Lessons in Boldness for the Gospel
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Acts 4:29–31 ESV Read More
The disciples had just worked a miracle and then were taken before the Sanhedrin for continuing to preach Christ. Peter and John were incredibly bold before their accusers. Nobody could argue with a miraculous healing, but it wasn’t enough to convince them of the truth. After Peter and John were released, they went back and this is the end of the prayer that all of the disciples prayed.
Boldness Yields Boldness
The funny thing about bravery and boldness is that it snowballs. If you find yourself having a moment of boldness, and I mean good, humble, meek, true boldness, you’ll be more likely to be bold again next time. These guys stood up to the same council that killed Jesus weeks earlier, and they were not afraid. If anybody was afraid, it was the Sanhedrin. (HT to Caleb D. For some insight on the fact that the Sanhedrin never denied that it was true!) So fresh back from this great display of boldness about the Lord Jesus, the disciples pray for more boldness.
Evangelism for Chickens
Uncharted passed out some booklets at the #WeAreBold event last night that said on the front “Uncharted Field Guide Vol.1” Before you even open it to see the cool exercises in boldness that are on the inside, you are subliminally encouraged that you are going to grow in boldness. This is Vol. 1. That says, just like when you realized Star Wars: A New Hope was Part IV, that there is going to be more to this story.
As we pray for boldness, Jesus will give it to us.
As we see that He is the source of that boldness, we will learn to wield it with humility instead of being obnoxious jerks.
As we exercise our confidence in the truth of the salvation of Jesus Christ, we’ll grow to appreciate our own salvation more.
Pray for boldness, watch for earthquakes, and see what happens next.
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