Assertive women New Testament
Martha and Mary, and Lydia
Jesus at the home of Martha, Mary & Lazarus
Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus. Luke 10:38-42.
Jesus’s first visit to the home of Martha, Mary & Lazarus located in Bethany near Jerusalem. Martha received Him into her house.
Mary sat at Jesus’s feet and heard His word. Martha encumbered with serving.
Martha came and said to Jesus “dost thou not care that my sister left me to serve alone? Bid her that she help me.”
Jesus’s reply “Martha you are troubled about many things. Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken from her”
Jesus’s second visit to Martha and Mary. John 11:20-29, 32-40 & 43
Lazarus has been dead for 4 days. Martha & Mary had sent Him message that Lazarus was sick. John 11:3.
As Jesus approaches, Martha goes to Him and says “if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” John 11:21.
Jesus replies “thy brother shall rise again…I am the resurrection and the life…”
Martha says “yea Lord I believe Thou art the Christ the Son of God…”
Jesus goes to the tomb says “Lazarus come forth” and Lazarus comes back to life.
Jesus’s final visit to the home of Martha, Mary & Lazarus on his way to the cross. John 12:1-7.
Martha prepares supper for Jesus and His disciples.
Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with spikenard and wipes his feet with her hair.
Judas Iscariot says why waste this precious ointment.
Jesus replies “Let her alone against the day of my burying hath she kept this.”
Lydia of Thyatira-the first documented convert to Christianity in Europe. Acts 16:11-15.
The apostle Paul on his second missionary journey goes to Philippi the chief city in Macedonia.
On the Sabbath day he goes to the riverside where prayer was being done-there was no synagogue in Philippi.
Paul speaks to the women praying there.
A woman named Lydia whose heart the Lord opened and she came to faith in Christ and was baptised & her household.
She then “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.”
Paul and Silas are imprisoned for casting out an evil spirit from a woman in Philippi. At midnite Paul & Silas were praying and an earthquake releases their bonds, they are freed. The Philippine jailor and his family come to faith in Christ.
Wheh Paul & Silas went out of the prison “they entered the house Lydia: and when they had seen the bretheren, they comforted them and they departed.” Acts 16:40.
Lydia by constraining Paul and his companions essentially started a house church which would become the Church of Philippi.
Below is the message audio
Below is the underlined link to the typed notes.