“THEY ARE TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN!”
When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.” Acts 17: 6-7
Don’t you just love that? It sounds so scandalous! Paul had been telling his audience, “This is the Messiah, Jesus I am proclaiming to you! Jesus is Lord.” In other words, he was basically saying, “Hey, you know that Yahweh who is mentioned in the Scriptures (what we know as the Old Testament)? You know, the divine name of God that is translated as ‘Lord’ and mentioned 6,000 times? Well, that’s Jesus. And, Jesus is Lord.”
Some were persuaded. Others? Not so much. In fact, they “became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar.” This bold declaration that “Jesus is Lord” had turned their world upside down. And that, my friends, is exactly what the gospel message is supposed to do...turn our “worldly” understandings upside down.
To begin with, saying “Jesus is Lord” affirms a life of personal transformation. It is saying that my heart and my life are forever changed…I am no longer conformed to this world, but transformed. It should also go further than that…saying “Jesus is Lord” should be culturally subversive. Saint Augustine is quoted for saying, “Christ is not valued at all unless he is valued above all.” I take that to mean that Christ alone has divine superiority, authority, and power over anything this world has to offer. So, saying “Jesus is Lord” becomes scandalous and subversive when we think about all the people and things we, and the culture around us, tend to put on pedestals.
When I began to discern my calling to pastoral ministry, my world was turned upside down. I thank God every day for changing my heart and my life and for calling me. How about you? As we plan for another year in ministry, I hope you’ll join me in praying that we, the church God has affectionately named Trinity, become known around Gainesville and the world for being a church that is turning the world upside down.
Rev. Aaron Rousseau
We still need a few more devotionals for the DSE; please send to Tammy at tkarafa@trintygnv.org
-- Welcome to the new Trinity United Methodist Church's Daily Scripture Email system.
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