Bible Lab S2 Ep. 18 - Spiritual Leadership and Revival (2 Chronicles 25 - Nehemiah 1)

How does revival happen?

Post-exilic literature in the Scriptures deals in detail with the question of if and how a people can be restored spiritually. All throughout 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, we read about leaders like Hezekiah, Josiah, Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah who undertook the tall task of calling the Jewish people back to faithfulness. As we read these books we learn a great deal about how God revives a people, rebuilds their identity, and ultimately why Christ alone is the one who can transform us into a people for His own possession. In this episode Joel and Jake cover:

• Big Events: Restoration under Hezekiah and Josiah, the quick degeneration of Judah leading up to the exile, rebuilding the temple and wall in Jerusalem
• Key Themes: The nature of spiritual revival, the essential nature of repentance, effective principles of spiritual leadership
• Rabbit Trails: Sanctification, Bible study resources, movie remakes, and the importance of quality highlighters.

Resources

• ESV Illuminated Scripture journals from Crossway: https://www.crossway.org/bibles/esv-illuminated-scripture-journal-new-testame-tpb/ 
• Mr. Pen highlighers (clutch for personal Bible Study): https://a.co/d/anBO91t 
• THE BIBLE LAB IS NOW ON YOUTUBE: watch the full episode and find clips to share on the LIFE BRIDGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL
• Bible Project Summary for the books of Ezra and Nehemiah: https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-ezra-nehemiah  
• ESV Book summary for Ezra: https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/introduction-to-ezra/ 
• Special thanks to the band Least of These for use of their song "Filthy Man." Find them on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4YYhR9jU49pt4cFEUmFHDm?si=zLDXAsjaTrCvqmrn3nVRaQ

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Each week during Season 2 of the podcast, we will break down the previous week's readings, including big events, key themes, rabbit-hole curiosities, and devotional thoughts.

If you want to follow along with our reading plan from cover to cover, you can find it right here. We'll be following the 3x5 reading plan, which covers 3 chapters a day and 5 on Sundays. 

Additionally, if you're looking for resources to compliment your study, check out The 3x5 Workbook by David Kalas. This is a great tool to challenge you by providing weekly review quizzes and answers to help your learnings stick. 

If you have questions you want covered on the show from your readings, email them ahead of time to biblelab@lifebridgegb.org!