On the fringes of the mainstream news cycle these past weeks has been the story of a pastor in Canada who was imprisoned for holding church services when there were COVID restrictions in place. After spending 35 days in jail, he finally pled guilty to one of the charges, was given a fine, and released. The very next Sunday, he was back in the pulpit. This past week, after holding Palm Sunday and Easter services, the government fought back again by erecting a fence all around the perimeter, denying access to anyone who tried to go on the property.

Now some have criticized this pastor for not complying with the restrictions. Still others have praised him for his boldness. While I won’t attempt to wade into that debate without presenting all of the details, I will say that the pastor’s boldness to continue to do the work to which he was called should be commended. This situation in Canada reminds me of a very similar account that occurred in Jerusalem and is found in Acts 4 (take a few moments to read it now). Here, Peter and John were put in prison for preaching the gospel and healing a lame man. Yet when they were brought out and questioned by the authorities, they were not broken – they were bold! When they were finally released and the heard of their circumstances, they held a prayer meeting (v.24-31). Here, even though there was an ongoing threat by their authorities, their main prayer requests were not for wisdom or protection. They asked for BOLDNESS and for God to show His POWER. Why is there a need for boldness in our pulpits, our churches, and for each disciple of Jesus Christ today?

1. Boldness TESTIFIED of their RELATIONSHIP with God- “they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (v.13) – the authorities believed their tactics would intimidate and silence these disciples. The response of boldness caused them to realize there was something greater going on here. These disciples had “been with Jesus”. In other words, it was their boldness that identified their allegiance to Jesus Christ.


2. Boldness DEMONSTRATED that they ANSWER to God – “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye” (v.19) – while God has placed earthly governments and authorities in our life for our good and His glory, there are times when our government must be disobeyed. This disobedience is NOT because we disagree with them or dislike their policies, but because we answer to a God who DISAGREES with them. As Peter put it later in Acts, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)


3. Boldness was REWARDED with UNITY – “the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul” (v.32) – it is important to note that this unity directly followed as a response to their prayer for boldness. They were “filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (v.31). The Holy Spirit is the great unifier. He brings together people from all persuasions, backgrounds, ideologies, races and cultures to the unity found in Jesus Christ. When we are living according to God’s precepts for our lives and proclaiming His truth with His power, we will naturally be in unity with other believers.


4. Boldness was BLESSED with GRACE– “great grace was upon them all” (v.33) – Note that their boldness did not take away the threat of imprisonment or persecution from the authorities. They still lived with that possibility and reality of their situation. But God did use their boldness as a witness to many around them and they were given God’s grace to cope with their circumstances.

If there is a quality lacking in our churches today, it is BOLDNESS. Especially in this past year, we Christians have been gripped with timidity and fear. We have been praying primarily for protection (which isn’t wrong to do), but have neglected our prayer for boldness. Ask God to strengthen you for His work. Ask God to create a heart in you that is willing to stand up to those things that are running counter to His truth. Ask God to equip you with His BOLDNESS to face the pressures of our day and be a greater witness for Him!