Passionate Boldness

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John,... they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. - Acts 4:13


A young man was preaching to the passersby in Hounslow, on the outskirts of London, England. Most ignored him, a few ridiculed, and several stopped to listen. But regardless of the reaction of the people, he was undeterred. With a strong voice and clear resolve, he poured out his heart - not with the words of an angry prophet, but with deep concern for the men and women on that street. His eyes, facial expressions, and tone of voice revealed an attitude of compassion, not condemantion. In it all, he boldly shared the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

In Acts 4, when the church was still new, Peter and John also boldly addressed the people of their generation. The response of the leaders of their day? "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus" (v.13). That boldness was not the fruit of ministrial training but of much time spent in the presence of the Master. As a result, they had become passionate about what concerned Christ - the eternal destiny of men and women.

That same passionate boldness was on the face of the young man in Hounslow. Do people see it in us? - Bill Crowder


Will you he bold in your witness
By giving lost sinners God's Word?
Jesus will honor your service,
And sinners will surely be stirred. - Bosch

A Christian is an ambassador who speaks for the King of kings.

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Acts 4:5-13

It happened in the morning, that their rulers, elders, and scribed were gathered together in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and as many as were relatives of the high priest.

When they had stood them in the middle of them, they inquired, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "You rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we are examined today concerning a god deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him does this man stand here before you whole.

He is 'the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which had become the head of the corner.' There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!"

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.

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