grace preachers – Escape to Reality

James – Apostle of Grace

February 21, 2011 by Paul Ellis 5 Comments

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. When Peter distances himself from the Gentiles in Antioch, Paul smells mixture and reacts angrily. But when James says “shave your head,” Paul goes along with it. These are significant events that reveal as much about the heart of James as his own words do in Acts 15 and Acts 21. But there is an even larger factor that will affect how you interpret James, and that is your own preconceived ideas about grace and law. How … [Read more...]

Filed Under: grace preachers, James Tagged With: Bible, Christianity, God, Jesus

Did James Understand Grace? 6 Reasons to Say Yes!

February 9, 2011 by Paul Ellis 32 Comments

Your opinion of James matters a great deal. If you think James was confused about the gospel of grace that Paul preached, then you might as well throw your Bible away. If James is preaching a different message from Paul, then the NT writers are a house divided. And if the writers of the Bible do not agree with each other on basic issues of salvation, then the Bible cannot be trusted. The good news, though, is that the Holy Spirit did not make a mistake when He inspired James to write his letter to the twelve tribes. As we saw in our study of the Book of James last year, his message is the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: grace preachers, James, Paul Tagged With: Bible, Christianity, God, Jesus

James – The Misunderstood Apostle

February 8, 2011 by Paul Ellis 9 Comments

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 Testament. Indeed, some of the scriptures (e.g., James 2:24), seem to preach salvation by works in apparent conflict with the gospel of grace. But if you read his letter through the lens of the cross, all becomes clear: James was a preacher of grace. Since that series, however, several readers have written to me to ask about Acts 15 and Acts 21. Stories in these chapters seem to suggest that James did not understand … [Read more...]

Filed Under: grace preachers, James Tagged With: Christianity, God, Jesus

Grace vs Law: Top 12 Watchman Nee Quotes

February 1, 2011 by Paul Ellis 43 Comments

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 preacher of grace, while others think he’s a licentious heretic. We ought not to be surprised by this division. Truth is divisive. As Jesus said, truth divides even those from with the same family (Lk 12:52). If you’ve been following this blog, you will know that I am a big fan of Joseph Prince’s message. He preaches radical grace, which is the only kind of grace there is. Yet I can understand how the message of grace appears … [Read more...]

Filed Under: grace preachers, quotes, Watchman Nee Tagged With: Christianity, God, gospel, Jesus

“None but Jesus!” Spurgeon on Grace

November 15, 2010 by Paul Ellis 1 Comment

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 time he died, at age 57, he had preached 3,600 sermons to around 10 million people and was England’s most popular preacher. Spurgeon preached to as many as 10,000 people at a time, and did so without the aid of a microphone. He battled with depression, never gave altar calls, and sold his published sermons for a penny. He pastored the world’s first megachurch, the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. He helped Hudson … [Read more...]

Filed Under: grace preachers, quotes, Spurgeon

James – Preacher of Grace

October 2, 2010 by Paul Ellis 8 Comments

It seems everyone has an opinion about James and how his letter fits (or doesn’t fit) into the New Testament. I thought I had heard everything, but this week, one of my readers sent me Scofield’s take on the book of James: “..his epistle shows no trace of the larger revelations of the church and the distinctive doctrines of grace made through the apostle Paul…” The implication being that James was not on the same page as Paul when it came to the gospel of grace. Their letters do not line up because James did not get it. I can understand how a superficial glance at one or two verses in James … [Read more...]

Filed Under: grace preachers, James, Jesus Tagged With: Bible, Christianity, God, Jesus

Bill Johnson on the Goodness of God

August 29, 2010 by Paul Ellis 13 Comments

One of the most thrilling messages I’ve ever heard was preached just a few nights ago. In the middle of the Manifest Presence conference, Bill Johnson preached on the goodness of God. He started with this scripture: “The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” (Luke 16:16) What did Jesus reveal that the law and the prophets could not reveal? He revealed the Father. The good news of the kingdom satisfies the universal ache for a good Father. Do you know that our heavenly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bill Johnson, goodness of God, grace preachers, quotes Tagged With: Bible, God, good news, Jesus

Joseph Prince: Preacher of Grace

August 24, 2010 by Paul Ellis

So the Americans have finally discovered Joseph Prince. A few weeks ago Charisma magazine published an interesting article on the Singaporean preacher entitled “Prince of Grace.” The article describes the growing impact of Prince’s grace preaching, particularly in the US television market. I don’t live there, but I imagine Prince stands out from the crowd of TV preachers. (Any Americans reading this? What do you think?) He’s apolitical, never asks for money, and preaches nothing but the grace of God revealed in Christ alone. In the Charisma article, Prince recounts a life-changing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: gospel of grace, grace preachers, Joseph Prince, new covenant, quotes Tagged With: God, gospel, Jesus

Top 12 Derek Prince Quotes

June 8, 2010 by Paul Ellis 4 Comments

They say you don’t really know anything until you have to teach it to others. That has certainly been the case for me. I probably learned more of the Bible in my first year of being a pastor than I had in all my preceding years of being a Christian. There’s nothing like being pushed into the pulpit and having to preach every week to make you really study! I began leading Island City Church in 1999. One book that really helped me in that first year was Derek Prince’s classic The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Handbook. It’s a good introduction to the basics of Christian living and it helped me … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Derek Prince, grace basics, grace preachers, quotes Tagged With: Bible, God, Jesus

“The Divine Exchange: 10 Things Jesus Accomplished on the Cross” by Derek Prince

May 25, 2010 by Paul Ellis 22 Comments

I’ve been looking for an excuse to post something by Derek Prince ever since I started E2R. Recently I came across a series of five messages by Prince entitled The Divine Exchange. In this series Prince describes 10 things that Jesus did for you at the cross. It is a powerful message that will have you thanking Jesus for his love and sacrifice. Prince preached The Divine Exchange back in 1987. This message has since been transcribed word for word and turned into a free book. To encourage you to read this excellent book, here are some snippets from his introduction, followed by links to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Derek Prince, grace preachers, Jesus, the cross

Top 20 Joseph Prince Quotes

March 26, 2010 by Paul Ellis 185 Comments

A little game I sometimes play is I switch over to the local Christian TV channel and see how long it takes for the preacher of the moment to mix law with grace. It’s not a game I enjoy! The more I appreciate the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice, the more sensitive I become to those who try and tell me it was not sufficient, that I need to do stuff to stay forgiven/holy/righteous. Nothing makes my blood boil faster. Anyway, a few months ago my wife and I were playing this game and we came across Joseph Prince, a Singaporean preacher of grace. What a breath of fresh air is this man! Don't be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: grace preachers, Joseph Prince, quotes