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Passion City Church DC Podcast · Passion City Church

How to Handle the Haters | Acts 6:8-8:3

March 23, 2026·38 min·3 clips
Stephen confronts his accusers with a sweeping Old Testament summary, accusing them of missing God's movements like their forefathers.
It starts with pastors at funerals. Pastor Ben Stewart opens by honoring John and Jacob Harkey and naming the strange rhythm of ministry, where sorrow and rejoicing can sit in the same room. Then Stephen's trial brings its own heat. He is accused of denigrating Moses, but he answers by retelling Israel's story with uncomfortable precision. He does not dodge Moses. He points to Moses as the one who said another like him would come, then presses on the way the people kept resisting God's messenger. The sermon gets painfully specific. Stewart spends time on the wilderness rebellion, the calf, and the worship tied to Moloch and Rephan, showing people who claimed devotion while missing God. The house made by hands gets answered too. Stephen names the tent of witness, Joshua, David, and Solomon, then says the Most High is not contained in a house made by hands. That lands as more than theology. It becomes a warning about trusting religious structures while refusing the living God above them. Hatred gets handled plainly. The closing application does not pretend disagreement is easy, especially when someone's political or philosophical ideas feel dangerous. Still, Stewart draws the line clearly. You can reject an idea without despising the person who holds it. The enemy category gets shaken loose. Hostile people are framed less as enemies to crush and more as captives who need mercy. That only works by looking up. If the Lord is seated above the fray, listeners do not have to hand their souls to other people. Peace starts there. Prayer for people who oppose you is not treated as weakness, but as faith that God can turn enemies into friends.

As heard by us

A sermon on conflict that ends in mercy, prayer, and calm confidence.

Pastor Ben Stewart frames Stephen's defense in Acts as more than a courtroom answer. He moves from Moses to the wilderness to the temple, tracing how Stephen meets accusation with Scripture, history, and a wider sense of where God is present.

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Why you'd press play

When criticism gets loud, and you need a steadier way to answer.

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