And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” Acts 6:8-14
The most common reason people do not like the truth is that they prefer the lies they have chosen to believe. Acts 6:8-14 is a turning point. Not only was persecution no longer aimed only at the Apostles, but the opposition was coming from more people than just the Jewish religious leaders. Persecution was expanding!
Note two strategies employed by those who oppose truth:
First, the persecutors accuse those who speak the truth of doing things they have not done. In other words, they press false charges by lying. They did it with Jesus in His trials. They did it again with Stephen, accusing him of saying things he never said. And they continue to to do so this day—not only where Christians are persecuted, but politically, those on the left have no conscience about lying to defame their foes. (Let those on the right be warned that this tactic is wrong no matter who does it!)
Second, the persecutors “stir up the people.” There is theory that if a crowd can be stirred into a frenzy, then the cause must be right. This is simply not true. In fact, when crowds are stirred up, and especially if violence (and destruction of property) takes place, the cause is nearly always wrong. We have been watching this in the streets of many American cities—since May! Rioting (violence and the destruction of property) is never right. It is never right to do the wrong thing.
Let us be on the side of what is right. Let us be as active in standing against error and lawlessness as the Lord would have us to be—but let us never stoop to the tactics of the godless and the lawless.