Holy Spirit and Bold Witnessing

Chuckle: "There are two ways to reach the top of an oak tree -- you can climb it, or you can sit on an acorn and wait."

Good Quote: "You will be my witnesses" -- that means a life of unsullied, uncompromising and unbribed devotion to the Lord Jesus, a satisfaction to Him wherever He places us. --Oswald Chambers

"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold" (2 Corinthians 3:12 NIV). "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness" (Acts 4:29 NIV).

Just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus said to His disciples: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8 NIV). Here Jesus says the power of His Holy Spirit will enable His followers to tell people everywhere about Him. He said they would receive the Holy Spirit, He would give them power, and they would witness with amazing results.

There is no doubt that our Lord desires that we be courageous and bold in proclaiming the gospel message. He wants us to press on even when we are fearful because we know what we are doing is carrying out God's plan for reaching the world for Christ. I suspect that each of us, as believers, has the desire to be bold for Christ; however, it is here that many of us get weak of knee, spine, and tongue.

If you have the desire to be more bold for your Lord, how can you see this desire become reality? You can get some help by observing the disciples of Jesus in the early church. They prayed earnestly together for courage. To gain boldness, you can (1) pray for the Holy Spirit's power to give you courage and boldness; (2) be alert for opportunities in your family and neighborhood to talk about Christ; (3) realize that rejection, social discomfort, and embarrassment are not necessarily persecution; and (4) start where you are by being bolder in small ways.

Even when threatened with bodily harm, the New Testament Christians spoke with boldness about their faith in Jesus Christ. I believe they recognized, as we must, that the courage to witness with boldness cannot come from our own strength, but the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus sent out the twelve to be witnesses, He said to them: "But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say. For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Matthew 10:19-20 NIV). When we come to realize that the Spirit empowers us for Christian service, we have taken the first step toward being bold and faithful witnesses.

Love, Jerry & Dotse