By Joneil Alcock

 

“And when they had found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” Acts 17:6

 

The Apostle Paul received a mandate from Jesus Christ to spread the gospel and minister to the wider world at the time he was converted. During one of his many missionary journeys to Thessalonica, he encountered opposition from Jews who figured he was teaching incorrect doctrine and was causing an uproar in the city.

Causing An Uproar

The truth be told, as was his custom, he had gone to the synagogue and was explaining his reasoning behind the belief that Jesus was Saviour and Lord. This didn’t sit well with the Jews in Thessalonica, who eventually brought a crowd (actually their own uproar), and caused a dispute among the people. Interestingly, Paul and his fellow travellers, leave the city and go to Berea where some believed and also others examined the scriptures for themselves (Acts 17:10 -15) but Jews of Thessalonica came there also causing another uproar among the people.

It is instructive that whenever the truth of Christ begins to be shared or spread there will always be three types of reactions:

  • Outright Disbelief and Opposition
  • Questions and Examinations
  • Belief and Conversion

For the gospel of Christ and the word of God is, as the Bible records, a discerner of the hearts and thoughts of men (Hebrews 4:12). Before these happenings, Paul (and his fellow companions) had traveled through the known Roman world and their reputation had started to precede them. So much so, that they met with violent opposition by the time they got to Thessalonica and then Berea.

Disbelief and Opposition

A popular example of opposition to Paul’s ministry is seen in Acts 16 when he and Silas were thrown into prison (Acts 16:16-40). It started out by them going to prayer at the synagogue temple in Philippi and a soothsayer cried after them, “these men are the servants of the most High God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17) However she did it annoyingly and was tormented by an evil spirit, so Paul cast it out.

Her masters saw that ”the hope of their gains was gone,” pulled Paul and the others before the magistrates, beat them and then threw them into prison. In prison, they sang praises to God and an earthquake came, freed them, and caused a conversion of the jailer who asked the telling question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30)

Afterwards they were eventually freed when the magistrates found out they were Roman citizens, and Paul became upset that they had been treated the way they had been (Acts 16:37).

The lesson here is that many times we will be doing God’s work and become openly opposed, shamed and humiliated due to unbelievers, but if we stay steadfast in God then He will be our vindicator, set our bonds free and even cause people to believe on Him through our own condemnation.

Questions and Examinations

In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul has two set of people who question and xamine him about the faith; the Bereans and the Areopagites. The Bereans “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Whereas the Athenians/Areopagites had Paul bring the doctrine of Christ in a debate upon Mars Hill.

Here, Paul used analogies between their own philosophies about  “THE UNKNOWN GOD”
(Acts 17:23), their superstitions and idol worship (Acts 17: 24-27),  and their cultural poetry
(Acts 17: 28-31) to illustrate who the real God of men was. Of course some mocked him, some questioned his teachings but others such as Dionysius and Damaris believed.

The lesson here is that we must always be ready to spread the truth of God and give His testimony so that those who may, will believe and become converted.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Belief and Conversion

As we see from the report in Acts, for the people in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea and Athens, belief doesn’t always come as readily as we would hope. Sometimes it takes our own steadfastness, or the miracle power of God or our own testimony and knowledge of the scriptures to cause the light of Christ to shine in the darkness of someone’s life.

But we must be always willing to ight that spark, to start that conversation, even to be bold enough to get into disputes. God’s word and his truth will ring loudly in the end. His spirit will move and do the work on our behalf in someone’s mind and heart. His gospel will be spread and cause the world not to be turned upside down but “RIGHT-SIDE UP,” as the greater revelation and grace of Christ’s teachings are the answer to the aches and deep-seated issues of the world.

 

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” Acts 17:28

 

“Then he answered and spake unto me saying, this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6