Speaking up is hard.
It can be intimidating. It can feel like the entire world has suddenly turned its attention straight toward you, waiting to hear what you have to say… waiting to laugh at you.
For some of us, our palms begin to sweat, our hearts start racing, we get all hot & flustered and our words become tangled, or our minds suddenly seem to go completely blank.
And because of that, most of us know what it feels like to bite our tongue when we know we should speak. To hesitate too long and miss the opportunity to say what was on our heart. To walk away from a conversation wishing we had been a little braver, wishing we had trusted God a little more, wishing we had said something when we had the chance.
So we justify our silence.
“It wasn’t the right time.”
“Someone else will say something.”
“I don’t need to be the one to do it.”
And sometimes, those things may even feel true.
But if we’re honest –really honest– there’s another, deeper, reason that we stay silent.
We’re afraid.
We’re afraid of offending people.
We’re afraid of being misunderstood.
We’re afraid of being the only voice in the room willing to say something different.
Because when you say something different, you can be labeled as hateful. You can be accused of being unloving. You can be belittled, mocked, and rejected.
And so, sometimes, the fear of people’s reactions becomes louder than our desire to be faithful to God.
But as followers of Christ, we have to ask ourselves a difficult question: Are we allowing the fear of people’s reactions to become louder than the command of our Savior?
When we look at the example set before us by the early disciples—the same men whose courage and faith we have come to admire through the pages of Scripture—we don’t see fear winning.
We don’t see the roar of the world’s ignorance, or even the world’s hatred, becoming louder than their love for God.
What we do see is courage.
Not because they never felt fear. They did. They were human, mere men who knew the risks. They knew what could happen when they spoke the name of Jesus. But their love for Christ was greater than their fear of the consequences. Even death.
Which is a lesson we should all be learning from; because courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s our obedience despite that fear.
After Jesus’ resurrection, His disciples were commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
And they did exactly that.
They went.
They preached.
They spoke the name of Jesus boldly.
They went and made disciples of all nations, just as they were commanded. Just as we, today, are commanded. And they did it knowing that the world they were entering did not welcome their message.
And indeed, it did not, for they soon discovered just how unwelcome their message was when the world made their rejection of it all too clear.
For not only were they not celebrated for speaking the name of Jesus…
Not only were they not applauded for proclaiming the Truth…
They were threatened. They were questioned. They were ordered to stop.
Their very lives were put on the line.
In Acts 4, Peter and John were brought before the religious leaders after healing a man and proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. The leaders demanded that they stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus; that they stop preaching.
They were given a choice: Remain silent and avoid the consequences…charges would not be brought against them, they would suffer no immediate harm and could go on their way quietly and peacefully…or continue proclaiming Christ and accept whatever followed.
Their response was powerful: “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)
They would not remain silent because they could not remain silent. Not because they didn’t understand the risk. Not because they didn’t feel fear. But because they knew Jesus was worth more than their comfort, their reputation, or even their lives.
And that is the same question every follower of Christ must eventually answer: Is Jesus worth more to us than our comfort?
Because the same command given to the disciples after His resurrection is the same command we have been given today: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19).
They didn’t wait until it was easy. They didn’t wait until the world was ready to listen. They didn’t wait until they knew their words would be accepted.
They went. They preached. They proclaimed the name of Jesus. And they did it knowing exactly what it could cost them. Peter and John stood before the very people who had condemned Jesus and were told to stop speaking His name.
They were warned. They were threatened. They were commanded to be silent.
But their response was not one of fear. It was one of faith: “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)
They could not keep silent.
Because when someone has truly encountered Christ, the Gospel is not just a message they carry… It is a light they are called to share with all those who still unknowingly walk in darkness, a hope that can help lead lost souls toward the saving grace of Jesus Christ…
It is a truth they cannot deny.
The disciples knew the Gospel was not simply a message they believed—it was a Truth they were called to proclaim. And they also understood that silence was not neutral. Silence had consequences.
Because when we stop defending truth, something happens inside of us.
Silence doesn’t just affect the people who never hear us speak. It affects us.
Because when we repeatedly choose silence… when we repeatedly compromise… when we repeatedly tell ourselves, “It’s not the right time,” “It’s not worth the argument,” “I don’t want to offend anyone”…
Eventually, we can begin changing what we believe in order to justify what we’ve chosen not to defend.
And that is the danger.
Not overnight.
Not in one dramatic moment.
But slowly.
Quietly.
Imperceivably.
One compromise at a time.
Truth is rarely lost in one dramatic moment. More often than not, it disappears one quiet compromise at a time.
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☩ One Cup. One Christ. One Calling. ☩
— Sunday Morning Coffee and Christ. —
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