Christian Conversation (5)

Welcome to the PMF Workshop for June 2023. I’m your host, T. M. Moore. Each month we provide teaching, encouragement, activities, and resources to help you in working your Personal Mission Field so that you can become more consistent and effective in realizing the presence, promise, and power of God’s Kingdom in your daily life.

This month’s Workshop is Part 5 in a series on conversation, one of the key disciplines we use in working our Personal Mission Field. Conversation, as we have seen, is a learned art, and we must be willing to learn it. It’s important that we keep in mind that all our conversations take place in a larger context, one that is always moving toward the far horizon of the Presence of God. To do this, we’ll want to make sure our conversations are as godly as we can make them. And, as often as we can, we’ll want to take the initiative in getting conversations started or in renewing old conversations. So this month’s workshop is entitled, “Take the Initiative”, and our text is Acts 17.16-18: “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens…he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him…”

Seeking conversation
Paul was an excellent conversationalist, in part, because he didn’t wait around for conversations to begin. He went seeking them.

The verbs that relate to Paul’s conversational style in Athens and elsewhere are instructive: “reasoned,” “conversed,” “explaining” (v. 3), and “expounded,” “testified,” and “tried to convince” (Acts 28.23). All these betoken a lively, engaging, and highly effective conversational style.

Paul went to the places where people gathered for conversation, and he joined in or took the initiative as often as he could. After all, as Christians we have Good News to talk about, good news that brings new light to every aspect of life and every person with whom we might converse. There’s no reason to wait around when we have so much to talk about!

Starting conversation
But how do we begin conversations?

Remember, conversations are ongoing activities designed to build relationships rather than make points. So as we start a conversation let’s try to keep the unseen realm and the far horizon in view, remembering that we’re enlisting others in a journey toward truth in every conversation we have with them. And let’s pray that God will help us to be considerate, consistent, clear, and excellent in our manner.

Raising questions about current events, matters of mutual interest, or topics related to work, family, or the local community can be good ways of beginning a conversation. Everybody has observations and opinions, and by creating opportunities for conversation with questions, we invite folks to air their views and to hear the views of others. People are normally willing to weigh in with their opinion on something; usually all it takes to get them going is for someone to ask the question and then be a sincere listener.

You might also look for opportunities to pick up on something said, some observation about the person with whom you wish to speak, or some area of common interest—such as kids or work—that you might use to get a conversation started.

Remember: All of life unfolds under the watchful, caring eye of our sovereign God; and even the smallest details of life can serve as opportunities for glorifying Him (1 Cor. 10.31).

Make appointments to talk with others—at lunch or over coffee. Open your home for dessert and focused conversation over a movie or news event (press conference, political speech, etc.). Give people something to read and tell them you’d like to get their opinion on it later. Watch a movie with friends, then have a conversation about it.

All these can be effective ways of starting or resuming a conversation. And every conversation gives us the opportunity to get to know people better and to introduce them to the far horizon of life. 

Don’t dominate conversations
Remember: Starting a conversation doesn’t mean we have to dominate it. In a true conversation, give-and-take, listening and questioning, responding and explaining, agreeing and disagreeing will be part of the process, just as they were with the apostle Paul.

Questions may come up that we can’t answer, but that’s OK. We can do a little research and then come back and renew the conversation. People will voice strong opinions with which we don’t agree, but we don’t have to persuade everyone to our view, just to make sure they understand us.

And if it’s a conversation involving many people, we should do our best to help everyone get involved.

There are plenty of ways to get a conversation going or to resume one already in progress. We just have to be willing to use them as often as we can.

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Here are some activities you can practice and some resources to help you in working your Personal Mission Field.

1. Again, make sure your Personal Mission Field is updated, and you have included in your Personal Mission Field worksheet any new people God has brought into your sphere. Keep your map with you, so you can take it out and pray for the people you see throughout the day.
2. Whom will you see in your Personal Mission Field today? Pray and prepare now to start a conversation. Where will you begin?
3. Pray about this conversation once you’ve had it, asking God what you can do to renew and continue it at the next earliest opportunity. Be ready when that opportunity arises.
4. Continue making a point to speak to every person in your Personal Mission Field as often as the opportunity arises. Greet them by name. Ask about their wellbeing. Pick up on a previous conversation. Ask for a prayer request.
5. Order a free copy of our book, Small Stuff. Here you’ll be encouraged to consider how every small thing in your life – gestures, helps, and conversations – can be used by God to bless others and glorify Himself. Order your free copy by clicking here.

That’s it for this month’s Personal Mission Field Workshop. Until next month, for the Fellowship of Ailbe, this has been T. M. Moore.

We ask the Lord to move and enable many more of our readers to provide for the needs of our ministry. Please seek Him in prayer concerning your part in supporting our work. You can contribute online by using the Contribute button at the website; or you can send a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.