How can a Christian overcome the fear of witnessing?

Those gathered together in prayer recognised then the character of the times, and asked for that which they required. What was that? Shelter from persecution? Power to crush their enemies? No. But that with all boldness they might speak the Word, God stretching forth His hand, not to shield them, but to heal others, and that signs and wonders might be done in the name of His holy servant Jesus. What a picture is presented! The whole company in prayer before God, asking for boldness to speak, and looking up for Him to work in the name of His holy Servant! Were they ignorant of what that might involve? Assuredly not. Bold had been Peter and John before the council. Was it bravado assumed for the occasion? We see here that it was not. And we must be impressed with the intense earnestness of them all, who, whilst realising the gravity of their position, were undismayed by the threats uttered, and by the power that might be called out against them.

I commend to your notice that wherever you find saints "of one accord," there is power and blessing. In Acts 1 they all continued with "one accord," etc. In Acts 2 also; then in Acts 5, "and believers were the more added to the Lord." Watch over that evil heart of yours that no jealousy be allowed to hinder your being of one accord with your brethren. Notice ver. 29. All they say about their enemies is, "Behold their threatenings." They bring the matter before God and leave it to Him; they do not attempt to get better laws, etc. The Lord had said "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight," etc. (John 18:36). Their second petition is for boldness. They cry to be moved themselves; and that has its application to some of us. We may pray for others to be moved, but how are we moved ourselves? To act with power on those around us it needs that we be right. They had nothing but the word in those days, and they stuck to it. It is a two-edged sword nothing sharper. What a short prayer! Four petitions only! Yet they were "of one accord," and in earnest, waiting for the answer, like Elijah sending his servant to watch for the cloud from the sea. The little cloud was the answer. We want to be real with God. I am certain that if some of the things we ask were granted to us, we should be perfectly astonished. It was not one answer they got, but a perfect golden cluster.

Hence the praying saints do not now ask for such vengeance from God on their adversaries, as we find in the Old Testament, and emphatically in the Psalms which reflect the inmost feeling of the godly concerned, whether in their past preparatory accomplishment or in their complete fulfilment at the end of the age. It is not, as many in ignorant presumption dare to think, that these intercessions against the wicked, as in Psalms 6, 10, 54, 59, 83, and the like, are vindictive; they are solemnly judicial when the time and instruments are there to pour out God's wrath on all who despise Him. But now it is the day of grace and salvation, the accepted time: while Christ sits on the right hand of God; and the Holy Ghost is uniting to Him the one body, the church; and sovereign grace in the gospel flows out, overflowing for the time all difference between Jew and Gentile who are called to heavenly glory. In a spirit suitable to this do they pray, 'And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and give to Thy bondmen with all boldness to speak Thy word, while Thou stretchest forth Thy hand for healing, and that signs and wonders be done by the name of Thy Servant Jesus' (vers. 29, 30).

It was enough for their hearts that the Lord should look upon the threats of those that sought their injury: He knew best what to permit and what to restrain; and He could deliver. For themselves they besought grace to speak His word with all boldness or liberty. Is this what we are doing or seeking? Do we prize it as our chief joy and duty and business on the earth? Is it merely with Christian companions of like mind, spending an hour or two in the morning with people of leisure, and in the evening with those who have closed their earthly toils? This may be all well; but in such circumstances it is apt to be sitting over the word rather than the word over them, admiring the things which they know, and criticizing those who do not know the wondrous counsels and ways of grace. Far different was the heart of these early saints who had so much to learn; but in their faith they supplied, or added, that moral courage and zeal for Christ and divine love which drew them out to speak His word 'with all boldness'.

The next thing to be observed is that, as a consequence of being thus filled, they spake the word of God with boldness. There is the same connection in 2 Timothy, though it is the other side of the subject. Timothy was timid, and had evidently been shrinking from the cross connected with the testimony; but Paul reminded him that "God hath not given us the spirit of fear [cowardice]; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." To be controlled by the Holy Spirit is, in other words, to be empowered for service. There may be a natural courage in facing difficulties; but when the servant is governed by the Holy Ghost, be he naturally the most timid of men, he will, superior to fear, dare any difficulty or danger. It has thus often been the case that timid women and children have made the most undaunted of martyrs. Courage begotten of the fulness of the indwelling Spirit quails indeed before no foe, and the reason is that the enemy is then measured not by the resources of the vessel, but rather by the omnipotence of Him who deigns to commission and to employ it. The lesson is then learnt which was taught to Joshua, "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage: be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9.) If we would, therefore, be divinely wise, as well as divinely qualified for whatever the Lord gives us to do, we shall seek it all, and seek it alone, in the power of the Holy Ghost. There is no truth more plainly taught in the Scriptures, and none in practice more readily forgotten.

Thus it is evident that the power of testimony for Christ in the gospel must be the Holy Ghost operating through the word of God. Truly "we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7). By prayer the servant of Christ confesses this and finds his sufficiency to be of God. See a remarkable summary of these elements in an honoured testimony for God. "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost: and they spake the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31).

This concerted activity of the assembly in prayer had an immediate effect. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). These results showed how puny and impotent was that evil company in the council chamber at Jerusalem that was flourishing the sword to terrorise and silence the servants of God. In the assembly was the Voice that could shake the earth (Heb. 12:25-27). In the assembly was the Holy Ghost as the Omnipotent Witness on the earth. No wonder the disciples spoke the word of God with boldness in consequence of their prayer.

Here we see a blessed result of united prayer in the Assembly and we learn that the way to spiritual power and boldness for Christ is by lifting up our voices to God with one accord in prayer. We must conclude, therefore, from this passage and numerous others about collective prayer in the Acts, that regular meetings for prayer are a necessity for an Assembly and that no Christian or gathering of Christians can prosper spiritually without coming together collectively for prayer. Stated meetings for prayer are a vital essential for every Assembly of believers. A weekly meeting for prayer ought to be a feature of every Assembly and special meetings for prayer should be called as special needs arise; this is what we see in the book of Acts.

But there was more and better than any external sign. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke (not now, as far as we are told, with other tongues, but) the word of God with boldness. It was the presence of God manifested most suitably in power but grace withal. It was wholly distinct from that operation of the Spirit where a soul is born anew. It was the energy of the Holy Spirit, shown outwardly as well as in believers: the Spirit not only given, but excluding the action of flesh so that, for the time at least, nothing wrought which was not of Himself. It was spiritual power but in the dependence of faith, uttering not merely strong and original ideas but the word of God with boldness, as became His servants, confiding in His perfect grace, and feeling the ruin of man without Christ. Before this, two of the apostles, when forbidden by the high authorities of Israel, pleaded, 'We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard' (Acts 4:20). They were all now animated with like faith and fervour in the Holy Ghost. It was no small thing for any to be thus strengthened; how much more to see an entire company of such confessors!

What then is the resource and remedy? "But sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord." Sanctimoniousness in manner or outward acts, far from availing, is a snare and a shame unworthy of a Christian, as far as possible from pleasing God, though it may deceive himself if unwary and others too. But to give Christ the holy place due to Him, and supremely as Lord, in our hearts, truly pleases Him Who would have us honour the Son even as we honour the Father. Without Him thus constantly set up and apart in our hearts, we are exposed to any and every idol whereby the enemy deceives the world; but with Christ thus the object of our inmost affections, how kept and blessed! So we see the fruit and accompaniment in the words that follow, "ready always for an answer to every one that asketh you a reason (or, account) for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." What account can creature give so satisfying, even to God, as the Lord Jesus and His redemption? In Him we have the righteousness found nowhere else, yea, we are become God's righteousness in Him; so that, as the same apostle says (Gal. 5:5), "we through the Spirit by faith await," not righteousness as if we were not justified, but "the hope of righteousness," that is, heavenly glory with Christ. But this very blessedness, so undeserved by any, calls us to meekness and fear in confessing it, lest a rough or presumptuous spirit might dishonour the God of all grace or ourselves the recipients of His rich mercy.

(V. 14). If, then, we are called upon to suffer for righteousness' sake, we are not to bemoan our lot, but rather rejoice, even as Paul and Silas, when persecuted at Philippi, could at midnight sing praises to God, though unjustly cast into prison because they had crossed the interests of some evilly-disposed men. There is, however, the danger of yielding to an unrighteous course through fear of consequences. We are therefore warned against the fear of man, and being troubled by the dread of what may happen if we do right.

(V. 15). Our safeguard against yielding to unrighteousness will be found in sanctifying the Lord in our hearts. By giving the Lord His rightful place in our hearts, we shall be conscious of the presence of the Lord to support us in the presence of men. We shall thus not only escape the temptation to yield to what we know to be wrong in order to escape trouble, but we shall be enabled to render a positive testimony to the truth, giving a reason for our hope with meekness and fear. Acting in a spirit of meekness we shall not offend by seeking to assert ourselves and our opinions; acting in fear before God we shall be bold to maintain the truth. While we are not to be afraid of man's fear (verse 14), it becomes us to walk in the holy fear of God.