Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This is supposed to be a guaranteed right guarded by the Constitution in the United States. Our freedom of speech is being taken away more and more everyday. I am not on social media. You cannot find me on facebook, twitter, instagram or snapchat. I have no intentions of entering these platforms. I did some time on facebook. Convinced myself I was doing good by using that platform to do exactly what I'm doing here. I wrote and posted blogs. Ministry articles. Then one day I felt I was wasting my time and faded away.
Now those very social media outlets are putting tighter muzzles on what you can and cannot say. If you do not believe me then write something negative about homosexuality, Islam and Jihad, abortion and or transgenders continuously. Do it from a Bible perspective. Eventually you will be warned and removed. Others have been. They say you would be promoting hate. With that one phrase we are losing our first amendment rights.
How long before we are fined for speaking out against sin because we promoting hate. My family went to a movie this past Saturday. Tucker and Turner entered the theater before we did. They told me they were showing a gay pride commercial. Tucker booed out loud. Praise God. How long before the theater management might receive a complaint against such actions and he be removed and banned from further admissions.
For now preachers still have freedom of speech to preach the word of God in most parts of the United States if they have guts and courage to do so. This is has not been and is not the case in many countries. There were times in the past when this was not the case. Investigate the lives of John Bunyan, Martin Luther, William Tyndall and others. There were times when preaching the Bible was considered a high crime punishable by death. Many died for their freedom of speech.
There are multiple countries where there is no freedom of speech. You have to speak politically correct or be arrested. Places like Iran, India, England, North Korea, China and a host of others. Opposition voices are quickly silenced. They are harassed and arrested. In some places they are still killed. Silencing free speech seems like a major objective for many governments in many nations.
The apostles faced this same threat as the fledgling new church sprouted. They were warned and threatened not to teach or preach in Jesus name which, of course they ignored.
Acts 4:18-31 (NASB)
18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."
21 When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened;
22 for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,
25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, 'WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS?
26 'THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.'
27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,
30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
Acts 4:18-31 (NASB)
18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."
21 When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened;
22 for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM,
25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, 'WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS?
26 'THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.'
27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,
30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
What will we do as they try to take away our free speech? Will be cower and comply with their commands? Will we resolutely refuse to compromise? We had better count the cost. I am sure a cost is coming. Not just getting banned off social media. That is not suffering. The government has many other ways of intruding into our private lives and taking away our freedoms. What will we do?
Speak truth! Write truth! Preach truth! Share truth!
So let me state it where there is no misunderstanding.
1. Abortion is murder. The woman's right to choose is to remain chaste outside marriage. [Ps 139:13-16] [Jer 1:5] [Eph 2:10] [I Thess 4:3-4]
2. Homosexuality is sin. [I Cor 6:9]
3. God ordains Biblical marriage and is one man married to one wife. [Gen 2:21-24]
4. God ordains the gender of a person at birth. [Gen 1:26-27]
5. There is only one God. His name is Yahweh, Jehovah and His Son Jesus. [Gen 1:1] [Ex 20:1-3]
6. There is absolutely no other way to salvation except through Jesus. [Jn 14:6] [Acts 2:28-39]
If you find those things offensive you have the constitutional right to be offended by my free speech. Get over it. I get over being offended by other people's free speech and hate speech against Christianity everyday.
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