Blake Long

In Acts 17, we read that the Apostle Paul and Silas, whom he chose after he and Barnabas separated (Acts 15:40), are in Thessalonica on a missionary journey. Paul “reasoned with [the Jews] from the Scriptures” (v. 3) and many were convinced of the gospel message from Paul’s witness. The Jews, however, “were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd” (vv.‬ ‭17‬:‭5‬).

And then the Jews said something, upon reading it, that jarred me: “And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside-down have come here also,’” (v. 17‬:‭6‬; bold added).

The Jews, of course, meant this as a criticism. They recognized that Paul and Silas have preached the gospel in different areas before reaching Thessalonica, so they already knew of them. So, according to the Jews, it was a bad thing to “turn the world upside-down.”

Is that not a perfect characterization of what we’d like to do as Christians through the gospel of Jesus Christ? We want to turn the world upside-down! We desire to spread a gospel message that is so counter-intuitive, so counter-cultural that it turns the world upside-down.

This isn’t some Stranger Things upside-down where the “evil one” just doesn’t quite vanish. We Christians turn the world upside-down when we share the gospel—the good news of Christ’s sinless life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection! That is truly what happens when the gospel penetrates hearts: the world gets turned upside-down because people get turned upside-down. Sinners get saved; unbelievers believe; skeptics trust in Christ.

The gospel, as a matter of fact, is a world-shifting gospel, able to save the filthiest sinner. And when Christians faithfully share that transformative gospel with sinners, well, you guessed it: the world gets turned upside-down.

The question for you, believer, is this: are you participating? Are you witnessing to the power of gospel message that turns worlds upside-down? We’ve been commissioned by our Savior to be active players in this upside-down message: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭19‬-‭20‬).

Sometimes our flesh hinders us from obeying the Lord regarding witnessing. I understand it—mine does, too. But we must yield to the Spirit, not our sinful flesh. We must obey God rather than our natural, fleshly instincts.

Perhaps you’re fearful of reaction; maybe you’re anxious about how to convey the gospel message. Either way, remember it’s not going to be perfect. Sometimes the person you’re witnessing to will get angry or offended. If that happens, that’s okay—rely on God. The gospel is an offensive message to unbelievers. But we all were once offended by the gospel, and now see what God did in your life! Don’t be nervous about what to say; be confident the Spirit will give you the words, but don’t expect to be perfect. I have found that any gospel conversation I have, in hindsight I always notice a few things I missed.

The point is to not allow our fleshly excuses to hinder us from turning the world-upside down. God has granted us a massive privilege of sharing the gospel of hope, of grace, of salvation with a lost world. We should be eager to join in on that! Let’s be people eager to turn the world upside-down.