Articles by Paul Ellis

Introducing JesusScripts.com

October 19, 2021 // 9 Comments

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 [...]

The Grace Commentary Passes a Milestone

October 13, 2021 // 7 Comments

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 [...]

Tyndale, Shakespeare and the King James Bible

October 6, 2021 // 6 Comments

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, [...]

Are you Self-Righteous? Take the Test!

September 28, 2021 // 16 Comments

When you reach a certain age, you have to go for periodic checkups to ensure that nasty diseases haven’t flared up since your last check up. Similarly, it’s a good idea to undergo regular scans for self-righteousness. Like cancer and heart disease, self-righteousness is one of the biggest killers around. [...]

How to Talk to Your Kids About Money

September 16, 2021 // 8 Comments

How were you taught about money when you were a child? I wasn’t taught much beyond pocket money and tithing. Most of my financial education came later through hard experience. But there was one lesson I will never forget. I was at a leadership conference many years ago. The speaker began by asking us if we [...]

In Marriage, Who Takes the Lead?

September 9, 2021 // 11 Comments

If you have been raised with a traditional view of marriage, you’ve probably heard the husband is in charge. “In a marriage, the man is God’s delegated authority. He leads.” It sounds Biblical, but it isn’t. It has more in common with those sexist advertisements of yesteryear than anything [...]

Who’s Your Daddy?

September 2, 2021 // 19 Comments

When our first child was born, there were some complications and she had to spend a few days in a special care ward. She was kept in an incubator and the only way I could touch her was by putting my hands through holes in the side of the incubator wall. She was only a few hours old when I came to her, stroked [...]

What We Need is a New Covenant Dictionary

August 26, 2021 // 10 Comments

Words mean different things to different people. Consider the word obedience. What does this word mean to you? If you have an old covenant mindset, obedience means keeping the Ten Commandments. But if you have a new covenant mindset, obedience means heeding Jesus. It’s the same for the word repentance. [...]

What are Works of Faith?

August 18, 2021 // 23 Comments

What is the relationship between faith and works? And are we saved by faith or faith plus works? Many people are confused about these things, and it’s not hard to see why: Paul: “We are justified by faith apart from works” (Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9)James: “We are justified by works and not faith alone” [...]

Should Women Remain Silent in Church? What Does the Bible Really Say?

August 12, 2021 // 18 Comments

Should women stay silent in church? Hmm. Tough question. What does the Bible say? NO Act 1:14 They ALL joined together constantly in prayer, along with the WOMEN. NO Act 2:4 ALL of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. NO Act 2:17 I will pour out my Spirit on ALL people and [...]

Six Signs of a Self-Righteous Mindset

August 5, 2021 // 23 Comments

Self-righteousness is the worst disease to ever afflict the human race. Self-righteousness will keep you from grace and lock you out of the kingdom. For this reason, great preachers like Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon made a habit of preaching against self-righteousness. But do you know what [...]

I Will Come Like a Thief

July 29, 2021 // 16 Comments

Once upon a time, in the iron-age kingdom of Lydia, there was a river of gold called the Pactolus River. Whoever controlled the river was rich, and this explains why Croesus was one of the richest kings who ever lived. Croesus, who lived about 550 years before Christ, built a citadel called Sardis to protect his [...]