Acts: Turning the World Upside Down

This is the book cover design for the book of the same name, Turning the World Upside Down by Iain Duguid. The artist's name is David Fassett.

Fall Sermon Series Preview

It is approximately AD 50, and the ancient city of Thessalonica is in an uproar. A furious mob attacks the house of a man named Jason, but their target is a pair of Christian missionaries who had led many people to Jesus. They bring this charge against the Christian missionaries: 

“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:6-7).

This is just one episode among many in the book of Acts—traditionally called The Acts of the Apostles—that speak of the highly disruptive, revolutionary impact that the early Christian movement had in the ancient world.

Albert Barnes, in his introduction to the book of Acts, writes of the early church’s impact:

“Within the space of thirty years after the death of Christ, the gospel had been carried to all parts of the civilized, and to no small portion of the uncivilized, world…. It had been preached in the most splendid, powerful, and corrupt cities; churches were already founded in Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, and at Rome. The gospel had spread in Arabia, Asia Minor, Greece, Macedon, Italy, and Africa. It had assailed the strongest existing institutions; it had made its way over the most formidable barriers; it had encountered the most deadly and malignant opposition…. Within thirty years, it had settled the point that it would overturn every bloody altar, close every pagan temple, bring under its influence the men of office, rank, and power, and that ‘the banners of the faith would soon stream from the palaces of the Caesars.’ All this would be accomplished by the instrumentality of Jews—of fishermen—of Nazarenes.”

How did all this happen?

Starting in September, we will answer that question with a new sermon series in the book of Acts, called Turning the World Upside Down.

So, why a series in Acts? 

1. Acts is the sequel to the Gospel of Luke.

The physician Luke, a travel companion of Paul, wrote the book of Acts as a follow-up to his gospel, which tells of the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He answers the question, “What happened after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension to his Father?” Is Jesus sitting up on his heavenly throne twiddling his thumbs for the right time to return?

The Book of Acts tells us that nothing could be farther from the truth. It shows Jesus actively at work through His Spirit to encourage and empower his church. In fact, Alan Thompson argues that Luke’s sequel should be called “The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus,” not Acts of the Apostles, because it shows how God unfolds his redemptive plan through the risen and ascended Christ.

At New City, we completed a sermon series in the Gospel of Mark in early March. We undertook the series because we were at an important point in the life of the church, and we wanted to go back to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and salvation. After several small interludes focusing on aspects of our new vision, we want to pick up where we left off in Mark by looking how Jesus built his church—and continues to build his church—after his ascension.

2. Acts shows the unstoppable advance of God’s Kingdom in the face of impossible odds and opposition.

Here is the final sentence in the Book of Acts: “preaching the kingdom of God and teaching things about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered” (28:31 NASB). Luke is describing the ministry of the Apostle Paul who was under house arrest in Rome for two years! Chains could not stop the advance of God’s kingdom. This is a major theme of the Book of Acts. In the face of open, systematic persecution, dispersion, internal struggles, the gates of Hades could not overpower the building of Christ’s church (Mt 16:18).

We look at the decline of the church in the West today, and we sometimes wonder, “Has Christianity failed?” But Acts tells the story of a small, fledgling Jewish sect, hounded by the Jerusalem authorities, and mocked by Gentiles. But the church is repeatedly vindicated and strengthened and grows in the face of fierce opposition. Acts shows us that the church is the creation of the Holy Spirit, not merely a human institution. And speaking of the Spirit …

3. Acts gives us a model of Spirit-led gospel ministry and missions.

Here is a sampling of the sovereign, powerful presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the life and mission of the early church, as recorded in Acts.

• On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit falls upon all believers, leading to the conversion and baptism of “three thousand souls” (2:41).

• The Spirit fills the Apostle Peter to witness to Christ before the Sanhedrin (4:8).

• The Spirit fills the persecuted church with boldness when they pray (4:31).

• Being full of the Spirit is a qualifier for proto-deacons (6:3)

• The Spirit comforts the churches in their mission and expansion (9:31)

• The Holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles (10:44-48)

• The Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul for missions (13:2, 4)

• Evangelism and ministry are done in the power of the Holy Spirit (13:9, 52)

• The Spirit directs the Apostle Paul in his missionary journeys (16:6, 7; 20:22)

The new mission statement of New City is “to see God renew all things by being a community of the Spirit in the heart of the city, announcing the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The Book of Acts shows us clearly that it is only in the power of the Holy Spirit that we will become a deep, compelling, gospel community in which people are renewed, lives are changed, and the gospel is proclaimed with power.

4. Acts gives us a model for multiethnic, urban church ministry.

The Book of Acts can be easily divided into three parts based on the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Chapters 1-7 describes gospel work in Jerusalem. Chapters 8-12 describe gospel work in Judea and Samaria. And chapters 13-28 describe gospel work to the ends of the earth.

As the church expands beyond Jerusalem and Judea, it becomes increasingly multicultural, and decreasingly Jewish. These cultural and ethnic changes in the makeup of the church present both incredible opportunities and major challenges in the life of the church. Furthermore, much of the strategic missions and church planting work take place in major urban centers throughout the Roman Empire (e.g., Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Galatia, Philippi, Rome). How did the apostles, especially Paul, undertake gospel work in these multicultural, cosmopolitan cities? How did they proclaim the gospel and contextualize it effectively?

These are important questions that the Book of Acts addresses, especially as we consider God’s call for us to be “a community of the Spirit in the heart of the city, announcing the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

Church, please pray with me as we embark on this new journey through the Book of Acts. Please pray that we will learn well together, that we will have our hearts reenergized and stirred afresh by the gospel, and that in the power of the Holy Spirit, the word of God will spread and multiply among us (Acts 12:24)!

Enjoy the remainder of your summer, friends! 

Moses