From Fear to Bold Witness

"But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." (1 Peter 3:14)

It's interesting that Peter himself was less than bold initially. On the night of Jesus' betrayal, when a little girl said, "Hey, that's one of His followers," Peter responded, "I don't know the man." Three times he denied knowing Christ. But something happened. Jesus died on the cross, paying for the sins of humanity, and rose from the dead. Peter repented, and Jesus restored him (John 21:15-19).

Jesus told His disciples in Luke 24:49 to "tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high." In Acts 1:8, He promised, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me" (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). When people couldn't understand what was happening, Peter rose with boldness and declared, "These men are not drunk, as you suppose. They are filled with the Holy Spirit" (see Acts 2:15). He preached that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and was raised from the dead as Savior of the world, and 3,000 souls gave their lives to Christ.

The infilling of the Holy Spirit transformed this cowardly witness into a strong witness for Jesus! This same Holy Spirit power is available to us today.

Now Peter was telling God's people that persecution was coming, but while it existed, they were to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. In verse 13, Peter asks, "And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" That word "followers" really means "zealous"—passionate. If you're living for good, benefiting society, and blessing humanity, who's going to harm you? Few, if any.

But he also says, "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed." In Greek, this is in the optative mood—it's a possibility, probably not going to happen, but it might. You may not be experiencing persecution today, but it may come tomorrow.

I think of John Bunyan, who wrote "Pilgrim's Progress" while spending years in prison simply for preaching the gospel. They told him he could get out if he agreed to stop preaching, and he responded, "If you let me out today, I will, by God's help, preach tomorrow."

Second Timothy 3:12 promises: "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." If you choose to live to honor Jesus Christ, your values will conflict with this world's values. Jesus said in Luke 6:26, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

If you're not experiencing some level of persecution for Christ's sake, perhaps it's because you're going in the same direction as this world.

Reflection Question: What fears keep you from being a bold witness for Christ, and how can you rely on the Holy Spirit's power to overcome them?

Heavenly Father, like Peter, I sometimes struggle with fear when it comes to witnessing for You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit's boldness. Help me remember that even if I face opposition for righteousness' sake, I am blessed. Give me the courage to stand firm. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "Witnessing in the Real World": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/s2bd93j/17-witnessing-in-the-real-world-1-peter-3-13-17