“These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here.” Acts 17:6
I am sure it has happened to you, hasn’t it? When you came home and made the bold proclamation of how you found Jesus to your family? I can still hear my dad blurting out expletives to me which weren’t nice at all. Your old friends that you ran with for years threw you out! In the book of Acts it was said that the apostles “turned the world upside down”. What an impact they made and it has never stopped! Have you turned YOUR world upside down?
There was so much that needed to be changed in us! First off, the way we thought of God has completely changed. We are so thankful for grace and his love for us. Our heart has turned upside down in love with Christ alone. Then our hopes changed because we begin looking for the heavenly abode. Our desires and pleasures became holy, whereas before they were gross and carnal. Personally I loved sex, drugs, booze and riotous living but now you can’t keep me away from the house of God and bible study. Before I listened to secular music, horror movies and sad novels; now I can’t stop reading his word and worshiping with his new song! Yes what a life! The sad books and albums were burned long ago. Bibles and books by the old divines are spilling over my bookshelves. Sundays before I spent sleeping all day from the party the night before, now I’m spending my waking hours being filled up in the house of God. My family loved to toast wine in silver goblets now I take communion with Christ. Everywhere in my house are portraits of people in the Bible whereas before it was nothing of importance. How has your world been turned upside down?
Even your very nature has changed. Before you were fretful or had a temper and even the dog was afraid of you. No one knew when you would erupt or fall off the deep end again in some drug/alcohol induced state. You couldn’t keep relationship with anyone and over and over again you would find yourself alone and in a sullen state. But now, there is a skip in your step and a song in your heart. Social media is a bore to you, and your desire is to see the world turned upside by the new voice God has given you. The old prejudices that once plagued you are gone, replaced by the love of God for your brethren.
Yes, welcome home dear friend. Come join us in the great brigade – “lets go turn the world upside down”!