SERIES OPENING – Believe Boldly
Today we’re starting something new together.
This message is the beginning of a new volume in our Bible Engagement Project.
Volume 5, Believe Boldly.
And that phrase matters—because bold belief isn’t loud belief.
It isn’t showy.
It isn’t dramatic for the sake of attention.
Bold belief is quiet courage.
It’s steady faith.
It’s the decision to trust God when circumstances, people, or even your own inner voice tell you not to.
Paul writes it this way in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”
That’s what this series is about.
Over the next several weeks, we’re going to look at real, ordinary people—who learned to trust God deeply, honestly, and boldly.
Not because they had perfect faith…
but because they discovered that God is faithful.
Here’s what I know about many of us—especially right now.
We believe in God…
but we don’t always believe for things anymore.
We believe God can…
but we’re not sure He will.
We’ve prayed before.
We’ve hoped before.
And sometimes disappointment taught us to lower our expectations.
So instead of bold prayers, we pray safe ones.
Instead of asking, we cope.
Instead of believing, we manage.
This series is an invitation to re-learn how to come to God with boldness—
not because of our worthiness,
but because of His promises.
TODAY’S FOCUS – ASK ANYWAY
Every volume has a starting point.
And for Believe Boldly, the first step is simple—but not easy:
Ask Anyway.
Not politely.
Not vaguely.
Not hypothetically.
Ask God honestly.
Ask Him clearly.
Ask Him even when others discourage you.
That’s why today we’re starting with a man whose faith was anything but quiet.
A man who had every reason to stay silent…
and every excuse to stay seated…
But instead, he cried out.
INTRODUCTION – When Attention Feels Uncomfortable
Let me start with a simple question—
Are you the kind of person who loves being the center of attention…
or the kind of person who would rather disappear into the back row and hope no one notices you?
Most of us don’t mind attention when it’s positive.
But negative attention?
Standing out when everyone else wants you quiet?
That’s uncomfortable.
And yet, faith—real faith—often puts us right there.
Because sometimes following Jesus means being heard
when others would rather you stay silent.
And that’s exactly where we meet a man named Bartimaeus.
Mark tells us that as Jesus was leaving Jericho,
Bartimaeus—a blind man—was sitting beside the road.
That detail matters.
This wasn’t a one-off moment.
This was his routine.
Same road.
Same spot.
Same helplessness.
Blindness in the first century wasn’t just a medical condition—it was a life sentence.
No public assistance.
No accessibility tools.
No Disability Checks
No safety net.
Bartimaeus lived with what felt permanently impossible.
And if we’re honest, many of us know that feeling.
We live with:
• A diagnosis that hasn’t changed
• A relationship that never healed
• A pattern we’ve learned to manage instead of overcome
• A discouragement we quietly accepted as “just how life is”
At some point, it’s easier to cope than to hope.
TRANSITION INTO TEXT
If you have your Bible, turn with me to Mark chapter 10:46
We’re going to meet a blind man named Bartimaeus—
and his story sets the tone for everything this series is going to ask of us.
Because Bartimaeus shows us what happens
when bold belief refuses to be quiet.
Read Mark 10:46-52
Jesus Is Passing by Then Mark says something simple but explosive:
“When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby…”
That’s all it took.
Faith often starts with hearing.
The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 10:14-15
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say,
‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Somewhere along the way, Bartimaeus had heard the stories:
• Blind eyes opened
• Lives restored
• Mercy freely given
And suddenly, the impossible didn’t feel so permanent anymore.
So Bartimaeus does something bold.
He cries out.
Not politely.
Not quietly.
He shouts:
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
That phrase—Son of David—is loaded.
It’s a declaration of faith.
Bartimaeus is saying, “I believe you are who you say you are.”
And immediately, the crowd responds.
Not with encouragement.
Not with compassion.
They tell him to be quiet.
Because bold faith makes people uncomfortable.
Sometimes others prefer the status quo:
• “Don’t make a scene.”
• “Don’t get your hopes up.”
• “Don’t expect too much.”
• “Just be grateful for what you have.”
And here’s the painful truth:
Those voices are often closest to us.
But Bartimaeus refuses to shrink.
Scripture says he shouted even louder.
This is where faith moves from belief to courage.
1) Bold Faith Refuses Silence
Bartimaeus teaches us something critical:
Faith doesn’t wait for permission.
Bold faith says:
• “I won’t be quiet about my need.”
• “I won’t let discouragement decide my future.”
• “I won’t miss my moment because someone else is uncomfortable.”
This wasn’t desperation—it was confidence.
Confidence that Jesus could do something no one else could.
Illustration: Desmond Doss — “Just One More”
In World War II, there was a U.S. Army medic named Desmond Doss.
Doss was a committed Christian—and because of his faith, he refused to carry a weapon.
That decision made him a target of ridicule, discipline, and constant pressure to quit or conform.
Other soldiers told him to be quiet about his beliefs.
To stop making things harder.
To stop standing out.
But Doss refused to be silent.
During the Battle of Okinawa, his unit was forced to retreat under overwhelming fire.
Most of the soldiers withdrew—but Doss stayed behind.
One wounded man at a time, under constant enemy fire, Doss dragged soldiers to safety.
And as he worked, witnesses said he kept praying out loud:
“Lord, help me get one more.”
Not once.
Not twice.
Again and again.
He refused to stop asking.
He refused to stop calling out.
He refused to stop believing that one more life mattered.
By the end of that night, 75 men were saved—by a man who wouldn’t be quiet about his faith, even when everyone else had already given up.
Later, those same soldiers who mocked him said this:
“We were alive because he didn’t stop. ”
There comes a moment when persistence interrupts the story.
For Bartimaeus, it wasn’t a battlefield.
It was a roadside.
But the principle is the same.
Faith that refuses to be silent
eventually gets noticed.
And then… Jesus stops.
Don’t rush past that.
The crowd tried to silence Bartimaeus.
But Jesus heard him anyway.
And suddenly, the same people who told him to be quiet say:
“Cheer up! He’s calling you!”
Crowds change quickly.
Which is why we never build our faith on public opinion.
Bartimaeus throws aside his cloak—his livelihood, his identity—and runs to Jesus.
Jesus asks a powerful question:
“What do you want me to do for you?”
Now… that seems obvious, right?
But Jesus doesn’t assume.
Because faith isn’t vague.
Faith is specific.
Bartimaeus answers:
“My Rabbi, I want to see.”
No hedging.
No half-asking.
No spiritualized avoidance.
Just honest, bold faith.
2) Bold Faith Names the Need
Some of us believe Jesus can…
but we struggle to say what we actually need.
We pray safely.
We pray generally.
We pray quietly.
Bartimaeus shows us that bold faith is clear.
Jesus responds:
“Go, for your faith has healed you.”
And immediately—Bartimaeus could see.
Illustration
Bold prayer requests are not easy to make. They take even bolder faith. To make a prayer request is one thing but then to have the faith to believe God is going to answer in that moment is huge. I've seen plenty of people pray but not believe that God will heal the sick it's very different to pray and believe--to have the faith that God will do what he says he will do.
Over the last 20 years I've seen God do miraculous things. When I was in Texas we prayed for a girl that had A congestive heart defect and she was getting ready to go in for heart surgery, but we prayed and believed that God would heal her. Her parents went to the same church they prayed as well but they didn't really believe God would move.
The day came for the surgery, and she insisted that the doctors perform another ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis because she believed that because we prayed God had healed her and the surgery was not needed. The doctors objected at first, but she was so adamant that they finally agreed to give her the ultrasound just so that she would be quiet and they would have a cooperative patient.
So, they brought in a tech quickly to do the ultrasound and to their surprise the congestive heart defect was completely gone. She was healed! The doctors tried to play it off like there was an error earlier or that those earlier tests were faulty, but you and I know the truth we had a bold request that received bold change.
I've seen kids healed of cancer I've seen adults healed of cancer I've seen blind eyes open I've seen people that had years of pain start to walk again. I've seen that in Texas I've seen that right here in Alaska I have seen God move time and time again and it has nothing to do with the words I pray it has everything to do with the faith I have in God who answers prayer!
Bold faith, comes from believing that what the Bible says is true, Listen to what James writes in James 5:14-15
“Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.”
Notice the wording in this text, James doesn’t say this prayer might heal the sick—he says it will—so the real question isn’t whether God is able, but whether we’re willing to believe what His Word says.
Mark tells us Bartimaeus followed Jesus down the road.
A man who once sat begging is now walking with the Savior.
And you can’t tell me the crowd wasn’t changed.
They saw:
• Faith rewarded
• Mercy extended
• Boldness honored
3) Bold Faith Leaves the Old Life Behind
Bartimaeus didn’t go back to the roadside.
When Jesus changes your life, you don’t return to survival mode.
You walk forward.
MODERN APPLICATION – What About Us?
We don’t lack stories.
We don’t lack Scripture.
We don’t lack testimony.
What we often lack is boldness.
Jesus once said:
“Keep on asking… keep on seeking… keep on knocking.”
Faith grows when we risk believing.
Bartimaeus cried out on a roadside long ago—but bold faith didn’t stop in the first century. It still shows up when people refuse to stop asking.
Modern Application Illustration: “Ask Anyway”
In January of 2019, a teenage boy named John Smith fell through the ice on a frozen lake in Missouri.
He was underwater for more than 15 minutes.
By the time he was pulled out, he had no pulse.
Emergency responders worked on him for nearly an hour.
Doctors later said his body temperature was dangerously low, his lungs were filled with water, and medically speaking, there was no hope.
The hospital staff began preparing his family for the worst.
But John’s mother, Joyce Smith, refused to stop praying.
She stood at his bedside and prayed out loud, calling on the name of Jesus—again and again—while doctors and nurses stood by.
At one point, she prayed words like these:
“Holy Spirit, I speak life into my son.
You did not bring us this far to let him die.”
Even when the medical team told her there was nothing more they could do,
she kept asking anyway.
And then—after nearly an hour without a heartbeat—John’s heart began to beat.
Against all expectations, John not only survived—he made a full neurological recovery.
Doctors later described his survival as medically inexplicable .
Bold faith refused to be silent.
And everything changed.
CLOSING CHALLENGE – What Will You Ask For?
So let me ask you:
• If Jesus walked into Tok today… what would you ask Him for?—because He is here right now, ready to answer…
• What situation feels impossible?
• What have you stopped praying for because others discouraged you?
Don’t stay quiet.
Cry out.
Believe boldly.
Because Jesus still stops for faith.
Altar Call – “Ask Anyway”
Church, I want to take a moment right now—
because moments like this are exactly what this message is about.
Bartimaeus didn’t wait until everything felt comfortable.
He didn’t wait until everyone approved.
He cried out while it was still messy…
while people were still telling him to be quiet.
And tonight, some of you know exactly what that feels like.
You’ve been carrying something:
• a diagnosis
• a burden for someone you love
• a situation that feels impossible
• a prayer you’ve almost stopped praying
And if you’re honest, part of you has wondered,
“Is it even worth asking anymore?”
This moment is your invitation to ask anyway.
In just a moment, as the music starts playing, I want to invite you to come forward—I would love to pray with you.
I’m not here to judge you.
I’m not here to fix you.
I’m here to stand with you and pray.
And if you’re sick…
if you’re burdened…
if you’re discouraged…
if you need healing—physical, emotional, or spiritual—
Scripture tells us:
“Call for the elders of the church to pray over you…”
So this morning, if you want prayer, I want to invite you to step out from where you are and come forward.
Not because you’re weak.
But because bold faith refuses to be silent.
Let me say this clearly—coming forward doesn’t mean you lack faith.
Often, it means you’re choosing faith.
It means you’re saying:
“I don’t have all the answers…
but I believe Jesus is passing by.”
(Pause)
We’re not going to rush this.
If the Spirit is stirring in your heart…
if you feel that quiet nudge…
if this is your “ask anyway” moment—
You’re welcome to come.
(brief pause)
(Closing Line as People Move)
Church, let’s pray together.
Let’s believe together.
And let’s trust that the same Jesus who stopped for Bartimaeus
still stops for faith today.
FINAL PRAYER
“Jesus, give us the courage to ask.
Give us faith that doesn’t shrink under pressure.
Help us believe boldly—not because of who we are,
but because of who You are.
Amen.”
Benediction
Church, as you go from this place,
go with courage to ask.
Go with faith that refuses to be silent.
Go believing boldly—not because of who you are,
but because of who God is.
And may the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.
Amen.
_____________________________
i U.S. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation for Desmond T. Doss, October 12, 1945.
ii Smith, Joyce. The Impossible: A Miraculous Story of Faith and Healing.
Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 2020.
