RSS feed for posts https://followingpaul.org en Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:29:06 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/when-the-church-began-when-grace-was-given The question of when the Church began is load-bearing. This article examines why Pentecost was the fulfillment of prophecy rather than the birth of mystery, distinguishes the baptism of the Holy Ghost from Spirit baptism in the Body of Christ, answers Ruckman's argument that people were in Christ before Paul, and shows that the doctrines of the Jerusalem assembly and the Body of Christ are irreconcilable programs belonging to two different apostles. Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/when-the-church-began-when-grace-was-given right division body of christ mystery dispensation of grace paul pentecost mid-acts when the church began ruckman spirit baptism /pastor-s-desk/post/what-are-the-remnant-epistles Most Bible readers treat James, Peter, John, Jude, Hebrews, and Revelation as if they were written to the same audience as Paul's epistles. This article explains what the Remnant Epistles are, who they were written to, why they contain doctrines that differ sharply from Paul's letters, and why rightly dividing them from Paul's thirteen epistles is essential to protecting the gospel of grace. Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/what-are-the-remnant-epistles Right Division Remnant Epistles Circumcision Epistles Mid-Acts /pastor-s-desk/post/eternal-security Most teachers answer the question of eternal security by piling verses from every book of the Bible into one flat pile. When you do that, you always end up confused. Rightly divide the word of truth and the answer for the believer in the Body of Christ is clear: you cannot lose your salvation. Not because God winks at sin, but because your salvation rests entirely on the finished work of Jesus Christ and the faithfulness of the God who sealed you. Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/eternal-security eternal security salvation right division dispensationalism Body of Christ mid-Acts Paul's gospel grace assurance Hebrews /pastor-s-desk/post/repentance-rightly-divided-what-paul-meant-and-what-he-did-not The word repentance has been weaponized against the gospel of grace more than almost any other word in Scripture. Paul never preached repentance of sins as a condition of salvation. He preached repentance toward God — a change of mind from unbelief to faith in Christ's finished work. This article shows what repentance means, what it meant under Israel's prophetic program, how Paul used it for salvation and in the believer's walk, and why mixing the two corrupts the gospel. Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/repentance-rightly-divided-what-paul-meant-and-what-he-did-not right division mid-Acts dispensationalism repentance gospel salvation Body of Christ law and grace tradition vs truth Paul's gospel prophetic program /pastor-s-desk/post/house-to-house Walk into almost any traditional Baptist or evangelical church and you will find it somewhere on the calendar — visitation night. The verse most often cited in its defense is Acts 20:20. But did Paul actually teach door-to-door visitation? When you look carefully at what Paul wrote and what Paul did, the answer is far more instructive than tradition allows. Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/house-to-house right division church traditions pauline ministry Acts 20 dispensationalism tradition vs truth evangelism mis-application /pastor-s-desk/post/the-worldly-church-how-secular-philosophy-has-invaded-the-house-of-god The church has borrowed so heavily from secular philosophy, corporate management theory, personality science, and consumer marketing that it can be difficult to distinguish its programs from those of a well-funded community center. This article examines the most prominent intrusions: spiritual gifts tests rooted in Jungian psychology, Tim LaHaye's pagan four temperaments, entertainment-driven children's ministry, Peter Drucker's corporate church model, Maslow's hierarchy of needs in the pulpit, the occult origins of the Enneagram, secular therapy culture, and the doctrinal deficiencies of nouthetic counseling. Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/the-worldly-church-how-secular-philosophy-has-invaded-the-house-of-god right division mid-Acts dispensationalism Body of Christ church traditions secular philosophy psychology church growth personality tests nouthetic counseling Enneagram Tim LaHaye tradition vs truth law and grace /pastor-s-desk/post/the-law-of-sin Every honest believer has experienced it — you want to do right, you resolve to do better, and yet the same failure repeats. This is not a character defect. Paul named it the law of sin, explained exactly how it works, and revealed why more law-keeping only makes it worse. The answer is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/the-law-of-sin Romans 7 Romans 8 law of sin grace flesh inner man Spirit sanctification right division Paul dispensationalism /pastor-s-desk/post/transitional-elements-in-pauls-acts-period-ministry Paul went to the synagogue, performed miracles, baptized converts, and kept Jewish feasts. Does that mean we should too? Understanding which elements of Paul's Acts-period ministry were transitional accommodations to a Jewish overlap context is essential for rightly dividing what belongs to us today. Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/transitional-elements-in-pauls-acts-period-ministry right division Acts period transitional mid-Acts dispensationalism sign gifts tongues water baptism to the Jew first Acts 28 Paul mystery progressive revelation synagogue /pastor-s-desk/post/how-should-a-believer-dress-for-church Dress standards have been wielded as spiritual measuring rods for generations, dividing churches and shaming believers. What does Paul actually say about apparel? And how have Old Testament texts been misused to legislate hemlines, prohibit pants, and impose clergy dress that belongs to Israel's priesthood? Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/how-should-a-believer-dress-for-church right division apparel dress standards modesty law and grace liberty legalism Body of Christ dispensationalism mid-Acts Old Testament Deuteronomy 22:5 /pastor-s-desk/post/the-anointing-of-the-spirit-what-changed-when-the-mystery-was-revealed Have you ever heard someone in church say, "The anointing is on this place tonight"? Or maybe you've watched someone fall on the floor under what a preacher called "the anointing of the Holy Ghost"? Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/the-anointing-of-the-spirit-what-changed-when-the-mystery-was-revealed right division Holy Spirit anointing mystery program dispensationalism Paul body of Christ /pastor-s-desk/post/shall-be-saved-vs-are-saved Both phrases are in your Bible. Both are true. But they are not talking to the same people about the same salvation in the same program. The tense is not incidental — the tense is everything. Sat, 23 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/shall-be-saved-vs-are-saved right division salvation kingdom program mystery program dispensationalism Israel assurance /pastor-s-desk/post/fallacy-progressive-revelation Have you ever heard someone explain the Bible by saying, 'It's all progressive revelation—Christ revealed truth to the Twelve during His earthly ministry, they carried it forward in early Acts, and then Paul received the next phase for the Gentiles'? It sounds smooth, doesn't it? It feels like it ties everything together neatly. Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/fallacy-progressive-revelation right division progressive revelation dispensationalism Paul kingdom program mystery program the twelve /pastor-s-desk/post/lords-supper Have you ever sat through a Lord's Supper (or Communion) service and felt a subtle pressure in your chest — that if you don't partake 'worthily,' something bad might happen to you? Have you left the table wondering if you examined yourself enough, confessed enough sins beforehand, or approached the elements with the right attitude? Or have you watched as the bread and cup are passed with hushed reverence, solemn warnings, and sometimes even a call to self-judgment that feels more like fear than joy? Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/lords-supper right division Lord's supper communion ordinances kingdom program dispensationalism mis-application /pastor-s-desk/post/grafted-in Have you ever read Romans 11 and felt the tension? On one hand, Paul clearly teaches that believers in this dispensation are 'new creatures' where old distinctions no longer matter (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). On the other hand, he gives a strong warning to graffed-in Gentiles that they could be 'cut off.' How do these truths fit together without contradiction? Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/grafted-in right division Romans 11 Israel Gentiles grafted in dispensationalism kingdom program /pastor-s-desk/post/sheep-metaphor Have you ever noticed how naturally the word 'sheep' rolls off the tongue when people talk about believers? 'We're His sheep,' 'the Good Shepherd,' 'the flock of God'—it sounds so familiar, so comforting. But have you stopped to ask... Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/sheep-metaphor right division sheep metaphor Israel kingdom program dispensationalism John 10 Ezekiel 34 /pastor-s-desk/post/judge-nothing Have you ever caught yourself (or heard others) sizing up another believer's ministry—or even your own—based on outward results, popularity, numbers, or how 'spiritual' it looks? Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/judge-nothing right division Paul 1 Corinthians judgment grace living dispensationalism /pastor-s-desk/post/to-do-about-sin Have you ever found yourself stumbling in your walk as a new creature in Christ and immediately feeling the old tug to 'confess and get right with God' all over again? Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/to-do-about-sin right division sin grace living Paul dispensationalism forgiveness body of Christ /pastor-s-desk/post/israel-of-god Have you ever wondered why Paul would single out 'the Israel of' with a special blessing right after declaring that nothing avails but a new creature? Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/israel-of-god right division Israel Galatians replacement theology dispensationalism Paul kingdom program /pastor-s-desk/post/born-again Have you ever noticed how the phrases 'born again' and 'born of the Spirit' get used as though they are the universal way to describe salvation for everyone in every age? Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/born-again right division born again Israel kingdom program dispensationalism mis-application new birth /pastor-s-desk/post/departure Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why the Apostle Paul spent so much ink warning the churches about certain men who 'desired to be teachers of the law'? (1 Timothy 1:7 KJV). Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 /pastor-s-desk/post/departure right division Paul apostasy church history law and grace dispensationalism false teachers