In Acts 17, we find a church that was meeting together in someone’s home in Thessalonica. when the Jews who didn’t believe in Jesus heard about it, they raided that house, dragging the Christians out to the rulers of the city, and do you know what they said about them?
“These people are turning the world upside down…they say there’s another king other than Caesar and His name is Jesus! This guy Jason was harboring them in his house!”
Talk about defying gravity!! Christians in the first century were described as people who were turning the world upside down!! They spoke about Christianity growing in a city like it was Covid-19 in 2020—a virus that had to be eradicated!
Well, what were these Christians doing that was going so powerfully, so egregiously against the grain?? Talking about Jesus. The preaching of the gospel resulted in an angry mob setting the city in an uproar. God’s powerful, living word was getting people’s attention! And I actually love how this angry mob described them. To “turn upside down” means “to stir up, excite, unsettle” (Thayer). But this shows just how powerful the devil’s message is—it’s so powerful that anyone authentically wearing the name of Christ stands out, stirs up, excites, and unsettles. Jesus taught His followers to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) and submissive citizens (1 Peter 2:13,14). They were pursuing and teaching a life of peace, love, and submission! Even so, when the disciples preached the truth, they faced opposition, mobs, uproars, and accusations.
The early Christians turned the world upside down, not by building impressive buildings to worship in and flaunt Christianity, but by boldly speaking the name of Jesus and repeating his teachings without fear. The reason we have these examples of these brave early Christians, who were willing to give their lives for the cause of Christ, is because the Holy Spirit wants you to know that, if you’re living in His light and have a relationship with him, He will help you defy the gravity of the world and the followers of darkness. Not only that, but your light can turn the world upside down.
This one’s simple and obvious, too. But this idea’s merit came to me very practically the other day when my eleven-year-old grandson asked me if he could have a few of my little calling cards.
I do happen to know a little bit about the topic they’re covering here. I just want to say, if you have pre-teen or teen girls and you live in driving distance, you won’t want to let this opportunity slip by without taking full advantage. In a world where the devil is trying so hard to get our kids, his deception is not always glaring for our girls. And, oh sister, it’s a bazillion times easier to get to heaven if we spend our time purposefully preparing for holiness at every encounter, than if we spend our lives trying to undo decisions we jumped into before fully counting the cost. Regret is full of pain.
