Paul Ellis's Blog, page 9

Two Lists

I want to show you a list of 7 names. Count how many you recognize:

Leonardo da VinciJohann Sebastian BachLudwig van BeethovenJohannes BrahmsRembrandtGeorge GershwinJackson Pollock

I’m guessing you may be familiar with most of the names on that list. Maybe you recognized 6 or 7 names.

Now I want to show you a second list of names. You probably won’t recognize any of these people:

Isabella d’EsteLeopold of Anhalt-KöthenJoseph Franz MaximilianVik...

King Herod and the Christmas Giveaway

Looking for something fun and Biblical and Christmassy to do with your friends and family? As a special treat for E2R readers, I’m giving away free copies of my script “Herod and the Gift.”

What is it? “Herod and the Gift” is the story of Christmas as told by you and your friends. It’s written as a script which means everyone has a part. You don’t need to dress up or put on a show. In our house we read these around the table with dramatic voices and flourishes. They are great fun.

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The Real Seven Deadly Sins

Every year on my birthday, my wife makes a delicious gumbo. It’s so yummy I usually have a second helping. And by second, I mean third or fourth. It’s that good!

But according to some theologians, I am sinning when I eat my wife’s gumbo. Why? Because gluttony, which is defined by some as “eating too eagerly” – is one of the seven deadly sins.

Don’t panic.

Gluttony will not send you to hell. An occasional gumbo feast might give you indigestion, but that’s about it.

Are you fam...

Why Does the Virgin Birth Matter?

One of the questions asked at Christmas is, “Was Jesus really born of a virgin?”

Is this an important question? Some say no. They say they do not need to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin to believe that he is the Savior.

But the virgin birth matters a great deal, for at least three reasons.

First, the prophets said the virgin birth would be a messianic sign:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she wi...

Watch Out for the Holiness Preachers

As a teenager, I didn’t need anybody to tell me what to do.

As an adult, I wish somebody would.

Life is big and confusing. It’s full of anxiety, uncertainty, and questions that have no answers. And this is why some people prefer law to grace. They’d rather live under the old covenant than the new.

Back then if you wanted to stay on the straight and narrow, you just had to keep all the rules. But in the kingdom of grace, there are no rules. “All things are lawful” (1 Cor 6:12)....

Watch out for the Holiness Preachers

As a teenager, I didn’t need anybody to tell me what to do.

As an adult, I wish somebody would.

Life is big and confusing. It’s full of anxiety, uncertainty, and questions that have no answers. And this is why some people prefer law to grace. They’d rather live under the old covenant than the new.

Back then if you wanted to stay on the straight and narrow, you just had to keep all the rules. But in the kingdom of grace, there are no rules. “All things are lawful” (1 Cor 6:12)....

What is the Whole Counsel of God?

Tell people the good news of God’s unconditional love, and I can guarantee that some will chide you for not preaching the whole counsel of God.

Tell people about the goodness of God, and some concerned person will say: “You’ve got to preach the whole counsel of God, brother.”

What they mean is, “You should tell people to do stuff – repent, confess, turn from sin, work, etc. – to earn the free gifts of grace.”

Earn the free gifts of grace?!

What a strange thing to say. How ca...

What Does it Mean to be Alienated from God?

Perhaps you know the story of Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda of the Imperial Japanese Army.

When WW2 ended, it was a time of great joy and celebration. Prisoners were set free, and millions of soldiers went home to their families.

But not Lt. Onoda. The dutiful Onoda did not believe broadcasts announcing the end of the war, so for the next 29 years he hid in the jungles of the Philippines refusing to come home.

Knowing he was still out there, the authorities tried to reach him with the...

You are not a Doorkeeper in the House of God

“I am a bondservant of the Lord.” So said Paul and every other New Testament epistle writer. Works-preachers ever since have been saying that we are God’s servants who serve so get busy serving.

And the result is a flesh-powered, fatigued and fruitless church.

You are not God’s servant. You are his dearly-loved child (Eph. 5:1, 1 John 3:1). You’re a son, not a slave. Big difference.

What does God need servants for anyway? He created the universe with a word. How exactly do you t...

Will I Lose My Salvation if I Keep Sinning?

I’m just gonna say it: it is not God’s will for you to live in sin.

“Wait, Paul. I thought you were a grace preacher. Aren’t you supposed to accept people just as they are? Aren’t you supposed to be inclusive and forgiving like Jesus?”

Look, I get it. Grace attracts sinners. Why do you think tax collectors and prostitutes were drawn to Jesus?

He loved them. He accepted them. He also set them free.

Since I preach radical grace, I often hear from people who are fooling around w...