Lydia’s Stewardship

Serving – February 2020 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Lydia’s Stewardship

We must be careful not to allow human opinions to override the teaching of Scripture. Personal faith is needed. This links the believer with God (Eph. 4:4) and, through water baptism, identifies him publicly with our Lord (Mk. 16:16). Sadly, today human ideas in Christianity have led to a profession that lacks reality.

Love For The Lord
Lydia believed the message of the gospel as the Lord opened her heart (Acts 16:14). Then she and her household were baptized, which implies that her servants and staff also believed. What a victory for the Lord! She urgently requested* Paul and his companions – messengers of her Savior and Lord – to be her guests. Lydia invited them to her house, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord ...” (v.15 NKJV). Using this biblical argument, she prevailed and effectively constrained them to accept her invitation, something which was not customary to do.

The verb “to persuade” or “constrain” is only used here and in Luke 24:29. In both cases the urging was because of love for the Lord and linked with stewardship. Lydia understood that from now on she and her house belonged to the Lord, and He had given her the task of administering all she owned for Him (consider 1 Tim. 6:2,17-19). The “house” is a major theme in Luke’s writings – the books of Luke and Acts – and the word “steward” means “house-ruler.”

There is a big contrast between Lydia, who believed Paul’s words, and the selfish religious leaders who rejected the Lord Jesus and the message of God’s grace sent by Him from heaven. Paul, before he was saved and at that time known as Saul, had been closely associated with those leaders, but he distanced himself from them after the Lord called him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Now there was fruit of Paul’s labors, as demonstrated by Lydia’s faith in the Lord in a condition of first love for Him, and His interests became her top priority. She displayed this in providing hospitality, which literally means “love of strangers.”

Faithfulness
Faithfulness is a key feature of stewardship, as indicated in Luke 16:10-12 and 19:17. The Lord praised the good and faithful steward, who was wise and prudent (Mt. 24:45-46, 25:21,23; Lk. 12:42-43). Lydia displayed these beautiful characteristics.

Faith and faithfulness go together, as seen in Abraham, the father of the believers (Gal. 3:9). Similarly, Paul was faithful, reliable and true to the Lord and to what He had committed to him. That is why the Lord gave him a special ministry (1 Tim. 1:12), in which he was a faithful steward (1 Cor. 4:2, 7:25). All Christians are to show faithfulness, in contrast to unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:15).

The believers in Ephesus and Colosse were faithful (Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2). That is the reason the Lord entrusted them with tremendous blessings. These blessings are given to all believers (Eph. 1:3), but faithfulness is needed to enjoy them (see Lk. 16:12), as Lydia apparently did.

An Encouragement
God’s truth will always be challenged. Believers must therefore remain faithful (1 Tim. 4:1-10). This faithfulness is put to the test, for example, when a family has a widow to care for or when facing situations that need special care (5:16). The New Testament mentions other faithful servants: Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7), Epaphras (Col. 1:7), Onesimus (4:9), Sylvanus (1 Pet. 5:12) and Gaius (3 Jn. 1).

Bondservants, or slaves, are exhorted to honor their believing masters (1 Tim. 6:2). What an encouragement Lydia must have been to her servants! How important it is that sisters in Christ function in the roles the Lord has given them.

Proper Conduct In God’s House
In the course of Acts we meet many sisters who had important tasks. Paul listed some of them in Romans 16. These faithful sisters were marked by first love and they were true overcomers, just as was Lydia.

In the liberty of biblical Christianity, women, saved by God’s grace and devoting themselves to the Lord and His interests, function for the honor and glory of God, for their own wellbeing and that of others. This is in marked contrast with the situation of women in many worldly religions, as pictured in the poor slave-girl at Philippi, the city where Lydia lived (Acts 16:12-19).

Along the same lines, Timothy needed to be an example of faithfulness to fellow Christians (1 Tim. 4:12) – and he was (1 Cor. 4:17). This quality is vital for every generation of believers, as God’s truth is entrusted to them collectively (2 Tim. 2:2). Besides showing the specific qualities required in a deacon, Paul shared that the wife of a deacon must be faithful (1 Tim. 3:8-11). Similarly, the children of an elder must be believers and faithful (Ti. 1:6). The common element that relates to these cases is proper conduct in God’s house, for which faithful stewardship is required.

Our God And The Lord Jesus Christ
God is faithful (1 Cor. 1:9, 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:18; 1 Th. 5:24; 2 Th. 3:3; 1 Pet. 4:19) and so is His Word (1 Tim. 1:15, 3:1, 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:11; Ti. 1:9, 3:8). God remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13); and His words are faithful (Rev. 21:5, 22:6).

The Lord is a merciful and faithful High Priest, taking care of the interests of God and His people – all the believers on earth (Heb. 2:17, 3:2, 10:23). In the past His faithfulness was experienced by Sarah (11:11) and others. Today He remains faithful and ready to forgive, if we confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9). The Lord is the faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5, 3:14, 19:11), even though His people may fail (2:4). Let us learn from Him (Mt. 11:29) to be faithful (Rev. 2:10,13)!

ENDNOTE
* The Greek verb for our phrase “urgently requested” is the same one as in the Macedonian’s appeal (v.9), also meaning “to exhort” or “encourage.”

By Alfred Bouter

O Lord, When We The Path Retrace
Faithful amidst unfaithfulness, ’mid darkness only light, Thou didst Thy Father’s name confess, and in His will delight;
Unmoved by Satan’s subtle wiles, or suffering, shame and loss, Thy path, uncheered by earthly smiles, led only to the cross.
We wonder at Thy lowly mind, and fain would like Thee be, And all our rest and pleasure find in learning, Lord, of Thee.—James G. Deck (1802–1884)