Acts 2: 14
The eighth grade girl was seemingly a little nervous, yet somehow peaceful, as she stood up to address the church youth group for the first time. She was the little sister of a youth group member and had never really exhibited much leadership - until this moment.
"Maddie" told the group how it was a new semester and that we should all be working to improve ourselves. She opened up that her weak spot was her temper. A competitive person, her fiery nature had gotten her in trouble a couple of times. Maddie spoke sincerely about how she was determined to control her temper, even if she didn't know exactly how to do it.
Maddie took a risk to reveal herself to others and to encourage them. It was her first public speech, but it wouldn't be her last; as she found her voice, Maddie became a leader in the youth group.
In my upcoming book, "From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone: How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom," I tell the story of how the risen Jesus promoted Peter from his role as fisher of people to become shepherd of the church in Jesus' absence. Weeks later, the moment came for Peter to find his voice. On the day we call Pentecost, the Holy Spirit swept like a violent wind through the house where the apostles were together with people of many nations. The apostles began prophesying in many languages. As the gathering marveled, Peter addressed the room in Acts 2: 14:
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say."
Peter went on to deliver the first sermon of the church.
As I describe in my book, Jesus is persistently urging us to take risks on his behalf. One risky measure is to speak out. Whether it is sharing our faith, advocating for social issues, talking to strangers, or delivering a message, like Maddie and Peter, may we find our voices and take risks for the sake of the kingdom of God.
My book is now available for presale! Along with the book, "From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone," the small group video study and the Participant's Guide are also available for early purchase. Please visit CecilTaylorMinistries.com/from-comfort-zone-to-trust-zone or store.CecilTaylorMinistries.com to learn more about the material and the purchasing options.