What do you do when the opportunity to impact a life is right in front of your face, but it’s going to cost you something? The disciples knew that their testifying of Jesus Christ meant painful pushback from the culture they were living in at the time. The name Jesus was a polarizing name that was not well accepted among the religious elite and Roman authorities. It didn’t matter to these brave men. They did the right thing by proclaiming Jesus and then suffering the cost. What about you and me? Would we be willing to suffer…any kind of cost for “standing up” for Jesus? What’s amazing is that these brave disciples not only spoke of Jesus to those who needed him, but they also indicted the Jewish people for being the ones who nailed Jesus to The Cross! Talk about courage…wow! They did so with grace and truth. They did so knowing that it was going to guarantee public scrutiny and personal attacks. In fact, they were unfairly and illegally arrested as a result. What happened next is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit! Thousands saw these disciples’ unwavering boldness and were saved from their sins! As persecution came, the church exploded in growth! When later questioned by the Jewish religious leaders, the disciples once again boldly proclaimed that the Jewish people, including them, were the ones who sinfully condemned Jesus to die. What’s amazing is that in a tense moment, the Holy Spirit gave them the words to say to their antagonists. The same is true today. When you stand for Jesus Christ, you can be guaranteed that in the “moment of truth,” God will give you the words to say. He will equip you with boldness and bravery if you will simply obey him. The disciples were unschooled men who didn’t have any great debating ability. They were supernaturally led by the Spirit of God to say the things that they said. Ultimately, the man who had been healed was the proof of the power of God. They didn’t need to defend themselves for doing anything wrong. God defended them. Later, they were filled with boldness that led to generosity. They set aside their “rights” for the “responsibility” and the “rewards” of the Gospel. Would you be willing to do the same thing?
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