Turning the World Upside Down: Lessons for the Church from Acts 1–8

Accessible Exposition of Acts 1–8 Shows How God’s Mission Continues After Christ’s Ascension, Through Ordinary Believers, by the Power of the Holy Spirit 

In their eagerness to share the gospel, modern churches can focus on the wrong things, such as political influence, attendance numbers, or ministry techniques. This is nothing new. In the book of Acts, even Jesus’s disciples wondered which of these earthly methods he would use to establish God’s kingdom. But Jesus taught his followers then—and continues to teach us today—how the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, will take the gospel to the nations.

In this accessible exposition of Acts 1–8, Iain Duguid explores the continuing work of Jesus after the ascension. Drawing practical lessons from the life of the early church, as well as his own 30 years as a church planter, Duguid encourages believers today toward gospel-driven, Spirit-filled mission. In a culture that is increasingly hostile toward Christianity, Turning the World Upside Down equips ordinary Christians to witness to the eternal power of the gospel. 

• Edifying: Challenges believers to take seriously the Great Commission, and grow in their knowledge and love for the gospel and one another
• Comprehensive: Explores how believers can carry on God’s mission through the power of the Holy Spirit, faithful prayer, fellowship, and more
• A Great Resource for Small Groups, Sunday School Classes, or Individual Study

208 pages

“Iain Duguid’s Turning the World Upside Down—based on the opening chapters of Acts—is a splendid gift to us from a writer who stands in the church’s best tradition of being both a professor and pastor. It skillfully combines interpretation of Scripture with clear and relevant applications. It is scholarly yet readable, simple yet enriching, enjoyable yet challenging, packed with expositions of the ‘there and then’ that help us see and feel their implications for the ‘here and now.’ Here is a book to help both the church and the individual Christian turn our world ‘upside down’ in order to turn it ‘the right way up.’”
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

“Though undergirded by Iain Duguid’s profound scriptural knowledge, Turning the World Upside Down is not a dense theological treatise on the important New Testament book of Acts. Rather, it walks through the story told in the first eight chapters, presenting its profound truths in a conversational way, making penetrating and personal applications at every step.”
Nancy Guthrie, author, Saved: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Acts