In the first century, a small army of believers turned the known world upside down in a matter of a few years without TV, radio, or mass media. They simply believed in the power of the gospel to change lives and the Holy Spirit working through them. And they did it in the face of intense opposition.

Today our world is being turned upside down but not by the gospel. How should we respond? What can we do? What is the ultimate answer? These are questions that haunt many of us.

In today’s post, you’ll also read about:

One of the greatest evils in our nation and our accountability before God.

And finally, we’ll look at one of the greatest prayers ever recorded. It was prayed by a man who fell short like us, but who understood where to turn for help.

Today’s Readings:

2 Chronicles 19 & 20
Psalm 82.1-8
Proverbs 20.29-30
Acts 17.1-15

In a World Turned Upside Down

Acts 17.1-15:

A Spiritual Answer for a Spiritual Problem

In verse 6 men from Thessalonica said this about the disciples, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”

As I said in the introduction, the original Apostles and those who came after them turned the known world upside down in a matter of a few years without TV, radio, or mass media, just the Word of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. They merely took God at His Word and believed in the power of the gospel to save and change lives. In the face of great opposition and intense persecution, they went out, evangelized, and discipled others who in turn evangelized and discipled still others.

The world as we know it is being turned upside down again. But it’s not happening because of the gospel. In fact, quite the opposite. Yet, the answer is not more of the same anger, name-calling, and protesting coming from our side.

While we have responsibilities to be good citizens, to vote, and to speak out in ways that are pleasing to God, the ultimate answer is not political. Because the problem is spiritual, the only real answer is a spiritual one. The only hope for our nation and others is revival. It’s heart change starting with us and extending to others as we share the gospel. It’s praying for God to bring another great awakening to our nation.

The Cost of Turning the World Upside Down

But there will be a cost for those of us who desire to be a part of what only God can do. It may cost us our reputations, our popularity, certain relationships, possibly our livelihoods, or worse.

The question for us is what are we willing to do? What are we willing to risk to help turn our world upside down again as those believers in the first century did? Are we as committed to sharing the gospel, even in the face of opposition, as they were?

The Church & Our Enemy

And make no mistake, our enemy is committed. There is great opposition aimed at the Church. It’s not a new battle. It’s been going on since the serpent slithered into the Garden. But as we get closer and closer to the Day of the Lord, that battle will continue to intensify (Joel 2.1; 1 Thess. 5.2).

Faith in the Bible is being attacked constantly. Truths that were once almost universally accepted, even by unbelievers, are now considered worthy of ridicule and destruction.

Our enemy weaponizes everything at his disposal. He blows problems out of proportion, twists the truth to promote plausible lies, uses our schools and institutions of higher education to reach and proselytize our younger generation, and seeks to divide our nation and others at every turn.

The Day of the Lord

But the battle is already won. The Day of the Lord is coming.

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near (Joel 2.1).

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5.2).

So, what is our job in the meantime?

Our Job

Our job is to stay in the fight. As Paul told his disciple in 2 Timothy 2:

¹ You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, ² and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. ³ Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. ⁵ An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. ⁷ Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. ¹¹ The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
¹² if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
¹³ if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

So, let’s be like Paul:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (Rom. 1.16).

Let’s turn the world upside down once again with the gospel!

Today’s Other Readings:

2 Chronicles 19 & 20:

Ungodly Friends

Yesterday, Jehoshaphat, a relatively good king was hanging out with, of all people, Ahab, one of the most wicked kings of the Northern Kingdom. He and his wife Jezebel took the nation of Israel deeper and deeper into idolatry.

Today’s reading begins:

¹ Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. ² And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you. ³ Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God.”

Here was a man who loved God and obeyed Him in many areas, but God was greatly displeased with him because of the people with whom he associated!

But, notice that Jehoshaphat didn’t respond to the prophet in pride or anger. It appears he had a teachable attitude. I believe he repented and recommitted himself to doing God’s will. The next verse says:

⁴ So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers. 

May we seek to have teachable spirits when we’re confronted by the truth of God.

A Man of Prayer

And even though Jehoshaphat fell short in certain areas of his life, as we all do, he understood where to turn for help.

When the people of Moab and Ammon came against him, Jehoshaphat looked to God for deliverance (20.5-12):

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, ⁶ and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? ⁷ Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? ⁸ And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,⁹ ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

¹⁰ And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir … ¹¹ here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

In response, God caused their enemies to turn on and destroy each other.

Keep Us from Ungodly Influences

But that tendency to hang around with ungodly people came back to haunt him at the end of his life. It ended up costing him a fleet of ships and possibly the lives of their crews. In our own lives, may we pray for God’s help to stay faithful and not give in to the ungodly influences all around us today.

Note: For a wonderful study on Jehoshaphat’s prayer and others, you might want to read Susan Heck’s book, With the Master on Our Knees.

Psalm 82.1-8:

One of Satan’s Bloodiest Weapons

¹ God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.
² How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
³ Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
⁴ Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.

The word “gods” here refers to world leaders. In this time of political upheaval, we need to remember that, ultimately, all the world’s leaders will answer to Him.

But in the meantime, verse 2 says, “How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” and verse 3, “Defend the poor and fatherless …” One of the devil’s bloodiest weapons is a woman’s so-called right to control her own body. In the process, he has killed tens of thousands of unborn babies.

As we agonize over racism and the condition of the poor and needy, as we should, we need to take a hard look at the biggest killer of children in our country, including poor and minority children. We must realize that we are accountable to God for our stand in this area. If we continue to judge unjustly as a nation and give power and authority to the wicked, those who fail to defend the most defenseless, God will judge us accordingly.

Proverbs 20.29-30:

The Discipline of the Lord

Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, as do stripes the inner depths of the heart (v. 30).

Hebrews 12.11 says it this way:

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Questions to Ponder or Journal:

God still corrects and rebukes His children, sometimes through the reading and preaching of the Word and, at times, through people. How do you respond when rebuked by God?

What are you doing to protect the unborn? Does it affect how you vote? Where you give? What you say to others?

Are you wise about friendships and other relationships?

Are you a person of prayer, especially when faced with difficult circumstances? Or do you fret and worry instead?

And, finally, what are you doing to turn the world upside down in the way believers in the first century did?

I’d love to know your thoughts about today’s readings. You can leave a comment below.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about giving and our hearts, how pride shows up in our lives in unexpected ways, and discuss the statement, “What you do in moderation, your children will often do to excess.”

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.

If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.

And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle through Amazon.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.