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.

Did Jolly St. Nick Slap Arius at the Council of Nicea?

Suddenly, all over the internet, I’m reading that St. Nicholas, the person from whom Santa Claus got his name, was at the Council of Nicea and that he was so fed up with the obstinance of the heretic Arius that … Continue reading

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Teaching All the Wrong Things To Get All the Right Results

Spiritual men are capable of preserving the unity of the Spirit because they’re not covering up spiritual unity with all sorts of brilliant, insightful, and even Scriptural theological ideas. Continue reading

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When You’re Not Greater Than John the Baptist

Pretty human, pretty earthy, somewhat gross, but the route to real power with God is along that route. God uses and chooses not only Moses but even Sampson. You might as well line up with Isaiah and say, “Here am I, use me.” Continue reading

Posted in Holiness, missions | 2 Comments

Who’s Greater Than John the Baptist?

Who is greater than John the Baptist? You are. I can guarantee this truth: Of all people ever born, no one is greater than John the Baptizer. Yet, the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than … Continue reading

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Polycarp, Anicetus, Popes, Tradition, the Passover, and Easter

From great to small, Christians were known for their bravery. Not just men, but women and children scorned the punishment of Roman persecutors, passing judgment on their judges by their joy in facing death, and knowing that every drop of blood they shed was seed. “The more often you mow us down, the more of us there are,” they would boast. Continue reading

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To Evangelize Or Not To Evangelize

Anyone who’s really devoted themselves to the Gospel, whether they’re lousy at it like me or real good at it like that lady I knew as a child, has had such experiences. But we ruin it when we try to turn every Christian into a used-religion salesmen. Those people are no better a testimony for the Gospel than is a used-car salesman. Continue reading

Posted in Gospel, Holiness, missions, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mexico Missions Blogs

Mexico Trip Updates??? Completely inappropriately named. “Adventures in Mexico” wouldn’t be exciting enough!
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Preaching the Gospel: A Story

Today’s post is just a story to illustrate yesterday’s post. It’s just a short one, and I don’t remember the source, but everyone ought to know this story. I believe that it was David Brainerd, preaching to Native Americans, who … Continue reading

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The Gospel: Dare We Trust It?

The article, Jesus vs. Paul, by Scot McKnight is, in my opinion, absolutely crucial for modern Evangelicals not only to read … but to understand and hold onto. I found it painfully long and slow to get to the point, … Continue reading

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Scriptural Terminology: Why It Matters

I mentioned yesterday—I hope it was yesterday; I’m a few days ahead and I’m scheduling these to come up one day at a time—that the blood of Jesus is said in Scripture to be sprinkled, not to be a "mighty … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Church, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments