2023 Primavera

When the oppressor has gone, destruction has ended, and marauders have vanished from the land, a throne will be established in love, and one will sit on it faithfully in the tent of David, judging and pursuing what is right, quick to execute justice.

- Isaiah 16

Maranatha

The best of men are men at best, except for One. -BA Purtle

...history is not an ever turning wheel getting nowhere, but is more like a spiral working to a climax, or rather a nadir, an all time low, at which point God will intervene to make all things new. Here the prophets and the apocalyptic writers are at one. - Joyce Baldwin, Daniel

The gospel of the kingdom broke the back of every prophet and apostle who carried it. - Stephanie Quick

On that Day...

The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Armies will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and he will display his glory in the presence of his elders.

- Isaiah 24

Reigning as King.

On Mt. Zion.

In Jerusalem.

Maranatha!

-Joshua Reese

My teaching on Beholding the Joy of Jesus. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

Unless you're willing to admit you're at war with God, you will never know how to surrender. - Tim Keller

📚 3 Misconceptions Many Christians Have About Bible Prophecy & the End Times:

❌ These are fringe topics emphasized by snake oil salesmen & rapture prognosticators. They are not relevant in the everyday life of the Church.

✅ The Bible is roughly 27% prophecy, & many of these relate to the future. It’s impossible to be a biblical church without any emphasis on eschatology (I.e., study of the end times) & future prophetic events.

❌ Even if end-times prophecy matters, the main thing we are supposed to gather from the prophetic texts is a general message concerning hope, God’s final victory, the resurrection, & the defeat of evil. Delving into minutiae on the Rapture, the Antichrist, future events in Israel etc. is a distraction and biblically unjustifiable.

✅ While the big picture is important, there is a lot of detail in the prophetic corpus as well. These details are there because they validate the extent to which God can predict the future, & understanding the details will lead to the salvation of many souls in the last days. We need a both/and approach here: always coming back to the larger macro-redemptive & messianic themes, while simultaneously  respecting God’s propensity for detail & specificity.

❌ Bible prophecy & the end times are only relevant for the final generation. Since Jesus may not come in my lifetime, I don’t need to worry about it.

✅ Peter tells us that every Christian should fix their hope “completely” on the Second Coming of Christ (1:13), regardless of timing. The return of Jesus is supposed to be the driver of biblical discipleship. Furthermore, even if we do not live through the end of the end, it is still the responsibility of every generation to disciple the next in the truth of God’s word. What we teach about prophecy & the end times today will impact the final generation in a positive way, & bc we do not know the “times or the seasons” or the “day or the hour,” we should all be prepared as if we are the final generation.

👍 Many people have shunned prophecy because of the abuses and sensational madness associated with this field of study. Others are put off by the alleged complexities. But “abuse does not take away use,” as the saying goes, & complexity does not excuse total neglect. To be a biblical Christian is to take an interest in prophecy & the end times.

🔥 As the Apostle John says, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10) 

-Travis M. Snow

My teaching on the hidden years of Jesus. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

"We must after all this turn our attention to those scriptures also which forbid our belief in such a resurrection as is held by your Animalists (for I will not call them Spiritualists), that it is either to be assumed as taking place now, as soon as men come to the knowledge of the truth, or else that it is accomplished immediately after their departure from this life." -Tertullian

“A true realist, if he is not a believer, will always find in himself the strength and ability not to believe in miracles as well, and if a miracle stands before him as an irrefutable fact, he will sooner doubt his own senses than admit the fact.” - Dostoevsky

“Jesus will come in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26

He comes in three manifestations of glory:

His own glory.

His Father’s glory.

The glory of the holy angels.

The sun—a million earths, and pure fire—will be but a candle flame.

-John Piper

The apostle Paul: “Remember my bonds.” Colossians 4:18

We know there are missionaries and local Christians in prison simply for being faithful.

Remember them:

in empathy,

in prayer,

in inspiration,

in imitation.

-John Piper

One’s gospel determines one’s ethics, which is one of the reasons Paul views variant gospels as so destructive. Both Jewish distortions of the death of the Messiah (cf. Gal. 1:7; Eph. 2:11; Phil. 3:2) and Hellenistic distortions of the Parousia of the Messiah (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:18) incur severe condemnations from Paul because both distort the hope of eternal life and the associated response in this age. - John P. Harrigan

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1–2, CSB).

This ethical exhortation hinges on “therefore,” which connects it to the preceding discussion of Jewish eschatology in chapter 11. “The mercies of God” (12:1) are in reference to God’s dealings with both Jew and Gentile in this age (cf. 11:30–32). In light of such mercies, and according to such eschatology, we should not be “conformed to this age” (12:2), but rather our minds should be renewed by the Spirit according to the hope of the age to come. This eschatological approach then defines the subsequent ethical practicalities: “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (v. 3).

The entirety of Paul’s ethical monologue in 12:3—13:10 makes much more sense in this light, particularly his exhortation to submit to authorities in this age (13:1–7; cf. Titus 3:1). If eschatology is indeed being realized in this age, then liberation theology and political insurrection against tyranny are logical consequences.  -John P. Harrigan

Theology 101: Apostolic tradition is always and only received. It is never, ever created. - Dr. Michael Svigel

Theology 101: Fact—Old Testament saints could also go straight to God in prayer and worship. They didn’t need a priest to intercede for them. This is clear in the narratives and obvious when reading the psalms. - Dr. Michael Svigel

"Preaching does not come by nature, but by study." (Chrysostom)

Theology 101: Christian ethics must always be taught with Christian beliefs, values, and priorities. Just dos and don’ts without the story collapses into heartless moralism.  - Dr. Michael Svigel

“Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” Luke 8:25 The answer Luke expects in recording the disciples’ question is not: A mere man who taps into divine power. - John Piper

History shows us that when we crazy Gentiles claim Israel's covenant and eschatology as our own (spiritually or otherwise), it has led to theological disaster and, most importantly, a distorted discipleship response. Moses was right to call us a "foolish" people. (Deut. 32:21) -Josh Hawkins

Multitudes of non-Jews becoming worshippers of YHVH is an integral component of the restoration of the royal Jewish monarchy (Amos 9:9-15). That’s pretty mind-blowing. - Joel Richardson

Completely. 

My teaching on the boyhood of Jesus and his temple visit. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

God does not tolerate mercy. He delights in it. - Allen Hood

The God of modern preaching, though He may perhaps be very good, is rather uninteresting.  - J. Gresham Machen 

Theology 101: “I know exercise is good for my health. But I want to keep it special, so I only exercise once a quarter.” Let the reader understand. - Dr. Michael Svigel

John Harrigan in Peoria

My favorite Bible teacher John P. Harrigan will be in Peoria, IL on September 22nd and 23rd for a two day conference at Bradley Epworth church. 

Sign up on the Facebook page or email Chad Brewer directly. I can't recommed this short conference enough! 

From the Facebook page: Join us for a free two-day conference that will lay out the overarching storyline of the Gospel, from Genesis to Revelation, from a first-century Jewish perspective.

Guest Speaker: John Harrigan is a church planter and missions trainer. He and his family work for an evangelical organization in the Middle East. They have a passion for the cross, the return of Jesus, and the Great Commission.

Dates: Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22-23, 2023

Schedule: 9am-Noon, 2-5pm, with dinner to follow (both days)

Location: Sessions will be hosted at Bradley Epworth Church, Peoria IL. Dinner locations will be announced each day.

Contact Chad Brewer with any questions

That same Man - Songs of the God Man: Volume 1

MP3

1 – 2 – 4 – 1 

That same Man, born in a barn and then

lays in a feed trough, He is the LORD

That same Man, working those silent years

knowing all things are His, He stays so low

That same Man, always misunderstood

showing the Father’s good and knows our pain

That same Man, bound and then taken

completely forsaken, He takes our pain

    5                              4                  1                         5

Hallelujah by the word of this Man we were made

Hallelujah by the blood of the Man we are saved

Hallelujah by the word of this Man we will raise

                4

we will raise

1 – 2 – 4 – 1 

That same Man, silent he stands accused 

willing to be abused, condemned to die

That same Man, unrecognizable,

struggles to climb the hill, he brings us life

That same Man, nailed to a broken tree

suffers to even breathe, makes us right

That same Man, sealed in the silent tomb

but death can hold Him, He’s raised to life!

That same Man, rules over everything

YAHWEH the only King, Jesus the Man

That same Man, waiting in mercy

but will come with jealousy and be revealed!

Written by me.