In the Word

Exodus 17:8-16. This short passage of Scripture teaches us so much about Biblical Leadership. You will be challenged and encouraged all at the same time!For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

JUDAS ISCARIOT … FACE OF THE BETRAYERJohn 12:5-6; John 6:66-71; Matthew 10:1-8; Luke 22:1-6; Matthew 26:14-16; John 13:27-30; Matthew 26:47-50 and finally Matthew 27:1-7. It has always amazed me that Judas Iscariot followed when others deserted Christ. And though he heard every message that Jesus preached and saw every miracle —he did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God who could forgive sins. There is much that we can learn from the one who betrayed Christ.

Lesson 8 - Stories About Waiting … Understanding God's PromiseJesus told two final parables in the days before His death on Calvary — the Parable of the Tenants and the Parable of the Ten Virgins. He warned the religious leaders about what happened to the workers who rejected and ultimately killed their master's son. And He warned His disciples about what was going to happen to Him and how they needed to live until they saw Him again. They were strong words for days when strength was going to be needed. Who would listen and obey?To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 7 - Stories About Treasure … Understanding God's Economy Jesus had a lot to say about wealth, but it wasn't what people expected. Today's parables feature two rich men who had everything the world could offer. One foolishly tore down his own barns to make room for more. The other ignored the suffering beggar at his gate, though he knew him by name. Jesus had stern words for those who trusted in their riches and misused them for selfish gains.To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 6 - Stories About Asking … Understanding God's HeartThe disciples knew that Jesus didn't pray like the Pharisees and they observed the result in His life and ministry. They sensed that He was truly connected to His Father in heaven and they wanted to experience that for themselves — so they asked that He teach them to pray. They had no idea how much they would soon need the lessons He gave them.To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 5 - Stories About Serving … Understanding God's ExpectationsWe live in a very “what's-in-it-for-me?' type world. No one wants to commit to anything that doesn't enhance their own bottom line. So Peter's question about what the disciples were going to receive from following Christ was really a very human one. The parables in today's lesson are all about what He expects from us as we serve Him — and the answers might surprise you!To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 4 - Stories About How to Treat Others … Understanding God's Forgiveness and CompassionThe Pharisees had a hard time seeing their own need for God's mercy. They were confident they were keeping the Law's command to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. But they didn't really understand what that meant — or just who their neighbor was. They were about to have their eyes opened. To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 3 - Stories About Who's In and Who's Out … Understanding God's Guest ListThe Pharisees made a great show of entertaining one another; and the guest lists for their dinners were all about who was “in” and who was “out.” So when they invited Jesus to dinner, they never expected what He would have to say about their guest lists — or how they compared to the one God has. It was a very interesting evening.To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 2 - Stories About Lost Things … Understanding God's Love For UsJesus talked about a very common experience in this set of parables in Luke 15 — the loss of something precious and valuable. He began with a sheep, then moved on to a coin, and ended with a son. Who could not identify with one or all of them? But as always, Jesus had a point beyond the details. He wanted His listeners to think beyond the lost things themselves to who was doing the seeking in each case — and why. Who among His listeners would really hear what He was saying?To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 1 - Stories About Listening … Understanding God's Word Jesus often used familiar, everyday situations to teach His followers powerful truths. These parables may be very familiar to us but because they are rooted in the culture of His day and not our own, we often miss His point. Our modern, western minds get in the way! Join us in this eight-week study of the Parables of Christ and learn how to follow Him in ways you might never have imagined!To learn more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visithttps://intheword.com

Exodus 17:8-16. This short passage of Scripture teaches us so much about Biblical Leadership. You will be challenged and encouraged all at the same time!For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 4 - An Example in Perseverance1 Kings 21:1-28; 1 Kings 19:19-21 and 2 Kings 2:1-15. Elijah was an incredible man of prayer. He knew what it was like to persevere even when he was hated and rejected for his relationship with God. Choosing not to see it as the end of his usefulness to God, he was willing to see God's bigger picture and humbly invest in the life of his successor, Elisha.

Lesson 3 - When Fear Overwhelms and Depression Sets In1 Kings 18:40-19:18.As Christ followers, we know that the extremes of life teach us to trust Him, they draw us closer to Him, and conform us to His likeness. Elijah shows us what to do when those dark moments happen in our lives. God is never going to forget us! In fact, the Lord often uses those valleys to take us on to higher places, if only we will put our trust in Him and obey His Word.

Lesson 21 - An Exceptional GodKings 17:12-18:40.Elijah knew that nothing is impossible for God. In his encounter with the prophets of Baal we learn the truth that all religions are not the same and that enthusiasm and great activity are not always signs of spirituality! The prophets of Baal were no doubt sincere in what they believed, but it is possible to be sincerely wrong! People can have faith, but what truly matters is the object of that faith!

Lesson 1 - An Ordinary Man1 Kings 17:1-15.We know nothing about the Prophet Elijah other than he came from the town of Tishbe in Gilead. No one knows about his family or his education, all we do know is that he was rather an odd character! But his life teaches us that God knows how to raise up leaders when they are needed, and that He can use anyone — even a person from absolute obscurity — to do His will!

Lesson 8 - The Way to LifeLuke 7:11-17; Luke 8:40-56; John 11:1-53; Matthew 12:38-41 and 1 Corinthians 15:17-22. No study of miracles would be complete without considering those in which Christ raised people to life. But even those miracles pointed to something greater — the miracle that assured our salvation and guaranteed the promise of eternal life for those who believe. This final sign is the most important one of all.For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 7 - The Way to RestorationMark 9:14-29; Mark 5:25-33; Luke 8:47-48; Matthew 8:2-4 and Luke 17:12-19. The miracles in today's lesson involve broken people who struggled with needs no earthly person had been able to meet. And yet each of them responded in ways that called forth God's miraculous power. How do they show us the way to restoration? For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Have you noticed how little is mentioned in Scripture about people ever giving gifts to Jesus? It seems to me that folk wanted far more from Him than they were ever willing to give Him and I guess things haven't changed much 2,000 years later! Join me for this encouraging Christmas message!

Lesson 6 - The Way to UsefulnessLuke 5:4-11; John 6:5-11; Matthew 14:19-21; John 21:4-17. Astonished by a miraculous catch of fish, the disciples could only wonder what the Lord meant that He would use them to “fish for people.” Learning how to do that would be the story of the next three years — and today's miracles are just the beginning.For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 5 - The Way to PeaceMark 4:35-41; Matthew 14:22-33. What do you do when following the Lord gets hard? When problems arise and you find yourself struggling in ways you never imagined? The disciples faced those questions on the stormy sea of Galilee; and the lessons they learned there changed the way they followed Him.For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 4 - The Way to WholenessJohn 5:1-16. Most were too busy to notice the crumpled figure of the man on his mat; yet, in the midst of so many, Jesus saw him. And the question He asked the paralytic that day is the question He asks us as well: “Do you want to be made well?” The man's entire future hinged upon his answer and what he did afterward. Jesus is the way to wholeness. Do we have the faith to walk in what He offers? For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 3 - The Way to SightJohn 9:1-38, Mark 10:46-52, Mark 8:22-26 and Isaiah 42:16. As we look at three different people who received sight from Jesus we realize that their stories picture our own lives. The Bible says we are all lost in a spiritual darkness that invades every part of our being. We cannot heal our blindness — only God can do that — and the cure is still the same. Like those in our lesson, we must come to Jesus, for He is the light of the world and those who walk in Him never walk in darkness! (John 8:12)For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 2 - The Way to TransformationJohn 2:1-11. It was a happy wedding feast with friends and neighbors in the village of Cana until an urgent need arose. Disaster loomed. A quiet word from His concerned mother and some nearby available jars were all He needed to transform the situation. It was the first of the signs His disciples would experience — and it wouldn't be the last as they began to learn just Who He was and what He wanted them to know.For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 1 - The God Who Reveals HimselfVarious Scriptures. In the New Testament miracles are often called “signs”— signs that pointed the way to God and proved the truth of the Gospel. Join Michele as she begins this study by taking a look at some of the questions people have about miracles.For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 18Final thoughts on our study. Revelation has taught us that we can have confidence in Jesus Christ for He is utterly trustworthy! We can face all kinds of trials with courage knowing that He shall have complete victory! Until He returns, we are called to stand with courage in the face of evil. We are to obey Christ until the very end, resisting social pressure to turn away from Him. For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 17Revelation 22:1-21. As this beautiful book of Revelation concludes John speaks of this glorious city of God where the River of the Water of Life, clear as crystal, flows from God's throne and where mankind is able to eat of the Tree of Life once more. A place where we will see Him face to face and enjoy Him forever! For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 16Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” and here in Revelation 21:1-27 we see John attempt to describe that which is indescribable! No words can do Heaven justice!For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 15As we study Revelation 19:11-20:15 we realize the first time Christ came to earth He arrived riding a donkey, which in those days was a sign of a king who came in peace. This time it is very different as He arrives riding a white horse as a picture of a conquering King coming in victory. John notices the blood on Christ's robe; and though we normally associate Jesus with the blood of His redemptive sacrifice, this time, the blood on His garments is the blood of His enemies as well! For He has come to make war with justice and righteousness against all that is evil.For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 14Revelation 18:1-19:10. With Mystery Babylon and all she stood for destroyed those who dwell on the earth express their woe - not for her destruction as much as what that will mean for their lives and their businesses! The picture in Heaven is much different as praises ring out and the long-anticipated wedding supper of the Lamb begins! Not only is the Bride (the Church) in attendance, but at the banquet table are seated all of those who have trusted God and looked forward to His provision over the ages! For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit https://intheword.com

Lesson 13The bowls of God's wrath are quickly poured out upon the Beast's Empire and upon those who follow him. We noticed these are much like God's Judgements that fell upon the Egyptians just before the Exodus of His people from bondage! As bowl after bowl falls, Heaven confirms that God is just in these judgments for all He does is to avenge the deaths of His holy people! We also meet the woman that belongs to the Antichrist and to the Dragon and though we still have many questions about her one thing is sure - she will be judged most severely! For more about Michele or to support this international ministry, please visit https://intheword.com

Revelation 12As we cover Revelation 14 and 15, John sees the holy ones of God standing in heaven praising the Lamb as they sing their song of deliverance just before the bowls of God's wrath are poured out on those who have rejected Him. The wicked vine of Babylon that intoxicates and poisons the people of the earth will be cut down and the so-called “fruit” associated with it will be thrown into the wine press of God's wrath to be crushed.For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit: https://intheword.com

Revelation 11Having been cast out of heaven, Satan knows that his time is short; and so, determined to do as much damage as he can he delegates his power to the two beasts who are the main figures in chapter 13. The Beast from the Sea represents the Antichrist — the political leader through whom Satan works during that time, while the Beast from the Earth represents “the False Prophet” who will work alongside the Antichrist, not only promoting him but also heading up the world's false religion of the time and causing those who follow the Antichrist to take the Mark of the Beast upon them. For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit: https://intheword.com

Lesson 10As we study Revelation 12:1-17 we learn that from the beginning Satan's mission has always been to destroy the Anointed One, the Christ of God, in order to prevent the Redemption of mankind and consequently he has tried on numerous occasions to destroy the Jewish people from whom the Messiah would come.For more information about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit: https://intheword.com

Lesson 9John speaks of a time when those who do not belong to God hold power in Jerusalem and their destructive influence is felt in that city for 42 months. Even so, God's voice is not silenced because He sends two witnesses to earth to speak forth His message. For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit: https://intheword.com

Lesson 8In the first two woes of the Tribulation God shows John all of Hell let loose on the earth. Though the suffering is great He reveals that the opportunity to repent and be saved still exists, even then. However, the people of the earth choose not to take hold of the forgiveness that could so easily be theirs and so finally God declares: "There shall be no delay!" Grace will no longer be extended and judgment is about to begin! For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit: https://intheword.com

Lesson 7Revelation 7:1-8:13 Prior to the judgements of Revelation all those who belong to God, both Jew and Gentile alike, are marked as His servants with the seal of the Living God, helping us to realize that even in the midst of terrible calamity God knows who are His!

Lesson 6Revelation 6:1-17 As Jesus open the scroll in heaven different events happen upon the earth. One of the truths made plain to us from the text is that God often holds back His full judgement, thus proving His great mercy. He does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance. Join us, to find out what effect that has on the hearts of those who have previously rejected God.

Lesson 5Revelation 4:6-5:14 John wept at the thought that there was no one in heaven to open the scroll - God's final will for the earth. The glimpse of heaven had changed his heart from one filled with fear to one overflowing with eager expectation! He was told that the Lion of Judah was able to open the scroll and to look inside but when he turned John didn't see a lion, but rather a lamb looking as though violently slain. As the Lion of Judah, Christ the Messiah is ruler of all! But He is also the Lamb of God, who was slain so that we could be freed from the power of sin to stand clothed in purity before the throne of God in Heaven.

Lesson 4Revelation 3:7-4:6 As we study the last two churches of Revelation we see that there was such a contrast between the Faithful Church in Philadelphia and the Lukewarm Church of Laodicea. Those who were faithful had "little strength" of their own, whereas those of Laodicea were so self-sufficient they didn't even know how much they needed Jesus!

Lesson 3Revelation 2:12-3:6 In this lesson Jesus speaks to the churches in Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis. Two were struggling with false teachers and compromise, but Sardis suffered from none of these things! They had no accusers, no struggles, no persecution, no false apostles! This was not because they were doing everything right! Far from it! Satan didn't have to bother with them because the church in Sardis was fast asleep! Jesus urged them to wake up

Lesson 2Revelation 2:1-11 As we cover the first two of the seven churches Christ addressed in Revelation we learn that He is indeed the God who sees. He is with us, He loves us and He understands all that we face! But He wants us to trust Him and hold to the promises in His Word even unto death, if need be, for in Him we have strength for the present and the assurance of a future where we will see Him face to face!

Lesson 1Revelation is the only book of Scripture in which God promises a blessing just for reading it and putting it in to practice! Through it, God not only reveals his plan for the future , he also reveals the person of Jesus Christ - the one who holds that future!For more about Michele or to support this international ministry please visit: https://intheword.com

Lesson 4 - The Day of AtonementThe Day of Atonement was the only day of the year when the High Priest was allowed into God's presence to offer the blood of a sacrifice, but the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin — at best this provided only a temporary solution. Join us to discover how Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement and how He has permanently reconciled us to God the Father.

Lesson 3 - The Holy of Holies and the High PriestThe veil separated mankind from God's presence in the Holy of Holies — the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle that contained the Ark of the Covenant. The only person allowed to enter there on one special day each year was the High Priest, who is a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lesson 2 - The Outer Court and the Holy PlaceThe Tabernacle is a beautiful picture of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and all that He has done to bring us into the Father's presence! But in this lesson especially, it also speaks to our daily lives, showing us how we can continue to live in His presence, following Him and serving Him with our whole hearts.

Lesson 1- The Need for Blood SacrificeGenesis 4:1-15; Exodus 8-12; and John 18:28-40. God decreed from the beginning that mankind's sin can only be atoned for by the blood of a perfect sacrifice. The sacrificial system which the Jewish people used in worship is well documented in the Scriptures. They escaped God's judgment and were able to fellowship with Him because of the blood of animals that died on their behalf. This method of approaching God through the blood of another, foreshadowed Jesus Christ and all that He would accomplish in His death on the cross.

Lesson 12 - Live Worthy of the CallingHebrews 13:1-25. The author closes his letter with some final exhortations to the kind of holy living that will both help his readers stand firm in their faith and witness to those around them. In this last chapter, he speaks about life of love, purity and contentment that God desires. And he reminds his readers that God's grace will be with them as they follow Christ, no matter where He leads.

Lesson 11 - Life as A Beloved Child of GodHebrews 12:5-29. Running the race marked out for us won't always be easy, as the readers of the letter to the Hebrews were discovering. It requires effort, focus and discipline. But God's training program for His children is marked by a love and wisdom no earthly parent could provide; and it leads to the holiness without which no man can see God.

Lesson 10 - Endure Looking to Him Who Is InvisibleHebrews 11:20-12:4. The roll call of heroes continues in the rest of Hebrews 11. From patriarchs like Isaac, Jacob and Joseph to prophets like Moses, Elijah, Elisha and Daniel…from once-timid judges like Gideon and Barak to a pagan woman who believed and became part of the bloodline of Christ. The Old Testament believers who walked by faith in a promise that was not fulfilled in their lifetime, encourage us to keep on believing and to run with patience the race set before us.

Lesson 9 - Those Who Walked By FaithHebrews 11:1-19. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a real-life, flesh-and-blood example is priceless when it comes to living by faith. In chapter 11 the author reminds his readers of those who have gone before, walking with eyes of faith and hearts set on the promises of God yet to be revealed. Will they embrace their examples and hold firm in their own trials too?

Lesson 8 - The Way into God's Presence has been OpenedHebrews 10:1-39. Today's lesson marks a turning point in the letter to the Hebrews. The writer compares the many offerings made by the Temple priests with the single sacrifice made by Christ on the cross and all that accomplished. He goes on to challenge them with just what it looks like to trust in Jesus — and what it would mean to reject Him.