Letters from Jesus

Why Read the Seven Letters to the Churches?

January 11, 2024 // 3 Comments

Did you know that Jesus sent letters from heaven? I suspect 90% of people do not know, and many of those who do know dismiss them as irrelevant. “The seven letters to the Revelation churches are not for me.” That’s not true. The letters from Jesus were sent to the first-century churches of Asia, but they [...]

What to do When You’re Facing Death

July 7, 2022 // 9 Comments

If you are facing a sentence of death – a bad report, a scary diagnosis, the loss of a business – you would do well to read Christ’s letter to the church at Smyrna. It’s the shortest of the seven Revelation letters, yet death is mentioned three times in four verses. (Bonus fact: the name [...]

How Do We Keep the Word of His Perserverance?

June 21, 2022 // 7 Comments

You know that warning about not adding words to the Bible? I think of it whenever I read passages like this: You have kept my command to endure patiently… (Revelation 3:10a) That’s from the NIV translation and it conveys the idea that you have been commanded to endure life’s struggles with fortitute [...]

What is the Hour of Testing Coming on the Whole World?

March 24, 2022 // 13 Comments

Once again, the world seems on the brink of destruction. Pandemics, terrorism, nuclear threats. Could this be the end? It probably isn’t, but it is an excellent time to discuss “the hour of testing” that Jesus mentioned in his letter to the church in Philadelphia: Because you have kept the word of My [...]

When Jesus Speaks Harshly

July 15, 2021 // 21 Comments

Since I preach grace, I am often hit with the accusation that I have not read the harsh words of Jesus. The argument seems to be that because Jesus spoke harshly to the Laodiceans, Sardians, etc., he’s not as gracious and loving as I make him out to be. Like the Hulk, Jesus has an angry side that grace [...]

Beware the Lord with a Sword

June 16, 2021 // 9 Comments

What will you do with the Lord with a sword? I am referring to the picture of Jesus found in his letter to the church in Pergamum. In it Jesus introduces himself as “The One who has the sharp two-edged sword” (Rev. 2:12). Why is Jesus holding a sword? And what does he plan to do with it? Should I be [...]

What Burdens Does Jesus Place On Us?

April 14, 2021 // 11 Comments

Thyatira is considered one of the bad churches in the Bible. You may recall they had allowed a woman called Jezebel to preach and she led some of the believers astray. So Jesus sent them a letter where he basically says, “I’m going to deal with this.” He ends his letter with this: I place no other [...]

Who is Alive but Dead?

January 6, 2021 // 14 Comments

If you want Christians to work harder, there are two scriptures you can trot out to boost productivity. The first is the one about being lukewarm; the second is this one from the letter to Sardis: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (Rev. 3:1) This passage is usually [...]

What’s so Special about Christ’s Right Hand?

August 27, 2020 // 10 Comments

While writing my book Letters from Jesus, I discovered a lot of gems in scripture. Some of these were hidden in the introductions Jesus gives his letters to the seven churches. Consider this introduction from his letter to the church in Ephesus: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right [...]

Jesus at the Door

July 30, 2020 // 11 Comments

Jesus knows us better than anybody. He speaks our language. He talks to us about things that nobody else cares about. He listens. And he does all this because he loves us. This was something I learned again and again while doing research for my book, Letters from Jesus. The letters from Jesus to the seven [...]

Faithful unto Death?! What if I’m Not?

July 16, 2020 // 33 Comments

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10c) But what if I’m not faithful until death? Jesus remains faithful; you still get a crown. A mind untouched by grace twists the promises of Jesus into tests that must be passed and commands that must be obeyed. “Jesus was [...]

What does it Mean to have an Ear to Hear?

May 20, 2020 // 20 Comments

At the end of the Bible we find letters from Jesus to seven churches. At the end of each letter, Jesus says this: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (see Rev. 2:7a) Do you have an ear that hears what the Spirit is saying? We like to think that we have heard Jesus. But how do we [...]

Who Will Jesus Spit Out?

March 5, 2020 // 17 Comments

“I will spit you out of my mouth.” So said Jesus to the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:16), but apparently he was talking to you. This spitting out passage, is sometimes used to terrorize the bride of Christ. “Fail to perform and the Lord will reject you. If you’re not on fire, you’ll be in the fire!” Such an [...]

Why did Jesus send Letters to Angels?

January 8, 2020 // 21 Comments

People sometimes dismiss the letters to the Seven Churches because they were addressed to angels. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus; to the angel of the church in Smyrna,” etc. It sounds weird, a bit mystical. Don’t angels live in heaven? Why would Jesus send mail to angels? He [...]

Three Things People Get Wrong About the Laodiceans

October 10, 2019 // 11 Comments

The Laodicean church is probably the most infamous church in history. Preachers use it as an example of how Jesus deals with slack Christians. “Jesus is angry with these guys and he’ll be angry with you unless you get on fire for the Lord!” Demonstrating their expertise on the subject, they refer to an [...]

How to Read the Bible

September 26, 2019 // 15 Comments

The actor Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest and lost. True story. Why did Charlie Chaplin go unrecognized? Surely it was because we see what we expect to see. No one expected the real Charlie Chaplin to show up, so no one saw him when he did. Even so, it was quite an oversight. [...]

Who are the Nicolaitans among us?

September 5, 2019 // 27 Comments

The Nicolaitans are the boogeymen of the Bible. Since the scriptures say almost nothing about them – except that they were false teachers whose deeds Jesus hated (see Rev. 2) – they are a blank sheet onto which we can write just about anything. If there is a group in the church that disagrees with the [...]

Good News for Small Churches

August 16, 2019 // 10 Comments

In his seven letters to the churches, Jesus had a special message for the Philadelphians. He said they were doing well… …because you have a little power, have kept my word, and have not denied my name. (Rev. 3:8) What does it mean to have little power? A church with little power is a small or weak [...]

Why did Jesus send letters from heaven?

July 11, 2019 // 9 Comments

The letters from Jesus found in Revelation 2 and 3 contain two things everyone of us needs to navigate life’s trials: a picture of Jesus and a promise from Jesus. When you’re going through hard times, you need to see Jesus, who is above your circumstances, and when you’re battling fear and anxiety, you need [...]

The Gospel in the Seven Letters

April 25, 2019 // 11 Comments

You probably know that my book Letters from Jesus came out in paperback last week. I hope you don’t mind me banging this drum but I feel strongly about this one. Why? Because Jesus sent love letters from heaven and most of us are afraid to read them! We have been told his letters contain bad news, even [...]

Letters from Jesus: now in paperback + Easter Treat!

April 16, 2019 // 7 Comments

Ten years ago I started writing about the letters from Jesus, and two good things came out of that exercise: (1) a website call Escape to Reality and (2) my new book, Letters from Jesus. The book comes out today in paperback. Paul, what is your book about? Letters from Jesus is my most radical book. Contrary to [...]

How Do We Become Lukewarm?

March 28, 2019 // 59 Comments

Many Christians are lukewarm, but not for the reasons they think. “I don’t go to church enough, I don’t pray enough, I don’t witness enough.” Let me stop you right there. How much is enough? How many people do you need to lead to Jesus to stop him from vomiting you out of his mouth? The answer is zero, [...]

Who are the Pillars in the Church?

March 21, 2019 // 29 Comments

As a young man, I was told I was a pillar in the church. It made me feel good to hear the pastor say this, and I could hardly disagree. Of course I was a pillar. I was a good boy. I didn’t drink or smoke or do burnouts in the church car park. I arrived early on Sundays to put out chairs and I stayed back to [...]

Why does Jesus wish we were cold?

March 7, 2019 // 21 Comments

“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. [...]

What does it Mean to Remove a Church’s Lampstand?

February 28, 2019 // 37 Comments

If you wanted to control people using fear and 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. [...]

Are you Working Too Hard for Jesus?

February 21, 2019 // 25 Comments

Who were the hardest working Christians in the Bible? The answer must surely be Paul and his friends, yet many people would 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. (Revelation 2:2a) Commentators make much of Jesus knowing [...]

Are your Deeds Incomplete?

February 13, 2019 // 48 Comments

Are you worn out? If Christians are worn out, it’s usually 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 [...]

What does it mean to keep his deeds?

January 31, 2019 // 11 Comments

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 [...]

What Deeds does Jesus Know?

January 24, 2019 // 32 Comments

In his letters to the seven churches, Jesus repeatedly says, “I know your deeds.” 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 [...]

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

December 18, 2018 // 15 Comments

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 [...]

Who is an Overcomer?

December 13, 2018 // 27 Comments

To him who overcomes… (Rev. 2:7b) What does it mean to 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. [...]

Are these the Very Last Days?

December 6, 2018 // 7 Comments

UPDATE: This offer has now closed. My thanks to all who signed up. Missed out? There are still plenty of good reasons for signing up on Patreon. Are these the very last days? They are if you want to get your name in my new book, Letters from Jesus. Aargh! Groan. Sorry for the click-bait title. But I have to ask [...]

Get Your Name in Paul’s New Book!

December 2, 2018 // 8 Comments

UPDATE: This offer has now closed. My thanks to all who signed up. Missed out? There are still plenty of good reasons for signing up on Patreon. My new book, Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches, comes out in ebook format in two weeks. And if you act fast, your name could be [...]

The “I wills” of the New Covenant

November 28, 2018 // 29 Comments

Jesus sent letters to seven churches (see Revelation 2 and 3). Of this group, the Philadelphians are esteemed as a model church because Jesus never rebuked them—as though escaping censure was the high point of Christian living. (What a sad way to read these love letters from Jesus. “I got a letter from the [...]

The Lost Letters

November 15, 2018 // 35 Comments

My new book, Letters from Jesus, comes out in a few weeks. Here’s a taste… — In the creviced hills east of the Sea of Galilee, a kibbutznik stumbled on the neck of a partially buried earthen jar. Inside the jar was a roll of parchment. Experts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examined the [...]

Update: Paul’s New Book

November 9, 2018 // 25 Comments

For the past year and a half I have been writing a book on the gospel of Jesus. I’m happy to announce – it is finished! Great! What’s the new book called? Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches. Who picked the name? You did. Probably. A few weeks ago I ran a poll on [...]