Phil Inglis - June 30, 2019
Big & Bold
This month thousands of young people across the world will renew their promises to God as Junior Soldiers in the Salvation Army. The promise says: ‘I know that Jesus is my Saviour from sin. I have asked him to forgive my sins, and I will trust him to keep me good. By his help, I will be his loving and obedient child, and will help others to follow him. I promise to pray, to read my Bible, and to lead a life that is clean in thought, word and deed. I will not use anything that may injure my body or my mind, including harmful drugs, alcohol and tobacco.’ This is a bold promise. To acknowledge that Jesus is the Saviour and to respond in obedience is an uncommon level of commitment, particularly in our modern western society that seems to squash boldness and dismiss commitment as old-fashioned and irrelevant. But our society wouldn’t exist if it were not for the boldness of Jesus’ followers. Our justice system, our government, our education systems, our health systems are all built on a faith that shapes the way we do those things. Believing in the love and forgiveness of Jesus is a world-changing, civilisation building, justice loving, faith that springs from one event and those who were bold enough to talk about it. The book of Acts records the boldness of the first followers of Jesus as they proclaimed the love and acceptance of Jesus for themselves and all people, they were arrested, released and rearrested and yet they didn’t shrink from the truth they believed. Join us this Sunday morning at 10am to celebrate our Junior soldiers and to consider the beliefs we hold and the boldness it generates in our own lives.
Scripture References: Acts 5:27-42
