About John Chester

John serves the saints of Piedmont Bible Church, a Grace Advance church plant in Haymarket Virginia, as their shepherd, a position he has held since 2012 and hopes to serve in the rest of his life. Prior to being called to ministry John worked as a lacrosse coach, a pizza maker, a writer, a marketing executive, and just about everything in between. John is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary and The Grace Advance Academy. He hails from The City of Champions, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and is unbelievably blessed to be married to his wife Cassandra.

Reprise: You’re Using It Wrong: Ephesians 5:16 & Time

Posted on October 16, 2019 by John Chester

If you have been around Christian circles for any length of time you have no doubt been admonished at some point “you have to redeem the time” meaning that you need to quit loafing and get busy. The days are evil, in other words, time is short and life is fleeting, so get to work. You may have read this, you may have heard this from the pulpit, you may have had someone tell you this in private, you may even have said it to yourself (or someone else). But I’m sorry to say, if you think Ephesians 5:16 is about industriousness and time management, You’re Using It Wrong!… Continue reading

Christian, Don’t Be Afraid

Posted on October 2, 2019 by John Chester

A couple of days ago, I was in the kitchen making tacos, and the TV was on in the other room, and the network news broadcast started. And I heard nearly the whole thing. While there were stories on a number of topics, they were all basically the same. Whether they were about the economy, politics, the weather or crime the story was the same; things have never been this bad and you should be afraid.

And it is not just the network news and the so called mainstream media, although they are certainly industry leaders, after all one of the founding fathers of American mass media once quipped “no one ever went broke predicting the end of the world.” The alternative media in many of its various forms gleefully joins in chorus too. You could hardly be blamed if you didn’t realize that violent crime in the US has been declining for decades, and that as a nation the US is in a period of great prosperity that has lasted for decades or that the number of hurricanes has been declining since the 1990s.… Continue reading

Reprise: Living The Doctrines Of Grace

Posted on September 18, 2019 by John Chester

I am in the midst of doing something, I have longed to do for years. I am preaching through Paul’s letter to Ephesians and more specifically I just finished preaching through what I consider the most beautiful, glorious and precious passage in the New Testament, Ephesians 2:1-10.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sinsin which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Reprise: Root Your Faith In The Old Testament

Posted on September 4, 2019 by John Chester

I recently finished up the first part of a two part preface to a planned verse by verse exposition of the Gospel of John and this past Sunday, I started on part two. I don’t think that is so unusual, especially among churches where preaching and teaching is taken seriously. In churches devoted to expository preaching introductory messages are often preached before a new sermon series. What is unusual is that part one of this preface was a verse by verse exposition of all of the Servant songs of Isaiah and part two will be an exposition of all of the songs of ascent, Psalms 120-134. I began this preface in mid-August and Lord willing it will wrap up some time around the beginning of April.… Continue reading

Josh Harris & Sola Homeschoola

Posted on August 21, 2019 by John Chester

Apostacy is never a light matter and is always heartbreaking. When we hear of anyone walking away from the faith the appropriate reaction is always sorrow. It is always heartbreaking when someone who has professed faith in and reliance on God’s grace suddenly says God can keep His grace, because I have no need of it. And it is no less or more heartbreaking based on a person’s level of notoriety.

Recently a relatively well known, in conservative Christian circles, person publicly announced his apostacy. I’m speaking of course of Josh Harris. And since he so publicly (and strategically) announced his apostacy there has been much public speculation about what led to his apostacy.… Continue reading

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Author Archives: John Chester