Act with Courage

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Good morning Chapel family! We’re taking this winter to walk through the book of Acts, which is the record how the early church grew despite lots of opposition. And we are dreaming about how God could do the same thing with us, right here in North Jersey. Many of us are praying specifically for revival—which means we want the Holy Spirit to show up in unusually powerful ways, so that sleepy Christians wake up, nominal Christians get converted, and people who are clearly not Christians come running to Christ. We are seeing signs of that around the country and here at The Chapel—last week we had the joy of baptizing 18 people—that’s more than we’ve baptized on a single Sunday in longer than I can remember, and there are already ten people lined up for next month, and counting. So God is moving, and it’s not because of anything we’re doing—we’re just trying to keep up with him.  

So…in Acts chapter one, Jesus is just about to leave this earth, and he tells his little group of followers, “You’re going to be my witnesses…but don’t do anything until the Holy Spirit shows up.” In chapter two, the Holy Spirit comes, and the believers find themselves going out into the crowded city and talking about God in languages they’ve never learned. Peter stands up in the crowd and tells them this is happening because the resurrected Jesus is making it happen; he invites them to repent and be baptized, and 3,000 people believe in Christ and get baptized that day. At the end of chapter two we get a glimpse behind the scenes, and we see how this new community of Christians is living: they’re spending tons of time together; they’re praying together; they’re selling their stuff and giving to the needy among them. They are becoming a family. 

We’re not going to read chapter three, but we need to know what happens there to set us up for today. The main event in chapter three is that Peter heals a crippled man. A crowd gathers in amazement, and Peter explains that it was by faith in the power of Christ that the man was healed, and he invites the people to repent and believe in Christ.  

It seems like every opportunity the early Christians had, they opened their mouths and they talked about Jesus. And sometimes, doing that requires courage. Talking about Jesus in church doesn’t require much courage. But for us to walk out these doors, into our homes; our jobs; our schools; our Instagram or Facebook or TikTok page, talking about Jesus is going to take some courage. Why? Because there is tremendous pressure to conform—to keep your religious thoughts to yourself. Now: some of the pressure we feel is in our imagination—it comes from our own fears and insecurities. But either way, whether the pressure is real or imagined, it takes courage to talk about Jesus. And today I want to talk about courage.  

I realize that for some of you, you’re not ready for this. You’re trying to figure out if you even believe in Jesus, or you just came to get a little inspiration for your week. And I’m talking about the courage to go out and talk about Jesus. And you’re like, “Whoa, whoa—back off, preacher man.” So if that’s you, first of all, I’m so glad you’re here. Every time we gather, there are people at all different places in their spiritual journey, and every single person is welcome. But I owe it to you to not water the message down. So I’m going to preach what’s here—I’m going to keep the bar high, and invite all of us to step into this kind of life. If that’s too much for you right now, that’s fine. But maybe you’re more ready than you think.  

So…right after the man was healed, as Peter and John were talking to the crowd about Jesus, here’s what happened next—Acts chapter 4, starting in verse 1. Let’s hear God’s Word… 

1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. 

5 The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” 

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is 

“‘the stone you builders rejected, 
    which has become the cornerstone.’ 

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 

13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” 

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 

21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. 

23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: 

“‘Why do the nations rage 
    and the peoples plot in vain? 
26 The kings of the earth rise up 
    and the rulers band together 
against the Lord 
    and against his anointed one.’ 

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. This is the Word of the Lord. 

One of the main reasons the early church grew is that they had the courage to speak about Jesus. And you and I are invited to the adventure of living the same way. So I want to talk about two things today: Where Courage Comes From, and What Courage Looks Like. Where it comes from and what it looks like. 

So, first: Where Courage Comes From. The short answer is: It comes from God. But that’s true in three distinct ways.  

First, Filling with God’s Spirit. When Peter is confronted by the authorities and he stands up to speak, verse 8 says, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people…” Because the writer of Acts wants to make it really clear where Peter’s courage is coming from. And remember, this is the same Peter who completely wimped out when Jesus was on trial, and he denied even knowing him. But that was before he had the Holy Spirit.  

Not too long before this, when Jesus was teaching his disciples, look what he told them—Mark 13:11… Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. So now, when Peter was put on the spot by these powerful people, he took Jesus at his word. And the Holy Spirit empowered him to speak. And here’s the crazy thing: he’ll do the same thing for us. 

Kevin King wrote this:  

During those early days, the Holy Spirit was healing, guiding, and saving people around every corner. But the Spirit was also working in a more subtle way. We can almost miss it if we aren’t paying attention. Acts shows us that when the Holy Spirit…shows up, people speak. 

…if we are keeping in step with the Spirit, we will be the kind of people who are compelled to speak often about him to others.  

If you find yourself reluctant or intimidated to talk about God, I want to challenge you to take the Holy Spirit more seriously. Ask God to fill you with the Spirit—like the wind fills the sails of a boat—and give you the courage to speak. 

Secondly, courage comes from Fellowship with God’s Son. So Peter boldly answers the question the authorities ask him. They asked by what authority was this healing done, and he says it was by the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. But he doesn’t stop there; he uses the occasion of the man’s physical salvation, and he pivots to talk about spiritual salvation. Look at verse 12: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. In other words, not only did Jesus save that guy from his disability; but we’re all disabled spiritually, and the only way we get saved from that is by that same Jesus. There is only one way. That’s bold.  

And these high-level priests, and the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees—who are so used to being in control—are thrown off balance. Verse 13: When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. It’s one of my favorite verses in Acts. Because usually, it was only the rabbis, who went through years of schooling, who could speak with that kind of authority and courage. These two guys were fishermen! And the religious leaders had this flash of insight: they took note that these men had been with Jesus. I picture them taking out little notebooks: These guys have been with Jesus. So that’s where they get this boldness. Yes, it’s the power of the Holy Spirit, but it’s also the fact that they had spent three years watching how Jesus lived and spoke and how he responded to intimidating situations. Have you ever seen those “Master Classes”—like you can learn cooking from Gordon Ramsey; you can learn basketball from Steph Curry? These guys had been through a master class on life from the One who called himself “The Life.” And it was changing the way they acted in a high-pressure situation. 

Let me ask you something: when people see how you live, do they take note that you’ve been with Jesus? Has the courage of Christ rubbed off on you? Because when it has, you don’t have to be highly educated to have a powerful effect on the people around you. 

Back in the 1970s there was a big Christian convention, and there were three special guests invited to come and speak. One was Jimmy Carter, who passed away just recently. So this was the year Carter was elected president. The second one was Billy Graham. The third one was a guy who drove a truck for a living. Before anyone got up to speak, the truck driver leaned over the Carter, and he said, “I’ve never given a speech in my life. I don’t think I can live through this.” 

So Billy Graham got up and gave a powerful talk. Of course. The truck driver was next. He got up and stood in front of this massive audience. Somebody handed him a glass of water; he took a sip. And he started mumbling into the microphone: “I was always drunk, and I didn’t have any friends. The only people I knew were men like me who hung around the bars in the town where I lived.” He went on to describe how someone told him about Christ. And he was so desperate, he believed. He figured he should tell people about it. So after going to a few Bible studies, he went back to the bars and started talking to people what he’d found. The bartender told him to please stop, because he was bad for business. But the truck driver kept on talking to people, and after a while some of the guys at the bar started asking questions. He said, “At first they treated me like a joke, but I kept up with the questions and when I couldn’t answer one, I went and got the answer and came back with it. Fourteen of my friends became Christians.” 

So Jimmy Carter was in the crowed listening, and later he wrote this: “The truck driver’s speech, of course, was the highlight of the convention. I don’t believe anyone who was there will ever forget that five-minute fumbling statement—or remember what I or even Billy Graham had to say.” 

Because the truck driver had one thing going for him: he’d been with Jesus.  

Listen: The first-century church was led not by professional clergy; it was built on the back of regular people. And when the wind of revival comes, it doesn’t come because of seminary-trained pastors like me—I have a role to play, but my role is to equip you give you a vision of what your life could be—but revival will come through the lips of regular people like you. Because you have the Holy Spirit. And you’ve been with Jesus. 

And then third, courage comes from Faith in God’s sovereignty. So after Peter and John get threatened by the authorities, they’re released; they go back to their family of fellow believers and tell them everything that happened. And verse 24 says When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. And look how they start their prayer: “Sovereign Lord…” They don’t say, “Ominscient Lord,” or “Powerful Lord” or “Merciful Lord,” even though all those things are true. They acknowledge his sovereignty. Which means he’s in control. As the prayer continues, they point to the crucifixion of Christ as the perfect example of God’s sovereignty. They say Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and people of Israel all conspired together and they got rid of Jesus. Little did they know, they were doing exactly what God had decided beforehand should happen. God was in control the whole time. He’s in control when being a witness for Christ makes you popular, and he’s in control when being a witness for Christ gets you arrested. No matter what happens, it’s not slipping by God; he’s in it; he’s got it; and he’s working it for good. And when you really believe that, it makes you courageous.  

Last Monday night was the college football championship game. Any Ohio State alumni here? Congratulations. So Ohio State beat Notre Dame. But to me, the best part about the championship was how many players were talking about Jesus. And the most memorable words came from the losing quarterback, Riley Leonard. After his team suffered really a crushing loss, here’s the first thing he said at the postgame press conference: 

I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the opportunity to play in this game. I wrote on my hand Proverbs 27:17, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so shall one man sharpen another.’ I think, like I said throughout the week, [Notre Dame] and Ohio State were the two teams who praised Jesus Christ the most, and I think that we strengthened each other in our faith through coming to this game and competing against each other. I’m happy to see godly men come out on top, no matter what the circumstance is. I’m very happy to praise Jesus in the lowest of lows, as well. 

I don’t know if your life feels more victory lately, or if it feels more like loss. But either way, God is sovereign. He’s working all things for you good, and he’s keeping his promise to build his church. Let that truth fill you with courage to open your mouth and speak. 

Where does courage comes from? It comes from filling with God’s Spirit, fellowship with God’s Son, and faith God’s sovereignty. When those things come together, something really special starts to happen. Which leads to our second and final point: 

What Courage Looks Like. Simply put, for a follower of Christ, courage means we talk about Jesus. Did you notice what the authorities say right before they release Peter and John? …to stop this thing from spreading any further…we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name. They don’t say “stop healing people”; they say, “Stop speaking.” Because speaking is powerful. So for a follower of Christ, courage means we speak about Jesus. In our regular life, with the people we care about, we talk about Jesus.  

And it’s a certain kind of speaking. In this passage, there’s a single Greek word that’s translated with two different English words. In verse 13, it says When they saw the courage of Peter and John… So that Greek word is translated as “courage.” And then at the very end, verse 31 says After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. So there’s the same Greek word, but here it’s translated “boldly.” The Greek word is parresia. And when it’s connected with speaking, it means courageously, boldly, clearly, unapologetically, speaking the truth. That’s how the church exploded across the Roman Empire, and that’s how the church will grow today. 

Have you ever heard of Penn Jillette? He became famous as part of  the magician team Penn and Teller. More recently, he’s been in the spotlight as a passionate advocate for atheism. So a few years ago, he recorded a video where he tells the story of somebody who came to talk to him after one of his magic shows. The guy had actually participated in one of the tricks that night as an audience member. So the guy complimented Jillette on the show, then said, “I brought this for you.” And he held up a small book. It was a New Testament. And he said, “I wrote in the front of it and I wanted you to have this.” He told Jillette that he was a businessman and that he wasn’t crazy. In this video, Jillette says, “He was kind, and nice, and sane, and looked me in the eyes, and talked to me, and then gave me this Bible.” 

And then listen to what this atheist magician said: “I’ve always said I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe there is a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward? ...How much do you have to hate someone to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” 

Later, he says this: “I still think religion does a lot of bad stuff, but, man, that was a good man who gave me that book. That’s all I wanted to say.” You know, we often think that if we speak about our faith, people would lose respect for us. It’s just the opposite. 

Let me tell you one more story. When he was 26 years old, Ken Elzinga joined the faculty of the University of Virginia as a professor of economics. One of his colleagues found out Ken was a Christian, and warned him that if he spoke out about his faith it would hinder his career. Shortly after that warning, Elzinga was walking across campus, and he saw flier with his face on it. It had been posted by a campus ministry to advertise a talk that he had agreed to give. And just seeing his face on that flier, rattled him. He started worrying, “Will my fellow professors think less of me? Will this hurt my chances to get tenured?” He was so concerned, that he actually came back to campus secretly, and night, and took down the flier. But the next morning, he came back and put the poster back up. Because after hours of searching his own heart, he realized his life was not about career ambition; it was about being faithful to Christ.  

That was over forty years ago, and in the years since then, Elzinga has been named professor of the year multiple times; he’s a speaker in high demand. And he’s realized there’s an incredible freedom that comes when you speak the name of Christ boldly and without fear.  

A.W. Tozer said this: “The world is waiting to hear an authentic voice, a voice from God—not an echo of what others are doing and saying, but an authentic voice.” Will you—in your own way, with your own personality—stop echoing culture and be an authentic voice for Christ? It doesn’t mean you have to know all the answers; it doesn’t mean you give a full gospel invitation to everyone you meet. It just means you realize that Jesus the most important, most beautiful thing in your life…and you cannot help speaking about what you’ve seen and heard. If we live like that, I’m telling you: there is no limit to what God can do through us. 

Prepare hearts for communion.  

Closing Prayer:  

Lord Jesus, you have been so good to us. 

You’ve healed our deepest sickness and called us to be your witnesses, 

and we cannot help speaking about what we’ve seen and heard. 

As we walk out these doors today, give us Holy Spirit courage to speak about you: 

to people who’ve been rejected, we will talk about your acceptance.  

to people who are anxious, we will talk about your peace.  

to people who are hopeless, we will talk about your hope.  

to people who are guilty, we will talk about your forgiveness.  

to people who are lonely, we will talk about your friendship.  

to people who are weak, we will talk about your power.  

to people who’ve been betrayed, we will talk about your faithfulness.  

to people who lack purpose, we will talk about your mission.  

to people who’ve been victimized, we will talk about your justice. 

to people who are depressed, we will talk about your joy.  

And to people who are scared, we will talk about your courage.  

Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit and make it obvious to everyone we meet that we’ve been with Jesus. 

Now remove all fear of man from our hearts, and send us out to speak the Word of God boldly. 

In the name of the living Jesus Christ, Amen.