Home Professional Ethics I am not the message (Part 1)

I am not the message (Part 1)

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By Pr Isaiah White

When John the Baptist was asked about his comparison to Jesus of Nazareth, he said: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

John the Baptist was a hero to the Jews who almost idolised him as greater than Jesus.

However, he was quick to recognise this and reminded his audience that he was not the message.

Today, I want us to look at the relationship between the message and the messenger. Is there a relationship or not?
If people do not practice what they preach, can we trust their message?

What is wrong or right with the cliché: ‘Be the Sermon’? These and more are questions we need to address in this and the next editions.

A high calling
The pastoral calling is also a call to a higher moral standard. Pastors and preachers must be credible people, starting from their homes to their communities (1Timothy 3:1-7).

Paul asked us (ministers) to always put no stumbling block in anyone’s path so that our ministry will not be discredited.

“We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed” (2Corinthians 6:3).

All Christians and especially pastors must behave right before a scandal, through a scandal and after the scandal.

Apostle Paul said whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27).

He always reminded us that we are stewards and must be trustworthy.

Perhaps he was drawing from the wells of Greek Philosophy that emphasised that the credibility of the presentation depends on that of the presenter.

All of us Christians and especially pastors must behave right before a scandal. (Source/Goalcast)

Ethos
Aristotle taught that effective communicators possess three qualities: ethos (credibility, appeal to the morality or speaker’s public image), pathos (appeal to the emotions), and logos (logic, appeal to reason and sense).

My focus will be on the credibility (ethos) of the speaker.

In public speaking, what touches us to the core are the personalities before what they preach.

How the presenter looks and what we know about that person lay an initial foundation for the message we have not yet heard.

Because of the ethos of the messenger, the audience is likely to be glued more to that person after the presentation or to distance itself due to the contradiction between the message and the messenger.

Every public speaker, therefore, must take their public image seriously for with it lies their initial appeal.

Ethos in public speaking is when the credibility of the messenger becomes the determinant of the message.

People come to us not knowing our dark side and they listen and like what we have to say.

However, when they get close to us and know a few things about us, they henceforth judge the message based on what they know about us.

Public perception
As messengers of God, it is ethical that we guard ourselves against the temptation of becoming the message, but also we must ensure that the public perception is aligned to the truth of who we are (1Thesolonians 2:9-12, 2Corinthians 11:9).

As a leader or speaker, you have an ethical obligation of how you want to be understood by the public.

Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16 ).

The text says ‘let your light’, it is your light, not the light (John 8:12).

The light you shine upon yourself will help pave way for the true light of Jesus Christ, the message.

The balance
If you are morally successful, do not turn yourself into the message, for Christ is the message. Many morally upright ministers are worshipped and venerated as saints by the public.

Such a worshipped minister is equally worse and more dangerous than a minister who has morally failed.

This is a sin of idolatry. It begins with the minister himself for not denouncing these personal praises rendered to him or God through him (Revelations 22:9, Acts 10:26).

Apostle Paul said whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. (Photo/Canadian Adventist)

If you have suffered reputation hiccups, save the image of God before the public.

Do not let God’s Word be buried with your failures. As a Christian good or bad, you are not the sermon, you are a teaching aid.

The language for us ministers should be: ‘I am not the message, I behave because I believe the message.

The message is not the way I behave, the message is why I behave that way.’

However good we are as ministers, we are called to decrease while Jesus Christ the message must increase.
You cannot be the sermon, Jesus is the sermon.

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