Thought for the Week 12th February 2017

1.      How do I start a conversation?

As we seek to Join Jesus in His mission one thing that is essential is that we talk to people as well as live lives that help people to see Jesus.  Many of us are far happier ‘living a Jesus life and hoping that people will just see Jesus in us and somehow come to know Him’.  The reality is that whilst living the Jesus life is a critical part of joining Jesus in His Mission it will, if effective, lead to opportunities for us to speak with people.  It is just as critical that we take the opportunities to speak if we are to help people find out the truth about Jesus.

With this in mind, one of the questions I am most frequently asked is ‘How do I start a conversation?’

To help you think about this I want to refer to the story in John chapter 4 of ‘the woman at the well’.  Look at how Jesus started a conversation!

 ‘When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (John 4:7)

She had come to a well, a place to get water, and Jesus asked her for a drink – an incredibly natural question that would lead to a deeper conversation.  Jesus started a conversation by asking a simple question that was appropriate to where he was and what he was doing at the time.

Often, when I am at the gym I begin a conversation by asking a person who is lifting weights if they would like me to ‘spot them’  (support the weight as they lift it).  This frequently leads to much deeper conversations!

In your life there are many people that you are among and sharing in similar activities to what you are doing – a simple question could lead to a much deeper conversation!  The question could just be ‘How are you doing?’  and then listening to the response!

This week, why not start a conversation with a person that you know, who doesn’t know Jesus?