Pastor Ron based the message today on the recounting of the boldness of Peter and John in Acts 4:8-13:
"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: 'Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is "the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone." Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.'"
The priests then ordered Peter and John to cease speaking of Jesus. "But Peter and John replied, 'Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.'" Acts 4:19b
This story tells us of three truths:
- When we are bold, we will be tested.
- God has called us to be bold witnesses for Jesus Christ. Boldness does not have to be brash or confrontational; it can be soft, gentle and warm. Boldness comes from the heart and refuses to be intimated. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
- God calls us to be bold and obedient. Jesus' last command to His disciples - to US - was "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
Will you and I be willing to declare with the boldness of Peter and John? We cannot help but speak and teach what we know. "For we cannot help speaking of what we have heard and seen." Acts 4:20
