Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | May 3, 2023
One of my favorite biblical books is 2 Thessalonians. Do you know why it was written? Because the Thessalonians misunderstood 1 Thessalonians. So… 1. If people can misunderstand an inspired Paul, then people definitely can misunderstand me! I take comfort in that. 2 Thessalonians has another practical application we need to remember. 2. When we […]
PHall | June 16, 2018
“You can’t obey good news” says the argument. This despite the Bible using the phrase “did not obey the gospel” (Romans 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17). People argue “obey doesn’t mean obey”. This is called semantics where people change the definitions to fit their argument. So let’s look outside the religious box. The […]
PHall | May 13, 2014
When someone chooses to cut us off from their life, or portions thereof, we get to choose whether we become a victim or whether they victimized themselves. We can choose to believe those who push us away are those who unknowingly need us. They chose to remove the restraint that protected them and their freedom […]
PHall | October 3, 2013
In studying 2 Thessalonians, we discussed how often “we” “our” “us” is used instead of “I” or “me.” Silas and Timothy were not apostles and yet “we command.” So what right did they have to command as co-authors with Paul? We gave three: 1) Apparently they were inspired too; 2) They had a relationship with […]
PHall | October 3, 2013
We emphasize how “unworthy” (Lk.7:6) we are but forget we are worthy, worth something, valued, to be respected, by God and how we act – walk worthy of the gospel (Eph.4:1; Phil.1:27; Col.1:10; 1 Thess.2:12; 2 Thess.1:5,11). God called you to be what you were not and counts you what you cannot be. Because you […]
PHall | October 3, 2013
Paul having to write 2 Thessalonians should be a comfort to all preachers. He wrote it because 1 Thessalonians was misunderstood. If an inspired man can be misunderstood, why should we uninspired men be surprised when we are misunderstood?
PHall | February 6, 2010
It is no wonder that people misunderstand me when I preach. No, I am not referring to my frequent verbal faux pas, mangling of multiple syllabic words, or even the occasional disconnect between my brain and mouth – sometimes the inserted foot makes for a bad connection. No, I am not surprised that people misunderstand […]
PHall | October 9, 2009
We need to stop growing as a congregation. Growing is too dangerous. Too many problems brought on by too many people, too many different people. Growth destroys the status quo, forces us to confront our comfort zones, brings in new and different people with new and different problems, enlarges the gaps between the mature and […]
PHall | October 7, 2009
Paul’s Writing Style (James MacKnight, MacKnight on the Epistles, pp.26-27) 1. “In the first place, a concise unadorned style in preaching and writing, though accompanied with some obscurity, was, in the apostle’s situation, preferable to the clear and elegant manner of writing practiced by the Grecian orators… (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:4).” 2. “In the […]