By Sian Kiara Saria
In this blog post, we continue to venture across Acts. Here we meet 3 women who have business or intellectual based backgrounds and at the same time, women who have openly received Christ as their savior.
Lydia (Acts 16:11-40)
Lydia was a seller of purple fabric or cloth from the city of Thyatira, which is found in Asia minor. Purple is a sophisticated color, especially as a dye and Thyatira was infamous in the trade. Alongside her reputation as a thriving businesswoman, she was described to be religious. Upon hearing the word of God through Paul, her heart was opened and not only did she believe in Christ as her savior but she had shared the good news to her household. All of them were baptized immediately! However, Lydia did not stop there. She offered her house for Paul and Silas to stay. Eventually, her home became a place for brothers and sisters to fellowship.
Lydia definitely emulates Romans 12:11, ‘not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord’.
Damaris (Acts 17:16-34)
Damaris was mentioned alongside a man called Dionysius the Areopagite, as one of the many that believed in Christ after Paul had shared the entire Gospel story to the Athenians, with whom all were either telling something new or ‘to hear some new thing’ (Acts 17:21, NKJV).
Although Damaris was not mentioned to be in any ministry work, she was nonetheless a distinguished person in Athens, perhaps an intellectual woman, who had received Christ. From Damaris, we can observe that intellectual women are acknowledged too, and ever welcomed into God’s household of faith.
Priscilla (Acts 18:1-28)
The last woman mentioned in the book of Acts is Priscilla, a tentmaker, and a wife to Aquila. She and her husband opened their home to Paul to stay in when he resided in Corinth, in which he stayed for more than a year and a half. Even after his departure, Aquila and Priscilla traveled with him. The length of their time together must have developed a friendship saturated in godly fellowship. Paul had described Priscilla and Aquila as his ‘fellow workers in Christ Jesus’ who had ‘risked their own necks’ for Paul’s life (Romans 16:4).
Aquila and Priscilla had opened their home for the church (1 Cor 16:19). They had even gently and quietly ministered to Apollos, who was a man fervent in Spirit, and completely in love with God. They taught him the complete story of the Gospel, as he was only familiar with the teachings of John. This in consequence led to multitudes being saved. Aquila and Priscilla were equal in their ministry of evangelism and discipleship. Both were recognized as a team, not one domineering over the other. In the six times their name was mentioned in the Bible, Aquila’s name was mentioned first three times whilst in the other three, Priscilla’s was mentioned first.
To encapsulate, women of varying backgrounds are found in the ministry of God. There was an intellectual, a dyer, a businesswoman, a widow, a maid, and a mother, and other women too. There were some who offered their home as a place of worship and a place to pray, some devoted their work to Christ or their skills to minister to the poor and in need. As a woman, young or old, with whatever kind of background, you too have a place in the ministry of God, in Christ Jesus.