#The Holy Spirit brings...Courage and Boldness

So this morning we are continuing in our impact series

as we make our way, pretty slowly to be honest with you,

through the book of Acts. And as we do, I want to share a

glimpse of what is happening right now because there is a

unique momentum building in our nation.

A beautiful, undeniable quickening of the Spirit is

taking place in our land. It's like there is a weight of

expectation, a long, slow awakening.

It's like when Aslan breathed over the frozen statues in

Narnia and people came back to life because the breath of God

is blowing upon this land, fanning a flame that centuries

of fire quenching buckets failed to put out.

Not persecution. Not wars, not cynical voices,

not the media. Nothing has been able to

extinguish the flame of the gospel and it's igniting friends

like never before. Just last month, I don't know if

you saw it on the news, but there were wildfires that

erupted across Saddleworth and Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire

where parched conditions, where the ground was all very parched

and there were strong winds. It created this perfect

conditions, I guess for a rapid spread of wildfire.

Friends, we have known parched dry ground for a very long time.

But right now, the Spirit of God is breathing a fresh life into

our nation, and the evidence is popping up wherever you look.

Here's what's happening. Let me give you a snapshot.

So Alpha research tells us that church attendance in the UK rose

by 25% in 2025. The Catholic Church has seen a

44% increase in adults receiving communion for the first time.

And the Church of England has reported an 11 1/2% rise in

adult baptisms, the largest that they have seen in decades.

The Bible sales are booming. Retail purchases of the Bible

has increased. Get this by 134%.

People are hungry for the truth. Use the praying 42.

Sorry, 41% of 11 to 18 year olds now say that they pray.

And everywhere you look there is a cultural conversation that is

happening. From the Bible Brothers at

Arsenal Football Club to podcasts such as Stephen

Bartlett's CEO podcast where he recently interviewed Wesley

Huff, who is a leading Christian apologist, to come to Church

With Me reels and also worship reels that are going viral all

over Instagram and TikTok. And here in the Vineyard across

the UK and Ireland, we've seen a 14% rise in baptisms and an

8018% rise in people coming to faith.

Christianity is becoming more and more visible in the public

square. And Al Gordon, who's a vicar of

Saint Church in Hackney, he recently said this.

This is definitely not business as usual.

I have never known a time like this where there are signs and

wonders, people having dreams in the middle of the night and

turning up to church. And hey, you could be here this

morning. And that's exactly what's

happened to you. You know, it's an acceleration

of the normal Christian life. And we see the blueprint of this

kind of impact in Acts chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

And we're about to see how a small flame in the hearts of two

ordinary people, Peter and John, turned into a wildfire that

spread throughout Jerusalem. Now, to be clear, it did not

happen because these people were spectacular people.

You know, they were some kind of superstars.

It happened because of two things.

The Holy Spirit filled them with courage and with boldness.

And I think you'll agree that we could all do with a bit more

courage and boldness. Holy Spirit, breathe courage and

boldness that sets us ablaze for the gospel of Jesus,

transforming us into wildfire people, people who carry a hope

that is contagious for everyone we meet.

Just like with a flick of a match spark, it leaps and it

starts to burn. Just small at first, just around

the edges, but then the flame, it starts to build and it starts

to grow and it's fuelled by its environment so that the heat

builds and and soon the kindling is being licked up by tongues of

red and orange flame. Higher and higher and wider and

wider it spreads, consuming everything around it until this

flame has become an unstoppable fire.

That is my prayer for us all. I'm talking about unstoppable

wildfires that sweep this nation with blessing and healing and

transformation. Fires that bring life and

wholeness and freedom and liberty.

Fires that bring light into the darkest places of society and

into the blackest of hearts. A fire that sweeps through every

street, every commuter town, every village, in our historic

marketplaces and in our local courtrooms and the busy streets

of our city. It's a fire on the parts of our

parks and in our homes, in our nurseries, our primaries, our

secondary schools and universities, in the early

morning CrossFit sessions before work and the pubs and the clubs

and the restaurants after work. This fire is moving through our

commuter trains into St. Pancras and along the A414 and

M25. It travels down the quiet lanes

of the Chiltons and through the busyness of Watford and Hemel

and Hatfield. What if the flame within you,

the spark you carry onto that Thameslink or into your local

coffee shop tomorrow morning, turned into an unstoppable fire

fuelled flame by the Spirit of God?

What if, just like in Acts, the future of the Church here in

Saint Albans and Hatfield and Hemel and Watford and all across

this region was changed forever? Because there is nothing the

Lord doesn't want to do in US today that He hasn't already

done in the book of Acts. And it's what I'm desperate for

in my own life, and it's what I'm bursting for, for all of us

for as a church. It's in this chapter where we're

going to see how from a flame to a fire, wildfire spread.

And last week, Chuck shared with us, I bought a brilliant word in

Acts 3 and he shared about how the power of God and how it

broke in and healed this lame man at the temple gate.

And what happened was the crowd, they were absolutely full of

awe. But as we open up Acts 4 today,

we're going to see the miracle didn't just bring about wonder,

but it also bought a confrontation.

And so going to, we're going to make our way through the book of

Acts in chapter 4 today, and we're going to make our way up

to verse 21. But we're going to do it in

chunks. So if you've got your Bibles

with you, we're going to read Acts 4 verses one to four first.

It's going to come up on the screen and I'm going to read it

to us. And it's titled Peter and John

before the Sanhedrin. So 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, they were greatly disturbed because the apostles

were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the

resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John.

And because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next

day. But many who heard the message

believed. So the number of men who

believed grew to about 5000. Amen.

So today we're looking at how do wildfires spread?

How do we go from flame to fire? What is needed to fuel a flame

into a fire? Number one, our voice.

Our voice can turn a flame into a fire.

Verse 1, The Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they

were speaking to the people. Verse 2, they were greatly

disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people,

proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

It's hard to believe, isn't it, that this is the same Peter, you

know who. Only a short time ago there he

was standing by a fire in a courtyard not far away from

where Jesus was being questioned by the high priest.

Peter loved Jesus. He'd spent nearly three years

with him. Jesus was not only Peter's Lord,

but he was also his friend. And in the moment when Jesus was

being condemned to death, Peter, he disowned Jesus, denying that

he ever knew him again and again and again.

And now here he is, speaking, teaching and proclaiming the

gospel of Jesus, not in whispered hushed tones, but

boldly and confidently. What's happened to him?

He's unrecognisable. And I guess in so many ways we

know what's happened to him. He's lived through the most

dramatic plot reversal in the whole of history.

Right before his eyes. Death became new life, and what

looked like defeat was transformed into victory.

But also, there's something in Peter's past that has caused his

voice to be strengthened and emboldened.

Peter experienced such terrible heartbreak when he denied Jesus.

He was devastated that he had disowned him.

He knew what it meant to carry the shame of silence.

And I can't help wondering if that cold, dark night of

rejection and denial was actually a catalyst for Peter,

because it was a moment that he never wanted to repeat again.

And so, fuelled by the grace and forgiveness of Jesus, early one

morning on the beach shore over a charcoal fire, having

breakfast together, Jesus made space for Peter to speak out his

love for him and also to receive Jesus forgiveness.

What changed for Peter? What moved him from fearful

denial to this bold proclamation?

It has to be something to do with this moment, doesn't it?

And so here we are. The Sadducees thought they they

had eliminated the Jesus movement where a few weeks

before they crucified Jesus. But instead, here's Peter and

John. They are publicly preaching in

the temple of all places, that God has raised Jesus to life.

And so, of course, the Sadducees, they don't like that.

And they seize Peter and John and they throw them into jail.

And we see the effect of their flame.

Their voice ignites whoosh into a fire where 5000 people turn to

Jesus, 5000 men. So actually, if we include women

and children, which we do, it's 15 to 20,000 people.

That is some fire, friends. That is a wildfire.

From the flame of just a couple of voices.

A mighty fire is spread, friends.

However we feel about this, however awkward, however

embarrassing, however scary it might feel, we cannot get away

from the fact that when Peter and John spoke about Jesus, they

saw thousands of people come to faith.

If there was a time in our land when England needed to hear our

voice, it's now. If there was a time when our

communities needed to hear us speak, it's now.

If there was a time when our friends and our families and our

colleagues are open more than ever to the gospel, it's now.

If there was a time when our our workmates, the people maybe that

we go to the gym with need to hear our voice, bringing a

different perspective, talking about a different way, a better

way, a higher way, it's now. We are living in a season right

now where the old answers are failing and where hearts are

wide open, ready to receive the truth of Christianity.

People, people aren't just curious.

They are searching. They're searching for a hope

that holds a weight. And it feels like there is a

unique ripeness in the air right now because when the world

shakes and it feels shaky, which it currently does very much so,

people start looking for foundations that don't move.

Friends, there has never been a greater openness or more

significant opportunity for the gospel than the one that is

standing before us today. The hunger is real and the doors

are wide open and yet to meet this moment.

I sense first that there is a call for us to take breakfast

with Jesus. Just like Peter.

I sense for so many of us there is an invitation to a breakfast

on the beach time with Jesus. It's an invitation to bring

before him all the times where we've stayed silent, all the

times when we never said a word, when we should have spoken up,

when we should have spoken out, or we simply should have just

spoken about Jesus. For all the times our work

colleagues never knew that we were a Christian.

For all the times our friends didn't know that we go to

church. For all the silences, for all

the missed opportunities, for there is a reinstating and a

recommissioning that Jesus by his Spirit is longing to bring

us. Just as Jesus sat with Peter

over the fire, He wants to come and he wants to speak into our

hearts today. Not to condemn us for the

silence, but to forgive us and to fill us afresh with His love

until that love outweighs our fear.

He wants to come and lift the shame and say, do you love me,

do you love me, do you love me? Then go again, go again.

He's ready to reinstate you and He is ready to reinstate me.

He's ready to recommission you and fill you with His courage

and His boldness. So Peter and John, there they

are. They are bought before the

rulers and the elders and the teachers of the law after

spending a night in prison. And they asked them, so we're in

verse 7 to 12. Now, by what power or what name

did you do this? Then Peter filled with the Holy

Spirit said to them, rulers and elders of the people.

If we're 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, 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. Jesus is the stone you builders

rejected, which has become the cornerstone.

Salvation is found in no one else.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name

under heaven, given to mankind, by which we must be saved.

I love how Peter suddenly turns the tables on their heads.

Instead of him being put on trial, he's put them on trial.

Peter stands there with this unshakable confidence in the

Gospels. He knows he isn't leaning on

some static, established tradition or a set of dry rules.

He knows that the one and only power that can overcome and

transform lives and communities and nations is the living,

breathing power of the gospel. See the shift in verse 8 as the

Holy Spirit ignites a supernatural courage within

Peter, giving him the exact words he needs to face his

accusers. And I absolutely love this

contrast of Peter's journey because I think it offers us so

much hope. At least it does for me, as we

see how the fire, how it's moved from the external to the

internal. From a charcoal fire in a

courtyard where Peter stood shivering in silence, gripped by

the fear of man, to this second fire, an internal fire, the fire

of courage, the fire of the Holy Spirit, an indwelling flame that

empowers him to stand at the very seat of power and boldly

proclaim the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, The name

that changes everything. See the power equation here.

Spirit and word, Gospel and Spirit equals power.

You see, when we speak the gospel of Jesus, when we tell of

what He has done in our lives, when we talk about what we

believe, friends, we're not just imparting information.

We aren't just sharing a story or a theory or a set of cold

facts. God's Spirit, he takes our words

and He makes them hit home in ways that we can never have

dreamt of achieving on our own. This is the supernatural

catalyst of the Book of Acts. And it's the most liberating

news for any of us who feel nervous or scared about sharing

our faith. Why?

Because it takes the pressure off of our shoulders and puts

the focus squarely on the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit who stands ready to fill us with a courage that

is not our own. Because we are called to share

the gospel, the gospel that is the unbeatable, uncompromising

power of God. It seeks no one's approval.

It bribes no authority, and it makes absolutely no apology for

its coming. It doesn't need to fit in.

It doesn't need to be liked. It is simply the truth.

And it's hit the Sandrine and San can't say it.

Sanhedrin, Sanhedrin. Thank you.

Counsel straight between their eyes and they don't know what to

do because they are trying to manage a tradition, yet Peter is

releasing, unleashing even a revolution.

Verse 15 to 16. So they ordered them to withdraw

from the Sanhedrin and then confer together.

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. How do we stop a wildfire from

spreading well across Saddleworth and Marsden Moor in

West Yorkshire? They deployed the fire services

and the emergency services here. The priests and the Sadducees

know that there is only one thing that could be poured over

this wildfire from to stop it from spreading any further.

Only one thing, that is silence. Verse 17 and 18.

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. Then they called in Peter and

John again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in

the name of Jesus. The only thing that will stop a

flame from growing and building and spreading like wildfires all

over this region is silence, is our silence.

You see, Peter and John, they were commanded, they were

ordered, they were harassed, they were threatened by these

incredibly powerful people not to speak about Jesus anymore.

They'd be in silence. They'd already been thrown into

jail. They knew what persecution was

and they could see it coming towards them at a rate of knots.

And yet this is their response, verse 19 to 21.

But Peter and John replied, which is right in God's eyes to

listen to you or to him. You'd be the judges.

As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen

and heard. 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. What is compelling Peter and

John not to be silent? What has captivated them to such

an extent that they are prepared to stand in direct opposition of

what has been commanded over them by the most highest people?

What has put fire in their bones and resolution in their hearts?

The answer and the key, I believe, to this question is

found in verse 13. When they saw the courage of

Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled ordinary

men, they were astonished and they took note that these men

had been with Jesus. What is needed to grow a flame

into a fire #2 intimacy with Jesus.

Intimacy turns a flame into a fire.

The religious rulers, they were stunned.

Why? Because they could see the

unmistakable evidence that Peter and John, they had been with

Jesus. Peter hadn't just studied Jesus,

he'd live with him. Jesus had called him by name.

He'd shared meals with him. He'd taught him the secrets of

the Kingdom of God. He'd loved him all the way

through his failures. He'd challenged his pride and

he'd encouraged his heart. And he'd commissioned his

future. Jesus said, look Peter in the

eyes at his lowest point, and he had restored him.

Peter had been transformed because of the life, the

presence and the very heart of Jesus had rubbed off on him.

There's an old Persian proverb that says a lump of clay emitted

a beautiful odour and when asked for explanation, replied, I have

been near a rose. Friends, we are the clay.

Jesus is the Rose. Our fragrance, our courage, our

peace, our boldness is not something that we manufacture.

It is the result of proximity. Intimacy is the antidote to any

fading flame. It's a solution for every dry

season and every weary moment in our lives.

And when the enemy comes to crush, when the enemy comes to

squeeze the life out of us, which he so often tries to do,

when the world tries to blow out the fire, the flame within you,

the cure is not to try harder. The cure is to be with Jesus, be

with Jesus again, to sit with him, to linger in his Word, to

linger in worship, to pray, and to be filled by his Spirit

afresh. If we want the fire to grow, we

don't focus on the flame, we focus on the one who lit it.

And from that intimacy comes courage.

Courage turns a flame into a fire that spreads to wildfires.

In the early 1500s, it was a capital crime to translate the

Bible into English. The religious Sanhedrin at the

time, they believed that the common people could not cope

with the fire of the Word of God, and so they wanted to keep

it contained in Latin. But there was a man named

William Tindall who had been with Jesus and through the study

of the Hebrew and Greek scriptures and through the Holy

Spirit, igniting something with him, within him.

He famously said to a high-ranking clergyman, if God

keeps me alive, before many years pass, I'll make sure that

a teenage farmhand knows more about the Bible than you do.

And for years, Tyndall he lived as a fugitive.

He moved from city to city all across Europe, often cold and

lonely and hiding in the shadows.

Yet he worked tirelessly, smuggling thousands of English

New Testaments into England in sacks of flour and crates of

cloth. Because he knew that if the

English people could read the Bible in their mother tongue,

read the name of Jesus, then it would be a game changer for

them. It would change everything.

And in 1536, Tyndall, he was betrayed.

He was captured, he was strangled and he was burned at

the stake. And as the fire was lit, he

cried out, Lord, open the eyes of the king of England.

And God answered that prayer. Within two years, King Henry the

Eighth ordered that an English Bible be placed in every single

church in the country. This man's single flame became a

wildfire that gave us the basis for the King James Bible and put

the gospel in front of every man, woman and child in England.

Friends, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our life

becomes a contagion of courage. You see the authorities, they

thought they were putting out a fire by burning a man, but they

didn't realise that Tyndall wasn't just a man with a book.

He was a man who was filled by the spirit of God and his death

was the spark that turned a flickering flame into a global

wildfire. And the English language,

English language was forever set ablaze with the word of God.

Friends of fire that stays contained in a fireplace is just

for our own comfort. It keeps us cosy, it keeps us

warm, it keeps us snuggled up and it keeps us safe.

But a spirit fuelled fire, it's meant to break out, it's meant

to become a wildfire. And this is what the Sanhedrin

feared the most. They weren't just dealing with a

healed man or a clever argument, they were dealing with a

contagion of courage. Peter's boldness was infectious

because it wasn't from him, it was from the Holy Spirit, and it

moved from him to the other disciples and eventually it

swept across the world. It was a wildfire that no power

could quench and no prison could contain.

Let us not be people who choose to stay warm and cosy by the

fireplace. Let's be people who were set

ablaze for the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Amen. Amen.