From a dark prison cell, the Apostle Paul begged the church: “[Pray] for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19, 20).
I want to echo Paul’s prayer request. Please pray for me — that in the midst of a great moral freefall in America, I don’t become a lame, tame preacher afraid to speak out against sin.
In this age of hypersensitive, smooth, wishy-washy preaching, I have come to greatly respect the word “bold.” This has been a core component of the Amazing Facts’ philosophy, which I believe sets us apart as a unique ministry. We want to boldly proclaim the uncompromising Word of God through every viable way.
Over the years, Amazing Facts has been a target of significant criticism because of our direct and daring approach to sharing the everlasting gospel. But this ministry isn’t called “interesting trivia” or “appealing details” — rather, it’s called Amazing Facts! We make no apologies for our straight and firm method of presenting the principles of truth. The Christian world already abounds with leaders who are fighting the fiery dragon with wooden swords.
Paul warned this would happen: “Preach the word! … Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:2–4).
It is our intention to continue proclaiming the trumpet of truth with holy boldness!
Holy Boldness Should Characterize God’s People
Christians are often guilty of false advertising. We claim to hold the answer for the world’s needs, yet we often deliver the truth with such a fretting, apologetic uncertainty that the world turns away — disgusted by our lack of conviction.
So often, the method of delivering the saving message is part of the message itself. If there is no sense of urgency or zeal in the message, the listeners are inclined to be complacent about responding to the truth.
Jesus was well known for His bold preaching: “He speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?” (John 7:26).
But it’s not enough for God’s people to be bold — our boldness must be augmented by holy lives. Otherwise we are in danger of being nothing more than annoying hypocrites. Proverbs 28:1 says, “The righteous are bold as a lion.” Notice that righteousness and boldness must go together.
The Holy Spirit Boosts Boldness
The Bible teaches that one reason the Holy Spirit comes upon His people is to empower them with a holy boldness. Remember, the early disciples specifically prayed for boldness to preach in the face of opposition: “Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word” (Acts 4:29).
Don’t miss that the very reason the Spirit came was to empower them to speak the word BOLDLY! Now notice verse 31: “When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all fi lled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
Even in this day, when political correctness has muzzled the truth, Amazing Facts has not neglected to boldly address sensitive subjects — such as the gift of tongues, women’s ordination, the secret rapture, homosexuality, jewelry, Christian music and worship styles, and much more.
For some, these have been tough messages to hear. Some have even written in to suggest that if we had more love in our hearts, we would avoid these unpopular subjects. I respectfully but stridently disagree! Love will, in fact, mobilize a normally timid person to be bold!
It often requires a direct, bold message to arrest a person’s attention and save them from impending destruction. If you have skin cancer but the doctor says you have a touch of poison ivy because he is afraid of upsetting you — he is not your friend! The Lord calls His people to boldly proclaim the deadly nature of sin: “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1).
And over and over, I hear testimonies of how people have been reached and converted by the direct — but always loving — approach of Amazing Facts. One family writes, “We are greatly encouraged as we see the unadulterated Word of God being proclaimed in these last days by Amazing Facts.” Another friend thanks us for “consistency in carrying the complete Word of God to the world.”
Pray for us that we never waiver from that position.
Moving Forward Together
We haven’t hesitated from undertake daring endeavors either, such as our Cosmic Conflict DVD. We have also launched www.AmazingFacts.tv, and I am extremely excited about the upcoming Amazing Adventure child evangelism outreach this fall. (Visit www.AmazingFactsKids.com!)
And God has truly blessed! In the past two years, contacts from our media broadcasts are up 50 percent!
Of course, I continue to trust the Lord that His people know we urgently need their support to maintain our bold evangelistic outreaches through TV, radio, publishing, live meetings, and the internet. But in a special sense, I’m asking you to let me know that you still support our philosophy of preaching the three angels’ messages with love and a holy boldness. Please make a gift today, if you are able.
Please pray that Amazing Facts will be consistently courageous to boldly sound the trumpet of truth, especially in these last days.
Yours in the final, bold work ahead,
Pastor Doug Batchelor