Welcome to a podcast by opentheword.org where we provide Bible teaching and Biblical perspective on the rapid changes taking place in our society.

One of the more compelling statements by ancient historians on the existence of Jesus was made by Josephus, a Jewish General and historian who died in 100 AD. In his book, Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus wrote: "And in this time, there was a certain Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man, for he was a doer of incredible deeds, a teacher of men who receive truisms with pleasure. And he brought over many from among the Jews and many from among the Greeks. He was [thought to be] the Christ. And, when Pilate had condemned him to the cross at the accusation of the first men among us, those who at first were devoted to him did not cease to be so, for on the third day it seemed to them that he was alive again given that the divine prophets had spoken such things and thousands of other wonderful things about him. And up till now, the tribe of Christians, who were named from him, has not disappeared.29

One of the biggest problems facing the church today is our obsession with Christian superstars. We have our TV evangelists and mega pastors, but I believe that the Holy Spirit wants to use ordinary believers, like you and me, in powerful ways. A few weeks ago, a friend sent me an article about a story published by Crescendo Magazine in 1990 on how God powerfully used a Finish music student Päivyt Rajamäki.

The Jewish Babylonian Talmud made an incredible admission about Jesus Christ's arrival in the first century. Composed in the fifth century AD by orthodox Jews, it is a written compilation of Jewish traditions that had been passed down through the centuries. The Rabbis consider it as one of the most important sources of Jewish law and commentary.

Jesus' Resurrection is the key to our Christian faith. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15:4, “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” So the Apostle spent several verses in chapter 15 providing evidence of the resurrection. But in the process Paul missed the most compelling argument, proving it was not a fabrication.

Hi my name is Dean. In this podcast I want to talk about politics in the church. I can't remember a time, when politics has become so dominant and divisive in our culture and divisive. It is everywhere and infecting everything But before I do that, I need to provides some disclaimers. First I am a conservative. Secondly, during my career, I actually worked for a right leaning political party. While I was considering the job offer, my wife gave me some advice that ultimately proved to be true. She said, the job will require a bit of my soul, meaning you will end up defending the undependable, and I did.

Jonah is best known for being swallowed by a large fish or whale for refusing to call Nineveh to repentance. But after being vomited up on a beach along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Jonah headed inland to Nineveh where the whole city responded to Jonah's call to repent.

In his book, Religions and Extraterrestrial Life published in 2014, Vanderbilt University Astronomer David Weintraub revealed the results of a poll he conducted on beliefs in Aliens and UFOs by different religious groups. Now these numbers are dated, because there has been a dramatic surge in the belief in aliens in recent years. But nevertheless his poll showcased the significant differences in Alien beliefs among different religions.

In a recent video, former atheist and now Christian apologist Lee Strobel provided evidences for the existence of the human spirit. The Bible teaches that we are made up of a spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). At the death of our physical body, our spirit lives on. This is vividly portrayed in the Jesus' story about the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16:19-31.

While atheists mock Christians because of our belief in God, a 2021 Pew survey found that 85% of atheists/agnostics believed in little green men and aliens. But they weren't alone. The same survey revealed that 80% of nones, those with no religious affiliation, also believed in aliens. Though certainly not as high, overall 57% of Christians also believed in alien life. But this involved a very broad definition of Christian. More specifically only 40% of Evangelicals believed in aliens and UFOs.

With Christmas around the corner, I thought I should do a podcast with a bit of Christmas twist. So, I want to discuss the strange connection between the Christmas story and the woman caught in adultery.We know from the Christmas story, that Joseph was engaged to Mary. When Joseph returned to Nazareth for the wedding, he was shocked to find Mary pregnant – having conceived by the Holy Spirit.

According to Wikipedia, Caracas, Venezuela is the murder capital of the world. It has held that position since 2016, when it wrestled the crown away from then reigning champ, San Pedro, Honduras. But that brings me to an interesting article from 2013 on the British new site, The Guardian. The article discussed the murder rate in San Pedro, which at that time was running at 20 a day or over 7,000 murders a year. This works out to an annual murder rate of 173 per 100,000 residents.

In this podcast I discuss several mentions of Christ made by ancient secular sources.

In this episode I want to discuss spiritual warfare, because I am seeing increasing evidence that things are starting to heat up. At a recent church service my wife and I attend, our pastor shared an interesting story. He never gets headaches. But a few months ago he started having a headache every day for three weeks. It was always in the same spot.

In this podcast, we discuss what the Book of Job has to say about the ice age, dinosaurs and heaven's Divine Council.

When the Holy Spirit fell on the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church in 1994, it immediately caught the world's attention. Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world visited the church, which was later renamed Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship.

God has called us to be encouragers, because there is power in words.

In this podcast, we discuss two curious facts about the Jewish Temple. Did you know that at one time, there were two Jewish Temples operating at the same time?

On April 28, 2025, Arizona pastor, Bill Schonemann, was found dead in his home. He had been crucified. His hands were pinned to the wall and he had a crown of thorns on his head.

In this podcast, I discuss a couple of stories concerning Noah's Ark and the great flood. First was the ark actually big enough to carry a pair of every creature in the world. Secondly, why are there so many flood stories in cultures around the world.

A few years ago, someone told me that nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus claim to be God. And to be honest, I was caught a bit off guard by the question. Now, to be honest, nowhere in the Gospels did Jesus say, “I am God.”

in this podcast, I want to discuss one piece of advice that Jesus gave and a miracle, that proved itself. In both instances, it took nearly 2,000 years to fully understand what Jesus said and did.

In this podcast I discuss the mysterious Being in the Old Testament called ‘The Angel of the Lord.' Many are convinced He is the per-incarnate Christ.

Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this podcast I want to discuss two odd fact about one of the Bible's best known heroes, King David.

Taxes have been the.bane of man's existence for thousands of years. In this podcast, I discuss two major tax revolts that took place in the Bible.

In this Podcast Ian Byrd discusses the pathways of the heart. He talks about three pathways that lead us away from God and one pathway that leads us to God.

In this podcast, I discuss whether believers should incorporate coughing prayer instead of joining a monastery or nunnery.

In this podcast, I discuss one the unheralded, but powerful weapons, that God has given believers in our battle against the demonic realm.

in this podcast, I want to talk about the manifest presence of God. My wife and I recently attended a conference on the Holy Spirit at our church. Yes, it was a full weekend of talking about the importance of the Holy Spirit. A strange thing happened at the conference.

With the growing interest in the demonic and occult in the west, In this podcast, we discuss an issue that could make you vulnerable to demonic attack, through 'mind games.'

In this podcast, I discuss the gifts, yes that's in the plural, gifts of healing. God does not want a handful of TV evangelists healing the sick, He wants an army of healers.

To successfully move in the gift of prophecy, we need to be able to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. In this podcast, I want to share three things that can lead to us delivering false prophetic words.

In this podcast, I discuss the seer anointing, which is part of the Gift of prophecy, that the Holy Spirit has given to the church.

This podcast discusses prophecies given by a now deceased prophet Kim Clement in 2007 on the rise of American billionaire, Donald Trump, to be president of the United States. Not only did he seem to predict that, but Clement said Trump would serve two terms.

In this podcast, I discuss three reasons why we see so many more people being possessed by evil spirits in the New Testament than in the Old.

In this podcast, Wayne Johnston discusses one of his favorite Bible characters, Shammah. The man who defended a lentil patch.

When Jesus discussed the Kingdom of God in the Gospels, He compared it to one of the Middle East's most invasive weeds. This comparison predicted the explosive growth of the church.

Wayne Johnston uses the story of the widow's mite as a backdrop for two things that took place at his church's pre-service prayer time.

In this second of my two part series, I discuss the last three of my eight reasons why I believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are intended for today. It seems that the Holy Spirit is manifesting His gifts even among those who don't believe in them.

Over the past couple of months, I have been doing a series on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the importance of spiritual gifts. It has attracted the attention of cessationists who don't believe the spiritual gifts are for today. In this first of two podcasts, I discuss eight reasons why I believe the spiritual gifts are still for today.

By Dean Smith In this podcast, I discuss one of the more controversial Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gift of Tongues. Why does the Holy Spirit give this gift? What is its purpose?

By Dean Smith In this podcast, I discuss my very brief encounter with the gift of faith, one of the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12.

By Dean Smith In this podcast, I discuss what I believe is the greatest hindrance to the moving of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives and the church.

The Bible talks about a Second work of grace, after salvation, where believers are filled with the Holy Spirit. It through this Baptism of the Holy Spirit that we can be empowered like the early church.

In this podcast, I discuss the touchy issue of forgiving our parents and how it potentially impacts our perception of God. I know of instances where parents have been dead and buried for years and yet are still alive in their children's minds because of unresolved issues.

In this podcast, Dean talks about laying on of Hands and the impartation of the Holy Spirit, which is called one of the foundational doctrines of the Bible in Hebrews 6:1-2.

I believe God is calling believers to start praying more, and as part of this, we need to engage in prophetic prayer. In this podcast, I discuss what it means to pray prophetically.

Dean Smith interviews Diane Harrison on the Gift of Prophecy. Diane serves as the Prophetic coordinator for LifeLinks, an international network of churches.

Using an illustration from a Christmas journey many years back, Wayne Johnston explains what it means when the Apostle Paul writes that Jesus came in the 'fullness of time.'

In this podcast, I discuss the world's greatest earthquake. This one, of course, hasn't happened yet. It is one that the Apostle John saw occurring during the apocalyptic events leading up to Christ's second coming recorded in the Book of Revelation.

Wayne Johnston shares a word for 2024. As the darkness covers the earth, like the wise men, we need to focus on the light.

When it comes to the Christmas story, many have wondered who exactly were the Magi, that came to Bethlehem looking for the newborn king of the Jews?