Has God made you bold in the Gospel since your conversion? On the other hand, do you worry about being offensive to this friend or to that acquaintance if you share the good news of Jesus Christ? Is boldness a spiritual quality we should seek or is it inappropriate for our culture and times?
After a confrontation with the local religious authorities – Peter, John, and company once prayed, “‘And now, Lord, . . . grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31, ESV)
Paul had faced cultural conflict but revealed his source of strength in these words, “But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.” (1 Thessalonians 2:2, ESV) Paul had found boldness in God. We see that the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to speak of Christ with boldness.
How long has it been since you prayed, “Lord, give that kind boldness to me. Help me to open my mouth and to speak as boldly of Jesus Christ as I ought to speak”? Have you never prayed that way? The verses above demonstrate that it is a spiritual characteristic greatly to be desired. Should we be less bold than these disciples were?
Was not Christ, Himself, bold in delivering His message of judgment and mercy? If we believe in the seriousness of the message, how can we speak of it lightly and timidly to others? Have you ceased to believe in the wonders of heaven? Do you think the torture, agonies, and weeping of hell are uncivilized myths? You cannot. If you count yourself among the converted, pray for a holy boldness to confront the world with the Gospel. Eternal life is a serious matter.
Filed under: Uncategorized |
Samuel at Gilgal 
Speaking out boldy as Christians is almost illegal these days. I can still do so with little fear in my office because- well – I am the owner of a company that employs over 60 people. My office staff are also Christians. But what if I write a letter to a newspaper, or publish a comment on a blog that would “offend” someone who would then take me to yet another “human rights” tribunal? Would I, like Pastor Stephen Boisson, be ordered to cease and desist from making politically incorrect (Biblical) comments on any subject, group of people or organization that enjoys privileged status above that of ordinary Canadians?
Frankly, as a politically incorrect red haired Scottish immigrant, I am prepared to spend the rest of my life in prison, if that is what its going to take these days to be able to speak freely on any “sensitive” subject that I feel passionately about, whether it be about Homosexual militants, Muslim terrorists living in Canada, abortion, fairies at the bottom of the garden, or anything else that grabs me on any given day.
Freedom of speech is a serious matter. I just returned from a business trip to the Philippines, where politicians rail against militant homosexuals, militant Muslims, the right for citizens to shoot criminals on sight (no, really), and other subjects that intimidate laid back Canadians. Preaching the Gospel in a Manila street is encouraged – in Canada its almost illegal. Here in Canada, we grumble under our breaths as our civil liberties are stripped from us in the name of “tolerance.”
So here is a prediction: Pretty soon we are going to see a far right wing party rise up here. These people will not slink away from law suits, threats, human rights kangeroo courts or anything else that is thrown in their path. In the UK, the British National Party (BNP) were once regarded as extremist, now they and their policies are enjoying unprecedented support among mainstream ordinary Britons who are sick of being treated as second-class citizens in their own country and told that they are not allowed an opinion on gay “rights,” militant Islam, and out-of-control immigration, etc, etc.
This might sound distasteful, but it going to happen here – if it isn’t already. Canadians should have the right to speak loud and proud on the issues. Canadians should have the right to bear arms to protect their families and property from cowardly thugs. Canadian women should be allowed to pack a gun in their purses if they want to. Canadians should not feel ashamed or guilty about demanding an end to our Third World immigration policy which gives rise to terrorists and extremists in our midst. Canadians deserve better- and Canadians should not shirk from demanding it. That includes boldy proclaiming the Gospel from every street corner.
LikeLike
Amen brother – If the US doesn’t soon come to its senses, we too will be completely under the thumb of politically correct fascism.
LikeLike