GraceUncovered

Authors home articles Gracelife

GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

Why does Jesus wish we were cold?

by

“You gotta be hot, hot, hot for Jesus! You gotta get enthusiastic in evangelizing the lost. You gotta get on fire with passion for the Lord.” This is a message I used to preach, yet it is only half of what Jesus said. “You are neither cold or hot but lukewarm. I wish that you were cold or hot” (Rev. 3:15-16). Wait, what? Cold is the opposite of hot. If hot is good, how can cold be good too? I have heard some silly answers to this one over the years. “It is better to be dead in your sins than a half-hearted Christian.” Um, no, it’s not. Why would Jesus wish anyone to be dead in their sins? “It is better to be coldly opposed to God, than on the fence.” Even if that were true, why would Jesus wish you were coldly opposed to God? “Jesus is talking about extreme passion. Being really cold is exactly like being really hot.” Except it’s not. Hot and cold are opposites; they are not the same. “It’s because of the aqueduct. Laodicea got hot water from Hierapolis and cold water from Colossae. History explains the metaphor.” This is a well-known story, [...]

What does it mean to remove a church’s lampstand?

by

If you wanted to control people using fear and dark threats, you could become a Sith Lord, or you could take the good promises of Jesus, turn them inside out, and use them to terrorize God’s children. Let me give you an example: Unless you repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand out of its place. (Rev. 2:5) What does that mean? It sounds scary. I’d better do whatever the man of God tells me. And bam, there goes your freedom. Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go. In the research I did for Letters from Jesus, I read dozen of commentaries and was regularly horrified by how this good promise was interpreted. What does it mean to remove your lampstand? Apparently it means Jesus is going to close your church or kill your pastor. Yes, I actually read that. “How dreadful are the punishments of Christ!” said a certain Victorian minister. “He may take away your minister; and he may also take away the light of his word.” (Think about that for a second: If you don’t repent, the man up front gets whacked by Jesus. Makes perfect sense.) Sadly, this was par [...]

Are you working too hard for Jesus?

by

Who were the hardest working Christians in the Bible? The answer must surely be Paul and his friends, but many people will say it was the church at Ephesus. They say this because of what Jesus said in his letter to the church: “I know your deeds and toil” (Rev 2:2a). Commentators make much of Jesus knowing the Ephesians’ deeds and toil, as though an impressed Lord was recording their labors in his scorebook. But the original word for know simply means “I see”. It’s not necessarily a commendation. In these letters, Jesus says, “I know” in regard to both good deeds (Rev. 2:19) and bad deeds (Rev. 3:1, 15). When Jesus says, “I know” to the Ephesians, he’s saying “I care.” Because he loves us he is intimately acquainted with our lives. He knows what we’re doing. It’s a good thing that he knows, but it may not be a good thing that we’re doing, and this was the case with the Ephesians. “I know your deeds and toil.” Many believe that Jesus was commending the Ephesians for their hard work, but the word toil means labors, extreme weariness, and beating. The Ephesians were taking a beating. They were [...]

Are your deeds incomplete?

by

If Christians are worn out, it is for one of two reasons: (1) they don’t know how much their Father loves them and (2) they have an unbiblical definition of work. Hey, I’m not judging anyone here. When it comes to overwork, I’m guilty as sin. I’m a workaholic who regularly pushes himself past breaking point. I’ve learned a lot through my mistakes, but sometimes I wonder whether I have learned anything at all. So put this one in the “Do as I say, not as I do basket.” On the subject of rest vs work, I have much to learn, but one thing I know for certain is this: Jesus does not want you to work yourself to exhaustion. Rather, he wants you to rest from your labors, and trust in his finished work. “But Paul, what about all those scriptures that say things like Jesus knows our deeds and we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and we will be rewarded for doing good?” I encourage you to check out the 30+ articles I have written on these and other deeds-scriptures. (You can find them in the Archives>Subject Index under “works”.) Today I want [...]

Happy Birthday to us, and a free book for you!

by

Today is Escape to Reality’s 9th birthday, and to celebrate I’m giving away free PDF copies of my most misjudged book, AD70 and the End of the World: Finding Good News in Christ’s Prophecies and Parables of Judgment.

I say misjudged, because people who haven’t read it have claimed that I’m a preterist (I’m not) or that I don’t believe in either the rapture (I do) or the final return of the Lord (I am very much looking forward to it!).

Anyway, you can read the book for yourself and make up your own mind. Not interested in the end times? The book also covers the treasures found in Christ’s parables of judgment. Something for everyone!

This giveaway is for all E2R subscribers only and the offer is good until Thursday, Feb 7, 2019. Download instructions are below.

How to get your free book:

  1. Got to the AD70 website
  2. Click the big button that says “I want this”
  3. Enter your email address
  4. Enter the following discount code (without any spaces): 9yearsofgrace
  5. After the price drops to $0, click “Get”

If you can’t find your download link, check your spam folder.

If you feel like thanking me, there’s no better way than by posting a customer review on Amazon.

Enjoy your new book, and thanks for sharing the journey these past nine years. And special thanks to my patrons, whose generosity makes these giveaways possible.

Paul

What does it mean to keep his deeds?

by

If you were to make a list of big topics discussed by Jesus and the New Testament writers, the subject of deeds or works would have to be on that list. They all spoke about it, and no one more than Jesus. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not doing the works of Abraham (John 8:39-40), and said we would be judged for what we have done (John 5:28-29). This frightens some people. They think we have to get busy for the Lord and that he will judge us on our performance. “Am I doing enough? Will I make the grade?” Others are confused. “I thought Jesus wanted to give me rest (Matt. 11:28). Why did he say “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62)? What does he want from me – rest or hard work? All confusion and dead works would end if we only understood the Biblical meaning of work, which is this: Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you… The work of God is this: to [...]

What deeds does Jesus know?

by

“I know your deeds,” says Jesus to the churches. He exhorts the Ephesians to do the deeds they did at first (Rev. 2:5), he rebukes the Sardisians for having incomplete deeds (Rev. 3:2), and he promises to reward the Thyatirans according to their deeds (Rev. 2:23). Clearly our deeds or works matter to Jesus. But what sort of deeds is Jesus referring to? The preacher of law says, “Jesus is referring to our law-keeping performance. We must keep the commands to please the Lord.” A similar interpretation is offered by the preacher of works. “Jesus is saying we need to work out our salvation, do the deeds that prove our repentance, and pursue the spiritual disciplines.” Yet both interpretations raise uncomfortable questions: How many deeds are needed to qualify? What if I neglect to keep all the commands? Worse, both interpretations do nothing but promote dead works and pride. What are dead works? We can distinguish dead works from faith works. Dead works of the flesh lead to death, while faith works release abundant life. The former relies on self; the latter leans on the Spirit. Living under any form of law is a dead work because the law is [...]

Will Jesus return in 2019?

by

And so another year kicks off with a certain Christian magazines/websites making gloomy predictions about these last days. (I was going to provide some links here but it was depressing reading and I don’t wish to promote newspaper eschatology. If you’re interested, this stuff is not hard to find.) What do all these articles have in common? I mean, apart from peddling fear and anxiety about current events? Answer: they all believe Jesus is coming back soon. In other words, they don’t believe what the Bible says about the timing of Christ’s return. (TL:DR; The scriptures are emphatically and deliberately silent on the date of the Lord’s return.) “But the Lord’s return has to be soon, right? I mean, all the signs are there!” If by signs you mean earthquakes, famines, wars, lawlessness, and false messiahs, these are signs that Jesus listed in connection with the fall of Jerusalem. There is not one scripture that links these signs with the Lord’s final return to earth. “But there are other signs mentioned in scripture, like the rise of the antichrist, false prophets, the man of lawlessness, animal extinctions, new diseases, a rebuilt Jerusalem, a third temple …” These so-called signs have [...]

Is Jesus Returning Soon?

by

Me: “I am coming to your house soon.” You: “Great! When?” Me: “I have no idea. I don’t even what day.” You: “Um, okay.” Me: “You’ll have to wait a really long time.” You: “But you said you’d be here soon.” Me: “Soon, sure! But it could be centuries.” If I delivered mixed messages like this, you would think I’m unreliable. Untrustworthy, even. “Paul doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I wouldn’t believe anything he says.” Yet apparently this is how Jesus talks. According to some, Jesus is confused and unreliable. Let me ask you a serious question: Is Jesus coming soon? Yes or no? The Bible offers a straight answer to this question, and it may not be what you think: “I am coming soon.” (Rev 22:20, NIV) There you go. Case settled. Jesus is coming soon. He said so. But wait a sec… Didn’t Jesus also say he did not know the hour or day of his return (Matt 24:36)? And didn’t Jesus also tell parables about servants having to wait a long time for their masters’ return? See the problem? Jesus seems to say he’s coming soon and not soon. He’ll be here in a jiffy, but [...]

Merry Christmas from the White House

by

I will not be sad to see the end of 2018. I don’t know about you, but this has been a year of low-level stress for us. Nothing major. Just a lot of rotten wood and asbestos in our house that had to go. And a roof, several walls, a few floors, and all the windows. We’ve had months of dust and disruption and we’re still living under a big, white wrap. At least it’ll be a white Christmas. Anyway, rant over. We are blessed to have a home, the kids are healthy, my wife loves me, and God is good. What more could a man want? A verse that has resonated with me this year, is this one: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (Psa 23:5a) Our enemies, whatever they may be, seek to distract and disrupt us, but the Lord’s response is to get us to sit and feast in front of them. It takes a measure of faith to to do that when there is a struggle going on. We are inclined to worry and wrestle, but the Good Shepherd wants us to “sit, eat.” He’s got this. One of my [...]

You’ve got mail: Letters from Jesus, out today!

by

Last Friday I picked up a book containing the most important letters ever written. The letters had been penned by all sorts of historical figures. Yet the book contained no letters from Jesus. Not one. I can’t say I was surprised. Most people don’t know that Jesus sent letters.

Do you know that the Son of God sent letters from heaven?

The letters from Jesus may be the most important letters you ever read. How strange then, that many don’t know they exist, and those who do are afraid of them. Which is a shame, because the letters from Jesus are spectacular!

My new book, Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches, comes out today.

Why did I write it? I wrote so that you may know that God is good and he loves you far more than you can possibly imagine. Whether you’re a saint or a sinner, a success or a loser, his love for you is unfathomable. The hypergrace gospel that was revealed in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ is brilliantly displayed in his letters.

“But Paul, his letters are full of scary language.” So is the Bible, yet you read that and are encouraged by it. Just as we need to rightly divide scripture, there is a right way and a wrong way to read the letters from Jesus. In my book I explain the difference.

“But Jesus is terrifying in his letters. He’s got fiery eyes and swords.” Then allow me to show you how the seven portraits of Jesus found in his letters are glorious pictures of a King who loves you. And they are unique, for they are found nowhere else in scripture.

“But his letters were sent to other people. They are not for me.” You could say the same thing about the letters from Paul, Peter, and John. If you have been blessed by the letters to the Romans and Philippians, you can expect to be blessed by the letters to the Ephesians and Laodiceans. They are full of treasures.

My mission, this Christmas, is to deliver the mail. I want to see that you get what’s coming to you, which is Very Good News straight from the heavenly throne of grace.

It’s Good News such as the world barely knows.

It’s Good News that brings great joy to those who receive it.

You can find Letters from Jesus on the Kindle store. You can also get it in other ebook formats (PDF, ePub, and Mobi) here. (The paperback comes out next Easter.)

Grab a copy of Letters for yourself and gift one to your pastor, your mom, your Sunday School teacher, and anyone else who needs some Good News this Christmas.

Happy Christmas, and Happy Reading!

Paul

 

Who is an Overcomer?

by

The following is an extract from my book, Letters from Jesus, which is available for pre-order now on Kindle. — To him who overcomes… (Rev. 2:7b) Jesus makes a promise connected with overcoming at the end of each of his letters. This promise leads us to wonder, how do I overcome? And what happens if I don’t? Is Jesus saying I can lose my salvation if I fail the overcoming test? Some define overcoming as a list of things you must do. You have to prevail in life’s trials, disarm spiritual enemies, and conquer every sin. You have to resist temptation, walk in daily victory, and defeat the devil. Do these things to your dying breath and you will earn the right to eat from the Tree of Life, but drop the ball and you’ll be toast. This sort of thinking leads to stressed-out, overworked Christianity such as the Ephesians practiced, and it is not good news. The word overcomes is a verb that means to conquer, prevail, or get the victory. Look up the word in the dictionary and you will find a picture of Jesus who is the Overcomer. “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” [...]

Categories

Recent Posts