Becoming Courageous

 Becoming Courageous 

May 14, 2026

Acts 4:13

13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that theywere uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

Acts 4:31

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together wasshaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

The lesson on “Becoming Courageous” at our mid-week Bible study was very interesting. The Bible is full of stories of courageous people who performed mighty deeds for the Lord, but the basic point of this lesson was that there was something that happened to these people to make them courageous. In the gospels, the apostles were often uncertain and fearful, but in the book of Acts, they are confident and spoke boldly even in the face of much opposition. What happened to them in the meantime? What transformed uneducated and untrained men into mighty men that performed great signs and wonders and who could speak the word of God with boldness?

The difference is Acts 2, the day of Pentecost. It was an encounter with the Holy Spirit that transformed them and filled them with courage. This gives hope to all of us who may think of ourselves as ordinary and not particularly courageous. It gives us hope that we also can be filled with the Holy. Spirit and be emboldened to do whatever the Lord calls us to do. It is the authority of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit who enables us to go forth and make disciples. Jesus gave the command in Matthew 28 to go forth, but it wasn’t until Acts 2 that the apostles were able to respond and preach the gospel to the nations. So take heart. You too can become courageous if you seek the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with confidence and boldness.