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…
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,