Boldness in Spite of Opposition

I'm a pastor in a place where Christianity isn't welcomed. People are polite mostly, but there's a constant undertone of mockery, of 'you're on the wrong side of history.' I came here knowing that would be the case, but living in it daily wears on you.

Paul talking about boldness in opposition helped me reframe. He's not saying boldness comes naturally or that I should be aggressive about it. He's saying we spoke boldly despite the opposition. The opposition is real - acknowledged. But it doesn't silence us.

I've started pastoring differently. Not defensively, not trying to prove anything, but just honestly. Here's what I believe, here's why it matters, here's what it costs me to believe it, and here's what it's given me. That boldness - just naming what's true even when it's not popular - that's been more compelling to people than any argument I could make.