How could the gospel have been preached to the whole world?

Question: Dear brother Jeffrey, There is something that has puzzled me for a long time. It is the statement that the gospel has been preached in the whole world in the Apostles’ day. I can’t understand how this could be because the western hemisphere had not been discovered at that time. For example, how could…

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Can you explain “the way of a man with a maid”?

Question: Hi Jeff, Can you explain Proverbs 30:19, especially the statement: “the way of a man with a maid.” Answer: “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of…

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Truly Great Commitment

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring8TrulyGreatCommitment.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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Should aid be given to a member who doesn’t attend worship often?

Question: Good day, Would it be scriptural to refuse a widow benevolence because of very poor attendance at the worship services? Answer: Are you talking about benevolence by individuals? Then it would be up to the individual to decide. Individuals are to do good to all people (Galatians 6:9-10). Are you talking about benevolence by…

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Faith in God’s Man and Method

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring7FaithInGodsManAndMethod.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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Does Jesus Offend You?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring6DoesJesusOffendYou.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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This Isn’t What I Expected

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring5ThisIsntWhatIExpected.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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Acts 2 and 3 and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

by Doy Moyer When you layout Acts 2 and 3, there are some great comparisons. Both begin in the same basic way (Men of Judea, Men of Israel) and contain at least these similarities: They start by clearing up misunderstandings and reference a direct act of God’s power (Acts 2:15-20; 3:16-18). They show how the…

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Compassion

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring4Compassion.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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Christianity Concentrate

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring3ChristianityConcentrate.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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Lessons from Matthew

by Raymond Warfel, Jr. of Palestine, IL April 8-13, 2018 My Beloved Children (I John) Mankind Is My Business Christianity Concentrate (Matthew 5-7) Compassion (Matthew 9) This Isn’t What I Expected (Matthew 11) Does Jesus Offend You? (Matthew 15) Faith in God’s Man and Method (Matthew 16-19) Truly Great Commitment (Matthew 20)

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Mankind Is My Business

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring2MankindIsMyBusiness.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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My Beloved Children

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring1MyBelovedChildren.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew

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I couldn’t help myself and I slept with a prostitute

Question: Hello, I am writing in the hope that you could advise me. I have never been baptized, though I have tried to be a practicing Christian. The problem is that although I knew better, and that I shouldn’t, I gave in to temptation and slept with a prostitute. I wish I had not done…

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I feel like I’m the worst person in the world

Question: Good day sir, I came across your page and the contents of it really touched me. I have a problem, but the solution seems very difficult a road for me to take. Looking back at my life, there are a lot of things I stood against only for me to eventually become a partaker…

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I want to join the military, but my parents object

Question: I’m 17 years old and am about to graduate. Recently I have been given the opportunity to either go into the military or attended a university. I’m wanting to go into the military. My reason is that I want to help protect the U.S. from foreign dangers, but my parents don’t see it like…

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Why can’t I stop committing fornication with my girlfriend?

Question: I wasn’t a Christian but she was, even though she was not baptized. Later, I attended a campaign held by her church, and I was baptized with my girlfriend on the same day. We were in the same church for several years. Later we were attracted to each other again, and we had sex.…

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Christians in First Century Corinth

by Hugh DeLong We live (lived, past tense, as our world is quickly changing), in a time when Christianity (the basic principles) is the majority belief. The concept of one god is accepted. Such was not true back in the first century. The pagan world was full of gods. Such were woven into the very fabric of the lives…

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Must the Old Testament be taken as symbolic?

Question: Hello! I’m a former atheist who recently found God again, but I have one thing I’m really struggling to get, and that is how I can weave together science and the Bible, in particular the Old Testament. I have, after reading different approaches, personally come to the conclusion that it must be read as…

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Your answer was a law school-quality dialogue

Question: I came across this exchange, Is marriage only bound after sex?, while researching the topic for personal reasons, and I had to thank somebody for publishing such a concise and information-dense exchange between these two. It really gave me the information I needed to work some things out. This was a Law-School-Quality dialogue. Answer: Thank…

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Aren’t there animals in heaven?

Question: According to your previous answer to the question raised in regards to animals having souls: you said, they have souls but will go down to the earth when they die. Human spirits will ascend to Paradise. Here is my question: What about the animals found in heaven according to the book of Isaiah 11:6-9;…

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My parents object to my becoming a missionary

Question: Hi, I am currently a senior in high school. I have been considering the idea of becoming a preacher sometime in the future. I am considering doing some mission work before committing to the pulpit role. My parents are not in great support of the idea of mission work. They are concerned about how…

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Jehu’s Reformations

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/JehusReformations.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 12:25-33 I.         After the northern tribes separated from Judah, the kingdom they established was never ruled by a good king.             A.        The very first king, Jeroboam, sought to stabilize his country by establishing his own religion – I Kings 12:25-33                         1.         He feared defection if the people crossed into Judah…

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The Church in Crisis

by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr. I have a sermon titled “Crises in the Jerusalem Church” that I preach from time to time. It is based on notes that I took on a sermon I heard brother Clinton Hamilton preach many years ago. It points to several crises faced by the first congregation of Christians ever.…

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Is Jesus a Bad Teacher?

by Jeremy Crump Have you ever had a teacher that just wouldn’t give you a straight answer? I remember a math teacher I had in high school who I’d ask for help and instead of solving the problem for me, she’d give me some hints and then send me back to my seat to work…

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Will faithful Christians face judgment on Judgment Day?

Question: Hello, I am a member of the church of Christ. Will faithful Christians face judgment on Judgment Day? If yes, is giving an account and being judged the same thing? Answer: Judgment is based on both the good and the bad that we have done. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat…

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What is speaking in tongues?

Question: What is speaking in tongues and what does it prove? Answer: In Acts 2:5-12 the apostles were speaking in a way that people from 15 different nationalities were able to understand the speakers in their own tongue.  Since the hearers heard a language that they understood, it stands to reason that the language of…

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Can’t I just worship with different congregations each Sunday?

Question: Good evening Minister, I have been a member of the Lord’s church for over five years. I’ve been a faithful member; however, I had some concerns about some things that were going on in worship. I left my home-based church where I felt like I was ostracized because I’m a single woman. I began…

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Your points are concise, plausible, and substantiated by the Scriptures

Question: I wanted to say thank you, at least for the two articles of yours I have read so far. I have been raised in what I would presume would be considered a “moderate” congregation of the church. I have some family members that attend a more “conservative” congregation. For the record, I have a…

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Your site is one of my favorites

Question: Hello, I just had to thank you again for your site. I consider it a favorite. I loved your article on Matthew 24. I think it is right on. I am in what you might call an institutional church of Christ. Thanks again. Answer: I’m glad you are finding the material useful in your studies.

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My husband’s family is denying him a traditional marriage

Question: I have been having this dilemma and do not know how else to proceed. My fiancé and I had a civil marriage with the consent of both parents. A year later we were to have a traditional wedding (as I am African) and then a church ceremony. Long story short, my fiancé’s parents withdrew…

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Muddy Times

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/MuddyTimes.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 40   I.         Psalms 38-40 cover related themes on the problems caused by sin             A.        Sin is an overwhelming burden and they cause problems in life – Psalms 38:3-8             B.        Sin can cause anxiety – Psalms 38:18             C.        Even close friends and family tend to avoid you when you are in sin…

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What a blessing you are

Question: What a blessing you are. May God bless you for the work you are doing. Love to see answers to my problem through reading your articles. God bless you. Answer: Thank you for the kind encouragement.

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I am learning quite a bit from the sermons

Question: Thank you very much! I am learning quite a bit from the sermons, and I thought the series on Drinking in the Old and New Testaments was excellent. It provided more clarity on Jesus turning the water into wine than most other things I have seen or heard. I plan on checking into some of the…

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I can’t stop sleeping with prostitutes

Question: Hello sir, I read your article, and I felt I could tell you my deepest secret. I started sleeping with prostitutes some years back and have been fighting seriously to stop it. The problem is I have begged God for forgiveness on several occasions; yet, I fall again. Sir, I am tired of begging…

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Thank you for teaching the truth

Question: I am in my sixties. I was raised in the church of Christ. I am now a chaplain at our local prison. I want to thank you for teaching the truth that indeed will judge all mankind. Answer: Thank you for the encouragement.

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Is it supposed to be brothers or brothers and sisters?

Question: Hi Jeff, In Acts 6:3, some translations say brethren, some say brothers, and some say brothers and sisters. Which one is correct? Did the men of the congregation choose the seven or was it the whole congregation? Thank you. Answer: Like many languages, the male gender of words is used when talking about a…

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Why did the Israelites add an extra week to the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

Question: Hello, I’m from a church of Christ. I, of course, believe in worshiping after the pattern in the New Testament. How would you harmonize II Chronicles 30:23 with this? This text appears to show the Israelites adding seven additional days to the Feast of Unleavened Bread with God accepting it. There is no apparent…

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