Bold Faith
I never fail to be surprised by how passionately my friends can talk about things that I find, if I’m brutally honest, boring at times! Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing their faces light up as they discuss the new episode of some random new programme, or show me their latest TikTok video.
It’s wonderful to be passionate, to be filled with joy as we chat about things close to our hearts but I wonder as Christians, do we speak about Jesus with the same passion that we talk about our favourite programmes or the latest trends? How much easier is it to share with someone our love of our favourite series, rather than sharing our love of our Saviour?
When we look at the book of Acts in the Bible, we repeatedly see the boldness of the early church in proclaiming the love of Jesus to each and every person that they met. They relentlessly shared the gospel with a fierce passion. Their hearts had been set ablaze with a deep desire to know Jesus and to make Him known. But they were also bold.
Their faith appeared so naturally infectious, the way Peter speaks to a lame beggar saying “silver and gold I do not have but what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6) and the man is healed! Peter chose to be bold.
Now Peter had let Jesus down in the past - surely denying Jesus 3 times must have put a downer on things - but here he is, fearlessly refusing to let anyone he passes by miss out on the chance to encounter the risen Jesus. He actively made a choice to be bold, to step out and to seize the opportunity God had given him.
What would the man’s life have been like if Peter had looked the other way?
I wonder what opportunities has God given you this week? Have there been times when you have looked the other way?
Maybe you could have told that friend who was worried that you were praying for them?
Maybe you could have chosen to stand up for the person that everyone else was teasing?
Or maybe you could have shared how you became a Christian when your friend asked: “is there more to life than this?”
It seems today as if Jesus is whispering to you, as He has always been whispering to you, “be ready”. He wants you to be ready for the opportunities that He’s going to give you, to be ready to be bold for Him.
Peter didn’t heal the beggar in his own strength but in God’s. The Father isn’t asking us to do the impossible on our own, He is inviting us to come alongside what He is already doing. He is already at work, we just need to be bold and join in.
How could you be bolder in your walk with Jesus this week?
