After sailing to Macedonia, Paul arrived in the city of Philippi. When he found a group of women gathered beside a river praying, he told them about Jesus. One of the women was Lydia, a businesswoman who sold expensive purple fabric. When Lydia heard about Jesus, she was baptised. Then, everyone in her household was baptised, too. Lydia was so happy that she invited Paul and his friends to stay at her house.
Baptism was a natural response to the message about Jesus. Use this opportunity to discuss the meaning of baptism.
Bible verses used in this episode:
Outline:
- Travel to Philippi (Acts 16:10-12)
- Lydia and her household were baptised (Acts 16:13-15)
Tips for teaching children:
- Paul travelled on Roman roads. Older children can research the Via Egnatia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Egnatia
- Experiment with making purple dye from natural products (flowers, purple cabbage, beets, berries). Children will enjoy dipping white cotton cloth in these.
- Tie-die a T-shirt shirt purple.
- Baptism Craft: Cut a small figure of a person from thick paper and tape or glue it on a stick like a puppet. Cut a hole in the bottom of a plastic cup, then push the stick down into the cup and through the hole. The stick will stick out the bottom of the cup, and the “person” will be inside. Lift the stick up and down, and the “person” appears to go in and out of the waters of baptism.
Tips for teaching adults:
- If practical and possible, organise the class to study this lesson by a stream, a river, a lake, or even a swimming pool, whatever works best. Be sure to spend time in prayer. Make it more special by sharing a meal.
- Although baptism was not a major focus of this lesson, it is important to note that the text explicitly mentions Lydia and her household being baptised. You can ask the following discussion questions: 1) What body of water were you baptised in? A baptistery, a swimming pool, lake, or river? 2) What are some memories you have of the place you were baptised? 3) Who has experienced being baptised at the same time with family/friends? What was it like then and now?
Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:
Bible Lesson: Lydia Becomes a Christian
Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.
Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.
For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org