What do I do about a leading member living with a woman?
Question: What should an individual member do when faced with a leading member, teacher, and song leader is living together with a woman of the church. It seems that the entire church is trying to ignore it. I talked to the preacher and he gave a lengthy explanation, saying the member is impotent and that…
Read MoreJust as I Am (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer Just as I am without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me. And that Thou bids’t me come to Thee O Lamb of God, I come. by Charlotte Elliot I have long thought that “Just as I am” is a beautiful, inspiring hymn. While I don’t know that it…
Read MoreComforter or Counselor?
by Matthew W. Bassford Translation is an art, not a science, and this is true even of translating the Bible. We cannot hope to establish a one-to-one correspondence between words in Koiné Greek and English so that one is an apt translation for the other every time. Instead, translators commonly are presented with several different…
Read MoreThe Bible’s Impact on Language
Many common phrases in American English have their roots in the Bible. Tell which book of the Bible each quote or allusion comes from: All things to all people Cast the first stone Doubting Thomas Eat, drink, and be merry Forbidden fruit Man after his own heart Salt of the earth Woe is me Writing…
Read MoreNew Testament Word Search
New Testament Word Search by Netagene Kirkpatrick R L U K E I W S N A I S E H P E O P T R P E T E R N E N I W H L I H H A G C I A S E M A J S I I V…
Read MoreChimney Corner Scriptures
sent by Vince Limburg There are many phrases in our language that we just “know” are in the Bible, but when we look they aren’t there. Which of the following are from the Bible and which are just a chimney-corner scripture? By the skin of my teeth All men are created equal An idle mind…
Read MoreCan You Find the Books?
OK, biblical scholars, folks who need to tear their hair out, and those folks, who have absolutely nothing else to do, here is a puzzle for you. There are thirty books of the Bible in the paragraph below — not all 66 books, only 30. See if you can locate them. Here are some hints:…
Read MoreBible Trivia (Relationships)
What woman’s advances were spurned by a handsome young slave? Who had three hundred concubines? Who deceived a man by substituting the bride’s older sister on their wedding night? Who said, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing”? Name two men who passed off their wives as their sisters. Who received the nickname…
Read MoreBible Trivia (In the Home)
He might not have been a baker, but who said “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Oops! Who broke three hundred pitchers in one night? Momma always told you, but who got into trouble because they did not wash their hands before eating? Who slept on an iron bed that was over 13 feet…
Read MoreBible Trivia (General Questions)
Though people refer to the Bible by this name, the name is not found in the Bible. What is the name? How did Elisha make iron float on water? What is the shortest verse in the New Testament? What is the shortest psalm? What is the longest verse in the Bible? Which books in the…
Read MoreBible Trivia (Fashion)
Who’s fashion statement included clothing made from camel hair? Who inherited Elijah’s cloak? Who had a seamless garment? What woman made a pair of kid gloves for her son? It wasn’t a look-alike contest, but who were mistaken for Jupiter and Mercury? Who had his hair cut once a year? Yet another unusual fashion statement:…
Read MoreBible Trivia (Death)
Who was the first person killed? Who was buried in a cave with his wife? Name two Hebrews who were embalmed by Egyptians. Who accidentally hanged himself in a tree? Name the seamstress who didn’t remain dead. Whose death occurred simultaneously with an earthquake but was not due to the earthquake? Who hanged on gallows…
Read MoreBible Trivia (At Work)
What was the penalty for working on the Sabbath? You thought your boss was difficult; who had his wages changed ten times? What preacher made tents to support himself? What two lawyers are mentioned by name in the New Testament? Who built the first city? Name the physician who became an author. What composer is…
Read MoreBible Trivia (Animals)
In what way were the disciples to be like snakes? Who blamed a beast for the evil they had committed? One day, Isaiah said, lions would eat what? Name two people who talked with an animal? What did Jonah do while he was in the great fish? Complete the following: A living dog is better…
Read MoreBible Literacy Quiz #4
Are the following True or False? T F Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. T F Ahab was a prophet of Baal. T F “Blessed” means favored or happy. T F Paul told us to “Prove all things.” T F Ehud was a left-handed judge. T F Scribes escorted Paul to Caesarea. T F Pilate…
Read MoreHow will the current election affect Christianity?
Question: How does the U.S election affect Christianity? Too many Christians here say Trump’s victory is mandatory or else the New World Order will take over the world and their vaccines, for example, will be used to destroy man. Some say Trump’s declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel is fulfilling the scripture. Which scripture? That…
Read MoreWell, I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle
by Jefferson David Tant The above title is an old saying expressing complete surprise or amazement. While that saying has a humorous side, in another sense, it could be used by one claiming to be somebody’s great-great-great-uncle today from many ages ago. I like Carson’s response to the fellow who felt he was an ignoramus…
Read MorePsalms 100
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Psalms-100.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 100 I. There is a psalm which is specifically titled as one to be used for thanksgiving or during a thank offering, it is Psalms 100 II. What you should do … A. Shout joyfully to the Lord 1. Some things are not meant to be kept in – Psalms 32:11;…
Read MoreWith Gratitude in Our Hearts
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/With-Gratitude-In-Our-Hearts.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Thessalonians 5:12-24 Suggested song: Count Your Blessings I. The Ten Lepers – Luke 17:11-19 A. I’m sure all ten were happy to have been healed. B. Perhaps in their joy nine rushed off to tell their loved ones, but only one returned to say “thank you.” C. We get so caught…
Read MoreCan a congregation restore a person who was disfellowshipped by another congregation?
Question: Can a congregation restore a person who was disfellowshipped by another congregation? Answer: Members of a congregation withdraw their fellowship of someone in their midst who is living a sinful life. See Withdraw Yourselves for details. Membership in a congregation and the fellowship that ensues is done on a local level. No one can remove…
Read MoreWhat Will Your Children Remember?
by Lowell Blasingame The Psalmist said that a man’s children are “a heritage of the Lord,” (Psalms 127:4). Most admit that there is something badly wrong with parents who do not love and value their children as such. Parental love motivates us to be concerned about our children’s welfare and seek what is best for…
Read MoreI want someone to love. Why can’t I remarry?
Question: I was married for ten years. In the last four years of marriage, my husband was a deacon at the church we attended. Throughout our entire marriage he had a lying and stealing issue, and unbeknownst to me an opioids addiction as well. Long story short the opioids took over his life. He started…
Read MoreRun Through the Rain
Author Unknown Oldest copy found was dated 2010 by Anonymous A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Walmart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a…
Read MoreMy wife doesn’t want to study the Bible
Question: Hello brother. I have a question that I would like to ask and I hope you are able to respond if you have a spare moment. I foolishly married a woman who “believes in God” and attending Sunday morning worship but that’s about it. She doesn’t think that she needs to read the Bible…
Read MoreVoting and the Lesser of Two Evils
by Frank Walton In politics, one will never find the perfect candidate among flawed humanity. So then, one will often vote for the least objectional candidate with whom they agree the most. Hence, when people vote for the least objectionable candidate, they say, “This choice is the lesser of two evils.” To which someone else…
Read MoreShould a Christian Vote?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Should-a-Christian-Vote.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 5:13-16 I. David Lipscomb was a famous preacher from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s A. He wasn’t an apostle. He wasn’t inspired. But he was a knowledgeable man, and his words carried a lot of weight. B. He taught that it was a sin for a Christian to vote…
Read MoreI Will Give Thanks to You Forever
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/I-Will-Give-Thanks-to-You-Forever.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 30 I. When nice things happen, we know we ought to be thankful A. Yet, in our happiness we too often forget – Luke 17:12-19 B. However, in one of David’s Psalms, David contemplates other times we might not think of being thankful to God II. In the depths of despair…
Read MoreWhy Jesus Washed Feet
by Matthew W. Bassford The more I study the Bible, the more I am amazed at its ability to capture profound truths about human nature in a few words. One such amazing text appears in John 13:3-5. To worldly eyes, there seems to be an immense disconnect between Jesus’ self-perception and His actions. He thought…
Read MoreDo you think the circumstances changed and I might marry the man I love?
Question: It has been over a year and I did take your advice in not continuing to be with this man. We recently reconnected some months ago, since the military has brought him to the city I live in and I’ve just been thinking a lot about what happened. I told him last year that…
Read MoreTrusting in the Providence of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Trusting-in-the-Providence-of-God.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreThe Rule of Fear
by Matthew W. Bassford I suspect that the longer a preacher works with a congregation, the more the congregation gets used to the preacher and can identify his particular hobbyhorses. That being the case, I’m sure that some of you, at least, have figured out that I’m particularly interested in fear. In my time, I’ve…
Read MoreTwisting the Scriptures: The Homosexual Agenda
by Jefferson David Tant In the push to legalize same-sex marriages and make homosexual practice on the same level as to whether I prefer a blue or black necktie, some bizarre efforts are made to evade the clear Scripture teaching. One such effort is the publication of “The Queen James Bible.” This is published by…
Read MoreReading Matthew 25 as a Unit
by Matthew W. Bassford The wise and the foolish virgin by Jan Adam Kruseman, 1848 Through the years, God has managed to hammer a few insights about the Bible into my thick head. One of them is that in the gospels, the order of stories matters. It’s common for the Evangelist to arrange material so…
Read MoreWorks of the Flesh: “Things Like These”
by Ethan R. Longhenry Having warned them regarding the danger of apostasy in committing themselves to the Law of Moses (cf. Galatians 1:1-5:16), the Apostle Paul reminded the Galatian Christians regarding the conflict between the desires of the flesh and the ways of God in the Spirit and exhorted the Galatian Christians to manifest the…
Read MoreCan We Trust the Text of the Bible?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Can-We-Trust-the-Text-of-the-Bible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1:12-21 I. I was discussing with a gentleman about the location of a particular city mentioned in the Bible. A. He had found an old map that placed Baal Zephon on the Mediterranean Sea instead of on the edge of the Red Sea. Doesn’t this prove, he asked,…
Read MoreForeshadowing
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Foreshadowing.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 22:1-14 I. A mark of a good writer is his use of foreshadows to give the reader a hint of what is to come later in the story A. It gives a sense of unity to a book, but it is difficult to do well. Small details must be…
Read MoreI can’t marry my girlfriend because we are from the same clan
Question: Hi, I am from Uganda. I have lived with my girlfriend for 8 years, but it was only a few months back that I realized we belong to the same clan. I love my girlfriend because she has been there for me, but the problem is, I need a holy marriage. This last summer…
Read MoreWill there truly be no more sickness?
Question: Hi minister, Please I would like to ask about Isaiah 33:24. Is it truly saying that there will be sickness no more as the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim? Answer: Both the nations of Israel and Judah have become involved in rampant sin. They had gotten complacent (Isaiah 32:9-11). They were treacherous and destructive (Isaiah 33:1).…
Read MoreDo You Want Bible Knowledge?
by Gary Smalley I once heard an aged gospel preacher refer to a comment he received from a person who appreciated his sermons: “I wish I knew as much about the Bible as you.” His reply was, “Lady, if you study the Bible for as many years as I have you would know as much…
Read MoreSome Thoughts on God’s Wrath
by Doy Moyer One way in which God’s wrath is spoken of in Scripture is that God sometimes removes His protection and allows people to feel the consequences of the sins to which they have given themselves. Rather than intervene, He lets the “reap what you sow” principle work. Sometimes God’s wrath is carried out…
Read More