Boldness to obey God rather than men

Acts 5:29 (NASB)

“We must obey God rather than men”

This statement by Peter and the other apostles is the supreme example of boldness. When the Scripture says to be bold (the best verse, in my opinion, is Philippians 1:20), boldness almost always means practicing this verse.  No question that it takes great courage to go against the secular crowd and follow the ways of God. 

Examples:

·  Standing firm in your faith when others ridicule you for such faith. 

·  Defending your church when others complain about it

·  Asking someone if he/she believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior when you don’t know what the reaction/response will be

·  In private, telling a friend that he/she is sinning realizing that your bold honesty might ruin that friendship.

·  Refusing to do something that would violate your conscience while everyone else is doing it and ridiculing you for not doing, e.g. drinking, taking drugs, having sex, going to a perverted movie or play, stealing, lying, all kinds of situations like these

One of my favorite movies is “Chariots of Fire” that won the Oscar for best picture in 1981.  One of the heroes of the true story is the Scottish sprinter, Eric Liddell, who refused to run in a qualifying 100 meter heat at the 1924 Paris Olympics because it was to be held on a Sunday.  Despite enormous pressure from the Prince of Wales and the British Olympic Committee, he held his position because of his Christian conviction that to run on Sunday would be a failure to honor the Sabbath.  While everyone disagreed with his position, they also privately held admiration for his boldness.

Think about your boldness.  Are you bold at all about your faith or are you afraid of what others will think (Proverbs 29:25)?  Are you more concerned about what people will think of you than what God thinks of you?  Are others well aware of your priorities, faith and obedience to the Lord (without being unduly pious or overbearing)?  And, are you so bold about your faith in the Lord that you would be willing to die rather than renounce it?  That is a question that you’ll never know the answer unless/until it actually happens.  Yet, it’s a question that hypothetically causes you to think how obedient and how bold you are in your Christian faith.     

“You are only as strong as your purpose, therefore let us choose reasons to act that are big, bold, righteous and eternal”. — Barry Munro

“The righteous are bold as a lion” –- Proverbs 28:1b