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In this episode, Arnie and Fred begin by looking at what Paul said about his apostleship and what the signs were of it. We look at a couple of situations that necessitated providing benevolence to the saints and how these efforts were confirmed. It became necessary to provide daily subsistence to some of the widows in the large congregation in Jerusalem. There was a problem in doing so and the apostles gave guidance on how to alleviate it. We look at that occasion and the means God provided to approve what was done. Luke tells us about Peter being sent to teach a Gentile the gospel. We discuss what occurred there and what happened that authenticated what Peter did and the reaction of the Jews that were there with him. Luke also provides us with the record of a person who lived at Lystra and was born crippled. We look at the extensive written record of that and talk about why it is so important to us and why we can depend on what is written there. We start discussing what occurred at Troas in Acts chapter 20 but run out of time. We will begin there in the next episode which will be the last one in this series. 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 and Fred continue their discussion of what the Bible says about how God's word was authenticated. We begin this episode by looking at Philip's teaching of the Ethiopian eunuch about confession and immersion in water. When Paul came to Ephesus, he met some disciples who were baptized by John.  A discussion ensued about immersion in the name of the Lord and the authentication method is noted. We look at the time Paul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians and what happened to him during that trip. Again, his experience and the teaching he received were certified by a miraculous event that we discuss.  We next look at a couple of the other specific actions the Holy Spirit takes and what they teach us about Him. We begin to look at Paul's apostleship but run out of time to complete it. This subject will have to wait for the next episode. 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 and Fred continue their discussion on how God's word was authenticated in the first century. We begin by discussing the word translated mighty deeds. This is the Koine Greek word we get our word dynamite from.  We look at a number of passages where this word is used. These are acts of power that accomplish seemingly impossible outcomes not successfully performed by anyone else. We note that these miracles were accomplished at the prayer or command of the person through whom they were worked. The usual order of events is there is preaching before or after, prayer or command and then the miracle occurs as stated thus confirming what was said. God is always credited as the source. The power to work these miracles served as a disciple's credentials as an authoritative representative of God. We note that once God's words were verified by these signs, wonders and mighty deeds, there was no need to recertify them. The words and the miracles confirming them are in God's written word that we still have today. We close out this episode by beginning to discuss the doctrines and facts that were confirmed by miracles. The first one being God's plan of salvation that was revealed to the Philippian jailer and those on Pentecost. We look at what was taught and what miracle confirmed the words. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. For your convenience, there is a transcript provided of this Buzzsprout episode.

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Arnie and Fred begin a series of episodes on how the word of God was authenticated according to the Bible record. We discuss what miracles are and how important they are in the confirmation of the word of God and the purpose they served. We note that they were never used for propaganda, profit, entertainment or convenience. Sometimes there were people who were sick, but the miracles were not used to heal them.  We look at a number of instances where miracles were performed to authenticate the spoken word. We note that Jesus addressed the miracles and their purpose. Certainly, the miracles confirmed Jesus' words and those of the apostles but resulted in a number of other actions as well. We note them. There are three terms that are used in the New Testament to describe the miracles we find there. We talk about what those terms mean. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so yu 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 on the empty tomb, Arnie and Fred begin by discussing the promises Jesus made concerning His resurrection as He talked with His apostles. We talk about the various plans Jesus' enemies developed, including to be rid of him and making sure the tomb could not be opened. We discuss the consequences of Jesus' resurrection, what it means to those who have obeyed Him. For instance, the declaration it provides concerning Jesus' being the Son of God. We note how we are affected as those who are guilty of sinning against God. The resurrection tells us something about our own death. We delve into that question. Sometimes life in this world seems to be a hopeless situation. Considering this, we talk about how the resurrection keeps us from looking at our life in that way. We look at the coming judgment that all men must face and how the empty tomb relates to that most monumental event. 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 for your convenience.

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Arnie and Fred continue to discuss some of the theories that have been proposed to explain away Jesus' resurrection. We begin this episode by looking at the last theory called the swoon theory originally proposed by German philosopher Karl Venturini who died in 1849. He proposed that Jesus merely fainted on the cross, either from drug induced stupor or wounds, was revived in the cool, damp tomb and escaped. We discuss what the Roman soldier did to ensure that Jesus was dead according to one of the witnesses. We discuss Jesus' condition on the cross that clearly indicate this theory is unsupported by the facts. We look at the way that the Jewish people prepare bodies to be buried and the time Jesus spent with His disciples after He was resurrected. We close out this episode by beginning our discussion on what the empty tomb actually did. We look at how it substantiated Christ's resurrection.  We end this episode by beginning to look at fulfilled prophecy and the promise Jesus made. We will complete this discussion in the next episode. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on what we are saying. Have your Bible handy so you can see if what we are saying agrees with it. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode for your convenience.

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Arnie and Fred continue to discuss the empty tomb and some of the theories to explain it away. We begin by looking at the Stolen Body Theory. We discuss who proposed this theory and why it was so preposterous. Some have suggested the False Account Theory. The suggestion is made that the disciples lied about the resurrection. We note several Bible passages that show why this theory is also wrong. There have been those who say the Romans stole Jesus' body. We ask several questions and look at a couple of Bible passages that reveal the problem with this one. We move on the theory that the Jews stole the body. Again, a couple of Bible passages help to reveal that this theory is again, simply not true. We close out this episode by looking at the Imposter Theory that was proposed by Mohammed in the Qur'an. We provide the location in the Qur'an where this theory is located. We note numerous Bible passages that refute this theory. We will take up this same subject again next week. 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 and Fred discuss two of the theories skeptics have proposed over the years to explain the empty tomb Jesus' body had been in. We begin by looking at a number of passages written by the witnesses that show that Jesus' body had in fact been in Joseph of Arimathea's new sepulcher. The apostles who wrote the accounts and others mentioned therein had witnessed that fact. The first theory we look at was proposed by a Dr. who taught at the Harvard Divinity School in 1907.  His theory was that those involved went to the wrong tomb and found it empty.  We talk about the individuals who were involved in burying Jesus and the fact that they were acutely aware of the location of the tomb He was put in. We discuss the knowledge the chief priests and the soldiers who guarded had of its location. We note that its location would be a matter of official Roman record as well. We then look at the theory that the body was stolen by the disciples, the Romans or the Jews. We look at obvious reasons this is simply not true. Take about thirty minutes to listen in on our conversation. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript provided of this Buzzsprout episode for your convenience.

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In this last episode about those who watch after the flock, Arnie and Fred finish up discussing passages where the word elder appears. Some of those passages were not referring to elders in the local church. We note that every church that has qualified men must appoint elders. We discuss the plural form of the word elder which is sometimes translated presbytery, elderhood or eldership, referring to the same plurality of those men in the local church. We talk about the fact that all elders are of equal "rank".  Peter shows this when he uses the term "fellow elder" in his first epistle. We note that an elder is the same as an overseer in the local assembly. We complete this episode by looking at the terms pastor and shepherd which refer to the same individual who is an elder. We again talk about the use of these terms in the Bible. The terms overseer, elder, pastor or shepherd all designate men serving with the same responsibility in a local church. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. For your convenience, there is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided.

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In this episode, Arnie and Fred complete their discussion on overseers in the local church. We note that Christ is the overseer of men's souls, and no human archbishop or chief bishop ever appears in the Scriptures. We begin talking about those who are referred to as elders in the local church. We note that these two terms are referring to the same individual. We look at the term elder and what it indicates and implies of the individual seeking to serve the assembly in that capacity. The term elder appears throughout the New Testament in many different contexts. We examine those examples. We will have to complete our discussion of elders in the next episode. We will include a discussion of pastors and shepherds at that time also. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on what we have to say. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode for your convenience.