Courage to Speak

Pete Kersker - Feb 27, 2026

God healed a man who was in his forties and had not been able to walk all his life. He began walking and leaping and praising God. Peter and John were led by the Lord to tell the onlooking crowd about Jesus. This got them arrested by the religious leaders and warned by that council not to talk about Jesus anymore.

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them (Acts 4:23 NIV).

We've seen the eleven praying to the LORD, asking God to lead them in a decision. They were taught enough by Jesus to get them close, but they needed their Lord to decide between two possible replacements for Judas Iscariot. The LORD chose Matthias.

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them" (Acts 4:24 NIV).

We've also seen them turning to God for the right words to say when they were brought up before the council. Jesus had told them that this would happen. Jesus also told them not to worry: the Holy Spirit would give them the words to say.

"You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.' Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:25-28 NIV).

Now, Peter and John returned to the larger group after being warned and released by the council. They told the group what had happened and what the council said. Then they prayed. What did they pray?

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus" (Acts 4:29-30 NIV).

They didn't more direction from God: they knew they were supposed to go tell people that Jesus. They didn't need the right words: God had already used their words to bring thousands of people to trust Jesus. They needed courage to get back out there, because they had been threatened by the council for speaking about Jesus.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:31 NIV).

Do you follow Jesus as Lord of your life? Do you tell others about Jesus?
Do you ever pray for the courage to speak to someone about Jesus?