In Acts 17 there is a very interesting story about the apostle Paul’s ministry in the city of Thessalonica. The text informs the reader that there was a synagogue of the Jews in that city, and Paul did there what he did everywhere he went.

Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

Acts 17:2-3

Paul’s ministry included the teaching of the word of God to any and all who would take time to listen. During this visit to Thessalonica he spent three Sabbaths teaching those who gathered in the synagogue. The passage goes on to say that some of the people were persuaded, resulting in a great multitude joining Paul and Silas. These must have been exciting days for Paul and Silas.

However, all was not well in the city. There were also those who opposed the message and the messengers who delivered it. The following verses paint a rather bleak picture of the events which were instigated by those who did not receive the message.

But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”

Acts 17:5-6

Hostilities began to arise. A mob mentality developed as some who did not receive the message Paul preached began inciting the crowd, stirring their emotions to the point that they physically attacked the believers. And what exactly was it that caused this uproar? “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” What an indictment! Paul and Silas, along with other believers in the city, were being accused of propagating a message that was literally turning everything on its head.

This should not be very difficult to understand. The Gospel of Jesus Christ will always have this effect on an unbelieving world. Why? Because it presents truth that exposes error. It presents the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and no other. It presents the amazing truth that God will forgive those who come to Him in faith, adopting them into His family. It presents the message of God’s grace as opposed to man’s works. It is, indeed, a message that turned the world upside down!

One of the major reasons for the Gospel having this effect was because it revealed the fallacy of false religion. Religion is man-centered, whereas the Gospel is God-centered. More specifically it is Christ-centered. It runs counter to culture as it exposes the sinfulness of man. It focuses on Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation. This belief comes from the assertion made by Jesus Himself.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:6

The believers in the New Testament era understood this to be a literal truth. Jesus was not speaking metaphorically, but rather speaking absolute truth. Note carefully how He uses the definite article before each of the three identifiers: the way, the truth, the life. He is not “a” way among many ways, or “a” truth among many truths, or “a” life among many lives. He is “the”.

And this turned the world upside down! My question is this: are we still turning the world upside down? Are we encountering culture by proclamation, or are we accommodating culture by assimilation? The early believers were visible and vocal in their proclamation of the exclusivity of the Gospel. They were unwilling to assimilate the message of the Gospel by making it palatable to their generation. Rather, they presented a message that demanded a complete break from the religious beliefs, traditions, and superstitions of their day.

Perhaps it is time that the contemporary church judged itself in light of Scripture. For anyone who might oppose the thought of judging ourselves, let’s listen carefully to the words of Peter:

For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 Peter 4:17 (emphasis added)

If each individual congregation of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ would take this admonition seriously it would most likely result in recognizing that many have assimilated into culture instead of encountering culture. Social concerns such as abortion, human sexuality, the definition of marriage, alternate lifestyles, political polarization, women’s role in church, alcohol use, and so many others face the church. How do we represent Christ in the midst of such dividing issues as these? How do we stand for Biblical truth when the world is so powerful in exerting its cultural influence?

We do as the early church did: we present Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life. We uncompromisingly tell the world – or at least our small part of the world – that there is no other name under heaven whereby we might be saved. It is not Jesus or Allah; or Jesus or Buddha; or Jesus or anyone or anything. It is Jesus, period. He is the only means of salvation, and His word is to be obeyed.

Jesus spoke the truth everywhere He went. It caused controversy and division, but He stayed the course. After His death, burial and resurrection, His followers carried on His work by speaking the truth everywhere they went. That baton of truth has now been passed down generation to generation, and now has been passed to us. We are to speak it everywhere we go and then faithfully pass it down to those who will come behind us. Yes, it will cause controversy and division, and yes, it could very well be costly. But we will receive our reward for our faithfulness to proclaim truth.

In conclusion, I would simply encourage each of us to examine our personal walk with the Lord, and ask ourselves a simple question: Am I turning my world upside down for the cause of Christ, or am I assimilating my Christian faith with the world? It is time for judgment to begin with us.