What do you do with people who accepted the truth but continue to attend their denominational churches?
Question: What is your advice to the teachers of a group of people who have been taught the word in a group Bible study, have accepted it, gotten baptized, but do not want to attend the Lord’s church? They have wholeheartedly for months have been happy to keep studying the Scriptures and are making positive…
Read MoreThere Will Be Difficult Times
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/There-Will-Be-Difficult-Times.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreEmotional Worship of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Emotional-Worship-of-God.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreThere Must Needs be Heresies
by David Edwin Harrell, Jr. Vanguard, Volume 1, #1 January 1975, pp. 21-22 After a few weeks of study at St. John’s University and Abbey, I am impressed by the perceptive Roman Catholic analysis of the weaknesses of Protestantism. They insist that Protestants are pressed between two unacceptable extremes. One extreme grows out of the…
Read MoreGoing Home
by Fanning Yater Tant Gospel Guardian, October 13, 1955 The summer’s work has ended. After a long and lonely absence, I am going back to Texas. Only a few hours ago I was speaking to a house filled with people in Sunnyvale, California. Now it is shortly after midnight, and I am nearly three miles…
Read MoreWhere is the land of Ophir?
Question: How true is the theory of the Philippines being the land called Ophir as stated in the Bible? Answer: “Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah and Obal and Abimael and Sheba and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons…
Read MoreShould I see a prostitute?
Question: I am 37. I live in a shared house where we can’t have a partner. I live on a low pension fund and my social worker has suggested seeing a sex worker so I can experience it at least once. Being a Christian, I have mixed feelings as I know I won’t have a…
Read MoreShould I tell my girlfriend that I cheated on her?
Question: I and my girlfriend have been in a distant relationship for over two years. We’ve decided to marry after her graduation. I never had any intention of cheating on her before. But recently I had to be with a girl for academic purposes. I spent hours in her home doing our projects. We became…
Read MoreLimits of the Old Testament
by Terry Wane Benton The Old Testament was the inspired, God-given rule of law for the nation of Israel. It was not given to all people. “The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us” (Deuteronomy 5:2-3). Nehemiah spoke to God about the history of Israel: “You came down also on…
Read MoreCan The Bible Prove Itself?
by Terry Wane Benton Atheists laugh when a Christian uses the Bible to “prove” it is the word of God by appeal to the fact that the Bible claims to be the word of God. Of course, it is not just the fact that the Bible claims to be the word of God, but the…
Read MoreHow Do We KNOW the Bible Is True?
by Jefferson David Tant Introduction For thousands of years, a book has influenced the world. Eastern and Western civilizations have had their laws, customs, and culture molded by the teachings of this ancient document. Kingdoms have risen and fallen in keeping with prophetical statements contained within its pages. In the 550 years since Johannes Gutenberg…
Read MoreWitchcraft Is Still With Us
by Jefferson David Tant Witchcraft has been around for a long, long time. Way back in Leviticus 19:31, Israel is warned about such: “’Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.” The KJV refers to them as “familiar spirits” and…
Read MoreYou’re Not the Woman!
by Calvin Schlabach I was chided on social media by an old friend for my opposition to abortion. “You are not the woman!” she declared. I thought I would share the response with you. I cited no Scripture because she demonstrated no concern for the Bible. Of course, I am not. And you are not…
Read MoreLove and Repentance
by Terry Wane Benton It is common these days to hear people use scriptures that say that God “loves” everyone and commands us to love everyone. But they use this to mean that God “accepts” everyone regardless of their sin and attitude toward sin. They often call this “unconditional love.” Often we are told that…
Read MoreI’m worn out being a wife to my husband
Question: Good afternoon, I have been married for over ten years and have been abundantly blessed with children. These past years have been a nightmare. I cannot be married to him anymore. I just cannot do this anymore. He is a very angry man. He mismanages the finances, has made so many terrible decisions, and we are…
Read MoreAll or None!
by Jefferson David Tant We have all faced certain times when we had to make some tough decisions, with no option of going “halfway” in what we chose. It was either “all” or “none.” There was no “middle ground.” Now, allow me to make a spiritual application, in that with respect to believing in God…
Read MoreWhy Don’t We Just Kill Him?
by Edward W. Pagan Sentry Magazine, March 2001 The title of this article comes from one of the first movies that Tom Hanks made called The Man with One Red Shoe. It describes the infighting that goes on between two rivals within the CIA and their efforts to ruin each other’s careers. The line, in…
Read MoreWaiting
by Ed Harrell Christianity Magazine, Volume 3, No. 4, April 1986 In recent years, the most bone-chilling, foreboding thought tightly caged in the back of my mind has had to do not with nuclear war or heart attacks, but old age. I do not fear the bright and sunny days of those advanced in years…
Read MoreI don’t believe Apollyon is Satan
Question: In regards to Is Satan female? you said one of his names was Apollyon and cited Revelation 9:11. But read Revelation 9:1-11 and 20:1-2. Apollyon binds Satan. Answer: “They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon” (Revelation…
Read MoreYour Belief about Origins and Your Children’s Behavior
by Alan Smith PBS film critic and columnist Michael Medved shared this anecdote out of his Jewish heritage: “A few years ago, Rabbi Jacob Karmenetky made a trip to Israel accompanied by his teenage grandson. Ironically, these two deeply religious people were seated In the airplane next to a prominent Israeli socialist leader and outspoken…
Read MoreWhat My Parents Taught Me
by Jefferson David Tant Vanguard Magazine, November 1982 All parents teach their children — consciously, subconsciously, positively, negatively, by example, by word. Children are even taught to be what their parents fail to teach. In our generation, many parents have abdicated their teaching roles to TV, schools, their children’s peers, and other influences. I am…
Read MoreThree Aspects of Learning
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Three-Aspects-of-Learning-1.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 24:3-6 I. There are three aspects to learning, whether we talk about school work or Bible study A. Proverbs 2:6 – The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding B. Proverbs 24:3-4 – Compared to a house 1. Knowledge is the comprehension of facts. It fills our minds with pleasant and useful…
Read MoreKnowledge
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Knowledge.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 1:3-12 I. There was a period in world history known as the Dark Ages. A. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, society decayed for centuries B. Compared to the earlier periods, very little was written. C. Very little advancement in knowledge and ideas were made. 1. Education of the populace, as…
Read MoreHow can my sins be forgiven without receiving salvation?
Question: Good day, Acts 2:38 says after obeying the gospel our sins will be forgiven and we will receive salvation (gift of Holy Spirit). Please expound on how my sins can be forgiven without receiving salvation. Thanks. Answer: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus…
Read MoreWorking with the Smaller Groups
by Mike Davis Since 1975, God has blessed me to work “full time” with His children and to seek and save the lost. During these several years, God has permitted me to speak the gospel to large crowds (the most was over 200 at one time), and to speak the gospel in several states other…
Read MoreI don’t feel connected to God or other people
Question: Hello, I apologise in advance for what may be a lengthy email, but I would love to hear your thoughts on my situation. I am concerned about whether I am loving God properly. I believe in God and the Bible, I am Christian and I try to obey the commandments, (no fornication, no alcohol…
Read MoreWould We Recognize Trends Which Point to an Apostasy?
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, March 2001 Salmagundi I have been attending churches of Christ for more than fifty years. I have been preaching the gospel for more than forty of them. I do not think it presumptuous to suggest that I know what I am talking about. The things that point to apostasy are not…
Read MoreGod Is Light and in Him Is No Darkness at All
by Mark Chatfield Sentry Magazine, March 2001 Einstein said, “It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.” With all his knowledge, he knew a simple truth that nothing can be seen when light is totally absent. Moreover, man could not exist at all except that God said, “Let there be…
Read MoreHandling the Scriptures Aright
by Terry Wane Benton Audience Confusion is present when the scriptures are not “handled aright” (II Timothy 2:15). False teachers handle the word of God “deceitfully” (II Corinthians 4:2). There are basics to handling the scriptures carefully and correctly. Know who is writing and who they are writing to. We are reading these documents second-hand.…
Read MoreGenuine Faith
by Jefferson David Tant The topic of “faith” is often discussed and often misunderstood. Skeptics accuse Christians of having “blind faith,” or taking a “leap of faith,” meaning that there is no basis for what we believe. Thus our faith in God’s existence is no different than what I have encountered in South Africa, i.e.…
Read MoreClosing the Door on the Non-Human Neanderthal Myth
by Joshua Gurtler Modified slightly from the original publication in Biblical Insights Magazine, April 2015. It was once assumed that Neanderthal man was a missing link in human evolution. Now that evolutionists themselves have thoroughly debunked that idea, public schools continue to teach our most vulnerable young minds that Neanderthal man was an unintelligent, non-human, caveman,…
Read MoreWhy do some Christians hold fast to the idea of owning guns?
Question: Could someone explain to me why there are some Christians who hold fast to the idea behind the second amendment and owning guns? I’ve looked in the Greek text and there are no commands about self-defense or owning weapons. I understand in the Hebrew, that there are specific instances where Israel was commanded to…
Read MoreThe Legacy of Campbell’s Error
by Steve Dewhirst Sentry Magazine, December 2000 Alexander Campbell Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) was a remarkable man, but he was just a man, subject to error even as the rest. for all of his great learning, teaching, and writing over many years, he was profoundly wrong in his understanding of one vital aspect of the New…
Read MoreWhy I Left the Methodist Church (Howard)
by Raymond A. Howard Like many, or I might say most, I played church for a number of years. I only went because my friends did or it was the right thing to do. After I married, my wife is probably the reason I went, to begin with (I realized the man is the head…
Read More“Go Ye” Means “Go Me”
by Jefferson David Tant This is written with some reluctance. I feel as Paul must have felt as he tried to make a point to help his readers. “Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little” (II…
Read MoreI keep getting involved in lewd behavior that I know is wrong
Question: I need spiritual help, sir. I thank God for your life and ministry. Please, sir, I pray the Lord will use you to restore me to Himself permanently. Sir, I became born again several years ago. I have been growing through discipleship but for about two years my life has been fluctuating. The instrument…
Read MoreEating Our Own Flesh
by Rodger Trimm “Now, as to the attack the zealots made upon the people, and which I esteem the beginning of the city’s destruction, it hath been already explained after an accurate manner; as also whence it arose, and to how great a mischief it was increased; but for the present sedition, one should not mistake if he called it a sedition begotten by another sedition,…
Read MoreThe Chains of the Past
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Chains-of-the-Past.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-11 I. In Charles Dickens’ story “A Christmas Story,” Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his partner who is wear chains of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses. When asked what the chains meant, “I wear the chain I forged in life,” replied the…
Read MoreI lied about my taxes. What should I do?
Question: About 3 years ago I received a tax credit that I shouldn’t have. I was claiming kids that I was legally allowed to claim but received a childcare credit for them also. Their mom paid the childcare fees and the daycare owner admitted to me that she altered the amount paid to be higher.…
Read More“I Don’t Want My Kids to be Different”
by Greg Gwin The Beacon, January 22, 2013 Although most Christians wouldn’t say it in so many words, many parents seem to be very concerned about things that might make their kids look ‘different.’ They are concerned about raising their children in strict, disciplined ways that might make them stand out in contrast to others.…
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