Just as I Am
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/JustAsIAm.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 51 I. “Just as I am! Without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me, and that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, Oh Lamb of God, I come! I come!” A. When each of us come to Christ, we have no argument to offer that we deserve…
Read MoreWhy would God allow me to be born a homosexual?
Question: Hi, Man of God, My question is this: if being gay is a sin, why would our God allow me to be born like that? Secondly, I have been praying to God that if I’m wrong, he must fix me. But until now, nothing. I believe that God said Ask, Seek and Knock. He’s…
Read MoreIs it covetous to want to get married?
Question: Is it covetous to want to get married? I’m not speaking of an example of a man and woman loving each other and wanting to marry, but rather a man or a woman who wants to find a mate? I go to a church that is mostly elderly people, so there is no Christian…
Read MoreWhen should one seek counseling and when shouldn’t they?
Question: What are your thoughts on counseling? When should one seek counseling and when shouldn’t they? Thank you. Answer: I’m puzzled by your question because technically you are asking my advice, which is another way of saying you are seeking my counsel. But you are asking whether doing so is good or not. “Where there…
Read MoreSlander, Gossip, and Venting
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/SlanderGossipAndVenting.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreThe Split of the Catholic Churches
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/SplitOfTheCatholicChurches.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Matthew 23:1-12 I. Very shortly after the first century, one elder in the church became the chief elder and took on the title of bishop to distinguish himself from the other elders. A. Even though elder and bishop refers to the same duty – Titus 1:5,7 B. By the third…
Read MoreI don’t want to, but I keep committing fornication with a woman I don’t love
Question: Hello minister, Please, I need your urgent intervention. I have been involved in sexual intercourse with a lady I don’t intend to marry. I have a fiancee whom I am patiently waiting to marry after school. We only see each other once a year. Any time we are together, we always restrain ourselves from…
Read MoreThose Who Will Give an Account
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). Most recognize the quote from Hebrews 13:17 as referring to the…
Read MoreThrowing Away the Key
by Dan Shipley via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 8, Feb. 24, 2008. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Sin is bad, but concealed sin is even worse. If deliberate sin is like…
Read MoreDo you all believe the only way to be saved is through baptism?
Question: I was reading more on the La Vista Church of Christ website, and I was a little confused about something. Do you all believe the only way to be saved is through baptism? Answer: I have a question for you: Can a person be saved by ignoring what God commanded to be done? For…
Read MoreKeep up the good work!
Question: Hello, I am a member of the church of Christ. I am not 100% sure on how I stumbled upon your website, other than late-night “googling” for a Bible class, but I am sure glad I did. Your site is absolutely fantastic! It is very helpful in studying and I just want to drop…
Read MoreI realize now that I can be forgiven, so how do I get past the guilt?
Question: I’ve obsessed for a long time about committing the unpardonable sin, as some have called it. I have struggled with some addictions for a while (alcohol and pornography), and a few times had the thought come into my mind: “if you give in to certain temptations, you will lose the Holy Spirit.” Well, I…
Read MoreDo I Owe Anything to the Church?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/DoIOweAnythingToTheChurch.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MorePracticing Kindness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/PracticingKindness.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreDoes ‘this form of doctrine’ in Romans 6:17 refers to a type?
Question: Good day, Does ‘this form of doctrine’ in Romans 6:17 refers to a type? This means things we do now will only get their true meaning in heaven. Answer: Good to hear from you! “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that…
Read MoreThe Christian’s Attitude Toward Government
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ChristiansAttitudeTowardsGovernment.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreStand Still and Keep Silent
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/StandStillAndKeepSilent.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Exodus 14:5-31 I. Israel has been freed from the bondage of slavery by a series of miracles from God. A. But even as they were moving out of the Egyptian lands, Pharaoh changed his heart and came after his former slaves with an army. B. The people of Israel found themselves…
Read MoreCan you record your own music with instruments?
Question: I am a member of the Lord’s church (Acts 2:41) and am fully aware and fine with the fact that instruments in worship toward God are unauthorized by Scripture (Acts 17:25), and thereby unacceptable (II John 9). However, I read your article Is playing an instrument for a person’s own enjoyment scriptural? and I…
Read MoreDoes a husband have to take care of children in a marriage who are not his?
Question: Does a husband have to take care of children in a marriage who are not his? Answer: When you marry a woman who has children from a prior marriage, you are accepting responsibility for those children. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has…
Read MoreBurying the Living
by Jonathan Perz Do you believe in a doctrine that endorses burying the living? Baptism is likened to a burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). Now, if we are saved (i.e., made alive – Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 2:1, 5) before baptism, then aren’t we actually burying the living when we are baptized because we have already been…
Read MoreHow do you handle in-laws who are evil toward your child?
Question: What do you do in a situation when your in-laws are evil toward your child because they don’t like you? They take it out on her — nice one minute and evil demonic the next — even using profanity and bodily harm against her, and all you say is “I’ll pray for you.” Answer:…
Read MoreHow should transgenders be treated in business?
Question: I am an HR manager I must uphold laws that protect transgender rights. As a Christian can I do that? Answer: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). As best that I can tell, the laws basically demand…
Read MoreWould God give us more than we can handle?
Question: Hello, I have heard the saying, “God does not give us more than we can handle” being used quite a lot. Is this biblically correct? I am a Christian and I feel like I am being crushed. I am a teenager, but I cannot enjoy my youth. I have stomach issues, so there are…
Read MoreFour Satanic Cultural Expressions of Christianity and What God Really Wants from Us
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017Spring5FourSatanicCulturalExpressionsOfChristianity.mp3 by Frederic Gray Life Lessons from the Lord
Read MoreHow to Love Your Wife the Way Christ Loved the Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017Spring3HowToLoveYourWifeTheWayChristLovedTheChurch.mp3 by Frederic Gray Life Lessons from the Lord
Read MoreOne God, One Lord, One Body, Many Races?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017Spring2OneGodOneLordOneBodyManyRaces.mp3 by Frederic Gray 2017 Spring Meeting
Read MoreLife Lessons from the Lord
by Frederic Gray Oneness – Jesus’ Ardent Prayer One God, One Lord, One Body, Many Races? How to Love Your Wife the Way Christ Loved the Church Four Satanic Cultural Expressions of Christianity and What God Really Wants from Us
Read MoreOneness – Jesus’ Ardent Prayer
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017Spring1OnenessJesusArdentPrayer.mp3 by Frederic Gray Life Lessons from the Lord
Read MoreShould I leave this church where the pastor drives a luxury car?
Question: Hello. Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my question. I’ve struggled with the decision of whether to leave my church. The congregation is very loving and over the past two years, I have developed several good friendships. My dilemma is with the pastor. She is a very gifted speaker and…
Read MoreWhat Does I Corinthians 11:3 Teach About the Role of Women?
by T. Doy Moyer Guardian of Truth – February 2, 1995 I Corinthians 11 has been surrounded by controversy due to the teaching about the covering. It is not the purpose or scope of this article to try to expound a pro or con position on the covering today. Women do need to carefully study the…
Read MoreYou May be Surprised to Learn …
by Doy Moyer Have you ever taken for granted certain things and believed them, just because that is what you have been told? Perhaps you find yourself in that situation now, believing and doing things because that is what you were told. Religious people sometimes believe and practice something because a preacher said it, or…
Read MoreA Father’s Reply
by Dave Beckley Long ago, my husband wrote the following to one of our sons. To our many sons and daughters today, please read, for he longs the same for each of you. Joanne Beckley Dear son, Your letter was very revealing and open, a reflection of your honesty and confidence in us. We are…
Read MoreShould a Christian support capital punishment?
Question: Dear Minister, I read today in an article on your site that you approve of capital punishment. It is my opinion that capital punishment and the biblical teaching of loving and forgiving one’s enemies are not compatible. I am, however, willing to change my views upon sufficient evidence from the Bible. Kindly explain further.…
Read MoreHow can the Scriptures apply to me? Aren’t we called to love each other?
Question: Hello, I was raised Catholic. After trying out a couple of religions, I’ve come back to the Catholic Church. I also see myself closely identifying as a pansexual. I read in Romans what it says about homosexuality, but it states things that I am not, so how can the word of God say things…
Read MoreIf we continue to live together and have sex, are we still in sin if we are planning to get married?
Question: Hi, I have a question it lies heavy on my heart, and I have talked to many people about this and I still don’t have a correct answer, since everyone’s meaning and opinion differ from one another. But I would like to have the Christian way of doing it and understanding the situation correctly.…
Read MoreDoes someone have to repent of all their sins before baptism?
Question: Does someone have to repent of all their sins before baptism or can they repent of the ones they struggle with most? Answer: If you were poisoned and you were going to die and someone offered you the cure to save your life would you take it? There is a catch with the cure,…
Read MoreJewish Feasts and Festivals
by Kyle Campbell via Truth Magazine In order to fully understand the Jewish religion and people, and to gain a greater perspective of a number of events in the New Testament, one needs to study the Jewish feasts and festivals. The Jewish feasts and festivals were scheduled at specific times in the annual calendar and they…
Read MoreThe Gift of the Holy Spirit (Bassford 2)
by Matthew W. Bassford A couple of weeks ago, I found myself chatting with a friend online about a very familiar subject to me, the meaning of the phrase “the gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 and 10:45. I literally spent decades arguing the point with my father, as part of our ongoing…
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/WhatDoesItMeanToBeAChristian.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:13-25 I. Over 75% of Americans claim to be Christians, a percentage that has been steadily declining while the non-religious rises. A. Still, it is a high number, but it appears to be in conflict with Jesus’ warning – Matthew 7:13-14 B. What actually makes a person a Christian? II. For…
Read MoreI told my wife I forgave her for her cheating, but I really haven’t
Question: Hello Minister, I write this with the hope that you’ll be able to help me to unshackle this chain that I’ve been hauling for many years. I’m a very angry man, and I find it difficult to forgive and let it go. I used to be a very kind and loving person, which I’ll…
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