Last week we talked about the framework of success and this week we will see the impact. The Gospel ministry will have an impact on the lives of people. The Gospel has been given to meet people in the midst of their struggles and make them aware the Lord can change things. In order for the change to happen, they have to be willing participants in the process. Once they make this decision, the world they knew will not be the same. Why, because it will be turned upside down. They will not be able to explain how it was done, but they will be able to let everyone know this is the work of the Lord.
In Acts 17:1-9, we are able to see the impact Jesus Christ is having on this particular community. They were having a problem with many people embracing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were not concerned with the number of poor people that were accepting the Gospel. When they saw the number of devout Greeks coming to Jesus Christ, the Jews felt they had to do something to stop this trend. Before their eyes, they could see the world as they knew it was being turned upside down. Therefore, they attempted to create an uproar in the marketplace by getting others to assist them. They could not locate Paul and Silas, so they dragged other believers before the authorities. They took bail for the believers and then released them because they did not have any evidence to lock them up.
When we move forward in the framework established by Jesus Christ, the world will be turned upside down. In essence, people will find themselves embracing the Gospel, and will begin to discard the things in their lives that have been pulling them down. This causes their world to be turned upside down because they are no longer relying on the things of the world. They are placing their complete trust in Jesus Christ to see them through and it’s working. The people who know them, can’t understand why they are abandoning the things they can see for something they can’t see. Those that have accepted Jesus Christ have made the decision to walk by faith and not by sight. Why, because they have received something that has changed their lives. Continue to walk in your blessings.
