Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

To Reap the Harvest: Boldness!

Acts 4v29 “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”

The early church knew they were on a mission. One of their biggest needs was boldness, so they prayed for it:

• “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” Acts 4v29
• “Pray also for me … that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel… Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.” Ephesians 6v19-20

Do you feel some fear when you seek to tell people about Jesus? You are not alone: we all do because we are taking a risk. And it is clear that even Paul and the early apostles felt fear as they went out to tell people about Jesus.

They knew the solution to this fear was to ask God for boldness. And this seems to be exactly the sort of prayer God answers, because a couple of verse later we read, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (Acts 4v31)

So why and how can we be bold? I think the following help us:

• The Holy Spirit gives us a boldness.
• We know our message about Jesus is true and solid.
• We know the people we speak to really need Jesus, whether they respond or not.
• Jesus has said he will be with us as we share about Him (Matt 28v20)

May God fill each of us with His Spirit of boldness to tell about Jesus.

With love and blessing,

Roland