Are you willing to let Jesus upset your “apple cart”?
When you decide to follow Christ and commit your life to obeying all his teachings, it has a huge effect on your life. When you let Jesus be in charge of your life instead of you trying to be in charge, it changes the way you see things and the way you think.
It changes the way you interact with other people. And it changes the way you see yourself. But mostly it opens your heart to experience more of your relationship with God.
Now just so you know, when I say to “let Jesus in your life,” I don’t mean that the man who walked on the earth 2,000 years ago is going to be physically present with you, like he was then. When I say “let Jesus in your heart” I don’t mean there’s a small version of Jesus somehow fitting into the organ that pumps blood through your body.
I’m really talking about embracing the spirit of who Jesus is as the Christ, the Messiah, and what he taught us.
Let Jesus into your life
When you let Jesus and his teachings, his way of life, into your life, it can have some pretty unexpected consequences. Your priorities shift. You’re interests change. Things you used to do and attitudes you used to have, are no longer appealing. And sometimes your whole life can seem turned upside down.
It’s not something to be afraid of, but it does take some getting used to. The question is: Are you willing to let this happen? Are you willing to let Jesus upset your apple cart?
What do I mean by that? Are you willing to let Christ interrupt and dispose of any thoughts and actions that aren’t Godlike?
Throughout my prison ministry, I’ve met men women who, at one point or another, have had a radical reorientation in their lives because of their decision to follow Jesus. They’d definitely say that Jesus upset their apple cart. But they’d be quick to add that it made them better in every way.
An inmate learned to let Jesus guide him
Several years ago, there was a fellow in one of my classes at the prison who adamantly refused to forgive the person who betrayed him to the police for the crime he committed and consequently got him in prison.
He was furious, even years later. But after several months of being in my class and seeing other people forgive those who had harmed them, he announced one day, really unexpectedly, that he had decided to follow Jesus’s teaching to forgive.
And it changed his life. It upset his apple cart, so to speak. But that turned out to be a really good thing. For him, the apple cart, which represented his old way of living, was full of self-righteousness and pride, thinking only of himself, and only doing what he wanted to do, even if it was against the law.
When he decided to let Jesus and the idea of forgiveness into his life, it turned his old way of life upside down. All that pride and self-oriented thinking came tumbling out. He forgave the fellow who betrayed him. He felt a peace of mind and freedom he had never imagined was possible.
Christ will upset your “apple cart,” your old way of life
There’s a spiritual principle involved here. When you start walking toward the light, you no longer need the things that helped you live in the darkness.
If you think you need to be completely in charge of your own life and are responsible for making all decisions now and for your future, that way of thinking will be dumped out of your apple cart, so to speak, when you make a conscious choice to let Jesus be an example to you and direct your life.
It’s easy to see this kind of change when someone comes to Christ from a life of bad choices, bad habits, and the consequences of a materialistic lifestyle.
But what if you were already a very good person before you make a commitment to follow Christ? Maybe the change is not so visible on the outside, but you can feel it in your heart.
The disciples willingly let Jesus turn their lives upside down
The New Testament puts a spotlight on the lives of lots of people who were radically changed when they let Jesus into their lives. Their apple carts, their old ways of living, were turned upside down. And while it may have been awkward and unfamiliar territory at first, it soon brought many blessings.
I’m thinking first of all about Peter and Andrew, James and John, who were fishermen. They had a business catching and selling fish. They were devoted Jews who prayed and went to Synagogue and knew the Scriptures.
But they had a pretty simple life. Sometimes they caught more fish than others, but in the long run, one day was probably not much different from the next.
Until they met Jesus.
What happened when you meet Christ for the first time?
If you just read the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, you might think that the first time these four fishermen met Jesus was when he called them to follow him.
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:16-20 NIV
But the Gospel of John gives us a window of what happened before that.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John [the Baptist] had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). John 1:40-42 NIV
What happened the second time you meet Christ?
Peter and Andrew, at least, had encountered Jesus before he called them to follow him that day they were fishing. That first meeting had a profound effect on them. They were certain Jesus was the Messiah.
But it wasn’t until they accepted the call to follow Christ that their lives radically changed.
This is true for you and me as well. You can believe in Jesus. You can accept him as the Messiah, the Christ, but until you let Jesus into your life and make a commitment to, and actually, follow him, you won’t experience the fullness of the blessing that comes when you do.
Do you think Peter and Andrew, along with James and John, had their apple carts turned upside down? Absolutely.
The need to let Jesus upset our old ways more than once
It didn’t happen all at once, or only once. During their time with Jesus, he constantly upset their apple carts, their old ways of thinking, their old approach to religion and faith, and their self-focused perspective on life.
When you let Jesus into your life, getting your life turned upside down is not a one-time event. Christ continues to remove things from your way of thinking and living that aren’t in line with God.
It reminds me of this promise:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NIV
This purification “from all unrighteousness” is what I’m talking about and it’s a continual process.
Peter got his apple cart upset on several occasions. If it took more than one time for him, it’s going to take more than one time for you and me as well. Sometimes it’s an exciting moment. Sometimes it’s a warning or a rebuke to our pride.
Following Christ includes accepting Jesus as Messiah
Because Peter decided to follow Jesus, his life was full of new hope and expectations for what that would mean for himself and the nation of Israel. It was thrilling, no doubt when he, and the other disciples went out to preach and heal in Jesus’s name. That certainly turned their apple cart, their preconceptions of what was possible, upside down.
Just knowing that Jesus was the Messiah turned their old way of thinking inside out. Before they met Jesus, the idea of the Messiah coming was probably only a distant hope with little expectation of being fulfilled in their lifetime. But here he was, Jesus, the Messiah.
When Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, Peter’s answer was quick and to the point.
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:16-18 NIV
Jesus’s affirmation of Peter’s correct answer had a powerful effect to remove any lingering doubt in the minds of the disciples that Jesus was the Messiah.
Are you willing to let Jesus rebuke you?
But right after this sublime moment Jesus very pointedly turned Peter’s way of thinking upside down in a different way to shake loose the human opinions and preconceptions that could not continue to exist alongside his decision to follow Jesus.
From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Matthew 16:21-23 NLT
Ouch! That’s a pretty abrupt upsetting of Peter’s apple cart, to be rebuked for “seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s” point of view.
How often are you and I guilty of that? All too often I’m afraid. Are you willing to let Jesus rebuke you in this way and turn you upside down, shake you hard, to get all the ungodlike things out of your heart and mind?
This was a blessing for Peter. It forced him to take an honest look at himself, at what he thought was right, and realize God had a higher and larger perspective than Peter could have imagined.
And it’s a blessing for us when Christ’s turns our way of thinking upside down, inside out, or whatever metaphor you want to use, to remove our human point of view for God’s point of view.
Will you let Jesus warn you of your weaknesses?
And as I said, sometimes Christ upsets our human perspectives in the form of a warning. Remember when Jesus told his disciples just a few hours before he was arrested,
All of you will desert me. Mark 14:27 NLT
Peter protested profusely.
Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” Mark 14:29, 30 NLT
Can you imagine how Peter felt at that moment. Jesus had rebuked him in front of all the others. He was pointing out to Peter there was something in his heart that had to be disposed of: fear of being associated with Jesus. But unfortunately, this warning didn’t prevent what Jesus predicted.
Think how Peter must have felt when Jesus’s words came true and he denied he even knew Jesus three times.
Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:75 NIV
What was Peter feeling?
Here again, put yourself in Peter’s place. What would you be thinking the whole time Jesus was suffering on the cross? How would you be feeling on Saturday, the day after Jesus had been put in a tomb?
And maybe even worse, how would you feel if you were Peter when Jesus appeared to you on resurrection morning behind closed doors. Of course you’d be overjoyed, but you’d still remember you had denied you even knew him three times.
But once again, because Peter had decided to let Jesus into his heart, Jesus jostled Peter’s mind, so to speak, to remove any sense of guilt Peter had because of those denials.
On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus asked Peter to affirm three times his love for him. In effect, this cancelled out those three denials and gave Peter a clean slate.
When Christ upsets and turns upside down your way of thinking, your way of living, sometimes it’s a warning, sometimes it’s to get rid of pride, and sometimes it’s to get rid of guilt and shame, or whatever might be keeping you from loving and following Christ to the fullest.
James and John got their apple cart turned upside down
Peter was not the only one Jesus did this to.
Remember when James and John asked if they could sit on his right and left hand in the kingdom? How did Jesus respond? It was a moment to rebuke pride and perhaps a sense of entitlement.
“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” Matthew 20:22, 23 NIV
Then he put things in perspective for all his disciples:
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 NIV
Will you let Jesus guide your behavior?
Here again, Jesus was emptying his disciples’ minds of the world’s way of thinking and replacing it with a more spiritual perspective. This was an immense blessing to them and the whole world, including you and me today. It empowered them to preach the Gospel to thousands of people as well as heal the sick after Jesus was no longer with them.
Now you may be wondering: Hey James, this all sounds pretty exciting, but how do I let Christ into my life to get rid of the world’s way of thinking, how do I let Jesus upset what you’re calling my apple cart?
This is such a great question. The answer is not some perfect little formula, but there are several things I’ve found helpful. First of all, there has to be a recognition to some degree in your heart that you need a more Christlike perspective on life, that the materialistic world’s approach is never going to connect you with God’s love, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
Then, there has to be a conscious choice to follow Christ, to let Jesus into your life, however you want to say it, and then start actually following him, doing the things he says to do, thinking and loving the way he did.
And the more willing you are to let go of your old way of thinking, the less dramatic this process can be. I’ve known some people who come kicking and screaming into a relationship with Christ. It goes against everything they have believed and held dear in the past.
If Zacchaeus the tax collector had refused to let Jesus into his house or refused to let go of his cheating ways of charging more money than someone owed, he wouldn’t have experienced the spiritual transformation he did and the freedom he felt for the first time in his life. Jesus turned his old way of life upside down, but gave him a new perspective on life that was a blessing.
If he had resisted that, it could have been a much more dramatic process.
Be willing to let Jesus take away everything that’s not from God
Christ will never take away anything from your life that’s part of who you really are as a child of God. The only things Christ removes from you are the thoughts and actions which are not from God and keep you from experiencing to the full your relationship with God.
When Christ empties your life of the world’s ways of thinking and doing, you discover more of who you are as a child of God. And you accomplish more of what you’re capable of. You’ll experience a spiritual freedom and peace of mind impossible in any other way.
This spiritual freedom blesses you in ways you could never imagine. And it naturally causes you to be a blessing to others as well.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Mark 1:16-20 NIV
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
John 1:40-42 NIV
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John [the Baptist] had said and who had followed Jesus.
41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
1 John 1:9 NIV
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Matthew 16:16-18 NIV
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Matthew 16:21-23 NLT
21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Mark 14:27 NLT
27 All of you will desert me.
Mark 14:29, 30 NLT
29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
Matthew 26:75 NIV
75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Matthew 20:22, 23 NIV
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
Matthew 20:26-28 NIV
26 Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
