BOLDNESS

Now when they saw the BOLDNESS of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus – Acts 4:13

The Gift of BOLDNESS is vital to possessing your possessions. Boldness is an undeniable sign of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Being bold also means being assured, courageous and confident. We practice boldness by speaking and acting courageously in situations that could possibly expose us to danger. Hebrews 4:16 is a plea for boldness as a life style: “come boldly to the throne of grace”! In these days of vacillating morals and questionable ethics, we are challenged to stand boldly and uncompromisingly for “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Boldness is the key to the 4th chapter of Acts, and the center point of this is found in verse 13: “Now when they saw the BOLDNESS of Peter and John...” This portrays the boldness of Peter and John, in the face of hatred toward preaching the gospel of Christ.

Boldness is the inner delight of a liberated person expressed in daring. In the midst of human weakness and the timid nature of religion, one great need of the hour is for boldness: in living, loving, forgiving, giving, serving, speaking the truth in love, and in obedience to the will of God. Boldness springs out of conviction, communication and character that are based on undeniable truth and experience. Boldness captures attention; it compels people to listen. There is no apology for it or in it. True boldness, which comes from being with Jesus, is not brash, hard, or arrogant, but attractive and clear, confident because we know that He has won the battle over death, Satan, and the world.

The apostles had a holy boldness. They were possessed by a great passion that was motivated by their experience of Jesus, His resurrection, and His return in power in the Holy Spirit. Someone, not just something, had happened to them both before and after Pentecost. They were the new creation, filled with the excitement of the promise Jesus had made them:

Let’s consider four characteristics of spiritual boldness.

A bold believer is never intimidated. Peter and those with him were commanded by the authorities to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. Yet, in spite of being threatened with bodily harm, they boldly declared, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). To live the God-kind of life requires believers to possess a boldness that is not intimidated.

A bold believer stands on God’s side: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jam.4:4). In these days of passivity and neutrality, there are many who try to hold on to the world with one hand while attempting to hold on to Jesus with the other. No one can serve two masters (Mt. 6:24). Joshua challenged the people to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Jos. 24:15b). He also at the inception of his ministry, been shown the secret. Thrice, he was told: “be strong and of good courage” (Jos.1: 6-9).

A bold believer testifies regardless of the situation. In spite of the row that erupted over their preaching, Peter and John prayed for boldness to speak God’s Word: “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word” (Acts 4:29). The apostles prayed for spiritual power that would fortify them for the mission of presenting the gospel to hostile audiences.

A bold believer is confident. Such was the confidence expressed by Paul: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phi.4:13).

Boldness is a key quality in the A-B-C of Faith: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Eph.3:12). Beloved, God wants you to live boldly, love boldly, pray boldly, stand boldly, speak boldly, serve boldly, witness boldly, worship boldly, trust God boldly,  face opposition boldly, and minister with boldness.