Op-Ed: Speech Is Hateful to Those Who Hate the Truth - Just Ask Jesus' Apostles
Sometime after Pentecost in 33 A.D., Peter and John were going up to the temple in Jerusalem during the 3 p.m. hour of prayer.
They encountered a beggar who had been lame from birth seeking charity from those entering the temple. Peter told the beggar that they did not have money to give but offered something better.
In the name of Jesus, Peter commanded the lame man to walk — and for the first time in his life, he did. Overjoyed, he entered the temple with Peter and John, praising God.
This captured the attention of the people in the temple who were amazed at the miracle they had just witnessed. Peter took the opportunity to urge his hearers to repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus, whom they had previously rejected and condemned to death. About 5,000 of those in the temple who heard this message believed.
As Peter and the apostles continued to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the forgiveness of sins through faith in him, the religious authorities sought to silence them with threats of prison, flogging and death. But this did not dissuade them, for they declared that they must obey God rather than man (Acts 4:12, 5:29-32).
The convicted and offended high priest, elders and scribes hated the gospel message because it was the truth about Jesus and their involvement in his death. They saw it as a threat to their religious power over the people of Israel.
However, the apostles continued undaunted, overjoyed that they were considered worthy of suffering for Jesus’ name. Efforts by the religious authorities to censor and cancel the proclamation of the gospel notwithstanding, the Holy Spirit-inspired courage and persistence of the apostles resulted in the salvation of many, to the glory of God.
There are many examples in society today in which narratives are promoted by very powerful people and organizations that invert reality in the pursuit of certain agendas. These powerful entities work in conjunction with government, Big Tech, big media, the largest banks, international institutions and multinational corporations to label anything that goes against their current narratives as misinformation or hate speech.
Once these collaborators call something hate speech or misinformation, intimidation tactics and threats are used to silence those who persist in saying unapproved things. This often includes censoring or canceling social media accounts, disrupting financial activity, and using government power to bankrupt or jail.
Because of his hatred of God and his creation, especially human beings who are made in his image, Satan, the father of lies, seeks to prevent as many people as he can from being connected to God through Jesus Christ so that they can join him in his ultimate destination. Through his rulers, powers and principalities (Ephesians 6:12), he controls some of the most powerful people and organizations in the world to aid in this effort.
One of the tools the devil uses is the promotion of transgenderism through the medical and education industries, entertainment, and other mass media outlets.
A gaslighting campaign targeting children is meant to confuse them regarding their objective biological nature and get them to undergo permanent genital mutilation to supposedly change their sex. Of course, all this does is cause sterility, mental instability, depression and, too often, death.
Anyone telling the truth in order to protect children from this evil agenda often faces censorship, deplatforming and other sanctions.
Schools, the media and the medical industry indoctrinate children to turn them away from God, hate themselves and hate those who do not go along with their unreality. This satanic hatred has caused many involved in transgenderism and convicted by the truth to react violently against themselves or others.
On May 22, Franklin Graham gave the keynote address at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Orlando, Florida.
He said that as we continue to live in a cancel culture, big corporations will erect barriers for Christian organizations in business, insurance, banking and technology to silence their voices. He challenged them to defend themselves but continue proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of increasingly difficult circumstances.
Amid the cultural revolution of the LGBT agenda (sodomy combined with Marxism), we should love those involved in this sinful lifestyle enough to plainly tell them the truth (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Graham urged his listeners: “If you’re going to try to proclaim the gospel, they’re going to try to shut you up. Preach — don’t back up, don’t make excuses. Just tell it the way it is.”
Do not fear the seemingly overwhelming power of the rulers of society and their efforts to suppress the truth. Their plans will crumble before God’s power (Psalm 33:10-11).
God gave the apostles of Christ the faithfulness and boldness to preach the gospel in the cancel culture of their day. Whether it was the Jewish religious authorities or the Roman government, the gospel could not be bound. We who have received eternal life through believing the gospel are the beneficiaries of the work of God through them.
Let that encourage us to proclaim the gospel no matter the obstacles placed before us, so that many today and in the days to come will receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:8-10).
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