Revelation 17

Introduction of the great whoreverses 1-2

 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials

            and talked with me

saying unto me

Come here I will show to you the judgment of the great whore

            that sits on many waters with whom the kings of the earth

have committed fornication and the

inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk

with the wine of her fornication

John sees the great whoreverses 3-6

 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness

            and I saw a woman sit on a scarlet-colored beast

                        full of names of blasphemy

                                    having seven heads and ten horns

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color

            and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls

                        having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations

and filthiness of her fornication

            and on her forehead was a name written

                        MYSTERY – BABYLON THE GREAT

                                    MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND

ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints

            and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus

                        and when I saw her – I wondered with great admiration

Background given to John regarding whoreverses 7-8

 And the angel said to me – Wherefore did you marvel?

I will tell you the mystery of the woman

and of the beast that carried her

which has the seven heads and ten horns

The beast that you saw was – and is not

            and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit

and go into perdition

            and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder

                        whose names were not written in the BOOK OF LIFE

FROM the foundation of the world

                                                when they behold the beast that

was – and is not – and yet is 

Whore represents nations that war against the Lambverses 9-14

 And here is the mind which has wisdom

            The seven heads are seven mountains

on which the woman sits

AND there are seven kings – five are fallen – and one is

and the other is not yet come and when he comes

he must continue a short space

AND the beast that was – and is not – even he is the eighth

            and is of the seventh – and goes into perdition

AND the ten horns which you saw are ten kings

            which have received no kingdom as yet

                        BUT receive power as kings one hour with the beast

   THESE shall make war with the Lamb

            and the Lamb shall overcome them – FOR HE is Lord of lords

                        and the King of kings

AND they that are with HIM are

            called – chosen – faithful

Authority given to the Satanic political leaderverses 15-18

 AND he said to me – The waters which you saw

where the whore sits – are peoples – multitudes

nations – tongues

AND the ten horns which you saw upon the beast

these shall hate the whore

and shall make her desolate and naked

and shall eat her flesh

and burn her with fire

FOR God has put in their hearts to fulfill HIS will

and to agree – and give their kingdom to the beast

until the words of God shall be fulfilled

AND the woman which you saw is that great city

which reigns over the kings of the earth

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 1        And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will show unto you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters. (4204 “whore” [porne] means harlot, woman who sells her body for sexual uses, prostitute, one who yields herself to defilement for the sake of gain, or an idolatress)

DEVOTION: John is conveying the fact that a city was working against the laws of God for national gain. The city is called Babylon.

We are first introduced to this city during the time after the flood when the people gathered together to build a city that reached to the sky. They wanted to build this tower to be a place of worship to their false gods. It was called the “tower of Babel.”

God confused the language at that time and it is thought divided the continents at that time. The people couldn’t understand one another and so they had to move to areas where they could produce nations where the people understood each other. Now we have the people of the end times gathering together as nations to worship the false god of Satan. He promised them wealth. He gave them a way to buy and sell if they would worship the image of the beast he set up to rule the world.

Judgment was coming to this system of government. It was a system that was against God and HIS commandments completely. We all live in nations that have belittled God most of the time. It seems that this is happening more and more today.

We are told later in this chapter that the “waters” represent “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” These are the people who are willing to get their forehead or hand marked with the mark of the beast. These are the people whose names are not written in the book of life. These are the people who will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.

They think it is OK to blasphemy the name of Jesus. They are the ones who will answer for their behavior just like those that live today will answer for what they do with the message of salvation.

The Bible teaches that there is only one way to heaven and that is through repentance and a turn from following self. Jesus Christ was our substitute on the cross. HE was the one who paid the price for our sins. HE offers salvation though the ministry of the Holy Spirit to whosoever will come to HIM.

CHALLENGE: Rejection of Jesus Christ leads to the lake of fire. John wants us to understand this and share it with those who will listen. Is your name in the book of life?

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 6        And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (2295 “admiration” [thauma] means wonder, marvel, something that causes feelings of wonder, amazement, or astonishment)

DEVOTION: We are told in the Bible that we should never be drunk with wine or any other alcoholic drink. Once we become a believer we need to let the Holy Spirit control us at all times. If something else is in control of our body we are not honoring the LORD.

Here we find that this false political system is drunk with the blood of those who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ. They enjoy drinking the blood or killing those who are followers of Jesus Christ. We have some religious groups around the world who want us to be tolerant of their religion but enjoy killing as many Christians as they can in their country. If they come to power in our countries they will do the same here.

This political system wants to get rid of anyone who is not worshiping the beast. Anyone who witnesses for Jesus Christ is an enemy to this system. They are at war with true believers in Jesus Christ.

John couldn’t belief his eyes. He saw a system that was even worse than the Roman Empire that exiles him to an island because of his belief in Jesus Christ. Exiling someone is not as bad as killing them.

As you witness for Jesus Christ your friends and family might make fun of you and call you names but usually they don’t want to kill you for your beliefs. Our responsibility is to witness even if they make fun of us. Jesus is worth our full commitment.

CHALLENGE:  Remember that if you are a genuine believer your name is in the book of life. Praise HIS name!!

---

: 8        The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go, into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (684 “perdition” [spoleia] means ruin or loss, hell, destruction, damnable, pernicious ways, or waste)

DEVOTION:  There is going to be one world government in the last half of the Tribulation. It is thought that the Roman Empire will be reunited. This is a group of ten kings who will become a follower of one king. This king will seem to be dead and then brought back to life. This is the one world ruler who is given power by Satan.

This one world government is going to be ruled by the Satanic trinity. There are going to have an image of the beast to worship. They are going to have their own monetary system that will require a mark in the hand or forehead which will only be activated if they worship the beast or one king.

They will have their own army to destroy any followers of the Lamb. They will make war with the Lamb of God, who is, Jesus Christ. This group will be killed without any protection on the earth. They will be gathered in heaven for a celebration. Remember that the book of Revelation is not in chronological order so we have already seen this group together in heaven.

Those who accept the leadership of the Satanic trinity will be given positions of authority. The problem is that all involved in this kingdom do not have their names written in the book of life. Therefore, they will be going to the lake of fire for eternity. They will be there with Satan and his angels. They will be going into a place of destruction but they will never be completely destroyed. They will wish to have their eternal place of torment ended but the choice was made during their lifetime.

God knew the choice before the foundation of the world. Did HE make it for them? NO!!! They made it for themselves. Remember is not in time we are. HE knows the beginning from the end. The Book of Life was established before HE created the world.

The devil, beast and false prophet are going to spend eternity in the lake of fire. All those who follow them will spend eternity in the lake of fire. We have a choice while we are still alive to follow Christ or not follow HIM. It is our prayer that each one receiving these devotions has made the choice and is daily serving the LORD. HE is described as the Lord of lords and King of kings in this chapter.

If any have questions please let us know. There is no such thing as a dumb question. There are wrong questions and right questions. God wants us to ask questions when we don’t understand something. There is a statement in this chapter “And here is the mind which hath wisdom.” God wants us to have wisdom regarding HIS future plans.

CHALLENGE: Hell is real. Eternity is real. The book of life is real. What are we doing with these three facts found in Scripture?

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 14      These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for HE is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with HIM are called, and chosen, and faithful. (3528 “overcome” [nikao] means conquer, prevail, to win a victory over, maintain one’s cause, or to be victorious over)

DEVOTION:  The army of Satan includes all the people who follow him, his false political leader and his false prophet. They have received his mark on their forehead or hand. They have worshiped the image of the false political leader. They enjoyed blaspheming the name of God. They endured all the judgments of God and didn’t repent but cursed God instead.

Now we have this group going against the Lamb who is Jesus Christ. HE was the Lamb of God that was slain. HE died to give life to all those who genuinely follow HIM.

The Lamb is going to win the war. During our lifetime we are going to lose many battles with the devil and his angels. They will entice us to sin and we will give in but we will be able to go to the LORD for forgiveness and restoration each time we confess our sins to HIM and start anew following HIM.

Those who are genuinely believers who have done more than just say a prayer and continue on their own way are the ones who are called and chosen and faithful. God expects those who say the prayer to do more not for their salvation but because of their love for HIM. Faith in Jesus Christ is all that is necessary for salvation. The Bible informs us that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Our ability to show that our faith is genuine encourages us to understand that it is real not only in our mouth but in our heart. God is more concerned with our inner being then just outward show.

CHALLENGE:  Our inner man needs to be renewed each day through our close fellowship with HIM.

---

:17       For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (5055 “fulfilled” [teleo] means 1 to bring to a close, to finish, to end. 1a passed, finished. 2 to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.). 2a with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command. 2b with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfil. 3 to pay. 3a of tribute.  [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])

DEVOTION:  Promises are interesting things.  I learned from my children that they had a way of thinking that something I had said was a promise, when I did not intend it to be that way.  Since I wanted to be a man of my word, I did not want to make promises to them that I was not prepared to do.

God’s promises are contained in the Scripture.  They are based on His unchanging character.  They are what help us out in terms of knowing who He is.  And each of the promises (prophecy) is something that has either already been fulfilled or will be fulfilled.  God made the test of a prophet as being someone who predicted things which all subsequently came to pass.  In this Christmas season, we remember the promises of His first coming, which were all fulfilled exactly when Jesus was born, lived, and died on the earth.

In addition, God is making promises regarding the future and His return.  We can be sure that these are as trustworthy as the original set of promises made about Him.  His promises are the only ones which are 100% guaranteed to come to pass.  All the rest of the predictions are fallible, since they are the product of fallible men and women who do not accurately know the future.

Therefore, we can rejoice in God’s promises, past, present, and future.  His Word is the based on the guarantee of His character.

CHALLENGE:  Remember that God’s Word is always fulfilled.  That means that His promises in the Bible are trustworthy.  You can count on Him keeping them for you. (MW)

---

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD) 

Book of life – foundation of the worldverse 8

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

---

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

Godverse 17

Will of Godverse 17

Words of God: fulfilledverse 17

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

Jesusverse 6

Martyrs of Jesus verse 6

Lambverse 14

Lord of lordsverse 14

King of kingsverse 14

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Angelverses 1, 7

One of the seven angelsverse 1

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Kings of the earthverses 2, 18

Inhabitants of the earthverse 2

Foundation of the worldverse 8

Waters = peoples, multitudes, nations & tonguesverse 15

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Whoreverses 1, 16

Fornicationverses 2, 4

Blasphemyverse 3

Abominationsverses 4, 5

Filthinessverse 4

Harlotsverse 5

Blood of the saintsverse 6

Blood of the martyrs verse 6

Names not written in book of lifeverse 8

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Saintsverse 6

Martyrsverse 6

Book of lifeverse 8

Wisdomverse 9

Calledverse 14

Chosenverse 14

Faithfulverse 14

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Church (New Testament people of God)

Me (John)verses 1-18

Carried me away in the spirit

Wondered with great admiration

Last Things (Future Events)

Judgment of the great whoreverses 1, 18

Woman arrayed in purple and scarletverse 3

Decked with gold and precious stones,

pearls

Gold cup in her hand

Forehead was a name written

Mystery

Babylon the Great

Mother of harlots

Abominations of the earth

Drunken with the blood of the saints

Was great city that reigns over the

kings of the earth

Beastverses 3-17

Woman sitting on scarlet colored beast

Full of names of blasphemy

Having seven heads and ten horns

Ascend out of the bottomless pit

Go into perdition

Was and is not and yet is

war with the Lamb

Seven heads are seven mountains

Eighth: goes into perdition

Ten horns are ten kings

One mind and give power and

Strength to beast

Hate the whore

Make her desolate

Naked

Eat her flesh

Burn her with fire

Fulfil HIS will

To agree

Give their kingdoms to beast

Seven kingsverses 3-10

Five are fallen

One is

Other is not yet come

When he comes

He must continue a short space

War with the Lambverse 14

---

DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org.  Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you.

---

QUOTES regarding passage

18 The “woman” and “the great city” are one. Yet this city is not just a historical one; it is the great city, the mother city, the archetype of every evil system opposed to God in history (see comments at introduction to ch. 17). Her kingdom holds sway over the powers of the earth. John’s concept of the city in Revelation entails much more than a specific historical city even in its political and sociological aspects. The cities in Revelation are communities; they are twofold: the city of God, the New Jerusalem (3:12; 21:2, 10; 22:2ff.), and the city of Satan, Babylon the Great (11:8; 14:8; 16:19; 18:4, 20, etc.). The meaning cannot be confined to Sodom or Egypt or Jerusalem or Rome or any future city. Instead, John describes the real trans-historical system of satanic evil that infuses them all. (Johnson, A. F. (1981). Revelation. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, pp. 562–563). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

---

The woman (ἡ γυνη [hē gunē]). She is now explained after the beast has been interpreted. Verse 9 made it plain enough, but this verse demonstrates that the woman is the city of Rome “which reigneth (ἡ ἐχουσα βασιλειαν [hē echousa basileian], the one having a kingdom) over the kings of the earth (ἐπι των βασιλεων της γης [epi tōn basileōn tēs gēs]).” Rome followed Babylon, and other cities may follow in their train. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Re 17:18). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)

---

The final description of the woman is given in 17:18: The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. The reference to the woman as a city is another link with ancient Babylon, this time regarded as a religious center for false religion. The apostate church represented by the woman was a combination of religious and political power. As stated in verse 5, the city and the woman are a “mystery,” and are therefore a symbolic presentation. Verse 18, however, introduces the next chapter which seems to refer to Babylon more as a literal city than as a religious entity. (Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 972). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

---

Beginning in Revelation 17, John describes the Lamb’s step-by-step victory over “the beast” and his kingdom. In Revelation 17, the religious system is judged; in Revelation 18, the political and economic system fall victim. Finally, the Lord Himself returns to earth; judges Satan, “the beast,” and the false prophet (Rev. 19:19–20); and then establishes His kingdom.

One reason John used symbolism was so that his message would encourage believers in any period of church history. The true church is a pure virgin (Rev. 19:7–8; see also 2 Cor. 11:2), but the false religious system is a “harlot” who has abandoned the truth and prostituted herself for personal gain. In every age, there has been a “harlot” who has persecuted God’s people; and this will culminate in the last days in a worldwide apostate religious system.

Likewise, every age has featured a “Babylon,” a political and economic system that has sought to control people’s minds and destinies. Just as the contrast to the “harlot” is the pure bride, so the contrast to “Babylon” is the City of God, the New Jerusalem, the eternal home prepared for the Lamb’s wife (Rev. 21:9ff). Each generation of believers must keep itself pure from the pollution of both the “harlot” and “Babylon.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 611–612). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

---

17:18 great city. Here is another identification of the capital city of Babylon, centerpiece of Antichrist’s empire. Cf. 18:10, 18, 21. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Re 17:18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

---

Ver. 18. And the woman which thou sawest, &c.] Ver. 3 as there described, is that great city, often mentioned in this book; great Babylon, the city of Rome, ch. 11:8 and 14:8 and 16:19 which reigneth over the kings of the earth; which then reigned in John’s time over the kings of the earth; and this clearly points out the city of Rome, for there was no other city then, but that, which reigned over the kings of the earth; that was then the metropolis of the Roman empire, to which the whole world was subject; and therefore it is called all the world, Luke 2:1 and since, all the kings of the empire have been under the jurisdiction of Rome Papal. It was formerly called Urbs Regum, a city of kings, either for the reason in the text, or because its inhabitants looked like kings. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 828). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

---

Finally, the nations hate the woman for political reasons. John says, And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. They hate her because of her claimed right to rule the nations. For centuries not a nation in Europe stirred without a nod from the Vatican. In recent years, Rome’s political power has been curbed, and she has had to trim her sails to suit an adverse wind. But she has not relinquished her claims, and although she has muted them for now, she has not abandoned them.

The papacy’s pretensions to temporal power grew gradually with the passing of time. They received great impetus in the days of Charlemagne and the founding of what was called “the holy Roman Empire.” Her claims were given forceful expression by Pope Gregory VII in the eleventh century. He said:

It is laid down that the Roman Pontiff is universal bishop, that his name is the only one of its kind in the world. To him alone it belongs to depose or reconcile bishops.… He alone may use the ensigns of empire; all princes are bound to kiss his feet; he has the right to depose emperors, and to absolve subjects from their allegiance. He holds in his hands the supreme mediation in questions of war and peace, and he alone may adjudge contested successions to kingdoms—all kingdoms are held as fiefs under Peter.… The Roman church has never erred.… The pope is above all judgment.[]

Thus the great city still reigneth over the kings of the earth.

In a coming day, the inveterate habit of opportunist intrigue so characteristic of the woman will lead her into an alliance with the last of the Caesars. She will think she can control him, only to find too late that he has used her for his own imperialist ends. The Apocalypse records her last meddling in the political affairs of men. So much, then, for the Babylonian system. The next chapters of the Apocalypse tell of the Babylonian city, its power, its prosperity, and its fall. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary (Re 17:12–18). Kregel; WORDsearch Corp.)

---

FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

---

In far too many churches, the Bible is nearly silent. The public reading of Scripture has been dropped from many services, and the sermon has been sidelined, reduced to a brief devotional appended to the music. Many preachers accept this as a necessary concession to the age of entertainment. Some hope to put in a brief message of encouragement or exhortation before the conclusion of the service. …..

The anemia of evangelical worship—all the music and energy aside—is directly attributable to the absence of genuine expository preaching. Such preaching would confront the congregation with nothing less than the living and active word of God. That confrontation will shape the congregation as the Holy Spirit accompanies the word, opens eyes, and applies that word to human hearts. (Expository Preaching—The Antidote to Anemic Worship by Albert Mohler)

---

John Ploughman’s Pictures by C.H. Spurgeon

As long as drink drowns conscience and reason, you might as well talk to the hogs. The rascals will promise fair and take the pledge, and then take their coats to pledge to set more beer. We smile at the tipsy man, for he is a ridiculous creature, but when we see how he is ruined body and soul it is no joking matter. How solemn is the truth that “no drunkard shall inherit eternal life”! (p. 34)

---

ONE CURE

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24
There is but one cure for the ills of man. When my conscience accuses me, there is but one thing I know of that can give me rest and peace. It is to know that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, who bore my sins “in his own body on the tree,” has forgiven me. It is to believe and to know that because He loved me and died for me, I am clear of accusation. Then, conscious as I am of my weakness and failure and my lack of power to live a life worthy of the name, I am again driven back to Him. It is only from Him and the power of the Holy Spirit that He imparts that I can be made more than a conqueror.
As I contemplate meeting my Maker and my eternal Judge, my only hope is that I shall be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and that He will take me by the hand and present me “faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). It is always and only in Christ that I find satisfaction. It is only in Him that my problems are solved. The world with all its methods cannot help me at the moment of my greatest need. But Christ never fails. He satisfies always and in every respect. The more I contemplate Him, the more do I agree with Charles Wesley when he said:
Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find!
He still remains the only hope for individual man, the only hope for the whole world. Is the gospel still relevant? It alone can deal with and solve the problems of man.
A Thought to Ponder
There is but one cure for the ills of man.
       (From Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 124-125, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

---

2 Samuel 12

The prophet Nathan openly rebukes David and stirs him to repent.

INSIGHT

When Nathan comes to accuse David of adultery and murder, it is well within David’s power to shout: “Off with his head!” But David does not issue that order. Instead, his heart breaks. The horror and magnitude of his sin is incalculable, but it is to David’s credit that he immediately repents. Rather than resisting repentance because we feel we don’t deserve forgiveness, we should do as David did-repent that very instant.

    (Quiet Walk)

---

---

Righteous Boldness
“The righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)
A holy boldness is imparted to those who seek to speak the truth of God (Acts 4:31). The miracle of the Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit was followed by several incidents where the various apostles and early Christian leaders spoke “boldly in the Lord” (Acts 14:3). Where does this boldness come from?
The Presence of the Holy Spirit: The Sanhedrin “saw the boldness of Peter and John” when they were dragged before them (Acts 4:13), after they had healed the lame man shortly after Pentecost. Peter was “filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 4:8) and boldly answered the farcical questioning of those self-righteous leaders, and they “took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). When we speak with God’s authority, we speak boldly.
The Words of God’s Word: The first church prayed “that with all boldness they may speak thy word,” and they were enabled to speak “the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29, 31). When Paul was starting the church in Ephesus, he “spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). We should have boldness when we have opportunity to “make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).
The Assurance of a Righteous Life: “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death” (Philippians 1:20). Several godly traits of righteous men are given in Hebrews, “so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6).
These are from where that boldness comes.

     (HMM III, Institute for Creation Research)

---

The change of lifestyle must begin with the leadership living out our faith in such a way that people see the difference. As leaders, we are to model obedience. This means that we do not live one way at church and another during the week.

          (p.144, Developing Leaders for the Small Church by Glenn C. Daman)

---

The Bible is our compass—a light in the middle of this very dark world we live in.  (Franklin Graham)

---

Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.