Ancient Roots Of Cancel Culture - Part 3 of 3

We trace the ancient roots of cancel culture through Stephen’s witness, showing how grace, truth, endurance, and favor form a framework for faithful resistance. Along the way we connect Stephen to Saul, reflect on Polycarp’s courage, and call believers to carry the cross, not the sword.

• framing cancel culture through biblical truth and deception
• four marks of faithfulness from Stephen in Acts
• how to fight for truth with words not weapons
• enduring false accusations with a calm, godly presence
• discerning suffering for faithfulness versus foolishness
• the Stephen to Saul link as seed planting for mission
• Polycarp’s stand as a model of costly courage
• scriptures that refine faith and promise eternal reward
• Israel tour updates, resources, and ways to connect

If the trip is unsafe, just FYI, uh, we won't go. And if you need your refund because um the trip is canceled, you will get your refund. You can find out all the information online at real life ministry dot us. You can donate, um, start listening today.

Transcript

Welcome And Series Framing

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Real Life Ministry, where we are dedicated to teaching and encouraging Christians to live free and live strong. Your host today is Ryan Rice, a Bible teacher, a pastor, entrepreneur, and a writer. Join us as we dive into various topics and how they relate to faith, values, and making a positive impact in America. Let's dive into it.

Freedom, Truth, And America

Calling Men And Women To Strength

Four Marks Of Faithfulness From Stephen

Fight For Truth Without Violence

Enduring False Accusations With Grace

Hidden Link: Stephen And Saul Of Tarsus

From Stephen To Polycarp: Faithfulness Unto Death

Gospel Conclusion And Call To Stand Firm

Israel Trip Updates And Resources

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Alright, guys, we're back. It's another episode of Real Life Ministry. I'll be your host, Ryan Rice. Welcome to the program, ladies and gentlemen. We are in part three of a series called The Ancient Roots of Cancel Culture. So wake up. It's time to listen in, buddy. Hope uh you get fired up. Live free, live strong, live free. There's freedom in Jesus Christ. You live for him. That's the freest you'll ever be. He came to give life, not death. When you know the truth, the truth will set you free. We fight for freedom, live for freedom, walk in freedom. Jesus went to the cross, so you can find forgiveness and freedom. So find it in Jesus' name. Live free, live strong. Leave live free in the free truth of God's word and live free in the land, the United States of America. But you don't have to just be in America to live free. You can live free anywhere. You live by faith in Jesus Christ. But what makes America great, I'll say it again, is the truth woven through the founding documents of the formation of this great nation. That's what that's where there's blessing. There's blessing in walking in truth. Walk in the truth, live in the truth, fight for the truth. So we're talking about ancient ancient routes to the cancel culture. And what you see is these dichotomies in scripture. God is a God of truth. He is the father of truth. And then there is a father of lies and a deception and a counterfeit. And Satan's agenda always is to silence the truth, to derail, to distract, to destroy. And the work of the father is to bring freedom, forgiveness, and faith. And you gotta understand that. So too many Christians are suffering because they're being stupid, doing dumb things, making really bad decisions. And then people form like a mob sometimes because we have mob mentality against these believers. And I get it. I'm here to defend the word of God and to help guide and give instruction to this wonderful church family I call North Valley. And if you're a friend of anybody at North Valley or myself or just found us, then great. Welcome. We're glad you're here. So live free, live strong. Strength is in following in Jesus. Always challenge men. Men, you're gonna find your strength in the Lord and other men. Don't try to sap the strength of your spouse or lover. You need to give strength, love, and protect. I'm gonna be teaching our men and loving and protecting God's woman. And ladies, you find strength in the Lord and you find strength, listen, through your man. That's how you're supposed to do it. Find shelter in his strength. And some of you say, Well, my man isn't a fighter. He's not as strong. Well, get him around other godly good men and he'll get stronger. Get him in God's word. Well, I don't know how to do that. Well, invite him into a group called, we call it community groups. Maybe you got a small group at your church, get him in there, and he'll get exposed to good godly men, Lord willing. There's not a bunch of dirt bags in there. And he'll see them and say, Ha, that's a better version of me. And it's contagious. The Christian life is contagious. It's like good. Okay. So go for it. Christians are supposed to make things better, right? They're like salt of the earth. Like, I put salt on my steak, and it's good. So, anyway, I want to encourage you. All right, let's keep rolling. So, where are we at? Well, we are in part three of this podcast, and so we're gonna rock and roll. We're talking about the cancel culture, and you know, and we're talking about kind of some of the origin and the roots of it. And we looked at the book of Stephen, uh, the book of Acts, and looked at Stephen, excuse me, and we saw in Stephen just these unbelievable four marks of faithfulness and four marks of what it means to suffer for faithfulness, and it was understanding that faithfulness requires being full of God's grace and power. Number one, and Stephen was the Bible says he was full of God's grace and power. And so that that's the first mark. Second mark was this idea of faithfulness requires a fight for truth. So, like, you're gonna fight for for truth, not your truth, but God's truth, the truth. Jesus said, I am the way, the life. And I am the truth. Um I'm the way and the life. Oh my gosh, I'm like butchering this. Like Pastor Ryan, like, what is wrong? Why are you butchering? I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. No one gets to the Father but through me. That's what he said. So faithfulness requires us fight for truth. That was number two, fight, fighting for what is right, and that's what that's what Stephen does. He doesn't do it with the sword or a gun, he does it with his words. Very powerful. There's power in your words, my friend. That's why I say to Christians, don't just vote your values, voice your values, speak up, open your mouth. So he does that, and they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit by which he was speaking. And this is a great message for you. Like, fight for truth, speak truth. Like, go talk to that teacher that's brainwashing your kid if they're doing that, and and say, that's not true. You can't do that, you shouldn't do that. Um I've told you guys perhaps different various episodes of my stories of um combating some, I would say, rogue teachers in an overall good school district with a Christian superintendent and a Christian principal, yet you still have rogue teachers that teach nonsense and crap. Teaching my kids to encouraging them to cross-dress and swap their genders is just a sort of a mindset and a social um idea, idea, not a biological reality. Crazy. So, yeah, I got fighting for truth. And it's a tough fight, bro. Tell you that, it's a tough fight. Got made fun of, got mocked. Yeah. Um, my wife is like nervously in the background as I'm intensifying the arguments, you know, but fight for truth, whatever it is, whatever's true, fight for truth. But you gotta know how to fight right, right? Not like an idiot. Uh, you don't just go burn a place down because it's filled with lies. I used to literally remember driving by all the biggest gay church in America down in uh Dallas. I remember for a while, I was actually riding a train and riding a bike, and I would be like praying that this church would burn down. And I just realized how terrible that was. So I started praying for revival and restoration. Like, I get it. Like, there's there's uh it's called improcatory prayers, I believe they are in the Bible. It's the idea that you just like like you pray bad things like God's judgment, and that does happen in the Bible for like God's divine retribution, you know, but I didn't I stopped praying that I started praying for restoration and revival, and so there's a way to fight for truth, and there is a time in which you need to take action. And for believers, listen, here here's a great word, a great word for you. Our sign and symbol is the cross for the Christian, and the sign and the symbol for the government is the sword. So we don't need to take up the sword against the wrongdoer and take vengeance into our own hands. We need to trust the law of the land, police officers, military, and whatnot to take up the sword. Our sign is the cross, our symbol is the cross. And so I started praying for the cross of Christ over that church. It's not my job to take up the sword. You know, if you want to take up the sword in your faith, then that's more Islamic doctrine, bro. That's going jihad. So faithfulness requires a fight, but not a fight like an idiot. Your symbol is the cross, not the sword. Get that straight. And I write about that a little bit in one of the books, and I can't remember the guy who I got some of those ideas from, but if you read the book I I wrote called Thinking Biblical About the Geopolitical, I outlined some more of those thoughts a little bit further in there because I I compare and contrast like Islam versus Christianity and their approach, you know. So, anyway, it's something to to look at and to consider. And uh, so there there you go. But faithfulness requires a fight for the truth, and Stephen is a wonderful example for it. And then number three, faithfulness will endure false accusations. I mentioned that in the last podcast, and that's the idea that like, bro, like the Holy Spirit is with you, like He will give you the words to say, you just need to stand strong and realize that you're just called to endure. You're just just endure it, walk through it, don't let up, don't give up. Suffer for faithfulness, not foolishness. And knowing Jesus said if they persecuted me, they're gonna persecute you. Suffer for righteousness' sake. So, number four, it was faith, faithfulness is marked by God's undeniable favor. And then it's the picture of like Stephen is like he doesn't rage, like fly off the like lose it. He he like has the face of an angel. It's like it's not like literally he had an angel face, like baby, baby angel face with wings. No, he was like glowing like with the godliness and the glow like Moses had when he came down off that mountain. It recorded in the scriptures, and so it's like crazy because they told him that he's like destroying the law of Moses, and yet he's glowing like Moses, and he's not retaliating with anger and hatred. It's crazy. So, and but then I gave you, you know, questions to think about am I full of grace or am I full of anger? Am I standing for truth or just arguing to win? Are the accusations actually false or are they true? If they're true, then you need to own up, bro. You're suffering for the sake of foolishness, not faithfulness. So, like if you're screwing up and then you get accused and you people form mobs around you, well, were you foolish or were you faithful? If the accusations are true, then you're suffering for foolishness. You know? So we had trouble one time with a Christian leader and uh just screwing up a lot, and he got mad, and uh we said, you're done, and he turned around and was like, I'm suffering for righteousness' sake. No, you're not. You're suffering because you've been a fool. That's why you're suffering, my friend. So don't be that guy. And then the last question was, Is God's presence evident in my response? Do you I mean, do you want God's presence or Satan's presence? You need God's presence in your response to no matter what kind of suffering you're going through. So if you're gonna suffer and call it persecution, then you gotta ask those honest questions. But here we go. So kind of a just cool thing. I'm just gonna bring this up because I just think it's kind of cool, is there's kind of this hidden little nugget and gem here in Acts chapter six. I haven't brought up in previous podcasts, but there's some insights in Acts chapter six. There's a small detail that many people miss. It's Luke says some more of the men were debating, Stephen uh were from uh I screw this up, but Sicily. Uh and the he they describe this location, and uh you might be thinking, like, why does it matter? So he so some of the people that the the men that were debating Stephen were from this location um called Sicilia, and it matters because there was a young man from Sicilia as well, his name was Saul of Tarsus, and the same Saul who would later become the apostle Paul, hang with me. It's very possible that that Saul was present during these debates, which means the man who would later spread the gospel across the Roman world may have first heard the message of Jesus from the lips of Stephen. That is crazy. So that's did you follow what I'm saying here? I mean so here's what I'm saying. Acts chapter six, there's this hidden moment. Remember, the the phrase is mentioned, Luke Luke says that men and men debating Stephen were from Sicilia, and it matters because this guy named the Saul of Tarsus is from that same area, and this would be the same Saul who would later become the Apostle Paul. Mind blowing. So it's very again very possible that during these debates, Saul was there, and the first time he hears the gospel is from this guy named Stephen whose wisdom is irrefutable, and God's literally like glowing on this guy's face. And so what looks like a crazy terrible situation for Stephen actually becomes kind of the seedbed of something that's gonna grow in Saul's heart, which will later he'll come to faith in Christ and become one of the greatest evangelists and church planters Christianity's ever seen. He's gonna be writing Bible, for goodness sake. And so across the Roman world, the gospel's gonna spread, and it happened very likely because Saul first heard the Christian message of Jesus from the lips of Stephen. And so what looked like defeat becomes one of God's greatest plans for evangelism and good works and great news. And so Stephen's faithfulness planted seeds that would eventually change the whole world. So here's my question: what if God is calling you to plant some seeds and you have no idea how they're gonna grow and what's gonna happen in the years ahead? It's like Stephen went from literally waiting tables to witnessing the world change. Now he didn't see that in his earthly body. He had to look down from heaven because the Bible tells us he was assassinated, he was killed, he was stoned to death, and the guy that gave the approval was Saul. Pretty deep. Stephen is this ordinary guy who God does these extraordinary things, and so it reminds me like another story, a guy, Polycarp, some hundred years later, after Stephen, another Christian leader raised rises up, similar moment. Uh his name is again Polycarp. Polycarp had been discipled by the apostle John, and when persecution comes, Roman authorities demanded Christians renounce Christ. Polycarp was brought before the Roman governor, and the governor said, Polycarp, you're an old man. Just curse Christ and I will release you. And Polycarp replied with words that would echo throughout church history. Here they are. He says this for eighty-six years I have served Christ. He has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? Where are the polycarps of our day to day, man? I love that. I've served Christ for eighty-six years. He's an old man. He's never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? Polycarp refused to deny Jesus. He was burned at the stake. Why? Because he chose faithfulness. Polycarp Polycarp understood what Stephen understood. Suffer for faithfulness. It's worth it. So here's the gospel conclusion, thinking about it. The story of Stephen ultimately points towards somebody greater, Jesus Christ. Jesus faced false accusations, false witnesses, a corrupt trial. And yet what looked like defeat becomes one of the greatest victories. It's is the greatest victory in human history. At the cross, Jesus defeated sin, defeated death, and uh conquered Satan. And through Jesus Christ, there's forgiveness available to any believer. And when we uh uh trust in him, we see God offers grace, a new heart, a new beginning, as we trust in him. So listen, ladies and gentlemen, the world may oppose you, the culture may misin misrepresent you, some may try to counsel you, but when the moment comes, stand full of grace, speak the truth, trust God for the outcome and whatever you do. Suffer for faithfulness, not foolishness. Man. So what do you think? What are you gonna do? How are you gonna live? It's so important for you to figure this out. God's got a plan for your life, and you've gotta navigate through these steps to see what it is. So that wraps up. Up. I think we've hit the three different parts of this little series here. And my prayer is that you would walk in faithfulness and suffer for his namesake. And so um, gosh, in closing, I'm just gonna read to you a couple of passages uh from about suffering and doing it for Jesus' name. So hang with me as we get there. In the meantime, I'll tell you about um Israel. So some of you have been asking um for updates on that, it's going well. We're updating uh we're continuing to see people sign up. And some of you say, Really, yes, really. If the trip is unsafe, just FYI, uh, we won't go. And if you need your refund because um the trip is canceled, you will get your refund. So if they cancel the trip, your refund is available. Um, and they're not going in unless it's safe. And they've been going for 30 plus years, signature tours. You can find out all the information online at real life ministry dot us. That's pretty amazing, pretty cool. All the podcast stuff is there, books, contact. You can donate, um, start listening today. Um there's we actually have some podcasts about Israel. You could go back and listen to that. It's called Walking Where Jesus Walked, a 10-day Israel experience. And so we go through that as well. I want to encourage you to check that out. So, yeah, and then the Holy Land trip. Let's see, uh, it's down at the bottom of the page if you go there. Um, reserve your spot today. 10-day holy land trip, September 21st through the 26th. Uh, September, I'm sorry, September 21st through September 30th, 2026. And uh, Lord willing, we'll see some of the greatest peace in the Middle East we've ever seen before. Many people are at this time um in uh hopes that and desires and uh belief that there is going to be that with the Abrahamic Accords expanding. So uh anyway, it's gonna be a great time. So you can reserve your spot today. We're going to have an unbelievable experience. Um, you'll arrive in Tel Aviv on the first night, and uh, we'll be into the land of the Bible uh very quickly and visiting all sorts of wonderful sites with a tour to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and we're gonna see it all. So it's gonna be pretty amazing. I want to invite you to join us if you're a friend. Uh, we've got folks in our church, outside of our church, friends from around the country coming along. So you can sign up today when the spots are gone. The spots are gone. So I'd love for you to be a part. Uh Leslie and I are planning on uh hosting the trip and the tour. It's gonna be it's not just it's it's more like a pilgrimage, it's not a vacation, it's like a pilgrimage. So love for you to be a part of that. Again, go to real life ministry.us, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and then find the 10-day journey to the Holy Land. It's like the Bible in 3D, it's like the fourth gospel where you get to experience and walk the through it. Or the fifth gospel. I'm sorry, you have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and this is like the fifth gospel, the good news of like seeing it all come to life all around you. So, anyway, hope that you would join us to be a part. All right, in closing, here we go. I'm gonna read to you some passages of scripture about suffering for Jesus and standing strong as a believer. Live free, live strong. So Jesus prepared his followers for it in John 15, 18. He says, If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first. And so what that means is following Christ does not always lead to comfort, my friend. It is a challenge. Sometimes it leads to opposition because the value of God's kingdom clash with the values of this world. So, number two, the early church experienced it. So, number one, Jesus prepared his followers for it. Number two, the early church experienced it. You know, Acts chapter 5 says it tells us that the apostles were beaten, imprisoned, and even killed because they refused to stop preaching about Jesus, and that is the outcome of Stephen. Stephen is with the Lord because he gets he gets killed. A mob forms and takes his life just for speaking truth. Be bold, be brave. Jesus says if if he was persecuted, if the world hates you, remember it hated him first. So the apostles left the Sanhedrin Sanhedrin rejoicing because they were counted worthy of the suffering, disgrace for the name. If you're suffering for Jesus' name, then he believes that you can be a vessel worthy of this kind of difficulty to share and show the love of Christ in the midst of a very difficult time. Number three, realize this that suffering refines faith. So Scripture says, rejoice in so far as you share in Christ's suffering. First Peter 4 13. Scripture teaches us that suffering for Christ can strengthen and purify a believer's faith. Hardship deepens your trust in God, develops perseverance, and shapes Christ-like character. Number four, it connects believers to Jesus Himself. So Paul says, I want you to know Christ. Philippians 3 10. I want you to know him in fellowship of share in his sufferings. It's like I don't know if I want to know that. It reminds us that Jesus Himself was rejected, mocked, beaten, and crazy and crucified. When believers suffers with Christ, they share in this in this similar kind of suffering like Jesus endured. There's something supernatural that occurs. And number five, it carries this eternal reward. Jesus said, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Faithfulness and hardship points towards the future reward of believers that you'll receive when Christ returns. So there's reward. Walk in that. All right, friends. Great being with you. Take care. God bless. We'll see you soon.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Thank you for listening to Real Life Ministry. If you found any of what you heard today helpful, please share it with others who may benefit. And if you would like to support the content that we put out, please consider making a donation at reallifeministry.us. While you're there, check out some of our episodes. And together, let's continue to educate and encourage Christians to live free and live strong.