This week, I learned that Dr. Larry Pettegrew passed away. Dr. Pettegrew joins a growing list of mentors who are now with the Lord who were once my professors at The Master’s Seminary including Robert Thomas, Jim Rosscup, and Trevor Craigen. This “dream team” of humble scholars loved Christ and dedicated their lives to training others. How thankful I am to God for each of them!

My favorite memories of Dr. Pettegrew are those times in TH706 Theology IV when he would open the scriptures and discuss matters of discontinuity between theological systems, or go into detail about our coming hope in Christ. Dr. Pettegrew shared five reasons he was a premillenialist:

1. Literal interpretation
2. Biblical covenants
3. Old Testament prophecies (Major and Minor Prophets)
4. Romans 9-11
5. Revelation 20

Through it all, Dr. Pettegrew reminded us to be charitable toward others. “There is always a danger that important theology will be compromised for the sake of unity. On the other hand, we are for unity as much as possible.”

Growing up dispensationalist, I knew I could be wrong, and that like a Berean, I needed to search the scriptures to see if these things were true. For me, Dr. Pettegrew’s life and teaching made a compelling case for ethnic unity in the gospel, yet an ongoing distinction between Israel and the Church that does justice to the biblical texts and provides abundant hope for Christ’s second coming. I am now, as much as ever, a convinced believer in the premillennial return of Christ in part because of the ministry of Dr. Pettegrew.

“The doctrine of eschatology is very practical and uplifting!” he said. “Someone who is depressed can be encouraged to know the best is yet ahead.”

Now, Larry Pettegrew’s faith has become sight. Whatever questions remain about end times prophecy and the relationship of the “already” to the “not yet,” these things have been eclipsed by happiness in the presence of Christ. Thank you, Dr. Pettegrew, for your faithful ministry and for pouring into the lives of so many others. Enter into the joy of your Master.

Remember these TMC student planners from the 90s? I’ve been going through some old files and scanning old sermon notes into my sermon file system. Flipping back through these pages, I’m thankful to God and indebted to The Master’s College (now Master’s University) for their unwavering commitment to scripture.

So much spiritual transformation happened on those Monday/Wednesday/Friday chapel gatherings. Even then, I knew it was something special to be hearing speakers like John MacArthur, Jerry Bridges, Donald Whitney, DA Carson, Wayne Mack, Scott Ardavanis, plus many local pastors. Listen to some of the sermon titles:

*The Righteous Response to a Sinful World: Repentance (Hosea 14)
*The Discipline of Discernment (2 Tim 2:15-16)
*The Person of Christ: the Test of a True Christian (Col 2:10)

That was some good meat of the word!

I was standing in the Costco checkout line the other day, minding my own business and scrolling on my phone, when suddenly, I began to smell coffee. In that moment, I wanted coffee.

You probably know you can buy whole coffee beans at Costco and grind them there if you don’t have a grinder at home. I looked around, and the grinder machine was probably 50 feet away. A dad and his daughter were standing there grinding coffee beans, and the rest of us got to enjoy the side effects. The aroma permeated the whole area.

In a similar way, our presence and activities should send a pleasing aroma into the community. Do people see and “smell” a difference in us, and are they drawn to Christ?

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14).