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Mission Upside Down

by MUD Media

For 2000 years, the followers of Jesus have been on a mission, even as Jesus himself was on a mission. Often wrongly understood as “saving souls,” this mission of Jesus actually is about bringing people into a new kingdom, a new reality. Life in this new kingdom requires not only a change of heart and mind, but a change in life-purpose and worldview. As Jesus himself observes, there are not many people who will want this change. But for those who are changed by God inwardly, life in this new kingdom, brings new meaning and purpose in life. Everyone who becomes part of this new kingdom finds that almost all their prior beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and perspectives become turned “upside down.”

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Episodes

  1. #176 Pausing the Podcast

    Having begun our podcast “Mission Upside Down” in July, 2020, we have decided to take a break. The Lord has been bringing us into new phases in our lives and leading us to new projects. One project is the potential planting of a new church in the greater Toronto area. May the Lord Jesus continue…

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  2. #175 Pursuing Peace

    When Jesus was born, a host of angels sang about glory to God and about peace on earth. If there’s anything that should characterize believers and our life together in the church, it should be our peaceful relationships.

  3. #174 Repairing Relationships

    These are days of strong political opinions and sharp disagreements. Not only in society, but also in the church. In this episode we’ll learn about repairing our relationships and deepening our friendships.

  4. #173 A Biblical Way to Encourage Churches

    The New Testament clearly teaches that each church must be supervised by pastors and elders. What isn’t so clear is whether local churches should belong to broader church assemblies and yield to decisions made by these assemblies.

  5. #172 Setting Our Hearts on God’s Things

    God instructs us in the tenth commandment not to covet the wrong things. It’s a call to discover our deepest desires. Jesus rightly observes, “Where your treasure is, there is your heart.” Where is your heart?

  6. #171 How To Talk Rightly to People

    In our heated political climate today, it’s easy to speak wrongly to people. And about them. The ninth commandment reminds us how God wants us to guard our words carefully.

  7. #170 Loving Money and Possessions Too Much

    Why are we tempted to steal, cheat, and defraud people? The words of Jesus and James explain our motives for violating the eighth commandment.

  8. #169 Sex and the Seventh Commandment

    In the seventh commandment God not only prohibits adultery, but all types of sexual immorality. In this episode we explore how God safeguards our marriages and multiplies our joy as we obey Him.

  9. #168 Have You Murdered Anyone Lately?

    Jesus interprets the Ten Commandments in a deeper sense than the Jewish rabbis. He applies them not only to our actions but also to our attitudes and motivations. Thus, under the Sixth Commandment we are judged guilty

  10. #167 Honoring and Obeying Parents

    Children must respect and obey their parents out of love for Jesus. A special promise applies to those who do. Today we explore the fifth commandment.

  11. #166 Our Sabbath Rest

    In the fourth commandment, God’s people are told to remember the Sabbath day. It’s the 7th day of the week, corresponding to our Saturday. Why do most believers no longer worship on the Sabbath? And how can we apply this commandment today?

  12. #165 Using God’s Name Rightly

    Like the first two commandments, the third one is also a prohibition. We are prohibited from using God’s name in unbiblical ways. Not only will we learn some of those wrong ways, but we will consider how to use God’s name rightly.

  13. #164 Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth

    The second commandment is about our worship of God. We must not represent God by any images, or other visible means. We also consider two opposing ways to decide what to include in our worship services.

  14. #163 God’s Rules in Our Relationship with Him

    For believers, the main use of the Ten Commandments is known as the normative use. That is, God’s laws are the norms, the standards, for living thankful lives once we are saved. We also explore the meaning of the first commandment.

  15. #162 Why Has God Given Us His Laws?

    In popular thinking, laws are regarded as bad things. People think that laws get in their way, restricting their freedoms. Indeed, some human laws are bad. God’s laws, however, are perfect and are given for our benefit.

  16. #161 Always Rejoicing in Jesus

    It’s easy to over-simplify the commands in these verses. That if only believers could wave a kind of magic wand, all their worries will disappear. In this episode we try to carefully interpret and apply important biblical teachings.

  17. #160 Dealing with Our Anxieties

    Continuing our look at Philippians 4, we ask if it’s possible to be rejoicing always. It really depends on our definition of biblical joy, and, most importantly, the meaning of our being in the Lord Jesus.

  18. #159 Evaluating Church Life Honestly

    No local church is perfect. That’s because it is made up of imperfect believers. In a new series on Philippians 4 about Christian joy, we set this topic in its proper context. The Apostle Paul writes honestly about some of the struggles in that congregation.

  19. #158 The Mask of Masculinity Part 2

    We look at three more masks that men wear, according to Lewis Howes: the aggressive mask, the joker mask, and the know-it-all-mask. For better and deeper friendships, we must start to remove these masks.

  20. #157 The Mask of Masculinity Part 1

    Scientific studies show that the #1 factor in ordinary human happiness is our social relationships. That includes our friendships. From a book written by Lewis Howes, we will explore what gets in the way of close friendships.

  21. #156 Mask-Wearing Men

    Most men aren’t good at being open or vulnerable. We look at some reasons for that. In addition to (perhaps) having spouses and extended families, men need friendships with other men.

  22. #155 God’s Friendship with His People

    Several books in the Old Testament refer to God’s friendship with the people He has redeemed. We will take a quick survey of several Biblical texts. We also consider some practical steps for building deeper friendships.

  23. #154 Learning from Jesus about Friendship

    The night before he was crucified, Jesus spoke at length about his love for his eleven faithful disciples. He specifically called them his friends–his deeply-loved friends. In today’s episode we begin to examine the biblical concept of friendship.

  24. #153 Leading Funeral Services - Part 2

    In the second part, the pastors discuss other matters connected to funerals. Among other things, they talk about the difference in tone and emotion at the funeral of an older believer compared to someone much younger, about typical words spoken at the gravesite, and so on.

  25. #152 Leading Funeral Services - Part 1

    From time to time, pastors are asked to lead funeral services for people in their church who have died. In this episode two pastors talk about their experience in leading funerals–both the challenges and the blessings.

  26. #151 Heaven

    Our limited minds cannot fully comprehend the glories of heaven. Yet God has told us enough about heaven to encourage us on this earth. As we’ve trusted in Jesus, someday we will enter that heavenly place He’s already prepared for us.

  27. #150 The Valley of the Shadow of Death

    Whether we’re grieving the death of a loved one, or standing alongside those who are grieving, Jesus is with us. Psalm 23 reminds us that our Good Shepherd walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.

  28. #149 Good Grief

    The Bible speaks of death as our enemy. In Christ, death is a defeated enemy, but it remains our enemy nonetheless. Therefore we rightly grieve and mourn the deaths of those we love.

  29. #148 How Pastors Can Get Trained - Part 2

    In the second part of this conversation, the pastors discuss some of the advantages of this unique model of training. They also explore the need for leadership training and the role of mentoring for making disciples in the context of the church.

  30. #147 How Pastors Can Get Trained - Part 1

    Traditionally, pastors get educated in seminaries. They pass their courses and receive their degrees. In today’s conversation, two experienced pastors talk about a different model used by some churches for training their pastors.

  31. #146 A Field Report

    Randal recently visited one of the churches he had served years ago. In this episode he reflects on conversations with various pastors and church members.

  32. #145 How Pastors Can Find Help

    Continuing the conversation, Randal and Mitchell suggest ways for pastors to find help in their ministries. Under-shepherds today need to be strengthened and encouraged so that they, in turn, can strengthen and encourage their flocks.

  33. #144 Some Dangers and Temptations for Pastors

    Two pastors, Randal and Mitchell, talk about certain dangers and temptations for pastors today. Along with the Apostle Paul himself, they conclude that pastors, at times, are weak. They are also prone to pride

  34. #143 Pastors Are Shepherds

    The word most often used in the New Testament for preachers, or ministers, is the word “pastor.” Literally, a pastor is a shepherd, the leader of a flock of sheep. In this episode we learn about some of the duties and the character of pastors

  35. #142 Becoming More of an Acts 2 Church - Part 2

    What else can help a church become more like an Acts 2 church? Among other things, the pastors discuss sharing meals together, meeting in small groups, praying for one another, and serving others in a spirit of humility.

  36. #141 Becoming More of an Acts 2 Church – Part 1

    Today we’re beginning a conversation with a pastor of a church in Toronto. With Acts 2:42-47 as a starting point, we talk about how churches and its people can become more like the Church described in the Book of Acts.

  37. #140 The Spiritually Unhoused

    Recent statistics show that many people who consider themselves believers are dropping out of church. They’ve become spiritually homeless, unhoused. Why is this happening?

  38. #139 The Kingdom of God Today

    Jesus’ main message in the gospels is about the coming of the Kingdom of God. There are two very different ways to interpret the meaning of the kingdom. Each way will impact your understanding of prophecies about the End Times.

  39. #138 The One People of God

    Does God have one plan for the Jews to be saved, and a second plan for the Gentiles to be saved? Contrary to what preachers say today, the Bible shows God’s plan for Jews and Gentiles to belong to one Body of Christ, one Church, and one Kingdom.

  40. #137 God’s Blessing Upon Israel

    Many believers think that God commands us to ‘bless’ Israel today. And if we don’t, we will come under God’s curse. So let’s look at the specific promise God makes to Abraham in Genesis 12, and let’s learn how those promises are ultimately fulfilled.

  41. #136 A Boring Testimony?

    It’s common in many churches to hear dramatic conversion stories–how people were delivered from a life of crime or drugs to faith in Jesus. But what about believers whose conversions weren’t so dramatic? Today’s episode comes from our podcast archives.

  42. #135 On Becoming a New Person

    Here’s another powerful excerpt from C.S. Lewis. He echoes the Apostle Paul in referring to believers as “New Creatures” or “New People.” We aren’t just improved people; we are transformed people when we are in Christ.

  43. #134 The Christ-Life Explained by C.S. Lewis

    C.S. Lewis is one of the most popular authors of the 20th century. His book, Mere Christianity, has sold millions of copies and has been translated into dozens of languages. Listen as Lewis explains the Christ-Life in us.

  44. #133 Crossing the Last Thresholds

    According to the book, “I Once Was Lost,” being converted to faith in Jesus is process. Sometimes, a long process. The authors describe five stages, or thresholds, in this process.

  45. #132 The Process of Conversion

    In a recent book about conversion, the authors describe how most non-believers have to cross five “thresholds.” In this episode, we’ll explain why we probably can’t analyze conversion so neatly. But we must be thinking about where our non-believing friends are on their journey of faith.

  46. #131 A Conversation with Lochlan

    Raised in an atheistic family, Lochlan was recently converted to faith in Jesus. Though God converts us by His sovereign grace, He uses various instruments to do that. Lochlan explains how this happened in his life.

  47. #130 Being Converted

    We’re beginning a series on how God converts people to faith in Jesus. Today’s episode comes from our podcast archives. It gives basic biblical teaching about conversion and gives examples of people who have been converted.

  48. #129 Christians Share in Christ’s Anointing

    The apostle John says that all believers “have an anointing from the Holy One.” Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit, and we share in his anointing. United with Christ, we serve as prophets, priests, and kings in various ways.

  49. #128 Jesus is the Greatest Prophet, Priest, and King

    Though the work of redemption was Jesus’ most important work, the Bible teaches us about other aspects of his work. These aspects are seen in the Old Testament offices of prophet, priest, and king.

  50. #127 The Most Important Work of Jesus

    Jesus spoke many words and did many works while he lived on this earth about 2000 years ago. But there is one thing Jesus did which should be considered his most important work. That work is highlighted in the meaning of his name.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

For 2000 years, the followers of Jesus have been on a mission, even as Jesus himself was on a mission. Often wrongly understood as “saving souls,” this mission of Jesus actually is about bringing people into a new kingdom, a new reality. Life in this new kingdom requires not only a change of heart and mind, but a change in life-purpose and worldview. As Jesus himself observes, there are not many people who will want this change. But for those who are changed by God inwardly, life in this new kingdom, brings new meaning and purpose in life. Everyone who becomes part of this new kingdom finds that almost all their prior beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and perspectives become turned “upside down.”

HOSTED BY

MUD Media

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Mission Upside Down have?

Mission Upside Down currently has 176 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Mission Upside Down about?

For 2000 years, the followers of Jesus have been on a mission, even as Jesus himself was on a mission. Often wrongly understood as “saving souls,” this mission of Jesus actually is about bringing people into a new kingdom, a new reality. Life in this new kingdom requires not only a change of heart...

How often does Mission Upside Down release new episodes?

Mission Upside Down publishes regularly with 176 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

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You can listen to Mission Upside Down on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Mission Upside Down?

Mission Upside Down is created and hosted by MUD Media.
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