Kingdom Harbor

In the basement, they gathered around pizza and silly games, sang a song and then discussed ancient wisdom and timeless truth. There was laughter and seriousness, but mostly laughter. The junior high gathering drew in a random smattering of faces who heard about it through the grapevine or the little postcard passed around in the school hallway.

The monthly youth outreach night is hosted by MainStreet Covenant, and co-led by Brendan Berndt and yours truly. We are not trying to compete with other conventional church youth groups; we are trying to create a space for more honest dialogue and evenings centered around the questions the students bring.

The topic raised by the students at our recent gathering was a doozy: “Why does God allow so much suffering and evil in the world?” (Here’s a new video I created to try to answer that.)

We call the gathering Jason’s House, and every time we gather we take a moment to explain why we call it that and who the heck Jason was. (It’s not my brother.) You might be wondering yourself, so here’s the scoop.

Harboring Revolutionaries

Meet Jason of Thessalonica, the first-century revolutionary you’ve probably never heard of. But in a world ruled by the iron fist of Rome, he was a key figure in an underground movement that would flip the planet on its head.

When Paul and Silas, two major targets of the Roman authorities, rolled into town, it was Jason who took them in. In a dark, flickering room in his home, he hosted a dangerous rebellion: Christian gatherings, hidden right under the noses of the empire. They weren’t plotting a violent coup with swords and shields. They were plotting a revolution of love.

But the locals didn’t see it that way.

The city’s power brokers were furious. In Acts 17, they launched a furious mob against Jason’s house, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also!” Their crime? They weren’t giving their ultimate allegiance to Caesar, the supreme ruler of the world. They were pledging allegiance to Jesus alone—a new King with a message that directly challenged Rome’s power, greed, and oppression.

The empire saw them as troublemakers trying to break the system. But in reality, they were trying to turn an upside down world right side up again, powered not by politics or weapons, but by the raw force of the Holy Spirit. Jason wasn’t just a host; he was a revolutionary host, a man who staked his life and home on the belief that love—not power—would win the world.

A Scene from the Underground

This scene captures that very tension. Set in a rugged, crowded district of first-century Greek city, you’re not in a grand palace, but in the gritty, cobblestone streets of the real city.

You can almost smell the smoke from the oil lamps. This is Jason’s clandestine space. You see Roman guards—uniformed and alert—standing watch at a nearby intersection, completely unaware that directly beside them, in this humble room, a world-changing event is happening.

A diverse group of early Christians, diverse in age and background, are gathered around a rough wooden table. These aren’t powerful people, but common folk. Look closely: Paul is there, eyes intense as he reads from a scroll by lamplight. Silas is in the crowd. And Jason? He’s the one by the doorway, alert and careful, the gatekeeper and protector of this “Revolution of Love.” They are taking the ultimate risk, living on the edge to turn the world right side up.

This image captures the tension of that time. Look past the main group: through the doorway, Roman guards stand watch in the street, an ever-present threat. But inside, under the warm, secret glow of lamplight, Jason’s diverse community gathers around a rough table.

This isn’t a peaceful bible study; this is a strategic meeting for a spiritual revolution. Paul is in the center, sharing “dangerous” words from a scroll. You can feel the determination and the risk in every face. This is the moment a counter-culture of grace and truth began to spread, right in the heart of the empire.

Back in Our Basement

Back in our cozy twenty-first century basement, no Roman soldiers stalk our streets and we don’t need to gather in secret. Yet, a wild and wayward world still lurks outside the door. Confusion and pain, violence and idolatry, still fill the streets. Swords don’t threaten our young people today, but lies, temptations, and sin of every stripe threaten to pull us down paths of destruction.

Young people are looking for something real, honest, life-giving and morally compelling. They can smell hypocrisy from a mile away. They are suspicious of grown-ups who think they know everything. They are drawn to adults humble enough to say, “I’m wrestling with that question, too.” They aren’t rejecting Jesus, but they often wonder why so many people who call themselves Christian and go to church, don’t seem to look much like Jesus.

So, every month or so, look for a little mob of middle schoolers stuffing their face with pizza and gathering together to plot a little revolution of love together.

“They dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting:“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.  Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” ACTS 17:6-7