Upset the World With the Love of Jesus

And it was at that very moment that I decided to walk away from Christianity.

We all have a boiling point, right? A point where we can only handle so much? Well, I had hit it.

I kept trying to go to church. I continually tried Bible studies, and getting into the rhythm of small groups. However, I met person after person that just seemed…angry. They wanted me to believe in Jesus and this “Holy Spirit” of His, but they had a funny way of showing it.

Not once did people talk to me about the Holy Spirit on a personal level, and what it meant to have the Holy Spirit inside of me. Instead, they just kept telling me I needed the “power of the Holy Spirit”, and I had no idea what that meant.

Then, I saw these same people put down others, mock their viewpoints, and not really mirror all this love Jesus talked about in the Bible. So I walked away from it all.

It wasn’t until I met my (now) husband that I met someone that just wanted to love like Jesus. He was different from everyone else. He seemed more concerned with how to change the world and get people to understand the love of Jesus, and how powerful that is.

I gave my life to Jesus, but it didn’t end there. It should never end there. I wanted to be like the Book of Acts and bring Jesus to the world in ways people could understand.

Enter Upset the World.

Note: I was given a copy of the book, Upset the World, by Tim Ross in exchange for a review. All opinions are completely my own. Also, if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you Blog About Blogger Network for hosting the giveaway.

What does it mean to “upset the world” for Jesus?

The book, Upset the World, by Tim Ross, is a riveting book that discusses everyday evangelism- how to go out into the world and teach them about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in a way that turns their lives upside down- in a good way.

In the introduction, Ross explains what he means by “upsetting the world.” 

“Maybe you thought this was a book telling you how you could make the world angry; however, I think most of us can agree that we don’t need a book to teach us how to do that. The world is already full with lots of angry people. To explain what it means to upset the world, we have to go back a couple thousand years.” (page 9).

He then explains the word “upset” in itself. The definition actually means “to disturb or derange completely.” He uses the literal translation of the word upset to teach us how to “upset the world” for Jesus. Better put:

“An upsetter is a person who has been upset by the overwhelming love of Jesus and upsets others.” (page 10)

He takes the Book of Acts, and the message that Paul and Silas shared with the world, to teach us how to spread the love and hope of Jesus. And God couldn’t have picked a better person to help explain this than author Tim Ross.

Click below to check it out!

Highlights of Upset the World

Pastor Tim Ross takes his book and divides it into 10 sections that explain different aspects of “upsetting the world.”

The first is starting with the basics: Upsetters Must Be Upset First. He goes through a process to make sure that the reader has fully given their life to Christ and is ready to share that same joy with others. 

From there, he explains in each chapter another thing about “upsetters.” For example, upsetters need the Holy Spirit, upsetters aren’t in control (wow, that’s a hard one!), upsetters love life, etc. In all of these, he is echoing one large point:

“Love was Jesus’ motivation to upset the world, and it should be ours too.” (pg 45)

One of my favorite parts of the book is how Tim Ross breaks down the both Jesus and Holy Spirit. I felt like each chapter had parts that just jumped off the page to me. The part about Jesus and the Holy Spirit that may have jumped out to me the most was this:

“The Holy Spirit didn’t come to draw glory to Himself. He came to lead us into the truth. Truth isn’t a philosophy or an ideology. Truth is a person, and His name is Jesus. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6, emphasis added). When the Holy Spirit leads people into truth He’s leading them to a person. He’s leading them to Jesus.” (page 52)

Reading this, I felt both the weight off of my shoulders and a pressure to tell the world the truth about Jesus, all at the same time.

I had so many people in my past try to tell me about Jesus, and they used what they called “the truth” to push their agenda. They would use scare tactics to convince me, telling me I was going straight to Hell unless I believed in Him (which is confusing to a person who doesn’t believe), and if I argued they would always respond the same: “I’m just telling you the truth.” 

Tim Ross uses scripture though to show that the truth is Jesus. The truth isn’t a scare tactic to force me to believe. Instead, the truth is a way to lead people to Jesus, then let the Holy Spirit work inside of them to reveal truths that no one else can. It becomes personal and relational. 

The biggest takeaway from Upset the World

The biggest takeaway for me was the fact that Pastor Tim Ross could explain both Jesus and the Holy Spirit on a personal level. He broke it down into tangible pieces that made it easier for us to go into the world, no matter who we are or what we do, and connect with people about Jesus in a way that they can understand.

Interest in upsetting the world?

Thanks to the Blog About Blogger Network, we have the opportunity to host a free GIVEAWAY. We are giving a free copy of Upset the World, as well as the study guide that goes with it! Pray With Confidence is also adding a small Amazon gift card with it. To enter, click on the Facebook page below!