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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 [...]

Jesus Stands with the Accused

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In Biblical times there was a law that said a man could send his wife away with a certificate of divorce if she no longer found favor in his eyes. “She grew old and wrinkled, so I traded her in for a younger model.” This was not a good law, and Jesus didn’t like it. When asked about it he basically said, “Moses gave you this law because you have rocks for hearts.” It was a bad law for bad husbands. Worse, some of these heartless husbands were only obeying the first part of the law. They were sending out their wives without giving them a certificate of divorce. It was a rotten deal for women. Sent out into the cold with no means of support, they couldn’t remarry without committing adultery. They were in an impossible situation. Someone had to say something. Jesus did. “Whosoever sends away his wife and marries another, commits adultery.” Jesus hammered these hard-hearted husbands with the very law they were exploiting. “You men think you’re clever, but you’re hurting women and breaking the law.” In a religious culture obsessed with rules, divorced people are sometimes judged as second-class citizens, even adulterers. “As long as [...]

When is the Second Coming?

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Every so often some omen or portent sets Facebook alight with the prospect of Christ’s imminent return. “Blood moons! Aligning planets! Israel sneezed! Jesus is coming – see the signs!” I have been hearing claims like these for decades and, I have to tell you, they sound increasingly ridiculous. I appreciate that making predictions – even bad ones – is a great way to sell books or generate traffic. But bad prophecies and end times hysteria give the church a bad name and fill people with fear. How much better if we stick to what the Bible says, and the Bible says four things about the timing of the Lord’s return. 1. No one knows the hour or day The disciples wanted to know when Jesus would come and he replied, “I don’t know” (see Matthew 24:36). Evidently the disciples had a hard time accepting this, because after he rose from the dead they asked him again. “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by his own authority.” (Acts 1:6-7) In other words, “I still [...]

An Apology to the People of New Zealand

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As a New Zealander, I was deeply saddened to hear about the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit north Canterbury in the early hours of Monday morning. As a Cantabrian, I groaned with the thought of “Not again.” In times of disaster it is natural to ask why. Why do bad things keep happening? And why […]

The 5 Comings of Jesus

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Imagine you lived 2,000 years ago and were waiting for the coming of Jesus. You expected him to come soon but you weren’t sure where he would appear. So you studied the scriptures and listened to different teachers, but that only increased your confusion. One group, quoting the prophet Micah, said the Messiah would come […]

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