Speaking Boldly About Our Hope
Picture this: Jesus had lived, died, and risen again. Some of His closest friends—Peter and John—were telling everyone about this miracle they had witnessed. They even performed some astonishing miracles in Christ’s name, like healing a beggar who’d been crippled from birth.
Thousands of people believed Peter and John’s testimonies about Jesus, but many of the religious leaders did not. In fact, in their eyes, such messages and miracles were dangerous, so they had Peter and John arrested.
But after they had served their sentences, Peter and John went back to the other believers, doing what was natural to them—praying bold prayers and trusting in God. Acts 4:31 tells us that “...when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Peter and John were in the habit of gathering together with other believers, praying together with other believers, and speaking boldly about the Word of God. As they did these things, the Holy Spirit filled them with the supernatural power of God.
Like Peter and John, who faced tons of opposition for their faith, we can keep trusting in and walking with God. We can keep gathering together with like-minded believers. We can keep praying bold prayers that can’t be accomplished on our own. We can keep speaking boldly about the hope we have in Jesus.
And as we do that, God’s Spirit will fill us and guide us every step of the way.
Grace and Truth in Jesus
For centuries, the nation of Israel awaited the coming Messiah who would bring the Kingdom of God and make things right in the world. Despite pain, persecution, and setbacks, they persevered because their hope was grounded in the promises of God.
Israel’s wait was finally over when the Messiah, Jesus, arrived. However, Jesus did not come as many expected—in a grand procession or with a large army behind Him. Instead, He arrived quietly in the stillness of the night, as a baby, in a little town called Bethlehem.
But in a surprise twist, this newborn was not only the Messiah who would free God’s people from their sins, but God Himself. John tells us that “the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Word exists eternally, but for a time took on human form and lived among people.
Jesus began His earthly ministry in the most humble way—by coming as a baby. But it’s through the person of Jesus that we see the glory of God. Paul says in Colossians, “For in Christ all ...