Author: John Paul
-
What If the Disciples Did It Right?
Introduction Time and again, during the three years His learners walked with and learned from Jesus, they failed to act as the Master had taught them. If He didn’t point out their “little faith”, He showed them up by doing what they could have. But, what if His disciples did it right? Calming the Storm Read more
-
Gathering of Misfits #2: Coming Soon!
Introduction With the end of October, I have come to the end of the first month of the successful publication of my first Gathering of Misfits novels. That book depicts my vision for a Kingdom monastic community and its planting in a neighborhood rife with prostitution and gang dominance. With the coming of November, I Read more
-
All Authority… Heaven and Earth
INTRODUCTION I have discovered that WordPress, which enables me to set up and publish this blog, likes posts that have cornerstone content – foundational concepts – for other blog posts. I will therefore publish this one, which lays out my philosophy of who reigns on Earth. It is based on the claim of King Jesus Read more
-
Faith: Lived Out Individually and Together
Faith Is Foundation of Hope Hebrews 11:1 Now, faith is the foundation (hypostasis) of hope, the conviction of things invisible (my Ecclesia Bible). That word “hope” is an active verb. The writer is talking about an active hope, trust in the invisible God. This is the reason for obedience as James wrote in Chapter 2, Read more
-
Faith: Sons of God Violated Boundaries
INTRODUCTION The Fall of Humanity in Eden was not the only act of rebellion that led to all the evil in today’s world. As Tim Mackie of the Bible Project and Michael Heiser of the Naked Bible podcast teach, there occurred the rebellion of Humanity in building the tower at Babel. They wanted to forestall Read more
-
Faith: Results of Its Lack
INTRODUCTION The humans in Eden showed their lack of faith, which led to lack of resources and to slavery, not rulership. The humans failed to trust and obey the Creator, who had said, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge Read more
-
Faith: What God Wants Most from People
Introduction What is faith? Why do Jesus, Paul, and others make such a big deal about people having it? Followers of God’s Anointed have debated and struggled with these questions for many centuries. I have concluded that faith is what the Creator desires from people most of all. I call faith “trusting obedience”. This avoids Read more
-
Introducing A Gathering of Misfits novel
Introduction I have written before about working on my Gathering of Misfits novels. I wish to announce the publication of the first novel. A Gathering of Misfits is a four-book, concurrent series about a Kingdom community of people who would not typically be welcome in most churches, even though they are believers. Among their members Read more
-
Do for Others What You Want Done for You
Introduction Tim Mackie’s Bible Project series of teachings on Abraham brought out an interesting principle in the story of the patriarch’s stopover with King Abimelech of Gerar (Abraham Deceives Abimelech). The principle: Do for others what you want done for you. The Opening of Wombs When Abraham took his wife and household south between Kadesh Read more
-
God’s Ultimate Goal Is to Dwell in All the Earth
Introduction Many Christians will tell you that what God wants most is for people to love and obey Him so they can come and live with Him in Heaven. The problem is that God created people with bodies, which are not designed for the spiritual realms. Even humans’ ultimate end is to have spiritual bodies… Read more