Welcome to the Blog Tour for They Turned the
World Upside Down by Charles Martin, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE
BOOK
Title:
They Turned the World Upside Down
Author: Charles Martin
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: January 5, 2021
Genre: Christian Life/Spiritual Growth
In the aftermath of Jesus’ resurrection, the testimonies of those who had followed him
were so bold and so powerful that they turned the world upside down. What would happen if we
lived with that same kind of faith today?
Walk in the shoes of the disciples, as New York Times
bestselling author Charles Martin brings their stories to life with his
storyteller’s perspective.
In the first century, believer didn’t just mean someone who heard and agreed with
Jesus; it meant someone who acted on that belief. And when the outside world saw the faith of
these new believers, they declared “they turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
That’s the kind of believer Charles Martin wants us to be. The kind who understands that the
truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is so powerful, it reshaped history. The kind of
believer who lives with that same world-changing faith today.
In his second non-fiction work, he uses his talents as a novelist to walk you through the lives of
the disciples in the aftermath of the Resurrection and as they spread the message of the Gospel
and “turn the world upside down”, leading up to Paul’s ministry in Thessonalica. In his beloved
lyrical style, Martin illuminates key moments from Scripture and shares stories from his own life
as a disciple.
With the same depth, sensitivity, and emotion that have made his novels beloved to millions,
Martin will helps you engage with your faith in a new and inspiring way.
PURCHASE LINKS*:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
BookDepository | IndieBound | Christianbook | BookBub
My Thoughts:
I have a confession to make. This is the first time I have ever signed up for a blog tour and not been able to finish reading the book before the deadline. I started reading They Turned the World Upside Down as soon as I received it, and have read it every chance I had, but I’m only 72% of the way through right now. It’s a long book—and a busy time of the year!
For the most part, I’m finding this book very doctrinally sound. The author challenges all of us to live sold out to Jesus. He points out the way the disciples’ lives were radically changed when the Holy Spirit fell on them, and challenges us to allow God to change us in the same way. I am quite challenged with this book. I do have one quibble with it, though. If I read it right, which I may not have, but I think I did, he seems to say that there needs to be a dramatic proof of receiving the Holy Spirit. He points out that when the Holy Spirit fell on people in the book of Acts, they spoke with new tongues and prophesied, and believes that the same thing should happen to us. I’ve been mulling this over for the last few days, and I believe that speaking with new tongues might not always be speaking an unknown language, but, possibly, no longer swearing, etc. Prophecy is not necessarily foretelling the future, but preaching Jesus. Taken that way, I wholeheartedly agree that those signs will follow the coming of the Spirit—but that’s not what I read in this book. On the other hand, the chapter about the Kingdom of God is great stuff. Here are a couple of quotes I highlighted: My question for you is, while you are willing to be saved, are you prepared to be goverened? and When you come to Jesus, you give up your rights. These are teachings that are not very popular today, and I applaud Mr. Martin for writing about this.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
TOUR
GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive a print copy of They Turned the World
Upside Down and What If It’s True?!
Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight
February 16, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 23, 2021. Winner will be
notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture
of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
Thank you for sharing!
I’m excited to read this one. Thank you for hosting.