THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 2, FEBRUARY 10, 2002

“UPSET THE WORLD”  

            In Acts 17:1 – 9, we find the following account;  “Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.  And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.  And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.  But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and coming upon the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people.  And when they did not find them, and they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcome them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.  And they stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.  And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.”  

            During Paul’s second missionary journey, as he and Silas traveled through the region of Macedonia , they came to Thessalonica.  As was Paul’s custom, for three Sabbath days he went into a synagogue of the Jews and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence”.   Very soon the city was in an uproar, the house of Jason was assaulted, and Jason and some of the brethren were dragged before the city authorities, and the charge was leveled that, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them,…”  

            Have you ever heard us, 21^st Century Christians, charged with “upsetting the world”, or as the King James Version puts it, “turning the world upside down”?  I know the answer to that question and it is “No”.  Did you ever wonder why?  Why is it true that we are not stirring the world like the first century Christians did?    Could it be that we are not “reasoning” with them in the same way?  The term “reasoned” in verse 2 means “to dispute with others”.  In many cases today members of the Body of Christ are so timid that we don’t “dispute” with any body.  Could it be that we are not “giving evidence”, or as the King James puts it, “alleging”, like those early Christians did?   “Giving evidence” is the idea of setting subjects before those who hear us by way of argument and proof.

There are certain truths that we need to declare “with all boldness” (Phil. 1:20 ), and challenge all of whatever contrary belief they might hold, to refute them.  Among those truths are the following.

Jesus is the Christ.  He is the only begotten Son of God; and there is no other name by which man can (must) be saved.  Peter stated in Acts 4:10 – 12, “Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead – by this name this man stands here before you in good health.  He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” 

            The church is the Body of Christ and there is only one body – hence only one church that is truly Christ’s.  “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”  (Ephesians 1:22 & 23).

            “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4 – 6)

            We are baptized into that one body, even as we are baptized into Christ.  One cannot be saved outside of that body.  Thus, one cannot be saved outside of the one church.  “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, where Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13)

            “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

            The gospel of Christ is the only message in the world that has the power to save the soul of man, there is no other.  “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.” (Romans 1:16)

            “But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8 & 9)           

            The world needs to be upset.  It needs to be turned upside down.  You and I have the spiritual dynamite to do it.  We can turn it right side up, so to speak.  We have the gospel.  We have the truth and the obligation to use it..  Let’s let people in northern Kentucky know that we are here because we make so much noise preaching and teaching the truth that they would have to shut their eyes, clog their ears, and bury their heads in the sand in order not to know.   Let’s preach it and teach it like we believe it.

                                                             Greg