“If we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything.”
– Peter Marshall
The central character of the first Star Trek television series and movies was Captain James T. Kirk. Every episode would begin with his statement, “…to boldly go were no man has gone before.”
Kirk was a pioneer, an adventurer, and a trained explorer with an experienced crew and an amazing armed vehicle called the Starship Enterprise.
To all of us who watched the series and saw the movies later, he was a true hero. He was honest, he was just, he was wise, and he was strong. But most of all, he had that boldness, a fearlessness that did the right thing no matter what the consequences.
It was easy for Captain Kirk, because he read the script and knew the ending when he started! But what about us? How can we face down the enemy of intimidation every time we are to tell someone about Jesus?
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
(Acts 4:29,31 NIV)
When you come face to face with the enemy of your soul, you cannot run in fear. You must boldly face him. By drawing near to God, you engage your shield of faith and aggressively move in on the enemy with your sword, the Word of God (see Eph. 6).
It is not a fearful task if you know the Source of your strength and the Power who is behind you.
Then you can march in with a boldness only the Holy Spirit can give and tell a lost and dying world that they can be saved. As you are endued with power from on high, you will boldly proclaim to them, “Jesus is Lord, and He wants to save, heal, and deliver you right now!”
And by the way, if you read your script, it says that Satan cannot stop your mission!
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
