miami-ted wrote:

Btw,

If you will check the commentaries you will see that what Lydia and the other women were doing was very commonplace in that time. If any city or town did not have enough 'qualified' Jewish men, it required 10, then there would be no temple for them to meet in on the Sabbath so it was common in the smaller towns that the few Jews would meet on the Sabbath in a small group, men somewhere and women somewhere else, and they would hold their Sabbath ceremonies. This is exactly what Paul and the disciples came upon. They came upon a group of women who were holding a Sabbath meeting and it was customary that these small meetings were held outside of the city and often by a brook or other water source. I gathered this information from my own commentaries.

God bless.
In Christ, Ted.

i agree; where we differ is that i think Paul than transformed that group to a house church with Lydia as the defacto leader

Greetings, Gentlemen (and Ladies, if you are popping in from time to time):

Here is a little studying I did. Much of this is from various websites, from Jewish to Evangelical. I hope you are able to make sense of it.

Deborah provided legal and military deliverance. She also provided spiritual leadership toward Israel’s obedience, as opposed to some other judges who were not so good, and led the Israelites into disobedience. That is spiritual leadership. She was a vessel for discipline to the nation. It was like the nation was her one big church, and she was leading them to obedience. If that is not spiritual leadership of God’s people then I don’t know what is.
   
  Deborah played a civil role in a military situation. She and one other anonymous figure at the time of Gideon are referred to as prophets. The distinction is clearly ketaric. Judges were raised up to lead the people civilly and militarily. Deborah and the anonymous prophet, on the other hand, pass on God's communications to the people and are designated by the appropriate ketaric name.
   
  Judges presents the tribal federation in its minimalist state -- what happens when the federation becomes, in fact, a loose confederation and "every man does what is right in his own eyes." Power has reverted to the tribal elders, assisted by regional shofetim (judges, who lead the tribes in battle and administer justice as much as or more than they adjudicate disputes), who share the keter malkhut. The keter kehunah is also handled by local priests and Levites while the keter torah functions through the prophets that appear periodically.
   
  But if that is not enough for Deborah’s sake, then consider the following:
   
  Phoebe (Rom. 16:1-2) – she was a deaconess:
   
  Phoebe is mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:1-2.  The NIV translates it as follows:
  “1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.”  (Romans 16:1-2, NIV)
  The word that the NIV (and KJV) translates as “servant” is actually from the Greek word diakonos, which, according to Thayer’s Greek Definitions means: “1b) a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use” We can thus assume that Phoebe held the office of deacon in her church (the NIV has a note which gives an alternative translation of diakonos as “deaconess”).
   
   
  Priscilla (Rom. 16:3-5; 1 Cor 16:19) – she founded at least two churches with her husband Aquila, and Priscilla is named first, which suggests that her role was more significant.
   
  Junias (Rom. 16:7) – she was an outstanding apostle. One way of reading it is to view that Paul was saying that Andronicus and Junias were outstanding apostles – and Junias is the feminine form of a Greek name.  If this is the correct interpretation, then we have a female apostle.
   
  Nympha (Col. 4:15) – she started a church in her house
   
  Euodia and Syntiche (Phil. 4:2-3) – they were missionaries who assisted Paul
   
  You will probably all argue that these women only held the services in their homes, but it was men who pastured them. However, if that were the case, it would be men who were honored for their pastorate, not the women recognized simply for hosting the services.
 
While this has been a very interesting study for me, I must focus on my education again. I have neglected my studying, and I have mid-terms coming up. Many blessings to you all as we all earnestly seek understanding of scriptures and of the Lord himself.
An

Ro 1:1 ¶ Paul, a servant doulos/slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Ro 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. Written to the Romans from Corinthus, [and sent by Phebe servant diakonos/ originally table-waiter of the church at Cenchrea.
Phm 1:25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus a servant. oiketes/domestic servant

italics indicates not part of original text

Greetings, Gentlemen (and Ladies, if you are popping in from time to time):

Here is a little studying I did. Much of this is from various websites, from Jewish to Evangelical. I hope you are able to make sense of it.

Deborah provided legal and military deliverance. She also provided spiritual leadership toward Israel’s obedience, as opposed to some other judges who were not so good, and led the Israelites into disobedience. That is spiritual leadership. She was a vessel for discipline to the nation. It was like the nation was her one big church, and she was leading them to obedience. If that is not spiritual leadership of God’s people then I don’t know what is.
   
  Deborah played a civil role in a military situation. She and one other anonymous figure at the time of Gideon are referred to as prophets. The distinction is clearly ketaric. Judges were raised up to lead the people civilly and militarily. Deborah and the anonymous prophet, on the other hand, pass on God's communications to the people and are designated by the appropriate ketaric name.
   
  Judges presents the tribal federation in its minimalist state -- what happens when the federation becomes, in fact, a loose confederation and "every man does what is right in his own eyes." Power has reverted to the tribal elders, assisted by regional shofetim (judges, who lead the tribes in battle and administer justice as much as or more than they adjudicate disputes), who share the keter malkhut. The keter kehunah is also handled by local priests and Levites while the keter torah functions through the prophets that appear periodically.
   
  But if that is not enough for Deborah’s sake, then consider the following:
   
  Phoebe (Rom. 16:1-2) – she was a deaconess:
   
  Phoebe is mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:1-2.  The NIV translates it as follows:
  “1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.”  (Romans 16:1-2, NIV)
  The word that the NIV (and KJV) translates as “servant” is actually from the Greek word diakonos, which, according to Thayer’s Greek Definitions means: “1b) a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use” We can thus assume that Phoebe held the office of deacon in her church (the NIV has a note which gives an alternative translation of diakonos as “deaconess”).
   
   
  Priscilla (Rom. 16:3-5; 1 Cor 16:19) – she founded at least two churches with her husband Aquila, and Priscilla is named first, which suggests that her role was more significant.
   
  Junias (Rom. 16:7) – she was an outstanding apostle. One way of reading it is to view that Paul was saying that Andronicus and Junias were outstanding apostles – and Junias is the feminine form of a Greek name.  If this is the correct interpretation, then we have a female apostle.
   
  Nympha (Col. 4:15) – she started a church in her house
   
  Euodia and Syntiche (Phil. 4:2-3) – they were missionaries who assisted Paul
   
  You will probably all argue that these women only held the services in their homes, but it was men who pastured them. However, if that were the case, it would be men who were honored for their pastorate, not the women recognized simply for hosting the services.
 
While this has been a very interesting study for me, I must focus on my education again. I have neglected my studying, and I have mid-terms coming up. Many blessings to you all as we all earnestly seek understanding of scriptures and of the Lord himself.
An

Ro 1:1 ¶ Paul, a servant doulos/slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Ro 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. Written to the Romans from Corinthus, [and sent by Phebe servant diakonos/ originally table-waiter of the church at Cenchrea.
Phm 1:25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus a servant. oiketes/domestic servant

italics indicates not part of original text