The Work of the False Teacher
by Matthew W. Bassford In an epistle that contains a number of negative descriptions, Romans 16:17-18 is the last. Here, though, Paul is not concerned with degenerate Gentiles or hard-hearted Jews. Instead, he focuses on troublemakers within the Christian community. They have the following four characteristics: They Create Division Disciples of Christ are supposed to…
Read MoreA Good Sermon
by Terry Wane Benton A sermon is good if it is scripturally full and accurate because all scripture is good (II Timothy 3:16-17). The delivery may be lacking in some way because of human weakness both on the delivery end and on the receiving end. That always needs constant attention on giving the best effort,…
Read MoreName the Hymn
/20 58 You have 180 seconds (3 minutes) to complete 20 questions. Ah! Times up! Created on December 06, 2021 Name the Hymn The clue will be the first phrase of the first verse of the hymn. Guess the title of the hymn from a multiple-choice list. You won’t necessarily get the same set of…
Read MoreIs it wrong to do volunteer work that may interfere with attending services?
Question: Jeffrey, I want to ask a question concerning non-government operations (NGOs) and volunteer groups. I have this desire to be part of such organizations and groups to help humans and contribute to society and humanity in general. But my challenge is that it can be time-consuming, which is affecting my presence in church (mostly…
Read MoreChallenges to positions on the death penalty and abortion
Question: [The following was sent in multi-color, multi-font format, which I find is usually done to distract readers. I removed all of it.] Good evening sir. Death Penalty After reading your article on ‘Early Christians and Abortion’ you seem to support the death penalty because you said, “When a criminal is put to death, it…
Read MoreMore Noble Minded
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/More-Noble-Minded.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 17:1-12 I. Paul came to Thessalonica, a city on the coast in Macedonia, to preach the gospel A. He started out in the synagogues as was his custom. 1. After three weeks of effort he convinced a few of the Jews, but large number of Greeks who had worshiped with…
Read MoreGive Us Our Daily Bread
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Give-Us-Our-Daily-Bread.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 6:9-13 I. When God created man, he was placed in a garden that provided his needs – Genesis 2:8-9 A. But man sinned and was driven from the Garden – Genesis 3:17-19 B. The basics of sustenance was no longer provided. It had to be worked for – II Thessalonians…
Read MoreHow do I find a godly man?
Question: I Corinthians 7:9 says it’s better to marry than to burn, but what if I can’t find anyone willing to build a godly marriage and abstain from premarital sex? I’m a 26-year-old woman and I have been faithful in respecting my body and God’s commandments. I’m still a virgin and haven’t fallen prey to…
Read MoreHormones
by Joe Fitch “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22) Paul reminds and warns young Timothy of the danger in youthful lusts. Not all youthful lusts are sexual, but surely sexual lusts are included — maybe top…
Read MoreMore Purposes Found for So-Called Junk DNA
Source: “Caltech Finds Amazing Role for Noncoding DNA,” Evolutionary News, 3 December 2021. “Scientists at Caltech may have sounded the final death knell for the “junk DNA” myth.” For years evolutionists have pointed to sections of the DNA and RNA strands that are not directly involved in the encoding of proteins as leftovers produced as…
Read MorePutting on the Lord Jesus Christ
by Matthew W. Bassford As you work your way through Romans, hopefully, the extraordinary quality of the epistle becomes obvious. The Book of Romans has changed the course of human history, and with good reason. The substance of Paul’s argument is astonishing in its scope, and the skill with which he argues is no less…
Read MoreWhat do I do about my abusive husband?
Question: Sir, good morning. I am in my mid-twenties. I married a guy from the same church I attend. He, also, is in his mid-twenties. He is a very short-tempered man. I have completed my master’s and he is completed high school. He trained to teach the Bible. He is a song leader and a…
Read MoreThe History of the La Vista Church of Christ
The La Vista Church of Christ was established in September of 1971. There were two families living in the area and they met for a time in the home of Ken and Rita Hirshey and their children. The other family was Wally and Nellie Bates and their children. Ken worked in a government position and Wally…
Read MoreThe “Come as You Are” Method of Church Growth
by Mike Johnson Churches want to grow in number, but, sadly, many improper methods are used by churches today to increase their membership. One of these is the “Come as You Are” method. This method of growth is prevalent today in denominationalism. Slogans such as “God loves you no matter what” or “We don’t judge…
Read MoreHow do I keep my virginity without him cheating on me?
Question: Good evening, I am a new member. Please, I am 20 years old and a virgin. I have a fiance who promised to marry me, He is always asking me to come to his place. Is it advisable? Answer: When I teach young people about sexual matters, I give extra emphasis to the young…
Read MoreWould God bless our marriage after living together?
Question: Hello! Thank you for answering so many important questions. My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 years, and we weren’t Christians when we started dating. In the last few months, our faith has shifted and we are trying to clean our lives up. We are not married, but we are living together…
Read MoreUnconditional Love?
by Terry Benton in Answering Religious Error, April 15, 2015 That God’s love is “unconditional” means one thing to one person and a different thing to someone else. The Bible does not use the expression “unconditional love” but does imply it. God “so loved” the world (John 3:16). That would mean that love is what…
Read MoreIf There Be Any Virtue
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/If-There-Be-Any-Virtue.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 7:14-25 I. One of the educational fads is “values clarification” A. Government run schools have a problem. 1. It is good for society to have morally good citizens, but the whole concept of morality assumes a standard of right and wrong that is greater than mankind. 2. How do you teach…
Read MorePersecution in Europe
Source: Joy Pullman, “In Case With Global Implications, Finland Puts Christians On Trial For Their Faith,” The Federalist, 23 November 2021. “Rasanen’s alleged crimes in a country that claims to guarantee freedom of speech and religion include tweeting a picture of a Bible verse. Potential penalties if they are convicted include fines and up to two years…
Read MoreProgressive Christians
Source: Trevin Wax, “3 Surprises from New Research on ‘Progressive’ and ‘Conservative’ Christians,” The Gospel Coalition, 9 November 2021. “In defining conservative and progressive Christians, the authors use theological rather than political criteria. Individuals who believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and say Jesus is the only path to salvation are conservative Christians.…
Read MoreNow Thank We All Our God
by Cloyce Sutton II The “Thirty Years’ War” (1618-1648) was a devastating European conflict centered in what’s now Germany. It began as a power struggle between Protestant and Catholic forces within the Holy Roman Empire but spread among various factions throughout Europe, eventually drawing in much of Central Europe, including Spanish, Swedish, French, Dutch, Croatian,…
Read MoreHigh Priest Before AD 70
by Terry Wane Benton Our AD 70 Hyper Preterists claim that the kingdom came in AD 70 and that Jesus did not begin His reign until that point in time when the temple was destroyed in Jerusalem in AD 70. Further, they have two laws and two systems operating from AD 30-70. They have both…
Read MoreI know God has been keeping me with my boyfriend, so am I wrong to stay?
Question: Praise the Lord, I’m an 18 years old Christian girl and am dating a Muslim boy who’s 22 years old now. We have been in a relationship for two years now. We are deeply in love and are planning to get married after two years when I am done with my college. About my…
Read MoreDifficult Times and Difficult People
by Doy Moyer Predators prey on gullible people when they think they spot an opportunity. This is one of the points of II Timothy 3:1-9. The difficult times in this context, though spoken of as future, included the time in which Paul was writing (note the present tense in II Timothy 3:6). These difficult times…
Read MoreChariots of Fire
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Chariots-of-Fire.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 6:8-23 I. Ben-hadad, king of Syria, caused much grief for the northern kingdom of Israel A. He made many raids into Israel, but he soon ran into problems B. While his strategies were planned in top-secret, the king of Israel always seemed to know them in advance and had…
Read MoreCan violence and wars end?
Question: We usually hear of killings, fighting, and wars, each and every day these days. All of us would love it if these would end. The question is: Can these acts of violence and wars end? Answer: “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage…
Read MoreMy Conscience
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/My-Conscience.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 4:1-5 I. Defining your conscience A. A part of every human is an awareness of what he should do in various situations B. Your conscience does not determine what is right or wrong 1. That is what judgment is for. 2. Righteous judgment is done by God’s wisdom – Proverb 8:12-17…
Read MoreWhat do you do about an adult child who remains a homosexual?
Question: If a child, who is an adult, wants to live a homosexual life, does not want to listen to God’s word, and does not claim to be a Christian, can a parent still talk to them? Can they visit their parents? Can they have a meal together? The parents are members of the Lord’s…
Read MoreI don’t want to be sorry for the wrong reasons
Question: I was raised Catholic and have not been baptized yet as an adult. For repentance do we need to go back and set everything right before being forgiven? Must we confess every lie we ever told to every person? Or is asking God to forgive us enough? And to move on from our past.…
Read MoreExamining the Great Commission
by Jefferson David Tant Among the most familiar Bible passages that are known and memorized, are the words Christ spoke to his disciples before he returned to his home that he left 33 years before. There is more to the passage than memorized words, and we want to give some thought to what Christ said.…
Read MoreRecent Evidence Shows?
by Warren E. Berkley Several years ago scientists (especially in the behavior field) formed a research team. The simple question to be studied was: What can be done for people who are depressed? Not severe depression that has some physiological cause. Just people who visit a therapist and they present symptoms of depression; functional but…
Read MoreAre surrogacy and invitro-fertilization sinful?
Question: Good morning sir, I want to ask about the biblical principle on surrogacy and IVF. To me, since it involves the termination of an embryo, it seems wrong and more like a scientific abortion. I’ll be glad if you can shed more light on this, sir. Thank you. Answer: Like many things, surrogacy and…
Read MoreIs the second coming the last promise to be fulfilled?
Question: Is the second coming of Christ the last prophecy to be fulfilled? Answer: The judgment comes after the second coming. Heaven or hell awaits after the judgment (II Peter 3:13; I John 2:25). Thus, there are other promises that happen after the second coming.
Read MoreDid the vows I made in my head marry me to someone else?
Question: Hi! Before I married the love of my life, I would read stories online where the reader would marry either a character or a real person in the stories. I cannot remember if any of these stories included vows that I may have read and given in my head as I read. I struggled…
Read MoreSpiritual Thoughts, Spiritual Words
by Matthew W. Bassford The fundamental question of our faith is whether the Bible is the inspired word of God. If it is, we can rely on its contents. If it isn’t, everything we believe in, from the creation to the resurrection, is built on a foundation of sand instead of rock. Not surprisingly, then,…
Read MoreLet’s Be Reasonable
by Ken Green “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5 ESV). “Let’s be reasonable, shall we?” We don’t usually say (or hear) those words till we’re in a conflict that has escalated well beyond reasoning. Paul says we should be known for being reasonable. It starts with rejecting…
Read MoreWhat are some practical ways to spread the gospel?
Question: Good morning Brother Hamilton, I’d like to design a flyer to distribute in my hometown to inform people about our congregation. We live in a rural area that has numerous churches, and many of the churches of Christ are institutional. The few non-institutional congregations are small and shrinking. Your website’s home page is a…
Read MoreHow much confidence do I need in God?
Question: Mr. Hamilton I have another question I’d like to ask concerning some scripture I’ve been recently pondering and trying to understand. “But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware He that they should not enter into…
Read MoreIs leisure travel wrong?
Question: Dear brother, Do you think there is anything wrong with a Christian traveling for leisure? When traveling it is impossible to be involved in your local congregation’s work. Also, it is very hard to evangelize to anyone when you are never in one place very long and cannot form relationships. I almost feel guilty…
Read MoreA Psalm of Penitence
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/A-Psalm-of-Penitence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 51:10-17 I. There are several psalms which deal with sorrow over sin and repentance: Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, and 143. A. The context is given at the beginning of Psalm 51 B. David was a man dedicated to God. 1. Though he was told at an early age that…
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