If you have ever read Acts chapter 7 then I am sure that you are blown away with how Stephen responds to the Sanhedrin. I mean imagine standing before 23 judges in today’s society, being accused falsely, and trying to figure out what exactly to say. Doesn’t seem like the easiest situation does it? However, you notice in chapter 7 of Acts that Stephen does not stumble with his words. His courage and boldness is pretty evident through his words.  How was Stephen so courageous and bold?

Earlier in Acts 4 we read of Peter and John standing before the Sanhedrin as well. They were seized up the night before for proclaiming that Christ had risen from the dead and were thrown into jail. As they stand before the judges the next day, after being questioned, Peter begins to speak. In chapter 4 verse 12 Peter says,

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Realize now that Peter and John were standing before what would equate in today’s society as the Supreme Court. How was Peter able to speak so courageously before them? As we see in verse 13 it baffled everyone there.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

The story continues as Peter and John return back to their own people after being released. All of the people there begin to lift their voices in prayer to God and in the middle of verse 29 they ask for something that we should be asking for on a daily basis.

“Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”

You might be wondering how Stephen spoke so boldly, or how Peter and John were deemed as men of courage by the people accusing them. We often like to view people in the Bible as legends, rather as examples of God’s proficient power in the lives of ordinary men. These men are no different from you and me. As you read these stories you realize that all of them are very profoundly similar. How Stephen, Peter, John, Billy Graham, John Piper, believers back then and believers right now speak the word courageously and boldly still comes from the exact same source.

Acts 7:55 –But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Acts 4:8a –Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them:

Acts 4:31 –After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Speaking boldly and courageously for Christ simply comes from the Holy Spirit. You might not be feeling very bold or courageous in your life or in your walk with Christ. However, there is great hope revealed to us in Acts 2, Peter points out an amazing truth, and it is simply that the Holy Spirit is available to anyone who believes. So if you are a believer, then that means you have a divine God living inside of you. Do you believe it though? If you do, do you live like it? Do you remember what Jesus said to his disciples in John 16:7?

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

It is better that Jesus goes, so that we can have the Holy Spirit? It might be difficult to believe, but if you desire to live a life of courage and boldness for Christ then acknowledge and believe the truth that you have the Holy Spirit living within you. Stephen, Peter, and John did. Countless numbers of believers who have spoken out courageously for Christ in the tribes of Africa and in the slums of India believed that the Holy Spirit would give them the words to say in their time of need. (Luke 12:12)

I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has a distinct plan for our lives. (I Corinthians 12:11) There is a supernatural power that we can obtain through the Holy Spirit. A generation of believers is rising up to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. The most important thing that we can do is to acknowledge the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives and to not put limits on what He can do within and through each and every one of us. If we quench the Spirit of God and if we do not recognize our desperate need for the Holy Spirit living within us we will never be able to reach the full potential of how God desires us to truly live. Nobody puts it better than Francis Chan in his book Forgotten God, where he comments on how he desires to live his life through the Holy Spirit:

“I don’t want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly”

Stephen, Peter, John, and believers all over the world were flying. You have that ability today to break out of your shell of doubt and insecurity and spread your wings and acknowledge the power of the Holy Spirit within you and fly to greater heights then you ever could have imagined. Do not fear death or anyone on this earth because of the amazing fact that the Holy Spirit is with you and He will guide you and lead you down the path towards God. Let’s become a generation of courageous and bold believers. The time to start is today!

*Francis Chan’s book Forgotten God talks about the neglect of the Holy Spirit and I would definitely recommend reading it if you have any questions at all about the Holy Spirit*