Tuesday, November 25, 2014

S.S.S. Study Biblical Apostleship Lesson 1

Family School at Faith Baptist Church
S.S.S. Study Biblical Apostleship
Week 1: Boldness

Boldness defined: in an open sense rushing forward, Daring; courageous; brave; intrepid; fearless; applied to men or other animals; as, bold as a lion.
What it is: Boldness is the outflow of courage, it is confidence, and surety.
What it isn't: Boldness is not arrogance, Biblical boldness is a boldness that causes others to be faced with Gods truths, not simply notice Gods man. Ex: A street preacher arrested for proclaiming the gospel forces onlookers to think something such as "what is so special about the gospel that he is willing to face prison to tell it to me?" Unscriptural boldness puts the emphasis on man or mans will or actions instead of God and God's will or actions.

It's purpose: Boldness inspires others to follow or at least take note of the message being proclaimed. All through history we see that boldness is required to convince people of a message, or politicians plans. People do not follow (or listen to) timid, scared, or unsure people.

How to have it: To better figure out how to be biblically bold lets take a look at some bold characters in Gods word.

Noah- Preached righteousness to wicked people, warned of a flood the likes of which had never happened before, and labored for over a century on a boat made on dry ground.
Elijah- Accused the king to his face, challenged the false prophets, and stood alone for God
Jeremiah- preached repent, repent, repent, to people who never would (in his lifetime). People never did (Faithful to the message even without the desired results).
Shadrach Meshach Abednego- Chose to defy the king instead of disobey God. (Willing to die)
Christ- Dealing with the Pharisees, raising the dead, claiming Deity. (Confidence)
Paul- Preached after persecuting (He did not let his past stop him)
Stephen- Preached truth to the Jews (faced death and spoke truth)

So what do we learn from these examples about how to be bold or have boldness?
Their boldness was based on Gods word
Noah- Genesis 6:8-22, Elijah- 1st Kings 18:17-21, Jeremiah- Jeremiah 1
Shadrach Meshach Abednego- Daniel 3:14-18/Exodus 20:3-5
Christ- John 1:1 Numerous times in the gospels we see Christ say "it is written".
Paul- Acts 9:4-6, Stephen- Acts. 6-7
Their boldness required absolute selflessness
Noah preached righteousness to the wicked, Elijah risked all to restore the people to serving God, Jeremiah preached his whole life warning people who would not listen, Shadrach Meshach Abednego were willing to die to obey Gods law, Christ healed, taught, and loved those who would crucify Him, Paul preached through hurricanes, stonings, jail, and more just to reach more with the gospel, Stephen preached truth giving his life in hopes that some who heard him might be saved.
Their boldness required complete and unwavering faith
Noah spent more than a century building a boat in preparation for something the likes of which had never happened, Elijah challenged the wicked knowing that if God did not send fire he would likely be killed (he had the boldness to mock the false prophets before having even made his altar), Jeremiah's message to a wicked nation was not based on anything seen (God WILL send His wrath), Shadrach meshack and Abednego had a second chance to avoid death and still chose to obey God, Christ knew what His Father would do, Paul constantly faced hardship and continued on, Stephen was gnashed upon by men and yet asked God to forgive them.
Their boldness required them to put God, God's word, and God's plan ahead of everything else, no matter the consequences, Matthew 16:24, Ephesians 6:10-19. Paul states in Philippians 1:20 "all boldness, as always", why was it so important for Paul to be always bold?

The effect of Biblical boldness: A timid fearful person is not very convincing and can easily be ignored, but a man or woman who is bold as a lion in their walk with God and their proclamation of the Truth of Gods Word forces the hearer to decide what they will do with the message, boldness makes sure the multitudes receive the message, and it shows that a man or woman is wholly given to the message. Acts 1:8 our task requires us to be bold, how can we be? God's word, selflessness, and faith.

Homework: Find one other story/character in God's word that you feel represents boldness and explain why.

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