Upside Down or Rightside Up?
Acts 17:1-15
Wanted: A man full of the Spirit,
giftedness acknowledged by his peers,
prepared to go anywhere, for no
compensation. Must be ready to
suffer and possibly die in the course of
his work, with nowhere to call home,
except heaven.
Philippians 4:15-16
And you Philippians yourselves know that
in the beginning of the gospel, when I left
Macedonia, no church entered into
partnership with me in giving and
receiving, except you only. 16 Even in
Thessalonica you sent me help for my
needs once and again.
1 Thessalonians 2:9
For you remember, brothers, our labor and
toil: we worked night and day, that we
might not be a burden to any of you, while
we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
2 Thessalonians 3:7-10
For you yourselves know how you ought to
imitate us, because we were not idle when we
were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s
bread without paying for it, but with toil and
labor we worked night and day, that we
might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was
not because we do not have that right, but to
give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10
For even when we were with you, we would
give you this command: If anyone is not
willing to work, let him not eat.
1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves report concerning us
the kind of reception we had among you,
and how you turned to God from idols to
serve the living and true God
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the
gospel I preached to you, which you received,
in which you stand, 2 and by which you are
being saved, if you hold fast to the word I
preached to you— unless you believed in vain. 3
For I delivered to you as of first importance
what I also received: that Christ died for our
sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he
was buried, that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures
Acts 1:21-22
So one of the men who have accompanied
us during all the time that the Lord Jesus
went in and out among us, 22 beginning
from the baptism of John until the day
when he was taken up from us—one of
these men must become with us a witness
to his resurrection.
Acts 2:32
This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all
are witnesses.
Acts 3:15
…and you killed the Author of life, whom
God raised from the dead. To this we are
witnesses.
Acts 5:32
And we are witnesses to these things, and
so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given
to those who obey him.
Christianity is in its very essence a
resurrection religion. The concept of
resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove
it, Christianity is destroyed. --Stott
Luke 23:2
And they began to accuse him, saying, “We
found this man misleading our nation and
forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and
saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
1 Thessalonians 1:7-10
…so that you became an example to all the
believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not
only has the word of the Lord sounded forth
from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your
faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that
we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves
report concerning us the kind of reception we
had among you, and how you turned to God
from idols to serve the living and true God…
1 Thessalonians 1:7-10
10 and
to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from
the wrath to come.
The clamour often raised against the Gospel
is no argument against the Gospel itself.
God’s messengers have in all ages been
opposed by the ungodly. Even our Lord
himself, who spake as never man spake, was
credited by very few; but there will always
be found some who will give the truth a
favorable reception. Different hearers are
differently affected with the word they hear
in these days. This however only shews that
human nature is the same now that it was in
St. Paul’s time. --Simeon
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful
workmen, disguising themselves as
apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for
even Satan disguises himself as an angel of
light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants,
also, disguise themselves as servants of
righteousness. Their end will correspond to
their deeds.
They said the Apostles turned the world
upside down. They meant by that, that
they were disturbers of the peace. But they
said a great true thing; for Christ's gospel
does turn the world upside down. It was
the wrong way upwards before, and now
that the gospel is preached, and when it
shall prevail, it will just set the world right
by turning it upside down. --Spurgeon