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    <title>Pleading the Case - Episodes Tagged with “Faith”</title>
    <link>https://www.pleadingthecase.org/tags/faith</link>
    <pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2018 13:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
    <description>If a tune-up can’t fix a car engine because what it really needs is for the entire engine to be rebuilt, then why would we, in the Christian faith, perform tune-ups on the form and function of our churches when what they may really need is to be completely overhauled? Join the host of Pleading The Case, Andy Mendonsa, where in each episode, he will peal back the culture and traditions that have come to define much of the Church in America today in order to accurately assess whether all that is needed is just a good tune-up, or as he has become convinced, a compete overhaul. 
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type>
    <itunes:subtitle>"Stand Before The Mountains, Let The Hills Hear What You Have To Say"</itunes:subtitle>
    <itunes:author>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:author>
    <itunes:summary>If a tune-up can’t fix a car engine because what it really needs is for the entire engine to be rebuilt, then why would we, in the Christian faith, perform tune-ups on the form and function of our churches when what they may really need is to be completely overhauled? Join the host of Pleading The Case, Andy Mendonsa, where in each episode, he will peal back the culture and traditions that have come to define much of the Church in America today in order to accurately assess whether all that is needed is just a good tune-up, or as he has become convinced, a compete overhaul. 
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    <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
    <itunes:owner>
      <itunes:name>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:name>
      <itunes:email>andy@widows.org</itunes:email>
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  <itunes:category text="Christianity"/>
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  <title>Episode 13: Grace, Tithing &amp; Church Buildings</title>
  <link>http://www.pleadingthecase.org/13</link>
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  <pubDate>Mon, 08 Oct 2018 13:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Andy Mendonsa</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/dc393591-8538-457d-9994-a5d0ecd86258/e0bd6e6b-8901-46d2-92b7-5e45020ca441.mp3" length="86249055" type="audio/mp3"/>
  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:author>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>Under a Covenant of Grace are we still bound by a 10% tithe or did that become obsolete with the fading away of the first Covenant under the Law?  And what about church buildings?  Are they really to be considered as being the same for us under a Covenant of Grace as the "store house" in Malachi 10 that the tithes, under the first Covenant, were to be brought into?</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>1:27:59</itunes:duration>
  <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
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  <description>&lt;p&gt;If you listened to the previous episode, "Law Vs Grace," you know that the first Covenant under the Law does not apply to us in any way once we have come under a Covenant of Grace.  The 10% tithe,  required under the first Covanant, as with all things required by the law under the first Covenant is no longer mandated under Grace.  Neither are church buildings. There is no mandate for either of them anywhere in the New Testament post resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  Then why is the 10% tithe  being taught as though it is scripturally mandated and, thus, a still a requirement?  And equally so, why do church buildings continue to be so central to our faith?  Can a correlation be made between maintaining the practice of a 10% tithe and the necessity for building churches?  If a 10% tithe is not a scripturally mandated requirement, nor is the necessity for constructing church buildings, does that mean that we are off the hook for giving anything at all?  No, of course not. Giving, though, just like acts of love, is a matter of the heart and cannot be legislated. When we give freely and completely of ourselves in the ways we serve others, then all other areas of our lives will be a reflection of that as well, including financial giving and not the other way around. &lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>Grace, the law, church buildings, faith, worship, tithing, giving, the poor, leadership, the saints, church, Christian faith, Covenant of Grace, store house, robbing God, oppression, freedom, yoke of slavery, </itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>If you listened to the previous episode, &quot;Law Vs Grace,&quot; you know that the first Covenant under the Law does not apply to us in any way once we have come under a Covenant of Grace.  The 10% tithe,  required under the first Covanant, as with all things required by the law under the first Covenant is no longer mandated under Grace.  Neither are church buildings. There is no mandate for either of them anywhere in the New Testament post resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  Then why is the 10% tithe  being taught as though it is scripturally mandated and, thus, a still a requirement?  And equally so, why do church buildings continue to be so central to our faith?  Can a correlation be made between maintaining the practice of a 10% tithe and the necessity for building churches?  If a 10% tithe is not a scripturally mandated requirement, nor is the necessity for constructing church buildings, does that mean that we are off the hook for giving anything at all?  No, of course not. Giving, though, just like acts of love, is a matter of the heart and cannot be legislated. When we give freely and completely of ourselves in the ways we serve others, then all other areas of our lives will be a reflection of that as well, including financial giving and not the other way around.</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>If you listened to the previous episode, &quot;Law Vs Grace,&quot; you know that the first Covenant under the Law does not apply to us in any way once we have come under a Covenant of Grace.  The 10% tithe,  required under the first Covanant, as with all things required by the law under the first Covenant is no longer mandated under Grace.  Neither are church buildings. There is no mandate for either of them anywhere in the New Testament post resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  Then why is the 10% tithe  being taught as though it is scripturally mandated and, thus, a still a requirement?  And equally so, why do church buildings continue to be so central to our faith?  Can a correlation be made between maintaining the practice of a 10% tithe and the necessity for building churches?  If a 10% tithe is not a scripturally mandated requirement, nor is the necessity for constructing church buildings, does that mean that we are off the hook for giving anything at all?  No, of course not. Giving, though, just like acts of love, is a matter of the heart and cannot be legislated. When we give freely and completely of ourselves in the ways we serve others, then all other areas of our lives will be a reflection of that as well, including financial giving and not the other way around.</p>]]>
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<item>
  <title>Episode 10: A Samaritan You Say?</title>
  <link>http://www.pleadingthecase.org/10</link>
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  <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2018 13:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Andy Mendonsa</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/dc393591-8538-457d-9994-a5d0ecd86258/7148ff22-cb9d-4c56-9c77-62d9b02163ef.mp3" length="88865281" type="audio/mp3"/>
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  <itunes:author>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>Based on the parable of "The Good Samaritan" this is a companion episode to "Racism, Faith and Worship, Oh My!" If Jesus were giving this parable today who would he have passing by on the other side of the road?  Who would he have representing himself, instead of the Samaritan? According to this parable much of who we think of, today, as being the "evangelical church and her leadership, is really not all that different than Israel's leadership was when Jesus first recited this parable to the "expert in the law."</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>1:30:42</itunes:duration>
  <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
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  <description>&lt;p&gt;Romans 12:1 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."  Even though this passage comes across as being somewhat abstract, what Paul is essentially telling us is to "love God with our heart mind and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves."  And if we want to know what that looks like two of the best examples in the gospel accounts are in John 4, when Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman by the well and the Parable of the Good Samaritan beginning with Luke 10:25 when "an expert in the law asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life."  This is a companion episode to the previous one, "Racism, Faith and Worship, Oh My!" that has as it's basis Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman . Central to both is worship. &lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>civil rights, racism, faith, worship, good samaritan, levite, priest, Jericho road, Parable of the Good Samaritan, compassion, mercy, serve, Inn, Inn Keeper, donkey, do unto others, golden rule, Jerusalem, robbers, thieves, apostasy, salvation, redemption, restoration, deliverance, 2 greatest commandments, love your neighbor, serve and not be served, church, worship service, pastors, deacons, elders, covenant of grace, bride, marriage, gospel, </itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>Romans 12:1 &quot;Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.&quot;  Even though this passage comes across as being somewhat abstract, what Paul is essentially telling us is to &quot;love God with our heart mind and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves.&quot;  And if we want to know what that looks like two of the best examples in the gospel accounts are in John 4, when Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman by the well and the Parable of the Good Samaritan beginning with Luke 10:25 when &quot;an expert in the law asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.&quot;  This is a companion episode to the previous one, &quot;Racism, Faith and Worship, Oh My!&quot; that has as it&#39;s basis Jesus&#39; encounter with the Samaritan woman . Central to both is worship.</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Romans 12:1 &quot;Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.&quot;  Even though this passage comes across as being somewhat abstract, what Paul is essentially telling us is to &quot;love God with our heart mind and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves.&quot;  And if we want to know what that looks like two of the best examples in the gospel accounts are in John 4, when Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman by the well and the Parable of the Good Samaritan beginning with Luke 10:25 when &quot;an expert in the law asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.&quot;  This is a companion episode to the previous one, &quot;Racism, Faith and Worship, Oh My!&quot; that has as it&#39;s basis Jesus&#39; encounter with the Samaritan woman . Central to both is worship.</p>]]>
  </itunes:summary>
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<item>
  <title>Episode 9: Racism, Faith and Worship, Oh My!</title>
  <link>http://www.pleadingthecase.org/9</link>
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  <pubDate>Mon, 25 Jun 2018 14:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Andy Mendonsa</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/dc393591-8538-457d-9994-a5d0ecd86258/bb00c8de-be5a-48a4-8ce9-8851f0550626.mp3" length="88865096" type="audio/mp3"/>
  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:author>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>The text for this episode is John 4:3-42, Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well.  This passage reveals so much to us, especially about worship, and what it actually looks likes and means to worship God in "the spirit and in truth," and why this has nothing to do with a worship service and everything to do with what we do outside of a worship service.</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>1:30:42</itunes:duration>
  <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
  <itunes:image href="https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-images-2024/podcasts/images/d/dc393591-8538-457d-9994-a5d0ecd86258/episodes/b/bb00c8de-be5a-48a4-8ce9-8851f0550626/cover.jpg?v=2"/>
  <description>&lt;p&gt;Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, recorded in John 43-42, is very overlooked for the most part.  Especially, for what Jesus reveals to her, and ultimately to us, about worship.  It is during Jesus exchange with the Samaritan woman that Jesus tells her that "the true worshipers that God desires are those that will worship him in the spirit and in truth."  Although, the setting for this encounter is no where near Jerusalem or the temple inside the walls of that city, what Jesus said about worship has now been interpreted as primarily having to do with what takes place inside of a church during a "worship service." A setting that has very little in common with the setting that Jesus made this prouncement or why.  This episode not only addresses this, but it also addresses how prejudice and even racism interferes with what God considers to be worship in the spirit and in truth without our even realizing it. &lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>civil rights, racism, faith, worship, samaritan woman, jacob's well,christ, christian faith, conditions of the heart, deception, disciples, discrimination, divorced, empty vessel, eternal life, evangelism, eve, faith, false teachings, first adam, first covenant, grace, jesus, living water, love, messiah, minorities, politics, pure and undefiled worship, racism, righteousness, rule of law, salvation, samaria, samaritan woman, second adam, second covenant, segregation, sin, skin color, suffering, the deceived, the spirit and in truth, true worshipers god desires, truth, unclean, widows, woman caught in adultery, worship, worship service, worship through service </itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>Jesus&#39; encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, recorded in John 43-42, is very overlooked for the most part.  Especially, for what Jesus reveals to her, and ultimately to us, about worship.  It is during Jesus exchange with the Samaritan woman that Jesus tells her that &quot;the true worshipers that God desires are those that will worship him in the spirit and in truth.&quot;  Although, the setting for this encounter is no where near Jerusalem or the temple inside the walls of that city, what Jesus said about worship has now been interpreted as primarily having to do with what takes place inside of a church during a &quot;worship service.&quot; A setting that has very little in common with the setting that Jesus made this prouncement or why.  This episode not only addresses this, but it also addresses how prejudice and even racism interferes with what God considers to be worship in the spirit and in truth without our even realizing it.</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Jesus&#39; encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, recorded in John 43-42, is very overlooked for the most part.  Especially, for what Jesus reveals to her, and ultimately to us, about worship.  It is during Jesus exchange with the Samaritan woman that Jesus tells her that &quot;the true worshipers that God desires are those that will worship him in the spirit and in truth.&quot;  Although, the setting for this encounter is no where near Jerusalem or the temple inside the walls of that city, what Jesus said about worship has now been interpreted as primarily having to do with what takes place inside of a church during a &quot;worship service.&quot; A setting that has very little in common with the setting that Jesus made this prouncement or why.  This episode not only addresses this, but it also addresses how prejudice and even racism interferes with what God considers to be worship in the spirit and in truth without our even realizing it.</p>]]>
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