Married to Jesus
Jesus spoke of the joy that erupts in heaven when a sinner repents and comes to believe in the good news. We might imagine they have something like a birthday party to [...]
Jesus
The Parable of the Two Sons
From time to time people ask me to write about the parables of Jesus. This is something I enjoy doing because I love the parables. The parables of Jesus are launch pads to [...]
Myth 5: Hyper-grace preachers say God is not grieved by your sin
“Hyper-grace preachers say God doesn’t care when we sin.” Actually, we say God cares very much because sin hurt the objects of his affection—us! Sin damages people, [...]
The wrath of God has come upon them at last (1 Thess 2:16)
In our ongoing series on the wrath of God, there is an important scripture we have not yet looked at. It’s this one: For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches [...]
Alternatives to Hell
You may have been raised with a picture of judgment that says sinners go to hell where they are tormented for eternity. Unless you say the magic words of a formulaic prayer, [...]
Where was God in the Connecticut School Shooting?
Yet another school shooting has resulted in the loss of innocent lives in America and now questions are being asked: Where was God? Why didn’t God stop this? Why didn’t [...]
The Gospel in Ten Words
My new book, The Gospel in Ten Words, has just been released. Ta da! What’s this book about? – It’s about the good news most of us still haven’t heard. [...]
Is Adam greater than Jesus?
“Are you saying that Adam is greater than Jesus?” This is a comment I often hear from those who preach universal salvation. It usually comes at the end of a conversation [...]
“Understanding the Book of Job” by Tom Tompkins
“If you’re suffering, you must have done something bad. God must be punishing you.” That must be one of the oldest lies in history. Here’s another. “God is using [...]
“Mystical Union” by John Crowder
In his book Mystical Union, John Crowder writes that there is a new mysticism on the rise, one coupled with a new reformation. Identifying himself as a “reformed [...]
A New Covenant Picture of Repentance
Two classic signs of covenant confusion are: (1) you interpret repentance as turning from sin and (2) you think repenting will get God to forgive you. God does not need your [...]
Hebrews 10:26
I get asked more questions on Hebrews 10:26 than any other verse in the Bible. Evidently, this is a verse that troubles many Christians: If we deliberately keep on sinning [...]
“He Loves Me” by Wayne Jacobsen
How do you tell an unbeliever about the gospel? There are two basic approaches. The first approach, which is based on fear, poses hypothetical questions like, “If you were [...]
“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 [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]
“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 [...]
“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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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
Photo from [...]
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 [...]
Romans 2:13 – Justified by the Law?
“For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” (Rms 2:13, NIV) What?! [...]
What is the Key to James?
The Epistle of James may be the most misunderstood book in the New Testament. In this short series we have looked at some of the “troublesome” verses in James. Where [...]
James – Preacher of Grace
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 [...]
Rahab’s Faith
Last Sunday, near the end of the service, about ten people responded to the invitation to give their lives to Jesus. Of course I was as shocked as you are. I thought, “Who [...]
James 2:24
In this study on James chapter 2, we have been comparing works done under law with works done under grace. Understanding this distinction is essential if we are to reconcile [...]
What About James? (Are We Really Justified by Works?)
Whenever you preach the 100% pure gospel of God’s grace, someone will inevitably ask, “What about James?” The gospel of grace that Paul preached declares that we are [...]
Bill Johnson on the Goodness of God
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 [...]
Top 20 Bill Johnson Quotes from Manifest Presence 2010
It’s the morning after Manifest Presence 2010. Bill Johnson preached again last night and it was really something. I have never seen anything like it. I know some of you [...]
How do we pervert the Gospel of Christ?
If you were on a sinking ship and had a choice of going into the water holding an anchor or a life preserver, which would you choose? Silly question? Yet this is the same [...]
Exodus 4:11
A little while ago we looked at a sincere lady in the Bible who mistakenly believed that God gives us things like death and poverty. As I explained in that post, God does not [...]
Joseph Prince on Prosperity and Success
What would you think if you turned on your TV and spotted a preacher wearing nice clothes, preaching to thousands of people inside a well-furnished building on the subject of [...]
Does God Give Bad Gifts?
Does God give us sickness, poverty, and recessions? Should earthquakes, tsunamis and acts of terrorism be interpreted as his divine judgment on a sinful world? Does God kill [...]
The Gospel Comes to Laodicea
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. Mention the Letter to the Laodiceans to a [...]
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus: Five Reasons to Thank Him
The gospel of grace is underwritten by the most precious commodity in the universe – the blood of Jesus. Some have lost sight of an important truth, possibly the most [...]
Laodicea, Part 7: To Him Who Overcomes (Rev 3:21)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. You will never understand the gospel of [...]
How to Really Overcome Discouragement: Lessons from the One Who Never Lost Heart
What do you do when you get discouraged? Maybe you’re discouraged right now. If so, you’ve come to the right place! I’m going to tell you something Jesus said that will [...]
Top 12 Derek Prince Quotes
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 [...]
Laodicea, Part 6: Behold, I stand at the door (Rev 3:20)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. Why did Jesus send a message to the [...]
Laodicea, Part 5: Be Earnest and Repent (Rev 3:19)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. The Laodiceans were warned by Jesus that [...]
Bob Dylan: “Saved”
Today, 24 May, is Bob Dylan’s birthday. Dylan is a living legend. A songwriter for the ages. Even if you’re not a fan you probably know the lyrics to some of his songs. [...]
Laodicea, Part 4: “Buy” Your Salvation (Rev 3:18)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. The letter to the Laodiceans is just 222 [...]
Laodicea, Part 3: Who’s Wretched and Poor? (Rev 3:17)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. The Laodicean church was one of the most [...]
Laodicea, Part 2: What Makes Jesus Sick? (Rev 3:16)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. And an updated version of this article [...]
Laodicea, Part 1: Are You “Hot” Enough for God? (Rev 3:15)
UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. The letter to the Laodicean church may be [...]
What Do You Think? Two Must-Read Books about Transformed Minds
What you think has a great bearing on who you are and what you do. “For as a man thinks, so he is,” (Pro 23:7). Yet an outsider looking at the church would find there are [...]
Where Does Forgiveness Come From? And Why Does it Matter?
There are two statements in the Bible that seem to contradict each other: 1. If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. [...]
Escape to Reality 