Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Upside Down

[1] 
Tuesday, January 14, 2020

A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria…. But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.  Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah.  Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did.  Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims.  And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed.  So there was great joy in that city.  A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great.  Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.”  They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic.  But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.  As a result, many men and women were baptized.  Then Simon himself believed and was baptized.  He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.  Acts 8:1b, 4-13

It’s worth a look to notice that the clergy were left behind in Jerusalem when the great persecution happened.  Some would perceive the laity were afraid and ran.  Others (perhaps more discerning) might see the way God does things, turning just about whatever is in sight on its’ ear…upside down.  Or, in this case, God turned things right-side-up!  God doesn’t make mistakes!
Philip was not a preacher, but God used him to get parts 2 and 3 of the Great Commission[2] started.  Jesus gave His disciples these marching orders just as He was about to ascend back to the Father in Heaven.  They would be his witnesses, first in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and part 4 would be an extension of His Gospel to the ends of the earth.[3]
But why (we always ask why) – why use the followers?  Isn’t that a job for the leaders?  I suppose the simplest answer is yes – but only if you’re not planning to turn the world upside down.  And, therein is the rub; God always turns things upside-down.   

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.  1 Corinthians 1:27

You expect to hear the religious stuff from the professionals, but that’s not what God wanted spread throughout the world with the souls of untold millions at stake.  What he wanted was the pure, unadulterated truth about Jesus, backed up by the lives of those who willingly chose to put everything at risk to follow Christ.  The clergy (Apostles, if you will) set the stage in sharing from the religious base of Jerusalem; it was the laity who took the message and ran with it.
For You Today
If you think its tough living today as a Christian in a world seemingly gone mad with unbelief and violence, you’re right; it is hard.  But God is up to something in our day.  Something is happening, and just maybe it will not be the religious professionals who change things, who turn this upside-down world right-side-up! 
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
[2] Matthew 28:19-20
[3] Acts 1:8

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