“These Who Have Turned the World Upside Down”

Paul preaching in Thessalonica

After just a few weeks of Paul preaching in Thessalonica, the gospel had been received by some of the Jews and “a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women” (Acts 17:1-4). In an effort to try to silence this message, the Jews intended to capture Paul and Silas. When they could not find them, they took Jason and some of the brethren and brought them before the authorities in order to accuse them.

When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus’” (Acts 17:6-7).


The New King James Version translates their accusation this way: “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” This shows that the gospel alone can be very effective in reaching the lost. When Paul came to Thessalonica, he did not resort to games, gimmicks, or slick marketing campaigns. He simply preached. And his preaching was not filled with stories, jokes, or self-help drivel. He “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence” (Acts 17:2-3). Many people today believe this type of preaching is too dry, boring, and ineffective. Yet this type of preaching that clearly explained the truth and why people should believe it was what caused the Jews to say that Paul and Silas had “turned the world upside down.

While the preaching of the gospel did have a great impact in Thessalonica and in other places, this accusation is similar to the charge made by Ahab against Elijah.

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is this you, you troubler of Israel?

“He said, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals’” (1 Kings 18:17-18).

Ahab certainly saw Elijah as a troublemaker. But the reality was that the nation’s troubles were not caused by the prophet, but by the king – the one who made the initial accusation. The accusation made against Paul and Silas was true in the sense that the message was very effective and had persuaded many people. But they were not the ones who had turned the world upside down.

Since the beginning, the world has been turned upside down by sin. When sin upset the world in the Garden, several things were lost, including innocence, fellowship with God, and peace with God. The preaching of the gospel that was done by Paul and Silas – and continues to be done by faithful men today – seeks to restore what was lost because of sin.

  • Innocence – In Luke’s account of the Great Commission, he recorded Jesus telling His disciples this: “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).
  • Fellowship with God – John explained his role as a witness of Christ: “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).
  • Peace with God – Paul described the work of Christ to the Ephesians: “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:14-17).

Though the world may see the preaching of the gospel as turning the world upside down, the reality is that we are trying to set aright what was corrupted by sin in the beginning. If we hope to be effective in restoring the souls of men back to God, let us avoid the gimmicks and games and simply do what Paul did – faithfully preach the word. “The gospel,” not our wit, humor, story-telling ability, or charisma, “is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16).


This article is one of the fifty articles included in the book Plain Bible Teaching: The First Ten Years. Click on the link to read more about the book.


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