Workshop Three
Intercultural and Global Issues
Faith and Learning
Acts 25 (New King James Version) tells us that circumstances in Caesarea were being arranged for the apostle Paul to speak before King Agrippa on his own behalf concerning evil charges brought against him in Jerusalem. Let’s examine this excellent lesson on negotiating, strategizing, persuasion, and presentation given in Chapter 26. In The Maxwell Leadership Bible, page 1362, Maxwell outlines Paul’s compelling court speech in which we can readily see Paul operated under the “best defense is a good offense” strategy. Paul:

1. seemed relaxed yet animated as he stretched out his hand and answered for himself (verse 1)
2. was humble yet confident as he proclaimed, “I think myself happy, King Agrippa …” (verse 2)
3. affirmed the king’s position by complimenting his expertise (verse 3)
4. admitted his life was an open book for he was known in Jerusalem (verse 4)
5. reminded them of his strict past in light of his new-found understanding of Christ (verses 5-8)
6. identified with his accusers (verses 9-11)
7. used a narrative to defend his change of heart (verses 12-18)
8. described his motives as pure and constructive, that they might received forgiveness (verse 18)
9. conceded he was obeying a divine vision and instructed them to turn to God and repent (verses 19, 20)
10. explained his obedience to God caused his trouble (verse 21)
11. illustrated God’s favor on his life made it possible for him to be there that day (verse 22)
12. affirmed that he preached the Scripture of the Gospel (verses 22, 23)
13. challenged them with reasonable and verifiable facts (verse 25)
14. admitted the king knew these facts with a brilliant and shrewd statement (verse 26)
15. confronted the king directly with a question which could have only one answer (verse 27)
16. pled with them to obey God and become like him except with no chains (verse 29)

Paul was, in part, appealing to the king for his life, but a read of Paul’s letters in the New Testament reveals his major motive was negotiating for the lives of any audience which would hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can read the story of his conversion three times in the Book of Acts, the latter two before government rulers. On page 1357, Maxwell suggests you read the latter two accounts (the other is found in Acts 22) “with an eye toward comparing and contrasting his accounts. What differences do you note? What similarities? Why would he emphasize one thing to one audience and another to a second audience?” As Maxwell suggests, you may learn something about shaping your message to different groups. Furthermore, studying Paul’s letters in which he presents the Gospel to an international audience of Romans, Corinthians, Colossians, and many more published in the New Testament will bring greater illumination on negotiation techniques as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Paul was anointed by You to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. We ask you to anoint us for the assignment You have for us, in Your name, Amen.
Objectives
By the end of this workshop, you should be able to:

• Define negotiation and describe the negotiation process.
• Identify negotiation styles.
• Summarize how to manage negotiation.
• Describe the decisions involved in negotiation.
• Identify the reasons that influence a company to go international.
• Summarize the strategic formulation process.
• Explain the steps in developing international and global strategies.

Workshop Assignments Calendar

Assignment Title Due Dates Points
3.1 Reading (Suggested) Complete by Thursday night of workshop 3. 0
3.2 Discussion: Communication Post your initial response by Thursday night of workshop 1. Post a minimum of two follow-up posts by Monday of workshop 1. Review the discussion grading rubric for complete details. 20
3.3 Discussion: The Role of Culture Post your initial response by Thursday night