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How to Get to the Front of the E2R Queue

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“What do you do all day, Paul?”

You’d be surprised how often I am asked this question. It’s usually easier to tell people what I don’t do. I’m a writer, but I don’t set daily writing targets and I don’t do book tours.

So what do I do?

Every day I go digging in the treasure rooms of God’s word. When I discover diamonds and gems I share them with you.

I don’t see myself as a writer trying to find readers for my writing, but a treasure hunter finding treasure for my readers.

“Look what I found? Do you want it? It’s yours!”

As you may know, last year I started a side project called The Grace Commentary. You may be wondering how that project relates to Escape to Reality. I feel it’s as if God has handed me the keys to the biggest treasure room yet.

While writing the commentary I have been in the Bible for about five hours a day, and I have found more treasure than ever before. Ton’s of treasure!

The easy part is finding the treasure; the hard part is packaging it and making it presentable.

“Look at this mountain of treasure. There’s a whole book in here!” says one part of my brain.

“Not another book,” groans the other part of my brain.

These days I am trying to write fewer books and better articles. In fact, that’s one of my goals for 2022 – get back to basics by writing terrific articles about grace.

And this brings me to you.

If you like what I write and want to be at the front of queue for all the good stuff that’s coming down the line, why not sign up as an email subscriber here on Escape to Reality? It’s totally free.

If you’re on Facebook or Twitter, you may have noticed that some of my social media posts get recycled. “Didn’t I see this one last year?” That doesn’t happen on E2R. Like first-class passengers on an airplane, email subscribers get only the fresh stuff.

Email subscribers have put themselves at the front of the queue, so why not become one? I won’t send you more than two to three emails a month and I promise that each one will be worth reading (I hope).

Don’t know what email is? Ask your parents. It’s like 1970’s rock music – old but still better than anything that’s come since.

One last thing, sign up as an email subscriber and receive four free ebooks! These excellent books will help you grow in grace.

The sign up form is below. Can’t see the box where you enter your email address? Log out of WordPress first.

Already a subscriber? Why not leave a comment and say hi? I’d love to hear from you. Tell us why you are a subscriber and what you get out of these emails.

In the coming season I expect Escape to Reality to go from strength to strength. I’m thrilled that you’re here to share the journey.

Grace and peace,

Paul

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Why did God Hate Esau and Love Jacob?

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God loves the whole world. He loves everyone – you, me, your neighbor. He loves presidents and prime ministers. He loves scandal-plagued clerics and drug-ridden athletes. He loves runaway dads and negligent mothers.

God loves everyone… except Esau.

As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Romans 9:13)

Why did God hate Esau?

He didn’t. God loved Esau. You may recall that Esau and Jacob were the grandsons of Abraham. Esau was a man’s man; Jacob was a mummy’s boy. Esau was the first born, but through deception, Jacob inherited his brother’s birthright.

In the passage above Paul is quoting an old prophecy (Mal. 1:2–3) to show how God chose one of the twins (Jacob) but not the other (Esau).

The descendants of Jacob (the Israelites) received the favor of God but the descendants of Esau (the Edomites) did not.

God might just as easily have chosen Esau in which case Malachi would have said that God hated Jacob. But God chose the deceiver. He chose the second-born, the supplanter, the sinner to be the beneficiary of his grace.

Why?

We look at Jacob and ask, “Why him? What made him special?” And we miss the point. Jacob was not chosen because he was special; he was special because he was chosen.

God was looking to display the riches of his glory so he chose Israel. He blessed one nation so that they might reveal his goodness to the others.

Sadly, they failed.

The Israelites were not good ambassadors of God’s favor, but God’s plan was not thwarted. From among their number came Jesus who died for the whole world – including the descendants of Esau.

Why does God choose some?

The wrong way to read this verse is to say that God chooses some and rejects others.

“God chose Isaac over Ishmael. God chose Jacob over Esau. God might not choose me.”

Nope. It can’t happen.

Through the cross God declares his love for everyone of us. He calls you and me and Esau to come home.

If it seems that God chooses some, it’s because he is looking for prophetic people who will serve as signposts to the One who died for all.

In the end, it’s not about Isaac and Jacob who were elevated. And it’s not about whichever celebrity minister or prophet or artist who seems to be flavor of the month. It’s about Jesus who was lifted up so that he might draw all to himself.

Through the cross, God declares, “I love you and I have chosen you.”

Grace welcomes all to the table of his abundance.

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Got questions about a particular scripture? Check out The Grace Commentary.

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A Christmas Message from Paul

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A year ago I asked a question. “Lord, I’ve been writing E2R for years. What’s next?”

It’s not that I was tired of telling people about grace; far from it. It’s just that blogging wasn’t as challenging as it used to be. I wanted to try something new.

The Lord answered my prayer with three new challenges.

The Grace Commentary was launched in March 2021. In hindsight, it was a no-brainer. I had been working on a commentary for years, I just didn’t realize it.

Building the commentary has been a ton of work but a lot of fun. My goal for the year was to upload content for 1000 verses and by the grace of God we’ve done nearly double that. We still have a long way to go, but we’ve made a good start.

The Grace Glossary was a bit of a surprise. We launched in August 2021 and it has proven more popular than I expected. Like the commentary, it’s pretty rough, and I’m not sure where it’s headed. (A book? A sonnet?) It will be fun to see what happens next.

I started writing Jesus Scripts for my family at the beginning of the year. I had no plans to share these with anyone, but that changed in October 2021 when we launched the website. The jury is still out on this one, but if your kids enjoy the scripts as much as ours do, I will be delighted.

Reading about these ventures, you may think they are all part of some master plan. There is no plan. My only plan is to tell people the good news of Jesus any way I can. I am not a preacher or a poet so I write. And I am very thankful that I can do that.

That I get to give away thousands of books while writing full-time about the love of God on these various platforms would not possible without the generosity of my supporters on Patreon and Donorbox.

If you have been blessed by what I write, these are the amazing people you can thank:

Bill Fowler, Caleb Brubaker, Tom Ludemann, Christopher Gordon, Randy & Julee Armstrong, Michael & Julie Lipparelli, Ben Dailey, John Williams, Jon & Shannon Bonner, Helen Kearney, Emanuel Bulugu, Theresa M. Benischek, Wes Prosser, Amanda Henderson, Don Beeson, Tom & Kay Stocking, Craig Hunt, Tony Vogel, James Kerr, Erika & Klaus Degen, Mikael Jonsson, Julia Vockrodt, Marshall Kim, Rachmat Permana, Robin Waller, David Edwardds, Michael & Kim Vizza, James Mullier, Erik Grangaard, Jerry Williams, Derrick Darden, Justin Hopper, Jason Whitaker, Keith Forwith, Keith Pinke, Anne H Hoover, Jack & Janet, Jer Wei Low, Dottie Hicks, Norin Lumungking-Weier, Miguel, Stephanie & Estelle Gonzalez, Steve & Sandra McCollom, Kenneth Crum, Marion Carter, Janice Best Bright, Jana Mings, Diane Peterson, Claude (Bill) Schanuel, Tanya Nareau, Carl & Sara Petee, Christopher Johnson, Bruno Dammann, Kathy Haecker, Aney Mathew, Rick & Judi Manis, Al Jennings, Brandon Petrowski, Ron Roudebush, Dawn Strom, Jennifer Herkommer, Paul & Chantale Roxanas, Sam Bouwer, Rachelle Reeve, Andrew Maulding, Sarah, Corinna von der Mühlen, Adam Tanti, Lyn Packer, Ted Nelson, Craig Hodgins, Jim Powell, Mia Young, Cathy Barnett, Bonnie Weaver, Ginger Banks, Donna Sweigart, Abhishek Chougule, Mathew Stokes, Terry Tripp, Joneen Gentilini, Charles Law, Elizabeth Crews, Philip Yutzy, Elly “Singer” Kraai, Renee Woodward, David Nelson, JB & Carrie McKoy, Henry HS Yeo, Ricky L Cain, James Davis, Susie Dunlap, Real Paquette, Andy Manuel, Lloyd D McCaskill, Nick Atkins, Jeffrey, Rene Bouwer Benny Sunjaya, Toshiko Johnson, Lyle Geck, John Adriaans, Karen Moffett, Oscar Rios, Jay Bradley Reed, Patty VanderVeen, Adriaan Hattingh, Dennis & Denise Capra, Pagasa De Mesa, James W Smith, Raymond Glossop, Mary Ellen Serafine, Diane Schakola, Larry & Helen Wilgus, Cecil H Paxton, Dr. Shelly Hakspiel, Bruce Fulton, Melanie Theilig, Alison Gilbert, Dollice Chua, Paul Woodrich, Dave Tremblay, Eric Thon, Mark & Mary Beth Cain, Penny Creery, Nata Isr, Greg & Raelene Race, Lois Granbery, Michael Morimando, Chris Esparza, Ely Esparza, Annalee Reyes, Clint Byars, Michael Scroggs, Kimberly Russell, David York, Al Babcock, Trevor Lovegrove, Yvonne Beukes, Judy Krug, Debby Katz, Michael Miller, Cary Geno, Melissa Shands, Bill Shoemaker, KP Wong, Kitty Kata, Lynn Alford, Richard W Evans, Jon Onabowu, Liz Collard, Linda Essaff, JoNell, Grace Grace, Kath Wells, Rick Cowdery, Stella Emmanuel, Mathavan Rajkumar, M. Caleb Sannoh, Nizam Khan, Aaron Ashby, Theodore Heintzelman, Ralph Kassen, Patricia Walker, Greg M, Judy C Ervien, Melissa, Jonathan & Christina Ybarra, James Davis, Margaret Miller, Carolyn Coates, Dave Orrison, Collins K Raj, Joseph Adedeji, Joyce Rapier, Tim Milstead, Marie Robison, David Cheong, Agalliasis O.R., David Åleskjær, Cliff Miller, Tex Cox, Lynn Rogala, Jun Yu, Judy Eshenko, John Nankervis, Charles Graham, Leon Esterhuizen, Mike, Sadie Hasenkamp, Stephanie Smith, Starr Stephens, Gordon & Linda Dornink, Isaiah49er, Andrew, Adebare Adedigba, R B Thomas, Sonja Brown, AJ, Lydia Moorhouse, Jarod & Anita Darashah-Borman, Rebekah K. Watson, Edward McCarthy, Marie, Richard Lee, Bank Akinmola, Cory Smith, Mary Salisbury, Brian Page, Asit Parida, Lidia, Leonard John Ransil, Kent Gilge, Adam Goldfinch, Sara Wilson Hughes, Chad M. Mansbridge, Will McCulloch, Chucks Obinna Ugoihe, KL Oei, Kristi Gorrod, Connie-Louise Alexander, Andre de Haan, Tommy Miles, Bill Pruitt, Lewis Sage, Randy & Shandra Montague, Stephanie Kirtland, Diane Roman, Tony Cutty, Crisostomo L. Martin, Jenifer Powell, Margaret Eargle, Brandon Scott, Roland Stamey, Beverly Bowman, Sue Crissman, Alex C, Nelson, Elaine DeLones, Trice Seargent, William Conroy, Dana Daigle, Peter M Claffey, Glenda B Crawford, Larissa Hamel, Paul Burton, Kimberly Weeks, Frederick Johannes Botha, James Yaranon, Eder, Sharon Stark, Mimica, Hannah Lui, Dana K Griffin, Matthew Miller,Yvonne, John Daigle, Amon Viki Zwane, Craig Ballard, William Undi, Heather Gill, Deirdre M Rogers, Jane Hunckler, Georg Zönnchen, Charles & Sheilla van Wijk, David Slayback, Geoff Powell, Ilva Sturlese, Mel & Clare Sanders, Terry & Janelle Myers, Harold Dueck, Greg Brown, John Ikard, Anne Lyttle, Allan Faalavaau, Mark Testerman, David Slayback, and Elizabeth Ferguson.

I would also like to acknowledge those readers who give anonymously. You know who you are. Your generosity is changing lives, and I am truly grateful to partner with you.

I have some exciting projects planned for 2022 which patrons will hear about first. Until then, thank you for sharing the journey. If you have read, shared, or commented on my work, I appreciate it.

May your family enjoy the peace and favor of God as we celebrate the birth of our King and Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Paul

Why did Mary Find Favor with God?

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Imagine God asked you to recruit the mother of the Messiah. Two women have been shortlisted, and you have been asked to pick the best one.

The first woman has an impeccable pedigree being descended from Aaron the high priest; the other is a nobody from the no-name town of Nazareth.

The first one is married to a highly-regarded priest; the other is a teenager engaged to a tradesman.

The first one will go down in history as “righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord” (Luke 1:6); the second has done nothing worth writing about.

Which one is the more suitable candidate? I suspect many people would choose the first woman (her name was Elizabeth), but God chose the latter (Mary).

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30)

How did Mary find favor with God?

Who is favored by God?

I’ve been thinking about this question because it comes up in the discussion guide I just wrote for my latest script. Why did God choose Mary? What made her special?

Some say God chose Mary because “she must have been of high character.” In other words, Mary was a moral woman.

Others say Mary was pious, meaning she was blameless in terms of the law. Just like Elizabeth.

Then there are those who believe that Mary was sinless.

These explanations appeal to our religious sensibilities, but none of them is Biblical. If God was looking for a moral woman with the right pedigree and performance, he would have chosen Elizabeth. But he chose Mary, a young girl with little to commend her.

So here’s a question to discuss at the Christmas table: Why did Mary find favor with God? And here’s a follow-up question: How do we find favor with God?

Mary was not favored on account of anything she had done; she was favored because God was with her.

Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. (Luke 1:28)

It’s the same with us.

You may be the youngest and the most insignificant believer in the kingdom, but you are as favored as Mary, because the Lord is with you (see Eph. 1:6).

I’m not joking.

Whether you lead a ministry of millions or live on a rock tending toadstools, if the Lord is with you, you are as favored as the mother of the Messiah.

But why Mary?

If God’s favor is unmerited, why did he pick Mary? Why not pick some other girl? Why not pick Elizabeth?

God could not just choose anyone. To fulfill the prophecies, the mother of the Messiah had to be a humble Jewish virgin living in Nazareth. She had to be ready to give birth in Bethlehem and then go live in Egypt for a while (see Is. 7:14, Mic. 5:2, Hos. 11:1, Matt, 2:23, 4:15). She had to be descended from the royal line of David or marry someone who was (Matt. 1:1, 20, Luke 1:32, 2:4).

At the time of Jesus’ birth, there were about half a million people living in Israel. Of this number, only a small proportion would have been unwed teenaged virgins. And of this group, only one woman ticked all the prophetic boxes. Her name was Mary.

But even that answer doesn’t quite capture why God chose Mary.

The God who sees the end from the beginning picked Mary long before those prophecies were given. God picked Mary because she had the one thing that matters when it comes to finding favor: faith.

And Mary said, “Behold the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38)

Highlight these words of Mary, for this is the language of faith. These are the words of someone who knows how to find the favor of God.

Faith attracts favor

God is good to all of us. His favor shines on everyone indiscriminately. But God only dwells with those who open the doors of their hearts. It is through faith that we find favor.

Cast your mind back to the beginning of the human story. God is in the Garden of Eden rebuking the serpent. He declares that the Seed of Eve will crush the devil’s head. As he is saying this he is scanning the future, looking for a mother. His gaze stretches past the law and the prophets and into the New Testament.

As the entirety of human history unfolds before him, God sees millions of suitable women with faith. So God decides to shorten the list.

“To demonstrate my glory I will choose a woman with no name from a town of no significance in a country of no consequence.”

So God whittles down his list and lands on Mary. In God’s eyes, she is the right person at the right time.

And so are you.

You are not going to give birth to a Messiah, but if you have faith, God will bear his fruit in your life. You don’t need to do a thing to make this happen. You don’t need to acquire a reputation and a track record. You don’t need to be blameless in the eyes of the law.

You just need to be like Mary, and believe.

A Mary Christmas

When God speaks into your life, you need to say, “may it be done to me according to your word.” God speaks, you obey, and your ordinary no-account life turns into Christmas.

Christmas is special, because God is with you. It is not the banquet or the tree that makes Christmas special. Christmas is special because it’s the day we remember God with us.

After Christmas the dirty dishes will be in the sink and the tree will be headed for the curbside, but God will still be with us. He’ll never leave us nor forsake us. And if you believe that – if you get up every morning with the same faithful attitude as Mary – you’ll continue to enjoy his favor on Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, and every other day.

Happy Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Day.

Image: “Maryiam” by Holly Schapker

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For more info, visit JesusScripts.com

Are you Complementarian, Egalitarian, or Something Else?

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Hi friends,

This week marks the first anniversary of the release of my book The Silent Queen: Why the Church Needs Women to Find their Voice. I just checked and I am surprised to find it is my highest-rated book on Amazon. Thank you!

To mark the anniversary, below is an extract from the book. Here I identify three views on women that you encounter in the church. Which one is yours? Tell me in the comments below.

One last thing: At the bottom of this article, you will find a world exclusive – the cover of my latest Jesus Script – plus a special Christmas offer.

Happy Christmas!

Paul

Are you complementarian, egalitarian, or something else?

Every one of us holds a view about the role of women. What can they do; what can’t they do? Your answers to these questions defines your bias.

“Wait, I’m not biased!”

Relax. We are all biased, and the sooner we acknowledge our biases, the sooner we can have a meaningful discussion.

“My views come straight out of scripture!”

That’s what everyone says.

We may think that our biases are informed by scripture, but often it is the other way around. We come to the Bible wearing certain lenses, and what we look through determines what we see.

What is your bias? Here are three lenses or perspectives the church has towards women:

  1. The traditional hierarchical view
  2. The complementarian view
  3. The egalitarian view

The traditional or hierarchical view says women are inferior to men. This was the line taken by theologians who said women were created in the image of men rather than God. Since she is inferior by design, they said, a woman’s role is to serve her husband, and she can never lead. “A woman, however learned and holy, may not take upon herself to teach in an assembly of men,” said the men of the Fourth Synod of Carthage.

Then there is the complementarian view that says women are equal in value but unequal in role. In the same way a child is equal but subordinate to a parent, a wife is subordinate to her husband or church leaders.

The complementarian view differs from the traditional perspective in that it affirms the equality of women, while reinforcing stereotypes about men being natural-born leaders. “Some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men,” says one complementarian website. In the home as in the church, men lead and women follow.

Finally, there is the egalitarian view that says God made men and women equal in every way—they are equal in value and equal in role.

Since men and women were given joint responsibility to rule over creation, both can lead. This is not to deny the differences between the genders or to suggest those differences are unimportant. But to quote the Christians for Biblical Equality, the egalitarian view recognizes that “God calls women and men of all cultures, races, and classes to share authority equally in service and leadership in the home, church, and world.”

Name your bias

Are you a traditionalist, a complementarian, or an egalitarian?

What we label, we diminish, but if I had to choose between these perspectives, I would be unashamedly egalitarian. I’m a Kiwi married to a Dane; how could I not be?

But I am not a rabid egalitarian. On the one hand, I am convinced that equality protects us from the abuses of hierarchy and the misuse of authority. But on the other, I fear the dogged pursuit of equality can hinder authentic relationships.

Like a referee, equality is essential, but it’s not the game. It is not the ultimate goal. For the Christian, the higher goal is love.

Jesus never said his disciples would be known for their equality and sense of fair play. We are to be known for the way we serve, respect, and prefer one another. If we settle for equality, there’s a danger we will fall short of all that God has in store for us, particularly in our marriages.

Equality is not the end game in the war on gender discrimination; it’s the starting point for the new creation.

Equality is a good thing, but what we do with it is far more important. I look forward to the day when my daughters have the same opportunities as my son, but I’m much more interested in what they will do with those opportunities.

Imagine a church where women get the same respect and take on the same roles as men. Actually, you don’t need to imagine such a church at all. Just read the Book of Acts, and you will see that a church where all are valued can change the world.

It happened before, and it can happen again.

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For more info, visit JesusScripts.com


Making Church Skits Cool Again

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As a teenager, I was in the church drama team. It was cool.

On Fridays we’d rehearse, and on Sunday’s we’d perform. We were so good that we were invited to perform in other churches.

But were we that good?

In hindsight, I wonder if we were. I wonder if the invites came because the bar was low and because pastors were keen to have a drama team perform.

“Here’s 10 minutes of good Christian entertainment to keep the folks amused.”

I don’t mean to sound like a cynical ol’ coot, but let’s be honest. A lot of what passes for church drama is downright cringey.

If you’ve ever had to listen to shouty thespians hammering you over the head with some moralizing melodrama, you will know what I’m talking about.

I remember one play we did. It was about a man who had died and found himself waiting outside the Pearly Gates. The man was quizzed by St. Peter to see if he was good enough for heaven. Was he a regular church attender? Did he read his Bible daily? That sort of thing. Sadly, the man didn’t pass the test and St. Peter sent him off to eternal damnation.

What fun!

Can’t wait for the sequel.

I’ve seen a lot of church skits and many of them either make no point at all, or they use fear to promote dead works.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

I am convinced church skits could be great if we packed them full of good news instead of bad news. With that in mind, here are three ideas to make church skits cool:

  1. Ditch the moralizing, and put Jesus front and center.
  2. Instead of telling people how bad they are, tell them how good God is.
  3. Instead of telling people what they need to do, tell them what Jesus has done and what they can do because of what he has done.

These are some of the things I have tried to do with the Jesus Scripts.

The Jesus Scripts are 100 percent grace-based, and you don’t have to go to church to see them. Like the name says, the Jesus Scripts are all about Jesus.

Who are they for? The Jesus Scripts are NOT just for church drama teams. They are for;

  • parents wanting to connect with their teens and tweens
  • youth leaders looking to engage with a device-obsessed generation
  • pastors searching for innovative ways to convey the gospel
  • drama folk who are tired of hammy scripts that leave the heart untouched

This week is Giving Tuesday, and in honor of the occasion, I want to give you a FREE SCRIPT. It is called “The Good Father,” and it’s the perfect script for discovering the Father’s heart. (See a preview here.)

Grab your free script now and have some fun with your family or small group. Not into dramatic storytelling? Grab a copy for your pastor, Sunday School teacher, or youth leader. Tell your friends.

This giveaway ends late Tuesday (PST), so don’t miss out.

Filed Under: Art

Does Sin Hinder our Prayers?

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Ever heard this one: “God is holy. If you have unconfessed sin in your life, he will not hear your prayers.”

It’s. Not. True.

If sin made God deaf, no sinner could be saved. They would pray the sinner’s prayer, but God wouldn’t hear them.

Pray all you like, but I’m not listening. Lalalala. I’ve got fingers in my ears.

Imagine if you had to confess all your sins before God would listen. Most people would die of old age before they were done! And there would be no guarantee you got them all.

Sorry, kiddo. You forgot a sin from the summer of ’82. You’re toast.

“Confess your sins so that God will hear you.” What a stupid theology. Forgive me for getting agitated, but this sort of nonsense leaves people crippled with guilt and condemnation. It causes them to hide from their Father in fear.

Imagine if Jesus had not listened to sinners.

“Sorry, woman-with-a-hemorrhage, I can’t heal you because there’s unconfessed sin in your life.”

“Sorry, woman-caught-in-the-wrong-bed, I can’t stop these men from stoning you.”

“Peter, James, John, I can’t hear a word you’re saying. What’s that, Judas? I see your lips moving but I can’t hear you.”

Jesus is the exact representation of God the Father. If the Son listened to sinners, it’s because the Father listens to sinners. He hears our prayers. Every single one.

God hears us because he loves us

But didn’t David say, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Ps. 66:18)? Keep reading:

Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! Answer me in your faithfulness, in your righteousness! And do not enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no one living is righteous. (Ps. 143:1-2)

David, knowing that he was not righteous, asked God to hear him on account of his righteousness, and God did. Your heavenly Father hears your prayers not because you are good but because he is good and he loves you.

But what about that verse that says, “God does not hear sinners” (John 9:31)? The Jews believed that, but Jesus didn’t. He said things like “When you pray” as if we are to pray all the time, and he told stories to encourage us to pray (Matt. 6:7, Luke 18:1, 10-14).

The Bible never discourages prayer. Instead it says things like “devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2), and “pray continually” (1 Th. 5:17). Only one person is looking for excuses to get you not to pray, and it’s not the Lord.

Okay, what about John. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Keep reading:

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for his name’s sake. (1 John 2:12)

In the new covenant you are not forgiven because you confess; you are forgiven on account of Jesus’ name.

This idea that we have to confess or cleanse ourselves before God will hear us, forgive us, or receive us comes straight out of the old covenant. See the cross. Your sins are there, every last one of them, including all the sins you confessed and all the sins you didn’t.

What really hinders prayer

Jesus said, “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt. 21:22).

The number one hindrance to prayer is not sin but unbelief, and notice that unbelief is not a hindrance to God hearing us but us receiving from him.

We need to pray with faith. We need to pray believing that God hears our prayers no matter who we are or what we’ve done because of who Jesus is and what he has done.

When John says confess he means “agree with God.” Agree that Jesus has dealt with all your sins once and for all. Agree that God is good and he longs to be good to you. Agree that your Father loves you and cares for you and he hears your prayers.

You may say, “But I don’t know how to pray. I’m afraid I will pray wrong.” Here’s Brennan Manning writing in The Ragamuffin Gospel:

There is no such thing as bad prayer…. A little child cannot do a bad coloring; nor can a child of God do bad prayer.

Your heavenly Father loves it when you talk to him. Whatever is on your mind, you can tell him all about it.

Talk to him about your hurts and worries, your hopes and dreams.

Tell him about your secret fears and struggles.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from him. (1 John 5:14-15)

The key word in that passage is confidence. You can be confident of your Father’s goodness, and you can be confident when you pray.

Whatever your need today, ask your heavenly Father for help. Ask with the confidence that he hears your prayers and rides across the heavens to help you (Deu. 33:26).

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Escape to Reality is entirely free thanks to the support of our readers. Patrons gets bonus articles like these:

Beware the muckraker

Who promped David to count the Israelites?

We’re not playing tiddlywinks

You have a sword

What is the hour of testing coming on the whole world?

Sowing in a time of famine

Should we thank God for our suffering?

Who overcomes and gets to eat from the Tree of Life?

Why Aren’t All Healed? (And Other Questions I’ve Been Asked)

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I love a good question.

I love questions so much, I wrote a book full of them. What’s so great about questions? As I say in that book,

Questions are stepping stones to revelation and doorways to discovery. A good question can take you places. It can free you from unhealthy mindsets and set you on the path to wholeness and abundant living. A good question can change your life.

Sometimes my kids will ask a question that makes me marvel. I think, how did they come up with that?

I get asked more questions than I can answer. Which is fine. The act of asking is itself a healthy exercise, and I feel no pressure to position myself as the Answer Guy. I’m not the Holy Spirit.

Besides, a true teacher doesn’t dish out model answers like a penguin regurgitating food. A true teacher teaches others how to learn for themselves. They point people to Jesus in whom are hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3).

Sometimes when someone asks me a question, I will say in all sincerity, “That’s a great question. I have no idea. Please tell me what the Holy Spirit shares with you.”

That may look like I’m giving the brush off, but I am encouraging the seeker to bring their question to the greatest Teacher of all.

Want to know which question I get asked the most? “Paul, have you written anything on this tough scripture?” My response used to be, “Check the Archives > Scripture Index.” But now I would say, “Check the Grace Commentary.”

The next-most asked question is, “Have you written anything on this subject?” Check out the Subject Index.

People often ask me for tips writing or publishing. Since I get asked that question a lot, I have compiled some practical and easy-to-follow guidelines.

Sometimes I get asked ambush questions. An ambush question is like a box of chocolates with a rat trap inside. Ambush questions make me feel special because Jesus got them too.

Occasionally I get asked questions that are interesting or inspire me to pray for wisdom. Below are four questions I’ve been asked in the past few weeks. If these are questions you’ve been asking, I hope my responses encourage you and strengthen your faith.

How to wait for revelation?

“It takes a revelation from God to open the eyes of our heart to truth. What can one do while ‘waiting’ for this awakening?” ~Randall

I wouldn’t wait in a passive sense. I would find something God has said on the subject, ruminate on it, and declare his word over myself. Do it as an act of faith. Every time doubt creeps in, kick it out and call to mind what God said.

God’s word is creative. It changes us. Soon you will find your reality realigning to his word.

Being drunk in the spirit

“_____ people are known for being drunk in the spirit. Just curious what your thoughts on this state are? Is it a kundalini demon like many evangelical charismatic types say it is?” ~Jason

There are two ways to get this wrong: (1) attribute to the devil that which is of the Holy Spirit, and (2) attribute to the Holy Spirit that which is of the devil. Both errors are serious, but the first one is more serious than the other.

I would be hesitant to go around saying “that’s a demon.” Over the years I have encountered many people who have been drunk in the Spirit and the fruit has usually been joy, peace and sometimes healing. Draw your own conclusions.

Why aren’t all healed?

“Isn’t laying hands on the sick and confessing our healing and continually thanking God and all that still just the same old works – a mixed law and grace message? The ‘you are blessed but here is what you need to do to be blessed’ message that is preached in faith circles. I feel like we are just following a formula all over again when we are saying this is what we must do to receive healing.” ~JM

Sadly, it is possible to turn healing into a works-thing and nullify grace. The intellect craves a magic formula, but if there is one I haven’t found it. And blaming sick people for their lack of faith is unkind and unhelpful.

Why do people remain sick if we pray for them? I don’t know. I don’t know why some of the people I pray for are healed while others aren’t.

I don’t know why Jesus healed 100% of those who came to him, but I hit less than 100%. But I do know that more people are healed when I pray than when I stay silent. Love compels me to pray.

In my own life I have experienced instant healings, but not always. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure this out, but so far I don’t have any good answers. (I have some answers.) In the meantime, I’m going to run with the revelation I’ve got and keep praying for whoever asks for prayer.

How do we know which bits of the Bible to trust?

“If God does not give and take away like it says in Job 1, how can we know which bits of the Bible are true and which aren’t?” ~Matilda

That is a great question. There are many verses in the Bible that should not be read out of context. For instance, Solomon said, “Money is the answer to everything” (Ecc 10:19), but it isn’t.

David prayed that bad things would happen to his enemies, which is inconsistent with what Jesus said about loving our enemies.

And there are many strange sayings in the law. For example: “You may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you” (Lev. 25:44, NLT)

In some of these examples, we are hearing from men (like Job) who were in great pain. If you have been in pain, you may have said things you did not mean or which proved to be untrue (like Job). I am glad these statements are in the Bible because that’s how real people talk.

But how do we know which verses are good for us?

It’s all good provided we read everything through Son-glasses.

The whole Bible is useful for training in righteousness, even the bits that sound unrighteous, as long as we filter everything through Jesus the Righteous One.

—

Bonus materials: More questions I’ve been asked (Patreon)

How Does a Husband Act Like a Head?

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Here’s a line you may have heard: “God has ordained the husband to be the head of the marriage, which means he’s in charge.”

The first bit is biblical; the second bit is not.

Headship, in a Biblical sense, has nothing to do with superiority or being in charge. The Greek philosophers taught that men were to rule their homes like lords of the manner, and some of the Church Fathers bought into that. But Jesus and the Apostles said no such thing.

Do you want a godly and blessed marriage? Do you want to know what headship really looks like? Then consider the pattern established by God.

At the head of the human race, God placed a man. Being first in the line does not make Adam more or less special than Eve, but it did mean he was privy to instructions that Eve never heard.

God told Adam to avoid the forbidden tree. God didn’t tell Eve because she hadn’t yet been made. It fell to Adam to convey God’s will to Eve, and tragically he failed.

It was Adam’s job to keep the garden serpent-free, and he failed at that too.

Adam was the head who didn’t lead, and as a result the first marriage partnership failed. If Eve had been made first, these concerns would have been her responsibility. But being made second meant she could not succeed unless Adam succeeded.

Adam was the head who failed to act like a head. In contrast, Jesus is the head leads well.

God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Eph 1:22–23)

Jesus is the head of everything, and his headship is exercised through the church and for the church. In the same way, a husband’s headship is not exercised upon his marriage, but through his marriage and for the benefit of his marriage.

A true king does not rule his queen like an Athenian. Rather, he rules with his queen and for the benefit of his queen like Jesus.

According to the English theologian Matthew Poole, “The man is called the head of the woman, because by God’s ordinance he is to rule over her. He has an excellency above the woman, and a power over her.”

Like Aristotle, Poole believed the husband to be superior to the wife for the same reason that “the head in the natural body, being the seat of reason, and the fountain of sense and motion, is more excellent than the rest of the body.”

If that offends you – and I hope it does because it’s unbiblical trash – change the channel. Don’t listen to Poole; listen to Paul. The Apostle Paul never said the husband was superior and more excellent to his wife. Instead, he spoke of mutual submission and preferring one another. He spoke of that divine mystery we know as the one-flesh team:

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. (Eph 5:31)

Children obey their parents, but when a marriage is formed, everything changes. The daughter no longer submits to her father, for she has become joined to her husband. Her husband is now her head.

Similarly, the husband is no longer beholden to his parents, but he submits to his wife. They have become a one-flesh team ready to take on the world.

Just as wives need to be liberated from patriarchal bondage, husbands need to be liberated from the unholy burden that they alone are responsible for all that happens in the home. You and your spouse are a one-flesh team created to lead together.

Partnership is not always easy, especially when you have the weight of tradition pressuring you to conform to ungodly roles and stereotypes. For the sake of your marriage resist that pressure. What God has joined together, let no man separate.

The crown upon his head

Women were never meant to be ruled by men, yet because of the Greeks and the patriarchs and the Fall of Man, here we are. If we are to return to God’s original plan, we need a better definition of headship, and Jesus is our definition.

If we men are to be godly husbands, let us take our cue from the One who gave his life for his church.

A godly head cares for and nurtures his wife. He respects her as a partner in Christ and acknowledges her God-given talents and gifts.

He provides for her and seeks to please her.

He encourages and comforts her and helps her to walk in the way that God has set before her.

He prays for her and with her.

He sets an example for her to follow and points her to Jesus in all things.

The primary way in which a husband serves as a head is by loving his wife as his own body and by giving himself up for her. He leads in the art of love.

And so does she.

His wife is a queen made in the image of God. Filled with the Spirit, she is just as capable of leading as he is.

As the proverb says, “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown.”

If her husband is the head, then she is the crown that sits upon it.

Source: The Silent Queen

More articles on marriage:

In marriage, who takes the lead?

Is the husband the head of his wife?

Submission doesn’t mean what you think it means

Who submits in marriage?

Why the Proverbs 31 woman may not be your ideal wife

Equality is not the goal

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Introducing JesusScripts.com

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I blame Covid.

On account of lockdowns, my kids could no longer attend youth group. I had to step up, and fill the gap. But I am no youth leader, and my Bible classes were boring.

It didn’t help that there was a big age gap between my youngest and the oldest. What worked for small kids, didn’t work for big kids, and vice versa.

I was stumped. How could I teach my kids about Jesus in a way that was fun and engaging for all?

Answer: Jesus Scripts.

I took the stories of Jesus and turned them into scripts that were fun to read. Like a play, but without the pressure of learning lines. So far we’ve done scripts covering all the major events of Christ’s life.

Would you like to play?

The first Jesus Scripts can be found on my brand new website: JesusScripts.com

The scripts work best in small groups of four to ten people. They are ideal for families, youth groups, and Sunday School classes. Most of the scripts are suitable for ages 11 and up. Some of the scripts are suitable for younger readers.

To clarify: these are not books and they are not available on Amazon. They are scripts that you purchase, download, and print. The small charge covers the cost of production, website hosting, etc.

Each script comes with a link to a free Leader’s Guide that comes with discussion questions, fun facts, and illustrative materials. The scripts are short, but the accompanying discussion can go as long as you want. We usually spend 30-40 minutes on each one.

If you like Escape to Reality, you will love the Jesus Scripts. And if you have been looking for creative ways to convey the good news of grace to young people, these scripts will help.

The Jesus Scripts were not written to moralize or lecture but to help you grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus.

My family loves the Jesus Scripts. Hopefully yours will too.

Grace and peace,

Paul

The Grace Commentary Passes a Milestone

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It’s amazing how much can change in a year.

For as long as I have been writing Escape to Reality, readers have been asking, “Paul, why don’t you write a commentary?” and my reply has always been, “It’s not gonna happen.”

My reluctance was based on brutal experience.

It took me two years to write a verse-by-verse commentary of Matthew 24 for a book called AD70 and the End of the World. It took nearly as long to write a commentary for Revelations 2 and 3 (Letters from Jesus).

That’s four years to cover a grand total of 102 verses.

At that pace I calculated it would take me more than 300 years to write a commentary for the whole New Testament.

So no, it wasn’t going to happen.

Except it has.

In January this year, I felt strongly impressed to give it a shot and in less than nine months we have this new thing called The Grace Commentary which now has commentary for 1,500 verses!

How did that happen?

I honestly can’t account for it except to say the grace of God has brought this project to life.

Who is the Grace Commentary for?

It’s for people who ask this question:

How do I read this verse through the lens of grace?

I get asked that question every day by readers. Perhaps you have even asked me that question. Now instead of waiting for me to answer (and being disappointed when I don’t), you can get an instant answer straight from the Grace Commentary, any time of the day, any day of the week.

We still have a long way to go, but we’ve made a solid start. 1500 verses. My hope is that you and your family will find the Grace Commentary a useful tool as you grow in grace.

If you believe the Grace Commentary is a worthwhile project, here are three ways you can support it:

  1. Pray for wisdom/strength/inspiration as I write
  2. Add a link to The Grace Commentary on your website (incoming links help the commentary get noticed by Google)
  3. Become a financial partner

Why does a commentary need money? It may surprise you to learn that the Grace Commentary website is more expensive to run than Escape to Reality, thanks to all the techy stuff under the hood. BUt hopefully it is worth it.

Become a partner in this exciting venture, and you’ll be investing in something truly worthwhile. Even in these early stages, the Grace Commentary is helping hundreds of people a week.

Whether you support the commentary or not, I hope you use it, and I hope you find it helpful.

Grace and peace,
Paul

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Tyndale, Shakespeare and the King James Bible

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The early seventeenth century was a time of unbridled creativity for English writers. Will Shakespeare was whacking out his best plays, while King James and Co. were working on a great Bible.

Shakespeare and King James were responsible for some of the English language’s most memorable phrases and proverbs, including, “many are called, but few are chosen,” and “to thine own self be true.”

Recently, I gave my kids a quiz where they had to identify the source of classic English quotes. (If you’re interested, here’s a link to the quiz. It’s a lot of fun.)

While preparing the quiz, I made some interesting discoveries. Consider the phrase, “he gave up the ghost.” Heard that one? Did it come from Shakespeare or the King James Bible?

“He gave up the ghost”

The expression refers to someone dying, as in “Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age” (Gen. 25:8). So if you guessed the phrase came from the 1611 version of the King James Bible, you are correct. The phrase appears several times in that Bible and most famously in the crucifixion scene of Luke 23:46:

And when Iesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: And hauing said thus, he gaue vp the ghost.

But that’s not where the phrase originated.

The gave-up-the-ghost phrase appeared in Shakespeare’s play King Henry VI, Part 3, which was written almost two decades before the KJV. In Act 2 scene 3, Richard Plantagenet says:

That stain’d their fetlocks in his smoking blood,
The noble gentleman gave up the ghost.

So Shakespeare said it first and this has led some to speculate that the KJV translators were inspired by the Bard.

They weren’t. The phrase was most likely coined some 80 years earlier by William Tyndale.

Tyndale is remembered as the first person to translate and print the Bible in English. In his translation of Luke 23:46, Tyndale wrote,

And Iesus cryed with a greate voyce and sayd: Father into thy hondes I comende my sprete. And when he thus had sayd he gave vp the goost.

William Tyndale said a lot of things first

By the time Shakespeare was born (in 1564), Tyndale himself had long given up the ghost having been martyred in 1536. Tyndale was executed for his controversial introduction of words and phrases that we use all the time. In fact, a lot of the kudos we give to the King James translators should really be given to Tyndale, for it was he who coined the following phrases:

• my brother’s keeper
• knock and it shall be opened unto you
• a moment in time
• fashion not yourselves to the world
• seek and ye shall find
• ask and it shall be given you
• judge not that ye be not judged
• the word of God which liveth and lasteth forever
• let there be light
• the powers that be
• the salt of the earth
• a law unto themselves
• it came to pass
• the signs of the times
• live, move and have our being

William Tyndale’s contribution to the English language and the modern church is not widely appreciated. Apart from coining beautiful phrases, he taught justification by faith and he understood the difference between the law and the gospel of grace:

The Law and the Gospel are two keys. The Law is the key that shutteth up all men under condemnation, and the Gospel is the key which opens the door and lets them out.

William Tyndale was executed on this day, 6 October, 485 years ago. He was strangled and burnt and he gave up the ghost.

Tyndale’s death was a great loss, but his life was a huge blessing for the English-speaking people. We are all in his debt.

Dig deeper with these study notes from Dr. Paul Ellis:

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