There is a line in a song I’ve heard that says, “If you fool me once, shame on you; if you fool me twice, shame on me.”  Others have said, “I’m not going to let that happen to me again!”  Both of these show the tendency of all people to avoid pain.  We allow ourselves to be trained very easily; if somebody hurts us, we will be unlikely to give them the opportunity to do it again.  Everybody works to avoid pain in life.  Still a conviction that is inspired by the Holy Spirit is much more powerful than a fear.  This sort of conviction deliberately chooses a course of action because it is right and the reward in obedience is much better than the suffering we will endure by doing it.

This is exactly what the early followers of Christ experienced.  In Acts chapter 4, the city officials threw the apostles Peter and John into jail for teaching about the life and resurrection of Jesus.  The popularity of the message and the miraculous signs the apostles performed were too much for the authorities to tolerate.  The apostles spent the night behind bars and came to trial the next day.  In the end they were released from prison, but with a strict warning: that if they continued speaking about Jesus, they would be punished severely (4:21).

Faced with this threat, the disciples did a most amazing thing.  They gathered together and asked God to help them speak about Jesus with great boldness and to be able to continue to do miraculous signs.  The resurrected Savior and Pentecost had changed them forever – they refused to retreat fearfully into the dark.  Jesus’ message was so important that nothing would stop them for announcing it.  The power of God was so great that nothing could stop His message from spreading.

The result was that the earth shook, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke in tongues, and they confidently announced the message about Jesus in their city.

I want to point out something – what they didn’t pray.  It is noteworthy.  They didn’t say, “O God, please keep us safe from harm.”  They were on a mission.  Their safety was in God’s hands, not their own.  Safety was not at the forefront of their minds.

Recently, I spoke with a Buddhist from China.  I asked how we could pray for her.  After hesitating a bit she said we could pray for “safety” for her and her family.  I asked her why this was important to her, she replied that as a Buddhist, the dangers of life made safety her highest priority in prayer.  I thought, “How little difference there is between her prayers and the prayers of many Christians!”  But not the early disciples.  Though they were not reckless, they had a clear vision and commitment to spread the gospel of God.  There is nothing wrong with praying for safety, as Nehemiah 4:9 shows us, but even in this example, they prayed for safety in the midst of a mission.

Does prayer seem boring?  Try praying for someone and then taking the risk of telling them about Jesus or inviting them to some event at the church.  That will spice things up a bit!  If you are like me on this, you will anguish over at least two things: the way your fears control you and over the lost soul of your unbelieving loved one.  (And as an aside, this sort of prayer occurs during our weekly 7 PM prayer time on Sunday nights.  Please plan to attend some of these prayer times whenever you are able!)

Many people are too nervous to tell another person about Jesus.  The pain of embarrassment is so great that they are likely to keep their mouths shut when they are around friends and co-workers.  The fear of rejection becomes a bigger influence than the desire to see God glorified and sinners saved from wrath.  I have experienced this myself at times.  Recently, I went to distribute Christian tracts at a local event.  I was so nervous that I had to walk around a little bit before I could get the nerve to finish my plan.  I needed to be filled with the Spirit.  My fear was keeping me from true enjoyment of God and the transformation of lives.

The disciples did not ask to be filled with the Spirit.  Instead, they asked for two things – courage and signs (4:29-30).  Then they went out courageously, living out their prayer and trusting God for the results (Acts 4:31).  Through their example, we learn that those who are filled with Spirit demonstrate two characteristics.  First, when we are filled with the Spirit we have confidence and boldness to tell others about Jesus.  Fear and embarrassment cease to be the primary concerns of our lives.  Instead we see that the gospel is important, it is life giving, and that it is good news of which we need not be ashamed (Romans 1:16-17).

Second, being filled means that our words are given unusual ability to persuade.  The miracles of the disciples convinced many of the authenticity of the gospel.  Great preachers through the ages have found that the Holy Spirit takes their words and uses them to bring about awakening, revival, and reformation.

How about you, how is your witness?  We are called to spread the good news everywhere we go (Matthews 28:19-20).  What keeps you from doing it?  We need to pray for bold and powerful words that we can bring to the people around us.  When God answers us (and He will), we will find boldness in witness, joy in Christ, and effectiveness in ministry.  Or, does fear keep you from confidently expressing our whole faith when speaking to others?  Our Christian life will be changed as we experience the joy of close, dependent fellowship with God.  Consider this as you think of who you can tell about Jesus, in teaching your Sunday School class, reading the Bible with your kids, inviting people to a church event, coaching a sports team, or leading a Care Group. 

Faithfully Yours,

Pastor Sean