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About The ONE

You’ll be able, to begin with the introduction of John and take up event-by-event the story of the Lord’s life in the words of each gospel. Where there is one account it is used. Where there are several, the fullest is given with all the additions of the others. At times it may seem like the characters are speaking over one another—as in the healing of the two blind men after Jesus passed through Jericho.

Neither this blended Gospel nor any other is inspired in their arrangement. But the words included are taken from the Gospel accounts and are inspired. When read, they allow a fuller understanding of the words and works of the Lord Jesus. Rather than labeling every event and teaching, I’ve chosen to identify the location of the Lord’s travels. This gives a sense of the movement and activity of the Lord’s life and ministry.

The Layout

The ONE: Bold callouts allow the reader to quickly see the key teachings of Jesus while following the evil conspiracy to undermine His work and end His life. Rather than labeling every event, the geographic locations of the Lord’s travels are identified so the reader can see His movement on a map and journey with Him. To make it easier to locate a specific event or teaching an extensive index is provided at the end of THE ONE.

The greatest care was taken to provide the perspective of all four gospel writers by weaving their unique perspective into a single harmonious story. The translation, while true to the original text, is written in a conversational tone and style that’s easy and pleasant to read.

“This is the work God demands. Believe in THE ONE, He sent.” – John 6:29

John's Preface

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The Preface

This beautiful blending is a work of love for the gospels that spans over 135 years. The original blending, which served as the pattern for THE ONE, was published by William Pittenger in 1888. Twenty-six years before that, at the age of twenty-two, he languished in a prison awaiting execution by hanging. During the Civil War, he volunteered, with a small band of Union soldiers, to travel behind enemy lines in civilian clothes and commandeer a train. Once in control of the train, they hoped to burn railroad bridges and cut telegraph lines. If successful, they would disable the ability of the Confederate forces to transport troops, food, weapons, and medical supplies and thus bring the war to an early end. Unfortunately, their heroic efforts failed, and Pittenger was captured.

William Pittenger

The Historical Connection

This is when the creation of THE ONE takes on historical significance. In 1888 William Pittenger published The Interwoven Gospels and Gospel Harmony. Using the 1881 Revised Standard Bible as his translation, he created a unique masterpiece. For instance, many blended gospels combine into a single sermon, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6). Pittenger keeps them separate to preserve two noble discourses in unbroken form and present a more natural arrangement of the Lord’s ministry.

Bill Perkins & The ONE

“The Most Important Story in Human History!”

How the Gospels were blended:

To accomplish the feat of blending, consider Pittenger’s work, the box top to a puzzle, and the 2016 World English Bible as the puzzle pieces.

After meticulously blending the verses together and identifying the source of every verse, I began the task of editing the manuscript to make it more readable. While I don’t consider myself a language scholar, I did study classical Greek at the University of Texas while completing two years of modern Israeli Hebrew.

At Dallas Theological Seminary, I studied two years of biblical Hebrew and three years of biblical Greek. Those studies acquainted me with biblical languages and language tools. Because of this and years of biblical research, I’m confident my editing accurately communicates the intent and meaning of the original text.

The day God spoke to me: “Lisa”

In November 2011, after speaking at a leadership conference in Louisiana on Friday and Saturday, I had a life-changing experience the next morning. At the time, I thought the only way God spoke to people was through the pages of the Bible. I had never heard God speak to me and questioned those who said they had.

That changed the moment I entered one of the churches that had participated in the conference. Like an audio loop, I heard the name “Lisa” repeating in my mind. With the help of the soundboard tech, I found Lisa. This young woman told me about a disease she suffered from, which caused ongoing pain. Medical treatment had helped with the source of the problem but couldn’t cure the damage and pain caused by the disease.

Over the years, I have prayed for many people to be healed. Not once had I seen God divinely and miraculously heal someone. Yet, since God had directed me to Lisa, I believed He would heal her, and I prayed with expectation.

After my prayer, Lisa tried to recreate the pain that had tormented her for years. When she realized it was gone, her eyes widened, and she erupted into tears of joy as she praised God. Weeping, she repeatedly said, “He healed me! God healed me!”

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If you’re interested in learning more about how to use the gospels to know Jesus better and use THE ONE as a discipleship tool, fill out our form. We’ll show you how you can become involved in a worldwide movement of disciples who are reading the gospels daily and helping others do the same.

I pray as you read THE ONE, the Father, through His Spirit, will open your eyes and ears so you can clearly see and hear the Lord Jesus, our Savior, and King.