Draft - Boldness

Isn’t it crazy that we are told and have access | go BOLDLY Before the THRONE of Grace | that God MOVES from our PRAYERS - You have been EQUIPT with everything you need | to come together | complete God’s purpose | But… Sometimes, we don’t.

How then, do we as the people of God access the power of the early church? The power to…Love…Forgive…Change…Heal…?

We are in a sermon series, which is annual theme | Come Together | Going through the Book of acts | How did they Live together | Face challenges | How that applies to us today

Just finished up looking at the Early Church, How they lived | What they where devoted to | etc. Last week how to be a blessing to another person;

Today: I want to talk about being Bold -

Story of Emma being Bold with Salespeople

A mark of the early church | Extremely Bold Together - Extremely bold in their prayers | I think sometimes we can pray Safe | Believe safe | Why?

Love and Honour God | Don’t feel like we can ask for it or are good at praying | maybe because some people are really good at it | Prayer Envy | Some are professional prayer | God might be like - AWESOME | Sometimes, implied point system - If I am good praying, yew | Maybe if I use the bible, bonus points , if someone says YES LORD - BOOM | How can we be more Bold in what we ask for and have more FAITH?

Move on from Acts 2 - I want to look at acts 4- Context | Peter and John was preaching on Resurrection, doing healing miracles, God was working | There was a LAME MAN - No walk for 40 years - Healed him |

Problem: Jews thought Peter and John leading cult movement, went to prison, stood trial in front of the Sehnehedrin, they surrounded them asking, “In Who’s name do you do these things”

Acts 4:10–13 ESV

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

They where Astonished - Amazed, Blown away - How, Regular, unschooled guys where so Bold - Ordinary = Greek = Idiotaste = Idiots

Nothing Special = Incredibly Bold in Jesus.

Religious leaders looking on - Healing, in the name of Jesus, not their religion, they had to stop it, this was going to spread.

They charged them to STOP TALKING ABOUT JESUS. What do you think they did? They could of lost their life...

They prayed… OF course - They have the religious leaders wanting to kill them | Death sentence on their head | What do you think they payed for?

I’ll tell you waht they DID NOT PRAY

Comfortable

enemies to flee

leave me alone

offer me the golden path out of this

With the THREAT of DEATH - They had Faith, and Trust and this was their prayer

Acts 4:24–30 ESV

And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and 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.”

Question: Do you think your bold? Think about it, on a scale of 1-10 how bold are you? Maybe 3 or 4 | Maybe 7 or 8 |

**Story of Esther** - Against the Law, Stood up for her people, Pushed through for Justice.

What would happen if you got Bold?

Let’s look at what God did;

Acts 4:31 ESV

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.

AFter the Prayer - The meeting place SHOOK - They where what, FILLED |

After the prayer | Filled | Then Preached the Word Boldly | Well, not naturally a bold person | Timid | Laid back - LISTEN - BOLDNESS NOT PERSONALITY TRAIT | When the HOLY SPIRIT FILLS YOU = You can be FILLED with BOLDNESS

Not a Personality Trait = Holy Spirit Trait

If you Pray This - You might see Opportunities to be Bold like Never Before

Someone might be gossiping about someone in the church - Hey, let’s do better - that’s our brother/sister

Might see somoene alone, in fellowship time, be bold, go say hello

Sharing a meal might be out of comfort zone, you might just do it

Commit to your relationship | Bold in treating your wife |

What would happen? If you set an alarm, if you “Release tension, and set intention”?

So what happen to Peter and John? They kept preaching, they where still bold, Kept seeing miracles and in ACts 5, you read they where arrested again, in jail, angel came, broke them out, and angel said “Get back to work”

If you want to be bold - 3 things might happen

Boldness always triggers spiritual opposition - Preached Boldly, Went ot o jail, doesn’t say “Followed Jesus and was realllly comfortable” - I do not worry when there is opposition from obedience - Just when there isn’t - You will be standing up for hte name of JESUS - it will not always go well

If you’re not ready to face opposition, you’re not ready to be used by God

2. Bold Faith often leads to a realisation of God’s Work - What will happen, is you will start to see God’s hand in everything | You will be like “How did I do that?” “How did that happen”

3. No matter what - Boldness requires Faith - If you want to be Bold, start living by Faith - Right now, we need to live by Faith - That Jesus holds it all together -

Acts 5:20–21 ESV

“Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

Go do what got you arrested - that thing that got you kiled - Go do that thing.

**Story about homeless guy** - No fruit

We are not boldness to achieve our outcome, we are boldness in our obedience.

You have no idea what might happen.

How can you be Bold?

Realise the Lord is Soverign - This part of the prayer is to stress the powerful control exerted by God - (Revelation Cross reference)

2. 2nd thing you might of missed.

Did you miss it? **Together** - You where created to be depended on each other and Jesus - They did it TOGETHER, One voice (Romans Verse, with one voice) - In a community - They weren’t Bold alone - They where Bold Together.

3. There is power in the name of Jesus - There is Power inside of you

**Acts** - How did they do this, in the NAME OF JESUS -

Listen;

How will it end? John boiled in oil - banished to Patmos

Peter - Crucified upside down. “im not worthy to be crucified like my savior” - That was his reward.

Boldness + Obedience always brings opposition

BUt - If you know Jesus, like I know Jesus, if you have been FORGIVEN, the way I have ben Forgiven - You don’t care about opposiiton - You are happy to take it - You count it all joy. Joy is a state of your being, not an emotion;

**Psalm from David**

**Close and Inspo**