Jamaica Patois Wisdom – Consequences
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Character
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Changes
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Meddling
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreHow would anyone know if Timothy was circumcised or not?
Question: I saw the recent reader’s question – “Why did Paul have Timothy circumcised after the council at Jerusalem?” And your answer “In regards to why Timothy was circumcised after the Jerusalem council, it is simply because Paul met Timothy after that council. Timothy wanted to join Paul, but because they were working among the…
Read MoreIs the Bible for or against the use of holy water or salt?
Question: Hi, Holy water and salt have become a common religious tool, believed to be very powerful and frequently used in my country. Is the Bible for or against this practice? Answer: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not…
Read MoreFishers of Men
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/FishersOfMen.mp3 by Clint Crosier
Read MoreI keep having sex with my boyfriend. Will God keep forgiving me?
Question: Hello, I don’t even know where to start. (Deep breath) Well, I have been going to church for five years. I met this guy who isn’t Christian, and we have been together two years. We have been having sex all this time. Every time I feel worse. I ask God to forgive me all…
Read MoreI’ve tried to quit drugs, but I keep going back
Question: Well, to start out with I have been hooked on a certain drug since my youth. I’ve tried quitting many times. Sometimes I will go a while without, and sometimes not that long. But it seems no matter how long I go without, I feel miserable and go through bad withdrawal (more psychological than…
Read MoreHow do you pick a good boyfriend?
Question: God bless you, I am a born-again Christian lady who has been actively involved in the work of God. I’m 21 years of age. I fell in love with a guy who claimed to be a Christian. Actually, the first day we met he was recovering from a hangover. I thought I could help…
Read MoreMaybe another man will make me happier
Question: I’m a 20 year old girl who’s engaged to a man more than 15 years older than me. He is my first boyfriend, and I’m physically and emotionally intimate with him. But I’m afraid of marriage because I have only dated him and no one else. He is a great man who is a…
Read MoreCan contributions be done through pledges?
Question: Is pledging wrong, as a way of giving? That is, asking members how much they are willing to put forward for a certain project. They specify an amount, which is then collected at the right time. We must give on the first day of the week, that is set, but is that the only…
Read MoreSince I don’t get along with a family member, can I forgive him, move away, and never talk to him again?
Question: Say if I did not get along with a family member. If I forgive him, can I separate myself from him, like move away from him, and never speak to him again? Answer: Can you move? Of course! Once you are an adult you can live wherever you like. Now, that means you are taking…
Read MoreHow Song Leaders Can Pick Good Hymns
by Matthew W. Bassford via His Excellent Word Over the past month or two, I’ve heard from a few people who were wondering why I was writing so much about good and bad hymns. What’s the take-home? What’s the so-what? I have an extremely strong view of congregational autonomy, so I’m not trying to dictate to…
Read MoreDoes a change in attitude come first before a person can believe?
Question: Is it necessary to repent, or turn from sin and toward God (whether you have performed one single action or not, I’m simply talking about a heart attitude change) to be able to see or believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin? Is that who has ‘ears to hear’ the gospel? The one living…
Read MoreI’m not certain I’m worthy of the girl I want to marry
Question: Hi, I am a Hindu by religion. I am 21 years old and a college student. However, I believe in the Lord Jesus. I have been praying to him every day for the last seven or eight years. My family doesn’t know about my faith in him. My problem is that I have committed…
Read MoreI decided to leave my abusive father, but my mother doesn’t want me to go
Question: My father is an abusive person: verbally and physically. My mum is a very fragile person with a warm heart. The problem is my father has been giving me a hard time for too long. Right now I am 21 and I still have not finished my education. That is why I am still…
Read MoreThe unknown tongue in I Corinthians 14:2 would sound like mumbo-jumbo to you
Question: [Note: I left the following unedited since the author claimed to have the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He had asked that this not be published, but since there is nothing in the note that is personal to him, I decided it serves as a good example of what those in the Charismatic movements…
Read MoreI don’t gamble, so what should I do with gifts of lottery tickets?
Question: My fiancée was given lottery tickets at work. We share the same stance on the principles of gambling. My family also likes to give lottery tickets for Christmas. This is my first Christmas being a member of the Lord’s church. How would you suggest Christians handle gifts like that? I would assume the same…
Read MoreWas Jesus a member of the Sanhedrin?
Question: I was told that Jesus was a member of the Sanhedrin; is that true? Answer: No, it is not true. Jesus specifically says he was not made a judge, which is the function of the Sanhedrin council. “But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” “…
Read MoreThe 144,000
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/144000.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Revelation 14:1-5 I. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the kingdom of heaven will be established after the “end times” with 144,000 faithful saints chosen by God to becomes spirits and to rule with Christ for the millennium. A. These rulers, they say, will govern the earth on which will dwell…
Read MoreTalking with a Muslim about Religion
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TalkingWithAMuslimAboutReligion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 1:10-16 I. How do you talk with someone about religion when there is little common ground? A. A good way to start is to find something in that religion that is true and that can be used as a basis of discussion. 1. In a false religion, not everything is…
Read MoreIs my repentance too late? Am I lost forever?
Question: I grew up going to Sunday school every now and then but never learning anything. I said the sinner’s prayer when I was 22 while in AA at the time. I decided to stick with AA. I had a hard time believing in or contacting God. I didn’t pursue church or the Bible until…
Read MoreCould I Thessalonians 4:16 and Daniel 12:1 confirm that Michael, the archangel, is Jesus?
Question: Do I Thessalonians 4:16 and Daniel 12:1 confirm that Michael the archangel and Jesus are the same person? Answer: First, read Is Michael the archangel and Jesus the same person? This will give you background proof that Jesus could not be an angel. “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch…
Read MoreDoesn’t Jesus rebuke those who did works in his name?
Question: Many teach salvation by works. Matthew 7:22-23 clearly shows that Jesus revealed they boasted in their many wonderful works they did in the His name. Yet Jesus did not praise them nor did He exalt them; He rebuke them. Many today are modern day Pharisees. They try to make people live under the Law.…
Read MoreHow do you live a proper life and stay connected with a diversity of people?
Question: Oh, Minister, I’ve read your answers to so many questions, and they have helped me greatly. I am a college student who has been going through problems of finding meaning in an increasingly secular society where it seems that drinking, doing drugs, and “getting laid” are what get people to like you. I know…
Read MoreI’m depressed that my girlfriend isn’t a virgin
Question: Hello, I am 21. I am not very sensitive. I can easily overcome any bad time, but these days something very bad happened to me — actually, I don’t know if it is bad, or if I’m making it worse. Starting with me: I like girls and I always wanted to have a female…
Read MoreLay Aside the Old Self
by Dennis Stackhouse Addressing the Christians in Ephesus, Paul wrote: “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind” (Ephesians 4:17). The apostle begins by aligning his authority with that of the Lord; in other words, this is God’s…
Read MoreMy boss isn’t writing a reference as she promised. What do I do?
Question: I have been working for an employer part-time, less than 19 hours a week, but I have come across an opportunity to work as a teacher’s assistant. My boss has always applauded me and said what a great job I was doing, and how I was her best employee basically. Last week I told…
Read MoreIs it possible to recover from searing your conscious?
Question: Some time ago, I began to slowly return to my old ways. At first, I found myself plagued by guilt, but as time passed I would ignore God’s conviction. For the most part, I didn’t sin very much. but I struggled with lust every now and then. I still tried to live by God’s…
Read MoreA Comparison of Romans 4 and James 2:14-26
by Jim Sasser Recently, we have been listening to a speaker on this radio station discussing the 4th chapter of Romans as compared to the 2nd chapter of James. It was obvious, from some of his statements, that he was trying to make Paul teach salvation by faith only and at the same time cause…
Read MoreDo Your Own Thinking
by Bob Buchanon via The Eastside Edifier Not many of us think for ourselves when it comes to matters of religion. Most of us are what we are religiously because of the way our parents reared us and have never questioned whether we were right or wrong. We prefer to leave religious subjects and Bible issues…
Read MoreHelpers
by Jefferson David Tant “And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues” (I Corinthians 12:28) Perhaps you have noticed that people are different — different in personalities, appearance, talents. Evidently, God designed us that way, and Paul acknowledged this…
Read MoreWas God’s original plan to have humans live on the earth forever?
Question: Thank you, sir, for using the word of God in answering questions. God bless you for that. Sir, I was studying the Bible with two Jehovah’s Witnesses members. I was told most of the righteous will be in the big crowd and enjoy paradise on earth. I was also told that was God’s…
Read MoreMy ex-boyfriend married someone else but wants to come back to me. What should I do?
Question: I have never been married, but I do have children. (I know — not good.) My child’s father and I broke up and a few weeks later he married the girl with whom he had cheated on me. After nearly a year of no communication, he reached out to me. We discovered that we…
Read MoreWe used your thumbnail pictures as stamps on timeline “passports”
Question: Greetings to the La Vista Church of Christ! I just wanted to thank you for the great resources you have made available through your website. I was trying to make a “passport” to go along with our children’s Bible studies, to use as a timeline as they go through the Bible. Your art thumbnails…
Read MoreHow can we not be saved by works, but must do the things God requires of us to be saved?
Question: Hi, I’ve studied some of your material and it is helping me understand better how to improve my relationship with God. I am unclear about three related issues. On the one hand, you say: We are not saved by the things that we do. [How can faith be combined with works?] Yet, on the other…
Read MoreYour site helped me better understand John 14:6
Question: Hi, I was just about to clock off to bed and decided to read a scripture verse from my Bible, which was John 14:6. Then I started to think about what Jesus had said in the verse. It was quite a powerful statement, so I asked on the Internet what was Jesus really saying…
Read MoreHow can Jesus’ birth be a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 when he was named Jesus and not Immanuel?
Question: I checked in 31 different Bible versions and they all say the same thing about Matthew 1:21, They all use the word “Jesus” which means “saves.” Matthew goes on to say that the Old Testament verifies this and quotes in Matthew 1:23 (and in the same 31 different Bible versions, they also all say…
Read MoreI broke my promise and committed fornication. What can I do?
Question: Hi Jeff, I am happy I found your site and I have a question. I am in my late thirties, single, and had sex with just my ex-boyfriend in the past probably twice after four years. I have been through a lot in the past couple of years and God has blessed me in…
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