truth and
dare
There are a variety of ways to monitor our
progress in academics, physical health, and career moves. But how is boldness monitored?
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When you think of boldness, do
you find it an attractive trait? For me, when I see boldness coupled with
humility and kindness I admire it greatly.
When it is lacking those qualities, it seems more like belligerence. In our current culture, we may find the
disciples’ words a bit too direct (“…whom you
crucified…rejected by you builders),
but in that culture at that time, their response was well in keeping with
educated rhetoric.
It is interesting that the
religious leaders found the articulation and boldness of the disciples notable
(verse 13), and yet, that is what the disciples state as their recurring
need. Perhaps it is one of those things,
which requires a periodic “filling up”. And
the disciples themselves must have sensed some degree of success in the
interaction since when they are released, they rejoin their friends, praising
God, and acknowledging that it is God who ultimately triumphs. It is God who is able to use even the wickedness
in men’s hearts [that is their desire to stomp out the gospel of Jesus] to work toward the accomplishment of His purposes [proclaiming the gospel of Jesus].
The apostles apparently felt
they were still in need of boldness, so they prayed for more. They had experienced the Truth. They were willing to dare to tell others
about that Truth even if it cost them their job, their family ease, their own
way of living the “good life”. In spite
of the political tensions, and the loss of work experienced by at least some of
the disciples, [like the fishermen], their number one request was for greater
boldness to give witness to the risen Christ.
Do
have a relationship with Jesus? If so,
you have the Truth. Are you living for
that Truth? How do you currently dare to
make that Truth known to others?
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So often it is easy to pray for
things which I see and feel as being so important to me right now. But this is
not the way of Jesus—take a look at His prayer in John 17. And this is not the way of the early church
as we can see here in this passage and others.
The larger picture—bringing people
into relationship with God—is really the heart of the prayers of Jesus and
the apostles.
The Acts of the Apostles is a
book that is inspiring me to pray for more boldness, so that my life will be
spent on the thing dearest to God’s heart:
drawing people unto Himself. I am
praying for the boldness I need to be daring with the Truth!
Read
and Pray: Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 6:18-19, Hebrews
13:5-6
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