Podcast Introduction

Today we will read John 7-9. I’ll have some comments after the reading, and I’m calling today’s episode “Who Decides?”  

Comments on John 7-9

But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.

John 7:13 NLT

Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”

When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.

John 7:31-32 NLT

 So the crowd was divided about him. Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.

John 7: 43-44 NLT

They asked his parents, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? Why can he see now?”

His parents replied, “We know that he’s our son and that he was born blind. But we don’t know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. You’ll have to ask him. He’s old enough to answer for himself.” (His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews had already agreed to put anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ out of the synagogue. That’s why his parents said, “You’ll have to ask him. He’s old enough.”)

John 19-23 NLT

So now I have a question for you. Do these passages sound familiar to you? Do they sound similar to anything that is happening today? 

“Cancel culture” is not new, is it? The Pharisees were used to being in control of the public narrative. People were afraid to voice their opinions, if they differed from what the Pharisees taught. The people could see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears what Jesus did and what He taught, and some believed that He was who He said He was, but many were afraid to support Him, lest they be thrown out of the synagogue.

But there was one in our reading today who had courage.

They asked the man who had been born blind another question: “What do you say about the man who gave you sight?”

The man answered, “He’s a prophet.”

John 9:17 GWT

At this point in the narrative, the Pharisees have the interview with his parents, which we have already read. As you know, they said, “He’s old enough, ask him yourselves.”

So once again the Jews called the man who had been blind. They told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man who gave you sight is a sinner.”

The man responded, “I don’t know if he’s a sinner or not. But I do know one thing. I used to be blind, but now I can see.”

The Jews asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he give you sight?”

The man replied, “I’ve already told you, but you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear the story again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

The Jews yelled at him, “You’re his disciple, but we’re Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we don’t know where this man came from.”

The man replied to them, “That’s amazing! You don’t know where he’s from. Yet, he gave me sight. 31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners. Instead, he listens to people who are devout and who do what he wants. 32Since the beginning of time, no one has ever heard of anyone giving sight to a person born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do anything like that.”

John 9: 24-30 GWT

The Jews answered him, “You were born full of sin. Do you think you can teach us?” Then they threw him out ⌞of the synagogue⌟.

John 9:34 GWT

This man refused to alter his answer just to mollify the Pharisees. And he paid a price, didn’t he?

But did he really?

Jesus heard that the Jews had thrown the man out ⌞of the synagogue⌟. So when Jesus found the man, he asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

The man replied, “Sir, tell me who he is so that I can believe in him.”

Jesus told him, “You’ve seen him. He is the person who is now talking with you.”

The man bowed in front of Jesus and said, “I believe, Lord.”

John 9:35-37 GWT

I would say that he gained everything.

Beloved, “cancel culture” is happening more every day. You’ve heard me talk about it several times here on the show if you’ve been listening for very long. Here’s a very recent example. While the author does not specifically say that certain content should be de-platformed, they are “this” close to it. This is from the Brookings Institute, and the authors are Valerie Wirtschafter and Chris Meserole. The title of the article is “Policy recommendations for addressing content moderation in podcasts.” It was published just a few days ago…April 18, 2022. Just the title gives you a clue as to their intent. Here it is again: “Policy recommendations for addressing content moderation in podcasts.” James Cridland and Sam Sethi of the Podland News podcast talked about it.

“A great reckoning has arrived for content moderation in podcasts.” Oh really? Content moderation? Who’s going to do the moderating? This was the opening sentence in the article.  One sentence later, they say, “What speech should be permitted? What speech should be shared? And what principles should inform those decisions?”

What speech should be permitted? Are you kidding me? All speech should be permitted. That’s what free speech is all about. If anyone’s speech can be disallowed, then there is no free speech. Free speech is not about, “You can say whatever you want as long as I agree with you.” Free speech guarantees the right to say whatever you want, whether anyone agrees with you or not. 

Because if any speech is forbidden, it’s only a matter of time before YOUR speech is forbidden. 

The article continues: “Debates over content moderation in podcasts hinge primarily on whether and how widely to share so-called “lawful but awful” content. Don’t you love that? Lawful but awful! Major podcasting apps—the applications commonly used on smartphones, tablets, and computers to listen and download to podcast episodes—already have policies and procedures in place to deal with blatantly illegal content. Spotify or Apple Podcasts won’t knowingly distribute an Islamic State recruitment podcast, since doing so would open them to prosecution for supporting a designated terrorist group. How podcasting apps should handle hate speech, misinformation, and related content that is legal but may have harmful societal effects is far less clear.”  Who is to say what “harmful societal effects” are? Who is going to call that? Specifically, a left-leaning proponent of the LGBT+ lifestyle would very probably say that this podcast would fall into under the “harmful societal effects” umbrella because I have read the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality and said that I believe the Bible.

Continuing the article. This will be the last excerpt I share. 

“Below the level of blatantly illegal content, the most popular podcasting apps face a daunting challenge. On the one hand, given the scale and reach of apps like Spotify and Apple Podcasts—each now enjoys more than 25 million monthly podcast listeners in the United States—their content moderation policies need to account for the societal harms that can result from the mass distribution of hate speech and misinformation.” Once again, who decides what is “hate speech and misinformation?” We have seen very recently that what is deemed “misinformation” one day becomes “information” the next, based on the whims of the CDC or Fauci or whomever. 

We must be prepared, beloved. Christians are only a very, very short step away from being the next major target. I can see it very clearly. For example, when we plainly and boldly proclaim the Gospel, which says there is only ONE way to be saved, or when we plainly and boldly proclaim that ALL are sinners in need of the forgiveness that only comes through Jesus, we will be tried and convicted of hate speech. 

Will you bend the knee to these people, or will you boldly stand for Jesus? The time is coming…No, the time is almost here when you will need to make a decision. 

Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:33: But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. (NLT)

We must stand before men, and bow the knee only before Jesus.

Philippians 2:9-11 (NASB)

9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If you want to be sure that this show will continue to come to you no matter what Apple or any other podcast app decides should not be allowed, it is important to remember that it will always be available at LifespringMedia.com. That is the home base for the show. Not Apple Podcasts, not Google Podcasts. Not anywhere else. If the show stops updating in your podcast app with no warning from me, then some outside force has pulled the plug. Then what you do is go to LifespringMedia.com to see if there are new episodes of the show. If there are, then you can subscribe from my website. You don’t need Apple or any other silicon valley company. Get an app from newpodcastapps.com. Those apps use the podcastindex.org podcast directory, and the whole idea…the impetus for the entire project was to preserve free speech. I could go on about this for a long time, but I’ll stop here.

Just be aware beloved, that there are forces that want to silence us, and we must do all that we can to keep them from being successful in their efforts. But this is not new. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

But 1 John 4:4 says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 7-8 NLT; Ch. 9 GWT

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The Team

Transcript Correction: Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Denise
Podcasting 2.0 Chapters: Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Sean of San Pedro and Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Michael Haner
Show Art: Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Scott Snider and Lifespring Family Berean Jason Paschall
Newsletter Publisher: Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Brittaney