A Jesus Revolution

A mob in Thessalonica dragged some men before the city leaders and shouted that they had turned the world upside down. They were followers of Jesus. They were not known for a better calendar or a tighter budget.

The word is ἀναστατόω anastatoō: to stir up, to flip over. Fishermen and tax collectors with no temple, no priests, no tithe system and no big buildings changed the world, because they had a risen Savior and His Spirit lived in them. That is the revolution this teaching calls for. Not a new set of rules or a new group with a new name. A Jesus revolution.

It starts with a changed mind

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Repent is μετανοέω metanoeō: to change your mind and turn around. Some of us need to change our minds about our sins. Some of us need to change our minds about our religion: we come to God by what Jesus did, not by what we do. Then come “times of refreshing” (Acts 3:20), ἀνάψυξις anapsyxis, a cool breath for the soul.

It sets you really free

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

“Indeed” is ὄντως ontōs: really, truly, for real. Not free until the next sermon about money. A bird that lived its whole life in a cage may sit still when the door opens. Friend, the door is open. You can fly.

It makes you new

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

A καινὴ κτίσις kainē ktisis is something brand new. God did not come to patch the old covenant or your old life. A new heart wants to do good.

What it looks like

People who rest in Jesus every day and still gather with joy on the Lord’s Day. People who give more than ten percent because they are in love, not afraid. People who care for widows and orphans (James 1:27), feed the hungry and welcome the sinner Jesus welcomed. A church where nobody wears a mask. Hard on man-made rules, gentle with people.

It starts with one person

One jailer’s changed heart reached his whole house. Two men in chains sang until every prisoner heard. Tell a friend God’s love is a free gift. Invite a tired neighbor to dinner. Give with a smile. Forgive. Sit with someone lonely. Don’t argue people into freedom. Love them into it.

The call

Take the mask off. Lay down the yoke that was never yours. Stop measuring your walk with God by a calendar and a calculator. Come to Jesus Himself, not to a system. Believe in Him. Rest in Him. Love like Him.

If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed. Now go turn the world upside down.