A Passage to Ponder: Acts 15:1-29
by Ken Weliever The Preacher’s Word Have you heard the old joke about the fellow who studied the Bible by letting it fall open and putting his finger on a verse for instruction and inspiration? The first verse he turned to was Matthew 27:5. It said, “Judas went out and hanged himself.” “Wait a minute!”…
Read MoreI’m afraid to convert
Question: Good evening, I hope you are doing well and staying healthy with your family. I found your website on the Internet while I was looking for advice from Q&A’s, and I read numerous articles of yours. I am in a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend for over two years. We intend to marry each other…
Read MoreThe Good Side to the Down Side of Life
by Tau Alpha Kappa (i.e. anonymous) Sentry Magazine, September 1999 I Peter 1. 6- 7 says something extraordinary in that it points out there is a good side to the downside of life. ”Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial…
Read MoreAs Though He Needed Anything (Article)
by Doy Moyer “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25). “As though…
Read MoreBelieving the Unbelievable Story of Jesus
by Don Bunting God intends for people to come to Him by faith. Undoubtedly God could reveal Himself to humanity in a powerful, material, undeniable way. Still, God says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of…
Read MoreFalse Memories Can Be Reversed
Source: Brianna Abbott, “False Memories Can Be Planted and Then Reversed, Researchers Find,” Wall Street Journal, 22 March 2021. “The work confirms previous research on the malleability of memories while pointing to potential techniques for recognizing and rooting them out.” “Some research suggests that true memories tend to be stronger for people than false ones, Nancy…
Read MoreDrifting Away (Bassford)
by Matthew W. Bassford Hebrews 2:1 contains one of the most sobering warnings in the entire Bible: “For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.” A couple of verses later, the writer uses a rhetorical question to make the point that…
Read MoreMarking Dogs
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, September 1999 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). You now have read every passage in the New Testament which exhorts us to “mark” those who cause division. There is one other…
Read MoreHow did Peter know that it was Moses and Elijah having never seen either of them before?
Question: How did Peter know that it was Moses and Elijah having never seen either of them before? Thank you. Answer: “Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different,…
Read MoreThis Is My Body
by John Hendrix via Seeking Things Above “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). What of the body of Jesus? What do we think as we take the bread? There is no monument…
Read MoreLessons from the Mamertine Prison
by Jefferson David Tant Do you ever feel discouraged, defeated, alone, forsaken, or any other word used to describe one who is “down in the dumps?” I’m sure we have all been affected by one or more of these words in our lifetime. If you are fortunate to have escaped all these negative feelings, just…
Read MoreSo You Want to be a Preacher?
by Jefferson David Tant There is no more noble aspiration than to be a servant of the Most High God in seeking the lost and encouraging the saved. After more than 65 years of engaging in this labor of love, please allow me to share some perspectives from my viewpoint. With my father and grandfather…
Read MoreAre tattoos defacing the temple of God?
Question: Recently I heard a denominational preacher talk in favor of tattoos stating that those who opposed them used Old Testament scripture from Leviticus which has to do with the priests keeping themselves pure and unspotted (Leviticus 17:21-23). He went on to say that tattoos should define who you are and should be “spiritual” in…
Read MoreWhat Do You See in a Casket?
by Jarrod M. Jacobs After the loss of our sister Goldie last week, as I looked at her body in the casket (James 2:26), the question that I used in the title came to my mind. All people must face the reality of death. There is not a day that goes by that someone on…
Read MoreDisobedience and Unbelief
by Matthew W. Bassford The epistle to the Hebrews might be the most tightly reasoned book in the whole Bible. Sentence by sentence, clause by clause, the Hebrews writer constructs intricate arguments that establish the superiority of Christ over Moses and the folly of Christians returning to Judaism. The more closely we read Hebrews, the…
Read MoreMothers (Warfel)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Mothers.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhere God Put Water
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Where-God-Put-Water.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhat Faith Is
by Doy Moyer Faith is the demonstration of our conviction that we trust the reality of what we cannot see. That is not the same as saying there is no evidence. Trusting the reality of what we cannot see means only that our faith is not dependent on first-hand material observation. I accept historical testimony…
Read MoreCan having imaginary friends prevent you from entering Heaven?
Question: Hello, I have an odd question for you. Can having imaginary friends prevent you from entering Heaven? Answer: I must say, your question was not one I would have expected. Just over 1/3 of children invent imaginary friends. Those who do invent imaginary friends tend to be the oldest sibling in a family, an…
Read MoreI am grateful for the support of your site
Question: I have used lessons from the site the past few years to help in the creation of my own. I am writing to you after looking over the lesson on Judaizing teachers. It is helpful because you give the background that keeps things in their context, which is important. I am extremely grateful for…
Read MoreWhy am I so unlucky in love?
Question: Hello, I’m a young lady, aged 21. This issue has been bothering me for a while now and I just feel I need someone who can counsel me. Several years ago, I started my first year at college. After a few weeks, I met a very cute guy and I immediately developed a crush…
Read MoreDeath and Eternity
by Royce Frederick What happens when a person dies? On day six of creation, “the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Death occurs when the “soul” or the “spirit” of a person leaves his…
Read MoreDo you have a workbook on the Holy Spirit?
Question: First, let me thank you and those that have contributed to your webpage. I search it at least weekly. Great job. Since you have such an exhaustive set of resources on your website, I thought you might have an insight into a good classroom workbook or set of material for adult Christians on the…
Read MoreAre there rules for how the Lord’s Supper is to be conducted?
Question: Blessed day! I am a member of a church of Christ. One of my brethren suggested that we need to kneel when praying during the Lord’s Supper as a sign of respect and humility toward the body and blood of Christ. Is it right to kneel when praying during the Lord Supper? Second, do…
Read MoreReview of Songs for Worship and Praise
by Wayne S. Walker The newest general hymnbook published for use among churches of Christ is Songs for Worship and Praise, edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr., and published in 2010 by Taylor Publications of Montgomery, TX. Brother Taylor has been active in church music for many years. I believe that he set the type for…
Read MoreDid God clothe Adam and Eve in Goat Skins?
Question: Good afternoon I just read a paragraph in a wedding planner that I do not agree with. It said: ‘The fundamental nature of God is love. We are very quick to impress upon one another that what God has joined together nobody may separate. However, when Adam and Eve sinned God Himself slaughtered a…
Read MoreUnless the Lord Builds the House
by Jefferson David Tant The 127th Psalm begins with some words that are certainly applicable to us today, as we have in the world some 42,000 different denominations, all claiming to be Christian. Note the first half of the Psalms first verse: “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it.”…
Read MoreNotes on Covetousness
Prohibition Exodus 20:17, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.” Psalms 10:3, “For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, And the covetous renounceth, yea, condemneth Jehovah.” Proverbs 28:16, “The…
Read MoreOn Supporting Women
by Jefferson David Tant Sentry Magazine, December 1999 I have not seen much discussion on the question of whether or not the church can have a part in supporting women who may go into a mission field to teach women or children’s classes, or assist in individual and private teaching. I realize the Scriptures do…
Read MoreThe Conservation of Energy
by Jefferson David Tant There is an old saying about “the conservation of energy that goes like this: “Why run when you can walk, why walk when you can stand, why stand when you can sit, and why sit when you can lay down.” I guess you really would conserve your energy if you employed…
Read MoreWhat Bible Reading Can Do
by Jefferson David Tant Since God’s plan included the Scriptures, which were divinely inspired, it should be obvious that he had a purpose in mind for revealing his will for us so we could read and understand. So let us consider a few things that are revealed as to how we are profited by reading…
Read MoreDaily Bible Reading
by Keith Harris Photo by chris liu on Unsplash John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of our country, once stated, ”So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will become useful citizens of their country and respectable…
Read MoreI took some vases without asking permission
Question: I was out walking a few months ago in an area I don’t normally live. One of the neighbors was selling their home and moving to a new home. They started to trash stuff and there were two beautiful vases that I admired so much. One day I took the vases thinking that they…
Read MoreThoughts from South Africa
by Hendrik Joubert Sentry Magazine, December 1999 Convenience or Conviction? Recently I have spent much time working on helping brethren understand that as Christians we should change. We should study the Bible to find out what it is that God wants us to be. I have been thinking about some of the things that surfaced…
Read MoreCan we or should we call Jesus our brother?
Question: Can we or should we call Jesus our brother? Answer: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and…
Read MoreWhy Water?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Why-Water.mp3 Text: John 3:1-12 I. Jesus stated that unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven – John 3:5 A. We understand, despite efforts by many to avoid it, that Jesus refers to baptism when he said one must be born of water B. Today, I would like to…
Read MoreHow do I explain that I’ve changed?
Question: Hi La Vista Church and Mr. Jeff, Hope everyone and yourself are doing well. I just came to know your website while browsing today and I shared it to my social media accounts and messenger groups. I am fasting and what a great blessing to feast upon your articles and answers to different questions…
Read MoreA Conversation with Mormon Elders
by Jimmy Ferguson Many of us have received a knock on the door from young men claiming to be “elders” in the Mormon Church. While we admire their enthusiasm, it saddens us that these young men have been led into error. Some time ago I had an opportunity to sit down with these Mormon “elders.”…
Read MoreImmersion, Pouring, and Sprinkling: A History
by Bruce Edwards, Jr. Truth Magazine XIX:27 (May 15, 1975), pp. 422-424 This writer can remember witnessing at the age of five the “baptism” of his infant cousin; the denominational “pastor” sprinkled drops of water upon his forehead. I wondered at the significance of that action then, but now, with an increased understanding of the…
Read MoreWhy No Instruments of Music?
by Bobby Graham Sentry Magazine, December 1999 This question often comes from honest people, wondering why some of us do not use such mechanical instruments in the worship of the Lord. It is a fair question that demands a fair answer. All worship of God is limited by whatever divine instructions have been given for our…
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