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, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:6-7 ESV)

At our recent family service we considered these verses from Acts which we have been working our way through in our evening services. Acts as we have discovered is a book with the mission to spread the good news of the gospel as its heartbeat. It charts the growth of the early church and the amazing spread of the message of salvation from Jerusalem, to Samaria and Judea and on to the ends of the earth. It is the beginning of a work which we as a church, even today continue, that of bringing the message of salvation to the end of the earth. The unprecedented spread of this truth and growth of the early church shows the power of the gospel and the work of the Spirit which was poured out to Jews and Gentiles alike. That gospel message that was proclaimed then should be the same one as we proclaim today and that same Spirit that led and guided the early church is the same Spirit that leads and guides us today and who works in the hearts and minds of people as we seek to faithfully proclaim the saviour. The verses above talk of the accusation brought against Paul and Silas in Thessalonica of ‘turning the world upside down’. I find it a wonderful accusation, some would say, a back handed complement. It is the accusation of turning everything a different way up. The world claims it to be the wrong way up whereas we see it is the right way up for the world we live in is in turmoil, it is the wrong way up. Recent events that have rocked our nation and events further afield just confirm this truth and people continue to search for answers and some sort of hope. Imagine for a moment the difference that we would see in this world if every believer could face the same accusations and be found guilty, of turning the world upside down or in God’s eyes, the only ones that matter, the right way up. Over the summer period our organizations finish which allows us, even more, to move our focus from within the walls of our church to out with and to those around us. I hope you have a wonderful summer and I ask that you consider how to use it for the glory of God and the work of turning the world upside down.

Every blessing in your labours for the Lord

Gordon