I lead 6 a.m. prayer call, and one of the scriptures Holy Spirit illuminated last week has ignited me. Though I’m sure I’ve heard and likely read the text before, it just hit different this time around. In my preacher voice, go with me to Acts 17:1-6. For some it may not be that familiar of a text, but my hope is after reading this article you become acquainted with it.
Paul and Silas go to the synagogue to have some conversation about Jesus with the Jews. After such conversation, verse 4 says, “And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”
Admittedly I was glad to see a good number of leading women joined the evangelism team.
Everybody wasn’t persuaded and everybody wasn’t happy about what had taken place. In that number included some Jews who decided to make a fuss about what Paul and Silas had done.
By the way, Paul and Silas had not done anything wrong. Yet because their evangelistic conversations drew a crowd that led to conversion, it was a problem. It was so much so a problem that two events occurred.
First, they went after Paul & Silas, literally. Along with a mob of men, this particularly unpersuaded group, “set all the city in an uproar … and sought to bring them (Paul and Silas) out to the people” (verse 5).
When they couldn’t find Paul and Silas, they went to Jason’s house and presented him and some others before the people (see verse 6). Once Jason and his friends are before the city rulers, the particularly unpersuaded group speak these words:
“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
Let’s be clear, this is an accusation. But for the Jews, it was as true as the blue sky for a couple of reasons — the world of that day in time, was not as large as we now know it because a lot hadn’t been discovered.
So, to them, the places Paul and Silas successfully evangelized were large enough to be “the world.” Another reason this was the truth for the Jews is because of envy. They allowed their feelings and perceptions about Paul and Silas to cause them to make a very grand allegation. Oh, but it gets better!
There are five words within this inflammatory statement against Paul and Silas that had me shook — turned the world upside down! I’d like a few of those please and thank you. I know, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “What?!”
If anyone is ever going to accuse us of doing anything, let it be this kind of accurate accusation, that we turned the world upside down. How and why, you ask? Because that means we are making an impact, with the gifts, talents and skills God has given us.
That means people see and hear what we are doing and though they might be “big mad” about it, we’re getting attention and God is getting the glory! Prior to this accusation, there may not have been as many people to know about Paul and Silas.
However, this is a prime example of what the devil meant for evil, God worked it for their good, because now so many more people know about them. And now so many more people know about us and know about God!
Don’t be discouraged by accusations like these! Instead, use them as the footstools they are meant to be that will help you go higher and further in your divinely designed destiny. Take them for the compliments they are and know that it’s only enlarging the world you’ll continue to turn upside down, with holy boldness!
Contact Rae Karim at rae.karim@gmail.com.
