Great Boldness

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⁵ When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. … ⁷ When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again … (Matthew 6:5 & 6:7)

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. ² These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. ³ They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. (Acts 4:1-3)

⁷ They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, ⁹ are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? ¹⁰ Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. (Acts 4:7-10)

¹³ The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

¹⁷ But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” ¹⁸ So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? ²⁰ We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:17-20)

²⁹ And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. … ³¹ After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:29 & 4:31)

When you know and trust your , you no longer have a need to play it .

³⁸ “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” (Acts 5:38-39)

Great Boldness:

1. Prepare for . (Acts 5:40)

I don’t worry when I face opposition for my boldness. I worry when there .

2. Prepare to see God . (Acts 5:19)

3. Take your next . (Acts 5:20-21)

4. Bold faith like nothing else will. (Acts 5:41-42)

Additional Notes

What’s Happening at Crossroads

NEW HERE?

We’re so glad you’ve chosen to come to Crossroads today! We want to thank you for visiting and would love to get to know you. Stop by and say hello at one of our Welcome Centers, our First Step area, or check out ecrossroads.info for more. We can’t wait to meet you!

CRASH COURSE

Crash Course to help you discover your place at Crossroads. At this two-hour setting, lunch is provided and childcare available if prearranged. Our next Downtown date is August 17th. Our next South date is August 24th. Find out more here.

PRAYER ROOM

God calls us to pray with great boldness, but sometimes, it’s difficult to find the words on our own. Our prayer teams are ready to help you bring anything to the Lord. Come to the prayer room at the back of the auditorium after each gathering.

CELEBRATE RECOVERY

Are you struggling with a hurt, habit, or hang-up? You can find healing through Jesus by attending Celebrate Recovery at our Downtown campus. Celebrate Recovery uses the twelve steps and its related scripture as the biblical model for living your life. Join us on Thursdays for the large group meeting at 6:30 p.m. and open share groups at 7:30 p.m. Learn more about Celebrate Recovery.

CROSSROADS PODCAST

Did you know that we have a podcast? Every week we make the audio of our weekly messages available. We’re available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Baptism Interest?  Want to be baptized? Let us know here.

Taking a Step Toward Giving   Find out more.

Pregnant and need help?   We’re here for you. Email us at [email protected]