EP 1: WHAT’S UP WITH “THE UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM?”

Christine chats with author, speaker, and Dallas Theological Professor, Dr. Sandra Glahn to explore this thing called, “The Upside Kingdom of God.” (If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry! They explain it without too much speaking Christianese.) They also talk about what it means to pursue God and his kingdom in our current cultural context and the daily practice of prioritizing God in our lives.

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We’ve highlighted some key points from this episode below. Feel free to share these on your blogs/feeds with proper attribution to the writer/speaker/podcast. Or stay tuned—we will be posting several of these verses and quotes, along with clips from this episode, on our IG page and you can save/share from there.

Scripture

Isaiah 53:5: He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.

Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

John 18:36: “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” – Jesus

John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” -Jesus

Matthew 13:44-46: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy, he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.” -Jesus

Quotes

“There’s a suffering servant before there’s a glorified king.” Dr. Sandra Glahn

“There is a part of the kingdom that is still promised that is the ‘not yet,’ but there is already a lot of the ‘already.’ So what does it look like to have our hope in the ‘not yet’ but live well in the ‘already?’” Christine Chandler Prater

“His kingdom is being spread like yeast in bread. It’s sort of invisible and yet it rises.” Dr. Sandra Glahn

“In the Kingdom of God, power is built on love and mercy.” Christine Chandler Prater

“In the beginning, God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since.” Voltaire, in his criticism of religion

“If God is God, isn’t it worth being curious and seeking the truth of who he is and how he purposed us to live in this world?” Christine Chandler Prater

“If the god we have today is not God, we need to fire him.” Dale Ryan

“If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” C.S. Lewis

“We’ve chosen a version of Christianity that doesn’t cost us anything. True discipleship of Jesus is an invitation to death. It costs everything and it’s worth everything.” Christine Chandler Prater

“Our priority must be the needs of the world in the name of Christ.” Dr. Sandra Glahn

“It’s only in the upside-down kingdom that death to self leads to abundant and eternal life.” Christine Chandler Prater

Resources

• Take The Holy Shift Quiz
• Buy a Bible
• BibleHub
• BibleProject
• DWELL Bible App
• How God Became King
• The Myth of the American Dream

Connections

Questions or comments about this episode? Contact Christine here or leave a comment below.