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In this second episode of why am I a member of the Church of Christ, Glenn begins by noticing the warning Paul gave to the elders of the local church at Ephesus about how there would be those among them who would seek to draw away disciples to follow them. Jesus gave the same warning, and we discuss that situation as well as the specific name Jesus gave them. Jesus discussed certain ones who thought they were following what God said but were in fact not doing so. We discuss what Jesus said to them and how important it is to keep the Lord's commands. We look at what Jesus told His apostles about Him sending the Holy Spirit after He left them and why He was sending Him. We note our discussion in the last episode about Jesus being the builder of the Church of Christ that is referred to in the New Testament. We point out that Jesus is the foundation of His Church, as well as the King over His Kingdom, which is simply another way His Church is described. We talk about how important it is for us to speak and follow what the words in the Bible say. For instance, we know that He tells us that everything we need to obey God and be pleasing to Him is provided in His words. We discuss what the Hebrew writer said about how God communicated to man in the Old Testament and how he does that today. We note the problem that we see in the world of denominations today, what they have done and why this is so important to understand. We begin our discussion about when the Church of Christ was established, by noting that the division or denominating of the Lord's Church was criticized very early by Paul the apostle, which was contrary to the unity the Lord requires. In the next episode, we will look at when the Church of Christ was established. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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We begin this episode by noting that Peter says that we as Christians should be able, willing and ready to give answers to those who ask us about our belief and faith. So, we begin here. We discuss the use of blueprints and patterns that are used to build buildings and make clothes. If the blueprint or pattern isn't followed, that which is built or made is different from what the blueprint or pattern showed. By the same principle, Jesus provided a pattern in the New Testament for His church. If we vary from His New Testament pattern, we get a church that is different from what He planned. We talk about a specific Bible passage that warns about adding to God's word or taking away from it. We note the estimated number of denominations that claim to be following God, but in fact are not following the Lord's pattern in their name or doctrine. We look at the word church, what it means in the Bible and how it is used, both properly and improperly and why that is important. We look at where Jesus discussed building His church with the apostles, what He said and what they said. We then note a number of passages that describe the Lord's church in a number of different and very important ways. We also look at a number of descriptive terms we find in the New Testament that refer to the Lord's church. We close this episode by noting some of the names that various churches wear today. We will begin next week's episode by looking at the warning Paul gave to the elders from the local church at Ephesus. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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In this episode, Arnie, Glenn, Eric and Fred continue their discussion about marriage according to what the Bible says about it. Glenn begins by finishing the reference to the wife being the weaker vessel, why she is to be submissive to her husband as well as her and the husbands family responsibilities. There is a reminder that we must respect God's word and His authority when He established marriage. We next look at a couple of passages that tell us how long God intends for marriages to last. We move on to look at what the Bible says about divorce and the only situation where God allows it. In particular, we look at what Jesus said when the Pharisees questioned Him about divorce. We noted that Jesus went all the way back to the beginning to show them the truth of the matter. We talk about a number of the benefits of the marriage relationship and the responsibility husbands and wives have toward their children. We look at how a happily married couple keep one another from straying from the relationship into sin. We look at what Paul and the Hebrew writer had to say about this and how important it is. Jesus had something to say about our thinking and we discuss that. We conclude by noting that God specified what marriage is, the responsibilities of husbands and wives and how important it is to follow His instructions in order to have happy and faithful lives. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussions. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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In this episode, Arnie, Fred and Glenn begin discussing what the Bible says about marriage. We start by noticing what Isaiah says about the attitude of a newly married couple, their excitement and how they present one to the other. It is noted what Malachi says to a husband about how he treated the wife of his youth and what God thought about that. We move on to what God said to Adam and Eve in the beginning and how Jesus went back to this time in correcting the Pharisees in what they had done to God's marriage law. We note what Paul said about being joined to a harlot and what that meant. Paul wrote to Timothy telling him that the scriptures provide everything to men for them to be completely furnished to every good work. Consequently, God has supplied all the guidance we need to live in such a way as to be pleasing to God, in particular relating to our marriages. We look at several passages that Solomon wrote concerning finding a wife and how valuable this is to us. Paul provides guidance about a wife's relationship to her husband as well as the husband's responsibilities to her. Peter gives us similar guidance. We discuss both of these references. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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Arnie, Eric, Fred and Glenn continue their discussion about immorality and what the Bible says about it. We begin by looking at what Jude said about the wicked Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah whose people were engaged in immorality. Peter had even more to say about them and we look at what he said. Sodom and Gomorrah stand as the prime example of immoral behavior and how God looks at it. Eric looks at what Paul says about marriage and how that God-given institution avoids sexual immorality. We discuss several sections of scripture where Paul discusses unrighteousness that has not been forgiven by God that includes sexual immorality and how God condemns this activity. Throughout this episode, we note that in our day there continues to be a lot of immorality engaged in, which indicates that not much has changed since the activities recorded in the Bible. Take about 30-minutes to listen to our discussions. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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In this episode, Arnie, Eric, Fred and Glenn begin a discussion about immorality as revealed in the Bible. Glenn begins by noting what morality is and its source. He notes that we will look specifically at sexual immorality. We note what Paul said to the Christians in Galatia and show that in the list of the works of the flesh he includes several sexual immoralities. There are a number of sexually immoral activities listed in the Old Testament and we look at them. Of course, this shows us that immorality has been forbidden by God since the earliest of times long before Moses received the Ten Commandments. We have the record of Lot living in Sodom when he had visitors who the men of the city wanted to have sexual relations with, showing us that same sex activities are forbidden by God. We close out this episode by noting what Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome that shows us that immoral and sexual perversion commonly lead to other ungodly behaviors. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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In this final episode about being justified by grace, Arnie, Eric, Fred and Glenn look at man's condition before God established His grace. Sin was common to the human race. We note the disastrous consequences of sin and what those are. We discuss Bible passages that explain how God's grace saves. One passage mentions the washing of regeneration. We look at what this is and note that Jesus discussed this with Nicodemus at one point in His ministry. We look at baptism again using several passages that clearly explain what Bible baptism is and note many religious bodies don't follow what the Bible says about it. We look at what Peter, by the Holy Spirit, specifically says about baptism. We note that baptism is a burial as described by Paul to the Christians in Rome. Consequently, we point out what baptism does. We tie all of this together and how it relates to being justified by grace and what that means. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

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In this episode, Arnie, Glenn and Eric continue the discussion of what the Bible says about being justified by grace. Glenn begins by reviewing what we discussed in the last session. We move to looking at some of the doctrinal errors concerning justification by grace. We note that there are some who believe and teach that grace is extended unconditionally to all people contrary to the fact that the Bible teaches that God requires both faith and obedience. We look at a couple of passages that relate to this point. Eric takes a short look at Calvinism, what is involved in this error and several Bible passages that show the problem with this erroneous teaching. We move to look at Judaism and several New Testament passages that show us the problems with that current religion. Being justified by faith only is a popular belief today as well. We discuss several passages that clearly show this to be an erroneous teaching and belief. This episode is closed out as we begin to talk about man's condition before we begin to enjoy God's grace. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.