What does it mean to live a bold life as a Christian in today’s culture? We have many choices in America, though we may see our choices becoming more limited. Culture is less accepting of Christians than any other time in the history of the United States. Believers in America must make the choice on what path they will take.
We must also decide what our personal level of boldness will be. When we are out in society, how bold will we be? What is the proper level of boldness? I can’t answer this for you. What I can do is share some ideas that may help you decide the correct level for you.
Ephesians 3:11-13 tells us, “All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go.” (The Message Bible)
Read on to answer the question: “What does it mean to live a bold life?”
When You Hear of Living a Bold Life, What do You Think Of?
A lion, because the righteous are as bold as a lion? (Proverbs 28:1) The Apostle Paul, because of all the dangers and persecution he faced? Is it someone in our current time, like Todd White? He is amazing with his bold lifestyle of witnessing!
It could be Nelson Mandela who served 27 years in prison and then helped lead the efforts to end apartheid. How about Elizabeth Cady Stanton who suffered much persecution for Women’s Suffrage? These seem to be far beyond the average person. Like superheroes of boldness.
The average Christian’s idea of being bold for Christ is someone that goes into gang territory. Or the person who preaches on the streets in the roughest area of town. It must be the people ministering in Muslim countries where they face the constant threat of death. Are these the type of believers who are bold for Christ?
Live a Bold Life for Jesus
“Me?” you say. “No. I just live in America. I have a safe neighborhood, hang out with safe people, and work a safe job. I can’t leave and go somewhere to be bold for Jesus. I have a family to provide for. No. I will send money to those brave enough to minister in dangerous places. But I could never be bold like them.”
God wants us to be bold where we are.
Just like you, I am not called to go where it is dangerous to preach about Jesus. I live on the outskirts of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a quiet suburban neighborhood. No drug dealers. No gangs. Nothing dangerous.
I have gone into gang territory a few times. I have preached and ministered in Oklahoma’s prisons. But that isn’t the norm for me. I preach and teach primarily in churches. I work a regular job and go to exciting places like Walmart and Bass Pro Shops.
Where do you place your confidence?
There is a boldness for Christians like you and me. In fact, it is my belief God called every Christian to be bold in Christ. The Holy Spirit within gives us power to be bold. Take the Apostle Peter, for example. He denied Jesus vehemently the night before the crucifixion. Seven weeks later, he was boldly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah to several thousand Jews. What caused the difference? The power of the Holy Spirit!
Read what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. “Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.” (2 Corinthians 3:8;12 NLT)
Find more information about living a bold Christian life in my article HERE.
The Holy Spirit Gives Us the Power to Live a Bold Life
Jesus told His disciples, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (John 16:7; Acts 1:8 NLT)
You have the power to be bold! God built into your spiritual DNA. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit in them; therefore, every Christian carries the capacity to be bold. “But” you say, “Where do I need to be bold?”
You can be a bolder Christian. Learn more HERE.
To be Bold Requires Confidence
For instance, Desmond Doss, a country boy from the hills of Virginia. He entered the Army as a conscientious objector to serve as a medic. His refusal to carry or use a rifle subjected him to severe persecution, abuse, and even reprimand by his commander. Yet, he boldly persevered.
During the bloody and horrific Battle of Hacksaw Ridge, on the island of Okinawa, Desmond saved seventy-five men. He did this unarmed and surrounded by the enemy. Each time he carried a wounded soldier to the cliff face and single-handedly lowered them to safety, he prayed, “Lord, please help me get one more.” He was the first conscientious objector to earn the Medal of Honor, and he did by being bold in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I don’t believe Desmond thought about being bold. He did what needed to be done and placed his confidence in God. He was fully persuaded God would help him in his time of need.
To be a bold Christian only requires us to have unshakable confidence in God. Cassie Bernall exhibited her confidence in God at Columbine High that fateful April day in 1999. When asked if she believed in God, she boldly said, “Yes,” then was shot and killed. When she woke that morning, do you think she knew there would be an opportunity to be bold for Christ? No. I believe it was a natural bold response arising from her spirit.
These are just two examples from millions of people just like you and me being bold for Christ. Our Christian heritage is steeped in boldness from its beginnings in the first century.
Do not fear!
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” (The Message Bible)
There are people in some of the most hellish places on earth exhibiting boldness in the face of persecution and death because of their confidence in God. You find them in Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa. They don’t have a choice. So far, in America we still have choices.
When we find a man meditating on the words of God, my friends, that man is full of boldness and is successful. – Dwight L. Moody
What is denying Jesus?
Jesus said, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33 New Living Translation)
This verse seems to always bring up the question of, “If someone held a gun to your head and said that if you deny your love of Jesus, you will live. If you affirm that you love Jesus, you will die. What would you do?”
I believe this is the easiest scenario for a believer to affirm their love for Jesus. What happens when you affirm your love? You are immediately in the presence of the Lord! How bad can that be?
It’s the little decisions that are the hardest to make in life. This is because they’re little in appearance, only. What do I mean by this?
How about in the lunchroom at work? Will you pray openly over your meal while surrounded by coworkers? Or at the coffeepot when the guys gather around telling off-color stories? Do you stay or leave? These are some of the insignificant decisions that all of us face.
Daily, we face decisions concerning our actions and our words. We need to scrutinize ALL our actions and words. Are they done in love? Do they represent the reality of a Living Savior? Do they reveal who is Lord of our life.
We can no longer look or act like the world. “But” you say, “I don’t act like the world! I don’t do the things they do!” Yes, but do you tacitly agree by not displaying Jesus in front of them? Is your silence thunderously proclaiming approval?
What About Christmas?
There are some instances that get the Church of America talking and venting on social media and by email wanting to make a difference. Christmas vs holiday season is one of them. Public display of the Ten Commandments is another. Oh, and add in praying before sporting events.
They are important and Christians get upset when people try to take them away. They send emails, post to their social media, and lobby against those trying to stop what they consider their God-given constitutional right. Millions of Christians across America voice their opposition against taking these away.
Yet, so often, these same Christians have no problem being absent from church attendance because they have a child in sports, and they have games on Sunday morning. What message are we not only sending to the unbeliever, but even our children who are the future of the Church? It seems to shout: Church is good, but it isn’t THAT important!
Try this one!
What if those same Christian parents across the United States joined together and voiced their disapproval of sports games on Sunday morning? What if they refused to allow their millions of children to participate in games that conflict with normal church services? I believe it would be an outcry that would change the future of sports in America forever.
There are so many ways others can see Jesus through our words or actions. We have an obligation to boldly live like Jesus in these tumultuous times.
5 Ways You Can Have a Bold in Jesus
1. Joy
Our life should exhibit joy all the time. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:33). The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is a state of our being. It is not an emotion. Happiness is an emotion that is dependent upon our current state of being. Joy is the condition of our spirit that is dependent upon our hope of resurrection and our confidence in God.
2. Humility
Not boasting of yourself. Not climbing the ladder at the expense of others. The world tries to boast and show themselves better than others. They say, “It is a dog-eat-dog world!” That is not a believer’s attitude. We lift others up and God will lift us up (James 4:10).
3. Self-control
Don’t fly off the handle. Don’t blow your top. Don’t be angry. Don’t be known as hot-headed. We are to be calm regardless of the situation. Our calm reveals to others Who we trust in. (see Proverbs 15:18 and James 1:19-20)
4. Gracious words
Do your words hurt or heal? It is the world’s way to gossip, back-bite, and talk critically of others. We are to speak words of grace (Ephesians 1:29 and Proverbs 16:2)
5. Don’t worry
That’s a good one. Unbelievers are full of worry. They worry about COVID-19, government, finances, terrorism, gangs, drugs, violence. 1 Peter 5:6-8 explicitly says we are not to worry or be anxious. Believers are to pray; not worry.
I have only listed five bold ways to let others see Jesus in and through you. There are many more that come to mind, but this is a blog article and not a book. My intent is to spark an interest in you to examine your own life by shining the Word of God onto it. Openly ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you all the ways you can show Jesus to others.
God created us purposely to live in a particular place at a particular time (Esther 4:14). You and I are made for a time such as this. I was born in America to be a committed follower of Jesus in the 21st century. God knew what would be happening at this time and created me than prepared me to live and overcome under these circumstances.
Where do you place your confidence?
Do you trust in your own efforts? Your own abilities? Your own knowledge? Do you trust in your government? Is your trust in your job to supply your needs? Do you trust in friends or your spouse to support you and give you affirmation? All these are temporal.
To be bold in life requires the eternal. An eternal God that is interested in you and what you will be. An eternal Provider of all your needs. A Savior that is eternally interceding for you before the Father.
To be bold in life requires confidence in the One True and Living God. It requires confidence that His word is eternal, powerful, and won’t return to Him empty, but will accomplish all that He said it would do.
It is time for us to examine ourselves. We need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “Am I truly living the bold life Jesus called me to be? Am I a real follower of Jesus of just playing church?”
Let’s live the bold life together. In this life. At this time. In this place.
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