Buried with Him and Raised with Him
by Terry Wane Benton The action of real baptism is very misunderstood today. People see a man dunking another person in the water and think it is a strange initiation rite, but there is much more to it than what you see with the physical eye. What is supposed to be happening in the heart…
Read MoreFollowing God’s Plan
by Zeke Flores Following the pattern of authority in the Bible isn’t hard; individuals and churches just need to make up their minds to do it. That means doing things that might run counter to what we’ve always believed. For instance, raising money for the local church using methods other than the free-will giving of…
Read MoreThe Restless Son
by Terry Wane Benton Why was he not happy at home? Jesus tells the story of a son who became restless and felt too controlled by the family rules (Luke 15:11-32). Sometimes a child can be foolish and self-centered, thinking the grass is surely greener where they can do as they please and no one…
Read MoreHow do we fix our sin?
Question: Good day I strongly need advice. My boyfriend and I have been together for 9 years. We met in church, and we are Christians. We do everything together; we pray together, read verses together. We have a 2-year-old child, and now we are expecting again. We started living together this year because the situation…
Read MoreWhen God Washed Men’s Feet
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/When-God-Washed-Mens-Feet.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: John 13:1-17 I. Jesus’ mission was drawing to a conclusion A. It was the night that Jesus would be betrayed B. Judas had already made a deal with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus C. Jesus had gathered with his disciples to eat one last Passover meal and to give…
Read MoreWhy Are You a Member of the Church of Christ?
by Vance E. Trefethen via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 A full-page ad for the book “Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ” recently caught my eye, with its bold headline: “Now Is the Time to Act.” Much of the message carried in this conservative journal was true—and quite disturbing.…
Read MoreSomething Missing in Our Culture
by David V. Hurst via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 None can deny the drastic shift in our culture’s attitude toward God over the last thirty years. This often causes special problems for the Christian and his children. How do we instill in our children and others genuine values concerning God? Our…
Read MoreHolding One Another Accountable
by Doy Moyer Christians ought to cherish their fellowship with one another, for what we have in common in Christ is greater than what the world can ever offer. Yet we are people, and people sin. People do foolish things. People hurt others, and as a result, relationships are often destroyed. Learning to live with…
Read MoreThe Sin of Pride
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sin-of-Pride.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Psalms 73:1-12 I. Pride is prevalent in our society A. Pride in our work B. Pride in yourself – often called self-esteem C. Pride in sin. We have a whole month called “Pride Month” to celebrate sin D. Letters come addressed not just to the church, but to “Senior Pastor” or…
Read MoreDaily Verses for Overcoming Lust
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton A young man was struggling with pornography and called me to discuss how to deal with it. He mentioned that he did better when he was a part of a program that had him read a daily passage and discuss how it applied to his problem. The problem was that a…
Read MoreWas Jesus baptized to usher in his priestly ministry?
Question: Good morning, Jeffrey, I pray you are well! I have a couple of questions that I’ve been pondering, and I would love your help in finding answers in the scriptures. Thank you in advance! What does I John 5:6-8 mean? Especially the part that says that Jesus “came by water and blood”? I read…
Read MoreShould I marry someone who is hiding his faith?
Question: Dear Brother, I accepted Jesus Christ a few years ago. I come from a Hindu family. I like a guy, and he was a Hindu too. As I kept on talking to him about Jesus, one day he accepted Jesus Christ. He said he can no longer view his old religion the way he…
Read MoreHow does God see an annulment?
Question: Good morning, I have been discussing annulment with someone. My question is: What is an annulment in the eyes of God? I know they can’t remarry, and dating may be a sin as well. My other question is: If they try to reconcile later, would they need to go through the marriage ceremony again?…
Read MoreAre We Putting God in a Box?
by Vicky Buckwalter Can We Put God in a Box? There’s a phrase I’ve heard more and more often in the Lord’s Church — and honestly, I’ve even said it myself once or twice: “We can’t put God in a box.” At other times, it sounds like this: “The Holy Spirit isn’t bound within the…
Read MoreWhy Remain a Christian When Christians Sin?
by Doy Moyer Why do we stay faithful to Jesus when so many churches and people do so much wrong? It’s a common complaint. Here is an elder, a deacon, or a preacher who fell from grace in some way or abused other members. Here is a church that is worldly and selfish, turning a…
Read MoreCan I give on other days than Sunday?
Question: Good day, Is the giving during Sunday worship any different from voluntary giving at any other time? Suppose a brother receives a salary on Wednesday and knows he may overspend that month, so he decides to transfer the money to the church account rather than splitting his giving into four. Has he sinned? Answer: “Now…
Read MoreMary No Longer Called Co-Redemptrix
Source: Talia Wise, “Pope Leo Declares Jesus Alone Saved the World, Rejects Title of Mary as ‘Co-Redeemer’,” CBN, 7 November 2025. “A decree from Pope Leo’s office firmly rejects the claim that Mary, Jesus’ mother, helped save the world from damnation, settling a debate that has baffled the Catholic community by stating that Jesus alone…
Read MoreOnly a Fool Underestimates Temptation
by Gary Henry WordPoints.com “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13). We need to pray for deliverance from the evil one, as Jesus taught us to do. We often call this prayer the…
Read MoreGrace and Baptism
by David Gibson To say that baptism is essential to salvation does not at all contradict the truth that we are saved by grace. We can never earn our salvation. Baptism is a condition of salvation. It is likely that others have made the following points, but they need to be reiterated. Dipping seven times…
Read MoreKnowing Who You Are
by Hugh DeLong As Jesus and the apostles gather for their last supper, the apostles continue to bicker and fuss about who among them was the ‘greatest’. This has been going on almost the whole time they have been apostles! All three gospels record one episode (cp. Mark 9:33-37; Matthew 18:1-5; Luke 9:46). Jesus calls…
Read More“How Much More” – The God Who Cares
by David Gibson More than once, Jesus used a telling phrase that beautifully conveys how much God truly cares about us. “. . . which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then,…
Read MoreHebrews Was Written to Saved People
by Terry Wane Benton The inspired writer of Hebrews is not writing to people who were almost saved and could be saved with a little more persuasion, but rather, he is writing to saved Jews on the verge of giving up and returning to their former life in Judaism. The writer speaks of how they…
Read MoreThe Growth of the Church
by Hugh DeLong It is difficult for us to read the events in John 12 and feel the same excitement that gripped the people in Jesus’ day. The city is filling up with people who have come to celebrate and observe the Passover. “Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up…
Read MoreOn Making the Father’s Will Preeminent
by Garry Henry WordPoints.com “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Doing the will of His Father was the ultimate, overriding priority for Jesus. To Him, nothing…
Read MoreA False Measure of Goodness
by Clay Gentry At a recent funeral, the preacher acknowledged that the deceased had never attended church, nor was he particularly religious. “Still, he was saved,” the preacher said, “because he trusted Jesus when he was young.” Rather than showing evidence of a transformed life, the preacher highlighted three aspects of the deceased’s “goodness” to…
Read MoreIf we have eternal life, do we have it permanently?
Question: If we have eternal life, doesn’t that mean we have it permanently? Answer: We have eternal life in promise. Just as formerly, we had eternal condemnation in promise. The promise of eternal damnation is to the unbeliever who can change their destiny by belief and repentance. Change your destiny by changing your direction and…
Read MoreThe Last Words of Peter, Eyewitness of Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Just before Peter died, he wrote his final letter (II Peter). He had been sharing “the knowledge of God” (II Peter 1:2). It was not a myth or a fairytale. He was privileged to share real “knowledge of God.” Others had shared mythology, but Peter knew he was sharing “truth” and…
Read MoreCompetition
by Zeke Flores No parent wants their child to feel left out, unappreciated, or useless. That’s understandable, but the answer for some was to stop keeping score for sporting events so there would be no winners or losers and award “participation trophies” to everyone who showed up. “There, that ought to help their self-esteem,” some…
Read MorePeter’s Conviction
by Terry Wane Benton Peter, another eyewitness and apostle of Jesus, was recorded by Luke regarding several of his testimonial accounts. See Luke’s impressive documentation of Peter’s presentation of the evidence of Jesus, as Luke recorded them in summary in Acts 2, 3, and 10. Luke recorded these speeches to show future generations the kind…
Read MoreIs restitution require on past taxes?
Question: Hello, I hope you’re having a blessed day! I need some advice, if you please. In the past, my sister has committed past dishonesty in her tax forms, and I was wondering if restitution is required? Should she have to make things right by admitting to it and repaying whatever she owes? And what…
Read MoreMust We Use One Loaf and One Cup?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton A few brethren contend that the Lord’s Supper must be served using one loaf and one cup that everyone shares. “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since…
Read MoreWho Can Perform a Baptism?
by Samuel Matthews “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have…
Read MoreDoes God’s Love Mean We Are Automatically Saved?
by Terry Wane Benton The fallacy of the argument about God’s love is that if it means we will be eternally saved because God loves us, then no one would be lost (II Peter 3:9). However, many will be lost (Matthew 7:13-14). Loving us and accepting us are two different things. His love wants us,…
Read MoreThe Paradoxes of God’s Method to Save
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Paradoxes-of-Gods-Method-to-Save.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 55:6-11 I. Have you noticed the Bible contains one message, but that message causes conflicting responses A. One group sees the gospel as foolishness, while the other sees it as the power of God – I Corinthians 1:18; Romans 1:16 B. The difference is not in the message…
Read MoreDoes the Bible only say to flee from lust?
Question: Is it true that the only sin the Bible tells us to flee from is lust? Some Christians make the claim that I shouldn’t fight lust and that I should flee from it instead. I don’t see anything wrong with saying that Christians should fight against lust, but apparently, I am wrong for saying…
Read MoreBoasting of His Weakness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Boasting-of-His-Weakness.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: II Corinthians 12:1-10 I. False teachers of the Jewish persuasion had entered the congregation in Corinth A. They wanted to convince the brethren that they had to follow the Law of Moses to be acceptable to God. B. The problem was dealing with Paul. 1. His teaching was clearly contradictory…
Read MoreEmploying Our Opportunities
by Greg Kline via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 “Eat your food. There are kids around the world who are starving.” This may be one of the most clichéd lines a parent can give a child who is resisting their vegetables. Frankly, it is an attempt to shame their child into eating his…
Read MoreShould we use the Old Testament to bind covering our thighs?
Question: Good evening, Should we use Exodus 28:42 to bind covering our thighs all the way down to the knees? There has recently been controversy over whether the context of this verse provides a clear indication of what the Hebrew word yarek refers to. I’ve heard sermons from both sides, and I’m curious about your…
Read MoreGuardian Angels
by Mike Johnson What is a guardian angel? Many believe that God assigns people a personal guardian angel to guide and protect them from harm, providing both physical and spiritual protection. This viewpoint can be comforting. Moreover, it might be considered a great advantage for people to think of themselves as having “their angel” working…
Read MoreThe Prophetic Word Made More Sure
by Terry Wane Benton Peter said that he and the other apostles (James and John) were “eyewitnesses” to Jesus’ transfiguration (II Peter 1:16-18). But, in addition, “we have the prophetic word made more sure” (II Peter 1:19). The case is very strong, bolstered by eyewitness testimony; however, the fact that their testimony aligns so perfectly…
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