“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” (Ac 4:13 AV)
“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Ac 4:20 AV)
“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,” (Ac 4:29 AV)
Boldness is a matter of integrity, not courage, faith, or ability. Peter stated plainly that when the people took note of his boldness, he explained it was his integrity that forced him to be bold. He could not speak but that which they have heard and seen. They spent three-plus years with Jesus and saw the Son of God do things that only God could do. The most miraculous was raising from the dead. To deny what Jesus had done and had done for them personally meant to deny honesty in their own hearts. To remain quiet while those who hated God gave them problems is to deny the very God who saved them. Cowardice is not a personality trait. Cowardice is not a matter of ignorance. Cowardice is not a lack of faith. Cowardice is a lack of integrity. Peter, in verse twenty, tells us exactly why they were bold. They could not, as a matter of character, deny the truth.
There was a campaign a while back called “See Something, Say Something.” This slogan arose from an anti-terrorism effort rolled out by our own government in 2010. This was in response to the terrorist attacks on NYC on September eleventh, 2009. The idea behind it was for the public to keep their eyes open and if they saw anything that was suspicious, they were to notify the police. The suggestion was to overcome one’s fear of getting involved for the greater good of public safety. We will never know exactly how well it worked because we simply do not know how many attacks were thwarted because of it. But we can see that since that fateful day, we have been safer from foreign terrorist attacks. There used to be a day when we had neighborhood watch groups that looked out for one another. They would report criminal or suspicious behavior. Why that went away, I do not know. These types of things rely on the courage of those involved to say something. Fear is often a motivation to stay silent. We just do not want to get involved. Why do those who do get involved do so? It is not because they are absent of fear. They know the real threat they see. They know that if they speak up, they might be a target. But they cannot stand idly by while others are victimized. Character is what drives them to report.
Too many saints have the truth and sit on it. They do nothing with it. Or, they wait for the perfect situation in which to share the truth where little to no opposition is present. They are not bold in the witness. Why? Lack of integrity. If Jesus saved you and you know this for a fact; if the salvation that you enjoy is available to all souls; if God has given you His Word and His Spirit as tools to share that truth; then when we remain silent we show just how shallow our character truly is. Integrity overcomes fear. Fear still remains. But integrity is stronger. If we do not share what we know to be true when eternal souls lay in the balance, then we are being dishonest with the truth. We are being selfish. We care more about what impact sharing has on us rather than the impact not sharing has on those who need the truth. Great soul-winners are not more learned, more gifted, or more knowledgeable. Simply put, they have more character. Like the steward who hid the talent in the ground rather than risk it for the master’s pleasure, those of us who say nothing lack the same character and integrity this steward lacked. May God have mercy on His people for remaining silent while the world slips off to hell.
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