How does God typically lead people to a knowledge of salvation?
God typically leads people to salvation through human instruments, not angels. He almost always uses one person to share the Word with another, opening hearts to attend to the message. Believers are urged to become skilled in Scripture so they can clearly show others what the Word says when opportunity arises.
Les explains that God did not leave the Word in the hands of angels but in the hands of people. He has almost always used one human instrument to lead another human to a knowledge of salvation. That is why believers should get skilled in the Scripture, so when they have an opportunity to share, they do not have to stumble but can simply turn to a few verses and show someone what the Word really says. In the case of Lydia, her heart was opened, and she attended to the things Paul said, becoming a believer when she was baptized. Les notes this was during a transition period where baptism was still part and parcel of every convert, though he maintains that as Paul received deeper revelations, the importance of baptism later dropped away.