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Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10
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 this ability. 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 with whom we’re seeking to engage. He or she will come away thinking that we pay 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.
If we are able to engage a conversation, we’ll want to let it go its natural course for a while. Pay careful attention to what your potential student is saying (Jms. 1:19). 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 take our conversation to the next level. And that next level is finding some smooth way to inject 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?
But, second, He 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. So, the conversation is developing around some current political scandal. 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.”
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 19th 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, 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 what you’re talking about. 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.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Yes, even the way we react to bad news (Haiti, people being laid off, the economy, etc.,) indicates what our worldview actually IS, even if the word "God" is never spoken. The way I talk about personal tragedy shows the listener what I truly believe about God and whether or not I believe He is sovereign. I also want to work on having thought-provoking questions to ask people when they are "rattling on," because that's how Jesus did it.
You said "And don’t think you need to do this in every conversation. It must be smooth, natural, and in flow with what you’re talking about." How true. We should be looking for every opportunity with everyone we are talking to, God fearing or not, to give God the glory and praise on whatever subject we are talking. Thank you, TM, for continuing to emphasize the wholeness and completeness of God's involvement in every area of life, and our need to be timely and relevant in our comments.
I tried this yesterday before reading this Viewpoint post. The result was that the other guy, an unchurched Christian he says, was challenged to become active again in church and he joined my local study group of TM Moore's book, Culture Matters. 'twas a good and exhiliarating day for me.
Everyday Teaching
Eileen Peterson makes this comment
2010-02-07 23:47:57
Paul makes this comment
2010-02-05 11:20:54
Bob Snelling makes this comment
2010-02-05 09:50:14