Upside Down Kingdom Quotes

Jesus used paradoxes to help us see the kingdom of God. His paradoxical statements turned the secular world upside down. As we have already noted, He said that 'whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.' He said that 'the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.' He said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.' He said that 'Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

If you have never driven an auto rikshaw through a rip in the fabric of space-time created by two giant, hippopotamus-sized birds, I strongly recommend wearing a bike helmet when you do so. And if your rikshaw doesn't have a seat belt, you should probably consider duct-taping yourself to the seat. Because I have never been on such a bumpy, upside-down, mentally and emotionally disturbing ride in my life. And I've been on some doozies.

Jesus turned upside down many of the social conventions of his time and place precisely because he was so concerned to place the instantiation of the Kingdom of God first in the minds of his followers.

We are to be agents of His great upside down Kindgom, where the outcasts are listened to, the broken are given dignity, and those suffering under the weight of sexual exploitation are rescued and healed.

The irony is that although the kingdom of God was the theme of Jesus’ preaching, the message of the kingdom is almost totally missing from the gospel that’s preached today. What’s the theme of most preaching today? It’s man’s personal salvation, isn’t it? It’s not the kingdom of God.

We go along, taking for granted that tomorrow will be very much like today, comfortable in the world we have created for ourselves, secure in the established order we have learned to live with, however imperfect it may be, and give little thought to God at all. Somehow, then, God must contrive to break through those routines of ours and remind us once again, like Israel, that we are ultimately dependent only upon him, that he has made us and destined us for life with him through all eternity, that the things of this world and this world itself are not our lasting city, that his we are and that we must look to him and turn to him in everything. Then it is, perhaps, that he must allow our whole world to be turned upside down in order to remind us it is not our permanent abode or final destiny, to bring us to our senses and restore our sense of values, to turn our thoughts once more to him—even if at first our thoughts are questioning and full of reproaches. Then it is that he must remind us again, with terrible clarity, that he meant exactly what he said in those seemingly simple words of the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not be anxious about what you shall eat, or what you shall wear, or where you shall sleep, but seek first the kingdom of God and his justice.

Jesus is saying that God’s kingdom begins in you when you come to the end of yourself and realize you have nothing to offer.

He begins to introduce us to the great kingdom paradox: at the end of me, I find real life in him.

Jesus’ baptism is not a nice ceremony, a religious formality.  It was a radical declaration of Gods kingdom, His righteousness, and the upside-down order of things.

In religious circles the term spiritual tops the sacred ladder, but the word social slips to the bottom.

Jesus is building an upside-down kingdom where outcasts have their feet washed, the marginalized are welcomed, and dehumanized people feel humanized once again. Where truth is upheld, celebrated, and proclaimed. Where those who fall short of that truth are loved.

To be an incarnational follower of Christ, there must be a relinquishing of control, a reversal of social order. According to the natural perceptions of this world, it’s an upside-down kingdom. But it’s a kingdom of God-saturated imagination. It’s the way of the Cross.

Every kingdom has four basic components: (1) a ruler or rulers, (2) subjects, (3) a domain or area of rulership, and (4) laws. God’s kingdom is no different. It has a ruler, subjects, domain, and laws. However, because God’s kingdom is a revolutionary kind of kingdom, these four basic components take on unique aspects.

The kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom. It beckons us to gamble all, to trust radically, to come and die so that we might live--to give our lives away. Giving life away is a paradox. It's losing so we can win. It's giving so we can receive. It's risking for security. It's faith. The kingdom of God means living that tension.

THE INCARNATION AND THE “UPSIDE-DOWN” ASPECT OF THE GOSPEL Because Jesus was the king who became a servant, we see a reversal of values in his kingdom administration (Luke 6:20 – 26). In Jesus’ kingdom, the poor, sorrowful, and persecuted are above the rich, recognized, and satisfied. The first shall be last (Matt 19:30). Why would this be? This reversal is a way of imitating the pattern of Christ’s salvation (Phil 2:1–11). Though Jesus was rich, he became poor. Though he was a king, he served. Though he was the greatest, he made himself the servant of all. He triumphed over sin not by taking up power but by serving sacrificially. He “won” through losing everything. This is a complete reversal of the world’s way of thinking, which values power, recognition, wealth, and status. The gospel, then, creates a new kind of servant community, with people who live out an entirely alternate way of being human.

She saw the different times at sea—calm blue days, raw pea-green ones, others when the skies turned black and thunderbolts blasted the masts, and the galloping waves. The ship then leaned this way, another way, seeming to want to throw herself right over and upside down. Had Art ever been frightened? Maybe only once. One of the earliest memories, this. Molly standing braced, holding Art, two or three years old, in her arms. ‘What a spectacle!’ cried Molly. ‘Look—how beautiful it is!’ And then, ‘Don’t ever be afraid of the sea. She’s the best friend out kind have got. Better than any land, however fair. Respect the sea, yes, but don’t ever think what the sea does is cruel or unjust. People are that. The sea is only herself. And this ship—she’s lucky. She’s friends with this sea. They know how to behave with each other.’ Exactly then, a great green salt wave swamped the decks. Canvas was being hauled in, Molly’s crew clutching and swinging like monkeys along the masts. Art and Molly, soaked, and Molly saying, ‘And even if we went down, don’t fear that either. Those that the sea keeps sleep among mermaids and pearls and sunken kingdoms. You wouldn’t mind that, would you, love?

It seems that in the kingdom of Heaven, the cosmic lottery works in reverse; in the kingdom of Heaven, all of our notions of the lucky and the unlucky, the blessed and the cursed, the haves and the have-nots, are turned upside down. In the kingdom of Heaven, the last will be first and the first will be last. In India, I realised that while the poor and oppressed certainly deserve my compassion and help, they do not need my pity. Widows and orphans and lepers and untouchables enjoy special access to the Gospel that I do not have. They benefit immediately from the Good News that freedom is found not in retribution but in forgiveness, that real power belongs not to the strong but to the merciful, that joy comes not from wealth but from generosity. The rest of us have to get used to the idea that we cannot purchase love or fight for peace or find happiness in high positions. Those of us who have never suffered are at a disadvantage because Jesus invites His followers to fellowship in His suffering. In fact, the first thing Jesus did in His sermon on the mount was to mess with our assumptions about the cosmic lottery. In Luke’s account, Jesus says, "Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:20-21; 24-25) It seems that the kingdom of God is made up of the least of these. To be present among them is to encounter what the Celtic saints called “thin spaces”, places or moments in time in which the veil separating heaven and earth, the spiritual and the material, becomes almost transparent. I’d like to think that I’m a part of this kingdom, even though my stuff and my comforts sometimes thicken the veil. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – these are God things, and they are available to all, regardless of status or standing. Everything else is just extra, and extra can be a distraction. Extra lulls us into the complacency and tricks us into believing that we need more than we need. Extra makes it harder to distinguish between God things and just things.

So when people ask me whether I preach the gospel to the poor, I echo the words of St. Francis: "It is no use walking anywhere to preach, unless our walking is our preaching." In other words, unless I am living the upside-down kingdom of God, it is simply absurd to go around talking about it.

Why did dinner at the Watson’s have his insides turning upside down and then back up again? Gads. And ‘twas as if his fingers were the size of potatoes from the way he had to keep fussing with his cravat that refused to tie properly. He glanced at the clock on the dresser again before fastidiously fastening his hair behind his head for the tenth time. They would be expecting him within the hour.  Sighing, he shook his head. The kiss he’d almost shared with Kitty yesterday had robbed every thought since. The nervous excitement that circled his limbs kept every muscle weightless and somehow simultaneously heavy. He pushed out a quick breath and stepped back from the mirror to assess his appearance from a distance. Well, not the picture of masculine perfection that he’d like, but it would do. He always seemed to receive the greatest amount of smiles from passing ladies when he wore this navy suit, so perhaps Kitty would... Blast! He spun for the door and started down the stairs as the bothersome thoughts continued to tickle his mind. Had she wanted it too? The kiss? It seemed so. Thankfully she’d been the stronger one and moved away before their fate was sealed. For surely if he had kissed her, it would have been the end of him. Snatching

God wants your heart to desire Him - true life - more than you desire the dream...If we want to live a life of supernatural power and abundance, then we must first be willing to lay down our lives and dreams. If our dreams are from God, they will be resurrected back to life, producing much fruit and bringing Him glory.

You have two choices when a spiritual attack occurs in your life. You can react in the natural and exacerbate the situation, or you can choose to respond in the opposite spirit to how your flesh feels and watch God move and fight the battle on your behalf. He'll exchange your weakness for strength.

A trustworthy spiritual compass is absolutely necessary when it comes to navigating our feelings and circumstances, and true north is the Word of God...When we decide to go by what feels right, rather than trusting the instrument God has given us to live by, we risk getting lost and losing our way.

If you are faced with making a decision between two things and you are tempted to take the road that looks good and feels better, take a moment and ask God what He wants you to do. Go to His Word. Ask for wisdom. Watch for others to confirm it. Pray and fast. Maybe the narrow road will lead to the greatest opportunity even if it seems insignificant at the time.

It's contrary to human nature to serve and love others first, and to position ourselves 'last.' The only way we can do this is if we love and serve God first. When we make loving Him our priority, we are secure enough to allow others to go before us, knowing there will always be enough for us all in God's kingdom. When our hearts are content to trust God at His Word, we don't need to strive to be first.

Keep in mind, it's not that Jesus doesn't want us to be great. John 15:8 says, 'This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit.' He doesn't want our greatness to be about us. He wants us to reflect God's greatness.

We are called to serve Christ - not so that we can become famous, but so that we can reveal the love of Jesus to a world that does not know Him. We are called to serve others, not to be served by others. We need to be like Jesus not just in word, but also in deed.

We need to stop and ask ourselves, 'Am I representing Jesus well? Am I acting like Jesus would have acted? Not because we have to, but because we know that to be a follower of Christ means to follow His ways. And that means all His ways, including serving one another in humility.

Each suitor was faced with three boxes: a gold one, a silver one, and a lead one - each with corresponding clues. Whoever chose the gold box would earn what many men desired. Whoever chose the silver box would earn what many men deserved. And whoever chose the lead box would be required to give and risk all he had... since Portia was the pearl of great price, he must be willing to give everything and all that he had in order to have a true chance of winning her hand and her heart. Shakespeare's play - The Merchant of Venice

God is more interested in what is going on inside your heart than your external behavior. He is not concerned with your religious practice. He wants a heart soft, teachable, and bent toward obeying His voice. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and obey Him, even when it's costly and doesn't make sense outwardly. When you do, you reveal the glory of God.

His power is made perfect in our weakness, and when we feel the weakest, we can overcome through Him. When the world sees that we can forgive those who hurt us, and we choose to love instead, they will know that we are truly disciples of Jesus (John 13:35).

When the Kingdom of Heaven invades the Earth, the powers of darkness, including infirmities and incurable diseases, are broken. This is how the apostles turned the world upside down, because they knew they had powers, superhuman powers from another world. You are more than an apostle. You are more than a prophet. You are more than a pastor. You are a King! Your church must become a church that dethrones, dismantles, and disrobes principalities. The Bible says, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church

It's why I despised prosperity gospel and developed a strong distaste for the ministers who preached it. I hated how they manipulated believers in their quest for wealth instead of souls. If allowed to, they would've flipped folks upside down, in the name of Jesus, and claimed every penny plummeting from their threadbare pockets... To earnest but beguiled believers, their pastors' prosperity was proof of the promise of their own. But they failed to grasp prosperity gospel's greatest hidden irony: believers' sacrificial giving ensured their pastors were the only ones, regardless of faith or sacrifice, guaranteed to prosper," —Roland Wade

have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth." Ecclesiastes 10:7 Upstarts frequently usurp the highest places, while the truly great pine in obscurity. This is a riddle in providence whose solution will one day gladden the hearts of the upright; but it is so common a fact, that none of us should murmur if it should fall to our own lot. When our Lord was upon earth, although he is the Prince of the kings of the earth, yet he walked the footpath of weariness and service as the Servant of servants: what wonder is it if his followers, who are princes of the blood, should also be looked down upon as inferior and contemptible persons? The world is upside down, and therefore, the first are last and the last first. See how the servile sons of Satan lord it in the earth! What a high horse they ride! How they lift up their horn on high! Haman is in the court, while Mordecai sits in the gate; David wanders on the mountains, while Saul reigns in state; Elijah is complaining in the cave while Jezebel is boasting in the palace; yet who would wish to take the places of the proud rebels? and who, on the other hand, might not envy the despised saints? When the wheel turns, those who are lowest rise, and the highest sink. Patience, then, believer, eternity will right the wrongs of time. Let us not fall into the error of letting our passions and carnal appetites ride in triumph, while our nobler powers walk in the dust. Grace must reign as a prince, and make the members of the body instruments of righteousness. The Holy Spirit loves order, and he therefore sets our powers and faculties in due rank and place, giving the highest room to those spiritual faculties which link us with the great King; let us not disturb the divine arrangement, but ask for grace that we may keep under our body and bring it into subjection. We were not new created to allow our passions to rule over us, but that we, as kings, may reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.

If you have not yet learned from experience, you will eventually discover that leaders: • Are easy targets to criticize • Attract unwarranted skepticism • Cannot satisfy every expectation • Initiate change (which makes people feel insecure) • Experience betrayal, denial, and abandonment

I have the clear impression that Paul is not only outGnosticising the Gnostics, not only turning their priorities upside down, but also engaging in a little sarcasm.

The current spirit of our country inclines us to be troubled. It’s a sensible temptation. How can any one person or small group of people make a difference? How can we change and renew things so that our children grow up in a better world? We come back to a question suggested at the start of this book: How can we live in joy, and serve the common good as leaven, in a culture that no longer shares what we believe? The answer to that question springs from a simple historical fact: On a quiet Sunday morning two thousand years ago, God raised Jesus of Nazareth from the dead. This small moment, unseen by any human eye, turned the world upside down and changed history forever. It confirmed Jesus’ victory over death and evil. It liberated those living and dead who lay in bondage to their sins. An anonymous ancient homily for Holy Saturday, speaking in the voice of Jesus Christ, reminds us of the full import of his resurrection: I am your God, who for your sake [has] become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants, I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. Jesus rose from the dead so that we could be joined to him and his victory. Believers know that Jesus was not only victorious then, in Jerusalem. He’ll also come in royal glory at the end of time, when he will judge the living and the dead. At Christ’s second coming, his kingdom will fully arrive. His reign will be complete. The time in which we find ourselves is an interim one. We may struggle as we seek to follow Jesus, but we also remember the great victories of our King: the victory in the past and the victory certain to come. And those victories give us hope. Hope

A church that truly understands the implications of the biblical gospel, letting the “word of Christ dwell in [it] richly” (Col 3:16), will look like an unusual hybrid of various church forms and stereotypes. Because of the inside-out, substitutionary atonement aspect, the church will place great emphasis on personal conversion, experiential grace renewal, evangelism, outreach, and church planting. This makes it look like an evangelical-charismatic church. Because of the upside-down, kingdom/incarnation aspect, the church will place great emphasis on deep community, cell groups or house churches, radical giving and sharing of resources, spiritual disciplines, racial reconciliation, and living with the poor. This makes it look like an Anabaptist “peace” church. Because of the forward-back, kingdom/restoration aspect, the church will place great emphasis on seeking the welfare of the city, neighborhood and civic involvement, cultural engagement, and training people to work in “secular” vocations out of a Christian worldview. This makes it look like a mainline church or, perhaps, a Kuyperian Reformed church. Very few churches, denominations, or movements integrate all of these ministries and emphases. Yet I believe that a comprehensive view of the biblical gospel — one that grasps the gospel’s inside-out, upside-down, and forward-back aspects — will champion and cultivate them all. This is what we mean by a Center Church.

we elevate what we deem beautiful, endeavor to create spheres of pristine beauty, and perhaps rightly so, for “whatever is good, pure, lovely, think on these things.” But I wonder if maybe in the upside-down kingdom of God, what we regard as unlovely is, in Jesus, lovely. Because somewhere, underneath the grime of this broken world, everything has the radiant fingerprints of God on it. Seeing the world with Jesus’ eyes, we have the astonishing opportunity to daily love the unlovely into loveliness.

Bel Air (music) Fresh Prince". About how My life upside down backwards. I would like to take a moment. Sitting there I can tell you that I was a prince of a town called Bel Air. Born in West Philadelphia. I spent most of my court date. All is well for fun "Relaxin" Maxi. And every school to take some balls B-. When a few good ones. The problem started in my field. I had to struggle a little afraid of my mother. He said: "You went to live with her aunt and uncle in Bel Air.". I confess and diary But boxed me on my way. He kissed me and I gave him my card. I put my Walkman and said. "I can" I first layer is bad. Champagne glass of orange juice consumption. This is what people who live in Bel Air? Ah, this could be good But wait, I hear you're a prude, all middle class. This is a place where you just need to write a cool cat? I do not I do not know, but I do not understand. I hope you're ready for Prince of Bel-Air. Good landing, and I A police man at my name. However, any attempt to stop. I just moved here I grew up at a high speed, I lost. I whistled for a cab and asked him to come. Put the dice "live" and a mirror. If what I say in the cab are small. But I thought, "No, we must not forget.". -. "I'm home Bel Air". I went to the house about seven or eight. The taxi driver where I wanted to scream. "I do not smell it.". I looked at my kingdom. Eventually, I was able When he sat on the throne, Prince of Bel Air.

But God beckons from our brokenness, breaks in through the back door, invites us to encounter him in our insecurities, sits in our suffering, waiting for us to join him there. And when his grace rather than our glory becomes the starting point, there’s freedom to enter the world as it is, to not ignore or sugarcoat the pain but to call it what it is and graciously give our lives away for his glory there, as signposts of the upside-down, resurrecting kingdom.

The values of His Kingdom are upside down compared to the world's values—the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

Somehow, then, God must contrive to break through those routines of ours and remind us once again, like Israel, that we are ultimately dependent only upon him, that he has made us and destined us for life with him through all eternity, that the things of this world and this world itself are not our lasting city, that his we are and that we must look to him and turn to him in everything. Then it is, perhaps, that he must allow our whole world to be turned upside down in order to remind us it is not our permanent abode or final destiny, to bring us to our senses and restore our sense of values, to turn our thoughts once more to him—even if at first our thoughts are questioning and full of reproaches. Then it is that he must remind us again, with terrible clarity, that he meant exactly what he said in those seemingly simple words of the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not be anxious about what you shall eat, or what you shall wear, or where you shall sleep, but seek first the kingdom of God and his justice.

Jesus said in Luke 6, 'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.' (v. 27). And that's what we are called to do.

The Holy Spirit living in us allows us to react positively, which is contrary to the negativity coming our way. As a result, we exchange generosity for greed. We exchange peace for stress. We exchange excellence for laziness. We exchange silence and wholesome words for gossip...forgiveness and kindness for slander.

I have been able to apply these principles in every season, whether it's been up or down: 1. The secret to greatness is to serve. 2. The secret to prosperity is to first give. 3. The secret to your best life is to lay down what you think is the best life and follow God's steps to the most abundant life. As I've followed God to find my way to what He has called me to do, I have discovered His opposite principle regarding greatness. My purpose and destiny are not found in self-service but in first serving a vision that is greater than my own. -Danny Gokey

Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all. - Mark 9:35

God is more interested in what is going on inside your heart than your external behavior*... Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and obey Him, even when it's costly and doesn't make sense outwardly. When you do, you reveal the glory of God. *For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. -I Samuel 16:7

There are a number of lessons we can learn about the opposite life when it comes to true living. 1. We must die if we are to live. 2. We must surrender everything in order to keep anything. 3. We must lose ourselves in order to find ourselves. Charles Spurgeon said it like this: 'You must be slain by the sword of the Spirit before you can be made alive by the breath of the Spirit.

Are you in a situation right now that looks opposite to the direction you thought God was leading you in? Ask God how you can best serve with excellence wherever He has you now, and allow Him to refine you from the inside out. Repent of any disappointment and choose to serve as unto God. Let go of thinking your season of serving should be over, because a true master will always be a servant.

Love disarms those who hate us. Generosity disarms those who steak from us. Kindness disarms those who are mean to us. Encouragement disarms those who are critical of us. an apology disarms those who want to hold an offense against us. Forgiveness disarms those who want revenge against us.

I tend to categorize my emotions the same way I categorize my drawers, trying to put like things together. To separate the jeans from the pajamas. If I’m sad, I can’t also be happy. If I’m longing, then I must not be satisfied. But I’m learning in this upside down and inside out kingdom of spirit beings walking around in broken bodies, we are not just one way. Sorrow and peace shake hands in the corner with laughter, anger, and fear. Desire and disappointment often keep company with one another on the bench. You can realize this in any number of ways: laughing at a funeral, pain during childbirth, crying at graduation. We have all experienced the reality of a multicolored life….hope and grief mixed up all together, just like that. You feel the desire of what could be, alongside the disappointment of what is.

The message is clear: slow is bad; fast is good. But in the upside-down kingdom, our value system is turned on its head: hurry is of the devil; slow is of Jesus, because Jesus is what love looks like in flesh and blood.

The most astonishing, countercultural truth in the kingdom of Jesus is that love and acceptance have zero basis in worth or accomplishment. A billionaire in the Upper East Side in New York City is no more worthy of love and acceptance than the schizophrenic homeless man sleeping in an alley in the Bronx. Before any of us build a business or declare bankruptcy, before we earn a PhD or drop out of high school, before we establish a soup kitchen or star in a porn video, we are equally loved by the God who shows no favoritism. Our personal success does not attract his love, nor does our failure expand or contract it. The God who is love loves us indiscriminately, passionately, furiously. That love was on cosmic display when, atop a Roman tree of crucifixion, Jesus became the millionaire and the addict, the nun and the stripper, the newborn baby and the wrinkled octogenarian. All humanity—with its sores and wounds and twisted souls and barren lives and evil-infested pasts—he became, that all humanity might become, in him, resplendent in the eyes of the Father.

Herein lies the gut check that every parent must settle before the mission begins: Do we want Metroville Christianity or real kingdom Christianity to be the story we call our children into? Do we want normal kids, or do we want kids who march to a different drum? Do we want kids who can stand against the currents of normal life and who can innovate and create all that’s new and good in their world? Do we want upside-down kids? Living

In this upside-down kingdom, what role does self-control play? Ultimately, what is it for?

I want to list here what I think were some of Jesus’ beliefs. The following are taken directly from my friend and longtime mentor Bart Tarman. There are twelve beliefs in his list, but Scripture shows us many others as well. Jesus believed that God is like a daddy. Jesus believed that faith is the key to opening every door—not correct thinking but childlike trust. Jesus believed in love. Jesus believed in humility. Jesus believed that dying is the key to living. Jesus believed that everyone is welcome. Jesus believed that the best life is lived in community. Jesus believed in being generous. Jesus believed that change comes from the inside out. Jesus believed in an upside-down Kingdom. An opposite world. If you’re rich, you’re poor. Be friends to enemies. Live to die. Be a child to be mature. Become empty to be full. Forgive to be forgiven. Jesus believed in empathy—treating others the way we want to be treated. Jesus believed in forgiveness, received and given.[1]

Why does Jesus intrude? He’s on a God-directed mission to seek and save what was lost. Jesus sought out Zacchaeus. He didn’t just wait for people to come to him. He is an invading king, coming to get his kingdom. Jesus began his life’s work announcing that God was now gently intruding into the world. “The kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). So like a king, Jesus moves in and takes charge. But what a strange kingdom: the poor, outcasts, prostitutes, Samaritans, and women! No wonder Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). It’s an upside-down kingdom. With a final touch of love, Jesus turns and blesses Zacchaeus: “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). Jesus’ name in Hebrew means “God saves.” Jesus saved Zacchaeus by associating with him, thus taking upon himself Zacchaeus’ bad reputation. Salvation worked by substitution: that’s how love works.

I found that the solemn recognition that our world is very fragile is universal. And yet attentive ears can hear the ancient whisper reminding us that another world is possible.

But sadly in this world, the self-centered rich and powerful rule and oppress and subjugate the weak and powerless. Like the poor, they are also not living out their purpose and design. They are also a horrible and ugly caricature of the image of God. So what then would the restoration of God’s Kingdom on earth mean for humankind? I believe it means the restoration of everything back to God’s original design beginning with what it means to be human. All dominion, authority and power would be destroyed (1 Cor.15:24-25, Jer.1:10). The values of this world would be turned upside down. “Mountains” would come down for “valleys” to be filled and raised up (Lk.3:4:14). Wealth and power and poverty and oppression, will all be levelled out (2 Cor.8:13).

this stuff runs counter to the ways people think. It says up is down and trash is treasure. He begins to introduce us to the great kingdom paradox: at the end of me, I find real life in him.

God’s Kingdom is upside down and inside out,” Gabriel said quite seriously. “Worldly values and ways are generally the opposite of God’s ways. Since the devil is the god of this age,(70) that’s to be expected. God’s Kingdom is within us,(71) so we need to think and act from the inside out. We are spirit, soul and body, not body, soul and spirit. Instead of gratifying the flesh, protecting the ego or seeking materialistic goals, we need to make our mind, emotions and will conform to the things of the spirit, the ways of God.”(72)