Description: The letters to the churches must be the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. Many people dismiss them as too hard or too scary. "Did Jesus really say that?" Contrary to what you may have heard, these letters are good news from start to finish. They are timeless love letters and they reveal the extreme goodness and favor of God.
Brief description: Once upon a time, Dr. Paul Ellis wrote an article on the lukewarm Laodiceans. That article launched a blog, called Escape to Reality, which has been visited millions of times by people all over the world. Paul Ellis is the author of several award-winning books, such as Stuff Jesus Never Said and The Hyper-Grace Gospel. A former Bible smuggler, pastor, and professor, Paul lives in New Zealand with his wife Camilla and their four children.
Review Quotes:
Paul Ellis is a provocative writer because he writes stubbornly about a provocative subject: grace. And the grace he writes about isn't the safe, tame version that many of us grew up hearing about. It's the real stuff--the no-strings-attached kind, the one without "buts and brakes." He understands that Christianity is not good advice for "good" people, but rather good news for bad people. He understands that there is nothing we can do or fail to do that will ever tempt God to leave us or forsake us. He understands that the God of grace has forgiven the sins of our yesterdays, today's, and tomorrows--that because of Jesus, God doesn't remember the sins we can't forget. He understands the seemingly too-good-to-be-true nature of grace that inseparably connects us to the God of repeat offenders. Thank you, Paul, for reminding me, in Letters from Jesus, that "it is finished." I keep forgetting.
Tullian Tchividjian, author of One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World
I don't know anyone who hasn't approached the book of Revelation without fear and foreboding--and mostly avoided it even after reading it. My friend, Paul Ellis, has written a monumentally important book, Letters from Jesus, that will deliver the reader from confusion and fear to eager fascination and joy--I've never read anything like it. I love the way Paul writes and communicates the truth with wit and humor, while his scholarly diligence undergirds and shines through everything he offers. I love this book!
Ralph Harris, best-selling author of Life According to Perfect and God's Astounding Opinion of You
Paul Ellis does an amazing job of revealing the heart of Jesus in these often very misunderstood letters. Legalists have used these passages of scripture to strike fear into the hearts of believers for many years. Paul helps us understand what Jesus is saying to his early church by taking the culture and context of each letter and breaking it down line by line. We get a clearer picture of what Jesus was saying and also how it applies to us today. I really enjoyed this book and it ministered to me greatly. I would encourage anyone who has wrestled with these scriptures to check this book out.
Jeremiah Johnson, author and senior pastor at Grace Point Church, KY
Wow! Wow! I related to every letter to every church. At one time I could have earned the title, "Queen of the Laodicean Church." But once I made my trade for gold from Jesus, my eyes were opened to grace, and I became a hot mess of blubbering gratefulness. I soon found myself rich, but kicked to the curb because I couldn't preach the cheap law anymore. Abandoned, but not forsaken, Jesus has been reading those first six letters to me for years and encouraging me to keep on keepin' on. I just didn't realize they were already in the Bible! Paul, thanks for finding them in the attic and dusting them off for me! This book is deep encouragement for anyone who believes and preaches the gospel without compromise.
Tricia Gunn, author of Unveiling Jesus and founder of Parresia.
I used to read Jesus' letters to the churches and cringe. Somehow I knew there was something I was missing. Thank you, Paul! Finally a grace-centered explanation giving the reader both a historical, applicable, and relevant interpretation of these important but often misunderstood chapters. I highly recommend this groundbreaking work!
Nate Tanner, evangelist and president at L3 International Ministries