Be Bold

Nothing speaks confidence quite like being bold.

That can take on many forms: a bold leader, a bold advertisement or a bold strategy.

Elon Musk is arguably the most famous person in the world today. His success and visibility as the richest man alive has a lot to do with his business mind, no doubt. But I think most would agree his boldness as a leader has catapulted his success beyond his intellect.

What’s so alluring about being bold? To me, it means being so convicted about your purpose that you never flinch. I never doubt if Elon Musk believes what he says, because his convictions ring true in his tone and confidence.

What does that have to do with you and me?

As Christ followers, I believe we should be more convicted about our purpose than anyone – even the world’s richest person. We have the best news ever, and it should instill an unmistakable boldness.

I think we can agree that the apostle Paul is a prime example of living a bold faith. He carried it with him in churches, in political settings and even in prison. He wasn’t just fired up about his faith amongst his fellow believers – he had been so transformed, so overcome with confidence that he made it his life’s work to spread the Gospel. Paul said about our faith:

“For the Spirit of God does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline”

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

Timid is the antonym of bold. In other words, Paul is saying “The Sprit of God makes us bold.”

Notice also that Paul says the Spirit of God gives us those things – not ourselves. Being bold doesn’t mean projecting arrogance or perfection. After all, we’re not bold about ourselves, we’re bold because Christ is in us.

It’s unfortunate that most Christ followers have lost a degree of their boldness. How did that happen? At work, at the ballfields and with our friends, some unspoken rule was adopted a while back: you shouldn’t talk about politics or religion.

Who said?

At work, there’s plenty of water cooler talk about sports, hobbies and the like. We’re bold about the teams we follow and our sports interests. If your faith is the guiding principle in your life, it seems nonsensical to tuck it away as if it doesn’t belong in your conversations.

The world needs a bolder representation of our faith – and not just in our churches. Compromise and compartmentalization of our faith has introduced a weak version of the Gospel that is so intent on not offending anyone that it is practically indistinguishable from any other self-help doctrine.

Being bold at work may be as simple as refraining from a harsh joke, praying for a coworker or speaking up when ungodliness is celebrated. One key is to make sure we aren’t just bold in word, but also in deed: having an upright character, a servant’s heart and showing compassion.

A very important note: being bold does not mean being condemning, belligerent or self-righteous. It means being full of the Holy Spirit and being ready to proclaim the truth.

After Jesus’ ascension, His followers knew they needed help to carry on His message. They hadn’t quite been the greatest advocates for the Gospel yet – but they desired to be. Shortly after the day of Pentecost, the disciples prayed for conviction, and:

“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)

Being bold isn’t always easy and it may not come naturally – even the disciples needed supernatural help from God. Being bold may be incredibly challenging for some personality types, especially at work. However, Christ in us means we are redeemed, sanctified and set apart. With that, we can be convicted about our purpose and be bold in all areas of our lives.

If Elon can be bold, how much more should we!

The Better Word:

1. Are you more bold about your work pursuits than your faith? These aren’t mutually exclusive – you can be bold in both. If you find yourself more comfortable discussing the details of your job than your faith, it might be time for some self-evaluation.
2. If you would consider yourself bold in your faith, make sure to constantly examine yourself for pride and arrogance. The world doesn’t need more zealots, it needs more mature believers. Speak the truth of Christ consistently, confidently and regularly.
3. Boldness at work means different things for different people. The main challenge is to ask the Spirit to lead you in all that you do. One key to balance: always make sure you’re doing it for God’s glory and not your own.