"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."

2 Corinthians 3:12.

Bold? No. "Very bold"! God sent His Son to die for our sins, not because of anything we have done to earn the right to be saved, but because of His love for us. He paid the price we should have paid: the price of death. And so many of us "Christians" are content to live life as if we had never been saved at all. We are timid because we don't want to face rejection.

But that is no excuse. Paul says to his young companion in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For we have not been given a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." And Jesus says in Matthew 10:22, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." God has given us a spirit—the Spirit—of power, love, and self-discipline. We have the strength to face insults and persecution, a love for people that pushes us to want others to know God the way we know Him, and the self-discipline to live in such a way that people would know that we belong to Christ, even when the going gets tough. If we are not being persecuted for our faith in some way, whether it's by literal torture in areas where Christianity is forbidden or by being made fun of for our beliefs, then we are not doing our job. John the Beloved makes it crystal clear in 1 John 5:5, John 14:15, and John 15:17: "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God"; "If you love Me, you will obey what I command"; "This is My command: Love each other." But if we have received God's forgiveness, yet refuse to share the gospel with others for fear of being hated, we are claiming to be better than Jesus. Matthew 10:24 says, "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master." Because Jesus was persecuted, we will be persecuted; otherwise, we have made ourselves to be our own idols.

So forget the fear of rejection. 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." Be "very bold"! "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

And "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Pray that God would help both you and me to be strong and go out to "boldly and without hindrance [preach] the kingdom of God and [teach] about the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 28:31).

God bless!

Michael

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"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58