stores in the same block of town. A young, aggressive man who was determined to make his business a success owned one. An older gentleman who was wiser than he looked owned the other. Eggs were the subjects of their frequent price wars, with the younger man one time lowering the price of his eggs by half. The next day the older man met the price. So on the third day the younger man lowered the price another third. This pattern continued until finally the younger man went to the older in despair and said, "I surrender. We've both been selling eggs at a loss for a long time." "Not me," laughed the older man. "I've been buying my eggs from you."

Striving for excellence in business and the resulting competition is a good thing according to the Bible and it certainly is among the principles that have made our nation great. Let's move on...

Whether Lydia was ever married is something we are not told. Apparently she was single at the time she met Paul. Was it that she had never married? Had she inherited her business from a shrewd father? Was she a widow who went on to keep her deceased husband's business going? Was she one who had started a successful business on her own? We just don't know.

C. We are also told that Lydia was a worshipper of God.

Since nowhere is there an indication she was Jewish, most commentators believe Lydia was a proselyte. History shows us that the Jews made more converts among women in those days than among men, probably because in that society, women were degraded by the Pagan religions. The Law of Moses offered certain protections to women that were not widely available in the Roman world.

I think it is notable that we find Lydia worshipping God even though there was no Jewish synagogue in her vicinity. She and a group of women gathered at a place of prayer beside a river each Sabbath to honor God. According to Roman law it took ten men living in a certain city before there could be a temple or place of worship erected to a god. Thus, there could have been no synagogue in Philippi since all the worshippers mentioned were women.

In the absence of a synagogue Jews and proselytes usually met near a body of water in order to be able to carry out their ceremonial washings. Often, the only structure was a circle of stones beneath some trees to mark the spot.

So it was here, down beside the river, that Lydia met with the other women to worship each Sabbath.

Apparently, Lydia didn't let her business get in the way of her worship. When the Sabbath came she closed her fabric shop and went to prayer. That is especially commendable since the Sabbath wasn't observed by the Pagan religions that dominated Philippi. The rest of the purple fabric stores in town, if there were any, would be open on Saturday. Lydia's was closed because the Law of Moses dictated that there was to be no work on the Sabbath. Do you suppose that it bothered her that the competition kept their stores open and that she might lose some of her business to them? Do you suppose that such a decision was difficult for her? Do you suppose God honored her devotion in a special way? It is always appropriate for a businessperson to honor God in the way He has prescribed, even if there is an apparent risk of loss in business.

Let's look at what happened down by the river that day as Luke describes next:

3. Her Conversion.

(Lydia, incidentally, was Paul's first convert in Europe.)

A summary of Lydia's conversion to Christ is stated in verses 14 and 15:

"And the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household had been baptized..."

That is all that is said, but it appears the Lord was involved with Lydia before Paul spoke to her and her friends at the river that day. If you remember the so-called "Macedonian Call" (see verse 9), Lydia was probably one of those God had in mind when he called Paul to this region.

If we were to take the time to read the events leading up to Lydia's conversion, we would discover that Paul and his companions were steered out of Asia, stopped by the Holy Spirit from going into Bythinia, passed by Mysia and ended up at the Seaport city of Troas where God further steered them by the vision to come to Philippi. Then as they asked for directions to the synagogue of that Pagan city, they were further channeled to the banks of this river about one mile outside the gates of the city to this group of women. What do we call that kind leading by God? We call it providence. Does God work providentially in the lives of those who have not yet heard about Christ? Yes He does!

If you are with us this morning and you are not a Christian, I want you to know that it is no accident that you are here. It is the result, in some way or other, of God's leading. He has brought you here at this particular stage of your life to hear His message. That's the way He works. You, of course, will always have the final say as to what you do in response to it, but I just wanted you to know that God is active in your life when you hear the gospel preached.

What was it that Paul taught Lydia? Luke doesn't say. Why? Probably because he assumes that by this point in his book of Acts, his readers would know since he described the conversions of many others in detail before this.

Everyone comes to Christ in the same way and on the same terms. They realize they are lost and cannot go to heaven on their own merit. If they die without a Savior, they will face condemnation. Then they see the significance of God's remedy for their situation in Jesus Christ. He came to earth to pay for their sins by His death on the cross. When they believe this message about God's son they openly confess it. They are called upon to repent - a word meaning to make up their minds to turn away from sin. Then with this mind change still fresh, they immediately are baptized.

Yes, Lydia was baptized - immediately. That's the way it was done in the New Testament. You find nothing of the so called "sinner's prayer" that so many put faith in today. It just isn't there. You don't find some of the other modern practices for becoming Christians either. You don't find "coming forward." You don't find "praying through." You don't find "raise the hand." What you do find is immediate immersion in water of penitent believers.

Satan must really gloat as he sees thousands of honest seekers who come to be taught the gospel who are never told of the necessity of baptism. Yet the New Testament is clear:

"He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:16)

"Be baptized and wash away your sins." (Acts 2:38)

"Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins." (Acts 22:16)

There are thousands of good people walking around today who want to serve God but have never been taught these things. They believe in error that they do not need to be baptized for salvation. Many leading radio teachers cut baptism completely out of the process of salvation, or reduce it to something of an afterthought. Baptism, my friends, is the final step that brings a person into Christ. Romans 6:4 says,

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into His death."

How does one get "into Christ"? According to this He or she is baptized into Christ.

So Lydia was baptized, just like everyone else who believed and wanted salvation in the New Testament. If you have never been baptized you have not completed your part of the salvation experience. You need to complete your obedience for salvation.

Finally, we see:

4. Her Service.

Lydia got right to work after she was converted doing what she could to see that others could have the chance to come to Christ, too.

(Read v. 15)

Paul and his companions usually didn't take support from new converts. But they did here with some reluctance. It is my guess that it was Lydia's insistence that prevailed on them.

"But Paul, I want to serve! I want you to use my house as a base for your operations while you are here. Please let me do this for the Lord!" What an attitude!

May I ask you what you are doing for Christ?

"Well, I don't cheat and I don't cuss and I don't steal and I don't buy lottery tickets!" That's not what I asked. I didn't ask what you're not doing for Him. I asked what you're doing for Him. What do you do that qualifies as service to Him? "Well, I come to the church service." I know that we often refer to our assembly as a "service," but I'm not aware of any place in the New Testament where the term "service" is used that way.

So I ask again, what are you doing for Him?

Lydia says, "Listen, I have a house. I want to use it for God. Please use it!"

Could you not say, "Listen I have a (you fill in the blank: house, car, talent, some time, money, an afternoon, an evening a week, a carpentry skill, some office time, a piece of equipment, some influence in a certain place, a love of people, a love of children, etc.). I want to use it for God!"

They used Lydia's house as their base of operations. It was their meeting place. As Paul worked in Philippi with Luke and Timothy helping, other people were won to Christ and added to the little group of believers meeting at Lydia's house. Among them was a certain Philippian jailer described in the rest of this chapter. I guess they continued to meet there for some time since we find them still doing it in verse 40.

(Read v. 40)

About twelve years later there was a strong church in the city of Philippi. Paul wrote to those who lived there, recalling these tender days of their beginning. You can read all about it in his letter to the Philippians.

The only thing that disappoints me about the Philippian letter is that we don't find Lydia mentioned. What happened to her? Had she died by the time it was written? Had she moved to another area of service? This story will be continued tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year, or whenever you or I get to heaven and find out.

Conclusion