“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:6
“A World Turned Upside Down”
CHAOS! So far, in the Twenty-First Century, we have faced a Coronavirus and the shutdown of society. We have seen an upheaval of a constantly changing political landscape. Many of us face financial uncertainties. There has even been rioting in our streets. So, chaos seems to be a good way to describe our world.
In this chaotic world in which we live; maybe it is time that we as believers add to the chaos! We can do this by having a little fun; that is, by actually living for Jesus. We can also proclaim the message of God’s salvation. You know, the things we should be doing anyway.
When we live like followers of Jesus, then we add to the chaos. When we add to the chaos, we will get to watch how godly living and the proclamation of salvation, will affect the world. Amazingly, chaotic Christians have the power to turn the world upside down.
A Chaotic Bible Story
After all, that is what the early disciples were accused of doing in the world of the First Century. In Acts 17:6 we read, “When they did not find them (that is, Paul and Silas), they began dragging Jason and some (Christian) brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have upset the world have come here also.’” (NASB) Or, as the King James Version has these people claiming, “These (Christians) that have turned the world upside down.”
The story in the seventeenth chapter of Acts is about Paul and Silas traveling on one of their missionary journeys. They would go to various cities in the ancient world. One of those cities was a place called Thessalonica.
Paul’s normal practice was to go to the synagogue in any city he visited. It was there that he could tell the people about Jesus Christ.
His message was a simple one. Paul told the people, “Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” (Acts 17:3)
From this verse we see that Paul’s message had two basic points proving Jesus was the Christ. His first point was that, in order for Jesus to be the Christ, He had to suffer. Jesus’ main suffering was His Crucifixion. It was through the Crucifixion that Jesus paid the penalty of sin for everyone who believes in Him.
Secondly, Paul preached that Jesus was the Christ because He rose from the dead. Jesus had predicted that He would come back to life. When Jesus rose from the grave, or from His tomb, He proved the power of His miracles and His words. Not even death could stop Him.
Remember how Paul actually came to believe that Jesus was the Christ. Paul had met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. It was an event that would turn his life upside down. After that encounter, Paul was transformed from the greatest enemy of the early Christian Church into the greatest champion of the truth about Jesus.
This is what happens to anyone who places their faith in Jesus. Their world is turned upside down as they become a radically new person for Christ.
In the Face of Opposition
Paul’s message was not met with enthusiasm by everyone in Thessalonica. His opponents began to stir up the city. In fact, things got way out of hand. These opponents actually started a riot. Then they went on to blame the Christians for a riot they had started themselves.
The word translated as “stirred up” in the Bible story also means “to agitate.” If you are not aware of it, most washing machines have a mechanical part inside themselves called an agitator. The agitator’s purpose is to stir up your clothes so that they will get clean.
The same is not true of people who are agitators. Human agitators stir up the world around them to make things dirtier and more of a mess. They will even attack a believer’s message by twisting the truth.
Back in the book of Acts, these agitators claimed Paul preached, “Jesus is King;” even though, Paul actually preached “Jesus is the Christ.” Although both names are true of Jesus, the agitators were trying to accuse Paul on civil, not religious grounds.
The civil authorities at that time couldn’t care less about one’s religious beliefs. Therefore, the agitators had to make up a lie accusing Paul of causing civil unrest, which they themselves had initiated.
When people hear about Jesus, some will reject the message. But even though they reject the message, their lives will never be the same. Their world will be turned upside down and chaotic. These people might become jealous, hateful, and a mob of rioters. They could become people who are more than capable of lying about others in order to get their own way.
As we read the story, these accusers dragged another Christian, named Jason, before the authorities. They accused Jason and all the disciples of starting a riot. However, it was really the jealous agitators who were guilty of upsetting the peace and tranquility of the city.
The truth rarely gets in the way of the enemies of Christ. So, don’t be upset when people lie about you as a believer. They lied about Jesus. They lied about Paul and Silas. It only makes sense that they will lie about 21st Century believers today.
Back to the story, other disciples went and bailed Jason out of jail by paying the civil authorities a bond that was a guarantee of peace on the behalf of the accused. “Would you pay the price to bail a wrongfully accused Christian out of jail and guarantee he would not cause any more trouble?” Jason hadn’t started a riot in the city. The enemies of Paul were the ones guilty of rioting; yet the believers ended up paying the price.
Our Story Today
We as believers today need to be more like those early Christians. We need to have such an impact on the world that other people respond by saying, “These Christians are adding chaos to our world by turning our lives upside down.” And, they would be right!
A way to illustrate this chaotic effect is to see the world as if it were a snow globe. A snow globe might display a beautiful scene, but in order to get the full effect, you must turn the globe upside down and shake it. It is only then that you can see the true beauty hiding in the globe. When believers turn the world upside down for Jesus, it is then that we see a beautiful world as God meant it to be.
When we introduce the world to the message of Jesus, peoples’ lives are not only turned upside down, but they will never be the same again. What a chaotic effect we can have on people!
We invited you to explore our website including our Blog Page, also known as “Coffee & Chaos” and our Cartoon & Humor page.
We would like to get to know you better. If you would like updates and notifications from Christian Chaos, please subscribe to our website with the form below.
Christian Chaos Newsletter
