Boldly Speaking God’s Word with His Spirit

SPEAKING boldly means speaking courageously, speaking without fear, speaking with confidence. It means being outspoken, having freeness of speech.

Boldly speaking God’s Word certainly is what the early Christians did. Note Peter’s outspokenness when asked by the officials by what authority a man lame from birth had been healed: ‘If you are asking us about a good deed done to an ailing man, let all of you know that it was done in the name of the man you recently impaled but whom God raised from the dead, yes, Jesus Christ!’ And when charged no more to speak in Jesus’ name, the apostles replied: “Whether it is righteous in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves. But as for us, we cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.”—Acts 4:7-20; 5:29.

What accounted for their boldness? For one thing, their having been with Jesus, even as their foes were obliged to acknowledge. (Acts 4:13) Also, their being filled with God’s holy spirit: “They were one and all filled with the holy spirit and were speaking the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31a) Not one whit behind the other apostles was Paul. No sooner had he been converted than he began “speaking boldly” God’s Word to the Jews, and he kept on speaking boldly, even as the inspired record repeatedly states.—Acts 9:28; 13:46; 14:3.

Just as the opposition of rulers, religious and political, did not stop the early Christians, so it is not stopping those who are sincerely and intelligently following in their footsteps today. Eloquent proof of this is being given by Jehovah’s witnesses behind the Iron Curtain and in such lands as Spain and Portugal. We have an important message to give, to the honor of Jehovah and the salvation of men, and there is not much time left for giving it. Some of our enemies threaten physical violence, others use ridicule, but, not fearing what men may think or do, we must continue to speak God’s Word with boldness.—Jer. 1:17.

If we have this boldness, we will not be waiting for opportunities to come to us to speak God’s Word, but we will be making them by sharing in the house-to-house ministry and by incidental witnessing. So let all Christian ministers be boldly speaking God’s Word with holy spirit, in particular during the month of September, in keeping with its theme.

Questions From Readers

● In view of what is stated at Hebrews 10:26, 27, will dedicated and baptized Christians with hopes of earthly life have a resurrection if they fall away from true worship and die before Armageddon?—P.G., U.S.A.

That scripture reads: “If we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment and there is a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition.” An examination of the context shows that the apostle Paul was writing this to Christians who were in the new covenant, had been “sanctified” and so were in line to rule with Christ in heaven. (Heb. 10:15-18, 29; Rom. 8:16, 17; Rev. 5:10) Earlier in the same letter he wrote: “It is impossible as regards those who have once for all been enlightened, and who have tasted the heavenly free gift, and who have become partakers of holy spirit, and who have tasted the fine word of God and powers of the coming system of things, but who have fallen away, to revive them again to repentance, because they impale the Son of God afresh for themselves and expose him to public shame.”—Heb. 6:4-6.

While, in Hebrews chapters six and ten, Paul the apostle was discussing anointed Christians with heavenly hopes who “sin willfully” and refuse to repent, it is reasonable to conclude that the same principle would apply to those of the “great crowd” of “other sheep” with earthly hopes. (Rev. 7:9; John 10:16) If any dedicated