Acts is the account of how the early church grew and multiplied by the power of the Spirit. In Chapter 16, Paul is in the middle of modern day Turkey. He travels through Galatia – as it was known then – turns west and ends up at Troas on the coast.
That night Paul has a vision, of a Macedonian man calling out “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul would never have ventured so far if it were not for the Spirits direction. He catches a ship, crosses the sea, visits a few islands on the way and arrives at Philippi. Philippi was a large Roman city, the centre of trade in every direction.
A group of Jewish women are by the river having a prayer meeting. Paul engages them in conversation and shares the message about Jesus Christ. One woman responds. She is baptised.
Lydia is the first person outside of Asia Minor to become a follower of the risen Jesus. Others were soon to follow in Greece, Italy and all over Europe. Today the number of people who identify as Christian in Europe is 500 million.
One person came to faith and was followed by millions. Never underestimate how much influence the message you share with just one person might have.
Pastor Robert