Wednesday 30 April 2008
"One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, 'Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people'". (v.9-10)
Background
Paul was no doubt an annoyingly persistent and vocal presence inmany communities and gatherings of the early Church, and may haveoften seemed authoritarian or dogmatic. It comes therefore as a bitof a relief that he too needed a little reassurance to keep onspeaking and not give up.
At this point in his travels, Paul has, in fact, been having a hardtime. Athens (the cultural centre of Greece) had not been an easyplace to preach and now the commercial centre, Corinth, brings himto the point of shaking the dust from his clothes and reminding theGreeks (and himself) that he must and will talk with people,discuss and even argue with them. But at the end of the day he isnot responsible for the views and fate of others and doesn't haveto (and ultimately, can't) keep on at them forever.
Many Christians in Europe have been rediscovering the practice ofintentional Christian conversations, comparable perhaps to the'speaking' of Paul and his colleagues. These online Bible studiesare one expression of that, as is the success of
The churches in East Germany found themselves full to overflowingas people talked about change in the 1980s, but after the dividingBerlin Wall came down in 1990, the excitement of the conversationsdried up and attendance dropped again.
To Ponder
When, where and how do you and those you knowtalk about the things that really shape your lives?
What helps to increase intentional Christianconversation?