In this April 15 message, DJ turns to Acts 4 and asks a blunt, practical question: How do you stand in the face of rejection? Not in theory, but when resistance is real, when people push back, and when your sense of worth is tempted to rise and fall based on whether others accept you.

Set against the backdrop of the church’s new property and growing vision to serve Durango for generations, DJ uses the story of Peter and John — fresh out of jail and fresh off a direct threat from the religious authorities — to show what bold, grounded faith actually looks like. Their response is striking: they do not panic, retaliate, or retreat. They return to their people, they pray, and they ask God not for safety, but for boldness.

The sermon pushes back against the idea that our identity has to be controlled by the approval of the people around us. Instead, DJ argues that believers can become the kind of people who stand firm in truth and love, even in the face of rejection—but only if they cultivate the right environment. He highlights three essentials: strong spiritual family, real prayer, and shared experiences where God shows up.

This is a sermon about more than courage. It is about how courage is formed. It is about building the kind of church where people are known, supported, honest, and united in purpose. And it is a call to become a praying people—people who do not just admire boldness in Scripture, but practice the kind of life together that makes boldness possible.