City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

Commentary

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, a/k/a Nero Caesar, who reigned as Roman emperor from 54 A.D. – 68 A.D., is rightly regarded as one of the most notorious rulers in history. Nero murdered his own mother, had his first wife banished and then executed, married again, and then kicked his second wife to death while she was pregnant. And, as if wanting not to be accused of favoritism, Nero also murdered many of his perceived rivals to the throne. 

Nero also horribly persecuted Christians. When Rome burned in 64 A.D., Nero falsely accused Christians of starting the blaze (a fire he likely started), as a pretext to persecute Christians. Nero then tied Christians to stakes in his palace garden and set them on fire to light his garden parties. In fact, many scholars believe Nero is “the beast” to whom Revelation assigns the number 666. See Revelation 13:18. Each Hebrew letter in the alphabet has an assigned number. Nero Caesar’s name in Hebrew adds up to 666. Plain and simple: Nero was one bad dude, and one to fear, particularly if you were a Christian.

 When the Bible talks about the boldness that comes with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, that boldness is most often discussed and displayed in the context of sharing the gospel. See e.g. Acts 4:13, 31, 14:3, 19:8, 28:31; Philippians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Timothy 1:7-8. In other words, the primary purpose the Holy Spirit bestows boldness on Christians is not make them feel better about themselves but to be better about sharing the gospel.

After the Apostle Paul appeared before Festus , Paul appealed to Caesar, as was his right as a Roman citizen. See Acts 25:10-11. This meant Paul would be able to give his defense before the Roman emperor himself, who at the time was Nero. We know this actually happened because an angel appeared to Paul in a dream and told him he would appear before Caesar. See Acts 27:23. 

I write all this to illustrate a singular point: Paul was so bold he intentionally appealed to Nero Caesar—the same wicked, dangerous, tyrant described above—at the risk of his life so he could preach the gospel to him. And it is the same boldness the same Holy Spirit bestows on us for the same purpose: to share the gospel confidently. 

Application

Boldness is a City Life Church value because boldness is needed to share the gospel with the people the Lord has uniquely positioned CLCers to reach. City Life Church is the most diverse church in Houston, and its members are highly educated and working in influential industries with access to other leaders in those industries. We are uniquely positioned to have a powerful impact on the city of Houston.

Let’s face it, it doesn’t take much boldness to share the gospel with the homeless. What do you have to lose? Certainly not your friends, your reputation, or your job. The Holy Spirit doesn’t give us boldness to do what we could have done without Him. 

Prayer

Lord give me the wisdom to know when to share the gospel with those You have uniquely positioned me to reach and the boldness to do so. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.