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    <title>Pleading the Case - Episodes Tagged with “Widows”</title>
    <link>https://www.pleadingthecase.org/tags/widows</link>
    <pubDate>Mon, 25 Jun 2018 14:00:00 -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. 
</itunes:summary>
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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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<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>
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  <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>
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  <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>]]>
  </itunes:summary>
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<item>
  <title>Episode 7: Part I: The Widows, The Fatherless, and Worship, Oh Why?</title>
  <link>http://www.pleadingthecase.org/7</link>
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  <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Andy Mendonsa</author>
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  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:author>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>In Episode 7, Part I, using James 1:27 as the litmus test, reveals how deceived the church, especially in America, has become and why.</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>1:29:23</itunes:duration>
  <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
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  <description>&lt;p&gt;In II Corintians 11:2-3 Paul tells us "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (NIV).  So, how do we know if we have been led astray from our pure and sincere devotion to Christ?  After studying James 1:27 &lt;em&gt;"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (DBY)&lt;/em&gt; for more than 25 years I am more than convinced that this single passage is the key for being able to accurately determine the condition of the church at any time and place in history.  And the key to unlocking this passage lies in our understanding of worship. This two part series begins with the first part of the first line of this passage, "pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:" &lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>abraham, adultery, deceived, deception, deeds, doers of the word, hearers of the word, hell, james 1:27, marriage, sacrifice, the devil, the fatherless, to dress, to keep, unpolluted by the world, widows, works, worship</itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>In II Corintians 11:2-3 Paul tells us &quot;I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ&quot; (NIV).  So, how do we know if we have been led astray from our pure and sincere devotion to Christ?  After studying James 1:27 <em>&quot;Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unspotted from the world&quot; (DBY)</em> for more than 25 years I am more than convinced that this single passage is the key for being able to accurately determine the condition of the church at any time and place in history.  And the key to unlocking this passage lies in our understanding of worship. This two part series begins with the first part of the first line of this passage, &quot;pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:&quot;</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>In II Corintians 11:2-3 Paul tells us &quot;I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ&quot; (NIV).  So, how do we know if we have been led astray from our pure and sincere devotion to Christ?  After studying James 1:27 <em>&quot;Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unspotted from the world&quot; (DBY)</em> for more than 25 years I am more than convinced that this single passage is the key for being able to accurately determine the condition of the church at any time and place in history.  And the key to unlocking this passage lies in our understanding of worship. This two part series begins with the first part of the first line of this passage, &quot;pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:&quot;</p>]]>
  </itunes:summary>
</item>
<item>
  <title>Episode 2: Part I:  The Church As Last Eve - Proving Jesus Came To Redeem A Bride </title>
  <link>http://www.pleadingthecase.org/2</link>
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  <pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2018 10:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Andy Mendonsa</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/dc393591-8538-457d-9994-a5d0ecd86258/4ed070d4-3c20-465b-8496-73d3515c9d00.mp3" length="58382598" type="audio/mp3"/>
  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:author>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>Through a multiple part series, the case is made that Jesus, as last Adam, came to redeem a bride.  Beginning with the creation of the first Eve through the first Adam account in Genesis 2:21-25 and then presenting the correlating passages in the New Testament with the last Adam, the evidence appears to be irrefutable that the Church, Christ’s bride, is also the last Eve. What happens, though, when one half (men) of the church does not recognize or believe this is that the other half (women) of the church, by default will be regarded, and even treated, as though they have less kingdom value and worth. </itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>58:57</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/4/4ed070d4-3c20-465b-8496-73d3515c9d00/cover.jpg?v=2"/>
  <description>&lt;p&gt;Years ago I found myself asking the question if Jesus is the last Adam, then would that mean that the church, Christ's bride, is in effect the last Eve?  If not literally, at least symbolically? How to prove this, though, became more than a challenge for knowing where to even begin such a search.  After much thought and deliberation I finally realised that the place that I needed to start was at the beginning with the creation of the first Eve through the first Adam. That if we, as the church, Christ's bride, are seen by God as the last Eve, if you will, then there should be correlations between the description of the creation of Eve in Genesis 2:21-25 and passages in the New Testament having to do with Jesus and what he did on our behalf in order to redeem his bride.  This episode, the first in a 5 part series, begins with Genesis 2:21 proving that Jesus not only came to redeem a bride, but the bride he came to redeem, is in effect, the last Eve.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>betrothed, bride of christ, christianity, creation, deception, deliverance, first adam, jesus, last eve, office of widows, redemption, restoration, second adam, serpent, the church, theology, widows, women's roles</itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>Years ago I found myself asking the question if Jesus is the last Adam, then would that mean that the church, Christ&#39;s bride, is in effect the last Eve?  If not literally, at least symbolically? How to prove this, though, became more than a challenge for knowing where to even begin such a search.  After much thought and deliberation I finally realised that the place that I needed to start was at the beginning with the creation of the first Eve through the first Adam. That if we, as the church, Christ&#39;s bride, are seen by God as the last Eve, if you will, then there should be correlations between the description of the creation of Eve in Genesis 2:21-25 and passages in the New Testament having to do with Jesus and what he did on our behalf in order to redeem his bride.  This episode, the first in a 5 part series, begins with Genesis 2:21 proving that Jesus not only came to redeem a bride, but the bride he came to redeem, is in effect, the last Eve.</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Years ago I found myself asking the question if Jesus is the last Adam, then would that mean that the church, Christ&#39;s bride, is in effect the last Eve?  If not literally, at least symbolically? How to prove this, though, became more than a challenge for knowing where to even begin such a search.  After much thought and deliberation I finally realised that the place that I needed to start was at the beginning with the creation of the first Eve through the first Adam. That if we, as the church, Christ&#39;s bride, are seen by God as the last Eve, if you will, then there should be correlations between the description of the creation of Eve in Genesis 2:21-25 and passages in the New Testament having to do with Jesus and what he did on our behalf in order to redeem his bride.  This episode, the first in a 5 part series, begins with Genesis 2:21 proving that Jesus not only came to redeem a bride, but the bride he came to redeem, is in effect, the last Eve.</p>]]>
  </itunes:summary>
</item>
<item>
  <title>Episode 1: The Church Like Eve</title>
  <link>http://www.pleadingthecase.org/1</link>
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  <pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2018 15:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Andy Mendonsa</author>
  <enclosure url="https://aphid.fireside.fm/d/1437767933/dc393591-8538-457d-9994-a5d0ecd86258/a71fdc1a-dfcd-4acd-950a-083d1ee78fd1.mp3" length="84709637" type="audio/mp3"/>
  <itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType>
  <itunes:author>Andy Mendonsa</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>This first broadcast of "Pleading the Case" begins by posing the question: Is it possible to have the right Jesus for salvation and yet the wrong Jesus for living it out?  If you have never considered this as a possibility, then the answer might surprise you, especially for what it reveals to us about our present condition as the Church, Christ’s bride?
</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>1:22:55</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/a/a71fdc1a-dfcd-4acd-950a-083d1ee78fd1/cover.jpg?v=5"/>
  <description>&lt;p&gt;Deception is by its very nature subtle, and can happen over long periods of time, even centuries.  How do we know if we, as the church, have been deceived, or can we even know?  Paul expresses such a concern in II Corinthians 11:2-3, saying that "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (NIV).  How do we know if we have been deceived, though?  What does scripture reveal to us for measuring or assessing our condition as Christ's bride at any time and place in history?  This first episode of "Pleading The Case" presents the scriptural basis for being able to assess our conditon as Christ's bride in order to determine whether the church today is the bride that God desires her to be, or that she has been deceived as Eve was by the serpent." &lt;/p&gt;
</description>
  <itunes:keywords>christ's bride, christianity, condition of the church, deception, desolation, eve, james 1:27, jesus, last adam, salvation, widows, worship</itunes:keywords>
  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>Deception is by its very nature subtle, and can happen over long periods of time, even centuries.  How do we know if we, as the church, have been deceived, or can we even know?  Paul expresses such a concern in II Corinthians 11:2-3, saying that &quot;I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ&quot; (NIV).  How do we know if we have been deceived, though?  What does scripture reveal to us for measuring or assessing our condition as Christ&#39;s bride at any time and place in history?  This first episode of &quot;Pleading The Case&quot; presents the scriptural basis for being able to assess our conditon as Christ&#39;s bride in order to determine whether the church today is the bride that God desires her to be, or that she has been deceived as Eve was by the serpent.&quot;</p>]]>
  </content:encoded>
  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Deception is by its very nature subtle, and can happen over long periods of time, even centuries.  How do we know if we, as the church, have been deceived, or can we even know?  Paul expresses such a concern in II Corinthians 11:2-3, saying that &quot;I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ&quot; (NIV).  How do we know if we have been deceived, though?  What does scripture reveal to us for measuring or assessing our condition as Christ&#39;s bride at any time and place in history?  This first episode of &quot;Pleading The Case&quot; presents the scriptural basis for being able to assess our conditon as Christ&#39;s bride in order to determine whether the church today is the bride that God desires her to be, or that she has been deceived as Eve was by the serpent.&quot;</p>]]>
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