by Jennifer Minor, Editor/Writer, Heartbeat International

“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also ... saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
Acts 17:6-7 (ESV)

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Acts of the Apostles. I love seeing the commitment of the early Christians, the conversion of Paul, the change in the Apostles after Pentecost, the community life of new churches, and of course, the way the entire world was shaken by the Gospel.

In Acts 17, we see an accusation of just that, when Paul and Silas come to Thessalonica, proclaiming Jesus as King. 

"These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,"  the rabble yells, "... saying that there is another king, Jesus."

How? By proclaiming that Jesus is King.

Now this particular accusation was against Paul and Silas in Thessalonica, where Paul was speaking in the synagogue about Jesus Christ, but that’s not the only way to proclaim Christ’s kingship.

We proclaim that Jesus is King every time we show love for His sake. Every time we speak truth into someone’s life, offer material assistance to someone in need, invite supporters to participate in the lifesaving work in our organizations, begin to mentor a young woman or man, we proclaim that there is some authority higher than this world.

And every time we do it, we turn the world upside down – for the good.

This world that says women can’t have kids and an education or career, that encourages women to take an “easy way out” through abortion – that tries to convince us that freedom means no consequences – that shouts about claiming rights for women by taking away the rights of their children.

It's a world crying out for a Christ-centered upheaval and we're just the ones to do it. 

If you can’t see this world being turned upside down, there’s plenty of evidence. Life is winning. There are national political gains, visible drops in the number of abortions performed in the United States, and even public opinion turning more and more pro-life.

It’s not always easy to see how our daily work is making the difference on the world scale, but every woman, man and child who lands in our centers is going through a major world change. We are there to make sure it’s a positive one.

We turn a woman's world upside down when we show her the love and support she needs to be a mother. We turn a new father's world upside down when we challenge him to step up as a protector for his child. We turn a child's world upside down when we help ensure that he or she is born and loved and cherished.

And it’s our commitment to Jesus Christ, King of Kings, that continues to turn the world upside down today, just as Paul and Silas did in Acts.