Boldness and Humility [Part 1]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright to be bold in the same time, which is important about our mission Alan Wright welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm excited for you to hear the teaching today. In this series word and spirit of unity of balance as presented it were an older church in North Carolina that you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program to make sure you know how to get our special resource. Right now it can be worse for your nation this month to Alan Wright mysteries. So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you this resource. Today's special offer. Contact us@pastor.org that's pastor out.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright in Christ through the gospel. You can be both bold and humble at same time. I don't know any other way that is possible except through the gospel.

You can be bold and you can be humble at the same time, which is keenly important as you think about our mission to the world as we think about how faith works. Everything about sharing the gospel.

There is a way in which if we're going to be effective.

We need to have utmost confidence in what we believe and yet have a meekness that knows were not better than anybody. I think if we could do that in that way the world would open up your heart to hear what we have to say when getting a great example of this is the person of the apostle Paul and we are in acts chapter 9 and verse one and then I'll show you another text just a little bit later on, this is Saul of Tarsus and he is breathing the murderous threats against the people of God is a Pharisee of Pharisees.

This is the one who later becomes known as the apostle Paul. But here's what happens in his call in acts chapter 9 verse one, but Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he found any, belonging to the way men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem as he went on his way he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me and he said who are you, Lord, is that I'm Jesus in your persecuting but rise and enter the city and you will be told what your to do the men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were open, he saw nothing. So they lead him by the hand and brought him into Damascus for three days. He was without site and neither eight nor drank a picture and then just flip over to later in acts over into chapter 26 what wants to see is here's Paul starts out his ministry being blinded for three days and led by the hand around Damascus, where he had gone with authority to arrest people, but instead he couldn't see them much less arrest than so humble and yet here he is appearing before a king. This is acts chapter 26 and not pick up reading in verse nine he is appearing before King Agrippa.

The second, Paul says I myself was convinced that out to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth and I did so in Jerusalem and on. I want that many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they are put to death. I cast my vote against him.

I punish them often and all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme and and raging fury against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. In this connection, I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests and Paul goes on to tell King Agrippa is exactly what happened that we just read in acts chapter 9 and in verse 24. Festus, the Roman Pro curator who was there as he was saying these things in his defense. Verse 24, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you're out of your mind, your great learning is driving you out of your mind. But Paul said I'm not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I'm speaking true and rational words for the king knows about these things into him. I speak boldly for I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, but this is not been done in a corner, King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets, I know that you believe and Agrippa said to Paul in a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian and Paul said, whether short or long. I would to God that not only new but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am except for these change so there's Paul a picture of complete humility at his conversion, and at a picture of complete boldness, even so much is to share the gospel with a king who would have authority over his very life, boldness and humility is what we talked about how in the world.

We can have these together. I read this week's about a lion went around the jungle and he would roll our meeting to the zebra and he said who is the mightiest in the jungle and the zebra said you are in a lion roared, and then a lion came to a monkey and he said, who is the most powerful and all the jungle and the monkey said you are in the lion roared and then the lion came to a big elephant and said, who is the mightiest in the jungle and elephant reach down his great trunk and wrapped it around the lion pulled the lineup and Eric slung around about three times come up against a tree a couple times put them down under the water and held him in a little pool water table was drowning back up and slapped it down the ground until I was just lying there almost breathless lion got up and dusted himself off and said we just because you don't know the into the question is no reason to act like that is interesting that Saul of Tarsus who was so prideful he was Pharisee, the definition of a religious leader who thought he was better than other people online but the simplest terms. He kept the law better.

He was more righteous and he thought he was doing the right thing by persecuting the Christians, but the glory of the Lord came into shown upon him. So much so that it wasn't like a figurative light.

It was a light so bright that he couldn't see. It was literally blinded for three days and he's led by the hand. You know if you have been without site. Your whole life. I suppose your you learn ways to manage and you can navigate but if it does happen like that he didn't have any idea what you doing and on top of you and even for three days and they lead them around by the hand, the mighty Saul of Tarsus was humbled, but in the midst of that humbling he met Jesus and was given an extraordinary commission would end up happening was you live this life of mission that was at the same time unbelievably bold and yet, as will be seen today. So humble.

How can both things be possible at the same time that talent will have more teaching moment from today's important series being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's word and God's spirit were never meant to be separated spirit always belong together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible. The secret of being filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit. You make a gift of support. This month will send you Alan Wright's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit. The beauty of the highlights embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit can grow like never before with word spirit realm up helping someone else grow as well. And remember, when you partner with Alan Wright Ministries to be broadcasting the love of God to every day, seven 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor.like today's teaching now continues here once again is discredited to DT Niles of famous description of evangelism. This pastor and evangelist said evangelism is 1 acre telling another beggar where to find bread and if so much about that this moving and there's so much about that that is tender and beautiful.

But there's another part of it, which I don't fully resonate because once you become a Christian, you're not described as a backer. If I cannot even describe anymore as a center but as a saint you're someone who's been set apart under God was still some stumbling to stand still mess up, but the definition of your life in the position of your life is change. So much so that when you accept Christ. The Scripture calls you a son or daughter of God, because even more than that, and Aaron occur where we Christ himself and so in a very real sense, evangelism is not so much one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread as it is an air of spiritual riches, who once was a backer telling another beggar.

How also to become an air in other words, in our sharing of the gospel in the mission to the world.

There is confidence in who we are in Christ and yet there's this ongoing humility. I will explain how both things can be possible at the same time. I grew up, the seeming conflict between these two things of confidence and humility. I grew with an inward conflict inside of me on even in the early days of being a Christian, where it still felt this way and which I wanted to be the best I know what the best shame is it's very sexy thing that will be talked about our conference and November is this idea that I don't measure up. I need to measure if I'm really going to be accepted in love but I can figure out how to measure up and unless I do that I won't be fully accepted will, whereas a kid, nobody ever said this is the way life is is just the way I was sorting out and some of this came from some of the brokenness in my own home and some of the absence of my dad and things that I long for it all and it somehow just is wired into a kids heart is a wrong view of the world for one of the plays. I mention this, I think before that, it really look back on it I chuckle but is absolute truth. When I was I was a kid, I played tennis every day. I wanted to I wanted to be the best player in state I wanted to lay in college and I want to be a professional tennis player and so I played tennis almost every day of my life up through high school and in the high school and I got kind of burned out in the distance to go golf and so I really really want to be a great tennis player and I got to be pretty good. Not not the best in the state, but maybe the top 10 or 15 in state one is a kid in junior Junior tennis.will await working tennis tournaments was that all these testaments all throughout the state. Every kid was ranked what you do is you send in your results from every term to a committee and this committee compared all the results and who would be home and so forth. And then they rank all the kids in your age group. So if you're to 12 and under age group you can get a certain ranking or you be the 1340 you get a certain ranking is so where I was always sending these and with all the results of all the tournaments and you go to the tournaments and your results from permits and your ranking were considered to see you and that term you know how tournament works they'll seed you if there is 64 kids in the permit, then semi-seated one semi succeeded lot lower in and an idea is you don't want the number one seed to have to play the number two seed into the championship final match of the tournament pathway works like golf in that way that matter is as you guess the golf course, but in tennis and some other sports. It matters where your rigor ranked in so I lived, ate and drank tennis so I knew what every other kid anywhere in the top 25. Whatever in the state. I knew what they were ranked. I live with the consciousness of everybody's ranking and here's my problem was that if I do her tennis term and I looked outside and in the second round you have to play so-and-so and he's right. Higher than MMI don't know I'm doomed. He's running higher than I am and if I was). Another person was all this is to be fun.

I just lay down to give me this masculine rank higher. The problem is real life don't work like that. This just some rankings and I struggle with this because I'll be my own worst enemy because of my wooden ranked higher than somebody, but also no more cynical if I was right higher than then I felt kinda superior in using the about the third game I go me and I like to try everything give you that picture is, I think a lot of people live life, like that like there's a ranking system and all that goes on and you're always measuring yourself against somebody else who semi-right here. Your right ear are your right here you're right you live by. This ranking system it causes all kinds of problems because you're either going go I'm right higher than other people which make you feel prideful and superior, or you can say I'm right lower than other people wishing to make you feel ashamed and inferior and is seldom is there anything that you can do other than either always been feeling inferior or always feeling superior to people and it causes great tensions and one of the things it does is it causes people who don't feel good enough to put down other people. I put you down here cutting other people down like I'm putting you in this ranking but I'm right here or what it does is your your with a feeling of inferiority. You're always judging yourself, condemning yourself, ruling yourself out limiting yourself putting in some invisible ceiling over your own life that nobody put their God didn't put it there and you put it there yourself. It affects us in our relationships. It affects us in in our marriage relationships. If you have your operating account of rankings, like I've done all these good things, and so on, here right now in your, right here, right now you got some things that make up get up to here as were always kind of jockeying for is a little bit of ranked higher than the other one who's done a little bit more around the house is been a little bit nicer than the one whose it just creates tension whole cultures have harnessed the ranking system and just turn into a caste system right here. The Untouchables you're hiring people you're born into investors where you are with Santa's some degree or less more or less of a degree. This is a big part of the problem the problem that we face in some versions of Christianity that you hear preached almost seemed to buy into this system and some of them so emphasize how lowly Christians are and that we are sinners saved by grace, but sinners because that version so wants to emphasize the humility of what it means to be a fall follower of Christ that it just makes you start feeling like you just this emphasis is on the center of a sinner saved by grace, center on the center and what is this like is like you read the Scriptures. This account others above yourself.

Love others and what you start to translate all that into this mentality of whether this means I'm I have to see myself as below other people or there are times in which the proclamation of the gospel just emphasizes all the victory that we have it to such an extent didn't never even acknowledges that there is a way in which Christ's strength is perfected in our weakness, and so it comes across at times is is arrogant or it can come across sometimes his Christians are acting like they're morally superior to other people. So were higher rank.

So in other words, so many people that look at the Christian church today.

They're seeing something that's just kind of buying into this sort of ranking system and what happens when we have this is that the heart is either filled with shame or with pride.

CS Lewis in his famous mere Christianity said pride gets no pleasure at having something only out of having more of it than the next man we say that people are proud of being rich or clever, good looking, but they're not there proud of being richer or cleverer or better looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich or clever good-looking there be nothing to be proud about is the comparison makes you proud. The pleasure of being above the rest and once element of competition has gone pride has gone so you can understand this conflicted nature that we have about the issue of confidence and humility from a Christian perspective. What a lot of people have done with this is essentially because even understood the gospel essentially rejecting Christianity a few years ago.

I share this with you. I stumbled upon a blog that was written by a young woman who's telling about her honor struggles it around this very subject of confidence and humility and what it made her think about Christianity sharing this just to give you a glimpse inside the heart of a young person who's in conflict over this very question that were talking about.

She wrote before I became a born-again Christian at 16 years old. My problem at that time was that I didn't have enough self-esteem and self-confidence. I didn't believe in myself enough. I didn't try hard enough to believe in myself which to be honest I didn't because I wanted to be that grungy teenager who thought it was cool to revel in my depression and suicidal bit may pause there.

She just Diebold the huge amount of the psychological dilemma and a lot of young people what she just said was I had a big problem.

I did not have self-esteem. Her life didn't seem important. She didn't have much hope she didn't see much of the future. She did have a sense of direction, so she did not feel like she was worth very much. A lot of young people are in that and so she said that was my problem and she said that I actually started wanting to be that kind of a kid because one of the ways that you can escape internal conflict is to just say well I find myself as someone who doesn't have a steam so I'll be cool by just being that depressed kid right. Maybe that hits home with you right now and this is the moment where you can think how do I have this boldness and humility disputed balance it's in our series right now, in teaching of the same, and Allen Wright is on his way here in just a moment into the studio with additional insight on this for your life, and a final word stick with this being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's Word and God's spirit never meant to be separated spirit always belong together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible. The secret of being filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit simulations studying Scripture in some traditions, emphasize the spirit to real Christian growth is both word and spirit. When you make a gift of support. This month will send you Allen Wright's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit.

The beauty of the highlights embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit realm like never before with wording spirit realm up helping someone else grow as well.

And remember, when you partner with Allen Wright ministries to be broadcasting the love of God to every day, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.like now. I think this applies to so many. Maybe even more than we may realize that not sure how to balance these two boldness and humility is so important Daniel because I speak to so many Christians who I think have this confused and it causes a lot of consternation and it causes some people to reject Christianity as one example is will be reading about in today's reader blog and find today's message that the part of the problem is that if you have a notion of humility that is more of a kind of a worm theology that says there's never a place for me to boldly and confidently express who I am in Christ and to feel good about the gifts that God gives me and to what it if that is the case then I think one or two things ends up happening either. We go well, if that's what the gospel is I don't want it and we get lured and by just the modern self-esteem movement right I'll really go something out or we live with it and we never enjoy the kind of boldness that God really wants to call us to taking up our authoritative position in Christ in the world and to me this is been one emotion important parts of my own spiritual growth or the healing of shame that has led me to be able to at least embrace the concept of theirs. Humility and boldness to go hand in hand. So today's good news message is a listener supported production Allen Wright ministries