Turning the World Upside Down

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 17:6 NKJV (bold mine)

The followers of Jesus were accused of turning the world upside down. The Roman empire was known for many things including violence, hedonism, and debauchery. In this pagan empire, a small, persecuted group who followed someone the Romans had crucified was turning the world upside down, or you could argue, right side up. Who would have guessed that members of a pagan empire that was known for its violence and wild parties, would have any interest in a religion that involved a high moral calling and would likely lead to being persecuted?

Who were these people?

How were they turning the world upside down?

Maybe it is because I am getting older but I get the feeling that in many ways our world is becoming more similar in certain aspects to the pagan Roman empire. Violence and the selfish pursuit of pleasure seem to be on the rise. Some may take this as a sign that people are not interested in God or religion. But I believe this could be evidence that people are desperately searching for God.

Revealing God

The Roman government was not ideal. Roman hedonism and debauchery are no secret. It would make perfect sense for Jesus to attack the Roman government, society, and culture. Yet Jesus’ harshest words were directed at the religious leaders of His time, the religious leaders of His people! Jesus understood that God reveals His character to humanity through His faithful followers.

I would argue that in a broken world that is falling apart, what is most needed is followers of God who are willing to reveal the character of God to those around them. The change begins here. It beings with me, and it begins with you. God desires for us to be wells of salvation in the world. We may not be able to solve all the problems in the world. But we can make a difference, right here, today, this week, in our lives and in the lives of those within our sphere of influence.

So, what should Jesus’ followers do once He ascended into heaven? We could call this the beginning of the church and we can read about it in Acts 1.

Acts 1: Prologue

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
- Acts 1:1-3 NKJV (bold mine)

Jesus spent forty days with His apostles teaching them about the kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit. It is important that Lukes highlights that Jesus is acting through the Holy Spirit because the same Spirit who rested upon Jesus in his ministry would empower the apostles for witness. 

Holy Spirit

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
- Acts 1:4-5 NKJV (bold mine)

The disciples had previously experienced the Holy Spirit through the presence of Jesus. After Pentecost will experience Jesus through the presence of the Holy Spirit. (John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 81.) The Holy Spirit is the key to success. We are only able to do what God calls us to do through the Holy Spirit, we are not able to do it on our own.

Restoring the kingdom

Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- Acts 1:6-8 NKJV

Now that Jesus was back the disciples were looking forward to the establishment of the kingdom of Israel. This was the perfect time to put a stop to all the evil associated with the pagan roman empire! The Roman empire had literally killed Jesus! The organized true religion of the time encouraged the government to do so. It was time for a revolution! Time to turn the world upside down! But Jesus is not about to set up a political empire or to topple the current evil Roman empire. Instead, Jesus calls on His disciples to take personal responsibility and be His witnesses everywhere they went.

The disciples wanted to set dates, Jesus focused them on the mission. The Second Coming of Jesus does not revolve around such speculation but around God’s own purposes, and those purposes embrace the salvation of the world. The surest route to the second coming is the evangelization of the world. (John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 86.)

Jesus Will Come Again

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
- Acts 1:9-11 NKJV (bold mine)

Jesus will come again. The question that remains is what will we do as we wait?

Prayer Meeting

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
- Acts 1:12-14 NKJV

The disciples of Jesus were a diverse group from different backgrounds and they did not always get along. However, here they are all together, united in prayer, united in their desire and awareness of their great need of the Holy Spirit. The mission united them, their love for Jesus united them, their desire to take the good news (gospel) to the whole world united them.

Practical Application

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
- John 17:20-21 NKJV

Before He was crucified, Jesus prayed for us, those who believe in Him through the word of His apostles. Jesus prayed that we might be one in God. Sadly, I feel like God’s followers are becoming more divided. It is so easy to become divided, to fight among ourselves. However, our division gets in the way of the world believing that the Father sent Jesus. Our unity is part of our mission to the entire world. The success of our witness depends on our unity. We do not need to be uniform, we are not to be the same, but we are to be united in God, united in our mission to the world.

Global change begins with us coming together and receiving the Holy Spirit.

 The time before Pentecost was a time for waiting, a time spent in prayer undoubtedly for the promised Spirit and for the power to witness. There is no effective witness without the Spirit, and the way to spiritual empowerment is to wait in prayer.
- John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 90.

Turning the world upside down begins with us coming together to pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out so we can accomplish the mission. We have not studied the whole process yet and how the followers of Jesus began to turn the world upside down (or right side up), but at least we know where to begin, and it all begins with coming together to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.