UTTERANCE OF BOLDNESS The Holy Spirit gives utterance to those whom he will use to speak the Word of God: And there are four main utterances of speech by the Holy Ghost: 1. The utterance of Secrets or Wisdom of God in Speech (Matthew 13:35, Colossians 4:3, Luke 21:15 and Acts 6:10); 2. The utterance of voices or the utterance of thundering or roaring (bass) voice of God in Speech (2 Samuel 22:14, Joel 3:16 and Revelation 10:3-4); 3. The utterance of tongues or Eloquence in speech and in other languages (Acts 2:4 and 1 Corinthians 14:21-22); and, 4. The utterance of boldness or bold in speech (Acts 4:29-31, Ephesians 6:19-20, and 2 Corinthians 7:4). Now, “The church is enriched by God in all utterance and in all knowledge” (1 Corinthians 1:5): God wants his church to abound in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all diligence, in love and in giving gifts to others (2 Corinthians 8:7). Each of those utterances I listed above carries power because they spring from the Holy Spirit. However, for now I want to speak on boldness, the utterance of boldness in speaking the word of God. When Jesus ascended up on high was when he gave gifts to his church (Ephesians 4:8-13), but when the Holy Spirit descended down was when he gave utterances to his church (Acts 1:8). Gifts are meant to be received, but utterances are meant for speech or to be spoken out. The apostles spoke in the utterance of tongues the first time they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), but speaking in tongues is not enough utterance to withstand the threatenings of men against preaching the word of God: Therefore, the apostles asked for another powerful utterance which can withstand the threatenings or intimations of men, and that is the utterance of boldness. They spoke in the utterance of boldness the second time they were filled with the Holy Spirit, instead of speaking in tongues as was in the first time: As it is written, “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your word; by stretching forth your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of your holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31) Among the four utterances I listed above, the utterance of wisdom or secrets of God is the best; however, the utterance of boldness in speech sometimes overshadows the utterance of wisdom or secrets. What use is a wise man’s knowledge or secrets, when he does not have the boldness to speak out what he has to say or to show his opinion boldly when it matters most? 1. Apollos was not as wise in the secrets or mysteries of Christ as Aquilla and Priscilla who corrected him, but Apollos was more bold than them in utterance, because he could stand in the synagogue and speak the gospel of Christ (Acts 18:24-26). The same Apollos later rose to a popularity that rivaled the popularity of Paul and Peter among the Corinthians’ church because of his boldness and eloquence, even though Paul and Peter were wiser and more knowledgeable than Apollos in the mysteries of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4-6). 2. Peter and John were not learned or educated men or may not had being able to spell or pronounce some words correctly when they spoke, but they had the utterance of boldness in speaking the gospel of Christ which shook the council of the Priests and high Priest (Acts 4:13). 3. Paul had a past full of sins or was notorious for murder among the churches of Christ then, but his boldness in speaking the gospel of Jesus Christ among those men who knew him as sinner before, changed the impression or testimony of men about him (Acts 9:19-30). The brethren did not receive Paul into their house to stay with them because he was a believer, but because he was bold in speaking and preaching the gospel of Christ: It was his boldness that made everyone receive him at first, not his conversion (Acts 9:26-30). Some believers wonder why other brethren in Church do not seem to recognize or receive them in their home or car; the reason is because everyone may not recognize or receive you because of your belief in Christ, but everyone will either recognize you or receive you because of your boldness in Christ and in his gospel. Try to be bold in contributing during the bible studies or be bold in sharing testimonies in churches and be bold in evangelism on the streets; and you will find people who will willingly pay your bills or receive you because of your boldness in declaring your faith among men. Even here on Facebook page, only those who boldly contribute or share are more known or recognized than those who just keep dummies. It is not as if one should be bold because he wants to be recognized, which is a wrong motive; but those who are bold are distinguished among others and recognized through their boldness in speaking the right things. The opposite of fear is not faith, but boldness and courage: One can have fear and still have faith (Hebrews 11:7). The day of God’s judgment is the most fearful day ever, yet boldness of man can withstand the greatest fear of God because perfection of love shall be converted into that boldness in the man: As it is written, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:17-18). If there is no fear in love, then love is made of boldness. It is not only by the Holy Spirit one can have boldness in Christ, for can also have boldness by faith in him: As it is written, “In Christ we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:12).
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:24:04 +0000