"On the Sabbath we went out of the city to the riverside, where we thought there would be a place where Jews gathered for prayer. We sat down and talked to the women who gathered there.

One of those who heard us was Lydia from Thyatira, who was a dealer in purple cloth. She was a woman who worshipped God, and the Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and the people of her house had been baptised, she invited us, “Come and stay in my house if you have decided that I am a true believer in the Lord.” And she persuaded us to go."

(Acts 16.13-15 GNB)

It was a new mission. And to stake out the listeners, Paul looked for a place where Jews would be gathered. But earlier Paul was clear on his mission, he was sent to the Gentiles. "This is the commandment that the Lord has given us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, so that all the world may be saved.’" (Acts 13.47 GNB)

So why?

Pragmatism.

When starting a venture in a foreign place, it is a common tactic to build relations with people who are alike or who sympathises.

Not only that, Paul was also pragmatic about who God sends his way. In this case, "women". As a Jew, Paul was raised in patriarchal culture, but he was eager to evangelise to women all the same. And women became key to Paul's ministry.

I should not forget the mission and, at the same time, I also need to be pragmatic and be sensitive to the Spirit's guidance.