How to Deal with Guilt
by Ken Weliever via The Preacher’s Word Although it may be fictitious, the story is told of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who pulled a clever, but a cruel practical joke on twelve of the best-known men in England. He anonymously wrote a short, unsigned telegram with six simple words: “All is…
Read MoreFlaws Found in Moderate Drinking Studies
Source: Alice Walton, “Moderate Drinking May Not Be as Healthy as We Thought,” Forbes, 2016-03-23 In reviewing past studies that seemed to indicate that moderate drinking had some health benefits, researchers found that former drinkers were being included in the categories of “abstainers” or “occasional drinkers.” The problem is the studies didn’t factor in why the…
Read MoreHow do I forgive someone who slapped me?
Question: Hello, This kid at school slapped me and did other things that I did not like and now it is hard for me to forgive him. How can I forgive him when he hurt me? Thank you. Answer: “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents,…
Read MoreBaptism started out in water, but it has changed
Question: This message is in regards to water baptisms. In the early stages, John the baptist and Jesus’ disciples were performing water baptisms. Some preachers are teaching the brethren, “except you be baptized in water you cannot be saved.” The elders of Jerusalem settled the issue of salvation when they wrote an epistle to the…
Read MoreWhy did God kill David’s son when it was David who sinned?
Question: Could you please explain II Samuel 12:14? It seems that the child died because of what David did. But the Bible says that a child shall not die for the sins of the father. Thank you. Answer: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor…
Read MoreLoving the Brethren
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/LovingTheBrethren.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWere the Gentiles allowed to go into the synagogues?
Question: Were the Gentiles allowed to go into the synagogues? Answer: Gentiles were allowed to come to the temple complex, but they were restricted to remain in the outer court, the court of the Gentiles. The question is whether some similar restriction forbade Gentiles from entering synagogues. We know that Gentiles did believe in God.…
Read MoreGenerational Degeneration
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GenerationalDegeneration.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreQuestions about unconditional election
Question: Hi, Your website has been very helpful to me in understanding the Bible throughout the past. I have a little issue concerning free will and salvation. I would greatly appreciate the wisdom you have to offer. My brother and I are part of a local Bible study. A couple of people there hold to…
Read MoreWhen people of two different tribes married, which tribe did the children belong to?
Question: In the Old Testament when a man from one tribe married a woman from another tribe, what tribe would they be considered from? For example, if a man from the tribe of Judah married a woman from the tribe of Levi and had children, what tribe would that family be considered from? Thank you.…
Read MoreI don’t think my walk with God is going well
Question: Hi, I’m worried about my walk with God, and I don’t think it’s going well. I hardly read my Bible and I always forget to pray. When I do pray I’m worried God is not listening. I know He is, but I can’t shake this feeling. My question is: how can I make my…
Read MorePeter’s Vision and the Great Necessary Inferences
by Terry Wayne Benton Acts 10-11 Some brethren have erroneously concluded that direct command is the only way we can know the will of God for us. They attack or dismiss the idea of reasoning from statements, commands, examples, and drawing necessary inferences. But, I find it to be very obvious that God wants us…
Read MoreStatement Against Encouraging Transgenderism
Source: “Gender Ideology Harms Children”, American College of Pediatricians, 2016 The American College of Pediatricians issued a statement in 2016 stating that not accepting your biological sex is a disorder that should not be encouraged in children because of the harm it can do. Feelings do not change the truth regarding who a person is,…
Read MoreCould you explain Hebrews 6:1-2?
Question: I do have a question about Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal…
Read MoreDoes the New Testament Authorize Deaconesses?
by Carrol R. Sutton via Guardian of Truth, November 16, 1989 The question under consideration in this study is one about which scholars are divided. Some do not hesitate to say that deaconesses are authorized in the New Testament. Others say that it is questionable and still others suggest that there is no authority in the…
Read MoreWhat Is “Lawlessness”?
by Jefferson David Tant In a well-known New Testament passage, Christ addresses a misconception that many had in that day, which is also held by many today. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will…
Read MoreWhat does it mean that Jesus hid himself?
Question: John 8:59 speaks about Jesus being hidden, what does this mean? Answer: Most likely that he blended in with the crowd and prevented people from noticing him.
Read MoreCan you calm my fears?
Question: To start it off: I am born half Christian, half Jewish, so my parents never really raised me on religion. We celebrate the holidays of both religions, but I never went to church. I personally do not know what I believe, and honestly speaking, maybe I do believe in God, but I am not…
Read MoreCareful What You Say (Sermon)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/CarefulWhatYouSay.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 5:1-8 I. There is a passage that should cause each of us to pause – Matthew 12:32-37 A. We will give an account to God for every idle word we speak! B. What we say will either justify us or condemn us C. We will not be able to avoid facing…
Read MoreA friend says he will stop going to prostitutes, but he is still going
Question: Good morning. Thank you for allowing me to share this. I recently just found out about your page. I’m doing this for my good friend because I am worried. He is in his twenties. A few years ago, he reached a low point in his life. He saw an escort. After that, it became…
Read MoreI tried to return extra money for money I stole, but they won’t take it
Question: Hello, I would like it if you could assist me with an issue that is causing me great anxiety. I was an atheist for many years. I have sinned in ignorance. Now after reading the Scripture guilt took over me. I have committed minor property damage and took money fraudulently. Nothing really serious. Recently…
Read MoreShelomith’s Son
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ShelomithsSon.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Leviticus 24:10-23 I. Shelomith had married a non-Israelite and it appears that her son took more after his father than his mother A. He got into a fight with an Israelite. During the fight he cursed and blasphemed the name of God. For this he was jailed. 1. He wasn’t jailed for…
Read MoreWhat should a boy who is being forced to stay with a girl do?
Question: A boy and a girl were in a relationship. She got pregnant before marriage at an early age. They didn’t want the baby and she aborted the baby. With the passage of time, they started fighting and had no understanding. She lied that she was again pregnant. But the boy came to realize that…
Read MoreMy wife had a proxy marriage when she was young. Does that mean we cannot be married?
Question: Hello, I have been married to my wonderful wife for a number of years. We have a beautiful family! Before I met my wife she was in a proxy marriage. This proxy marriage was done so she could gain citizenship. She was a illegal citizen at the time. The young man she did the…
Read MoreIs it wrong to say “God bless you” to a group that includes non-Christians?
Question: Hi, Thanks very much for your insightful teachings and encouragement through this website. I attended a recent gospel meeting and the preacher ended it with ‘God bless you’ and ‘Godspeed’ to the audience. I remember one Bible class teacher mentioned that Christians must use the term ‘God bless you’ appropriately; ie. to Christians only,…
Read MoreMy friend thinks that God’s prohibition against instrumental music in worship is due to mistranslations
Question: I have a friend who has left the church to participate with a community church. Can you offer me advice on what to say to her or point me to articles already posted that I can use in hopes of restoring her? This friend thinks that too much of God’s original words or thoughts…
Read MoreI got a young woman pregnant and I know I sinned horribly
Question: This is going to take time and months to fully play out. I in no way want to come off as flippant or not realizing the magnitude. It is only for the sake of your time that I will be matter-of-fact and leave out the emotional turmoil and long history of my sin. I’m…
Read MoreI want to be an artist, but my parents don’t think it is practical
Question: Brother Hamilton, I hope all is well. In the past, the few occasions I wrote to you were truly life-changing. Your talent with teaching is off the chart and much appreciated! I don’t really have a direct question, more so I’m writing again because I want a minister’s advice on some career decisions I’m…
Read MoreHow should prayers be offered in worship?
Question: Where I need help is with prayers. Is it scriptural to pray saying “In Jesus’ name” several times in between the prayer before concluding? Does it not count as vain repetitions? Is it scriptural to raise prayer points while everyone prays until the person leading will ask everyone to round up and stop eventually?…
Read MoreLaborers in the Vineyard
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/LaborersInTheVineyard.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 20:1-16 I. The context of the parable A. A rich, young ruler had come to Jesus asking how to be saved. – Matthew 19:16-22 1. Jesus told him to follow the law, but the young man wasn’t satisfied with this. He wanted something more. 2. Jesus told him that if he…
Read MoreIs it right to refuse baptism for a person who has multiple wives?
Question: Please preacher, is it biblically right to ask a person if he is customarily married or not, or whether he has two or more wives before such a person is baptized? If he fails any of the questions above, can you refuse to baptize such a person? Answer: In many African nations, there are…
Read MoreWhat Does Baptism Have to Do with Salvation?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/WhatDoesBaptismHaveToDoWithSalvation.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 5:1-14 I. Leprosy is a terrible disease. A. It is a bacterial infection that causes skin lesions and nerve damage B. It has only been curable since the early 1980’s. C. So it is no wonder that a commander in Syria’s army would go great lengths to be cured. D. Yet…
Read MoreHumility and Exaltation
by Dennis Stackhouse When Jesus related the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, His concluding remarks are recorded in Luke 18:14: “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Our Lord clearly…
Read MoreI feel like I’m close to leaving the faith
Question: For the past few months, I have been drifting away from God. Yesterday I actually was very close to leaving the faith. Yesterday, I was researching Matthew 24:34. I felt that this was finally a good reason to reject the Bible and live my life as an agnostic rather than as a Christian. Then…
Read MoreIf we have sex one more time before our baptisms, will God forgive us?
Question: Hi, I recently converted to Christianity and so did my girlfriend. We both have been in a very sexual relationship before we found God. We have been trying hard not to do anything sexual, but we messed up once, felt horrible, and asked for forgiveness. We’re getting baptized soon, and we’re both excited. We…
Read MoreMy husband has become an addict. My father-in-law, who is an elder, says I have to make him stop. How can I?
Question: I have a big problem that I do not know how to sort out. My husband and I were engaged for three years and now have been married for two years. I was a new convert to the church when I married him. He had several qualities that I deeply respected and admired. He…
Read MoreShould I have said something to the gang robbing my store?
Question: Good morning, Can you please help clarify the meaning of what Solomon meant by what he wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:16? Is there such thing as being “too righteous”? I ask this because I am the manager of a small retail store. Recently, while I was on my shift, three men who were tattooed with…
Read MoreThe Basics of Communication: Tell, Show, Imply
by Doy Moyer We need to get past the constant criticism of CENI (Command, Example, Necessary Inference). The problem with CENI is not that it is a failed hermeneutic. The problem is that we have clouded the terminology so much that we have forgotten what basic communication is all about. CENI is fancy talk for…
Read MoreI wouldn’t mind being married, but I’m not sexually attracted to women
Question: I am a man in his thirties who is gay. I thought I was gay since I was 11 or 12. It started out as not being a “typical” boy. My interests were much more “girly things” from Barbies to the arts. In seventh grade, I remember conversations in Sunday school (were divided into…
Read MoreObeying God
by Dennis Stackhouse On one occasion King Saul had been given a direct command from God to utterly destroy Amalek, including men and women, children and infants, as well as all the livestock (I Samuel 15:3). However, Saul and the people spared Agag, the king of Amalek, along with the best of the sheep, the…
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