And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
-Acts 17:6-7 (ESV)

The story as we know it of Jason, a somewhat obscure, yet important New Testament character, is encapsulated in Acts 17. He was a believer who housed Paul and Silas while they were on their missionary journey in the city of Thessalonica. But the success of the two men ruffled some feathers, so Jason was drug from his home and accused before the local authorities. And he was given a very telling charge: Jason had given shelter to “men who have turned the world upside down.”

But in realty, Paul and Silas were simply restoring the world to the way it was supposed to be. They weren’t turning the world upside down… They were turning it right-side up once again. That’s a reputation to be proud of!

If you are faithful to your mission to spread the news of Christ, whether it is as the evangelist (Paul/Silas) or the aide (Jason), you can expect opposition as well. Count on it. You might be told that you are out of your mind… Someone may critize you of thinking backwards… They may even say you have it all upside down.

But that’s a price worth paying, because you will also be in the company of Jesus. As someone who advocated for the weak over the strong, the servant over the powerful, and the poor over the rich, he was accused of the exact same thing.

Paul and Silas were just getting it started. Thousands of years later, the mission remains the same. The world is still desperately in need of the radical ideas and life-changing power of our Savior.

So don’t hesitate any longer. Either start sharing the message of Christ or support those who are already are.

It’s our turn to flip the upside down world right-side up.