Lydia Becomes A Christian

Date
February 13, 2021
Author
Living Word Light of Life
Category
Children's Ministry

Dear Parents, Guardians, Teachers:

Has the message of God’s love ever amazed you so much that you could feel your heart changing within you? Then you should meet Lydia.

Lydia loved God and had good friends and a successful business. Still, she did not feel like everything fit. It was like she had a few pieces to a bigger puzzle, and even these pieces she couldn’t fit together. Then God opened her heart.

When she heard about Jesus, she recognized the full picture of God’s love for humanity. What’s more, she wanted other people to see God’s big picture too! She invited family and friends to come to her house and listen to Paul and Luke tell the Good News about Jesus.

Scripture Reference: Acts 16:10-15

Memory Verse:

“One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message”.
Acts 16:14

Way to Introduce the Story:

How many of you know someone who has been baptised? What happened? (Share your own experience) In today’s story we are going to learn about a woman named Lydia who was baptised.

Bible Story:

Paul and his friends Silas, Timothy and Luke were missionaries. They travelled wherever God wanted them to go to tell people about Jesus.

Paul and Silas had travelled all the way from Antioch. Now they and their friends were on their way to the city of Philippi. On the Sabbath day after they arrived in Philippi the men went down to the river to find a place of prayer. There was already a group of women at the river and they were praying.

One of the women was Lydia. She was a business woman whose job was selling purple cloth. She had her own house and workers. Lydia was a worshipper of God but she did not know about Jesus.

So Paul told Lydia about Jesus. Jesus was God’s Son and he had died on the cross for her sins. Lydia learned that after Jesus died he was buried and then rose again on the third day.

When Lydia heard about Jesus she wanted to follow him. She wanted to be baptised so that she could be like Jesus. When she was dipped under the water it was like being buried with Jesus. When she came up from under the water it was rising up alive like Jesus.

After Lydia was baptised everyone in her household was baptised too. Then Lydia invited Paul and his friends to come and stay at her house. She was so happy to be a Christian and follow Jesus Christ! What about you? Are you happy to follow Jesus?

Review Questions:

1. What was Lydia’s job? A seller of purple cloth

2. Where did Paul meet Lydia? By the river where she and some women were praying

3. What did Lydia and the people in her house do when they heard about Jesus? They were baptised.

4. What is baptism? A Greek word that means to dip or immerse in water. Baptism identifies us with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Learning Activities After the Lesson

1. Have your kids watch the animated story: Lydia Becomes A Christian

2. Let’s make this craft: Lydia Wears Purple Cloth Craft

It doesn’t say if she wore purple clothes or not, but here is a craft that will remind you of what she sold.

You will need:
* White plastic spoon
* Brown yarn
* Purple yarn
* Tacky glue
* Scissors
* Purple Felt
* Permanent markers

Steps:

1. To make the robe, cut a piece of felt 6 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Fold the rectangle in half. Cut a small hole in the center of the fold so that the spoon will go through. Also cut a 9-inch piece of purple yarn.

2. Cut two or three strands of brown yarn 12-inches. Fold the yarn so that it will fit the back of the spoon.

3. Put some tacky glue on the backside of your spoon. Cover the back of the spoon with the yarn. Depending on the thickness of the yarn you may need two or three bundles to cover the spoon. Let your glue dry.