Lydia was a devout woman, a believer in God in Philippi, a pagan city. She went down to the river that day to join the other women in prayer.

One notable feature of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians is its concern with power. The apostle writes about the power of earthly authorities, the power of Jesus Christ, the power of Christ within us and the power of "the wicked spiritual elements in heavenly places."

Trouble was brewing in Galatia. St. Paul had preached the Gospel to the people in this region of modern-day Turkey while they nursed him back to health from an undisclosed ailment. They treated him "as angel of God, as Christ Jesus."

Paul's mission to the Gentiles was a much smaller enterprise than a Billy Graham crusade, a Nova Scotia theologian told Scripturefest 2008.