The news of recent years seems to be littered with stories of protest and unrest. Sometimes it's due to a nation rising up against an oppressive regime. At other times it may involve a march about a particular issue or a public gathering to raise awareness of a person's plight or a perceived social injustice.
These events usually begin with one or more individuals who feel passionate about the cause and who are subsequently stirred into action. This has a snowball effect meaning others who feel strongly about the same thing see the example being set and are persuaded to become involved. I recall watching images of the singer Bob Geldof in 1985 going on radio, TV and wherever he could get his voice heard to challenge Politicians, Pop stars and wider society to donate money and to actually do something to help the people of Africa. He became a force of nature who was so affected by images of children in Africa dying of starvation that he would not take no for an answer when asking those who could afford it to give more time and money to help. The resulting Live Aid concert broadcast around the world set a precedent for more such events to raise money and affected the way we fundamentally view such things.
To influence society about the Christian message I don't advocate that the Church tries to stir up civil unrest to get support for its message or that hard pressure should be put on others to give more time and money. However, that said, the Church is supposed to believe passionately that what people need most is Jesus. During one occasion at a church meeting a personal message was given to me that 'it was time to stand up and be counted'. I've come back to that thought again more recently. It has wider significance for the church as whole. The church is called to be a light and not to be hidden:
Matthew 5v14 You are the light of the world; v16...let your light shine before others
The Church has a mission to go into society and impact lives with the good news about Jesus (Matthew 28v18-20). The emphasis is on going where you can be seen not staying hidden. It is about having a presence among people, whereby they know the church is among them and they know what it stands for. Whilst it is good to meet with other Christians to worship and grow in faith, believers need to also go to the 'playing field' and get stuck in. Bob Geldof got stuck in because he was provoked in his heart and mind to act. He created a disturbance in people's hearts and minds which created a positive disturbance in society. The Church is not supposed to be an institution. It is supposed to help change hearts and minds and in a positive way should be creating a 'disturbance'. There are two essentials for this to happen:
Peter and John spoke with boldness when they appeared before the religious leaders following their arrest - Acts 4v13. They had been arrested for talking about resurrection from the dead through Jesus and by this time a great 'disturbance' in people's hearts and minds was occurring as about 5000 men had put their faith in Jesus (Acts 4v2-4).
Paul spoke boldly for 3 months in Ephesus - Acts 19v8. Once again this preceded a 'disturbance' as later on we are informed in a notably understated manner as the city moves towards a riot: about that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way - Acts 19v23. Paul did not incite a riot but others did as they resisted the message he proclaimed boldly.
PRAYING FOR BOLDNESS SHOULD BE A PRIORITY > Acts 4v29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness (emphasis added).
Whilst there are many open to hearing about faith in Jesus it remains the case that there are varied pressures from society for Christians to be seen and not heard. We must be strong in sharing our faith confidently when the opportunities arise. This confidence increases as we encounter God's presence in prayer and request an infusion of boldness. We can't make things happen for God in our own strength but things will be shaken up around us as people observe boldness in us > Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common (ordinary) men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus - Acts 4v13 (emphasis and amplification added).
2) RECEIVING BOLDNESS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Paul and Silas travelled around boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus and some who were jealous described them as men who had turned the world upside down (Acts 17v6b). A sense of this comes across in the various disturbances mentioned throughout Acts but it is also clear that the first believers did not disturb the spiritual landscape on their own - they had help. This help came from the Holy Spirit. It's difficult to read far in Acts without the Holy Spirit getting a mention:
- And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2v4)
- Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them...(4v8)
- ...they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness (4v31b) - notice there is a link between receiving boldness and receiving the Holy Spirit > If we want boldness we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was aware of this and told his followers that he would not leave them as orphans (John 14v18) and that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would be sent to them, teaching them all things (John 14v26), bearing witness about Jesus (John 15v26) and challenging the world to repent of sin (John 16v8-9).
So, in addition to praying for boldness, we need to be filled with the Spirit and receive boldness from the Spirit. The Holy Spirit prompts us when to speak and when not to, when to act and when to hold back. In Acts 8, we observe that the Holy Spirit prompted Philip to approach a court official in his chariot and to speak with him. This did not become a forced situation where Philip was 'in this guy's face' but a response to the clear provocation of the Holy Spirit and the official gladly listened to the good news about Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not about shoving the message down people's throats and if Christians are too 'full on' they are not being led by the Spirit.
Personal illustration: If we do not have confidence in our speaking we can still act under the leading of the Holy Spirit. I was recently walking through the town I live in when I passed an elderly man who was leaning on a crutch and virtually clinging to a building in trying to make his way along a street corner. I got some way past him when I sensed the Holy Spirit stop me and prompt me to go back and ask the man if he needed help - it was stronger than a polite notion that I should be kind. Surprise, Surprise, the man gratefully received my assistance across town to his destination.
We can be conscious of the Holy Spirit provoking us on a daily basis to act or speak in line with our revelation of God's love in Jesus and as we respond boldly the Holy Spirit creates a disturbance, breaking up the hard ground in people's hearts and minds, lowering resistance to the good news about Jesus.
Bob Geldof was stirred as a normal human reaction to widespread suffering in Africa. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to stir us into action as we are affected by the spiritual bankruptcy of the human condition without knowing Jesus. Go is looking for a sense of urgency in this. Stephen challenged his first century audience about resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7v51). The Holy Spirit has more to show us and the challenge for us is to yield and not resist the Holy Spirit's more. This is a call to the church to move out of the comfort zone, to pray for boldness, and to welcome the Holy Spirit's role in creating a disturbance.
