Holding Grudges
by Terry Wane Benton Have you ever noticed how miserable some people are? Sometimes it is caused by being long on memory and imagination and short on love and forgiveness. In fact, most of the time that is the case. If a person chooses to remember every unkind or thoughtless word or deed, whether real…
Read MoreTaking Another Look at the Old Testament
by David Gibson Why It’s so Important! Although we’re not under Old Testament law, there is great value in being familiar with the 39 books that make up three-fourths of the Bible. Reading the New Testament without knowing the Old Testament is like reading a sequel without the original. The New Testament keeps pointing back…
Read MoreJesus Warns Teachers
by Hugh DeLong Text: Luke 11 Wow! What a busy day in the life of Jesus is recorded here in Luke 11! The thing that jumps off the pages is the opposition that is building against Jesus. He went about doing good – and they hated him. He told them the truth of how they…
Read MoreTemporary Attention
by Zeke Flores “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (Exodus 8:15). Pharaoh’s pattern is painfully familiar. When things get bad, he cries out. When things get better, he goes right back to his old ways. It’s easy to…
Read MoreWhen God Shows Himself
by Zeke Flores “The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons os Israel from their midsts” (Exodus 7:5). God makes it clear that what He’s about to do isn’t random. The plagues aren’t just judgment, they’re revelation. God is showing Egypt, Israel,…
Read MoreAre humans superior to angels?
Question: Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please, I need your assistance with a clarification of I Corinthians 6:3. Are we humans superior to angels? Answer: It appears that the Corinthians were taking their personal disputes before government courts (I Corinthians 6:1-6). He had just stated earlier that Christians had…
Read MoreIn the Age of Grace
by Terry Wane Benton I talked to a gentleman today at the dentist’s office who noticed me reading my Bible, and he struck up a conversation about churches and the Bible. He said the church today is more about rules than grace. I said that is true in some cases, and in other cases, religious…
Read MoreGod and the Nations
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/God-and-the-Nations.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: John 19:10-11 I. How involved is God in the activities of the nations? A. We know that God doesn’t change, and from the teachings in the prophets of the Old Testament, we find that God was heavily involved in the governments of various nations. B. If it was true…
Read MoreThe Inheritance
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-Inheritance.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Revelation 21:6-8 I. The Christian’s relationship with God is described by several metaphors A. We are servants – I Corinthians 4:1 1. The emphasis is on our obeying the will of our Master B. We are priests – I Peter 2:4-5, 9 1. We are able to bring worship directly to…
Read MoreThe Moment Scientists Couldn’t Deny the Universe Had a Beginning
by Buddy Payne via InLight Media Is the universe eternal, or did it have a beginning? This is one area where scientists used to disagree with the Bible — until they realized they were wrong. In this video, Buddy Payne walks us through how scientific evidence in the 20th century—specifically astronomical evidence—changed how scientists think…
Read MoreActs 22:16
by Terry Wane Benton Acts 22:16 Links Baptism and Calling Together with Washing The grammar of Acts 22:16 strongly links baptism and the washing away of sins as simultaneous actions, both carried out while calling on the name of the Lord. The Greek Structure of Acts 22:16 The verse reads: “Anastas baptisai kai apolousai tas…
Read MoreFrustrated with God
by Zeke Flores “Then Moses returned to Yahweh and said, ‘O Yahweh, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all'” (Exodus 5:22-23).…
Read MoreThe Lord’s Day
by Marvin L. Weir The devil never sleeps or fails to take advantage of any situation he can exploit. COVID-19 may turn out to be something Satan uses to lead brethren astray. Some brethren have not attended church services in over a year. Is there a special day the church is commanded to assemble together…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit Completed His Revelation
by Bruce Reeves The religious culture that surrounds us today has chosen emotionalism and sensationalism over a passionate and substantive examination of God’s word and the application of truth to our lives. As a result, there is much confusion regarding miracles and the activity of the Holy Spirit. One of the key elements of the…
Read MoreAlcohol Is a Thief
by Jarrod M. Jacobs We might not think about alcohol in terms of “a thief,” but I would suggest that it is. Solomon said long ago, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). Notice how absolute these words are. “Whosoever” (that includes you and…
Read MoreForty Years a Christian
by David R. Kenney July 29, 2017, marks 40 years since my dad immersed me in Christ at the Church of Christ in New Philadelphia, Ohio. My dad was the first to congratulate me, then Ralph Miller, and then other brothers and sisters in Christ who assembled that Friday afternoon. The church on Commercial Avenue…
Read MoreAre You a Liberal?
by Richard Guill Since the church of Christ today is being rent asunder by what is labeled as “liberalism,” it is not uncommon to hear a brother or sister referred to as “a liberal.” It is often used to describe preachers, but is not limited to them. What is meant by the term “liberal”? Are…
Read MoreWhy Must You Use Instrumental Music?
Author Unknown Recently, a congregation in the city where I preach decided to start using instruments in their worship assembly. Apparently, even the community realizes that among churches of Christ, this is a big deal because the local news and newspaper have done stories on it. Obviously, I love my brothers and sisters in…
Read MoreAre You the Wrong Person for the Job?
by Zeke Flores “The Moses said to the Lord, ‘Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your serant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue'” (Exodus 4:10). Moses basically tells God, “You picked the wrong guy.” He lists his weaknesses…
Read MoreEntangled
by Terry Wane Benton People with the word of the kingdom of Christ in their hearts do not need to get too entangled in the cares of this world. “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke…
Read MoreFlip-Flops, Short Shorts and Worship
by Charles Box Our dress in worship is not a “fashion show.” But, is it possible to become too casual, too indiscreet, or too revealing in our manner of dress when we gather for worship? Recently, we were visiting a Wednesday night church service, and near us sat a girl wearing flip-flops and short shorts.…
Read MoreShaped by Difficulties
by Zeke Flores “And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, ‘Because I drew him out of the water'” (Exodus 2:10). Moses’ story starts with a mix of heartbreak and hope. His mother has to let him go to save…
Read MoreI Know You
by Dennis Strickland We all know someone. It’s good to know someone, perhaps several folks with whom we interact as we traverse this life. In fact, some seek to know, or be known by, as many as possible, as if this makes them more popular. I’m not sure how it works, but some even make…
Read MoreIf You Fell Away from Christ’s Church
by Terry Wane Benton It is easy to get caught up in a cycle of negativity and pull away from a scriptural church of Christ. It is also possible to go back and correct things both with God and His people. Jesus died for His church (Acts 20:28). He asks us to help His church…
Read MorePressured to Grow
by Zeke Flores “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel” (Exodus 1:12). There’s something strangely encouraging about this verse. Israel is being crushed under Pharaoh’s fear-driven oppression, yet God quietly flips the script. The very pressure meant to…
Read MoreRestricted by Your Own Affections
by Terry Wane Benton There were some at Corinth that did not like Paul for one excuse or another. Perhaps they did not like his appearance, his style of oratory, or skill in the same, but whatever was the excuse, they were not thinking correctly. There were carnal members who were not spiritually minded (I…
Read MoreBy Bread Alone
by Hugh DeLong We all have our favorite scriptures and concepts that we ‘religiously’ follow. We also all have some aspects of Jesus’ teaching that, because of our dispositions and/or situations, we ignore or set aside. In such situations, most of us ‘justify’ our actions. Read this first temptation again as Luke records it! Jesus…
Read MoreA Little Folly
by Chadwick Brewer “Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor” (Ecclesiastes 10:1). When I was a child, I was told the parable of the ship’s mast. The main mast in a ship might take well over a hundred years to grow to the right…
Read MoreThe A.D. 70 System of Kingism
by Garland M. Robinson via Seek the Old Paths The task before me in this series of articles is to examine the fallacies of the “Max King Doctrine.” Some may yet be unaware what the “Max King Doctrine” is. Briefly stated, it is the fanciful theory (heresy) that all the things for which we look…
Read MoreSome Obvious Shadows of Jesus in Exodus
by Terry Wane Benton Exodus is rich in foreshadowing Jesus. A mark of divine wisdom is in the embedding of the shape and form of Jesus long before He arrived in the flesh, showing a wisdom too great for human wisdom alone to account for it. Moses is a lot like Jesus in his unusual…
Read MoreRed Letters
by John Guzzetta I’m sure you’ve noticed that in many editions of the Bible, maybe even the one you are holding, the editors have printed the words of Jesus Christ in red ink. The first red-letter edition was conceived and printed by Louis Klopsch in 1899, first titled (in the long-winded style of the day)…
Read MoreThe “Genocide” Accusation Against the Bible—And Why It Fails
by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. Every semester, thousands of college students sit in classrooms where the Bible is ridiculed or reduced to a caricature. One of the most common accusations they hear is this: “If God is real, why did He command genocide?” For many young Christians, that question lands like a punch to the gut.…
Read MoreDraw Near to God
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Join us for a series of lessons on April 8-12, 2026, presented by Brent Paschall of Roanoke, Virginia. Made for Relationship Desire for Relationship Communication Courtesy and Fellowship Deeper Relationship Our Fundamental Relationship Drawing Near by…
Read MoreSpirit Away: From Empty to Spirit-Filled Kingdom Builders
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Spirited-Away.mp3 Download Audio by Garry Floyd Text: Proverbs 11:24–31 Theme “Wind” Week-3 Focus – “Empty”: Without God, life becomes a chase after the wind. But when we are born of the Spirit and centered on God, our lives gain weight, direction, and eternal significance. Introduction— When Life Feels Like a Strange World The animated film…
Read MoreWind Chasers
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Wind-Chasers-1.mp3 Download Audio by Garry Floyd How & Why We Inherit Wind’s Emptiness — and What We Can Do About It Text: Ecclesiastes 5:16 “Exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?” The Problem: Humanity Becomes Wind Chasers The writer of…
Read MoreWhere Are the Elders?
by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. Walk into many congregations today and ask a simple question: “Do you have elders?” Far too often, the answer is the same: “No…not yet.” Sometimes that answer has been given for 10 years…20 years…even 40-50 years. But that should cause us to pause and ask a very serious question: How did…
Read MoreWhat the Bible Actually Says About the Church
by Andy Diestelkamp via InLight Media One of the most pervasive questions in Christianity is, “If Christ is not divided, why are there so many denominations?” While we can go back through history and trace the development of each denomination, maybe there’s a root issue that causes this division, or denominational way of thinking, even…
Read MoreThe Truth About Having a Personal Relationship with Jesus
by Andy Diestelkamp via InLight Media A personal relationship with Jesus can’t stay private. The truth is, the Bible talks about all kinds of ways a personal relationship with Jesus connects us to others and changes the way we interact with believers and non-believers alike.
Read MoreScience Can’t Rule Out God
by Buddy Payne via InLight Media Has science really proved that God does not exist? Many people assume modern science has made belief in God obsolete—but is that actually true? In this video, Buddy Payne examines the limits of the scientific method and asks an important question: Can science prove that God does—or does not—exist?…
Read MoreThe Biggest Misunderstanding About Evolution
by Buddy Payne via InLight Media For over 150 years, Darwinian evolution has been considered the best explanation for the diversity of life on Earth. But does modern science actually support the idea that natural selection and random mutation can explain the origin of all life forms? In this video, we explore the biggest misunderstanding…
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