More Boldness

“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,” (Ac 4:29 AV)

 

What we have learned from history is that it repeats itself.  The book of Ecclesiastes tells us is just like the seasons of the year, the actions of mankind are cyclical.  Things tend to go full circle.  What was once the norm generations ago, becomes the norm again.  I get a kick out of retro-style merchandise.  Retro is all the rage.  If you don’t know what that is, some manufacturer and/or retailer will sell things that were in style a generation or two ago and people snatch it up.  Not those who used to own it decades ago, but the up-and-coming generation.  That which is old is new again.  The same is true with the cycle of dispensations.  How the previous dispensation started is probably how it will end.  Above, we see great persecution aimed at the church as a whole.  This cycle will repeat itself.  As Christ gets closer to His return, the church will suffer under the hand of godless governments.  When that happens, we need more boldness than ever.  The thing is if we are not bold in times of relative peace, then when these times come, we will be even less bold.  The time to be bold is now.

It is interesting how people react to potential danger.  Some see danger in everything and react to preserve against a threat that would never realistically come.  Some are more level-headed and they take precautions, but their lives are not altered all that much.  The majority are scoffers.  They refuse to believe there is any threat and ignore any and all warnings.  They will even go so far as to ridicule those who are trying to help by announcing a warning.  They see Chicken Little in each and every voice that pronounces warning of pending threats.  It is this last group that often silences the voices of the saints as we seek to share the good news of the gospel with those who are lost.  The difference is, there is a chance those warnings issued may never come to pass whereas the warning of eternity is certain.  The lost world treats them as of the same level of concern.  When I lived in Kentucky, I was forced to live with the reality of possible tornadoes.  This was new to me.  I had never lived in a place like this before.  So, I bought an NOAA radio that gave voice warnings and tracking of tornadoes on the ground.  We were able to stay very safe because we knew exactly where these storms were and the likelihood of being in the path of destruction.  The thing is, where we lived there seldom were serious tornadoes.  I lived about twenty miles to the northeast of Mayfield nestled in some severe bends of the Mississippi River and the junctions of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi.  These rivers caused an updraft that usually minimized the risk.  But there was still a risk.  After a few years, I took the warnings with a grain of salt.  I began to scoff because the likelihood of ever being directly hit with a storm was much lower than neighboring counties.  The storm was not certain.

We minister to a world that is hostile against the very gospel which we preach.  It is not going to get any easier.  As time marches on, it will get increasingly more difficult.  I imagine we are the ones who are standing at the door warning of the storm that is approaching yet getting that same door slammed in our faces.  The truth is, the storm does not change course because those in the path of it ignore our warnings.  The storm does not dissipate because those whom we are trying to warn sic their dogs on us.  The storm is still coming.  It is still making a b-line to those who are not prepared.  Just because they call the police on us for trespassing does not mean the storm halts in its tracks and recedes back into the sky.  The clouds are still rolling.  The lighting is still striking.  The winds are still howling.  What we need is boldness.  And more of it.