Person-2-Person - July, 2018

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by David Phelps

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa

July, 2018

There’s a billboard about a mile from our church that features an ad for a local waxing salon. It features a picture of two women who are presumably ready for summer, along with the words, “Summer favors the bold.” Except the two women aren’t wearing bikinis or anything else that might be considered “bold.” They’re wearing tank tops and presumably shorts. Maybe if they were Amish that might qualify as “bold” but I doubt Amish women would pose for billboards in the first place. Instead, they’re wearing what I suspect most of the women I know would be comfortable wearing in warm weather when they felt like dressing casually. And anyway, wearing a bikini doesn’t make a woman “bold.” That comes from how she presents herself to the world.

As servants of Christ, we’re also supposed to be bold. The Bible essentially talks about three different but related forms of boldness. The first is boldness to face enemies or other challenges, as in, for example, Deuteronomy 31:6 (Common English Bible): “Be strong! Be fearless! Don’t be afraid and don’t be scared by your enemies, because the Lord your God is the one who marches with you. He won’t let you down, and he won’t abandon you.” The second is boldness to speak God’s truth, and to speak out against evil, as in Acts 4:31 (CEB): “After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking God’s word with confidence.” The third is the boldness to approach God, knowing we have an advocate in Christ, as in Hebrews 4:16 (CEB): “Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.”

After the crucifixion, the earliest disciples were terrified (John 20:19). Even after Mary Magdalene “. . . announced to the disciples, ‘I’ve seen the Lord.’” (vs. 18b CEB), they were in hiding, with the doors locked, “. . . because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities,” (19b CEB). They weren’t people we would associate with transforming the world, unless they were the ones who were being transformed. We certainly wouldn’t describe them as “bold.”

Jesus told the disciples to “‘. . . stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.’” (Luke 24:49b CEB). But he didn’t tell them to stay forever. Once Christ had risen for the last time, the disciples stood gazing up at the sky. Suddenly, two men in white robes appeared and said, “‘Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven?’” (Acts 1:11a CEB). In other words, “Why are you just standing around doing nothing?” There was work to be done and a kingdom to build. They weren’t going to get anything done staring at the clouds.

The first part of being bold is to recognize and face your objective. I confess that I do far too much of my own “looking up at the sky.” I allow television, the Internet, secular reading, and other pursuits absorb vast quantities of my time, attention, and energy. I can’t honestly remember the last time I was “bold” in my faith. But if I spent half as much time and energy on developing my faith, I’d be a match for any of the saints of old.

The earliest disciples also needed to be bold. They needed to focus on the task of expressing their faith and building the newly formed kingdom. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews reminded a later generation of disciples that they could draw near to God in confidence. Thanks to Jesus, our ambassador and intercessor, we can be bold in approaching God too. And when we approach, we “. . . receive mercy and find grace when we need help.” Most of us today don’t need to worry about confronting enemies or dealing with persecution. Often our greatest need is boldness to witness to the wonders of our God.

“Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin.
“Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.” (Heb. 4:14-16 CEB.)