When we gather togather and pray for the Spirit to give us courage, God meets us in a supernatural way. Like Peter and John, we should be marked by an unexplainable courage and hope that comes from our hope in the gospel and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our God meets us in our anxiousness and fear and gives us boldness to proclaim the gospel in difficult situations and amidst hardship. In this video, David Platt and Francis Chan teach us to rely on the Holy Spirit through prayer to give us boldness.
David Platt:
You and I wrestle with this. I don’t think we’re alone in wrestling with this. I think this is pretty commonplace. So how do we get out of this? How do we really, as disciples of Jesus, wow, make disciples of Jesus, share the gospel?
How Do We Share the Gospel?
Francis Chan:
See, I don’t want to be too simplistic. But I really believe it’s going to be a supernatural thing as people gather together and pray for that courage. What I see in scripture is, and this is what has given me more of peace about it, because at first, I’m like, what is wrong with me? I shouldn’t be afraid.
But then, I don’t know, the last couple of years, the Lord’s shown me how Peter and John, how people were astonished by their boldness. But then you see later on in that chapter how the believers were gathered together with them and praying for their courage and I go, well, we don’t really do that.
I see the Apostle Paul even said, “Pray for me that I may preach this message boldly as I should,” and so Paul is asking the church, “Pray for me,” and I don’t think we really do that, and again, I mean, I believe this is going to be, if you and I, I don’t have this discussion very often with people and admit that and then have them admit it to me and then a lot of times it just ends right there because we don’t believe in prayer enough that I really believe something supernaturally would happen if we started praying for each other’s boldness and courage.
It’s a fruit of the spirit. I don’t want to be the cheerleader that’s like, “Come on. You can do it. You can do it.” It’s like, no, let’s pray about this. Let’s pray and ask the Holy Spirit. I mean, Paul had to tell Timothy, “Come on. This isn’t the spirit that was given to you. You’re given one that has courage, that has power, that has a love, that has self-control.” When you were saying, “Well, maybe I don’t love that person enough,” maybe you don’t.
Pray for Boldness
See, most people would say, “Oh no, David, you’re loving,” and just like, “Oh, Francis, come on. Of course, you love people.” No. It’s like, no, I don’t think I love them as I should and pray for that and I think Christians are too quick to just try to comfort, rather than saying, “Yeah, maybe you don’t love enough. Let’s pray about that or maybe you’re not bold enough. Let’s pray for that.”
David Platt:
See, and that’s it because we are quick to comfort. We just kind of go back into coasting and nothing changes and we just continue in that.
Francis Chan:
And you’re not helping that person when you do that.
David Platt:
No, not at all.
Francis Chan:
I mean, it’s a fake comfort. Okay, thanks.
David Platt:
For sure.
Francis Chan:
But you know what you read in scripture and you see the way the people were in scripture and so the only comfort is, let me pray for you and let me encourage you to change that, to repent, and then once you do, then the peace comes. I mean, the peace when I do share my faith …
David Platt:
Absolutely. Yes.
Francis Chan:
It’s like, oh, I feel so much better now.
David Platt:
Yes. Yeah.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
