Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Dr Joseph Wood, Principal and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Church History, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Acts 16: 9-15 (NRSV)
9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.
Devotional
It all started with a conversation.
I love meeting new people. In particular, I love meeting new people from places I know little to nothing about. It warms my heart to learn about someone new, where they are from, what experiences they have had in life, and what they hope for the future. Conversations like this usually begin with: “Tell me your story.” That request opens wide the gate of conversation and relationship.
Over the past two weeks NTC welcomed a group of thirteen people from all over the USA who specialise in information technologies (IT). They spent long days installing new TVs, cameras, sound equipment, WiFi access points, cabling, and even doing some rearranging in the server room and roof space of the office building. It was so impressive to see the amount of work they were able to do in a short about of time. We have been blessed by their presence amongst us. This encounter all started with a conversation. Someone asked me in January 2024 what are some things the college needs, and I said, “It would be great if we could do a technology upgrade, as it’s been over a decade since this happened.” This person introduced me to Josh, who oversees volunteer teams specialising in IT. That conversation led to this massive project, which will enhance the learning and teaching experience of NTC for now and far into the future.
It all started with a conversation.
Paul and his colleagues were convinced by the Holy Spirit that they needed to go to Macedonia and share the good news about Jesus, so they did. This group of missionaries went to the place where they would find people to talk to, and the conversation with Lydia started. Through that conversation, we are told, “The Lord opened her heart” to what Paul was sharing, and she put her faith in Jesus. That led to her whole household putting their faith in Jesus. That led to the birth of a Christian presence in Philippi. Paul’s conversation and Lydia’s open heart, led to not only the planting of the Church in Philippi, but also the first baptism of someone in Europe. Lydia led this new group of believers, drawing support and wisdom from Paul and supporting him in return! In his letter to the Philippians, Paul calls them “partners in the Gospel” because of their mutual desire to see the good news of Jesus take root wherever they went (Phil 1:5; 4:15-16).
It all started with a conversation.
You never know what can happen when you share your story with someone, or when you ask someone to share their story with you. Most things start small. And some things stay small. But no matter what comes of a conversation, that desire to share your life and faith with someone, nurtured by the presence of the Holy Spirit, seems to me to be the call of God for each and everyone of us who is a follower of Jesus.
Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for the opportunities we have to share our faith and life with others. We pray that courage, humility, wisdom, grace, and love shapes each conversation we have. In all things, may the name of Jesus be lifted up for the good of all people. In His name we pray, Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Joseph Wood, PhD (Principal and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Church History)