One of my favorite moments in the Book of Acts happens in Acts 17:6 when Paul and Silas are accused of having turned the world upside down. Their ministry was radically changing the landscape of their part of the world and was spreading like wildfire.
There are two quick things you need to see before we go any further. Ultimately, the power of the Spirit and the power of the gospel were responsible for this “upheaval.” There was nothing extraordinary about Paul or Silas outside of the fact that they were both filled with the Spirit and full of the gospel. It’s important to start there, because many of you who are reading this article right now are just like Paul and Silas. You, too, are filled with the Spirit and full of the gospel.
With that being said, there are still three very practical and tangible things Paul and Silas were doing that played a major role in them turning the world upside down.
- They saw.
Another way to say it is that they observed the culture around them. Read Acts 17:16. What was it that led to Paul’s spirit being provoked within him? He noticed that the city was full of idols. Paul walked through the city of Athens observing the culture. I imagine he even prayed as he walked through the marketplaces and through the city. As he observed the culture, he saw so much brokenness and sin. If we want to be used by God to turn the world upside down, it starts with seeing. It starts with simply opening our eyes and being observant of the culture around us. It starts with asking God to show us what He’s seeing.
I can’t say that without saying this though…
We will never be people whom God uses to turn the world upside if we continue spending so much time on Netflix and social media because we’ll never look up long enough to see the things that God wants us to see around us.
- They spoke.
Read Acts 17:17. The Greek word for “reasoned”is very similar to the English word for “dialogue.” They didn’t turn the world upside down because they were excellent preachers. They didn’t turn the world upside down because they were fearless to get up in front of thousands of people. They turned the world upside down because they simply dialogued with people. They had conversations.
And, look at the kind of people they had conversations with. First, it says the talked to “Jews and the devout persons”(a.k.a., the religious people). How many religious people do you know who are totally lost? Some of you reading this right now used to be that totally lost religious person! Second, it says they talked to “those who happened to be there.”In other words, they had conversations with people who they simply ran into at the marketplace. They were sharing the gospel with people who they happened to cross paths with each day. If we want to be used by God to turn the world upside down, we must be willing to dialogue with people. We must be willing to have simple but intentional conversations with people.
Again, I can’t say that without saying this, too…
These conversations will never happen unless we are willing to allow interruptions in our schedules. Yes, we’re all busy. Yes, our schedules are important. But, people who are unwilling to allow interruptions in their lives will never be people who turn the world upside down.
- They were strategic.
Read Acts 17:22. The Aereopagus (a.k.a. Mars Hill) was a hill that overlooked Athens where the philosophers (and smart minds) gathered to learn and discuss ideas. Paul went to the center of cultural and intellectual influence. He went where ideas and education were born. He went to where the leaders were! If we want to be used by God to turn the world upside down, we need to be strategic. Where are the centers of cultural and intellectual influence today? Where are ideas and education born? Where are there high concentrations of leaders and future leaders?
Again, I can’t say that without saying this, too…
The easiest answer to these three questions is the university campus. There is a reason that the North American Mission Board (NAMB) has identified the university campus as the 33rd Send City in North America. There are few places more strategic to do ministry than the university campus.
What might happen if we, like Paul and Silas, started to see, speak, and be strategic?
Austin Wadlow and his wife, Lesley, live in Iowa where he serves as the Teaching Pastor and Salt Company Director at Keystone Church in Ankeny, IA. They will be planting a Salt Network church in East Lansing, MI at Michigan State University in Fall 2019. You can connect with Austin via Twitter: @austinwadlow