stuff i think

thoughts on apostolic audacity

au·dac·i·ty
1. Fearless daring; intrepidity. 2. Bold or insolent heedlessness of restraints, as of those imposed by prudence, propriety, or convention. 3. An act or instance of intrepidity or insolent heedlessness.

I've been perusing the book of Acts and once again struck by the brashness of the apostles. These guys not only failed to avoid hot-button issues and forums, they seemed to drawn to them. How many times could they have avoided persecution if they would have just learned the fine art of timing? I'm thinking especially of Stephen, who, even as the stones struck him down, was pouring out the one thing the establishment couldn't stomach - grace.

Read some of Paul's letters and consider the boldness with which he writes to some of the churches. He seems to say in some passages, "Don't make me come back there!". I'm reminded of a conversation with Burning Man founder Larry Harvey back in July, when he said: "Well, good lord, if Paul had the internet, who knows what he might have done...but it might have been harder for the church to assert it’s authority because everybody was talking to everybody." Yes, the Yahoo User Group of Rome, Corinth and Thessolanica might very well have thrown a fit in unison...but Paul had something they didn't: God-given authority.

The Apostolic Audacity is directly linked to the Apostolic Authority...but I think it took both to manifest the miracles of the apostolic age. How were people healed? God told the apostles they could do it, and they had the nerve to believe him.

I'm wondering if God wouldn't be encouraged to move a little more if we were a little more audacious ourselves.