Before the earthquake shook Philippi, before Paul and Silas sang in prison, before the jail doors flew open, Acts 16 gives us Lydia—a woman praying beside a river whose heart the Lord opened and whose home became a place for the gospel to live.

In this sermon on Acts 16:11–15, Pastor Jim Wilhelm explores Lydia of Thyatira, Paul’s arrival in Philippi, the riverside prayer gathering, and the quiet beginning of the church in Philippi.

Paul crossed the Aegean because of a vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over and help us.” But when Paul arrived, he didn’t find the man from the vision.

He found women praying by the river.

And God was already there.

The Lord opened Lydia’s heart. Then Lydia started opening everything else—her household, her doo ...