Luke tells us in Acts 16 of
a certain woman of the city of Thyatira named Lydia. God had providentially
brought her to Philippi and sent Paul there preaching the gospel. Her story has
been repeated many times over the centuries as God has moved in the sovereignty
of His grace saving His people. Luke tells us that she "heard." She heard the
gospel of Christ crucified and God graciously gave her that "faith that cometh
by hearing." People like Lydia could have been on Paul's mind when he said, "How
then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a
preacher. And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Rom. 10:14,15) Every
person interested in their eternal soul should be a hearer! We must hear from
God's word and God must enable us to hear so as to understand spiritually. Then
Luke tells us that the Lord "opened" her heart. In covenant mercy He gave her
what He has called "a new heart." Her heart and mind was naturally closed to
God, to truth and to Christ as He is revealed in the gospel Paul preached. It
does not say that she opened her heart and let Jesus come in as men are
encouraged to do in our day. No, her heart and mind were shut like a tomb sealed
with the great stone of sin, pride and self-righteousness. God alone can roll it
back! Then, when she heard and God opened her heart, giving her faith to believe
on Christ, "she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." This was
the consequence of what God had done and not the cause of it. No doubt, her new
obedience of faith was characterized in many ways but the first thing that is
mentioned is her public confession of Christ in baptism. "And when she was
baptized…" This is one of the first acts of obedience and the public confession
of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and our union with Him. Since
Christ put away our sin by His death, we have a "good conscience" before God
even though the filth of the flesh is not yet put away. Then Lydia demonstrated
the grace which God had wrought in her heart toward these who were her knew
brethren saying to Paul and the others, "If ye have judged me to be faith to the
Lord, come into my house, and abide there." This story will be repeated time and
again until it is the story of the last one of God's sheep on earth. It is the
same old story that takes place wherever the old, old story of the gospel is
preached. May it be your story by the grace of God!