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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

Two Buttons

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Before you are done reading this post, I hope you will press one button and possibly two. So get your button-pressing finger ready, because here comes the first button.

The first button

We’re test-driving some concept art for the cover of the new AD70 book. This is exciting stuff, at least for me. But I need your input.

Which of the books below would you be most likely to pick up in a store?

“Paul, how can I pick a cover if I don’t know what the book is about?”

This book is partly about the events of AD70, but it’s mostly about Christ’s parables and prophecies of judgment. In fact,  the subtitle of the book is Finding Good News in Christ’s Parables and Prophecies of Judgment. Here’s the blurb for the book:

Is the world going to hell in a handbasket? Is ours the generation that will be left behind? Are global events harbingers of the great tribulation? Such questions promote a fear and anxiety that is contrary to the hope-filled gospel of Jesus Christ.

In AD70 and the End of the World, Paul Ellis offers an alternative, gospel-based perspective of the last days. Based on an in-depth study of scripture and the forgotten lessons of history, he reveals the astonishing good news hidden within Christ’s parables and prophecies of judgment.

This book is the antidote to pessimistic prophecy. It answers questions about Judgment Day, the rapture, and the end of the age. It reinterprets dark tales of vengeance and wrath through the bright light of grace.

If you are weary of gloomy forecasts or are anxious about the apocalypse, AD70 and the End of the World will give you a confident and joyful expectation of a bright tomorrow.

Which cover do you feel best represents that blurb AND looks good enough to read? (Click on the image for a better view.)

cover-concepts_med

Having trouble deciding? You can choose up to 3 covers in this poll:

I need your vote by Thursday 23 Feb 2017 at the latest. Thanks in advance. If you have any comments about these covers, feel free to let me know below.

The second button

I want to thank everyone who signed up as E2R patrons last month. As you know, your names are going in the ebook version of Stuff Jesus Never Said.

I did say that book would not come out for a couple of months, but things have been moving faster than expected. In fact, the ebook comes out today!

That’s right, Stuff Jesus Never Said is available right now on Kindle and PDF:

Personally, I still think the hardback version of this book is the way to go, but I appreciate it’s a little pricey and expensive to ship if you live outside of the US of A.

So if you have been waiting to read this gold-medal winning book (cough), your wait is over.

Just press the button.


What did the High Priest See?

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On the night he was betrayed, there was a dramatic confrontation between Jesus and the Sanhedrin. Picture the scene: Caiaphas, the high priest is fishing for evidence they can use against the Lord. Many false witnesses come forward but their lies are transparent and useless. Finally someone says, “I heard this man say he could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.” Caiaphas rubs his hands in anticipation. “This is a serious claim, Jesus. How do you respond?” Jesus says nothing. Caiaphas is fed up. He knows they can’t make their charges stick. In desperation he wags his finger at Jesus and says, “I command you to tell us if you are the Son of God.” Jesus finally breaks his silence: “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64, NIV) And what happens next can only be described as a self-inflicted wardrobe malfunction. Caiaphas rips his robes, yells “Blasphemy! Blasphemy!” and Jesus is as good as dead. “You will see,” said Jesus. But what exactly [...]

When did the Old Covenant End?

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The Bible is made up of two documents: the Old Testament and the New Testament. These documents roughly equate to two covenants: the old covenant and the new covenant. I say roughly because the old covenant did not begin in Genesis 1 and the new covenant did not begin in Matthew 1. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties characterized by promises and obligations. In a biblical context, a covenant describes how God relates to people. The old covenant, which was based on law, was how God related to the nation of Israel. The new covenant, which is based on grace, is how God relates to everybody, including the Jews. The old covenant came into effect at Mt. Sinai through Moses, Israel’s representative, while the new covenant came into effect at Mt. Calvary through Christ, humanity’s representative. On the night before his death the Son of God announced a “new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). He was literally declaring his last will and testament, a new covenant that would come into effect when he died (Hebrews 9:16-17). The new covenant was new In every way, the new covenant is superior to the old. – The old covenant [...]

What Makes a Church a Family?

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The gospel of grace has exploded over the past few years. Ten years ago you probably hadn’t heard of Joseph Prince, Andrew Wommack, or Escape to Reality. But today many people are preaching grace, writing about grace, singing about grace, and walking in grace. There are countless sermons, books, and videos on grace, and gazillions of testimonies – stories about how lives have been radically changed by the healing power of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Given this exciting and global revolution, why is it still so hard to find a church preaching pure grace? Why do many churches still preach a mixed-up message of grace-plus-works? It seems the grace revolution has touched every corner of the world, except the main street church. Why is that? Why is the church slow to get grace? The reason some churches are slow to embrace grace is because they are not families. They may say they are a family, but what they say differs from what they do. God sets the solitary in families. (Ps 68:6) Family is where we do life and encounter Jesus. You need love, grace and healing? You’ll find it in God’s family. Churches that function like families get grace; churches that [...]

Does the Lord Bring Trouble? (Job 42:11)

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A few readers have asked for my thoughts on this “troublesome” passage: All (Job’s) brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. (Job 42:11, NIV) Other translations say the Lord brought adversity or evil upon Job. This is clearly a reference to the great loss that Job suffered – he lost his health, wealth and children. And as everybody knows, God was behind Job’s suffering. It was the Lord who killed his kids. Except he didn’t. God wasn’t remotely responsible for the suffering Job experienced. As we have seen in our series on Job, God did not give the devil permission to have a crack at Job. And the notion that God robs us – that he gives and takes away – says more about Job’s distorted view of God than the true character of a good God who gives without revocation. Who are you listening to? There are some fascinating characters in the story of Job. There are three comfortless friends [...]

Filed Under: Job

Get Your Name in Paul’s Book

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My new book, Stuff Jesus Never Said, has won a gold medal at the 2017 Illumination Book Awards. Needless to say, I’m thrilled. Here’s another announcement: The ebook version of Stuff Jesus Never Said is coming out in a couple of months. And if you act fast, your name could be in it! When Stuff Jesus Never Said was published, I said I would not release it in ebook form. But some of you said “I want it on Kindle.” So I changed my mind. You convinced me. We’ll put it on Kindle, and PDF too. Although I wanted a book that looks and feels good – and the full-color hardback book is stunning – some felt the hardback was a little pricey. The ebook will be cheaper, which is a good thing, because this is a book that needs to be read. Stuff Jesus Never Said draws a line between truth and tradition, life and death. It strips away the garbage – the stuff Jesus never said – to reveal the good stuff Jesus did say on subjects ranging from divorce and guilt to depression and giving. This is a book that celebrates the goodness of a good God who loves you like a father [...]

How Religion Makes Us Stupid (And Jesus Makes us Wise)

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Religion is an endless car race and I have a trackside seat. I smell the fumes of religious ambition, and I hear the sickening crunch of condemnation. The religious race goes on and on, and I get to watch people slamming into the hard wall of rules and unforgiveness. I don’t particularly want to watch this, but Jesus said to help the hurting, and many of them are lying broken on the religious racetrack. Religion hurts people. The old religion of rules and regulations ministers condemnation and death. Hopefully you know this. But did you also know that religion can make you stupid? But their minds were made dull… Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. (2 Cor 3:14-15) The word for dull in this passage means a kind of stone. Live by the ministry carved on tablets of rock, and you’ll end up with rocks in your head. (You have to love the language of the Bible!) Rule-based religion will give you a dull mind and a veiled heart. I see proof of this every day in my message box. Consider this question I was recently asked: Paul, I have been told that [...]

The Three Uses of the Law

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This is a pretty special year. If you hadn’t heard, 2017 is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The key date if you’re thinking of popping champagne is 31 October. It was on that date in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. Actually, forget the champagne. Get a hammer and nail something to the door of your church. Your pastor will totally get the symbolism. The Reformation that Luther and others started led to a whole new way of thinking about God, church, and the proper use of the law. In the Formula of Concord, the Lutheran Statement of Faith, the three uses of the law are summarized as follows: The Law was given to men so that (1) men may have knowledge of their sins, (2) wild men might be restrained, and (3) after they are regenerate they might have a fixed rule to live by. According to the Reformers, the law is a mirror, a restraint, and a guide. Since this is the quincentennial anniversary of the Reformation, it is a good occasion for us to discuss these three purposes. Is the law a mirror? Yes. [...]

Filed Under: law

The Feeble Gospel

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The number one reason we have a feeble church is we preach a feeble gospel. We will never have a strong church unless we preach a mighty gospel. Do you know the difference? • The feeble gospel says you better love God; the mighty gospel declares he surely loves you! • The feeble gospel preaches God can forgive you; the mighty gospel declares he already has. • The feeble gospel says you need to get holy; the mighty gospel declares that in Christ you already are. • The feeble gospel says you are the Lord’s servant; the mighty gospel declares you are his beloved son. • The feeble gospel points to your badness; the mighty gospel reveals his abounding goodness. • The feeble gospel preaches turn from sin; the mighty gospel says turn to Jesus and be free from sin. • The feeble gospel says God will bless you as you do your part; the mighty gospel declares God has blessed you with every blessing in Christ Jesus. • The feeble gospel drives you with law; the mighty gospel draws you with love. • The feeble gospel says God gives and takes away; the mighty gospel declares God gives and [...]

How Your Bible May Be Ruining the Gospel

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My wife is a good cook. She does a Danish roast with crackling pork and all the trimmings that is second-to-none. In fact, she is preparing a sumptuous roast dinner as I write. I’m practically drooling on the keyboard. Knowing that my wife is a good cook, which of these two sentences do you prefer? 1. Camilla can prepare a great meal for you. 2. Camilla will prepare a great meal for you. One word is the only difference between these two sentences, but it is a huge difference. Camilla can or Camilla will. The word can speaks of Camilla’s abilities. She can cook. So what, you say. What good is that to me? But the word will speaks to a promise. She will cook for me? Wonderful! When do we eat? Can or will Can is potential, but will is promise. This matters because of something Jesus said in Mark 3:28. See if you can spot the difference: Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins. (Mark 3:28, NIV) Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man (Mark 3:28, ESV) One Bible says your sins can be forgiven, the other [...]

2016 Christmas Message from Paul

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Someone once said life is what happens when you’re making other plans. This is wisdom for me because I am a planner. I begin every day, every week, and every year with a detailed plan. But I am learning to hold my plans loosely so as not to miss out on life. At the start of this year I had grand plans and… I achieved none of them, for my year was marked by three interruptions. Were they life-giving interruptions? I hope so. You be the judge. Interruption #1: The Stuff Jesus Never Said book This book did not exist in January; by April, I had a copy in my hand. Stuff Jesus Never Said came out of nowhere and took us by surprise. It has long been my dream to convey the gospel in visual form. When I began the SJNS page three years ago, I wanted to put the best pictures in a book, but I couldn’t see how to get past the copyright issues. I asked the Mormons if I could use their pictures. (The Church of the Latter Day Saints takes art seriously and they have the best pictures of Jesus.) But they said no. Apparently [...]

They Will Not Taste Death

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Jesus said some of his disciples would live forever and wander the earth as ageless immortals. No, wait. Did he really? It sounds like the plot of an Indiana Jones movie but the truth is no less exciting. Here is what Jesus actually said: Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see… – the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:28) – the kingdom of God after it has come with power. (Mark 9:1) – until they see the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:27) Each version is different but the same. Since the kingdom is nothing without the king, these verses are all about Jesus. But what’s this business about Jesus coming into his kingdom? When did that happen, and why did only some of the disciples see it? The short answer is Jesus is talking about is his exaltation. Jesus came to earth as a servant, but he returned to heaven as a king. In other words, Jesus is speaking of his resurrection and ascension… when (God) raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far [...]

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