I’ve never reblogged before. I hope this is just normal and okay because I used a WordPress reblog button at the bottom of his page to do it.
Simply extraordinary, straightforward, important truth. Don’t read it if you’re allergic to uncomfortable truth.
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About Paul Pavao
I am married, the father of six, and currently the grandfather of five. I teach, and I am always trying to learn to disciple others better than I have before. I believe God has gifted me to restore proper theological foundations to the Christian faith. In order to ensure that I do not become a heretic, I read the early church fathers from the second and third centuries. They were around when all the churches founded by the apostles were in unity.
My philosophy for Bible reading is to understand each verse for exactly what it says in its local context. Only after accepting the verse for what it says do I compare it with other verses to develop my theology. If other verses seem to contradict a verse I just read, I will wait to say anything about those verses until I have an explanation that allows me to accept all the verses for what they say. This takes time, sometimes years, but eventually I have always been able to find something that does not require explaining verses away. The early church fathers have helped a lot with this.
I argue and discuss these foundational doctrines with others to make sure my teaching really lines up with Scripture. I am encouraged by the fact that the several missionaries and pastors that I know well and admire as holy men love the things I teach. I hope you will be encouraged too.
I am indeed tearing up old foundations created by tradition in order to re-establish the foundations found in Scripture and lived on by the churches during their 300 years of unity.
Many times truth IS uncomfortable, simply because it is easier or more convenient for us to believe a self-deception than it is to do the work that truth requires. “Going with the flow” requires less effort than standing against the tide, but as Christians we are called, and required, to do just that; we are to “stand in the gap” and intercede for others, with our prayers, with our actions, and at times with our physical bodies.
Truth in worship requires self-denial and going where we have not gone before. We do this in the company of the One to whom we have given our heart, and we do this because we have given Him our heart. Giving one’s heart to Jesus is more than singing songs, it is how one lives one’s life, following His precepts and the example He set for us, every day of the week, not just on Sunday.
Christ’s Church, populated by His followers, will flourish, it is the church of the people that is failing.
“Christ’s Church, populated by His followers, will flourish, it is the church of the people that is failing.”
Good point! It seems to me that what you call “the church of the people” and another commenter calls “The Disco Church” and the church I was describing seem to be multiplying like the dandelions in my front yard!