UPSIDE-DOWN PEOPLE

Intro

Peak Interest

Story of growing up Filipino in Bolton

What do you love most about YOU? (Culture, colour, family traditions)

Problem

Toronto (GTA) is the most diverse city in the world. Canada is a beautiful mosaic where we celebrate one another’s differences and take pride in our culture.

But this cultural pride also happens in the church. Could it be that we stopped CONTRIBUTING to church and just became CONSUMED with church?

CHURCH CULTURE can sometimes get in the way of JESUS CULTURE.

PHRASE THAT PAYS

Jesus is building an upside-down kingdom of upside-down people.

Body

Passage

In May, our youth ministry did a series of talks called “Church CLAP” following the acronym C.L.A.P. which are four words that describe who the church was when they first started.

Queue “Church Clap” by KB & Lecrae

Acts 2:42–47 (NIV)

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:47 NIV

47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

They were OUT as much as IN - There was as much “church” going on in church as much as there was outside church. There was as much loving God as there was loving PEOPLE (The Great Commandment - Matt. 22:34–40; Mk 12:28–31)

Soca growing up a COVID-dog

They were OUT to INCLUDE- The word “people” in original language in the verse means “the common people.” Before Jesus, this same word was only reserved for a specific group of people, the Jews, “God’s people.” Through Jesus, the new use of this word meant that God’s people were just PEOPLE!

Different types of girls for Sebastian

Jesus is building an upside-down kingdom of upside-down people.

And it’s not just a NT thing. In the OT, God wanted to reach people outside of “God’s people,” but there was also a group of people He needed to reach inside of God’s people, WOMEN!

Gen 1:27 - Male & Female are equally represent God

The Law (first five books) - Rights for women to protet themselves from unjust treatment.

Joshua - A non-Jewish woman’s faith in God saved her entire family from getting killed. Her name is Rahab and she is an ancestor of Jesus.

Ruth & Esther - Whole books dedicated to two women who did not settle for less.

Proverbs - Wisdom = A WOMAN

There was no other book in the Ancient Near East that empowered & protected women’s rights more than the OT/Hebrew Bible.

And in the New Testament, those who first spread the Good News that Jesus rose from dead were WOMEN. Today, most followers of Jesus all over the world are women of colour.

Jesus is building an upside-down kingdom of upside-down people. And not just people outside of church, but of people inside the church.

Point

1. What if the church can be where people ARE as much as where people GO?

Celebrate Youth Alpha in Calgary

Stories from Park Outreach

YOU ARE FA YOUTH BEYOND FA YOUTH

COVID-19 proved that the Church could be outside the building.

2. What if church can be for UPSIDE-DOWN PEOPLE instead of RIGHT-SIDE UP PEOPLE? What does that mean? Do not write people off. And don’t write yourself off.

Crumpling up a piece of paper instead of using white out or eraser?

Outro

Person

John 19:16–22 NIV

16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

King Jesus invited ALL PEOPLE into His UPSIDE-DOWN Kingdom

That title in v. 19 that was put on His cross was not only for Jews to read, but for anyone passing by from all corners of the world during the festival of Passover (Ethiopians, Greeks, Romans, Arabians, Egyptians, etc.).

Vancouver Airport Tri-lingual

King Jesus invited UPSIDE-DOWN PEOPLE into His UPSIDE-DOWN Kingdom.

Jesus was punished beside two other criminals. One of them made fun of him. The other one got real with him.

Luke 23:39–43 NIV

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

That day, a criminal was invited to the Kingdom. The King cleared His crimes.

Video of Kanye performing in prison (if possible)

WORSHIP TEAM COME UP WHILE VIDEO IS SHOWING.

In God’s eyes, we are all criminals. We have chosen to build our own kingdom, and our kingdom put the real King to death on a cross. He took the sentence for our crimes, our sin. Now the King is alive to prove that He can clear our criminal record if surrender our kingdom to His.

Jesus is building an upside-down kingdom of upside-down people.

Altar call 1: Give up your kingdom and surrender to King Jesus.

Altar call 2: The beauty of being a part of the upside-down Kingdom is that you’re not just some peasant in it. You are a king & queen alongside the King. You actually rule with King Jesus. But some of us have shrunk back to our old kingdom or have written ourselves off because we might think we’re a little too “upside-down.” (Name some examples)