Words Well Chosen
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler
We
have all had the unfortunate experience in life of having to speak with
someone who is demeaning and offensive in how they approach a matter.
They seem to relish putting people on the spot. Somehow they think that
taking a hard-hitting approach will drive home their point more
effectively. Usually the opposite is true, because their manner of
speech is speaking more loudly than what is being said. Rather than
relationships being strengthened, they are destroyed by abrasive words.
This
type of response from the unsaved shouldn't surprise us, but it should
never be true of a believer in Christ. Sadly though, it is becoming
increasingly true in the Christian community. One of the graces that
nearly has been lost in the Church today is tact. Tact is a "keen sense
of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or
to avoid offense." Essentially, it is having perception and grace when
dealing with others. The Apostle Paul was a seasoned veteran in the art
of tact. While he could be firm when it came to confronting error, he
always did so with grace, hoping to restore the offender. More often
than not, however, he exercised tact to accomplish his purpose.
A
good example is when Paul addressed his countrymen in Jerusalem who
were determined to take his life. As he was being led away to the
castle, he requested that the chief captain allow him to speak to the
unruly mob. We're sure this probably seemed to be a strange request to
the Roman captain, but he gave Paul permission to speak to his
countrymen.
"Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense which I make now unto you. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel…" (Acts 22:1-3).
Before
Paul shared his conversion on the road to Damascus, he, tactfully
addressed them with titles of respect, "men, brethren, and fathers."
Then he perceptively spoke to them in the Hebrew language, the mother
tongue of the chosen nation. Notice their response, "they kept the more
silent." Once he had their undivided attention, Paul identified himself
with them, revealing that he was a Jew, born in Tarsus, but lived most
of his life in Jerusalem, where he sat at the feet of one of their
revered doctors of the law, Gamaliel.
That's tact! May the Lord give us this type of discretion when we minister to others! And may it be to the praise of His glory.
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