Boldness seems to be one of the primary byproducts of being filled with the Spirit in Acts. In fact, what I find interesting is that the early believers didn't pray for God to deliver them from their circumstances. They prayed for boldness to go through their circumstances. That is clearly not circunstantial faith that drove the disciples. I'm so impressed with the way the disciples didn't back down in the face of opposition. They didn't back down when they were arrested by the Sanhedrin, the religious establishment. They didn't back down after they were thrown in jail in Acts 5:19. In fact, after the miraculous jailbreak they didn't run away. They went right back to where they were arrested. What then was the foundation of their faith? Not circumstances! It was Christ. And that gave them their spiritual boldness.
Spiritual boldness boils down to Acts 5:29: "We must obey God rather than human beings!" I'm realizing more and more that there is a tension between the fear of man and the fear of God. The two cannot coexist. The more "fear of man" I have the less "fear of God" I have. And the more "fear of God" I have the less "fear of man" I have.
I think too many Christians become easily intimidatedslaves to the opinions of people. But when God sets us free from the "fear of man" then we aren't afraid of looking foolish which equals faith. Faith is the willingness to look foolish because it is not such faith is not shaped by what people think or say or what a circumstance warrants. But the "fear of man" keeps us from exercising faith. So we live reasonable risk-avert lives. I don't want to live a reasonable life.
My personality is such that I want to keep everybody happy. Somehow people's happiness matter a lot to me. So sometimes I tend to chicken out or cop out. But God has not given us "a spirit of timidity." Many times when I have to do the right thing that may not make everybody happy, I have to pray for a "spirit of boldness" in my life. I pray Romans 1:16: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes."
So here's the question: are you more concerned about what people think or what God thinks? It all depends on who you're trying to please! If you're trying to please people then you'll "fear man." If you're trying to please God you'll "fear God." It all depends on what your faith is founded - Christ or circumstances.
The story of Ananias and Sapphira is one of those stories you don't even want to think about too much. Both of them died because they lied to the Holy Spirit. Here is what astounds me about the story. After Ananias dies, Sapphira comes to Peter but she doesn't know her husband is dead. Peter doesn't show compassion. He doesn't sympathize with her. Why? Because when God is offended Peter is offended. He was more concerned about Ananias lying to God than God striking him dead. So Peter doesn't back off. Sure there is a place for compassion and sympathy. Don't get me wrong. But we should always be more concerned about how God feels than people feel. So Peter tows the line in Acts 5:7. "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" Sapphira lies just like her husband. And Peter says, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord?"
For what it's worth, fear is the cure for fear. Let me explain. Fear of God is the cure for the fear of failure and the fear of man and the fear of the unknown. Fear of God is the cure-all for every other fear. If we fear God we have nothing to fear! If we don't fear God we ought to be fear-full.
So here's the bottom line. Someday you will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. You won't stand before you family or friends or colleagues. Why bow to the opinions of people when someday you'll have to bow before Christ? All of us bow down before man or God. Sure seems to make sense to bow before God.
So take a minute and get on your knees. "Bow before the Lord our God, our maker."
One last thought. Boldness is what impressed the skeptics. In other words, it wasn't what they said as much as the spirit in which it was said that impacted people.
Acts 4:20 says, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." That is the end goal. To get to a point where we don't feel like we "have to" share our faith. I want to get to a point where I "cannot help" but share my faith. How does that happen? It all boils down to this. Acts 4:13 says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus." That's the key: being with Jesus. It's always been the key. Christ is the source of our confidence. Christ is the foundation of our faith.
