"Don't pray for protection; pray for boldness"
We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20 NLT)
And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. (Acts 4:29 NLT)
The disciples of Jesus were not an all-star cast. They were a rag tag groups of religious outcasts who routinely displayed this in the gospels. When Jesus confessed that he was going to Jerusalem to die, they fought about who was the greatest among them. When Jesus was arrested, they fled & abandoned him, even denied him. And after he died, they did not even anticipate his resurrection, even thought he foretold it.
But the resurrection did something to them. Before the resurrection they were running scared, now they are bold enough to give their lives for this Jesus & his gospel. The resurrection changed everything!
In response to the religious leaders commanding them to be silent about Jesus, even threatening them, they reply with this: "We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard." They are compelled by the resurrected Jesus & nothing can shut them up, not even being threatened with death!
And I love their prayer in verse 29 after they have been imprisoned & flogged for sharing Jesus. They do not pray for protection in the face of imprisonment, persecution, physical abuse, & death. They pray for BOLDNESS. They are not worried about the consequences of their preaching, but that they be bold witnesses to do the preaching. What a difference!
We must have the same attitude as the apostles here. We must be compelled by the resurrected Jesus. And although we have not seen him we love him. We must be captured by the gospel to the extent that we can't help but share him no matter the consequences.
And also, we must not ask God for protection but boldness. All of the disciples gave their lives for Jesus & we know him today because of their sacrifice. How many different people groups will know him because of ours?
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