Talking our way to maturity.

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Acts 11:8

We can only imagine the conversation that boiled around Peter’s report of visiting a Gentile and leading Him to the Lord. This was unprecedented. Why, the Gospel had not even made its way into all the people of Israel, and now were we supposed to believe that God was even reaching out to save Gentiles?

Luke gives, in typical fashion, only a summary of the words that were spoken by elders, apostles, and others present at that time. We can perhaps flesh it out a bit by imagining the questions asked, citations of Scripture, references to Old Testament Gentiles who were blessed of God, and suggestions concerning the implications of this startling development. But they all took the form of support for the idea: “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Everybody was talking. Everyone was animated and excited. Minds and hearts were changed. The horizons of people’s understanding of the Gospel were greatly enlarged. The prospects for the progress of the Kingdom were expanded beyond what anyone had dared to ask or dream. The faith they had come to know as the fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham suddenly grew much larger, more immense and powerful, and filled with wondrous prospects of a world turned right-side up for Jesus.

All this conversation had the effect of glorifying God. That is, God was in the midst of these conversations, making His presence known, punctuating the discussion and validating the report by His own weighty appearing, carried along and accentuated by the words passing back and forth between the brethren.

God was in their conversations, glorifying Himself in the things they shared. We can believe that many were greatly stimulated in their faith, and grew significantly, as a result of this time of Gospel conversation.

Well, if that could happen then, should we not expect the same to happen now? I believe we should. I believe that God wants to make His glory known in the conversations His people have together about spiritual matters – their experiences of Christ, insights into His Word, reports of His Kingdom’s expanding power and presence, and so forth. God can glorify Himself in our conversations, and we can be greatly edified by joining together to talk about the things of the Lord.

Christian conversation – talking together about the Lord and His Kingdom – can be a powerful impetus and means to real spiritual growth. We should add this to our regimen of spiritual disciplines and seek out opportunities to practice Christian conversation as often as we can.

But we should be careful to observe a few ground rules. First, the purpose of such conversations is to give honor and glory to God and to exalt the Savior and His Kingdom. There is no place for touting our own achievements or comparing our views with those of others in ways designed to exalt ours and denigrate theirs.

Second, we should encourage everyone to participate. If one person dominates then we don’t have a conversation, but something like a dialog or, worse, a monologue. If all have prepared for the conversation, then everyone will have some word or insight to contribute (Col. 3:16).

Third, let the Word of God be the touchstone. Measure everything by what the Scriptures say. Share passages together. Discuss them avidly. Submit your thoughts and feelings to the plain teaching of Scripture, and let the Spirit shape and mold you as He compares spiritual things from one section with spiritual things from another (1 Cor. 2:12, 13).

Fourth, let prayer and praise slip out in your conversation, talking and singing directly to the Lord, as though He were the primary participant in your discussion.

Finally, seek the glory of God in deliberate ways. Let the conversation move toward and culminate in a celebration of the greatness of God and the wonder of His salvation. God will certainly come to inhabit these praises (Ps. 22:3), and we will know His presence and glory, and be greatly edified.

Do you have regular conversations unto the glory of the Lord with fellow Christians? Few things can stimulate your love for the Lord, move you to joy, or fuel your vision for growth and ministry more than regular sharing in edifying, God-glorifying conversations about the things of the Lord. Why not start up a conversation group of your own this week?

Join the conversations in our various forums, where the servants of the Lord are sharing together with one another over timely questions of Christian life and ministry.

For more insight to this subjec read the article, “Nothing Much to Talk About?” by T. M. Moore.