But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.
Acts 2:14 (NASB)
There can be no better example of Holy Spirit boldness in the New Testament than that of Peter in today’s verse. I can imagine the wide-eyed look of the other disciples as Peter stood up and addressed the crowds. Here was a man who was not known for public speaking, a fisherman, and someone who a short time ago could not confess Christ to a servant girl (Matthew 26). This was not the first time Peter had addressed a crowd, that had been amongst his own brethren (120 souls) in the upper room. The second occasion referred to in our verse was a much larger crowd of several thousand, many of whom Peter and the disciples did not know. This was only possible by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, in and through Peter.
Dear Reader, boldness is the rubber stamp of the Holy Spirit on the life of God’s children who serve Him. It is a common recurring message in the Word, such as that given to Joshua from Moses first read in Deuteronomy 31: 6, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” If you know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, you are a child of God, filled with the Holy Spirit and His boldness. You are called to “be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Will you stand up with Peter and proclaim the name of Jesus today?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
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