Spurgeon’s Sermon
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Articles by Paul Ellis
“Sit, Walk, Stand” by Watchman Nee
(Note: I wrote the following review 6 months ago but never got around to publishing it. Lately several people have asked me if I’ve read Sit, Walk, Stand – it [...]
Star Trek and the great commission: 12 parallels
Today, 8 September, is the 45th anniversary of the first regular episode of Star Trek. How could I pass up an opportunity like this to talk about one of my all-time favorite [...]
Do NIV readers have a sinful nature?
Here are two verses that seem to say contradictory things about our sinful nature: 1. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a [...]
Top 12 Bill Johnson Quotes from Manifest Presence 2011
Bill Johnson must be one of the most quotable preachers on the planet. He’s a regular wordsmith and full of wisdom. If you’ve heard him speak you’ll know he’s funny [...]
Win a Limited Edition Escape to Reality Pen!
Update: The competition has closed and a winner has been randomly selected. Congratulations to Vic Cameron, of Scotland. Be the talk of the town with one of these flash new [...]
12 Biblical Examples of Walking in the Spirit
The Bible describes two kinds of life and two ways to live. You are either in the flesh or in the spirit (Rom 8:9) AND you can walk according to the flesh or according to the [...]
Life doesn’t have the last word (when you’re walking in the spirit)
A man, blind from birth, learns of an operation that will give him the gift of sight. Encouraged by his friends and family, he undergoes the procedure. The operation is a [...]
Romans 7: The flesh test
Have you seen the pearl of wisdom hidden in Romans 7? Many miss it because they view the chapter as “not written for me” or as a mere prelude to chapter 8. This is a [...]
12 Infamous Examples of Walking After the Flesh in the Bible
“…and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (Jdg 17:6) Since most of us have grown up with a works-based view of salvation, we tend to think of sin as doing [...]
How to Walk After the Flesh in 20 Easy Lessons
If you’ve ever taken children to the zoo, you will know that the big animals tend to be more popular than the small ones. Elephants, rhinos, and tigers get more attention [...]
When Doing Good is Bad for You
Ever since our ancestors ate the forbidden fruit, we humans have had an innate sense of good and evil. You help a blind person cross the street and you just know you’re [...]
Your Glorious New Past
When you were born again you were probably told a lot of wonderful things about your future. “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” You may have also been told some [...]
What happened to me at the cross?
Why do 90% of Christians struggle to receive grace and live the Christian life? There are two reasons. First, they do not properly value what Christ accomplished on the [...]
“Lifetime Guarantee” by Bill Gillham
Lifetime Guarantee is a book full of stories about ordinary life, like making eggs for breakfast, mowing the lawn, and sitting in your car outside the post office watching a [...]
Want to be a transparent Christian? Then reveal what’s really inside
Many years ago I participated in a street outreach in Australia. With our loud and upbeat music we soon attracted a large crowd. This was good. Sinners were going to hear the [...]
Wommackisms – Top 20 Andrew Wommack Quotes
If you’ve ever heard Andrew Wommack speak, you will know that he is one unique hombre. I’m not just referring to his theology – there’s a growing number of people [...]
Take the grace test
A few weeks ago someone asked me, “how well did you understand grace before you understood grace?” Now it’s time for me to ask you that same question; how [...]
What happens to Christians who commit suicide?
What do you say to the parents of a Christian teenager who has just killed himself? I faced this situation several years ago and, I have tell you, it’s not easy. Premature [...]
What comes to mind when you think of the devil?
Here’s what Colossians 2:15 really says: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (KJV). [...]
“God Without Religion” by Andrew Farley
The problem with religion is that it comes naturally to us. Ever since our ancestors chomped on the forbidden fruit, we’ve had an innate sense of right and wrong that [...]
I believe, help my unbelief
Imagine you had a successful ministry that saw you healing the sick and casting out demons everywhere you went. Then one day a father brings his son to you, the boy has a [...]
“You’ve Already Got It” by Andrew Wommack
Imagine you were the devil in the Garden of Eden trying to tempt Adam and Eve. How would you do it? This is a question that Andrew Wommack asks in his book, You’ve Already [...]
John 15:6 – Abiding in the Vine
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (Jn 15:6) What does it [...]
What Happens to Unfruitful Branches?
Update: Check out the newer version of this article. Jesus said, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, NASB). In the hands of a religious person [...]
John 14:15 – The commands of Jesus
If God loves us unconditionally, how do we account for those scriptures that link his love with our obedience: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15) A [...]
“God Wants You Well” by Andrew Wommack
Back in the 1970s, Andrew Wommack prayed for a four year old boy who was sick. The boy died. At the funeral, Wommack was tempted to comfort the parents with religious [...]
How Well Did I Understand Grace Before I Understood Grace?
Have you ever seen those Magic Eye 3D pictures that look random but then reveal a hidden picture? Maybe there’s a group of you looking and someone says, “Wow – look at [...]
“What’s So Amazing About Grace?” by Philip Yancey
I only just got around to reading Philip Yancey’s 1997, award winning book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? When a friend gave me this book several years ago I mistook it [...]
God doesn’t change; we do
In a recent post I argued that God is not a jealous God, even though he said he was. I am either the world’s greatest heretic, or I am confident that I know who my Father [...]
Is God a jealous God?
“You shall not make for yourself an idol… You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin [...]
Is God’s Love Unconditional?
“How do you know God’s love is unconditional? The phrase ‘unconditional love’ is not in the Bible!” Ever heard this? It’s a fair question that cuts to the [...]
10 Myths About the Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Some people view the Holy Spirit as a kind of Divine Bookkeeper, a recorder of men’s sins. But if Jesus did away with sin once and for all by the sacrifice of Himself (Heb [...]
10 Myths about the Holy Spirit
One of the biggest signs a believer does not fully understand what happened at the cross of the Calvary, is that they are scared of the Holy Spirit. They view him as a [...]
The Test of Your Gospel
I once heard a preacher say that “80 to 90% of Christians are unacquainted with the gospel of grace.” I guess this estimate is not far off the mark as evidenced by the [...]
The flesh vs the spirit – two good books
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these things are opposed one to the other, that ye should not do those things which ye desire. ~ [...]
“Grace – The Power of the Gospel” by Andrew Wommack
Paul’s Letter to the Romans may be the most influential book in the history of Christianity. It was Romans that sparked the Reformation of the 16th century and just about [...]
Who Do You Think You Are?
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) I’m sure you’ve read this verse many times, but have you ever thought about what it means to be [...]
Happy Easter!
This account of the good news is brought to you by the prophet Isaiah and the wordsmith Eugene Peterson: Good Friday (Is 53) 1 Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who [...]
What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an [...]
What is the Unforgivable Sin?
I know people who think that they were cursed because they, or their parents, have committed the “unforgivable sin.” It was partly this conviction that made Søren [...]
Before and After
Before he was saved, Paul was a Pharisee (Php 3:5), and like any Pharisee he would’ve prayed the prayer seen on the left (source: Encyclopedia Talmudit, Vol.4, [...]
Who Can Take Communion?
Ever heard this said at church? And now as we turn to the communion table, I would like to invite all those who love Jesus and call him Lord to join with us in partaking of [...]
1 Corinthians 11:26-32
A big part of the communion-confusion stems from a misreading of Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians. As I have not found a good translation of 1 Corinthians 11:26-32, I [...]
Taking Communion in an Unworthy Manner
I remember as a 10 year old boy watching in terror as the communion plate came closer and closer. Why was I afraid? Because there was unresolved sin in my life – I had [...]
Chop Off your Hand?! Was Jesus Serious?
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And [...]
Love Letter
It’s our 12th wedding anniversary today, so I’m in a certain frame of mind. Our marriage is a taste of heaven-on-earth because God is in it and He is the Source [...]
“God’s Astounding Opinion of You” by Ralph Harris
Who do you think you are? If you were to describe yourself in 50 words or less, what would you say? You might refer to your accomplishments, your habits, your strengths and [...]
What is a disciple?
With all the hoopla about what it means to be a follower of Jesus, I am grateful for Don Miller‘s simple, back-to-the-Bible take on what it means to be a [...]
The red pill
Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that [...]
Are you Religious? Take the Test!
Religion can be defined as man’s attempt to impress God. It is an attitude that says, “I can make something of myself, I can earn God’s favor.” Although it may lead [...]
“That Hideous Strength” by CS Lewis
Everyone knows CS Lewis wrote the Narnia Chronicles, but not so many people are familiar with his earlier Space Trilogy. Unlike Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, [...]
The Gospel in one word, two words…
I don’t know who said this first, but “the gospel is simple and it takes theologians to complicate it.” Recently I gave myself the challenge of presenting a [...]
Heard the News? It’s Good!
Like me, you probably have friends and family who’ve grown up in the church but who have since wandered away. Pentecostals call such people back-sliders, but I suspect most [...]
Not by sight
Ever since James wrote that “faith without works is dead,” Christians have been busying themselves with all sorts of busy-ness to prove that they really, positively do [...]
Dealing with unanswered prayer
“I have been asking God to heal me for years. I don’t understand why He hasn’t me. I guess it’s not God’s will for me to be healed.” If you’ve been following [...]
Speak to your mountain
I spent much of my life praying in vain for the sick. Only a few of those I prayed for ever got healed. But in the last couple of years I have begun to discover why my [...]
A Better Way to Pray
When Camilla and I started leading a church in 1999, we didn’t have a clue. We loved God with all our hearts and prayed with faith, but our prayers seldom moved mountains. [...]
God Requires Perfection
Who Killed Herod?
UPDATE: An updated answer to the Herod question can be found here. — In the past week numerous websites have declared that Christchurch’s recent earthquake was God [...]
It’s Time for Judgment to Begin with the House of God (1 Peter 4:17)
For it is time for judgment to begin with the house of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Pet 4:17) This [...]
The Christchurch Earthquake: 4 questions Christians can answer
An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck my hometown at 12:51pm this afternoon. I don’t live in Christchurch anymore, but I heard about it within 10 minutes. We were on our [...]
Poor, sick and stupid
James – Apostle of Grace
In this series we have seen that one of the keys to understanding James is to watch Paul. Paul is the canary in the mine. He needs to breathe pure grace or he’ll explode. [...]
Announcement: GraceQuotes.com
If you enjoy reading Escape to Reality, you’re going to love my new blog GraceQuotes.com. Each day from Monday to Friday you will find a fresh grace quote from well-known [...]
Acts 21:17-26
If I told you there was a New Testament believer who esteemed the law, made offerings at the temple, and circumcised at least one of his friends, you might think, “there [...]
Acts 15 – Grace defeats law in Jerusalem
For hundreds of years, James the apostle has been given a bad rap. He’s been dismissed as an apostle of works and a primitive Christian who didn’t know grace. I have [...]
Glory and Grace Conferences 2011
I have been to every Glory and Grace Conference in Hong Kong since the first one in 2007. They have been awesome times of meeting with God with outstanding teaching from guys [...]
Did James understand grace? 6 reasons to say yes!
Your opinion of James matters a great deal. If you think James was confused about the gospel of grace, then you might as well throw your Bible away. If James was preaching a [...]
James – The Misunderstood Apostle
Do you think that James understood the gospel of grace that Paul preached? In a recent series I argued that the Epistle of James may be the most misunderstood book in the New [...]
Trying or Trusting?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Escape to Reality is one year old today! I started blogging on 5 February 2010 for no other reason than I couldn’t help myself. I had words inside me that needed to get [...]
Overworked?
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Grace vs Law: Top 12 Watchman Nee Quotes
I’ve been told that there is a some division among Chinese Christians over Joseph Prince, the Singaporean pastor of New Creation Church. Some think he’s a wonderful [...]
Drowning, Not Waving
“Grace Rules” by Steve McVey
A little over 15 years, ago Steve McVey wrote the best selling book Grace Walk. Apparently when McVey got to the end of that book he wasn’t done writing, because a few [...]
The New Whine
“Bodily Healing and the Atonement” by TJ McCrossan
I’ve just finished reading Bodily Healing and the Atonement by TJ McCrossan. This 80 year old classic (since reprinted) is a welcome antidote to any uncertainty you may [...]
I Am What I Am
12 reasons why you don’t need to confess-to-be-forgiven
The grace of God has many expressions, but forgiveness is the first. Miss forgiveness and you’ll miss grace. How do we set aside grace? One way is to treat forgiveness as [...]
Little Green Apples
Son or sinner – what are you confessing?
Imagine hearing a sermon like this: “Marriage is wonderful. Marriage is a gift from God. God wants everyone to enjoy the gift of marriage. If you give Him just $50 today, [...]
Confession, Conviction, Confusion!
Did Jesus sneak out of heaven against His Father’s wishes to come and die for our sins? Did He distract the Holy Spirit then slip away on His own initiative to shed His [...]
This is not good news…
But this is: God is good! And so’s this: You are forgiven, redeemed, cleansed and sanctified by the blood of Jesus And this: If God has loved you once, He will love you [...]
It’s a New Day
Happy New Year from Escape to [...]
The axe of forgiveness
Have you ever noticed how Jesus went around forgiving people who neither asked for forgiveness nor deserved it? A paralyzed man is brought to him. Everyone watches for the [...]
Spurgeon’s Mantra
What keeps Christians weak and unproductive?
If you were the devil and you wanted to keep Christians barren, sick and ineffective, there is one simple thing that you could do: you would hide or distort the good news [...]
Righteousness Revealed
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Real Christmas Cards
“Dear eight pound, six ounce, newborn Baby Jesus, in your golden, fleece diapers, with your curled-up, fat, balled-up little fists pawin’ at the air…” ~ Ricky [...]
Spurgeon’s Great Need
Will My Name be Blotted out from the Book of Life?
Are you worried that Jesus may blot out your name from the Lamb’s Book of Life? Many Christians are. They are afraid that they might do something that will cause Jesus to [...]
6 Books for Christmas (2010)
Christmas is the season for giving and that means books! Last night, as a special treat, I got to spend about two hours in Borders. I bought a book for myself and a book to [...]
Malcolm Smith on the Love of God
Have you ever wondered what Acts 10:44 means when it says, “the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word”? The Greek word, which is here translated, fell on, [...]
Does God Kill Babies?
“And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill… Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died.” (2 Sam 12:15,18) Now [...]
“The Lost Secret of the New Covenant” by Malcolm Smith
About 40 years ago, Malcolm Smith was invited to speak at a church in Oregon. He preached about a God who is irritated and annoyed with lukewarm believers. At the end of his [...]
Beware the Dogs of Law
Have you ever noticed how Paul often warned Christians about the dangers of the law and those who preach it? In just about every letter there’s a warning: Watch out for [...]
“None but Jesus!” Spurgeon on Grace
I’ve been reading a book about Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), the Prince of Preachers. Spurgeon was saved at 15 and started preaching when he was 19 years old. By the [...]
Seven More Signs that you Might be Living Under Law
C.S. Lewis said that the safest road to hell is the one without signposts. You might say the same thing about the road that leads back to the law. It’s gradual and [...]
“Grace Walk” by Steve McVey
Christians are often surprised to learn that they have been mixing law with grace. People have said to me, “I’m not trying to keep the 10 commandments, so why do you say [...]
Escape to Reality 