Using It for the Right Reason

When considering a self-disclosive story, we must be self-aware enough to probe our true motives for wanting to tell it. All too often stories are employed out of need-love--to elicit praise or pity, acceptance or affection. Listen for the message behind the story: Is it saying, "Look at what I know" or "See how human I can be" or "Feel sorry for me"? An appropriate and useable message portrays a more grounded, more centered personality: "Here is something from my life that speaks clearly to this word about the Gospel."

Clear motivation helps assure judicious employment of personal stories. Keeping our need-love in check empowers us to deliver our stories as gifts to the congregants for their benefit. Preachers are human and, like other human beings, we wrestle with mixed motives. Nevertheless, we must seek the heavenly motive of making ourselves vulnerable for the sake of others, not for our own interests. In T. S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral, Thomas Beckett considers making himself vulnerable to martyrdom. Beckett finds himself wrestling even with his motive for such a sacrificial end. Could his deepest intentions be for lasting celebrity? Amidst his struggle Beckett declares:

The last temptation is the greatest treason:
Doing the right deed for the wrong reason.11

As witnessing "martyrs" for Christ, we must test our intentions for every self-disclosive story that we might share.

Principle #2: Identification

"When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet..." Acts 22:2

When the Holy Spirit came in power, Acts 2 records that the crowd was amazed by the small band of Galileans who were preaching the Good News. "How is it," the listeners asked, "that each of us hears them in his own native language?" (Acts 2:8) By God's miracle, the apostles were empowered to connect more directly with the diversity of souls present. In spite of the various peoples represented, the Spirit graced the moment by touching the tongues of the preachers and, as a result, opening the ears of the audience. Many who heard were soon to turn their lives to Christ that day, because "we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:11).

To our knowledge, Paul the preacher never did speak in foreign tongues like the other apostles did at Pentecost. Nevertheless, this unlikely apostle was schooled in the science of connecting with differing audiences. Paul endeavored to "speak the language" of the particular audience whom he was addressing at a particular time. His autobiographical messages recorded in chapters 22 and 26 were no exceptions to this practice.

In the Language of His Listeners (Acts 22)

In addressing the temple crowd, Paul uses a form of forensic defense speech. The first part of this speech is called the exordium. The purpose of the exordium is to prepare listeners in a way that they will be more inclined to hear the rest of the address.12 Cicero taught that this forensic technique renders listeners "well disposed, attentive, and receptive" to the speaker.13 In order to win the good will of the listeners, the speaker must find points of contact with those whom he hopes to reach. In addressing the Jews outside the temple, Paul fuses self-disclosure with classical rhetoric to connect with the crowd.