web02.fireside.fm Sun, 24 May 2026 21:22:55 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) https://www.pleadingthecase.org/tags/grace Mon, 04 Feb 2019 10:00:00 -0500 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. en-us episodic "Stand Before The Mountains, Let The Hills Hear What You Have To Say" Andy Mendonsa 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. no Andy Mendonsa andy@widows.org http://www.pleadingthecase.org/15 fd2ab7b5-aa44-43e7-b034-61352dab6b38 Mon, 04 Feb 2019 10:00:00 -0500 Andy Mendonsa full Andy Mendonsa Did all sacrifices cease after Jesus offered up his own life as a one time atonement for our sins, or are there any sacrifices still relevant today in the Christian faith? Based on Hebrews 13:15-16 not only are they relevant, but they have been prescribed for us to continue to offer up, and according to verse 16, "God is well pleased by them." 57:50 no <p>There is a lot of confusion in the Christian faith about the idea of "sacrifice" still being relevant today. There is even a misunderstanding for what the word "sacrifice" actually means in the New Testament, both with Christ's own one time "sacrifice", offering up his life in order to atone for our sins, as well as the way "sacrifice" is most often understood by us today. Most of the time when the word "sacrifice" is used it is usually in the context of something we give up, did without and even suffered for in order to help someone else. It is not uncommon to hear a parent say that they sacrificed so much in order to give their child or children a better life, but then felt disappointed or resentful that the child or children didn't appreciate them for it. Or, it is equally as common to hear someone say that they monetarily gave sacrificially to support a Christian cause. In both of these instances "sacrifice" is being used to mean things that we have given up and suffered for, but neither of these examples is Biblically correct according to the actual meaning of the original Greek word for sacrifice, "thysia." This Episode addresses where the cause of this confusion has most likely come from and why, as well as why it is critically important for us to have a correct understanding of "sacrifice" and the need for us to "offer up" the up today. </p> sacrifice, worship, love, Jesus, offerings, deeds, works, pleased, thankful, thanksgiving, sacrifice of praise, sharing, multiply, bless, sanctify, atonement, on earth as it is in heaven, Lord's prayer, prayer, denial of self, citizenship in heaven, Grace There is a lot of confusion in the Christian faith about the idea of "sacrifice" still being relevant today. There is even a misunderstanding for what the word "sacrifice" actually means in the New Testament, both with Christ's own one time "sacrifice", offering up his life in order to atone for our sins, as well as the way "sacrifice" is most often understood by us today. Most of the time when the word "sacrifice" is used it is usually in the context of something we give up, did without and even suffered for in order to help someone else. It is not uncommon to hear a parent say that they sacrificed so much in order to give their child or children a better life, but then felt disappointed or resentful that the child or children didn't appreciate them for it. Or, it is equally as common to hear someone say that they monetarily gave sacrificially to support a Christian cause. In both of these instances "sacrifice" is being used to mean things that we have given up and suffered for, but neither of these examples is Biblically correct according to the actual meaning of the original Greek word for sacrifice, "thysia." This Episode addresses where the cause of this confusion has most likely come from and why, as well as why it is critically important for us to have a correct understanding of "sacrifice" and the need for us to "offer up" the up today.

]]> There is a lot of confusion in the Christian faith about the idea of "sacrifice" still being relevant today. There is even a misunderstanding for what the word "sacrifice" actually means in the New Testament, both with Christ's own one time "sacrifice", offering up his life in order to atone for our sins, as well as the way "sacrifice" is most often understood by us today. Most of the time when the word "sacrifice" is used it is usually in the context of something we give up, did without and even suffered for in order to help someone else. It is not uncommon to hear a parent say that they sacrificed so much in order to give their child or children a better life, but then felt disappointed or resentful that the child or children didn't appreciate them for it. Or, it is equally as common to hear someone say that they monetarily gave sacrificially to support a Christian cause. In both of these instances "sacrifice" is being used to mean things that we have given up and suffered for, but neither of these examples is Biblically correct according to the actual meaning of the original Greek word for sacrifice, "thysia." This Episode addresses where the cause of this confusion has most likely come from and why, as well as why it is critically important for us to have a correct understanding of "sacrifice" and the need for us to "offer up" the up today.

]]> http://www.pleadingthecase.org/13 e0bd6e6b-8901-46d2-92b7-5e45020ca441 Mon, 08 Oct 2018 13:00:00 -0400 Andy Mendonsa full Andy Mendonsa 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? 1:27:59 no <p>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. </p> 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, 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.

]]> 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.

]]> http://www.pleadingthecase.org/12 c7857aab-bc48-4107-8796-aa97a99d71f2 Mon, 06 Aug 2018 15:00:00 -0400 Andy Mendonsa full Andy Mendonsa In Matthew 5:13 Jesus says “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. The lines between the law and grace, not unlike 2000 years ago when Paul addressed this in his letter to the Galatians, may be equally as blurred, if not more so, for much of the church today, thus creating a hybrid Christian faith, if you will, that has become dangerously close to losing its saltiness. 1:39:01 no <p>Is there any reason to pursue a deeper understanding of the law vs grace? There is if we truly believe that Jesus was the promised messiah, and that he came, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Yes, we need to know what that means for us, now, in our daily lives in him. Otherwise, we will blend the law and grace creating a hybrid Christian faith that blurs the lines between the 2; Thus, blurring our understanding of Jesus and what it means to follow him as well as to look like him. Perhaps the confusion comes, on one level, because we claim salvation through Jesus, but at the same time we have lost sight of what it looks like to live out our lives based on his own life's example. And for Gentile followers of Jesus, this is particularly concerning since gentiles were never under the first covenant (under the law) to begin with. It was only after Jesus fulfilled the law, thus rendering the first covenant null and void, that the second covenant, under grace, was extended to include gentiles as well. In that the new covenant was established on better promises, though, why would anyone ever choose to be subject again to such a yoke of slavery (under the law)? </p> Christian, Salvation, Works, Deeds, Sacrifices, Pharisee, Galatians, Romans, Matthew 5, Ephesians, Flesh, Grace, Law, Unequally Yoked, Israel, Judah, The Promise, Righteousness, Gentiles, Jerusalem, Old Covenant, New Covenant, Abraham, Enmity, Seed, Offspring, High Priest, Shadow and Copy, Superior Ministry, Sanctuary, Tabernacle, Holy of Holies, Sacrifice, Worship, Spiritual Israel, Jews, Middle East, End Times, Obsolete, Is there any reason to pursue a deeper understanding of the law vs grace? There is if we truly believe that Jesus was the promised messiah, and that he came, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Yes, we need to know what that means for us, now, in our daily lives in him. Otherwise, we will blend the law and grace creating a hybrid Christian faith that blurs the lines between the 2; Thus, blurring our understanding of Jesus and what it means to follow him as well as to look like him. Perhaps the confusion comes, on one level, because we claim salvation through Jesus, but at the same time we have lost sight of what it looks like to live out our lives based on his own life's example. And for Gentile followers of Jesus, this is particularly concerning since gentiles were never under the first covenant (under the law) to begin with. It was only after Jesus fulfilled the law, thus rendering the first covenant null and void, that the second covenant, under grace, was extended to include gentiles as well. In that the new covenant was established on better promises, though, why would anyone ever choose to be subject again to such a yoke of slavery (under the law)?

]]> Is there any reason to pursue a deeper understanding of the law vs grace? There is if we truly believe that Jesus was the promised messiah, and that he came, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Yes, we need to know what that means for us, now, in our daily lives in him. Otherwise, we will blend the law and grace creating a hybrid Christian faith that blurs the lines between the 2; Thus, blurring our understanding of Jesus and what it means to follow him as well as to look like him. Perhaps the confusion comes, on one level, because we claim salvation through Jesus, but at the same time we have lost sight of what it looks like to live out our lives based on his own life's example. And for Gentile followers of Jesus, this is particularly concerning since gentiles were never under the first covenant (under the law) to begin with. It was only after Jesus fulfilled the law, thus rendering the first covenant null and void, that the second covenant, under grace, was extended to include gentiles as well. In that the new covenant was established on better promises, though, why would anyone ever choose to be subject again to such a yoke of slavery (under the law)?

]]> http://www.pleadingthecase.org/11 0ec69b84-bc53-4d1f-9245-0fbffcc66c69 Sun, 22 Jul 2018 09:00:00 -0400 Andy Mendonsa full Andy Mendonsa In Philippians 3:20 Paul tells us "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ..." Clearly, if our citizenship is in heaven then why do we try and make our earthly citizenships' the greater priority for bringing the kingdom of God to bear? Is this Biblical? 1:39:01 no <p>For 430 years Israel existed without the law after God made his covenant with Abraham. So why was the law given? According to Galatians 3:19 "It was added because of transgressions until the seed (Jesus) to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator." After the law and the high priestly system of rule was established, Israel remained a theocracy, "a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God, or a god," "from the time of Moses until the election of Saul as King." Since we know, based on scripture, how that turned out (just as God said it would in I Samuel 8:11-22), why do we, now citizens of heaven, already seated with Jesus in a heavenly realm, still demand a king? </p> grace, the law, unequally yoked, deception, desolate, citizenship in heaven, covenant of grace, politics and the Christian Faith, deceit, the fall, condition of the church, Pontius Pilate, Herod, High Priest, Seven Woes, Beatitudes, Christian Job description, worry, Kingdom of God, love, hate, fear, perfect love, For 430 years Israel existed without the law after God made his covenant with Abraham. So why was the law given? According to Galatians 3:19 "It was added because of transgressions until the seed (Jesus) to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator." After the law and the high priestly system of rule was established, Israel remained a theocracy, "a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God, or a god," "from the time of Moses until the election of Saul as King." Since we know, based on scripture, how that turned out (just as God said it would in I Samuel 8:11-22), why do we, now citizens of heaven, already seated with Jesus in a heavenly realm, still demand a king?

]]> For 430 years Israel existed without the law after God made his covenant with Abraham. So why was the law given? According to Galatians 3:19 "It was added because of transgressions until the seed (Jesus) to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator." After the law and the high priestly system of rule was established, Israel remained a theocracy, "a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God, or a god," "from the time of Moses until the election of Saul as King." Since we know, based on scripture, how that turned out (just as God said it would in I Samuel 8:11-22), why do we, now citizens of heaven, already seated with Jesus in a heavenly realm, still demand a king?

]]> http://www.pleadingthecase.org/9 bb00c8de-be5a-48a4-8ce9-8851f0550626 Mon, 25 Jun 2018 14:00:00 -0400 Andy Mendonsa full Andy Mendonsa 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. 1:30:42 no <p>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. </p> 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 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.

]]> 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.

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