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182: Boldness To Declare The Risen Christ


182: Boldness To Declare The Risen Christ



Acts 2:14 

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” 

  • This is a verse to remember when it comes to verses about the Holy Spirit. 
  • “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” 
  • If we can’t turn to the Scripture- after looking at phenomenon taking place in the church world. 
  • If we can’t turn to the Word and say, “this is which you are seeing” which is spoken of in the Word, then I believe God wants us to stay away from it. 

If We Can’t Find It In The Word Of God, Let’s Stay Away From It 

  • There is a lot in the church world that you can’t stand up and say this is that which was spoken by the prophet. 
  • As Biblical counselors, we need to be biblically literate, and bold enough to tell people when that which is spoken of is not in the Scriptures.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

  • Mike Reynolds says:

    I really like the way Jeff explained Peter’s need of being filled with The Spirit to live out the Gospel continually. Peter had great faith in Christ, so much so that he walked on water. But when it came to boldness, he needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit to boldly proclaim Him as Christ to the public. I can really relate to this. I have seen what praying to be filled by the Spirit translates to in situations, but when I don’t there is little to no fruit that comes from it. A fresh filling of the Spirit supplies us with the boldness and clarity to point back to scripture.

  • Lorna Usery says:

    The exhortation that if we can’t find it in the scripture, stay away from it I needed. t’s so easy to get caught up in some of what is going on to look like it’s of God. Satan’s tactics are always the same as in the garden of Eden. Thanks for the reminder, Jeff. My husband is a contender for the word, has such a passion that heresy is not snuck in. And he can have a boldness for it as well. My boldness is in a different gifting, but there have been times when it just comes and afterwards you stand back and say, “WOW! That wasn’t me. It was the Spirit! Praise God!” I agree that it must be a way of life. Unfortunately, the church is lacking in that area. We need the Holy Spirit to help us press through the negativism surrounding the continuous filling, but we want to be the Sea of Galilee not the Dead Sea. Yes, a fresh filling as with Peter to testify with boldness of the mighty works of God and of Jesus Christ.

  • Landon Galvan says:

    I love this to use the Bible for our plum line to keep us on track. The important of staying in Gods Word.

    The Holy Spirit enables us to be bold.
    We need boldness to press through discouragement!

    We need God confidence not self confidence and this come through the empowering of the Indwelling Spirit.

    We need to be filled and continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

    “They didn’t pray for protection they prayed for boldness…. Boldness in Gods word.”

    So good!

    • Lorna Usery says:

      Oh yes, the praying for boldness rather than protection. I liked that too. What are we willing to give up/sacrifice for the kingdom?

  • Timothy Graham says:

    Such and amazing way of conveying this concept. We have no excuse but to be bold, fearless, and strong when we are filled with the Spirit. As pastor Jeff stated, we become dead when are continually receiving a inpouring but there is no outpouring. Conversely, I see that one of the most common struggles now a days, anxiety, stems from and is partly due to a lack of understanding of how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and cast our cares on him.
    For most of my childhood I have heard pastors, elders, even older family members tell me and others to “cast my cares on God” when I am struggling or fearful. But, they never stepped into the practical. I would think to myself “I know I’m supposed to treat and cast my cares on God, but how do I do that?” As I have gotten older and received mentorship, encouragement, and done my own research, I have found that there are several ways of doing this. But, I wonder how many others have had or are having this same struggle. If the increase in “diagnosed” anxiety is any indication, I’d say that this is one of the biggest struggles facing todays generation.
    May we be the mentors, counselors, and mature brothers and sisters in Christ who provide these answers from Him that people seek.

  • Don Knapp says:

    I could not agree more that both the counselor and the counselee need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As counselors we need that filling to speak boldly but also to use the power of the Spirit for discernment and wisdom. Our counselees need that filling to walk a live that is pleasing to God. There have been and will always be abuses of Scripture and the Holy Spirit but as counselors we need to recognize without the power of the Holy Spirit our counseling will be of no use. His power working through us and though our counselees is what brings about lasting change.

    • Landon Galvan says:

      Totally Don ,
      It’s sad how many people that are in church on a weekly basis when you ask them if they are walking in the spirit they don’t know how to answer or even answer I hope so. It’s so important for us to walk in the spirit as believer I couldn’t agree more with you.

    • Lorna Usery says:

      I agree with you Don. Only the Holy Spirit can bring about lasting change (habituation- I love this word) and give us, the counselors, the words of hope to give our counselees for them to have faith in the Holy Spirit to empower them to walk as God instructs us to walk.

  • Serena Chavez says:

    As I have come to read Acts over and over again, and being immersed in these chapters, I stopped and meditate on Acts 4:31 “and when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. ”
    They prayed for Boldness, not just any prayer, a prayer to go out and be Bold. My prayer is that we as Biblical counselors seek this type of Prayer, whether on the battlefield of prayer with a counselee or speaking with someone in need of help, restoration, peace, free from shame etc, that we ask The Holy Spirit to fill us and us be Bold in faith.

    • Don Knapp says:

      our Men’s and Women’s ministry just completed an eight month study on the book of Acts. Many of the comments that were made is that they felt a new sense of purpose. I would like to believe that purpose was a new sense of boldness in their faith.

    • Mike Reynolds says:

      Acts 4:31 really grabbed my attention while listening to this podcast. Their prayers were answered by being given boldness through the filling of the Spirit. I will also pray for biblical counselors to seek boldness through prayers of being filled.

  • Kristen Greer says:

    Speaking of boldness, we must stay connected to the word of God and only the word. As Jeff said, if we can’t find it in the word of God, then stay away from it. It reminds me of the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6. In Verse 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication for all the saints- 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. We must prayerfully study and seek the Holy Spirit to lead us boldly and to testify to the outflow of what knowledge we have from the Spirit. We are to be bold to do the battle for God’s word. The power of the Spirit strengthened Peter, and boldness helps us to be firm in God’s word. This a great reminder to prayerfully seek the relational work of the Spirit, to depend on the Spirit through the word of God, and to have the boldness to stand firm on God’s word and be a beacon of light.

    • Serena Chavez says:

      Kristen, Amen, His scripture says that HE brings all things to remembrance. John 14:26
      In which, we as HIS followers and Biblical counselors need to know what we are teaching, it is an Honor to teach others of HIM, HIS Holy Name and the Goodness of God.

  • Yvonne Howe says:

    The repeating of the word boldness throughout the podcast is a powerful reminder of who the Holy Spirit is in our lives. He is the one who enables us to do what we could never do on our own. We are not limited by our age, resources, health, education, or any other measuring stick we use as people. Praising God for His continued work in each one of us in the body of Christ, praying for a life where more and more we all walk in the fullness of the Spirit. The more we do, the more we will glorify Him. This is my heart in Biblical Counseling, for the ongoing transformation (by His Spirit) in me to encourage others. Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” What a sweet thing it is to be with Jesus and surrender it all to Him.

    • Timothy Graham says:

      Yvonne, I love this note. Seeing in this passage you mentioned; it was evident to all who saw and heard Peter and John that they had been with Jesus because of how they spoke and carried themselves with boldness. We have that same power and Spirit. How cool is that?? And when we feel undeserving or incapable, that is when He shines through the most.

    • Mike Reynolds says:

      I agree it is a great reminder of who the Holy Spirit is in our lives and the power we receive in our weaknesses.

  • Ann-Louise Graham says:

    I appreciate you pointing out the truth that both the counselor and the counselee are called to bear light. And to proclaim Christ. I think of phil 2. 16. Proclaiming the word of truth. Shining as lights in a dark world.
    Very interesting thought that counselees have challenges because they are not being bold for Christ. And absolutely true that the boldness in any of our lives must come from the holy Spirit himself. Amen.

    • Kristen Greer says:

      Very true living out a transformed life effectively witnesses the power of God’s word. Like in Psalm 119:89, Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven.
      True wisdom goes beyond knowledge; it is applying that knowledge in a life-changing way.

  • Erin Foster says:

    I appreciate the exhortation to profess Christ through evangelism and sharing our faith, and your use of the accounts within Acts 4 and elsewhere as examples of the Holy Spirit filling and emboldening believers to do so. It really does clarify that the overflow of being filled with the Holy Spirit has always been boldly sharing the gospel of Christ. Taking into consideration this concept, I believe it is a useful gauge for counselors, and for probing those we are counseling to see whether the fruit of that filling work of the Holy Spirit is evident in our daily life. God’s will for all believers is that we fulfill the Great Commission, enabled by the Holy Spirit, and so it should be one of the main emphasis of our counseling and personal walks as we strive to live out our Acts 1:8 empowering for the glory of God. Thanks Pastor Jeff!

    • Kayla Morgan says:

      Erin, I have become very fond of watching Living Waters videos as Ray Comfort shares the gospel with random people. He always talks about how terrifying it is to approach someone and to ask them questions, yet he reminds himself to be faithful to God and do it anyway! Peter without the Holy Spirit, fled in fear, but with the Holy Spirit he did not back down but boldly shared the truth and the good news. I like how Paul often talked about how his speech was weak, meek, and timid when he spoke to the churches – though bold in his letters. God uses the weak to make His power perfect, for His glory.

  • Laura Dahne says:

    Pastor Jeff, what an exceptional comment to respond with, “Chapter and verse me on that!” when someone is making an assertion that we believe is not Biblical. Doing so is not only helpful for us (after all we might learn something) but also for the person who may be wrong and simply repeating what they have heard but never plumbed the Scriptures to discover if it was true or not. Oftentimes people share subjective information rather than objective. What God has spoken, let’s speak it! What God has been silent about, let’s be silent! Knowing the Word of God intimately helps us to be bold in both declaring what God HAS said versus standing against what He HASN’T said. Excellent teaching once again on the Holy Spirit.

    • Anita Hammond says:

      Hi Laura, my Pastor always says, show me in God’s word where it says that so anytime I go to discuss Scripture with him, I have to come armed! It’s an awesome rule and one I always encourage my counselees to use. They know I will more than likely assign their research to their question as homework so we can discuss.

      • Ann-Louise Graham says:

        Hi Anita. I like that idea of assigning the counselee’s question as homework. I usually try and answer it for them. Much better if they have a go at searching scripture for themselves.

      • Serena Chavez says:

        Anita, What a wonderful Challenge for us and for the counselee. I am going to use this rule. Thank you. We should always be challenged and growing and teaching that to others, as Christ does to us.

    • Yvonne Howe says:

      Laura, I also appreciated Pastor Jeff’s comment, “Chapter and verse me on that.” It is a simple and powerful statement which when followed will cause joyful unity with God and each other.

    • Kayla Morgan says:

      Yes Laura – being well educated in God’s Word to know what He has said was one of Ray Comfort’s missions when he became a Christian. Ray wanted to know what God had said, so that when someone said something different, he could confidently say “God didn’t say that.” God’s Word is our sword – it is defensive and offensive, and we as Biblical counselors (and followers of Christ in general) should become skilled in the art of wielding such a wonderful tool.

    • Landon Galvan says:

      Yeah I thought was such a good way to stay balanced . Like the bereans diggin into the word to see if what people are saying is true to the word or more of an opinion.

  • Anita Hammond says:

    Hello everyone! Hope your week is going well. Welcome to November already!

    Episode 182: Boldness To Declare The Risen Christ

    Anything we learn from the pulpit, whether in person, or by podcast, lectures, etc… we have a responsibility to measure it all against the word of God. As Pastor Jeff said, “We have to go with what Jesus or the Apostles taught,” not man.

    What I love is that God knew all the false philosophies and mis-representation of His word, of Him, the Holy Spirit, and Christ, that He gave us instruction in this area so we don’t fall into that trap and perhaps die in it. We could lead others, those we counsel astray.

    We do nothing on our own that last through the fire. We are to seek the empowering work of the Spirit. That lasts. Good word Pastor Jeff!

    • Laura Dahne says:

      Anita, I heartily agree with you – we are to know the word of God for ourselves and not take it at face value just because we heard our pastor, our youth leader, or a Christian friend say it. My mantra over the years has been this simple phrase, “Get into the Word so that the Word can get into you!”

    • Erin Foster says:

      I love the phrase “we do nothing on our own that lasts through fire”! So true, and worth dwelling on throughout the day to day.
      I also enjoy marveling at the omniscience of God in not only foreseeing the schemes of Satan, but our own personal missteps and temptations to muddy up the truth. He gives us a full armor, every weapon needed, and even promises to fight for us, to the degree that we willingly give ourselves to Him. It is so encouraging to remember how uncomplicated our job really is, even when it comes to accomplishing such daunting tasks as sharing the gospel. Despite how prone to wander we may be, His grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

    • Don Knapp says:

      Acts 17:11 says the the Bereans received the the word with great eagerness but still examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were true. Anita, I could not agree more. We should check everything we hear with God’s word no matter what the source.

  • Kayla Morgan says:

    The resurrection of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. The two key components to evangelism, yes? Knowing the truth of Christ, being confident in the witnesses and testimony of all those who saw Christ resurrected and having faith that Christ is the Son of God, the Holy Spirit seals the believer.
    I enjoyed listening and thinking about the transformation in Peter’s life: In word he was so serious to be Jesus’ faithful disciple, but his flesh was weak and he hid. But now – the Holy Spirit transformed him by giving him power to be bold and speak the gospel in such a convicting way towards the onlookers and pharisees. I desire this boldness, this being filled with the Holy Spirit. Pray for me, that I would be strengthened in God, that He would give me boldness by His Holy Spirit to speak His wonderful truth.

    • Anita Hammond says:

      Hi Kayla, I pray your week is going well. I too love watching Peter’s life being transformed. It’s easy for us to ask the question, “These guys walked with Jesus for three years! Saw the miracles up close and personal! How can they just walk away, how can Peter just walk away?” I get it. His flesh was weak. So is ours. Its a battle we have to fight daily. I totally agree with you. I loved watching the Holy Spirit transform him and others. He does the same with us! We have to trust that boldness. Sometimes that discouragement is so much more bold though. I pray for you and I, that we are both bold with the Holy Spirit!

    • Erin Foster says:

      That prayer is one that God will honor, and I look forward to seeing how He faithfully rewards your desire to please Him! Praying with you, and for you this week!

    • Ann-Louise Graham says:

      Kayla. I desire to be bold too by the power of the holy Spirit and to be less self reliant. I’m praying for you.

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