[Darris McNeely] The British general Lord Cornwallis had brought his troops into the Peninsula area of Virginia thinking that he would wrap up the American Revolutionary War, beat those rebels and send them packing and reassert British control over its colonies in America. But, General George Washington wound up pinning Cornwallis into the Peninsula with his back against the Atlantic Ocean and the French fled out there. And in a matter of weeks forced the British general to resign out of the field, to surrender his troops. And at that point, the American Revolution was over, the colonies had won their independence.

And they say that in the story, the moment of the actual surrender, the American band was playing a tune called "World Turned Upside Down." Well, the world had been turned upside down, at least in that area because the American columnists had prevailed against the largest and strongest military mite in the world at that time. Ever wonder where that tune came from, the title of that tune "World Turned Upside Down?" It came from the book of Acts. It came from a story where the apostle Paul was on the city of Thessalonica preaching the gospel. In Acts 17 is where the story is told. And Paul's preaching was so effective that it brought, again, as in many cases, a riot against him.

Paul was in the house of one of the members there named Jason, and this mob came of evil men that is described here at uproar, they were attacking the house of Jason and they couldn't find Paul but they were shouting, "Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too." Those who've turned the world upside down, they were talking about the preaching of the apostle Paul who was preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. And he's actually preaching that there's going to be another King come Jesus and replace Caesar, the King of the world at that time in the Roman Empire.

And so the Roman Empire actually went on, it really wasn't overturned but the world of individuals, this Jason and others who were a part of the church at that time, their world was turned upside down by the message that they heard when they changed, when they began to obey God.

And there is a lesson for us, the Gospel, the Word of God does change our lives, it can turn literally our world upside down. It did for me, it did for other members of my family when they began to really and truly understand the words of the Bible. It's an interesting statement, it's an interesting phrase and it does happen when God's word, the power of that word begins to work in our lives and turn our lives upside down. Something to think about as we look at world and as we look at our own personal lives and recognize at time, opportunity, and even a need to renew ourselves and to make certain changes and even revive our spiritual lives before God, to let the word of God turn our own lives upside down.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.