What are you afraid of

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

You have nothing to fear so why are you so afraid? Seriously, what is the worst that could happen. If you were to step outside of your comfort zone, what would really happen?

In Acts in the bible the apostles were BOLD. They acted with confidence and without fear. Even when faced with death they stood boldly in faith teaching about Jesus. God empowered them to do something. To be BOLD. Yet here we stand afraid to get out of the boat. When confronted with those who choose not to believe. What do you say when your beliefs are challenged?

Acts 4: 8-10 ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, ⁹ 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? ¹⁰ 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.

Jesus's name was so controversial back then. This very statement was BOLD. This was a pretty crazy thing to do. What's the worst thing that could happen? Well they could have been killed. They could have been imprisoned indefinitely. These men didn't care they new Jesus and that made them BOLD.

2,000 years later his name is still controversial. Everything about him is still controversial. For those of you who are Harry Potter fans we all know the He Who Must Not Be Named. Lets not make the mistake of turning Jesus into that! Think about it in our effort to trivialize everything and be wonderfully politically correct what is the first thing we remove? That's right the name of Jesus. He is at the heart of it all. His name is Bold because what he did for you and for me is Bold.

"American Atheists sued New York state arguing that they oppose the placement of the steel beam cross in the 911 museum because they believe it is the only religious article getting special accommodation there."

While allowing other groups to limit their membership according to shared values, university officials had refused to recognize BYX as a registered student group because the fraternity limits its membership to Christian men.

Earlier this month, the Arizona Civil Liberties Union demanded that the state remove the statue from Wesley Bolin Park or be faced with a lawsuit. The challenged monument is one of twenty similar monuments that celebrate Arizona’s history, culture, and diversity.

On Aug. 9, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit denied the asylum application of Xiaodong Li of Ningbo, China, effectively requiring his deportation to China, where he faces two years of imprisonment, for being a Christian.
American Atheists sued officials of the Utah Highway Patrol and the Utah Transportation Department in 2005. The group claimed that the roadside memorials are a state establishment of religion, even though the memorials are fully funded and maintained by a private organization, the Utah Highway Patrol Association.

Times are not so very different. We are not so very different today. Be BOLD, do not stand back and wait for others. God has called us, called you. If you open your ears, your heart, your eyes; you can see where he will lead you. The more you know him the BOLDER you will be. That BOLDNESS will change the world. This is your life. What are you waiting for?
Acts 4: 20 ²⁰ We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”