He's The Difference Maker
The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Acts 4:5-13 (New Living Translation, NLT)
The word boldness is parrhesia in Greek, which means outspokenness, frankness, bluntness, and confidence. Peter and John did not shy away from speaking the truth to these powerful religious leaders, even at the risk of their own lives. This is interesting, since they were some of the same people hiding in fear from these very leaders.
After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples feared for their lives, hiding themselves away. However, these same men went from behaving like scared rabbits to becoming bold lions in a very short time. What changed them so drastically? The answer is in Acts 2.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance…. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved…. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:1-4, 14-21, 41 (KJV) emphasis mine
This is the account of the disciples being filled with, or baptized in, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Difference Maker, giving courage and boldness where there was previously none. Peter, in particular, stepped out and spoke the Good News with frankness, and the church began to grow astronomically. The Holy Spirit empowers and emboldens us. He gives us not only the courage to speak, but also the words to speak. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we need not worry about what to say. He speaks through us as we yield to Him.
Child of God, you need not be intimidated or afraid to speak about the Lord and to share Jesus with others. And you do not need to be timid about telling the truth in love. There is a troubled world that needs to hear the truth, and we are the ones to tell it to them. Spend time praying in tongues. This will embolden you and give you wisdom about when to speak and what to speak. And if you have not experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, you just need to ask Him to fill you. He is a gentle, kind, and loving God, and He will fill you up with Himself when He is invited. And His indwelling power will give you boldness to win the world to Jesus.
