Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
In Christ, we can have full assurance and confidence. Because of Who He is, The Word made flesh, and what He has accomplished on our behalf as our Kinsman Redeemer, we can walk confidently today. This confidence that we have in Christ is something that we are given freely by God’s grace. But it is also something that we must fight to “keep” on a daily basis. But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
How do we practically cultivate this confidence in Christ and prepare for His return? By abiding in Him, moment by moment. “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” How else do we practically cultivate this confidence in Christ? By living out our faith in Christ on a daily basis. John writes, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” When we reach out in love to help others, a “God confidence” develops within us. This practical confidence is the outgrowth of that good work which God placed within us at the moment of our new birth. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Even though Paul is under house arrest in Rome, he does not cease preaching and teaching about Jesus Christ. The chains that he is in neither discourage him nor deter him from sharing his faith in The Lord Jesus Christ. May the same hold true for you and I today. Though not in physical chains or prison cells, the spirit of this fallen world system seeks to silence our testimony of Jesus with insults or intimidation. Personal circumstances or failures may dampen our desire to testify. But like Paul, we can be confident, or bold in sharing our faith in Jesus and living it out practically, because the testimony is not about how great we are, but it is all about The Risen Jesus. Be bold today dear ones, because it is God Who is working in us, both to will and do of His good pleasure. Amen.
