Word Wednesday

In His Great Commission to make disciples, Jesus included the instruction to "teach them to observe all I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20). Therefore, to be disciples, we must first learn and understand all He commanded.

Background Videos

Teaching Videos

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Lesson Schedule

  • Study Passage: Luke 12

    See the playlists above for teaching & background audio and videos

  • Study Passage: Luke 11:37-54

    Handout

    See the playlists above for teaching & background audio and videos

  • Study Passage: Luke 11:1-26 / Matt 12:30-37

    Memory Verses. Luke 11:9-10 - "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened."

    See the playlists above for teaching & background audio and videos

  • Study Passage: John 9:35-10:21

    Memory Verse: John 9:35 - Upon FINDING him, Jesus said, “Do you BELIEVE in the Son of Man?”

    Notes/Discussion Questions

    See the playlists above for teaching & background audio and videos

  • We remain in Jerusalem with Yeshua after the Festival of Sukkot. The formerly blind man concludes his resolute defense in front of the religious authorities and then finds out what happens to people who don't say what they're supposed to.

    Study Passage: John 9:24-41

    Memory Verse: John 9:35 - Upon FINDING him, Jesus said, “Do you BELIEVE in the Son of Man?”

    Notes/Discussion Questions

    See the playlists above for teaching & background audio and videos

    Next Lesson: 48 Good Shepherd ✧ John 10:1-21 - 7/17/24

  • We remain in Jerusalem with Yeshua after the Festival of Sukkot. Yeshua and His disciples encounter a beggar who had been born blind. Yeshua heals him but violates several Sabbath prohibitions in the process. The matter is brought before the court. The judges attempt to discredit Yeshua as a Sabbath-breaker, but Yeshua teaches that compassion for human beings overrides Sabbath prohibitions.

    Study Passage: John 9:1-23

    Memory Verse: John 9:3 - Jesus answered, “… it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

    Cody & Chris 6/19/24 Handout (vs 1-23) | See the playlists above for teaching & background audio and videos

    Next Lesson: 47. Are we blind? 7/3/24

  • We follow Yeshua back to the Mount of Olives, where He has been encamped for the festival. The next morning, He’s back in the Temple courts, where He disputes with the scholars concerning His credentials.

    Study Passage: John 8:31-59

    • Memory Verse: John 8:31-32: “If you CONTINUE in My WORD, then you are TRULY My DISCIPLES; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

    • In His Dust Verse: Psalm 19:7-8 “The Law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

    • Apply Handout

    • Cody Notes

    • See the playlists above for teaching & background audio and videos

    • Next Lesson: 44. Pool of Siloam - John 9 - June 19-26

  • We follow Yeshua back to the Mount of Olives, where He has been encamped for the festival. The next morning, He’s back in the Temple courts, where He resumes teaching. Some religious leaders and Torah scholars approach Him with a woman caught in adultery. After granting her clemency by disqualifying the witnesses, He engages in a dispute with the scholars concerning His credentials.

    Study Passage: John 7:40-8:30

    • Memory Verse: John 8:12 - “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

    • In His Dust Verse: 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”

    • Apply Handout

    • Cody Notes

    • See playlists above for teaching & background audios and videos

    • Next Lesson: 43. Father Abraham - John-8:31-59 - May 31 - Jun 12, 2024

  • The Festival of Sukkot is in full swing. The priests pour water over the altar in a daily water-pouring ceremony. They draw the water from the Pool of Siloam, a large reservoir on the southern spur of the City of David. The ceremony prompts Yeshua to reveal to His disciples that He is the source of living water. The Sanhedrin is not pleased but fails to apprehend Him.

    Study Passage: John 7:1-39

    • Memory Verse: John 7:39 ‘From His innermost being will FLOW rivers of LIVING WATER.’ 

    • In His Dust Verse: Acts 4:13 (although) they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having BEEN WITH JESUS.”

  • We follow Yeshua and His entourage into Judea. On the way, He dialogues with a Torah scholar about the way to eternal life, highlighting the exemplary conduct of a good Samaritan. Yeshua makes His way to Bethany on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, where Mary and Martha host Him in their home.

    Study Passage: Luke 10:21-42

    • Memory Verse: Luke 10:37 - He said, “The one who showed COMPASSION.” Jesus said, “GO and DO the SAME”.

    • In His Dust Verse: Matthew 7:12 - In EVERYTHING, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for THIS IS the Law and the Prophets.

  • We follow Yeshua and His disciples as they leave Lake Galilee and travel through the Jezreel Valley. Yeshua intends to travel the Patriarchal ridge route through Samaritan territory to reach Jerusalem. However, an inhospitable welcome from the Samaritans turns us back, forcing us to use the alternative route through Perea. Yeshua dispatches seventy disciples to spread His message throughout Galilee and Judea.

    Study Passage: Luke 9:51 - 10:20

    • Memory Verse: Luke 10:20 Do not rejoice in this…but rejoice that your names are recorded in Heaven

    • In His Dust Verse: Colossians 1:28 - We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ.

  • We have just recently returned with Yeshua and the disciples from a trip to the region of Caesarea Philippi. Simon Peter is once again hosting us at his home in Capernaum, and we have gathered in one of the open courtyards of Peter’s house. Yeshua delivers a discourse on community rules and interpersonal relationships for His school of disciples and the kingdom movement.

    Study Passage: Matthew 18:12-35

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 18:22 - I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven

    • In His Dust Verse: Galatians 6:1 - Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness.

  • As Yeshua and His disciples travel back to Capernaum from Caesarea Philippi, He overhears them arguing about who among them will be the greatest in the kingdom. After they arrive at Simon Peter’s house, He begins to teach them about who is truly the greatest: the one who humbles himself and the one who stoops down to help those of lower social status.

    Study Passage: Mark 9:33-50 / Matthew 18:1-14

    • Memory Verse: Mark 9:35: If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.

    • In His Dust Verse: Colossians 4:6 - Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so you will know how to respond to each person.

  • We follow Yeshua, James, and John as they spend a night on the slopes of Mount Hermon and see Jesus radiate supernal light, with Moses and Elijah beside Him. They rendezvous with the rest of the Twelve, arriving in a Golan village just in time for an exorcism. On the edge of the Galilee, Yeshua warns the disciples of His ultimate destiny in Jerusalem. They all return to Capernaum and the home of Simon Peter.

    Study Passage: Matthew 17

    • Memory Passage: Matthew 17:20: if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

    • In His Dust: James 4:3 - You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives…

  • The Master takes His disciples away from Bethsaida and the region of Lake Galilee north to the district of Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mount Hermon in the ancient tribal holdings of Dan. Here, away from the crowds, by the fountains of the Jordan, Yeshua begins a conversation with His disciples about His identity as Messiah and the path of suffering.

    Study Passage: Matthew 16:13-28

    • Memory Passage: Matthew 16:16 - You are CHRIST, the SON of the living GOD!

    • In His Dust: James 1:22 - But prove yourselves DOERS of the word, and not just HEARERS who DECEIVE themselves.

  • A delegation of Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to inspect Jesus’ credentials. Does He qualify to be the Messiah? Is He faithful to Torah and Jewish Law? Jesus teaches that the commandments of God are more important than sectarian rules. He then says that they have lapsed in an even more important area: moral purity. What comes out of our mouths can defile our hearts and spirits. Loving our neighbors is more important than tradition. To exemplify this, Jesus then makes His second retreat into Gentile lands and performs two miracles, one in Tyre and the other in the Decapolis.

    Study Passage: Mark. 7

    • Memory Passage: Mark 7:8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

    • In His Dust: Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

  • Yeshua has reunited with His disciples and sailed across Lake Galilee. The crowds realize that He has evaded them, and they set off toward Capernaum. They find Him there in the synagogue and ask for more of His miraculously produced bread. Yeshua responds with a mystical discourse on the nature of spiritual nourishment and His ability to provide it.

    Study Passage: John 6:22-71

    • Memory Passage: John 6:68-69 - Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have already believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

    • In His Dust: Philippians 3:7–8 “But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ,”

  • Yeshua heads to Bethsaida with His disciples. After being informed of John’s death, He attempts to escape to a secluded place, but the crowds follow Him to a hillside near the Mount of Beatitudes. After healing, teaching, and feeding them, He sends His disciples away in the boat and enters the hills alone. A storm arises, but Yeshua walks out to the boat on the water.

    Study Passage: John 6:1-21 / Matthew 14:13-33

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 14:33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are truly God’s Son!”

    • In His Dust: James 1:6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”

  • Herod Antipas has broken Jewish law by marrying Herodias, the illegitimately divorced wife of his brother. He has brought her from Rome to live in his lakeside palace in Tiberias. John the Immerser denounces the union. Antipas imprisons the prophet in Machaerus on the east side of the Dead Sea. His new wife demands the prophet’s head. Yeshua secludes Himself to mourn the death of a righteous man.

    Study Passage: Mark 6:14-29

    • Memory Verse: Mark 6:14 Jesus’ Name had become well-known

  • ON THIS JOURNEY: Rabbi Yeshua is traveling through the villages of Galilee. Yet, the laborers are too few for the harvest. He decides to send out His apostles, but first He must warn them of the perils they will face: persecution, rejection, and even, in some cases, martyrdom. His words resonate in the ears of all those throughout history who have been persecuted for His name’s sake.

    Study Passage: Matthew 10:16-11:1

    • Memory Verse: Luke 6:40: A student is not above the teacher, but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

    • In His Dust: Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will be on the watch for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

    • Teach: Video

    • Apply: Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video

    • Next: Lesson: 31. The Death of John - Mark 6:14–29 - December 20-27, 2023

  • ON THIS JOURNEY: Yeshua leaves Capernaum and begins traveling throughout the villages of the Galilee, proclaiming the gospel and healing the sick. Seeing that the harvest is ripe, but the workers are few, He commissions His disciples as “apostles” or “sent ones.” He splits them into pairs and invests them with authority to spread His message and work miracles on His behalf.

    Study Passage: Matthew 9:27-10:15

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 9:37-38 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

    • Teach: Video | Notes

    • Apply: Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video

    • Next: Lesson: 30. Sheep among Wolves - Matthew 10:16-11:1- December 6-13, 2023

  • ON THIS: JOURNEY: Rabbi Yeshua and His disciples sail back from the east side of the lake to Capernaum. Crowds meet them at the seashore. One of the synagogue leaders, Jairus, pushes through to ask Yeshua to heal his daughter. On the way, the Master inadvertently heals a woman with a hemorrhage. By the time Yeshua reaches Jairus’ daughter, she is dead. He revives her, demonstrating His power over the grave.

    Study Passages: Mark 5:21-43

    • Memory Verse: Mark 5:34- And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be cured of your disease.”

    • Teach: Video | Notes

    • Apply: Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video

    • Next: Lesson: 29. Missionary Minded - Matthew 9:35–10:15 - November 15-29, 2023.

  • In this lesson: After concluding the parables, Yeshua and His disciples re-enter the boat and traverse Lake Galilee toward the eastern shore. On the way, He calms a storm that threatens the lives of His disciples. After they reach the shore in the Gentile-dominated region of the Decapolis near the ancient city of Kursi, Yeshua delivers a man who had been possessed by demons; the locals then ask Him to leave.

    Study Passages: Mark 4:35-5:20

  • Yeshua continues the Sermon on the boat by preaching four more parables (Treasure in the field, Pearl of Great Value, Dragnet, Old & New), before departing to the “other side.”

    Study Passages: Matthew 13:44-53

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous,

    • Apply Verse: Talmidim have a KINGDOM Focus - Philippians 3:8 …I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ.

  • Yeshua continues the Sermon on the boat by preaching four more parables (wheat & tares, silent growing seed, mustard seed, and the woman with leaven), before returning to the house to interpret the Wheat and Tares.

    Study Passages: Matthew 13:24-43

  • Yeshua returns to Simon Peter’s house in Capernaum. His biological family waits outside, but Jesus instead explains that His disciples are now His family. He leaves town, walking west along the north shore of Lake Galilee. The multitudes follow Him a few miles before He stops at a small bay, the “Sower’s Cove.” He steps into His disciples’ fishing boat and sits down, beginning to teach the crowds in parables.

    Study Passages: Matthew 12:46–13:23

  • Yeshua descends the hill after teaching His disciples and travels to Capernaum, where He heals a centurion’s servant. He then makes His way toward His own hometown region in the Jezreel Valley near Mount Moreh and Mount Tabor. At the village of Nain He raises a man from the dead.

    Meanwhile, John the Immerser languishes in prison at the Dead Sea Fortress Machaerus. His expectations dashed, he sends two disciples to Galilee to ask Yeshua: Have I erred in identifying you as the Expected One? Should I look for another? Yeshua “answers Jewish,” then explains the significance of John’s ministry to the crowd.

    A Pharisee, Simon, invites Him to his home to share a meal, during which a sinful woman anoints His feet. We also meet three very special “talmidot,” women disciples, who were likely the financial backbone of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

    Study Passages: Luke 7:1-8:3

    • Memory Verse: Luke 7:19 Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?

    • Apply Verse: Matthew 6:4 [let] your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

  • Sermon on the Mount V

    Tonight we take a step back to review the Sermon on the mount with a view towards applying concepts to our lives today.

    Study Passages: Matthew 5-7

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 7:24 Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

    • Teach: Video | Notes

    • Apply: Badge

    • Next: Lesson: Are You the Coming One? July 19-26, 2023

  • Sermon on the Mount IV

    Yeshua, still seated atop the hill by Lake Galilee, surrounded by His disciples, teaches them about the kingdom of heaven. He admonishes them to look forward to the world that is coming, living according to its values and not those of this present age. Everyone is amazed by Yeshua’s teaching, for He speaks with an authority no other rabbi dares claim.

    Study Passages: Matthew 7

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 7:24 Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

    • Apply Verse: (the entire study passage!)

  • Sermon on the Mount III

    Yeshua, still seated atop the hill by Lake Galilee, surrounded by His disciples, teaches them about the kingdom of heaven. He admonishes them to look forward to the world that is coming, living according to its values and not those of this present age.

    Study Passages: Matthew 6

  • Sermon on the Mount II

    Still atop the hill overlooking Lake Galilee, Yeshua remains seated with a circle of twelve disciples around Him while He continues His discourse. The Church of the Beatitudes preserves the traditional location of the site where Yeshua delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Today, even if we have never been to the Galilee or stood upon that hill, we are fortunate to be able to number ourselves among His disciples.

    Study Passages: Matthew 5:17-48

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 5:17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.

    • Apply Verse: (the entire study passage!)

  • Sermon on the Mount I

    In BEATITUDES, Yeshua and His disciples slip away from the shore to escape the growing crowds and find a quiet hilltop to use as an open-air classroom. Today, the Church of the Beatitudes sits atop a small hill on the north shore of Lake Galilee, preserving the location of an earlier Byzantine-era church that Christian pilgrims venerated as the location from which Yeshua delivered the Sermon on the Mount

    Study Passages: Matthew 5:3-16

    • Memory Verse: Matthew 5:16 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

    • Apply Verse: (the entire study passage!)

  • In THE TWELVE, we take a look at Jesus’ promotion of twelve of his disciples to apostles. The background video goes into the traditional history of them, specifically how almost all of the apostles were martyred. We used the bulk of the time to provide an overview of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ most significant teaching on discipleship, where we will be for the next four lessons.

    Study Passages: Mark 3:7-19; Luke 6:12-16

    • Memory Verse: Luke 6:13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:

    • Apply Verse: 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

  • in SHABBAT, Yeshua and His disciples traveled extensively, making long trips on foot, sometimes covering twenty miles or more in a day. They tried to arrange their schedule to be within a village with a synagogue before the Sabbath commenced as travel is not permitted on the Sabbath. On one occasion, the onset of the Sabbath overtook them as they passed through a grain field, and they were hungry. After this, Yeshua travels extensively throughout the Galilee and brings His teachings to the local synagogues. He heals those in need, even on the Sabbath day, bringing Him into conflict with religious leaders. However, His argument with the Jewish leaders follows the lines of Jewish legal discourse, but He invokes local Galilean religious leaders’ displeasure.

  • ON THIS JOURNEY: We join Yeshua and the fishermen disciples on their first official journey to proclaim the message of the kingdom. They visit the Jewish towns and villages around the north shore of Lake Galilee. Yeshua proclaims the message, and word about the miracle worker spreads quickly. When the eager crowds grow too large, Yeshua returns “home” to Capernaum to take shelter in Simon Peter’s house. Next, walk a short way up the Roman road through Capernaum to the tax booth of Mattityahu Levi. The tax collector leaves his booth to follow Yeshua. This journey is not so much one of physical distance as it is a matter of transcending the ordinary social boundaries of one’s own religious circles to reach out with the message of the kingdom.

  • ON THIS JOURNEY: We follow Yeshua as He goes to the north shore of Lake Galilee for a visit to CAPERNAUM, the town of Simon Peter. We visit the village synagogue and Simon Peter’s house. Local tradition identifies a cave overlooking the lake near Capernaum and Tabgha as the “secluded place” where Yeshua used to pray. He says that He must leave Capernaum to take the good news of the kingdom to other villages. He invites the fishermen to join Him on the journey, but He does most of His miracles and teaching along the north shore of the lake within ten miles of Capernaum. In Luke 5, we travel 2.5 miles west to Tabgha, a known fishing hole, where Jesus will transform Peter from someone who catches and kills fish, to someone who catches people and brings them to life.

  • ON THIS JOURNEY: We follow Yeshua as He makes another pilgrimage to Jerusalem to keep one of the festivals. On the Sabbath day, Jesus visits a pagan healing center where He demonstrates His power and authority to heal TRULY. Then we duck inside and up to the Temple, where a delegation from the religious leaders in Judea reprimands Him for healing on the Sabbath. The ensuing discourse takes us from the carpenter shop in Nazareth to the end of the era, the resurrection of the dead, the Messianic Kingdom, and the final judgment.

    • Study Passage: John 5

    • Memory Verse: John 5:24 - Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who HEARS My word and BELIEVES Him who sent Me, has eternal LIFE

    • Apply Verses:

      • 2 Corinthians 5:20 - Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ

      • 1 John 2:16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father but from the world.

    • Teach: Video | Notes

    • Apply: Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds:

      • Video I (Pools of Bethesda historical/geographic background - 23 min)

      • Video II (John 5 verse-by-verse - 31 min)

      • Audio

    • Next: Lesson: 14. Capernaum- March 1-8, 2023

  • Jesus leaves Samaria and takes us to Cana. An official from Capernaum travels to Cana to find Jesus and to implore Him to heal his son. Jesus then returns to His hometown of Nazareth. Perhaps the people were expecting another quiet, restful Shabbat, but Jesus has other plans.

    • Study Passage: John 4:31-54; Luke 4:16-30

    • Memory Verse: Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”(NASB)

    • Apply Verse: 2nd Peter 3:18 Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

    • Teach: Video | Notes | Slides

    • Apply: Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video I (John 4 - 24 min) | Video II (Luke 4 - 25 min) | Audio

    • Next: Lesson: 13. Pools of Bethesda - February 15-22, 2023

  • Chris gives a report of his Israel trip (Jan 10-20, 2023) with special focus on how to apply the Bible and its Land to life.

  • Sowing and Reaping

    • Study Passage: John 4:34-38

    • Video

  • Jesus travels back to Galilee through Samaria, behind enemy lines. He meets an unmarried Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well for a life-altering discussion.

    • Study Passage: John 4:5-30

    • Memory Verse: John 4:14 - Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. (NASB)

    • Apply Verse: Colossians 1:13-14 - For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

    • Teach: Video | Notes

    • Apply: Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video (30 min) | Audio

    • Next: Lesson: 12. A Prophet Without Honor - February 1-7, 2023 - John 4:30-54; Luke 4:16-30

  • After summarizing the interview with Nicodemus with the Bible’s most famous verse, Jesus and the disciples heads to JUDEA for a time of private ministry. They meet up with John the baptist in Aenon, and a dispute (or perhaps more of a rivalry) arises between John’s and Jesus’ disciples. John stresses that his role is Best Man, not the Groom. As Jesus’ popularity grows, He strategically withdraws back to Galilee, but as He does, we are told he “must go through Samaria.”

    • Study Passage: John 3:16-4:4

    • Memory Verse: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” (NASB)

    • Apply Verse: Eph 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

    • Teach: Video | Notes

    • Apply: Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video | Audio

    • Next: Lesson: 11. In Samaria - January 4-11, 2023 - John 4:5-43

  • Jesus heads to JERUSALEM for the Festival of Passover. He cleanses the Temple and has an exchange with the Temple leadership regarding Jesus’ authority to do these things. Then a prominent Pharisee named Nicodemus arranges a meeting to confirm his suspicions that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah.

  • In THE FIRST SIGN, Jesus adds his first followers from Bethsaida and Capernaum. They then head to Cana for a very special wedding.

  • In IMMERSION AND TEMPTATION, we briefly return to Nazareth. More than two decades have elapsed since we last visited. Yeshua is no longer a precocious twelve-year-old boy; he is a grown man who has taken over His father Joseph’s carpenter trade. From Nazareth, we follow Yeshua’s family to the plains of the Jordan, across from Jericho, where John the Immerser is at work, proclaiming the good news and immersing for repentance. After His immersion, we follow Yeshua out into the dry and waterless Judean Wilderness between Jerusalem and Jericho where He spends forty days in prayer and fasting, concluding with His three temptations.

  • In JOHN THE IMMERSER, Herod the Great’s sons have divided up the holy land, and the Holy Temple has fallen into the hands of a corrupt and Romanized priesthood. We turn our attention away from palaces and politics to seek a prophet, the voice of one calling in the wilderness. We find John the Immerser preaching on the other side of the Jordan River, near Bethany. John prepares the way through immersion and repentance. The waters of the Jordan River run with history and spiritual significance. Those waters have served as a place of renewal for the people of Israel more than once. The people seeking the prophet and his immersion must cross over its waters again to re-enter the land with a new heart and new commitment to God.

    • Scripture: Luke 3:1-18; Matt 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; John 1:19-28

    • Key Verse: Matthew 3:8 “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”

    • Teach: Video | PDF

    • Apply Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video (34 mn) | Audio | PDF

    • Next Lesson: 7. Immersion and Temptation - November 2-9, 2022 - Mt 3:13-4:11 Mk 1:9-13; Lk 3:21-23, 4:1-13

  • In THE NAZARENE, we join an unstated number of magi from the east bearing gifts and tribute for a newborn king. We visit Herod’s palace in Jerusalem, but the King of the Jews is not there. Instead, we find Him still in Bethlehem with His mother and father, and the star that led us hence appears again. Fleeing from Herod, Joseph takes the family to Alexandria, Egypt, where they remain hidden until the death of the tyrant. Joseph and Mary return to the remote village of Nazareth overlooking the Jezreel Valley and Mount Tabor. The transition from cosmopolitan Alexandria to backwater Nazareth allows them to live out their own personal exodus from Egypt. Every year at Passover, the family joins other Galileans to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festival. Twelve-year-old Yeshua is reluctant to leave His Father’s house in the holy city.

    • Scripture: Matthew 2:1-23 / Luke 2:39-52

    • Key Verse: Matthew 2:15 “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

    • Teach: Video | PDF

    • Apply Handout | Badge

    • Backgrounds: Video (31 mn) | Audio | PDF

    • Extras: Following the Messiah ep 2. Jesus’ Childhood: YouTube | RightNow

    • Next Lesson: 6. John the Immerser - October 17-24, 2022 - Luke 3:1-18; Matt 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; John 1:19-28

  • In NATIVITY, Joseph and Mary must travel to Bethlehem to take part in a census. Five miles from Jerusalem, Bethlehem serves as the birthplace of David and King Messiah. Close by at Migdal Eder, a group of shepherds is startled by an angel who announces the birth of the Messiah. The new family makes their first trip to the Temple in Jerusalem, where they encounter a holy man and a prophetess.

    • Scripture: Luke 2:1-38 (click/hover to read or listen to the passage)

    • Key Verse: Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

    • Teach: PDF | (no video for 9/28/22)

    • Apply: Handout | Lesson 4 Badge

    • Backgrounds: Videos: Luke 2:1-20 (PDF) | Luke 2:21-38 (PDF) | Supplement: Bethlehem (PDF) |

    • Additional Resources

      • Following the Messiah ep 1. (excellent video and commentary from Bethlehem): YouTube | RightNow

  • GENEALOGIES demonstrates to us that Jesus is of the “house and lineage” of King David. Once, when Jesus was passing through the streets, some blind men called out to Him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” Why did they call Him “Son of David”? What does that title mean, and what is Jesus’ relationship to King David? In this chapter we explore the family tree of the Messiah. We will also see how Joseph learns a lesson about how the light of Messiah can shine unexpectedly out of personal disappointments.

  • In ANNUNCIATIONS, we visit the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to watch the priesthood conduct the morning sacrifice. We meet Zechariah and follow him into the Sanctuary for his encounter with the angel Gabriel. The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and their struggle to conceive a child hearkens back to the patriarchs. The miraculous conception of John sets in motion a chain of events that will culminate in the messianic redemption. Then, six months later, the angel descends to appear before a simple Jewish girl in a rural Galilean village. Mary leaves Nazareth and travels to Ein Karem near Jerusalem to visit her cousin Elizabeth. The Holy Spirit stirs hearts and moves tongues to give utterance to the good news of redemption.

    • Scripture: Luke 1:1-80 (click/hover to read or listen to the passage)

    • Key Verses: Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”

  • In THE LOGOS, we see the revelation to the Apostle John, a first-century Galilean Jew, of the Word becoming flesh. To understand his words, we need to understand them from a first-century Galilean Jewish perspective. Jesus brings the revelation and glory of God into the world of men.

    • Scripture: John 1:1-18

    • Key Verse: John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

    • Apply Handout (PDF)

    • Teach: Video | Notes

    • Backgrounds: Video | Lesson 1 badge

Lesson summaries courtesy of First Fruits of Zion's "Jesus, My Rabbi" series.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

About Word Wednesday

On Wednesdays at Calvary, Cody Lee and Chris Flanagan are walking through a study that will take us chronologically and verse-by-verse through the four gospels. There is no better way to grow as a disciple of Jesus than to study His words and how he took twelve ordinary men and transformed them into disciples who changed the world. We call this Word Wednesday because John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word” - it’s all about Jesus!

Each Word Wednesday Cody and Chris will lead us through the Gospel passages. Before each lesson, Chris will also have a video on each passage's geographical, historical, and cultural background. To get the most out of the study, try to watch the background video and read the passage beforehand. Additionally, each Teach session will be recorded.

Whenever there is a 5th Wednesday, we may do something different!

EVERY Wednesday begins with a fellowship meal at 6:00pm! We look forward to seeing you!

Additional FAQs:

  • RIGHT HERE! - This page will be updated EVERY WEEK.

    We recommend you bookmark https://www.cbcbonham.org/discipleship

    Subscribe to YouTube Channels and Playlists - in YouTube, you can “like”, “subscribe” and get “notifications” from both CBC (TEACH videos) and Talmidim Way (background videos) YouTube channels to be notified of new content.

    Subscribing to the podcasts is another way to be notified. Depending on your podcast player of choice and your notifications settings, you can be notified whenever there is a new post.

    Join the Word Wednesday Telegram channel - Telegram allows us to “push” content to you as soon as it’s available, and is a great place for interaction or asking questions.

    NOTE: If you are following along with this page or YouTube, you would not need to join Telegram.

  • Cody and Chris will be leading us, verse-by-verse, through the four Gospels in approximate chronological order. We will learn to become more effective disciples by observing how Jesus interacted with others and what He taught them. Matthew 28:20 tells us that part of being and making disciples is “teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.” We can’t observe His commands unless we have a firm hold on what His commands are and how He intended them to be understood and applied.

    James 1:22 says we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Our goal is to take what is usually a passive activity (listening to a Bible teaching) and build some structure for us to engage with the material and with each other to become doers of the Word. That is the purpose of Word Wednesday.

  • Word Wednesday is a teaching series through the four Gospels. Although it is not directly connected to any discipleship program, we are taking the discipleship foundations such as how we got our Bible, the reliability of the Word, and first-century talmidim (disciples) and now applying them to a new verse-by-verse study of the life and ministry of Jesus, the Word who became flesh and dwells among us.

  • These are put together by Chris Flanagan, who has done extensive study into the 1st-century context and traveled to Israel. Chris will go verse-by-verse through the passages and identify Old Testament references, compare/contrast parallel gospel passages, as well as identify historical or cultural background that might have affected the way the original audiences interpreted the passage.

    The background videos will go into much more detail than we are able to cover on the Teach nights. We will aim to keep the length of each video between 20-30 minutes; however, for longer passages, there may be multiple videos per lesson. YouTube has a setting to change the speed of the videos to suit your comfort level.

  • Chris and Cody will lead us through a study of the passage, with a focus on applying lessons to our discipleship walk.

    A handout with key terms, a space for notes, and some questions for discussion and reflection will accompany the presentation.

  • Just yourself! We will have the handouts each Wednesday and there are pens in the pews for taking notes. You may wish to have a binder for keeping the handouts in one location. Your completed worksheets will be the foundation of a journal you can review to see how God moved in your life and will be a record of answered prayer.

  • Telegram is a group messaging app that allow us to immediately notify you whenever there is new content. It also allows for comments, questions and other interaction with Chris and Cody in between TEACH and APPLY nights. It is completely OPTIONAL, and is one of several ways we are using to keep you informed. See the above FAQ, “How do I get notified of new videos” for other ways in addition to using Telegram.

    Apps are available from the respective app stores or from https://telegram.org. Our channel is https://t.me/wordwednesday.