Luke 11:8 NIV

I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, YET BECAUSE OF YOUR SHAMELESS AUDACITY HE WILL SURELY GET UP AND GIVE YOU AS MUCH AS YOU NEED.

Romans 4:18-21 NIV

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations … HE DID NOT WAVER THROUGH UNBELIEF regarding the promise of God, but was STRENGTHENED IN HIS FAITH and gave glory to God, BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT GOD HAD POWER TO DO WHAT HE HAD PROMISED.

The Urgency to Have Audacious Faith, Making His Mandate My Mission

Church Strong was the theme the Holy Spirit gave us for 2023. This year, it is Audacious Faith—His Mandate, My Mission. We live in a time when our faith must increase and be steadfast, and our obedience to God is unshakeable. For this reason, we must be Church Strong and have an audacious faith, making God’s mandate our mission. The mission of this hour is urgent, and the Church must awake, arise, and do the will of God and finish His work on earth. We can accomplish this by living and serving in audacious faith to obey God’s every command successfully. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can prevail to the end that we too can declare as Jesus did with His last breath on the cross, “It is finished!”

This is not the time for casual, moderate, or self-centered Christianity. It is time for audacious Christianity that consists of an audacious life of reckless, unrestrained, radical, and revolutionary faith in God, love for Him, and obedience to Him. We are the end-time Church. Spiritual warfare from satanic forces may be unparalleled. However, the Church still triumphs over all through audacious faith in Jesus Christ because of the surpassing work and the power of the Holy Spirit. We urgently need audacious faith to obey God’s every mandate for these reasons:

• The urgency of time as the end is near.
• The devil knows his time is near and is relentlessly at work.
• The Church must fulfill the will of God and finish His work.

The time is now to be Church Strong, to live and walk in audacious faith, and to make God’s mandate our mission.

Defining Audacious and Mandate

The dictionary defines audacious as extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless; extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive; recklessly bold in defiance of convention or the like; lively; unrestrained; or uninhibited. Merriam-Webster’s definition of audacious includes intrepidly daring, adventurous, recklessly bold, and marked by originality and verve (the spirit and enthusiasm animating artistic composition or performance; vivacity, energy, or vitality).

Everything about Jesus was audacious. His love was fearless, His obedience was radical, His prayers were bold, His serving was exceptional, and His giving was generous. Even His last Great Commission to His disciples was audaciously bold and daring, extremely visionary, original, brave, fearless, and defiant of the conventions of Jewish traditions, laws, and orthodoxy. For His disciples to make His mandate their mission, they needed an unusual boldness, unrestrained passion, and uninhibited faith to be Christ’s witnesses in Jerusalem and beyond. On the Day of Pentecost, they were all filled with a fearless love that led them to live uncommon lives, pray audaciously bold prayers, and empower them to radically obey the Great Commission to go into all the world as exceptional servants and generous givers.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a mandate is an official order or commission to do something, or the authority granted to someone to perform a particular action or fulfill a specific role. Those who receive a mandate are expected to carry out the task or duty outlined in the mandate and are often held accountable for its successful completion. God’s mandates can take many forms, including written documents, verbal communication, or prophetic visions. Those who receive a mandate are expected to fully obey and complete the commission.

The biblical definition of mandate emphasizes the importance of following God’s guidance and fulfilling His purpose for our lives. God’s mandate is His divine instruction and guidance that directs and governs our lives. It serves as His commandment and the guiding principle by which we are to live and make decisions. Through His mandate, God reveals His will and purpose and provides us with the necessary guidance and direction to fulfill our calling and achieve our full potential in Him. The Bible is full of examples of God giving specific mandates to individuals and groups of people. These commands often involved specific tasks or responsibilities, such as building an ark (Noah), leading the Israelites out of Egypt (Moses), or rebuilding the temple (Ezra). The Great Commission in Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20 is considered Jesus’ mandate to the Church: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This command is a call to evangelism and discipleship and is considered one of the most critical responsibilities of Christians. JESUS’ MANDATE IS NOT A SUGGESTION BUT A COMMAND TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS; HIS MANDATE IS OUR MISSION!

I believe it’s time for the Church to rise with audacious faith in making His mandate our mission. It is our God-given mission to:

• LOVE FEARLESSLY
• LIVE UNCOMMONLY
• PRAY AUDACIOUSLY
• OBEY RADICALLY
• SERVE SELFLESSLY
• GIVE RECKLESSLY

In recent years, the government has mandated numerous health, social, and environmental regulations. Some of these mandates violate our conscience and, more importantly, the Word of God. Examples include mandates related to masks, gatherings, vaccines, gender fluidity, gender affirming and transitioning, and religious rights. Those who embrace certain mandates often seek to impose them on others. I used to be an environmental activist on a mission to save whales and trees. NOW, I AM A GOSPEL ACTIVIST ON A MISSION TO SEEK AND SAVE SOULS AND MAKE DISCIPLES.

Understanding Audacious Faith

We can only make God’s mandate our mission through audacious faith. Human strength and capabilities are limited, and they cannot accomplish the works of God. Audacious faith has an utmost trust in God alone regardless of any other factor, circumstance, or person. It is built solely, solidly, and securely on a relationship with Jesus Christ (the Eternal Rock) and His Word, and independent of anyone or anything else. This faith is unshakeable and immovably steadfast because of Whom it is built on. It is persistent, reckless, and tenacious in pressing into God and will not give up until His intended end is obtained.

To have audacious faith is to be filled with the Holy Spirit to do what is recklessly brave, extremely fearless, and in complete defiance of anything that opposes God’s will, ways, and purpose; be it culture, convention, or any other thing.

• Job defied the death of all his children, the destruction of all his possessions, and even his own decaying and dying body to trust in God. He audaciously worshipped God, believed in God, and stood firm that he would see God with his own eyes while his body was dying. His audacious faith caused him to declare that even if God should slay him, he would still trust God.
• Moses, a shepherd, confronted Pharoah, ruler of Egypt, to let God’s people go. Moses obeyed God for the deliverance of Israel, defying an evil and idolatrous authority.
• Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he was buried for four days. Jesus obeyed His Father, defied death and the laws of nature, and resurrected Lazarus.
• The Early Church preached the gospel, defying evil religious edicts, persecution, and threats. They obeyed God and defied every opposition against the gospel regardless of imprisonment and beatings.

All these lived and served God with audacious faith, obeying all God’s mandates.

Audacious faith has a holy defiance that wars against all that stands in the way of God’s will and Word. It is unyielding in obeying God by demolishing any stronghold, argument, or pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. It is relentless in taking captive every thought and making it obedient to Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). IT IS A FAITH THAT PLEASES GOD!

In Luke 11:1-10, Jesus taught His disciples about prayer. He shared a story about a person in the middle of the night who pled with his neighbor and pounded on his door for some loaves of bread to feed his house guest. It was a rude and unacceptable thing to do. In verse 7 NIV, the friend answered, “DON’T BOTHER ME. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I CAN’T GET UP AND GIVE YOU ANYTHING.” This response did not discourage or stop the man from persistently asking and pounding on the door. He shamelessly continued because he had one thing in mind, to get bread. Jesus said in verse 8 NIV, “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, YET BECAUSE OF YOUR SHAMELESS AUDACITY HE WILL SURELY GET UP AND GIVE YOU AS MUCH AS YOU NEED.” Holy audacity has a holy desperation to receive from God all that He purposes, just as this man’s shameless audacity was motivated by a desperation to feed his visitor. He had no means on his own, but he knew where to go and ask audaciously. This holy desperation is not a sense of hopelessness but rather an intense, deep, and profound belief that God is trustworthy.

Jesus taught His disciples that GOD WILL ANSWER THE PRAYERS OF BOLD, FEARLESS, DARING, DESPERATE, AND SHAMELESS PEOPLE WHO TRUST IN HIM. He taught that a key ingredient to prayer being answered is “shameless audacity” (Luke 11). Various Bible translations use different phrases. The NLT uses the phrase “shameless persistence,” the NASB uses the word “shamelessness,” the CEB uses “brashness,” and the HCSB uses “persistence.”

For the Church to have the conviction and courageous commitment to make God’s every mandate our mission, we must have audacious faith. Jesus had audacious faith, and He obeyed all of God’s commands to the very end to be the Savior for all humanity. God is moved not only by audacious faith but also by an audacious life, such as the life Jesus lived: A LIFE THAT IS NOT AFRAID TO LOVE FEARLESSLY, LIVE UNCOMMONLY, PRAY AUDACIOUSLY, OBEY RADICALLY, SERVE SELFLESSLY, AND GIVE RECKLESSLY. There was nothing timid or reserved about the way Jesus lived and believed. Everything about Jesus was audacious. His love was fearless, His obedience was radical, His prayers were bold, His serving was exceptional, and His giving was boundless.

Audacious Faith at Work Making God’s Mandate Our Mission in All Situations

AUDACIOUS FAITH BELIEVES THAT GOD’S CHARACTER, NATURE AND WORD ARE ETERNALLY INCONTESTABLE. It does not know fear, moves in courage, and endures with unchanging confidence in God. It is not discouraged but grows stronger when challenged and under siege by demonic attacks. It does not give up but presses forward in hope when there seems to be no hope. Audacious faith will always see the end that God intends. Hebrews 11 speaks of the audacious faith of many who were fearless in obeying God in impossible situations, and through whom God brought forth audacious miracles.

• By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying because God took him.
• By faith Noah warned about things to come and built an ark to save his family.
• By faith Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children.
• By faith Abraham, when tested by God, offered Isaac as a sacrifice, believing that God could raise Isaac from the dead.
• By faith Moses’ parents hid him after he was born, and they did not fear the Pharaoh’s edict.
• By faith Moses kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
• By faith the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on dry land, while the Egyptians drowned.
• By faith the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.
• By faith Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.
• By faith women received their loved ones back from death. Others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free; they placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.
• By faith some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing the skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated; by faith they were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

Faith is not just believing what was said, but believing who said it. When we live in audacious faith, we are not doing it on our own. The Holy Spirit is totally and intimately involved in helping, leading, encouraging, and enabling us to believe. God is searching for men and women who will exhibit audacious faith and obey His every mandate to the utmost and until the end.

— Senior Pastor Klayton Ko
First Assembly of God, Hawaii