Bold Believers

My wife does a good deal of scripture memorization and often shares a passage

of scripture, a dramatic recitation of it that is either my text or supplements,

goes along, complements what we're going to be looking into.

And so she comes to share a scripture with you now.

With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.

And because of the gift the Lord has given me, I say with every breath that

I am able, I will tell of his word.

And as you can see today, we're going to be talking about a bold believer.

So prayer warriors and intercessors, get ready to hear how God handles a bold believer.

My friends, hear the word of the Lord. Mark 10,

46-52 New Living Translation Then they left Jericho, and as Jesus and the disciples

left town, a large crowd followed them.

A blind beggar named Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road.

When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout,

Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.

Oh, be quiet.

People yelled at him, but he only shouted louder, Son of David, have mercy on me.

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, tell him to come here.

So they called the blind man.

Cheer up, they said. Come on, he's calling you.

Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

What do you want me to do? Jesus asked.

My rabbi, I want to see.

And Jesus said to the man, go, your faith has healed you.

And instantly, the man could see. and he followed Jesus down the road.

Psalm 65, 5. You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds.

Oh, God, our Savior, you are the hope of everyone on earth.

Oh, we are thanking you, Lord. Thank you. Amen.

Thank you, dear. Thank you. now

you know i sometimes say that my wife accomplishes more

in four minutes than i do in 40 you know you get the pure word of god that way

thank you i almost forgot i gotta put my lab coat on i know you see all this

chemistry stuff up here it's really just a prop for what i want to talk about of your you're safe,

I think you're okay. I haven't. It's been five or six years since I burned down

a church, so I think you'll be all right.

Do I button this thing or leave it open? What do I do? Okay. Either way. Okay.

You're right. Do you believe in prayer?

I mean, really, really believe in prayer. Yes, you're here, so that says something.

But when push comes to shove, do you really, really, honestly,

truly, deeply, thoroughly cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in

my eye if I lie, believe in prayer?

Let me tell you a story about a young man who answered that question big time.

But first, I want to pray. Holy Spirit, you are welcome here.

Of course, you've been with us all along. You were with us yesterday.

But we just want to make sure that you know that we know how desperately we

need you to work if what we're about to do is going to amount to anything at all.

And so, Lord, I ask that these coming moments would glorify the Father,

magnify the Son, amplify the word.

Edify the people, and horrify the devil.

In Jesus' name, amen.

For 15 years, Dr.

Lee had been intimidating Christian students enrolled in his freshman chemistry

class at Allegheny College in Western Pennsylvania.

For three straight class sessions leading up to Thanksgiving break, Dr.

Richard Edwin Lee would lecture on prayer.

That is, he would lecture against prayer and against anyone who believed in it.

He would rip and ridicule prayer, evoking great gales of laughter from his students.

And then, at the conclusion of his third lecture on the subject,

Professor Lee, who was also head of the college's chemistry department.

Would say as he swaggered around to the front of his desk, now,

is there anybody here who still believes in prayer?

Wearing a smirk that was really a sneer, not a smile, the professor would reach

down, pluck a glass flask from his desk, and holding high the flask,

deal a dare at his students.

Now, if there is anybody here who believes in prayer, I'm going to ask you to

stand right now and pray that when I drop this flask on this concrete floor, it won't break.

And I want you to know, students, that all your prayers and all the prayers

of your parents and those of your Sunday school teachers and pastors,

and I'm willing to put this off until next week after Thanksgiving break so

you can bring them all here to pray with you.

Not all their prayers, nothing, nothing can keep this flask from breaking to

bits when I let it fall on this hard floor.

For 15 years, he'd been doing that, standing there a modern menacing Goliath

on the academic battlefield.

And not once in all those years had there been a little David,

a Christian student brave enough to stand up for God, stick up for prayer, and speak out in faith.

No one to accept the challenge to pray that the glass flask won't break when

the teasing, taunting teacher lets it slip from his hand.

For 15 years, nobody, no one that is until the day a faith-filled and fearless

freshman enrolled at the university.

He would be the one to stand up and take up the challenge and shake the fist

of faith into the face of the Goliath-like Dr.

Lee. He arrived on campus for fall semester, having heard stories of what Prof.

Lee would do just before Thanksgiving break. With Jesus' words and Matthew 18-19 in mind.

If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for,

it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

And with those words in mind, the freshman mounted a search for a prayer partner.

And when somebody recommended a senior named Dick Harvey, the freshman looked him up.

Dick, I've heard you're about the only fellow around here, anybody you can think

of who believes in prayer.

He paused. The senior nodded, wondering where this was going.

Dick, I want you to know I'm a born-again Christian. I am majoring in chemistry,

which is perhaps a foolish thing for me to do since I know what Dr. Lee thinks and does.

But God has shown me he wants me to stand up to Dr. Lee.

And I want you to pray God will give me courage when the time comes.

And I also want you to pray that the flask won't break.

The freshman went on, and I'd sure appreciate it if every time you pray,

even when you say grace at mealtimes, you would remember my request.

It won't be long before Dr. Lee issues his challenge, and I want God to make

me bold enough to stand up to him.

All right, the startled senior said.

I'll pray with you. And so it was, the quickly coming Thanksgiving break found

two Christian collegians praying one little old freshman would be brave, bold,

and praying that their great God would keep that flask from shattering into

a thousand pieces when Dr.

Lee let it slip from his hand.

Now, before I tell you more of this story, I want to give you the biblical base

for what I have to share with you today.

It's in the book of Acts, fourth chapter of Acts, Acts 4.

Acts has it all, doesn't it? I mean, really, astounding miracles,

powerful praying, persuasive preaching, breathtaking escapes,

political intrigue, courtroom dramas, life and death dilemmas,

harrowing adventures on the high seas, thrilling rescues, mysteries, and more.

Acts grabs our attention, triggers our imagination, and thrills our souls.

Get a grip on the message, meaning, and miracles of the verses I'm about to

read to you from one of my favorite chapters in God's Word, and you just might

have some adventures of your own.

At the start of Acts 4, we encounter the big fisherman, Simon Peter,

and his boyish buddy John standing trial for disturbing the peace.

Obviously, this is a kangaroo court, because in this case,

disturbing the peace means preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus,

as well as helping and healing a crippled beggar in Christ's name in the previous chapter, Acts 3.

Verses 8 through 31 of Acts 4, then, give us a transcript of the trial,

as well as a news report of what followed.

Now, rarely do I read this lengthy a scripture as part of some kind of a message,

but folks, this is some kind of a passage.

This will put spiritual goosebumps on your soul. Here it is,

Acts 4, beginning at the eighth verse.

The chief justice of the Jerusalem Supreme Court has just ordered Peter and

John to enter their plea and make their defense.

Here it is, Acts 4 at verse 8.

Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them,

Rulers of the people and elders,

if we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man,

by what means he was healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people

of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead by him,

this man is standing here before you healthy.

This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given

to people by which we must be saved.

When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were

uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with him,

they had nothing to say in opposition.

After they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, saying,

What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign has been done through

them, clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

And so that this does not spread any further among the people,

let's threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.

So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John answered them, Whether it's right in the sight of God for us

to listen to you rather than to God, you decide,

for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.

After threatening them further, they released them.

They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to

God over what had been done, for this sign of healing had been performed on a man over 40 years old.

After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything

the chief priests and elders had said to them.

When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and prayed,

Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them.

You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David,

your servant, why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot futile things?

The kings of the earth take their stand against the rulers, assembled together

against the Lord and against his Messiah.

For in fact, in this city, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and

the people of Israel assembled together against your holy servant, Jesus.

Whom you anointed to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place.

And now, Lord, consider their threats and grant that your servants may speak

your word with all boldness.

While you stretch out your hand for healing and signs and wonders are performed

through the name of your holy servant Jesus, when they had prayed,

the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with

the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

Powerful passage. Why boldness booms in every paragraph.

The word itself in verse 13, when they observed the boldness of Peter and John.

In verse 29, now Lord, consider their threats and grant that your servants may

speak your word with all boldness.

In verse 31, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

My friends, where the wind of God's Spirit blows and where the fire of God's

Spirit glows, there is boldness.

And that word translated boldness in our English Bibles comes from the word

perhesia in the original language of the New Testament.

And among other things, perhesia means faith-filled fearlessness.

It means confident courage, and it even includes the aspect of cheerful courage.

Cheerful courage. Now, if you're like me, you sometimes have grin and bear at courage.

Sometimes you have i'll put up with it as long

as i have to courage and other times you have i'm scared to death but i'm gonna

suck it up and act brave so people won't know i'm really a big chicken courage

but here we're talking about rooting tooting for real and for sure cheerful,

cheerful, confident courage.

So, is there anything in your life for which you now need this grace-granted.

Spirit-given, prayer-gotten gift of boldness?

How about the brand of boldness the writer of Hebrews is talking about when he says,

let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we receive mercy and

find grace to help us in time of need.

And when we talk about praying boldly, we don't mean brashly, but confidently.

Those believers at the end of our scripture even prayed for boldness with boldness.

If boldness, biblical boldness, cheerful, confident courage is the missing link

in your Christian life. It's only a prayer away.

Or maybe it's not boldness, but something else you need to boldly bring to the

throne of God and grace, perhaps a spiritual,

missional, physical, emotional, financial, or relational need.

It might not be a falling flask, but a daunting challenge, a struggling relationship,

a frightening illness, a tempting sin, a failing marriage, a deep hurt,

a shattered dream, a broken heart, an enslaving addiction, or anything else.

Well, it was boldness that freshmen in my story needed, boldness to defend and

fend for his belief in a prayer hearing, prayer answering God,

for the day of reckoning had come.

It was the day before Thanksgiving break, and Dr.

Lee had just finished leveling his third lecture against prayer at the freshman chemistry class.

Concluding, Dr. Lee stepped forward and said, now, is there anyone here who

still believes in prayer?

You know, there were some 300 students in freshman chemistry.

It was the largest single class in the entire university.

From his seat near the middle of the auditorium, the freshman rose to his feet.

His prayer partner, senior Dick Harvey, who three years ago to the day had cowered

in the face of the same challenge, was just sneaking in the door at the auditorium rear.

Dick watched the freshman step into the aisle. He heard the freshman speak.

Dr. Lee, Dr. Lee, over here, Dr. Lee, I do. I still believe in prayer.

My, this is real interesting, real interesting, said the professor,

smacking with sarcasm and then with mock seriousness.

Class, we've got a boy here who believes God can answer prayer.

This was the first time in 15 years anyone had responded to the professor's challenge.

Young man, do you believe God will answer your prayer?

Yes, Dr. Lee.

I am sure God will answer my prayer.

Well, said the professor, this is most interesting, but I think I'd better explain

again what I'm going to do. I don't think you understand, and I don't want you

embarrassing yourself.

And so Doc Lee went through the entire procedure, dramatically describing it step by step.

He would have the student pray that the flask would not break.

Then he would take the glass flask. He would hold the flask high and away from

himself as far as he could. Then he would open his hand.

The flask would fall from fingers to floor.

Together, they would witness the flask shattering into thousands of pieces.

There wasn't any power in the world or in heaven, Dr.

Lee told those 300 spellbound students that could keep that flask from breaking

to bits. Now, young man, do you still want to pray?

Yes, Dr. Lee, I am anxious to pray.

Well, the prof said, this is going to be interesting, interesting indeed.

Now, class, let's all bow our heads and be real reverent while this young man

prays the flask won't break when I drop it.

Now, friends, I am anxious to tell you the rest of this story.

But before I give you the results of this freshman's boldness,

I think you ought to know the reasons for his boldness.

We need to know just to satisfy our own quest for boldness and test our own confidence in prayer.

And I believe this guy was bold in the classroom for the same reasons Peter

and John were bold in the courtroom. Here, from Peter and John in our scripture,

let me share with you some biblical boldness builders.

For one, they sensed a rousing spirit. They sensed a rousing spirit.

Verse 8 of Acts 4, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,

said to them, Boldness belongs to those who recognize the presence and power

of the Holy Spirit flows to them and through them as believers.

Back in Acts 2, when the spirit came in the first place, Peter and his pals

were transformed from a company of cringing cowards.

Into a band of bold believers these

guys were so given to god they were

soaked in the spirit i mean drenched like a sponge so now that they were being

squeezed courage just oozed out of them they are inhabited by the supernatural

holy spirit not inhibited by their struggling human spirit,

filled with him and thrilled by him, and they lived like it.

They knew what the apostle would one day write in Romans 8, 11,

that the very same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lived in them, lives in us.

And that takes us right into our next boldness builder. They served a risen Savior.

Verse 10, where Peter reminds his accusers that they had crucified Jesus,

but God raised him from the dead.

Now, when there lived within them one who had defeated death,

they knew they could defeat whatever was out to defeat them in life.

Resilient resurrection resources are released for the redeemed. Did you catch that?

Resilient resurrection resources are released for the redeemed.

Next boldness builder. They spent time with Jesus.

Verse 13. I love this. When they observed the leaders, when the leaders observed

the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men.

They were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Christian courage belongs to those who spend time with the Lord in worship and

in the Word, in prayer, communing and conversing with Him daily, deeply, devotedly.

Now, here's another biblical boldness builder. They had a whopping good case of the can't-help-its.

In verses 19 and 20, having been ordered to never preach and teach about Jesus again,

Peter and John tell their accusers they couldn't stop talking about all the

things they had seen and heard Jesus say and do if they wanted to.

I should say, after all, these guys were on the seaside when Christ fed the 5,000.

They were on the mountainside when he preached his sermon on the mount.

They were on the roadside when he healed the sick. They were on the hillside

when he cried with compassion.

They were in the reception when he turned water to wine. In the temple when

he faced down the money changers.

In the boat when he walked on the water. in the cemetery when he raised the

dead, in the crowd when he told why he was going to the cross,

and at the empty tomb and upper room after he rose from the dead.

After all we've seen, they told the court, we have to talk about it.

We just can't help it.

Well, folks, we too know what God can do.

He's forgiven our sins, given us the assurance of that.

He lives in our lives. We've seen him answer our prayers. We've seen the Lord do wonderful things.

God give us a whopping good case of the can't help it's.

Then in verses 23 to 31, we find one more biblical boldness builder,

and it's the key to all the others.

This, they did the best thing they could do. They prayed.

Released on their own recognizance, Peter and John have informed their Christian

comrades of the court's threatening ultimatum that they cease and desist from

talking about and serving Jesus.

So immediately, these intensely intrepid individuals of the Jerusalem church

do what? They call a prayer meeting.

They call a prayer meeting. That's what they did every time they faced a challenge.

They call a prayer meeting, and they pray for boldness with boldness.

Of course, the rest of Acts, and the rest of the New Testament for that matter,

lets us know these people prayed about everything, every need, no matter what it was.

And now verse 24 tells us they raised their voices to God.

In other words, what this is telling us is that they all started praying out loud at the same time.

They were all so anxious to pray, they were not about to politely wait until

somebody else prayed, and then somebody else, and somebody else,

and they had their return.

They just all jumped up at once and started praying together of one heart.

God loves it when his people come together united and agree in prayer.

As a matter of fact, God does some of his best work when we do.

And what do they pray for? Verses 29 and 30.

Now, Lord, consider their threats

and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness,

while you stretch out your hand for healings and signs and wonders are performed

through the name of your holy servant, Jesus.

Now, Peter and John had already demonstrated great boldness, hadn't they?

But they knew they needed more and would need it again and again.

And there's no doubt their prayers were effective.

After all, our last verse, 31, tells us, when they had prayed,

the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with

the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

To pray boldly for boldness and to boldly pray for anything else we need.

Listen, timid prayers and tepid faith are an insult to God.

Timid prayers and tepid faith are an insult to God.

God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God.

And that brings us back to our freshmen standing there in the auditorium aisle,

bursting with boldness.

Again, the professor spoke.

Young man, do you still want to pray? Are you ready? i've been ready for a long

time dr lee all right then you go ahead and and and you pray,

and we'll ball all bow our heads you pray the flask doesn't break when i drop it class,

bow your heads please the freshman didn't even bother to bow his head he just

lifted his eyes toward heaven and prayed,

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you that you have heard me for

your honor and for Christ's name's sake, and for the honor of your servant who trusts in you.

Don't let this flask break. Amen.

Again, Dr. Lee questioned. Ready? Again, the freshman responded,

Dr. Lee, I have been ready.

Not one student moved. No sound could be heard as Dr.

Lee slowly raised the piece of fragile glassware.

He held the flask out from himself as far as he could, raised it up, and dropped it.

Down it plunged, certain to shatter on the concrete floor below.

But you know, as it fell, something happened.

God changed its course. Instead of falling straight down, it fell in an arc landing on the toe of Dr.

Lee Hsu and rolled over on the floor, unbroken.

It did not break there

was no movement of air in the room no breeze

was blowing in fact no windows were even open well 300 students don't you know

roared at dr lee who that's right never again lectured against prayer the story

spread across campus like a wildfire and even though it happened years ago,

the story of the flask that did not break is still told on that college campus today.

Well, remember Dick Harvey, the freshman's silent, scared prayer partner?

Of what happened after class, Dick confessed with complete candor.

He said, I went back to my room, dropped on my knees beside my bed and wept.

Oh, God, I cried out.

Why didn't I have the courage to stand up for you? Why didn't I have the courage to honor your name?

Now, I don't know about you, but I want to be someone who approaches the throne

of grace with boldness, whether it's to ask for boldness or anything else that needs asking for,

praying boldly to a God for whom nothing is impossible.

O God of might and miracles, you have said in your word that all power belongs to you.

Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, ever.

Yours is the victory and majesty.

You are the great game changer in all of our lives. In the difficulties we deal

with, you don't want us to limp along with a spirit of fearful,

fretful, worrisome, cringing cowardice.

When you would help us march on with empowered confidence and a calm, balanced, secure mind.

For whether it be a falling flask, a daunting challenge, a struggling relationship,

a frightening illness, a tempting sin, a failing marriage, a deep hurt,

a shattered dream, a broken heart,

an enslaving addiction, or anything else, you are the answer.

For you have the answer.

So, Lord, help us. Almighty God, help us.

May we boldly pray, adventurously and audaciously pray for you to provide the

answer by your great Holy Spirit through Christ our Lord. Amen.

What I'd like to do for our closing prayer is I want to pray for those of you

who would indicate an interest in praying for boldness in your life,

or you want to be able to boldly pray that God would meet any other need,

challenge, or struggle that exists.

But before we do that, I want to remind you of the verses that sent the freshman

looking for a prayer partner.

Matthew 18, 19, and 20, where Jesus said,

truly i tell you if two

of you on earth agree about any matter that you

pray for it will be done by my father in heaven for where two or three are gathered

together in my name i am there among you now we have we have more than two or

three here this morning and so when we pray for for any of you wanting boldness.

Or to be able to pray boldly for whatever you would be facing,

we're going to agree with you.

We may not know what it is, but we are going to agree with you in prayer.

Here's how I'd like to do this.

We're going to do a simple thing here. I simply would like to ask any of you

who want and have the need,

the Lord has spoken to you, There's some challenge in your life to boldly pray

for more boldness or to boldly pray for whatever your other need might be,

and perhaps there are several, just to stand up where you are.

Just rise to your feet right where you are that we can pray for you.

Okay. Wow. I was going to have people come alongside people who stood to agree with them.

I don't think I can do that. I think we have more people standing than still available to do that.

So you just look around.

Those of you still seated, you look around at those who are standing,

and those you know by name, identify in whatever way, shape,

or form, you pray for them.

Just say, Father, I agree with her in prayer at this point.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, what a wonderful story this is, in the book of Acts.

I mean, it's full of wonderful stories, but I just love this story. I can't get enough of it.

And so here we are, like your apostles, like all those people gathered at the

end of the chapter, hearing the report of the apostles and praying together.

We pray, Lord, for your Holy Spirit, who would bring boldness,

a new boldness, great boldness into each of our lives.

Lord, some of us just need more courage, more bravery in living for you,

serving you, speaking for you, stepping up for you.

Would you impart that to any who stand for that reason right now?

And then, Heavenly Father, others of us face challenges that seem to overwhelm us,

and we need the boldness to pray that you would help us take those things,

tear down those strongholds,

be victors over those challenges,

allow you to be abundantly.

Victoriously active in our lives.

So, Lord, give us the ability to boldly pray for your help in those things.

And so lord we thank you we thank you that you hear and will answer our prayer in christ's name amen.