Radical Disciples

The Apostle Paul and his companions were travelling through Amphipolis, when they arrived at Thessalonica. As they usually did, they attended the synagogue, speaking to the Jews about Christ, explaining the events of His life and death from the Old Testament Scriptures. Several of the Jewish men and women believed and joined with Paul in following Christ.

But there were some Jews who did not accept this message. They became jealous that some of their number had left the synagogue to follow this new teaching. So they hired some unsavoury characters in the local market place, gathered a mob together, and stormed the house of Jason, where Paul had last been known to be. A riot ensued, such that 'the whole city was in an uproar'. Paul and his friends were not there, so the mob dragged Jason from his house, and some other believers they found there, and took them before the rulers of the city. Their charge against them: "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too...saying there is another king - Jesus" (Acts 17v6,7).

During the Reformation in Europe, a new group arose, that was neither Catholic nor Protestant. They were known as 'Anabaptists' because they baptised believers. As everyone had already been baptised as infants into the state church, then those practising 'believers' baptism' were, in effect, re-baptising those who believed, upon confession of their faith. The word 'Anabaptist' means 're-baptiser'.

Because of their firm stand against baptising infants, they were persecuted by the authorities. At their trials, witnesses were brought in to confirm that these men and women were indeed part of the group known as Anabaptists. These witnesses spoke of how the Anabaptists were completely honest, never beat their children, were fair in their business dealings, worked hard, helped not only each other but anyone in need, and many more such things. For these 'crimes' (including re-baptising), they were deprived of their jobs, their homes, their possessions and their liberty. They were often tortured, then finally put to death, often by being burned at the stake. But the more determined the persecution, the more the movement grew and the stronger the believers became. Once again, believers were turning the world upside down.

Down the centuries, we come now to the present day. The church today is largely complacent and weak. It is often a place of entertainment, with no real grasp of what the Bible actually teaches, or even says. It accepts everyone and everything, while offending no-one, in an attempt to 'keep the youngsters in the church' but at the expense of true faith and doctrine. The Gospel preached emphasises what God can do for 'me'; 'I', 'me' and 'mine' are words often to be found on the lips of those who call themselves Christians today. They post pithy little sayings and introspective, self serving Bible verses on social media sites, yet the Gospel has little effect on lives. No-one is being changed. The Gospel has no power - come to Jesus and see what He can do for you, is the message, rather than explaining to the lost that they have offended a holy God and deserve His condemnation. Instead, they think God will overlook their sin, because, after all, they are 'only human'. Sin has been redefined so make it acceptable to do certain things that once were seen as abhorrent. Holiness is ignored. God's Word is watered down and made to mean whatever they want it to mean. It would seem we live in a culture of 'anything goes'.

Thankfully, not all Christians are like that. God still has His remnant. These are those who understand the holiness of God, they recognise their own sinfulness and have sought God for forgiveness through Christ. Obedience to His commands is a priority in their lives, in thankfulness for all God has done for them. Yet for this, they are shunned by their fellow church members, they are labelled 'legalistic' (and other, harsher, terms). They are told that God doesn't really want their absolute obedience; just as long as they follow the few basic principles of New Testament teaching, they will be all right in the end. Some are even bullied and ridiculed by their fellow Christians for the stand they have taken. But this does not put these men and women off doing what they know to be right. They want to follow God with all their heart; they read their Bibles, take its teachings at face value, and endeavour to put into practice what it says.These are the Radical Disciples of today, who would like nothing better than, once again, to be turning the world upside down.

[Note: this post is deliberately provocative].