Acts 4:23 - 31
The nanny state and its attendant decline in risk aversion is striking at the very core of what it means to be the church today. Rather than following in the footsteps of the early church and being bold in our willingness to speak out in the name of Jesus (see Acts 4 - 12 for example), we are being people who generally huddle within our church walls, trying to make ourselves as small, minimising the risks that could come our way when we speak about faith, or Christian values in our society.
The early church were able to be bold because they recognised that their number one priority was to be witnesses to Jesus Christ in the world. They let nothing get in the way of doing this (see Acts 4:19). Secondly, they prayed for boldness. They realised that the Holy Spirit could make them bold when they were not naturally bold (see Acts 4:29). Thirdly, they knew that the opposition that came their way was against God, and that they were part of his mission in this world (see Acts 4:25, 26).
Where do you start with being bold? What are the situations that you are in, where empowered by the Holy Spirit, you could speak God's truth and in doing so advance the work of his kingdom?
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