Let Us Be Bold

Here is one of those quotes that just rips you inside. The title is what caught my eye: "So Preach as Though There Were Men Standing in the Back Waiting to Arrest You."

"The hallmark of the apostolic method of preaching was boldness. Again and again as we read Luke's account we are arrested by the power and boldness that characterized the way in which the gospel was proclaimed by those early preachers . . . This characteristic boldness is all the more striking when we compare it with the preaching of our day, which is so often lacking in this biblical boldness. We may not like to admit it, but it is nevertheless a fact that many of today's preachers may be loud and bombastic at times, may even become tactless and offensive at times, but for all that, they lack the boldness that is so obviously evident in the apostolic preaching of Acts" (Wagner, Tongues Aflame, p. 39).

I just can't help but wonder if we as a church and as individual believers will have this sort of boldness. It is true that the believers in Acts had boldness that we have never seen today. Perhaps it's because they prayed for boldness (Acts 4:23-31).

Right now, it is fairly easy to be a Christian. But do we live our lives with such boldness that we care more about our message than our reputation. Oftentimes I do not. Whenever I teach, preach, speak, live, converse, and relate to others, I find that I am more of a coward than a lion. I am one that wants people to like me, respect me, and find me funny. I fear that I do not have such boldness.

In our church services, do we care more about our numbers and the size of our offerings than the gospel? Beloved, let us be bold for Christ and trust that His glory will be seen through it all. Let us be like the first believers rather than the latest that make up our culture. Let us be bold with the gospel with apology, even if that means we loose it all.