Introduction
Years ago, I saw an advertisement for the “perfect” pastor. Here is what it said:
• The perfect pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes.
• He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone's feelings.
• He works from 8 AM until midnight and is also the church janitor.
• The perfect pastor makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $30 a week to the church.
• He is 29 years old and has 40 years of experience.
• Above all, he is handsome.
• The perfect pastor has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends most of his time with senior citizens.
• He always smiles because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his church.
• He makes 15 home visits daily and is always in his office to be handy when needed.
• The perfect pastor always has time for the church session and all of its committees. He never misses the meeting of any church organization and is always busy evangelizing the unchurched.
• The perfect pastor is always in the next church over!
• If your pastor does not measure up, send this notice to six other churches that are tired of their pastor, too. Then bundle up your pastor and send him to the church at the top of the list.
• If everyone cooperates, in one week, you will receive 1,643 pastors.
• One of them should be perfect.
Then, if all of that did not convince you to give it a try, there was one more bullet point:
• Have faith in this letter. One church broke the chain and got its old pastor back in less than three months (see https://www.angelfire.com/in4/thelighthouse/humor/xianjokes.html).
Every church wants the “perfect” pastor.
But, since pastors are sinful human beings, no pastor is perfect.
I am astonished at the first-century church leaders.
I think of men like Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke.
What God did through these men is astonishing. It should cause us to seek models like them for our churches and ministries.
Let’s learn about people who turned the world upside down.
Scripture
Let’s read Acts 17:1-15:
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 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, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
Lesson
The apostle Paul and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi.
This happened after they had been severely beaten with rods because they had freed a slave girl of a demon.
While Paul and Silas were in prison, God sent an earthquake, and the prison doors flew open.
The Philippian jailer thought the prisoners had escaped and was about to commit suicide when Paul shouted, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
The Philippian jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Paul and Silas said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:25-31).
The jailer believed in the Lord Jesus, and he was saved.
The jailer and his household were baptized, and he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
After being released from prison, Paul and Silas visited Lydia and the fledgling church meeting in her home.
And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
The next two cities that Paul visited were Thessalonica and Berea.
Silas and Timothy accompanied Paul on his journey to these cities but it appears that Luke remained in Philippi.
We say this because Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, switches from “we” to “they” in today’s text, indicating that he was no longer with Paul.
Paul spent at least several weeks in Thessalonica and Berea.
We see what Paul did to advance the gospel in these two cities.
Acts 17:1-15 teaches us what characterizes people who turn the world upside down.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. People Who Turn the World Upside Down Have Courage (17:1-2a, 10)
2. People Who Turn the World Upside Down Teach Content (17:2b-3, 11)
3. People Who Turn the World Upside Down See Converts (17:4, 12)
4. People Who Turn the World Upside Down Experience Conflict (17:5-9, 13-15)
I. People Who Turn the World Upside Down Have Courage (17:1-2a, 10)
First, people who turn the world upside down have courage.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy left Philippi and traveled southwest along the important Roman highway, the Ignatian Way.
In verse 1a, Luke writes, “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica.”
Amphipolis was about thirty miles from Philippi, Apollonia was about thirty miles from Amphipolis, and Thessalonica was just under forty miles from Apollonia.
Since Paul and Silas were recovering from a severe beating, it is unlikely that they traveled on foot. More likely, they traveled on horses, perhaps supplied by the brothers at Philippi.
Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia.
It was an important port city with about 200,000 citizens.
In verses 1b-2a, Luke said that in Thessalonica, there “was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom.”
Paul was driven by a burning desire to see his fellow Jews saved (Romans 9:1-3; 10:1).
Even though the Jews often mistreated Paul, he never lost his passion for seeing people believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved.
Sadly, Jewish opposition forced Paul to flee Thessalonica.
Luke said in verse 10, “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.”
Berea was about fifty miles southwest of Thessalonica.
Berea was not as important as Thessalonica.
John MacArthur notes that the Roman writer Cicero described Berea as “off the beaten track” (John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1994], 118).
Undaunted by Jewish opposition, Paul again went to the Jewish synagogue.
Paul felt compelled to preach the good news about Jesus to his fellow Jews, as he wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
Paul was courageous.
President John F. Kennedy spoke a lot about courage. He once said, “For courage—not complacency—is our need today— leadership—not salesmanship.”
Paul was certainly not complacent.
He was no salesman.
Jesus utterly transformed him, and he had the courage to withstand enormous opposition to share the truth with those who opposed it.
Do you and I have the courage to share the good news with people who will go to hell unless they believe in the Lord Jesus?
II. People Who Turn the World Upside Down Teach Content (17:2b-3, 11)
Second, people who turn the world upside down teach content.
John MacArthur notes:
Courage must be coupled with the proper content if a believer is to shake the world. To have the right message, but not the boldness to proclaim it, renders it useless. On the other hand, to boldly proclaim error, as the cults do, causes even greater harm. Proclaiming the truth with great boldness, as Paul did, cannot help but change the world (John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1994], 119).
When Paul was in Thessalonica, Luke wrote in verses 2b-3, “…and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’ ”
Paul’s content had three prongs.
First, Paul “reasoned” with the Jews. The Greek word for “reasoned” is translated by our English word “dialogue.” Paul discussed the content of the gospel with the Jews. Note that it was all based on “the Scriptures.” By the way, “the Scriptures” at this time referred only to the Old Testament.
Second, there was “explaining.” The word means “opening.” Paul opened the Scriptures so that they could see for themselves the content that was right there in the text. Paul was a textualist.
Third, there was “proving.” This Greek word implies “setting before” or “giving evidence.” Paul was setting a case before the people so they would all arrive at the same incontrovertible conclusion.
That conclusion was that Christ, the promised Messiah, the redeemer, had to suffer, die, and rise again from the dead.
That person was Jesus, as Luke noted in verse 3, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
Interestingly, when Paul, Silas, and Timothy arrived in Berea, they met with a much more receptive audience.
Luke tells us in verse 11, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
The Bereans had been more diligent in studying the word of God than the Thessalonians.
They knew that God was going to send a Messiah, a Redeemer.
They knew all God's promises about a deliverer who would come and save his people.
So, when Paul arrived, they eagerly compared what he said with the Scriptures to check for accuracy.
By the way, you must do this whenever you hear someone open the word of God to you.
It is your job to ensure that whatever I preach from the Scriptures from this pulpit is correct.
If you think I am not teaching the Scriptures correctly, it is your responsibility to come and correct me.
If the Bereans could check to see that Paul was accurately teaching the word of God, then you had better check to see that I am accurately teaching the word of God.
III. People Who Turn the World Upside Down See Converts (17:4, 12)
Third, people who turn the world upside down see converts.
In Thessalonica, we read in verse 4, “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.”
In Berea, we read in verse 12, “Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.”
In both places, God used Paul’s proclamation of the gospel to convert both Jews and Gentiles to Jesus.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was known as the Prince of Preachers.
He was undoubtedly the greatest preacher of the 19th century and one of the greatest of all time.
Do you know how Spurgeon was converted to Christ?
One snowy morning in 1850, a young Spurgeon, burdened by a sense of sin and seeking solace, wandered into a small Primitive Methodist chapel in Colchester, England.
The regular preacher couldn’t make it due to the storm, so an untrained layman—a simple and unknown man—stepped in to deliver the sermon.
The man chose Isaiah 45:22 as his text: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
His message was plain and direct—no elaborate rhetoric or theological complexity existed.
He repeatedly urged the congregation to "look to Christ" for salvation.
He then fixed his eyes on young Charles Spurgeon and said, “Young man, you look very miserable… Look! Look to Christ and live!”
Those words penetrated Spurgeon’s heart.
At that moment, the simplicity of the gospel message struck him, and he later recounted that it was when he had been born again.
Spurgeon’s life was forever changed, and he went on to share the gospel with millions, always emphasizing the power of God’s word.
Friends, there is no power in the preacher.
The power is in the word of God.
Paul later wrote to the Romans in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
IV. People Who Turn the World Upside Down Experience Conflict (17:5-9, 13-15)
Fourth, people who turn the world upside down experience conflict.
In both Thessalonica and Berea, Paul and his companions experienced conflict with the Jews.
In Thessalonica, the Jews were jealous and agitated a mob against Paul and his friends.
The Jewish mob was unable to find Paul and his friends.
So they took Jason and some of the other Christians before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (v. 6).
Indeed!
The gospel turns the world upside down.
Or does it?
The world is already upside down because of sin.
So, what the gospel really does is turn the world downside up.
I suppose from the world’s perspective, that is turning the world upside down.
The same thing happened at Berea.
The newly converted Christians at Berea “immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed” (vv. 14-15).
So, Paul was now on his way to Athens.
John MacArthur writes,
This last point is the result of the first three. Those who courageously proclaim the right message and win converts will face conflict. Success will be accompanied by opposition. Paul and his companions were no exception (John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1994], 124).
Every faithful Christian will experience conflict when proclaiming the gospel's good news.
In 1783, the Bishop appointed Charles Simeon as the pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge, England.
The small congregation of a few dozen fiercely opposed Simeon because of his faithful proclamation of God’s word and his emphasis on preaching the gospel to the unsaved.
To express their displeasure, the congregation locked their pew boxes during the worship services, leaving them empty so those who came could stand or sit in the aisles.
Despite this conflict with those opposed to his preaching, Simeon faithfully preached the word of God.
Eventually, people were won over and came to believe in the Lord Jesus.
Simeon remained the pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge for 54 years.
By the end of his ministry, over 1,000 people crowded in every Sunday to hear the glorious gospel in the word of God!
Conclusion
Two weeks ago, I mentioned the story of the Rev. John Geddie (1815 - 1872), who was “the father of Presbyterian missions in the South Seas.”
At the time, I said that John Geddie was my favorite missionary. I want to clarify that statement: John Geddie is my favorite dead missionary!
He certainly was someone who turned the world upside down.
He had courage. He went and proclaimed the gospel to thousands of unbelievers who were cannibals.
He taught content. Like the man who led Spurgeon to faith, Geddie urged the islanders to look to Christ alone for eternal salvation.
He saw converts. Geddie served on the island for 24 years. It was said of Geddie, “When he landed in 1848, there were no Christians here, and when he left in 1872, there were no heathen.”
And he experienced conflict. He experienced incredible conflict and opposition in the early years as he led people to faith in Jesus.
Friend, God may be calling some of you to go and take the gospel to unreached people.
If he does, know that we will support you in your calling.
But most of you are not being called into missions.
Will you be courageous and share the gospel with a family member or friend?
Will you teach the content of the gospel clearly and accurately?
Will you pray that God will give you converts?
And, finally, don’t let conflict—or the promise of conflict slow you down.
Like Paul and his friends, let us turn the world upside down by telling people about Jesus. Amen.
