How Bold Is Bold Enough?

Suggested Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20

Paul, in my opinion is one of the most dynamic characters in Scripture. From requesting letters to arrest Christians to becoming one of Jesus' greatest advocates, Paul was never known for being shy and reserved. Paul stood before rioting mobs and defended both himself and the Gospel. He publicly called Peter on the carpet when he was in the wrong. He endured beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, and prison, and he never seemed to waver from his calling to preach the Gospel. He seemed unstoppable. Which is why Ephesians 6:19-20 stands out for me.

Paul writes, "Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should" (HSCB).

I don't know all of the reasons why Paul felt the need to pray for boldness. Maybe he didn't feel bold. Maybe Paul was anticipating some of the trials he was about to face and was worried about losing his nerve. Maybe he was worried that he would succumb to the temptation to water down the message for his own safety (Paul had been shipped out of town on, at least, four different occasions by other believers trying to keep him alive).   Maybe Paul didn't take his boldness for granted. Maybe Paul was constantly aware of all of the places he could have been bolder.  Or maybe Paul knew that his boldness for Christ came from the Holy Spirit in response to prayer.

What I do know is that, if Paul could request prayers for boldness to preach the message effectively, that we should as well. Maybe if we prayed to be effective and bold we actually would be. Maybe if we prayed with Paul for boldness and a clear message we could stand with him, pressing on toward the prize, rather than just wishing we were like him. 

So, I ask you to pray with me that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel, that I may live as an ambassador for Christ, being bold enough in Him to speak as I should. And if you want, I'll pray the same with you. 

Having the Right Credentials

Suggested Reading: Acts 4:8-18

Several years ago, I graduated with a Master of Divinity degree and am currently finishing a PhD. I have spent more than a decade in higher education classrooms and I know lots of people with multiple degrees. Some of my best friends hold a PhD.  So I have both a great appreciation for and a healthy skepticism of higher learning. I appreciate the education one can gain, especially in biblical studies, but I am also keenly aware, because of so much time spent with so many people who now have higher education degrees, that academic credentials don't change who you are. In fact, academic learning and credentials typically make you much more of the kind of person you already are. With education, people are simply better at justifying what they already believe and more practiced in defending it.

Recently, however, I was reading through Acts 4 and I was reminded of an entirely different and yet more pertinent kind of credential. Peter and John had been arrested due to the public upheaval they created by healing a lame man. They had been brought before the Sanhedrin and called to account for preaching in the name of Jesus. When Peter and John responded cleverly and with conviction, the Sanhedrin's reaction to them is recorded with these words:  "When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13 HCSB). Neither Peter nor John had any legitimate training or education in the eyes of the most educated Jews of the day yet they were able to make a solid case for preaching the gospel before the very people who were trying to intimidate them into stopping. The only explanation the Sanhedrin could come up with was that these men had been with Jesus.

In another example, but at the opposite extreme, we can see the Apostle Paul. Paul was a very highly educated man. He had studied under Gamaliel, a man whose counsel the Sanhedrin grudgingly yielded to just a few chapters later in Acts. Paul had all of the educational credentials that a Christian minister could hope for in the first century. Yet, at the beginning of each of his letters, when he lists his credentials for his readers, he never once mentions his education or training. Instead, he only ever mentions that he had been called by Jesus, that he was a slave of Jesus.  As far as Paul was concerned, the only legitimate credentials were those related directly to his relationship with Christ.

Now, don't get me wrong. I believe in being as educated as possible, especially for the ministry. I believe in having all of the tools available to help one rightly divide the Word of Truth. But the only credential that really matters is whether or not we have been with Jesus, whether or not we are following his call in our lives. What credentials do you tend to flash for people? Are you more impressed than you should be by other people's credentials? Or do you rely too heavily on the wrong credentials yourself? There's ultimately only one credential that matters.

Scared to Pray in Front of New Neighbors

Suggested Reading: James 5:13-18

One summer during college, I came home to discover that new neighbors had moved in two doors down from my childhood home. The new neighbors were a Vietnamese family and the head of the household, a very old man, had been brought home to die. He had recently had a surgery which had removed a large portion of his brain and his family wanted him to be able to die at home. When  I heard they had moved in and heard the condition of the family patriarch, I felt compelled to go visit the family. I walked up to the door that first time, completely unaware of what I was supposed to do or say. When the family matriarch answered the door, knowing only four words of English, I simply asked if I could come inside and pray. She recognized the word "pray" and took me right into the room where the older gentleman lay sleeping.

For the next two weeks, I went to pray at his bedside every day and, each day, every family member who was home would crowd into the room and listen as I read scripture and prayed for this man and for his family. One day as I was sitting there praying, the idea of praying for his healing occurred to me. Up to that point, I had been praying that he wouldn't suffer and that God would be with his family during this time. But the idea of praying that this man would be healed scared me to death. What would I look like if I stood up and placed my hands on his head and asked God to heal him and nothing happened? What would the God I was sharing with these people look like if I did that? I thought about the passage in James 5 which says the sick should call for the elders of the church to come in and anoint the person with oil and pray for them, and I considered calling in some elders. But the thought of doing what Peter and John did, just praying boldly, out loud for God's miraculous healing, scared me to death.

I was reminded of that summer recently, when I was reading that same passage in James again. I thought of how scared I was at the idea of praying that prayer where everybody could hear and then I kept reading: Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops (James 5:17-18, NLT). Reading this word, I was even more ashamed at my fear. I don't know if God ever wanted me to stand up and pray for that man's healing. But I am absolutely certain that God would have wanted me to have the courage to pray for his healing, knowing that God could answer any prayer He calls me to pray.

How many times do we refuse to pray because we are scared? Scared that God might not answer? Scared that we will look like fools? Scared that we will make God look bad if He does't answer? How often do we want to stand up and pray a bold prayer but just don't have the guts to do it? How much courage did it take for Elijah to stand up and publicly pray (or announce that he had prayed) that God would stop sending rain? What would Elijah have looked like if God didn't answer? What would Peter and John look like if they pulled up the lame man in Acts chapter 3 and his legs fell out from underneath him? Or Jesus if he shouted in that loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" and nothing happened? They would have been embarrassed and humiliated. But God did answer their prayers and acts of faith!

Are you willing to pray bold prayers? Do you have the courage in front of other people to ask God to do the miraculous when you know its the right thing to do? Yes, you risk being embarrassed and looking bad. But is that risk worth missing out on seeing God perform something incredible?