In Acts chapter five the apostles were arrested because they were telling the truth. They lived in an Isaiah 59:4 kind of world: "No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil." The socially acceptable minds of their time did not know what to do with them. It was like people who told the truth were foreign to them. The apostles received the same treatment as the prophets, Jesus and those of us today who speak the truth, that is the Word of the Lord. In our culture the truth is no longer "en vogue". Most people assume that our political leaders are lying, because most of them are. Those who do tell the truth are persecuted and slandered, just like the apostles (and Stephen in chapter seven). Only a few days ago a U.S. congressman told the truth from the floor of the House of Representatives, and was not once but twice physically rushed by a livid colleague. (We here at Fence Posts are above such behavior as naming the guilty party, but her initials are Nancy Pelosi.) In our academic circles the truth is no longer welcome, but instead it is suppressed and looked down upon. In the business world the truth is no longer expected. Even in our social interactions, many times the truth is not expected.
Gentlemen, that is not a world that I want to live in, and I sure don't want my children coming up in it. The deception stops at our thresholds. The lies stop when we show up. We are the light of the world, because He lives in us. Like the prophets, the apostles and Jesus Himself, wherever we go, the truth goes.