After the great stir caused by the healing of the crippled man, Peter and John are warned to never speak out in Jesus’ name again. But they refuse, even in the face of severe threats from the authorities. This then occasions the first recorded intercessory prayer of the early church. They didn’t pray to remain unharmed though, they prayed for boldness, so that they could keep on speaking in Jesus’ name, despite what harm they might face. This begs the question: What is the big deal with speaking? Why don’t they just do good deeds and keep their faith private? Why risk their lives to speak out? The answer is simple. Their passion to speak was an expression of God’s passion instilled in them by his Spirit. God wants to speak to people and he wants to do that through us. He is not just a pragmatic God who makes things and sets laws. He is a relational God who loves his children and is calling them to come home. God wants his lost children to know that he loves them, that he has paid for their mistakes and forgiven their sin and that he is calling them to come back to him so that they can be restored to be who they were made to be. That is the most important and wonderful reality in the world right now. And we should not keep it to ourselves. God wants us to be an expression of his love. If we are filled with God’s love by God’s Spirit, it will become the key to opening our mouths; love will drive away all fear.
Ask God to fill you with love for people and to give you boldness to share your faith when he gives you opportunity to do so.
Read Acts 4:18-31
