Tim Ross’ Introduction
- Tim wants to teach us what it looks like to be identified as an upsetter
- Prayer: Holy Spirit, make us stand out
- Our faith should make us stand out from anybody else. We should stand out from anybody else who has any other belief in the world
- Upsetter: a person who has been upset and upsets others
- The kingdom of God is upside down from the world’s systems
- We must be turned right side up/upside down when we come into relationship with Jesus
Message Title: How to Identify Upsetters
Upsetters:
1. Love Jesus
Ephesians 6:23-24 New Living Translation (NLT)
23 Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
We live in a culture where people want people that love Jesus to feel bad about expressing our love for Jesus. Make it loud, make it clear, and let it be known that you’re a lover of Jesus.
People shy away from expressing their love for Him, because they feel like they have to defend that love.
We don’t have to justify our love of Jesus. You had an experience that changed you, and now you love it.
Jesus died a criminal death for our sins. We don’t hide that type of love. We don’t hide it from you because you had an experience with someone who claims to love him.
We won’t turn it down, especially while everyone else is “turning up” with who they love, and why they love.
We love the Jesus that we talk about.
Upsetters:
2. Love People
You can’t love Jesus and not love people.
Jesus died for people.
He died for you, me, and we…
If we believe that He died for people, we have to love the people he died for.
Matthew 5:43-48 New Living Translation (NLT)
Teaching about Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Pray for your haters.
Pray for the social media commentators.
It’s easy to love people that are lovable. You’re a true upsetter when you love your enemies the same way you love your friends, and when you pray for your enemies the same way you pray for your friends.
One of the truest tests you will have as a believer, is how you treat people that don’t treat you well.
Will you ‘match’ the way people upset you in a negative way, or will you, as a child of God, use the love of Jesus for people who are unlovable as well?
Illustration: Tim knew a short lady (about 5 feet flat) who would stomp around the office. People could hear her footsteps and people were afraid of her. Tim said, “you know what, we need to upset her world.” Most people who are mean have an origin story for their meanness. As believers, we are called according to the book of Proverbs to get an understanding. When you have a context for why they are the way they are, it’s easier to love them. Tim started going to work really early with his friend and started praying in the spirit and dabbing the seats with extra virgin olive oil. He put a cross of oil above her door. Even though it drained down a little, she never saw it because she was short. On Monday, she stomped in. Tuesday, she stomped in. Wednesday, she just walked in quietly and like a normal person. Friday, they didn’t even hear her. Then one day, she came out during lunch and said she wanted to buy pizza for everyone. The prayers changed the atmosphere. They just asked God to come into the building and upset her world. She is a believer to this day after connecting with another friend of Tim’s. Don’t run away from people that are mean to you, run toward them. You need the strength of the Holy Spirit to give you His mind on people in order to avoid matching their rudeness/meanness/nastiness. The Holy Spirit will give you a grace to love people who are seemingly unlovable.
Upsetters:
3. Are Spirit-filled
Ephesians 5:15-18 New Living Translation (NLT)
Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Why would Paul compare the Holy Spirit to an alcoholic drink?
Have you ever been drunk? Not tipsy, but totally slammed.
Things change about you when you get what’s in the bottle into your body. Your behavior changes.
Paul is saying that the same thing that happens when you get drunk with wine, happens when you get filled with the Holy Spirit.
Nobody can drink a whole bottle of vodka (a spirit) and not change. Your walking, talking, and behavior will change when you get filled with the spirit of vodka.
You will stumble around when you’re walking, slur and be imperceptible when you talk, and your behavior will change from your normal behavior to something else. For instance, a really calm person can become wild. A really “turnt up” person can become really relaxed and calm.
Don’t be drunk with that. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
He will change the way you walk, talk, and behave.
The book of Acts is the Acts of the Apostles through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit changes the way you walk, talk, and behave.
You walk straight; your spiritual walk lines up. You go through straight lanes to get everything God has promised you without deviation. You walk in the path God ordained for you to live your life. Where you go, as well as the direction you want to go, changes.
You talk differently. You used to ‘go-off’ when people snap at you. Now, the Holy Spirit tells you to tell them you love them, tell them you’re praying for them, tell them you’re taking them to dinner. Even timid people can now boldly say, “Do you know Jesus?” Boldness comes out of you. That timid person can boldly say, “Let me pray for you real quick”.
We can’t do it without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, you may still curse someone out when they curse at you. The apostles couldn’t do miraculous wonders or stand up to persecution if they weren’t filled with the Holy Spirit.
Upsetters:
4. Do Good
Acts 10:38 New Living Translation (NLT)
38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Illustration: Tim grew up in the Pentecostal church so he grew up with people always trying to cast out demons. Jesus wasn’t solely chasing out demons. He was a really nice guy. In a cynical world, one of the greatest things you can give humanity is to be kind. “Jesus went around doing good” – first.
Jesus’ first miracle was showing up to a wedding and turning water into wine at the end of the evening. That’s a nice dude.
Imagine having a party, running out of wine, and then your friends shows up and turns on the faucet and wine better than what you had flows out. You would feel like that person is nice.
He went to Peter’s house and healed his mother. He was just nice.
Jesus invited himself over to a reviled tax collectors house (Zacchaeus). Zacchaeus didn’t expect to be noticed by Jesus. The greatest upset for him was that a man of influence, with more influence than him, saw him.
Jesus sees you.
Jesus wants to invite himself not just into your home, but into your heart. He stands at the door waiting for you to let Him in.
Do some good.
One of Tim’s favorite things to do is pay for somebody’s meal behind him, or groceries behind him.
Illustration: Tim was in one of his favorite clothes stores. He didn’t plan on buying anything, but he saw a young man come out of the dressing room in a fly blue suit. The dude said he would come back and buy the suit later after he got his finances in order with his new job. Tim was impressed by his priorities. The Holy Spirit told Tim to buy the suit. Tim was only in the store to see what he would get for himself later. Even so, Tim went to the sales rep, bought the suit, and told the rep to not tell anyone that he did it. Apparently, the store reps told everyone that someone had bought a suit for the young man. Tim later found out that the guy who he bought the suit for kept hounding the store until they told him that Tim bought the suit. He eventually called Tim and they had dinner. Then one day, Tim was back at the store, and coincidentally the guy was with his family. He heard him shout from behind him, “that’s the dude who bought me the suit”. The guys family were Christians and their whole lives were turned upside down because Tim was obedient enough to buy a suit. We should go around doing good. Maybe God will use us to cast out demons, but if not, at least we can do some good.
Upsetters:
5. Love Life
Ephesians 5:2 New Living Translation (NLT)
2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
No matter where you find yourself in your life right now, you can love the life you have, because you know whose life you hold.
You may not enjoy everything in your life, or like everything that’s happening, but your actual life, the life connected to Jesus Christ, you can love. That’s the type of person people want to be around. It’s contagious.
For instance, people love Pastor Mike because he’s passionate. He’s passionate about Jesus and life.
There’s an opposite to this, i.e., being passionate about death. Those that are passionate about death are usually passionate about negative things like drama and pain.
What if God wanted you to upset people who are passionate about death, drama, and pain?
After this weekend, you will be identified in a completely different way.
“I know her and how she used to be, but she’s not like that anymore”. “His life is different now. He’s identifying himself by a different set of parameters”.
God wants to upset you. He wants to take your life and upset you with the message, the love, and the hope of Jesus Christ.
Your life will never be the same if you allow Him to do that.
If you develop these five principles, love Jesus, love people, be spirit-filled, do good, and love life, you won’t just survive, you’ll thrive.
Prayer and Altar Call: Open up your heart and believe that Jesus came and died for you. Repent, i.e., change your mind about the way you’ve been living your life. Take that ‘L’, not a loss, but in the Lord. Make Him Lord of your life in addition to being your savior. If you believe that, pray, Lord, I accept you into my heart. I believe that you are Lord and that God raised you from the dead.
- Text ‘Saved’ to 918-992-7623 for resources and content to help you to be an upsetter
Get “Upset the World” the book and study guide for additional insight:
Get “Relationship Goals” the book and study guide today for relationship support:
Latest Arrivals in Merch
SUMMARY NOTES
- Upsetters: Love Jesus
- Upsetters: Love People
- Upsetters: Are Spirit-filled
- Upsetters: Do Good
- Upsetters: Love Life
Link to full Video: TBD
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Abby Olurin Dames
I love Jesus, my husband, Will, my toddler daughter, Sola, and the beautiful friends and family in our lives. Me and Will are from the Bahamas, but we currently reside in Austin, Texas. We joined TC Nation as online members of Transformation Church in 2017 when we moved to Austin from Miami, Florida. In 2020, we also happily took on a more active role with the E-Fam of Elevation Church by fellowshipping with other married couples and were pleased to have the opportunity to join TC Beta Belong Groups. I believe that representing God doesn’t have to be done in “traditional spaces”. After listening to Pastor Mike's sermon, "Who's the Minister Here?", it became my mission to shed light on Christ in all arenas, including, but not limited to, corporate America, marketing, technology, and finance. I'm not perfect, but I'm progressing. I am a marketer, but first, I am a Christian, and the aim of this blog is to publicly share my sermon notes as a form of stewardship. I hope that these message notes can bring clarity to anything you may be seeking and help you to experience the peace and glory of Jesus Christ. I'm happy to pray for you as well if you ever wanted to shoot me an email. The effectual fervent prayers of many of you have helped countless circumstances in my life and in the lives of those around me. Thank you! Also, for any Amazon specific links that you see, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
