Reading Plan:
Acts 17


Our Thoughts:
I need to confess something to you…

I love the Broadway musical, Hamilton. Hate all you want, but those songs are LEGIT. And when it came out on Disney+? Oh, man. It was too good to be true.

Today’s reading reminds me of one of the songs in Hamilton, specifically, “The Battle of Yorktown.” In the song, Lafayette and Hamilton are in the middle of capturing two key positions when they suddenly belt out “Till the world turns upside down… Till the world turns upside down!” They end up charging the enemy from their positions and winning the Revolutionary War, at which point the song then becomes, “The world turned upside down… The world turned upside down.”

Acts 17 is a perfect picture of the world turning upside down. As Paul and his companions continue in their missionary journeys, they find much resistance to their radical Gospel message.

Jesus Christ? The Messiah?

The Messiah suffered and died?

This Paul guy is out of his mind.

But little by little, even in the midst of strife and dissent, this Gospel message begins to take root and turn the world upside down. Paul stands for the Kingdom of God, which is a kingdom of the suffering self-sacrificial Savior. But those Paul was preaching to only understood the kingdom of this world.

Paul wanted to change their hearts by telling them about a Savior who died for them, but many who heard the message wanted no part of it. So, Paul would simply move on to another city and begin his message afresh.

Here’s the kicker: Paul was dedicated to the mission, not the results. He knew that the Gospel would not return void, even if it felt like his message was falling on deaf ears. The same should be true for us. I can so quickly get “weary in welldoing” that I forget that the Gospel is going to be spread no matter what. This Kingdom will advance, no doubt about it. And this Kingdom is vastly different than the kingdom of this world.

If the church is a kingdom outpost of King Jesus, we arm ourselves with crosses, not with swords. The church is a manifestation of the Kingdom of God, and we abide by a different set of rules. When the world wants to throw us around and go to battle, we point to the cross and say, “We win.” Then we kneel down, grab a towel, and begin to wash the feet of the ones who would try and overtake us.

This is the upside-down Kingdom of God.

It is advancing. And you are a part of it.

And every day, when you wake up, go to work, love your neighbor, and sacrificially serve those in your circle of influence, the beat gets a little bit louder… “The world turned upside down.”


More Questions:
• What is the kingdom of this world like? How does it exercise power and authority?
• How is the Kingdom of God fundamentally different from the kingdom of this world? Take a minute to write down your answers on a sheet of paper.
• How might you live an upside-down life?


Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for Your work on the cross. Because of your death and resurrection, I live in the freedom and purpose that is given through the grace and mercy I have received. Help me to live an upside-down life that reflects the Kingdom of God. Help me to love my neighbor as myself, so that your Kingdom may advance forevermore. In Jesus’ name, amen.



Author: Blake Houston