Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4.10

Teaching moments

A teaching moment begins when we – who are called to be witnesses and make disciples – discern an opportunity, under the prompting of God’s Spirit, to engage a conversation with someone around us.

Not all these efforts will result in a teaching moment. But we need to initiate them anyway, if only for the purpose of developing and improving our ability to observe and move into such moments.

Further, some of the conversations we will initiate won’t last very long. That’s OK, too. Even though we don’t get beyond the step of initiation, our doing so will create a good feeling – most of the time – in the one we’re seeking to engage. He or she will come away thinking that we paid attention to them, are interested in what’s of interest to them, and can talk to them courteously and in a friendly manner. That kind of opening may lead to further teaching moments later on.

Plus, each time you exercise this conversation muscle, you grow a little stronger in it, and a little more confident in your ability to be the teacher you ought to be.

Good listeners
If we are able to engage a conversation, we’ll want to let it go its natural course for a while. Don’t be too quick, especially with unbelievers, to rush into the Gospel. Pay careful attention to what your potential student is saying (Jms. 1.19). Ask some questions. Share an opinion. Good listeners encourage others to be active talkers, and the more a person is willing to talk with us, the more opportunities we will have for finding something to connect with and to take our conversation to the next level.

And that next level is finding some smooth way to launch the conversation into a new theater by injecting the reality of the spiritual world into the conversation.

You see how Jesus did it here. He simply mentioned that there is a “gift of God” available for any who may be interested in it. Don’t miss the strategic way that Jesus made this connection between the seen and unseen realms. First, He mentioned a “gift.” Who isn’t interested in getting something for free, something of value that might do them some good? This is as true in our day as it has ever been.

But, second, Jesus connected the idea of a gift with the mention of God. Most surveys indicate that well over 90% of Americans still believe in God, in one way or another. Mentioning God in a conversation, while it might momentarily startle, will not be a deal-breaker. And mentioning God in the context of a gift might be doubly piquing, especially since many people don’t think of God in terms of what He gives, but of what they suppose we owe Him.

So, the conversation is developing around, let’s say, some current political scandal (there’s usually plenty such fodder). We might say, “Do you ever wonder how God looks at our nation’s politicians?” Or maybe the person is discussing some aspect of his job, which you have asked him to explain. It’s easy enough to say, “I’m grateful for my work; God is certainly good to give us so many different kinds of work to do.”

Alert to “launchers”
Since God is sovereign over all of life, it shouldn’t be too hard for us to find a way of connecting our conversations with some aspect of God’s relationship to the world.

William Wilberforce, the great 19^th century social and religious reformer, was a master at this. He used to think up and write down what he called “launchers,” phrases he might use in imaginary conversations to connect a mundane moment to eternal truths.

It’s not a bad idea to practice this, if only in your head, as you watch the evening news, listen in on the conversations of others, talk with members of your family, prepare for your day in prayer, or read the daily paper or a website. Start a journal in which you write down phrases or questions that can connect the here and now with the realities of the then and there.

And don’t think you need to do this in every conversation. It must be smooth, natural, and in flow with the drift and mood of the conversation.

For example, in the middle of a conversation about favorite foods, you don’t want to say, “Well, enjoy them while you can, because God is going to judge you one day.” How much better to say something like, “Thank God for all this wonderful food!” By doing this you introduce a new perspective into the conversation and launch it up to a new plane, a plane that, as the Spirit continues to lead, you will be able to unfold more clearly as the teaching moment continues.

For reflection
1.  Explain the idea of a “launcher.” Give some examples that you have used or seen others use:

2.  “Since God is sovereign over all of life, it shouldn’t be too hard for us to find a way of connecting our conversations with some aspect of God’s relationship to the world.” How can we become more aware of and alert to the ways God is revealing Himself in everyday situations?

3.  A certain measure of fear comes in whenever we think about “launching” a conversation to the spiritual level. Why is that? Is this justified? What do we have to fear in doing this?

Next steps – Preparation: Take five minutes right now and jot down two or three “launchers” you might use in conversation with someone today. Try one out and follow the conversation as the Spirit leads. Share with a Christian friend the results of this activity.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Learning Jesus, is Part 5 of a 5-part series on Following Jesus.Each week’s study is available in a free PDF which you can download by clicking here.

Christians learn best when their learning is framed within a Christian worldview. Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, is available any time, and at no charge. Click here to learn more about this helpful and challenging introduction to Christian worldview, presented in 12 diagrams by T. M. Moore.

Take up the challenge of your Personal Mission Field – and do so with a friend. Watch the video on our Mission Partners Outreach for more information about how you can begin to follow Jesus in your Personal Mission Field (click here).

The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute button at the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.