Say Something
Acts 17: 1-9
This month the Department of Homeland Security is celebrating the 15-year anniversary of its “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign. Its goal is to raise public awareness of the signs of terrorism and terrorism-related crime, and how to report suspicious activity to state and local law enforcement. It encourages everyday Americans to speak up if they see something that seems amiss or threatening. The goal is to keep us safe by making potential threats or issues known.
In this case, speaking up is considered a good thing. Reporting something that is suspicious doesn’t take a lot of effort. However, many of us may have a hard time speaking up in other situations. It takes courage to speak up when someone is doing something wrong, especially when that person has power. It takes confidence to teach someone something. It takes strength to tell someone something that they don’t want to hear. It takes conviction to speak truth to one who does not believe.
In today’s scripture from Acts, Paul and Silas are teaching and witnessing to the Gospel of the Risen Christ in the synagogue in Thessalonica. Many people, including Jews and Gentiles, are moved by their witness and become followers of Christ. Some ignore them. However, others got jealous and angry about the work Paul and Silas were doing. They didn’t like that they witnessed with boldness of faith and spoke truth with such fearless determination. Paul had seen Jesus on the road to Damascus, and he was determined to say something, even if it was unpopular or caused a mob as it did in today’s scripture.
The angry mob accuses Paul and Silas of “turning the world upside down.” From this statement it’s clear that these people felt challenged or downright threatened by the message of Jesus Christ. For whatever reason, the Gospel elicited this strong response of trying to quiet it by any means necessary, including a mob that breaks into the house where Paul and Silas were staying.
The Gospel does turn our world upside down. However, the Gospel does so to turn it right side up. The Gospel that Paul and Silas preached is the same Gospel we share today. It is still bold and still elicits strong responses, negative and positive. The Gospel challenges us to be transformed and live life differently than the world tells us to live. It challenges our false idols, shakes empty religion, and confronts injustice, not to cause chaos, but to restore hearts to God's original design.
Living lives faithful to this Gospel may cause resistance and shake things up. Sharing the truth of the Risen Christ, living with bold faith, and standing against cultural norms that are not part of God’s will can be uncomfortable and even dangerous. However, we are not the first to do so. Paul and Silas persevered, even in the face of opposition and danger, and continued to spread the Good News with boldness. We have seen the goodness of God in Jesus Christ, so let us boldly say something.
Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to live boldly for You. Help me not to fear resistance, but to trust that Your truth is powerful enough to transform hearts. Use me, like Paul and Silas, to bring light into dark places. Amen.
Rev. Dana Ezell
