It is so great to be back with all of you! Thank you for your patience while we took a much needed break over the summer. We have been hard at work recording a lot of great episodes that are coming your way this fall, including some fantastic interviews with special guests that we can’t wait for you to hear. But first, we wanted to catch you up on what we’ve been doing all summer. Here’s part 2 of How We Spent Our Summer Vacation!
It is so great to be back with all of you! Thank you for your patience while we took a much needed break over the summer. We have been hard at work recording a lot of great episodes that are coming your way this fall, including some fantastic interviews with special guests that we can’t wait for you to hear. But first, we wanted to catch you up on what we’ve been doing all summer. Here’s part 1 of How We Spent Our Summer Vacation!
Normally when we’re preparing for a Glad You Asked episode, we’ll take to social media and ask you to send us your questions. And, normally, we receive far more excellent questions than we’re able to answer in one episode. So this episode of Glad You Asked is from the leftover questions file!
Women giving the children’s sermon
Friendships with lost people
Responding to false doctrine in a parachurch ministry
Women pastors. Sexual abuse. Homosexuality in the church. The SBC annual meeting is right around the corner, and with these and other serious issues looming, biblical, convictional leadership is more important than ever. In this bonus episode of A Word Fitly Spoken, Michelle sits down with SBC presidential candidate, Pastor Mike Stone, to discuss the issues and his vision for a biblical path forward.
Welcome to the May 2023 edition of The Pew, where we address current events – inside and outside the church – from a biblical perspective. In this episode:
Can women teach the Bible to other women?
SatanCon
The 2023 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention
Have you heard about the upcoming documentary, The Essential Church? It’s a feature-length documentary about the persecuted church throughout history, as well as a recent example of church versus government during the COVID restrictions, spotlighting John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church. Listen in as we interview film director, Shannon Halliday, and make plans now to see The Essential Church when it releases later this summer.
In this episode of Talk Back, we compare Rick Warren’s recent remarks about women “pastors” to Scripture. Do the Scriptures he cites really support the idea of women pastoring and preaching? Spoiler alert: Of course not! Let’s take a look at what these passages really mean and what the Bible really says about women pastoring and preaching.
On the surface, prayer seems so simple- just talk to God. But when it’s time to actually do it, there can be a million questions. And those questions are nothing to be ashamed of. The disciples lived with Jesus. Heard Him pray. Watched Him pray. And they still had to ask Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In part 2 of our 2 part series on prayer, we talk about praying Scripture, and practical tips for your own prayer time, as well as leading others in prayer.
On the surface, prayer seems so simple- just talk to God. But when it’s time to actually do it, there can be a million questions. And those questions are nothing to be ashamed of. The disciples lived with Jesus. Heard Him pray. Watched Him pray. And they still had to ask Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In part 1 of our 2 part series on prayer, we talk about unbiblical attitudes and perspectives on prayer, and how we can pray biblically instead.
What do I do when I feel far from God? Should Christians practice yoga? What is the Raindrop Technique of administering essential oils, and is it biblical? We’re answering these questions and more on this episode of Glad You Asked!
A Scriptural Basis for Raindrop Technique– Raindrop Messenger (WARNING: This is not a doctrinally sound resource. We include it only so you can familiarize yourself with the way Raindrop practitioners twist Scripture to make this practice seem biblical.)
Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, if you prefer, is upon us. It’s all about the resurrection of Christ from the dead. But, as you know, there’s no resurrection without a crucifixion. Jesus had to lay down His life before He could take it up again. And that’s what we’re talking about in this episode as we approach Easter – Jesus’ suffering, or “passion” as it’s sometimes called, and His death, burial, and resurrection.
It’s so important that we, as Christian women, exercise discernment so that we aren’t deceived by false teachers or false doctrine. In this episode, we’ll take a look at four deceptive pop false doctrines that evangelical women are being wooed by right now, and how you can avoid being deceived by them.
Women’s conferences can be such a wonderful time of refreshing. Amy and Michelle first met in person at a women’s conference, and A Word Fitly Spoken was born! And because we’ve both had such a wonderful time at women’s conferences and have seen how helpful they can be, we want to share the joy with you! Listen in as we discuss the benefits of local church women’s conferences and some practical help for planning and hosting.
Pastors are increasingly facing a culture that challenges the biblical roles of women in the church and at home. Amy and Michelle were recently invited to be interviewed by Pastor Mitch Schultz, who has served for over thirty years as a pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). He is the host of a podcast, Before You Quit: Bringing Courage and Perspective When Serving Gets Hard. What a blessing and encouragement it was. Pastor Mitch has graciously allowed us to share this interview on our podcast today. Enjoy!
How can we be discerning and “test the spirits,” as it says in 1 John 4:1-6? We do that by holding up everything we hear or read to the light of Truth found in God’s Word, to see if this comes from the Spirit of Truth or a spirit of error. We are kicking off an episode series called “Talk Back,” where we listen together to a presentation, a video or a sermon, and then compare what that speaker teaches to what God’s Word says. In this episode, we examine a teaching from a program called Therapy and Theology: Commonly Misunderstood Verses about Women, presented by popular teacher Lysa TerKeurst.
When you hear someone say the word “hospitality,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? An immaculate home with a Pinterest-ready guest room? A fancy party with crystal serving bowls and your grandma’s best china? That is not biblical hospitality. Amy and Michelle dive into Scripture to discuss what God’s Word says about the hospitable heart, in Part 2 of our two-part series. (Listen to part 1 here)
When you hear someone say the word “hospitality,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? An immaculate home with a Pinterest-ready guest room? A fancy party with crystal serving bowls and your grandma’s best china? That is not biblical hospitality. Amy and Michelle dive into Scripture to discuss what God’s Word says about the hospitable heart, in this first of our two-part series.
Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, and Lent are all traditions that are connected. But are they biblical? In this encore episode, Michelle and Amy dig deep into Scripture to explain why sweet treats and parades are fun, the theology behind these traditions are far from biblical truth.
What’s going on in Christendom these days? Find out in this episode of “The Pew!”
We call it The Pew not only because it will bear a slight resemblance to The View, but because it’s sort of like our view from the church pew on these thought-provoking headline stories.
Welcome to another “What Would You Do?” episode!Amy and Michelle each came up with three scenarios requiring wisdom on the fly to ask each other about. But here’s the catch – we’ve kept those scenarios a secret from each other, so we’ve both got to give our answers off the cuff. Play along!
When we think about holy habits, we mostly think about things like reading our Bibles, prayer, and church attendance. But what about evangelism – telling the lost how to be saved? It’s something the Lord calls all of us to do, but it’s also something most Christians have lots of questions about.
In our third and final Holy Habits for the New Year episode, we visit with Rich Story, co-host of Voice of Reason Radio.
Did you know that there’s a big difference between being an abolitionist and being pro-life? Michelle and Amy cover – quite literally – a deadly serious topic: the abolition of abortion. In this “throwback episode,” our guest is Pastor Brett Baggett, who will help you understand the difference and also encourage you to get involved in the fight against abortion, so that you can make up your mind: Are you pro life, or do you want to abolish abortion?
Happy 2023! It’s our desire that you will have a prosperous new year, too. Spiritually prosperous, that is. We want you to grow and mature in your relationship with Christ this year! We’d like to help you get the ball rolling with a three-episode series we’re calling “Holy Habits for the New Year.” In this episode, we’ve invited Bible teacher, blogger, and author Reagan Rose to help us learn about the holy habit of productivity. (Be sure and listen to Holy Habits Part 1: Scripture Memory with Susan Heck)
Happy 2023! It’s our desire that you will have a prosperous new year, too. Spiritually prosperous, that is. We want you to grow and mature in your relationship with Christ this year! We’d like to help you get the ball rolling with a three-episode series we’re calling “Holy Habits for the New Year.” In this episode, we’ve invited Bible study teacher, speaker and author Susan Heck to help us learn about the holy habit of Scripture memory.
This is the time of year when lots of people are making (or by now, breaking) New Year’s resolutions to “be a better you.” Those resolutions tend to be very self-focused, so Michelle and Amy instead discuss some “holy habits” that every Christian ought to pursue all year long. Here are Eight Ways to Walk Worthy in 2023:
Are nativity scenes and Christmas pageants violating the second commandment? What about Advent observances and candle-lighting ceremonies? And why do we celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th anyway? These are all great questions sent to us by our listeners, so today Amy and Michelle dig into Scripture and church history to share the answers, in this encore “Glad You Asked” Christmas edition!
Resources:
Scriptures mentioned in this episode are linked in the resources below
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s easy for the Gospel to get lost in the shuffle. But the Great Commission never takes a vacation, and the holiday season provides some unique opportunities for sharing the gospel that we don’t have during the rest of the year.
Michelle and Amy discuss ways to share the Good News that are unique to the holiday season in this encore episode.
Resources:
10 Ways to Share the Gospel During the Holidays Michelle Lesley- Discipleship for Christian Women (most of the resources we mentioned in this episode are linked in this article) Note: In this episode (as well as in previous editions of Michelle’s article linked here), suggestion #3 was to give to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (International Mission Board). Due to pervasive corruption of various sorts in the SBC, we no longer recommend donating to any SBC entity including the IMB or LMCO. The Gospel A Word Fitly Spoken WhyIBoughtYourCoffee.com Bezeugen Tract Club (get 30 FREE tracts per month!) Living Waters Tracts
Was Jesus born in a barn? Did Mary really ride a donkey? And doesn’t Jeremiah 10:3-4 forbid us from having Christmas trees? In true Mythbusters fashion, Michelle and Amy let Scripture give us the final authority on Christmas beliefs – truth or legends!
Do you have a theology that includes thanksgiving all year long? Even in the worst circumstances or the direst of situations?
God wants His people to be thankful to Him, not just because He deserves our thanks, but because it is good for us to be thankful. It helps us fix our eyes on all He has done for us – from the greatest gift of all, giving His precious Son to save us from our sins.
Michelle and Amy wish you a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude and kindness. We are thankful for each and every one of you!
Last week in Biblical Women’s Ministry -Part 1, you learned about the biblical aspects of a women’s ministry in the church. In this Part 2 episode, Michelle and Amy discuss some of the more practical aspects of how to “do” women’s ministry. We offer some suggestions you may want to implement in your own women’s ministry as well as sharing with you how we’re serving the women of our own churches.
The local church is one of the greatest blessings God has given us as Christians. We get to fellowship with our church family, teach and disciple one another, pray for each other, help each other, and sharpen each other. How can women do this in their local churches? Michelle and Amy begin a two-part series on women’s ministry. In this episode, you’ll learn how to make sure your women’s ministry is biblical. In part two, we’ll talk more about the practical aspects of women’s ministry.
In this episode, Michelle and Amy talk about an interesting discussion that’s come up in recent months about how the 19th Amendment came to be, and how the women’s suffrage movement was born out of feminism.
Now that many theologically conservative Christians and social conservatives recognize this, some have wondered aloud if our nation should go back to a head-of-household voting system in which the husband casts his ballot on behalf of his family.
Did you know that October 31 is Reformation Day? It’s a time when Christians recognize and even celebrate a huge, game-changing event in our history more than 500 years ago: Reformation Day commemorates the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Yet many Christians today are unaware of this landmark incident in their heritage which birthed the Protestant church. Michelle and Amy reprise this discussion from 2020 about the commemoration of one of the most important events since the closing of the canon of Scripture.
Halloween is a multi-billion dollar celebration marked by witches, ghosts and goblins, candy and parties.
Not all Christians take part in Halloween. Some have taken a step back to rethink this tradition, and they have changed how they look at Halloween. Others say they honor God through Halloween by making it a Christian outreach — a time to share the Gospel with the lost. Still other Christians say we have the freedom in Christ to dress up in costumes, attend secular or church-based festivals, and take their children trick-or-treating. In this episode, Michelle and Amy take a look at where these traditions come from and what the Bible has to say about Christians and Halloween.
Social media and the internet are a gold mine for inspirational quotes, and today’s most popular celebrity Christians post a lot of them. But, does inspirational always equal biblical? Shouldn’t you be able to tell the difference between a line from a Disney movie, a platitude from the Dalai Lama, and biblical truth from a Christian leader?
In this episode we’re launching what we hope will be a regularly recurring feature here at AWFS. We’re calling it “The Pew.”
On each episode of The Pew, Amy and Michelle will collect a few trending topics that we’ll share and react to. Kind of like a non-annoying, Christian version of The View – all of the Joy, none of the Behar. But, unlike The View, we don’t want to focus too much on worldly carnage, because our main focus should always be on Jesus and what our God says to us through His Holy Word.
In this episode Amy and Michelle ask, “What has Christianity come to?” There is an interesting study called The State of Theology survey that’s done every two years by Ligonier Ministries, and it has just released its latest findings about what Christians believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible. And it seems like professing Christians have “shifted” their beliefs – and not for the better – since the pandemic.
When we’re talking about the corporate worship of the local church, we tend to use the word “worship” synonymously with “music” or “singing”. Is this accurate and biblical? What isworship? What about the role of women in the worship? Our listeners sent in their questions! Sharing his expertise is our guest Laramie Minga, the pastor of worship and discipleship of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
It’s one of our favorite features – and we hope one of yours – Glad You Asked! If you’re a new listener, Glad You Asked is our Q&A feature where we take questions from the listeners and do our best to give you biblical answers that point you to Christ, the Word, and your local church. This is Part 1 of our two-part summer 2022 series.
What is a so-called “secondary issue in doctrine?” And does women preaching and having authority over men in the congregation fall in that category?
Hang onto your hats — in this episode, Michelle and Amy explain why Scripturally, a female “pastorix” falls into a level of apostasy in the visible Church, and not an issue Christians can simply agree to disagree on.
Speaking truth, and sharing Christ. Amy and Michelle talk candidly about what’s been happening with each of us in the past few weeks, things going on in the Church, and about what’s ahead.
Resources:
Watch free: American Gospel ~ Christ Alone (1 Hour Version):
The issue of abuse in the church has been back in the spotlight recently, due in large part, again, to the Southern Baptist Convention. For the past year, the Sexual Abuse Task Force has been looking into how allegations of sexual abuse at Southern Baptist churches were handled by the SBC’s Executive Committee. In this episode, Michelle and Amy discuss ways to prevent abuse from happening in your church.
Is it biblical for women to attend seminary? If it is, what kinds of classes and degree programs should be open to women? Michelle and Amy discuss what Scripture has to say on whether it is biblical for women to attend and/or teach in seminaries.
Correction from Michelle: I misspoke in this episode. It was Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), not Southern Seminary (SBTS) that recently conferred a pastoral ministry degree upon a woman. My apologies.
Did you know that there’s a big difference between being an abolitionist and being pro-life? Michelle and Amy cover – quite literally – a deadly serious topic: the abolition of abortion. In this “throwback episode,” our guest is Pastor Brett Baggett, who will help you understand the difference and also encourage you to get involved in the fight against abortion, so that you can make up your mind: Are you pro life, or do you want to abolish abortion?
In recent times many women who speak truth are told they need to be silent, and not “criticize” anointed teachers who “occasionally” teach something opposite of what Scripture says. Amy and Michelle have both been sounding the alarm for a number of years about wolves in sheep’s clothing, and we’ve been pointing to God’s Word as the only source of truth by which all teachings must be measured. We do it because so many people have come from abusive, apostate churches and need to hear. In this episode, we discuss why we can not – MUST NOT – stay silent.
Does Titus 2: 3-5 really say that women should not be teaching doctrine to – or sharing the Gospel with – other women?
Michelle and Amy were guests this week on Voice of Reason, a podcast by Chris Honholz and Richard Story, to discuss what seems to be a new twisting of Scripture: a wave of legalism that seems to be gaining momentum, especially in Reformed circles.
It tells us that women are not to be teaching other women anything about holiness or doctrine, and that any woman teaching another woman Scripture – whether it’s one-on-one over coffee, in a women’s Bible study or at a women’s conference – is being disobedient to God and in danger of becoming a feminist.
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), has its share of challenges, as some of its member churches and even some of its leaders have embraced women preachers, critical race theory, and more. Can this ship be turned around in the right direction?
In this episode, Michelle and Amy interview Tom Ascol, the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. You may know him better as the head of Founders Ministries, and as an anticipated nominee for president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
