Have you ever been inspired by the boldness and power of the apostles in the Book of Acts or by the outspokenness of those in the Reformation? Ever since the day of Pentecost, Christians—born again of God’s holy spirit—can confidently and boldly walk with power in this world.
There is an astounding truth for us to understand, written in I Corinthians, chapter 2. Here, the Apostle Paul by revelation is referring to the Mystery. This great mystery is that Judeans and Gentiles are fellow heirs and of the same Body (Ephesians 3:6) and that it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Let’s consider this truth in the following verses:
I Corinthians 2:7,8:
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Which [referring to the Mystery] none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Why would Satan, the prince of this world, not have wanted the Lord Jesus Christ crucified? After all, Jesus had astounded the people with his doctrine, healed all that were oppressed of the Devil, and fearlessly stood up to the hypocritical leaders of the day. Wasn’t his death Satan’s gain? Well, it might have been had God not raised Jesus from the dead! But He did raise him. Now anyone who believes Romans 10:9 can be born again and receive the gift of holy spirit, Christ within.
We believers have the power to walk boldly. That makes us somebody. We can throw our shoulders back and walk confidently and boldly as Christ did.
While Jesus Christ was physically present on earth, he could only be at one place at a time. Since the day of Pentecost, Christ is present wherever there is a born-again believer. Now the manifested power of Christ is available in every believer who believes and walks with the knowledge of Christ within.
Ephesians 1:19,20:
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Now that all born-again believers have been given such exceeding great power, Satan cannot ultimately defeat them. However, one of his ploys is intimidation. One form of intimidation is to deter a person from some action by inducing fear. He tries to deter us from boldly walking with the power we have been given. But we need not be deterred; we can be courageous, unyielding, and steadfast on God’s Word.
II Timothy 1:7:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The Word records Satan working to intimidate the Apostle Peter. After Jesus’ arrest and before his crucifixion, Peter denied that he knew Jesus time and again. Even after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter, along with the other disciples, again yielded to Satan’s intimidation by way of the Judean religious leaders. For fear of the Judeans, they kept themselves behind closed doors.
John 20:19:
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews [Judeans], came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
But with the day of Pentecost and the receiving of the power of the holy spirit, the Apostle Peter became a changed man. When he spoke in tongues, as recorded in Acts 2:4, he knew he had received the gift of holy spirit, power from on high, and he boldly spoke to those Judean leaders with authority.
Acts 2:14,22-24:
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words.
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up….
Peter was no longer afraid. He boldly walked with power and spoke the truth. We too can walk boldly, without fear, because we also have received power from on high when we were born again. Let us never be held back by the intimidation tactics of the adversary; but rather, let us walk with power and boldness as Peter did, knowing that it is Christ in us!