Kingdom Revival – Bold

Posted on FaceBook, Jun 7, 2020

GOOD MORNING KINGDOM!

“Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord, Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death.” (Acts 7:57-60, 8:1)

“As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.” (Acts 8:3)

David Dorn, a retired St Louis police captain, was shot and killed by looters while he was protecting a friend’s pawn shop in the early hours of June 2. A small memorial has already begun to spring up. One sign reads, “’Y’all killed a black man because ‘they’ killed a black man??? Rest in peace.” Someone captured the shooting on video and posted it on Facebook, but it was taken down. One witness commented on Facebook, “It’s one thing to be a victim of a robbery/assault but to lie in your own blood pleading for help and no help comes other than people standing around on FB Live recording his death.”

As I read this article (posted on The Daily Citizen), the above Scripture passages came to mind. Saul witnessed the stoning of Stephen, then went about persecuting Christians. I believe this event may have been the beginning of his conversion, weighing heavy in the back of his mind, until that day on the road to Damascus, when struck down by Jesus Christ and questioned as to why he was persecuting Him. Saul’s immediate response was to ask what He wanted him to do, and, as the saying goes, the rest was history. From that moment on, Saul, who later would be better known as Paul, followed the will of God.

Scriptures abound exhorting Christians to be bold and to be the light. A revival is spreading throughout the land. We can no longer stand on the sidelines, as Saul did watching Stephen being stoned to death. And we do not need to wait for Christ to knock us down to get our attention. He has already done that through His Word, planted deep in us. Acts 4:29-31 tells us: “Now, Lord look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness, they may speak Your Word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. Being bold does not mean being boisterous and shouting negativity. It does not mean being reckless and joining the violent, incendiary rhetoric. Scriptures tell us to speak the Word of God with boldness. We must walk it out with Christ. We don’t speak out against injustices, but speak in kindness of support for justice. We don’t act out in protest against but rather work towards correcting those injustices by being a part of the solution as the Holy Spirit guides us.“

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:29-32) James 1: 21-22 tells us: “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” It is not enough to just obtain knowledge, then do nothing with it. The person, standing on the street corner and seeing a fire in a nearby building, calls out, “Fire!,” but then does not pull their phone out of their back pocket and call the fire department, fails. Now, like never before, it is time for Christians to become the light God has called us to be. Get involved in making effective positive change. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in your path to be God’s instrument to cause the solution, His solution, to unfold.

Lord, use me to be your instrument of REVIVAL. May your light shine through me so that others can know of your great mercy and grace. Allow me to be a part of Your Solution now. I am all yours.

Allow God to work through us to speak, to be, the Voice of Truth! Be Blessed.