Bold & Unhindered

Key Takeaways

• The kingdom of God expands through trials

•  The kingdom of God expands through testimony

• God's power is perfected in weakness

• The kingdom advances at the speed of relationship

• Faithfulness over outcomes

Study Questions

• Question 1

  The sermon mentioned that Paul said, "It is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain" (v. 20). What does this tell us about how Paul viewed his suffering?

• Question 2

  In verses 23-28, Paul quotes Isaiah about people whose "hearts have grown dull." What warning does this passage give us? What hope does it offer?

• Question 3

  The sermon stated, "Your suffering becomes the stage on which God's glory performs." How does this perspective challenge or encourage you in your current struggles?

• Question 4

  Paul shared about Jesus "with all boldness"—candidly, clearly, and confidently. Which of these three aspects feels most challenging for you when talking about your faith? Why?

• Question 5

  The C.S. Lewis quote said that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains." When has pain gotten your attention or drawn you closer to God?

5-Day Devotional

DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5

Day 1 : Power Made Perfect in Weakness

READING :

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

DEVOTIONAL :

Paul discovered a profound truth: God's power shines brightest through our weakness. When we instinctively avoid suffering, we miss the stage on which God's glory performs. Your diagnosis, your struggling relationship, your financial strain—these aren't obstacles to God's work in your life. They're opportunities for his strength to be displayed. Like Paul in chains arriving at Rome, your weakness doesn't disqualify you from usefulness to God. Instead, it positions you to experience his grace in deeper ways. Today, consider: What suffering are you trying to manage alone? What would it look like to submit your pain to Jesus, trusting that he can use even your worst moments for his kingdom purposes?

Day 2 : Hearts That See and Hear

READING :

Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:10-17

DEVOTIONAL :

A dull heart isn't just a problem "out there"—it's the quiet drift inside each of us when we stop listening to Jesus. Suffering can harden us. Comfort can numb us. Pride can blind us. Yet God's heart, even toward those who resist him, longs to heal. Jesus came to open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears, and soften hardened hearts. The beautiful truth is that if you turn to him, he will heal you. Spiritual dullness isn't permanent unless we choose to make it so. Today, ask yourself: Where has my heart grown dull? What voices have I allowed to drown out God's whisper? Take time in silence to invite the Holy Spirit to restore your spiritual sensitivity and awaken you afresh to the beauty of his kingdom.

Day 3 : The Speed of Relationship

READING :

Acts 8:26-40

DEVOTIONAL :

The kingdom of God advances at the speed of relationship—through ordinary people having conversations about the extraordinary Jesus. The history of Christianity is like a long game of telephone, with good news spreading from mouths to ears for 2,000 years. Someone told someone who told someone who eventually told you about Jesus. Now you're part of that chain. Your calling isn't to produce dramatic results or hit spiritual home runs. It's simply to make contact—to share the hope within you with candor, clarity, and confidence. The Ethiopian eunuch's conversion began with one faithful conversation. Today, who is God placing in your path? What would faithful contact look like? Remember: you plant seeds, but God causes the growth in ways you may never see.

Day 4 : Small Seeds, Surprising Growth

READING :

Mark 4:26-32

DEVOTIONAL :

Jesus taught that his kingdom always looks small, slow, and hidden—but it's always growing. Like a mustard seed or leaven worked into dough, the kingdom advances through ordinary faithfulness in seemingly insignificant moments. A conversation over coffee. A prayer whispered in suffering. An act of kindness to a neighbor. These aren't trivial; they're kingdom work. The farmer plants and sleeps, and somehow the field grows. This is how God works—through the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. Don't despise the day of small things. Your faithful presence at Thanksgiving dinner, your patient listening to a hurting friend, your consistent witness at work—these matter more than you know. Today, what small act of faithfulness is God inviting you to? Trust that he's working in ways you cannot see.

Day 5 : Your Next Chapter

READING :

Acts 28:17-31

DEVOTIONAL :

The book of Acts ends, but the story continues—through you. Paul's final scene shows him in chains yet preaching with boldness, welcoming all who came, proclaiming Christ "without hindrance." His circumstances didn't stop the gospel; they created new opportunities. As you stand at your own threshold—facing Thanksgiving gatherings, year-end pressures, or uncertain futures—remember that the kingdom advances through your trials and your testimony. You are part of the next chapter of God's grace going out. Will you speak of Jesus with boldness? Will you submit your suffering to his cross? Will you enter into others' lives with patient love? The same Spirit who empowered the early church lives in you. Today, ask God: How will you advance your kingdom through my life this week?

This Week’s Liturgy & Playlist

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

All: Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Psalm 67:1-5

Confession of faith

Heidelberg Catechism Q & A #1

Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Confession of sin

O Father, we confess that we resist the trials you send. Though the beauty of Jesus shines through our wounds, we cling to comfort, and grasp for control. Forgive the dullness of our hearts, the timidity of our tongues, and our fear to trust you in pain. Heal us, open our ears, and draw us near, that your grace would make us bold to speak of Christ, and our lives would bear witness to his name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Acts 13:38-39

Looking Ahead

Join us next week as we begin our Advent sermon series with Isaiah 7:10-17.