The women of Acts: Lydia and Priscilla

When we think of the early Church, we see apostles, preachers. We forget that many women carried the gospel with just as much strength: merchants, craftswomen, hostesses, teachers. This quest invites you to get to know two of them: Lydia and Priscilla.

What it looks like in your day

Read two passages: Acts 16:11-15 (Lydia in Philippi) and Acts 18:24-26 (Priscilla and her husband Aquila in Ephesus). Then note what these women did.

Lydia is a seller of purple, an independent woman, who worships God. She listens to Paul beside a river. God opens her heart. She is baptized, with her household, and then she does something decisive: she welcomes the apostles into her home. Her house becomes a gathering place: the beginning of the church in Philippi.

Priscilla (or Prisca) and her husband Aquila are craftspeople, tentmakers. They welcome Paul in Corinth, follow him, then meet in Ephesus an eloquent man named Apollos. Notice what they do: they listen to him, then take him aside and expound to him the way of God more perfectly. Priscilla is often named before her husband, which suggests an active role.

Once you have read them, ask yourself a question: "What did God ask of them?" And: "What might he ask of me?" Hospitality, quiet teaching, support for another believer.

If you are in a hurry, read only Acts 16:14-15. If you are shy, notice that these women don't seek the stage: they serve where they are.

What the Bible says

Here is how the book of Acts presents Lydia:

“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.”

"Whose heart the Lord opened": conversion is first of all God's work. And her concrete reaction is hospitality: "come into my house, and abide there." Next comes the meeting with Apollos:

“And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.”

Apollos is eloquent, mighty in the Scriptures, but he knew only the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila fill in what is missing, without humiliating him, in private. Paul, later, pays them a strong tribute:

“Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.”

"Who have for my life laid down their own necks": their courage is recognized by the churches of the Gentiles. These women and men were pillars.

Pitfalls to avoid

Drawing hasty conclusions about roles. On the place of women in the Church, Christians don't all think the same thing. This account is not here to settle a debate: it simply shows that God used women in the story of the gospel, and invites you to recognize their contribution.

Imagining details. The text is brief. Don't fill the blanks with what you would like to find there. Stay with what is written.

Underrating the ordinary. An open house, a meal, a private conversation: these are simple gestures, and they had immense consequences. Don't underestimate your own.

Forgetting the men. Priscilla worked with her husband. Service is often lived together.

Idealizing. These women had to face difficulties (travel, exile, hostility). Their story includes risks.

Today, read these two accounts. Note one thing Lydia or Priscilla did, and ask yourself how you can imitate it.