Turning the World Upside Down

Acts 17:1-15

– When Paul and Silas entered Thessalonica, they were branded as revolutionaries!

– Today we’re going to learn five ways that we can ‘turn the world upside down’ for the glory of God

I.  Be Prepared

1)     Paul and Silas were always ready to bear testimony for Jesus Christ

• They ‘reasoned’ from the Scriptures
• They ‘explained’ from the Scriptures
• They ‘proved’ from the Scriptures

2)     We must be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is within [us]” 1 Peter 3:15

• Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit
• Know the Word
• Be ready to share your story
• Get some basic training in Christian apologetics (ie.  Christian Foundations Class)

II. Be Persistent

1)     Expect to be persecuted for the sake of Christ

2)     Do not allow opposition to sideline you!

3)     Do not allow a lack of results to discourage you

• Paul experienced very different results in Thessalonica and Berea
• Our role is to share the good news and to pray for the lost
• God’s job is to convict of sin and draw to salvation
• God does not measure success in numbers, but in faithfulness to His calling

III. Be Proactive

1)     The Bereans were proactive listeners who didn’t take the word of man at face value

2)     Take the initiative to test everything you hear and read against the touchstone of Scripture

• The danger of false teaching
• The danger of imbalanced teaching
• The danger of self-delusion – hearing only what we want to hear

IV. Be Purposeful

1) Paul was concerned to see his spiritual children grow and mature in Christ

• He leaves Timothy and Luke behind in Philippi to encourage the new Christians
• He leaves Timothy and Silas in Thessalonica to help establish the Church (vv. 14-15)

2) Let’s be purposeful to make obedient, multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ!