Courtesy and Fellowship
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Read MoreCommunication
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Read MoreThe World Is Noisy… What Should Christians Do?
by Jackson Sneed via InLight Media Do you ever feel like the world is just too loud? Between constant information, opinions, notifications, and noise, it can feel overwhelming — and as Christians, that noise can make it harder to hear what really matters. In this video, we’re talking about: Why the world feels so noisy…
Read MoreDesire for Relationship
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Read MoreMade for Relationship
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Made-for-Relationship.mp3 Download Audio by Brent Paschall Draw Near to God
Read MoreDoes your congregation have a hospitality team?
Question: I am seeking to better understand whether certain practices are becoming more common among congregations of the Lord’s church. Would you please reply to the following question: Does your congregation currently have an organized ‘Hospitality Team’ (or similar group) that is tasked by the church with planning, coordinating, promoting social and/or entertainment activities?” If…
Read MoreI’m not sure Jesus is talking about actual water in John 3:5
Question: Hello, I just had some questions about John 3:5. I am not sure whether Jesus is referring to literal water here. The reason I say that is that later in the book of John, Jesus attributes the Holy Spirit and calls it “Living Water” when talking to the woman at the well. I looked…
Read MoreThree Days
by Chadwick Brewer “They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing” (Joshua 2:22). Here, after leaving Rahab’s house in Jericho, the spies spent three days hiding in the hills waiting to see if the searchers would…
Read MoreWearing Yourself Out
by Zeke Flores “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone” (Exodus 18:18). Jethro gives Moses a reality check. Moses is trying to handle everything himself. Every problem. Every dispute. Every responsibility. And Jethro basically says,…
Read MoreFrom an Unlikely Source
by Zeke Flores “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink” (Exodus 17:6). Israel is thirsty, frustrated, and convinced God has abandoned them. Instead of rebuking them, God gives water from a…
Read MoreContradiction or Expanded Details?
by Terry Wane Benton Many are those who think they see “contradictions” everywhere in the Bible, but my experience has been that after more careful consideration, these so-called contradictions are but an expansion of details, both of which can be true. For example, one common claim is that Luke says the men who journeyed with…
Read MoreIs it right to withdraw from a young woman who said she was raped?
Question: Dear minister, A young sister, according to her, was raped, and this led to pregnancy. Her father noticed something unusual about his daughter and subsequently drew the attention of her mother, which led them to find out that she was pregnant, and they had her pregnancy aborted. This matter was reported to the church,…
Read MoreWhat is the “eighth day” in Scripture?
Question: What is the “eighth day” in Scripture? Answer: It is just a way to say, “At the start of the following week.” “For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD;…
Read MoreMy Needs Are Met
by Jefferson David Tant via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 4, December 1994 Within the context of Philippians 4:10-20, are these words: “Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live…
Read MoreWho Is God?
Who Is God? (Part 1)Who Is God? – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 145 I. You run into many strange ideas in the world concerning God A. We have people stating that there is only one being called God 1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that His name is Jehovah 2. There are Pentecostal sects who…
Read MoreDo we withdraw from those who have admitted their sin?
Question: Good day Jeffery, A few months ago, in my old congregation, the preacher, a married man, was having affairs with some sisters. One became jealous and reported to the father of another sister that she was having an affair. This other sister’s father was a preacher in another congregation. He brought the matter to…
Read MoreDo we not forgive the unrepentant?
Question: Does Luke 17:3 imply that we are not to forgive a brother or sister until they have repented? I know God will not forgive until we have repented and asked him for forgiveness. Answer: “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3). Jesus states…
Read MoreThe Foundations of Radioactive Dating Methods
by John Walton via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 4, December 1994 A recent Bible study class focused on the topic of the “age of the Earth.” Considerable discrepancy exists between the age of the Earth as determined by some scientific methods and that indicated by the Bible. The accepted age of the Earth based on…
Read MoreA Case for God from His Goodness
by Ken Marrs via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 4, December 1994 The existence of God can be proven in a number of ways. For instance: Teleologically (the design of the universe demands a designer) Cosmologically (nothing can come from nothing, everything must have an antecedent clause) Mathematically (if being mathematically impossible to have all elements…
Read MoreIf the Bible Isn’t Your Standard… What Is?
by Steve Wolfgang via InLight Media For centuries, the sola scriptura debate has raged on (most notably between Catholics and Protestants) over this primary question: is scripture sufficient as our only final, authoritative standard, or do we need some sort of council or magisterium to help interpret and apply it? Why should we listen to…
Read MoreIt’s Official: I’m Dying
by Terry Wane Benton The Great Physician told me that I am going to die. I don’t know how much time I have left, but it won’t be long. The official report is found in Hebrews 9:27. I’ve noticed that people tend to show greater compassion to the dying than to the healthy. I notice…
Read MoreThe Problem with Giants
by Chadwick Brewer “And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs” (Numbers 13:23). It had been approximately a year and a half since the…
Read MoreShe Has Done What She Could
by Jason Hardin via In God’s Image “She has done what she could.” She wasn’t the first, and she wouldn’t be the last. The Gospel of Mark is full of examples. Simon, Andrew, James, and John could leave their nets and boats behind when Jesus called them to follow him (Mark 1:16-20). Simon’s mother-in-law could…
Read MoreWhen Life Feels Overwhelming
by Zeke Flores “Yahweh will fight for you while you keep silent” (Exodus 14:14). Israel is trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. Panic is rising, fear is loud, and God gives them this simple instruction: Be still. Not because the situation isn’t serious, but because God is the one who will act. Sometimes…
Read MoreIrresponsibility Crucified Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Pilate thought he could just wash his hands of any responsibility, and while we think little of Pilate for trying to pass off his responsibility, how are we better than Pilate when we do not stand up for Jesus when we should? Is Pilate really much different from us? (Matthew 27:20-24).…
Read MoreThe Path God Selects
by Zeke Flores “Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, ‘The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt'” (Exodus 3:17). God intentionally avoided the shortest route,…
Read MoreMalachi – Pointing Men to Christ
by Keith Greer Malachi contains four chapters and 55 verses. It is the 39th and final book of the Old Testament and the last Minor Prophet. Some have called it “a bridge between the Old and New covenants.” The name Malachi means “messenger of Jehovah.” The book says nothing about the man Malachi, and our…
Read MoreDishonesty Crucified Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton The fact that the chief priests were looking for anything they thought they could get to stick as a valid reason for the death sentence for Jesus (Matthew 26:59f) shows that they were corrupt and dishonest. False witnesses are liars. Those who use lies to undermine and get rid of someone…
Read MoreIgnorance Crucified Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Ignorance is not bliss. From the cross, Jesus said, “they know not what they do” (ignorance), and later Peter told the Jews that I know that you did it by ignorance (Acts 3). Ignorance is not knowing what is vitally important. When there are things we know we should do, but…
Read MoreCovetousness Crucified Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (I Timothy 6:10). We think little of Judas for selling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. But is Judas worse for being there at the time, while we sell Jesus in other ways? What have we sold him for?…
Read MoreThe Elephant in the Room (Harrub)
by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. Within our society, there is a tendency to measure success using a secular material yardstick. We identify one another by jobs (e.g., “Oh, he’s a pharmacist”), neighborhoods (e.g., “Oh, they live in Woodbury Estates”), bank accounts (e.g., “Oh, we just purchased a beach house in Destin”), and even looks (e.g., “Oh,…
Read MorePrejudice Crucified Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton When we own our part in the sins that crucified Jesus, we come to see that guilt can be the beginning of the transformation we really need. First, we see that the very sins that led to Jesus being crucified were those of ourselves. Those who were there in the flesh…
Read MoreEnvy Crucified Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Pilate knew that it was only because of envy that the Jewish leaders had brought Jesus to his judgment seat (Matthew 27:18). He thought that their envy was not so great that they would want a “notorious prisoner,” Barabbas, released instead of Jesus, but this was not so. Some religious people…
Read MoreReligion on Parade
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Religion-on-Parade.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Matthew 23:5-12 I. Jesus condemns the Pharisees many times and in our reading he condemns them for using religion as a way for people to notice them. – Matthew 23:5 A. What is a phylactery (or some translations say frontlet)? 1. It comes from passages like Exodus 13:6-9. a. The…
Read MoreThe Canon of the Bible
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Inspired Books The Canon of the Old Testament – Part 1 The Canon of the Old Testament – Part 2 The New Testament Canon False Books The Book of Enoch The Book of Jasher The Apocrypha New Testament Apocrypha – Infancy Gospels
Read MoreThe Sins that Crucified the Savior
by Terry Wane Benton The fact that the Bible says we can “crucify afresh” the Son of God (Hebrews 6:6) and “put Him to an open shame” is something that ought to weigh on our consciences. When we see how Jesus was mishandled and mistreated, it is easy to dismiss our own part in the…
Read MoreDo ‘Minor’ Issues in Scripture Actually Matter?
via InLight Media Does every issue in scripture carry the same weight? If not, how do we handle the less foundational things? Should “minor” biblical issues be important to Christians? Or should they fade into the background? In this video, we take a look at doctrines or teachings that aren’t commonly thought of as “gospel…
Read MoreAre the unsaved left behind?
Question: Are the people who are not saved left here on earth when the event in I Thessalonians 4:17 occurs? Will they be burned up according to II Peter 3? Can you help with this? Thank you. Answer: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that…
Read MoreWalk as Wise
by Edwin Crozier Text: Ephesians 5 Outside of Christ, we Gentiles walked in the futility of our minds. That is, we followed our own think-sos, pursuing the desires of our flesh and minds (see Ephesians 2:3). In Christ, instead of walking in futility, we are to look carefully how we walk, as those who are…
Read MoreGod Can Make Use of It
by Zeke Flores “But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth” (Exodus 9:16). God tells Pharaoh something surprising. Pharaoh’s continued existence isn’t a sign of strength; it’s a platform for God’s glory. God is…
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