“And now, Lord, behold their threats: and grant unto Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy word.” Acts 4:29
Dear Ones:
The darkest day in the history of mankind, from a human standpoint, was that of the crucifixion of Christ. For His family, followers, and those who had heard of the marvelous things that He had done and taught, it was a day when all hope seemed shattered. There were those who had hoped that the Lord Jesus would come and set up his physical kingdom on earth, in Jerusalem, casting out the Romans and their godless oppression and rule. When He died, those hopes were dashed. There were also those who truly believed, and hoped that Christ was the Savior of the world. They had left all to follow Him, and believed Him to be the very Son of God, the anointed of God, that One who spoke words of eternal life. But when Jesus, on the Cross said, “It is finished,” their hopes and expectations seemed to evaporate with Him giving up His spirit, and dying. What were they to do now, and where were they to go? For three days the silence of the tomb kept all concerned in the darkness of incomprehension, and inertness. It would only be the love for Christ, and the remembrance of Him, that would keep their attention looking towards heaven and the Father for the answers. On the third day, Jesus would come and reveal Himself to the women who came to the tomb. Later in the upper room, He would appear, with doors shut, to present Himself to the disciples. After the shock of seeing Him, hearing His words, and touching His hands, hope began to rise. But as yet, the pain of the loss, and the fear of going forward, would dominate even the most stalwart of the disciples. Hope had not yet risen to the level of expressing itself by a bold witness to the power of the resurrection.
The day of Pentecost was a most momentous one, in that, not only was there initially a great unity in prayer and faith among the believers, but God the Father would choose that day to “pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.” This promise of the Father, of which the Lord Jesus spoke, would usher in a new era, one that would be dominated by the revelation of a “mystery” fulfilled. Not only would the Spirit come to reside “on” the believers; He would come to indwell the believer, becoming one with him. That inseparable union with Christ, established and brought about by the Father, would not only change the believer’s position before God; it would provide in a most complete manner, every resource IN CHRIST for the revelation of His life in and through the believer. The result of such a work would be the manifestation of the power of the resurrection in the hearts and lives of those who would be Christ’s witnesses on earth.
Soon after Pentecost, with the resounding effect of thousands of people coming to a saving knowledge of Christ, there would arise persecution of the disciples, specifically those who would be proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. Peter would liken the resistance to that of the “raging of the heathen” in Psalm 2. He would declare that the “heathen ” of his day included Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel. (Acts 4:27) The rulers of David’s day did “…take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed,” Christ. It was the same as in Peter’s day. What was to be the remedy, and response, to such resistance to the proclamation of the truth of God, His way, and the Messiah, by whose name could one be saved? It would be the bold proclamation of the word of God.
The prayer of the disciples was: “…grant unto Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy word.” (Acts 4:29) The result of such a prayer was that the place was shaken, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with BOLDNESS.
Dear Father, Grant us the boldness of Christ to proclaim His salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad