“12 Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they would all meet in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 None of the rest dared to join them, but the people praised them highly. 14 Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers — crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result, they would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 In addition, a large group came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”

“17 Then the high priest took action. He and all his colleagues, those who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 So they arrested the apostles and put them in the city jail. 19 But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple complex, and tell the people all about this life.” 21 In obedience to this, they entered the temple complex at daybreak and began to teach.”

Acts 5:12-21a

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If you ever needed a situation to describe or define ‘boldness’ this would be one worth using. The apostles are preaching, teaching, healing and crowds are being drawn. The Temple elite don’t take kindly to this, and so they throw them all in jail only to have God undo what they did…and the apostles get right back to work. I love these accounts! When we look at the early church, these initital believers, using the word ‘minority’ to describe their numbers isn’t a small enough word, but they still stand tall, loud & bold for Jesus. They don’t care what the high priest’s interpretation is on life after death (he’s a Sadducee, so he doesn’t believe in a resurrection) because they have seen the evidence for themselves. They know what they believe because their faith was also sight. They know, because they lived it all, they saw it all and they experienced every moment personally. Theor testimony was powerful, and the Gospel was at work in them because they were joyfully willing to let God do whatever He wanted to do in them and through them. 

So, when the high priest and his men said not to preach Jesus, Peter and the Apostles will reply back with the only answer that makes sense: “We have to do what God wants before we do what you want.” But I’m jumping ahead a little bit. 

Most of us, if arrested for an activity, wouldn’t turn right around and get back to it the moment we were freed from jail. The only people who do that are addicts. They steal to they can get their fix, get caught, jailed, eventually released, and then they get right back to what got them in trouble in the first place. That’s called a chronic condition. And when it came to the Apostles, they had a chronic obsession with Jesus, and rightfully so! This boundless boldness, this joyful Good News, propelled them forward through any and all obstacles that would come their way. Prison, death, torture…none of those would hold them back from what they knew needed to be done, and so the Holy Spirit propelled them forward, changing the world through them, because they didn’t love themselves so much that they wouldn’t do whatever needed to be done for the sake of the message that brought them life, and shone light into their hearts.

They were excited & they were unstoppable!

Church, we need to remember this for ourselves. We need to be bold, unhinged and carry the Good News with us every day, every where, all the time. This is our joyful task that we have been appointed by the Master to accomplish. GoLove people! Tell them the Good News that has changed everything in our hearts, that has saved us from ourselves, sin, death & hell. Let them know the truth, show them the evidene and plant seeds of faith, water those seeds of faith, so that God might reap a harvestin their lives. No fear of social awkwardness should keep us from delivering the message that redeems souls and can change the course of their eternity. To GoLove in the way that Christ desires requires us to be vocal, to reach out & do what the Master would have us do.