Author Archives: Paul Pavao

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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.

Sunday and the Resurrection of Jesus

Today is Sunday. To the early Christians every Sunday was a celebration of the resurrection. On Sunday they would not kneel, and prayers were said with hands raised, which was the position of the cross to the early Christians. (Different … Continue reading

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No Condemnation to Whom?

You may or may not have noticed, but modern translations differ significantly from the King James Version at Romans 8:1. Modern translations, like the NASB and the NIV, say that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ … Continue reading

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Updates at Christian History for Everyman

For those of you that don’t already know from my Early Church History Newsletter, I have been updating Christian History for Everyman. What’s pertinent for this blog is the teaching and book pages. I’ve made a page for my books, … Continue reading

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A Little Different Look at Baptism

Today my kids and I used YouTube as a worship leader for devotions. We looked up Amazing Grace, and then we went from one music video to the next, picking songs we knew and singing along. One of the songs … Continue reading

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Traditions, Taboos, and Superstitions

Today I watched a powerful video, When the Rabbi Says "Come," for the second time. It’s one section of a video called In the Dust of the Rabbi. Ray Vander Laan’s excellent portrayal of life in Galilee and the background … Continue reading

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Grace Revisited

In modern Christianity, it is common for a "Christian" who has been rebuked to say something to the effect of, "Don’t judge; we’re under grace." That kind of statement is based on a very wrong understanding of grace. The very … Continue reading

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A Bit More on Sacrifices

Yesterday I talked about reconstructing Christianity as the apostles delivered it. The emphasis yesterday was on the role of sacrifices and that only those with a pure heart can offer sacrifices to God. Let’s touch on another example of that, … Continue reading

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Rebuilding Christianity the Way the Apostles Delivered It

If we come boldly into the throne of grace, holding sin in our heart, without crying out for deliverance, we may find ourselves recipients of the mercy of God in a form far different than we expected. Continue reading

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The Master Storyteller

I have come to understand that life is too complex and much too short to let amateurs direct the story. I would rather let the Master Storyteller do the writing. Continue reading

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“Really” Saved

All of us have run across people who say they are saved but are not. In fact, for most "Christians," the teachings of Christ and the apostles play little to no role in their lives. Polls by George Barna confirm … Continue reading

Posted in Church, Gospel, Miscellaneous, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments