The quest for courage...

The desire for boldness was the joint desire of all the believers in the first Church. They and their leaders were intimidated and instructed to stop preaching and ministering in the Name of Jesus Christ. They needed boldness, confidence and courage and they went to Jesus to receive it.

And so they prayed:  "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29-30)

How do you face intimidation and fear?  Jesus is the power by which we live and serve. He is the power by which we become confident. He is the power by which we face threats and pressure victoriously.

The first Church needed courage, so they prayed.

Firstly, they asked God to note the threats. They believed that to resolve the threatening situation, was God’s work to do.  And so they laid that problem at his feet. They believed God would do something about it.

Secondly, they prayed that they would be given confidence to speak God’s word.  That should still be the desire of the Church today.

And thirdly, they prayed that God would act in a divine, miraculous way through them, to touch and change the lives of people.

You better be careful when you pray this kind of prayer, because this is the kind of prayer that God answers. He certainly answered the first Church. The Bible says, after they prayed they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

They faced intimidation, they turned to the Lord, and intimidation turned into boldness. It happened then, and it happens today.

The Christian life is both impossible and easy at the same time. It is impossible to live in our own power, but easy to live in the power of the Lord.  It is both hard beyond our comprehension and simple, in that all we have to do is surrender to Jesus and let him figure it out for us.