Why Did They Turn The World Upside Down?
By Dr. Ken Matto
(Acts 17:6 KJV) And when they 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;
The Apostle Paul and his entourage left Philippi after they had been severely
mistreated. Paul and Silas were flogged because they had commanded the devil to
come out of a girl and her owners had seen that the source of their income was
now gone. So they took Paul and Silas and brought them before the Magistrates
and they were sentenced to be flogged without a trial. When the Magistrates had
come to the knowledge that they were Roman citizens and were flogged without a
trial or any true charges brought against them, they had feared because if what
they did came before the Roman Senate, they could have lost their office and
faced punishment for their crime.
So the Magistrates came themselves and released Paul and Silas and they went on
their way from the jail at Philippi. From Philippi they journeyed into
Thessalonica. As Paul’s custom was, he had gone into the synagogue of the Jews
and had reasoned with them from the Scriptures for three Sabbath days which
would be three weeks. Paul had made some converts but as usual there was a group
of unbelieving Jews who did not agree with the teachings of Paul which resulted
in them getting the town in an uproar.
One of the believers in Thessalonica named Jason was a friend to Paul. As the
town had degenerated into a mob scene, they had accosted the house of Jason and
drew him and other brethren out of the house. They did as those in Philippi did,
by bringing them before the rulers of the city and accused them with these
immortal words, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither
also;”
The title of this article is “Why Did They Turn The World Upside Down?” That is
the question we Christians must face in the times we are living in. It is
obvious that we are allowed to speak about any subject or even any religion for
that matter without raising the ire of anyone but the minute Jesus is mentioned,
immediately the flags go up and the threats start coming out.
We expect to be threatened for the testimony of Jesus Christ but when the church
and individual Christian cowers in fear of the unbelievers, then something has
really gone awry, especially over the last 200 years. The church in the 21st
century has become a pandering entity to unbelievers. When Charles Darwin
published his “Origin of Species” in 1859 and coupling with that the German
liberalism which became entrenched in the American churches, the decline of the
church had begun. As I write this in 2013, churches have begun to marry sodomite
couples in order that they will not be sued. In 1954, Satan pulled his coup de
grace on the church through Senator Lyndon Johnson who introduced the Johnson
Amendment to grant tax exempt status to the churches with the proviso that they
never speak of politics or anything outside their “religion.” Pastors and other
church leaders have become so fearful of the IRS, that they will not do anything
to jeopardize their tax exemption. In other words, the organized church has
betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver again. The church fears government more
than it fears God. (Psa 9:20 KJV) Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations
may know themselves to be but men. Selah. What the church leaders have
forgotten is that the government is made up of flesh and blood and not divinity.
How many Christians do you know that are truly crucified? How many churches do
you know of which are truly crucified? Are you crucified? Have you set an
example for your Christians friends?
We are going to delve into the reasons why there was such a strong testimony for
the Lord Jesus Christ and how they maintained that testimony. What we have today
is the world turning the church upside down. The world is dictating to the
church what it can and cannot say, or what it can and cannot do. Is there any
hope left for the church or is it the end and time to re-establish house
churches? Are we at a point of no return? You need to judge or else you may be
judged! (Mat 11:15 KJV) He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
The Embryonic Church
One of the characteristics of the embryonic church was the fact that wherever
they went and preached the Gospel of Christ, they pricked the hearts of the
unbelievers to the point that even riots happened. Let us look at some of those
occurrences:
1) Paul goes into Ephesus and the whole town goes into an uproar - (Acts
19:23 KJV) And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.
2) Stephen preaches one sermon and it cost him his life - (Acts 7:54 KJV)
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on
him with their teeth.
3) Peter and John preach boldly in the name of Jesus and are threatened by the
Sanhedrin - (Acts 4:17-18 KJV) But that it spread no further among the
people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in
this name. {18} And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor
teach in the name of Jesus.
4) John the Baptizer warns Herod that it is not lawful to have Herodias as his
wife and it cost him his life - (Mat 14:10 KJV) And he sent, and beheaded
John in the prison.
These are just four examples of the many uproars and riots caused by the
fearless preaching of the true Gospel by God’s servants. When we look at the
trouble they got into, it was not because of them but it was the message. They
angered the people because the name of Christ was center in their message. This
has not changed in two thousand years. You can openly discuss religion. You can
discuss politics. You can discuss your good works and even your church but once
you start discussing the name and person of Christ, the line automatically gets
drawn in the sand and if you cross it, then there will be consequences.
Is there some mystery to the fact that whenever the embryonic church began to
preach the word of God in truth, why they faced the serious opposition that they
did? After all the modern born again Christian is saved the same way the early
Christians were saved. They are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit. They are saved
through the same blood of Christ. They are endowed with the same spiritual gifts
(minus the sign gifts today). They have access to the same power of God. Then
why did the embryonic church seem to have the power that is lacking in the
modern church? When we start to compare those Christians of the early church to
the Christians of today, we see some stark differences.
The Christians in the embryonic church saw themselves with a very serious
calling on them. If they did not see their calling as a serious thing, then they
would not have sacrificed their life in the ministry of the word. To them the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was a life and death daily commitment.
They saw the seriousness of:
Their Calling
(2 Tim 1:9 KJV) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Paul teaches us a very high truth as he states that God has saved us and the
type of calling we have is not a religious calling but a true holy calling.
Whenever we bring the gospel to people, it is a very holy event because the word
of God is being spoken or discussed and He is thrice holy. The verse then
declares that we are not saved and called because of any type of works which we
do and that religious works describes every false religion on this earth.
Religion is where man tries to get right with God on his own terms but
Christianity is God making it right with His elect on His terms and purpose.
Salvation would come only through grace and never the keeping of the law in any
form. Before the world was created God had already named a people that He was
going to save. (Rev 17:8 KJV) The beast that thou sawest was, and is not;
and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that
dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of
life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and
is not, and yet is. God had placed into every believer a purpose for their
existence which was to be manifest through the indwelling Holy Spirit after a
person became saved through their spiritual gifts, which is what Paul had told
Timothy to stir up. We can look at Ephesians 4:11-12. (Eph 4:11-12 KJV) And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; {12} For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: We can see the general
reason for the giving of these gifts as perfecting the Saints and for edifying
the body of Christ. How these things would be worked out in the lives of
individuals would be according to the will of God. The word “will” can also be
understood as “purpose.” So the purposes of God for the believer is fulfilled in
their individual ministries.
Christ’s Sacrifice
(1 Cor 2:2 KJV) For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus
Christ, and him crucified.
All the wisdom of the sages of Greece could not add one bit to the salvation
plan of God nor could their philosophical theories bring them to Christ. Man
comes to know Christ only through revelation. (Luke 10:22 KJV) All things
are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the
Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal
him. Even the most eloquent preachers today cannot add anything to the
Gospel message. (Gal 2:5-6 KJV) To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not
for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. {6} But of
these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to
me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in
conference added nothing to me: The message of the Gospel needs to be in
plain and understandable language. It does no good for either the preacher or
the hearer to speak with words that are not understood. Once the preacher gets
passed the language barrier, he needs to trim his message by keeping it Christ
centered. Too many sermons do an end around run from biblical truth, but we
expect that from the blind and the dead preachers. Paul wants those who bring
the Gospel to have a message that is Christ centered and must contain the
elements of the sacrifice of Christ, so those hearing will realize that it is
only through Christ and what He did on Calvary will bring a person to salvation.
Paul wanted to eclipse any idea of people thinking that Christianity was another
philosophy. Philosophy was of the mind of man, while salvation was from the act
of God. (Jonah 2:9 KJV) But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of
thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
Hell
(Luke 12:5 KJV) But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which
after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear
him.
Jesus had spoken to a great crowd of people and He also spoke of these things to
His disciples. They were fully cognizant of the reality of hell. They knew that
if a person did not become saved, then their final destination was going to be a
burning lake of fire for eternity. In our day, hell has become a swear word and
has lost its sharp edge. Today the majority of Christians treat hell as if it
were a motel room with cable TV not working. (Psa 9:17 KJV) The wicked shall
be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. The Hebrew
Scriptures mentions hell 31 times. So these new Christians would have definitely
known about the seriousness of eternal damnation.
False Teachings
(Acts 20:29-30 KJV) For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. {30} Also of your own selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
False Teachers and Teachings from the Outside
Paul now states to the elders at Ephesus that after he departs, whether it be
from them or from this world, that false teachers will arise from their ranks.
Another aspect of the true elder is that they must have the spiritual ability to
protect the flock from the grievous wolves. One of the fights that Paul had were
with those Judaizers who stated that a person must be circumcised along with
grace to be saved. (Luke 11:46 KJV) And he said, Woe unto you also, ye
lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves
touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. The word “grievous” in Acts
20:29 carries with it the meaning of “heavy, burdensome, or weighty.” So the
false teachers will definitely come in and add heavy burdens to the believers.
Once these false teachers know that Paul is gone for good, they will once again
try to invade the church and introduce their false teachings which will add many
burdens to the salvation by grace gospel. These teachers do not care about the
flock because it is them they will be after, hoping to draw people after
themselves and their teachings. This is why the Elders must be very astute
students of the Scriptures to be able to identify the false teachings and remove
the false teachers, even if they have to use the Nehemiah method. (Neh
13:7-8 KJV) And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib
did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
{8} And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of
Tobiah out of the chamber.
False Teachers and Teachings from the Inside
There will always be those in the congregations who feel they have a special
calling from God and will come up with all kind of spurious interpretations of
Scripture. Not every church is attacked from the outside but there are many that
self-destruct because the leaders do not keep a tight rein on the teachings.
Anyone who subverts the real teachings of Scripture must be ordered to leave the
church before they infect the believers, especially the weaker ones which are
the primary targets of false teachers. Their main purpose is to draw people
after themselves and build a base of their own that they can rule over. These
type of false teachers can decimate the ranks of a church and eventually cause
its demise. Some of the false teachers of our times who have risen from the
ranks of the church are: William Miller (7th Day Adventists), Charles Taze
Russell who started the Jehovah’s Witnesses began as a Presbyterian, David
Koresh (Branch Davidians), Harold Camping (Church is dead movement), Joel Osteen
with his no sin and no hell doctrine, and there are probably many others. All
Christians must be on guard against men or women who wish to gather disciples to
themselves. The word “perverse” in verse 30 carries with it the meaning of
“oppose, corrupt, or turned away.”
They Were Crucified
They were not crucified the way the Lord was but many of them did die torturous
deaths because of their faith. To be crucified was to be in total dedication to
the Lord Jesus Christ. (Mat 16:24 KJV) Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me. Since crucifixion meant death, to be crucified in the service of
Christ means a total death to self and our worldly desires. (Mat 6:24 KJV)
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon. This is not just an intermittent thing where we are
crucified on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon we are drinking in front of the
TV watching Football. Crucifixion in our life is a continuum of dedication and
not a convenience of dedication.
They were crucified to:
The Message
(1 Cor 1:17 KJV) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the
gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of
none effect.
The message was to be the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:3-4
KJV) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; {4} And that he was
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The message they were to proclaim was the Gospel in its unadulterated form.
There were to be no additions of any type of material which would have softened
the message. They were to proclaim the fact that Christ died for the sins of His
people, that is, the Elect, and that His physical body was placed in an earthly
tomb and that He rose bodily on the third day. There are many false gospels
today who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ rose spiritually and not bodily. If
that was the case, then His body should still be buried and yet none of His
detractors can ever find His tomb and the reason is, “He is not here, He is
risen.”
Today’s message is man centered and not Christ centered. I am still waiting for
one free will proponent to show me the term “accept Christ.” The reason is that
it does not exist because Christ accepts us, we do not accept Him. How can
anyone that is dead be anything but dead? (Eph 2:5 KJV) Even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
If we are dead, then we can do nothing. If we are to be spiritually alive, then
it is Christ who must raise us to new life in Him. Today’s sermons are just an
amalgamation of jokes, stories, quotes from theologians, feel good statements to
make the sheeple happy, and without the pungency of truth.
Ministry
(1 Cor 16:15 KJV) I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas,
that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to
the ministry of the saints,)
Their first and foremost desire was ministry and not their creature comforts.
The Apostle Paul was always looking for a place to minister and that is why the
Holy Spirit was guiding Paul as to where he should minister. (Acts 16:9 KJV)
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and
prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. Every true
Christian in Christ needs to be desirous of some phase of ministry. Every
Christian has been given at least one spiritual gift which is to be used in the
ministry which God has for them. (Eph 2:10 KJV) For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them. Ministry also needs to be the first and foremost
desire of the Christian in the twenty first century. We were not saved to
refocus ourselves back on ourselves as we did before we became saved.
World
(Gal 6:14 KJV) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
The apostle Paul lays down a major principle and that is he is crucified to the
world. In contrast to the false teachers who glory in the converts they make to
the bondage of the law, Paul does not glory in his own works but he glories in
the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ has caused the world to be crucified
unto Paul, that is, the world holds no attraction for Him. Crucifixion means
that Paul’s only reason for living is no longer tied to the world and the law,
but is tied to Christ. Paul also states that he is crucified unto the world,
that is, he has no affinity to the things of the world because he no longer
preaches the law or the things of the world. His entire being is in Christ and
therefore the world does not hold him in honor nor does he hold the world in
honor, because the world is in opposition to Christ and the cross. We are not to
bring ourselves under the bondage of the world since Christ has freed us at the
cross. This world should also hold no attraction for us. We must view it as
fleeting and no matter what it offers, it is only temporary. The Gospel of
Christ is the only permanent thing on this earth because it goes beyond the
present world and into eternity.
To summarize this section, we can answer the question, “why did they turn the
world upside down?” The answer is very simple and that is they stuck to the word
of God, added or subtracted nothing, and proclaimed that very word. (Gal
5:11 KJV) And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer
persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. The true Gospel is an
offence to the hearers. The reason it is an offence is because God tells us our
true condition and that condition requires a Savior or else salvation cannot
happen. The true Gospel teaches that man is a real reprobate and needs to be
changed from the inside and that is why the outward manifestations of religion
are a total failure because it does not get to the heart of man’s need. He needs
a change of heart, from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive. What also
makes people angry is the exclusiveness of true Christianity. (John 14:6
KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me. Every world religion is false and leads to
eternal damnation and this is what makes true Christianity an offence and why it
is the only faith being attacked on this earth with such vitriol.
At this juncture, I want to give some other examples of Christians who turned
the world upside down by refusing to compromise and proclaiming the truth in the
face of insurmountable odds. These will be from history and not necessarily from
the embryonic church.
Martin Luther 1483-1546
When Martin Luther was a monk, he read Romans 1:17. (Rom 1:17 KJV) For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, The just shall live by faith. That is when God got hold of
his heart and showed him plainly that salvation can never come through man’s
works as the Roman Catholic Church taught and still teaches. Salvation was by
grace and the faithful live by faith and not by works. He posted his 95 Theses
to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. He opposed vehemently the work
of Bishop Tetzel who sold indulgences to get friends and relatives out of
purgatory or to shorten their time there. Luther had gone against the most
powerful organization in existence at that time and because he stood on the word
of God, he had victory, even though he was sought after by the Roman Catholics
until the time of his death.
William Tyndale 1494-1536
William Tyndale had a desire to give the Bible to the English speaking world. He
wanted to get it out of the dead language of Latin as held by the Roman Catholic
Institution. He printed the New Testament in English in 1526. It was smuggled
into England where it met with much opposition and Bishop Tunstall opposed it
and warned any book shop from selling it. Tyndale was betrayed by a friend and
was martyred for his desire to get the Bible into English. His contribution
paved the way for the King James Bible 78 years later but between 1526 and 1604,
there were several other Bible Translations made in the English all built upon
the work of Tyndale.
1535 - Coverdale Bible
1537 - Matthews Bible
1540 - Great Bible
1568 - Bishops Bible
1560 - Geneva Bible
1611 - King James Bible
John Huss 1380? - 1415
John Huss (Jan Hus) lived in Prague, Czechoslovakia and had adopted the
teachings of Tyndale which were forbidden by the Roman Catholic Institution. He
too spoke out against the practice of the sale of indulgences. Huss held to the
fact that he was going to continue to trust the Scriptures and to order his life
according to them and not the dictates of the Roman Catholic Institution. For
his desire to live only according to the Scriptures, he was martyred on July 6,
1415.
Richard Bayfield - ? - 1531
Bayfield was accused of circulating New Testaments and works by Luther and
others. When asked why, he replied, "It was to the intent that the gospel of
Christ might be set forward, and God more glorified in this realm among
Christian people." On the 20th November, 1531 he was condemned, and Stokeley,
who had succeeded Bishop Tunstall, was so furious at Bayfield's refusal to name
names that he struck him violently with his crosier, sending Bayfield crashing
to the ground. Recovering, Bayfield thanked God he had been delivered from the
church of the Anti-Christ, and had come into the true church of Jesus Christ;,
"And I trust anon to be in heaven with Christ" he said. Bayfield was taken
to Smithfield and burned, his sufferings very severe for the fire was not
sufficient to consume him. His left arm burned and fell from his body before the
remainder was consumed, but he continued in prayer until he died.
John Rogers - 1500-1555
Tyndale’s New Testament had been published in 1526. John Rogers had translated
the complete Bible known as the Matthews Bible in 1537 along with some other
reformation materials. He was martyred for publishing this Bible in 1555. He was
the first English Protestant Martyr under the Reign of Queen Mary I (Bloody
Mary).
Summary
One of the most obvious traits of those who turned the world upside down is that
they refused to abandon the true word of God for church dogma, doctrines, and
rituals. These Christians have shown their true allegiance and that is to the
Lord Jesus Christ and not to the feelings of a bunch of hell bound sinners who
do not like to hear the truth. They were driven by their commitment to the Lord
Jesus Christ and nothing in this world was going to stop them, even the threat
of losing their life, which many did. What is missing today in Christendom is
the strong commitment we saw in days past. It seems the world is turning the
Christian upside down. We have clung to watered down counterfeit bible versions,
clung to the watered down gospel, watered down description of God and His
holiness, clung to God loves everyone no matter how debauched their lifestyle
is, and have allowed our church leadership to do our thinking for us, which has
been an absolute failure. If Christianity is going to be strong once again, then
Christians are going to have to rebuff the false teachings and compromising
teachings and remain strong on the word of God. (2 Cor 5:20 KJV) Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. An Ambassador does not accept what
he wants nor do they create their own teachings. An Ambassador represents a
government and brings their views to the other countries. As Christian
Ambassadors, we too have the message from our government in Heaven and that is
found in the Scriptures. Once we depart from them and create our own teachings,
then we have failed and will continue to see Christianity get weaker and have
less influence. How about you, have you turned your world upside down or has the
world turned you upside down?