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b'The Gospel of Luke is actually part of a two-part series by Luke, called Luke-Acts. Together they show Jesus establishing His kingdom here for all of humanity and the early church living out and expanding that kingdom (Acts 1:6-8).\\nLuke emphasizes Jesus came for the lost\\u2014the poor, marginalized, oppressed, and hurting\\u2014both Jew and Gentile. Luke focuses on the justice and mercy of the gospel, illustrating that the kingdom of Jesus is upside-down: the oppressed are raised up, and those pridefully at the top of society are humbled.\\nLuke emphasizes this upside-down kingdom in a few ways. In chapter 3, he traces Jesus\\u2019 genealogy all the way back to Adam. This isn\\u2019t just because Luke felt like doing extra homework\\u2014he did this on purpose to show Jesus came to save the whole world, not just Israel. Jesus is the fulfillment of the plan God has had since the very beginning of creation, long before Israel existed.\\nThroughout the rest of the book, we hear of Jesus eating with the outcasts\\u2014prostitutes, corrupt tax collectors, and people with leprosy and other diseases\\u2014and He wanted these people to become His kingdom citizens. On the other hand, Jesus consistently criticized the Pharisees (who needed Him too) for failing to extend mercy, grace, and justice to the hurting.\\nThen, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate picture of the upside-down kingdom: He, God in flesh, willingly died on the cross to make a way for us\\u2014sinners and outcasts\\u2014to be reconciled with God. He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death on our behalf and promising to return to make all things new, free from sin and death forever. And He sent His Spirit to be in us now.\\nFor Luke\\u2019s audience, this was exactly what they needed to hear. He wrote to the early church so that they could know with certainty that the gospel is true and be encouraged to spread the good news and pursue mercy for the oppressed. Luke\\u2019s \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153accurate account\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (Luke 1:3) would equip the church to answer the questions inevitably raised by their upside-down lifestyle.\\nBecause of Luke\\u2019s Gospel, when the early church was asked, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Why do you hang out with outcasts?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d they could smile and say, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Let me tell you\\u2026\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\u2022 Taylor Eising\\n\\u2022 In what ways might Jesus\\u2019 kingdom seem upside down? How was Jesus\\u2019 coming surprising?\\n\\u2022 Jesus came for lost ones\\u2014for us. We all need Him. When was a time you felt lost?\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Luke 19:10 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nExodus 3:14-15; John 4:4-42; 18:1-11'