The Upside-Down Gospel

In Deuteronomy, Chapter 12 and verse 8, the Bible says:

“You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes—“

With this lockdown, we cannot just do our own thing. It's not all about self-preservation.

In fact, as believers, we are to act in the opposite attitude and the opposite spirit.

Jesus says in Mark Chapter 8 and verse 35, that we have to deny ourselves if we are going to be His followers.

It is not about self-preservation.It is about doing things God’s way.

Verse 35 says:

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8:35

In fact, self-preservation is quite an ugly thing, don’t you think?

There is nothing worse than seeing somebody scrambling over others, pushing in, to get his own way.

Jesus says in Matthew 19:30, the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

I remember, very distinctly, being invited to a very up-market opening ceremony of a building that was being dedicated to The Lord.

I was invited by a very dear Zulu Christian man and he asked me to please come and be with him.

There were Heads of State from all over Africa.

It was a grand affair.

I must be honest. I felt totally out of place.

When I arrived there, there was a long boardroom table with many chairs and we were all directed into this beautiful, beautiful place and immediately we went and sat down at the bottom of the table because we were right out of our depth.

I will never forget it.

And there were people clambering to sit at the top of the table around this godly man.

Just before the event started a young man, an assistant to the chairman, came down to the bottom of the table and he said, “Your presence, Mr. Buchan, is required at the top of the table, next to the chairman.

Well, indeed, I was very honored, but the sad thing was, the guys who had been clambering for the first position, were told to go and sit at the bottom of the table.

Most embarrassing!

We have to prefer one another. We have to put other programs before our own.

You know, often the gospel is called, “the upside-down gospel”.

The Khoisan people call the baobab tree, the upside-down tree, because in the winter when the leaves are all off the tree, it looks like the roots are sticking up in the sky, and so it is with us as followers of Jesus Christ.

We are sometimes regarded as people who are following the upside-down gospel. Why?

Because Jesus said in Luke 14:27:

“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”Have a wonderful day!