Author: John Paul
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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No. 2 Value of the Gathering of Misfits
Introduction It amazes me, at times, how what I hear from my favorite YouTube Bible preachers speaks to what I’m writing in my novels. This morning, I listened to Tim Mackie of the Bible Project speak to the No. 2 Value of the Gathering of Misfits. This Summer of 2024, I am working almost exclusively Read more
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New Birth Is a Result of Obedience
Introduction Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians and many others say that getting “saved” – being born again – is the most important thing about relating to God. Actually, the new birth is a result of obedience. Jesus Told Only One about the New Birth When Nicodemus met with Jesus secretly, at night, the Master told him, Read more
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Spiritual Body of Jesus
Introduction A fundamental teaching of the Good News of God’s Kingdom is that God the Son lived on the Earth in a human body. He obeyed God the Father perfectly and fulfilled His purpose for being here. This included sacrificing that body to redeem all of Humanity and rising again to give His life to Read more
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Confining Bonds of Christianity
Introduction The narrow-mindedness of religious Christianity is too small. Some believers hold on to restrictive beliefs and condemn disagreers to Perdition. God doesn’t want His people cramped by the confining bonds of Christianity. He wants us to enjoy the freedom of Holy Spirit and agape love. Religious Restrictions There are Christians who have been taught Read more