With All Boldness

In discussing witnessing and the exclusivity of the gospel, consider the early church. Their context was inclusive, relativistic, agnostic, and atheistic in similar ways to our modern culture. Consider Tim Keller’s comments and counsel on the evangelistic edge of the early church,^[2]

They were both attractive and growing, yet hated and attacked. This description of the early church cuts us two ways. If on the one hand, we experience no attacks or persecution for our faith, it means we simply are being cowards. We are not taking risks in our witness, we are not being bold. On the other hand, if we experience attacks without a . . . fruitfulness and attractiveness (i.e., if we get lots of persecution and no affirmation), it may mean that we are being persecuted for being harsh or insensitive or strident. Jesus said we would only be blessed if we were persecuted “for righteousness’ sake.” It is quite possible (indeed, it is very normal) for Christians to be persecuted not for their faith, but for their discourtesy, insensitivity, and lack of warmth and respect in their dealings with others. Insensitive, harsh Christians will have persecution but not praise. Cowardly Christians will have praise but not persecution. Most Christians (whose walk with God is weak) actually get neither! But Christians who are closest to Jesus will get both, as he did. (Evangelism, 45)

May God give us a closeness to Jesus so that we might commend him lovingly like the early church did. And may we be bold risk takers in our witness to Christ while also being marked by sensitivity and warmth.

Acts 4:13-18

It particularly confounds the religious leaders that these common fishermen are the ones speaking so boldly about Scripture (v. 13). Men with their lack of education and training were not expected to speak with either courage or confidence before the supreme powers of the land. The only explanation for the ability of Peter and John to do so is that they had received a tremendous education about Scripture from the Savior they claimed to follow! They were bold because they had the Holy Spirit, and they personally knew the One who had all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18). They “had been with Jesus”!

God can effectively use anyone—even the uneducated—who will listen and to follow his Son. You may never get the chance to receive formal training in Scripture, but be encouraged: God can use you. One day you may even speak to kings and people in high positions. Should that happen, there’s no need to fear: You know the ruler over all creation (Col 1:15). God can use the PhDs (think Paul) and the GEDs (think Peter), the doctors (like Luke) and the tax collectors (like Matthew). Praise God for his wonderful grace!

When the religious leaders conclude that the boldness of Peter and John resulted from their being with Jesus, and they see that a crippled man has indeed been miraculously healed, they are dumbfounded (v. 14). They order the apostles to leave the Sanhedrin and have a little huddle to discuss the big mess. On the one hand, a notable miracle has taken place in a public way they cannot deny. On the other hand, they must stop the news about Jesus from spreading. Thus, they command Peter and John not to say the name of Jesus.

In taking this approach, these leaders act out of fear for their own futures rather than out of fear of God. They do not want to lose their power and influence. So instead of asking, “What must we do to be saved?” they ask, “What must we do to keep our power?” They love the praise that comes from people more than the praise that comes from God. That’s why they are more concerned with doing damage control than they are with taking seriously the message of repenting and believing.

Acts 4:19-22

Peter and John reply boldly to the demand of the Sanhedrin (vv. 19-20). The New American Standard Bible renders their response this way: “We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (v. 20; emphasis added). They had seen with their own eyes and touched with their own hands the resurrected Lord Jesus. His glory was undeniable. They were acting in obedience to him.

Importantly, while Christians are called to obey rulers and authorities on earth (Rom 13:1-17), they aren’t to do so in ways that contradict God’s Word or violate their consciences. If you are faced with an absolute decision in which you must obey God or the authorities, you can be certain that obeying the Lord is the right path. Doing so can be risky, but disobeying God’s explicit Word is never an option. Like Peter and John, we must have the primary aim of pleasing God. May God make us both wise and bold in speaking about the gospel of his Son.

In view of the obvious healing miracle and now the rejoicing public, the leaders were still in a bind (vv. 21-22). The only action they could safely take against the men was to threaten the apostles further about speaking about Jesus. In the end the leaders could find no basis on which to punish them.

Acts 4:23-30

After their hearing, Peter and John return to their companions and tell them what transpired. In this scene we see the church sharing in the shake-up of Peter and John. Indeed, these Christians practiced good listening. But they also practiced empathy and were driven by the mission of God. Likewise, we should constantly remind ourselves that we are all participants in the Lord’s mission. When one of our brothers or sisters suffers on behalf of the testimony of Jesus, we should not only aim to empathize with them but also to embolden them through prayer.

As we turn our attention to the church’s prayer in this chapter, consider three observations.

This prayer is rooted in God’s attributes(vv. 24-30). The gathered beleivers address God as “Master” (v. 24) or “Sovereign Lord” (ESV). This title ascribes absolute authority and rule to God. The church, at the outset, reminded themselves of God’s control of all things (vv. 24-25).

Thinking about God’s sovereignty should bring us great comfort and security. Our God is the One with unchallengeable power! Everything that was, and is, and ever will be answers to him.

This prayer is rooted in the Scriptures (vv. 25-28). In quoting Psalm 2:1-2 the church reminds itself of God’s sovereignty and providence over all history. Psalm 2 in its entirety describes the victory of the Lord and his Anointed One against the conspiracy of the nations. Equipped with a Christ-centered understanding of Scripture, the church rightly understands Psalm 2 as foretelling gospel events (Acts 4:27-28). The descendant of David would suffer rejection but emerge victorious as ruler over all the nations. This is precisely what we see in Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and promise of return. It appears the early church kept that truth in view.

God told his people beforehand that the nations would conspire together against the Messiah, yet he would be triumphant and become ruler over all. The church realized they were in the final chapter of a great unfolding drama, and the next step is the return and reign of Christ. They trusted this promise and let that make them bold. We too should realize that we are in the final chapter of the true story of the world. No matter what you might face today, Jesus is indeed coming back soon. And then every knee will bow and confess he is Lord. Let this embolden you as you speak and live for the King.

This prayer is for mission above comfort (vv. 29-30). The church aligns itself with Christ and his sufferings. In this hostile first-century context, having more boldness meant more gospel preaching, but that preaching would inevitably put believers in difficult circumstances. In their mission, then, the church prayed for boldness and perseverance rather than comfort. They knew Jesus was worth more than their lives.

Suffering is unavoidable for the Christian. In every generation the gospel always cuts against cultural convictions and norms in some way. Paul would later write, “All who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12).

Thinking about all this in light of the freedoms we in the United States enjoy, I wonder how our prayers might differ from those offered by the early church in view of the “American dream” ideology that permeates our culture. Could it be that our prayers are more about our comfort being maintained or enhanced than they are about asking that God’s greater glory be displayed? When we pray for a fellow citizen facing opposition, for instance, it’s not usually sufficient to pray, “Father, alleviate this!” Rather, we might add, “But Lord, if you choose not to, may the gospel advance because of this struggle!”

Acts 4:31

After the church prays, God awesomely answers (v. 31). Peter and John were shaken by the Sanhedrin, but Almighty God shook the church and gave them boldness as a result. They were again filled with the Spirit and continued to speak the gospel with boldness.

We live in a world where our brothers, who live only hours away from us by plane, are being killed for their faith in Jesus. Yet we so often worry ourselves with trivial things and become paralyzed by fear at the thought of sharing the gospel here in our land of freedoms. This should make us ask, Why are we not seeing a move of the Spirit like we see here in Acts? Could it be that we’ve grown more concerned about our social standing or reputations than about Christ and his mission? Are we more interested in accumulating new toys and gadgets than in seeing the mercy of Christ being powerfully proclaimed to and embraced by our neighbors?

Consider the power within us: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you” (Rom 8:11). The same Spirit who empowered the early Christians dwells within us. No matter the trials and persecutions we may face today or in ten years, we have a glorious resurrection coming. Let this encourage you afresh toward sharing in the mission of redemption. May God grant us the boldness of Peter and John by the power of his Spirit.