How can you know if the person to whom you lied knows that you lied to her?
Question: How can you know if the person to whom you lied knows that you lied to her? Answer: You are asking the wrong question. You are worried about whether you were caught in a lie. What you really should be concerned about is that liars end up in Hell. “But for the cowardly and…
Read MoreWhy were Michael and Satan arguing about the body of Moses?
Question: I have a Bible question about Jude: Why were Michael and Satan arguing about the corpse of Moses? Answer: “Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body…
Read MoreCan a woman divorce her husband because he hid the fact that he was impotent?
Question: What can the church do in a situation where a sister says she has been deceived by a brother who is impotent? He concealed the matter until he had married the sister. Can the sister marry another person since she desires children and was misled? Answer: The short answer is, “no.” She married the…
Read MoreA Study of Heaven
by Wayne Jackson Is heaven real? If so, how does one know? In spite of bogus claims of having visited heaven, such as that professed by Ellen G. White of Seventh-day Adventist fame (1945, 32ff), no one has died, gone to heaven, and returned to earth to tell of the experience (cf. II Corinthians 12:1-10). All…
Read MoreMade to be Sin
by Doy Moyer Sometimes I am struck with the beauty of a passage while, at the same time, humbled by the fact that its fullness and depth are out of my reach. The passage becomes a never-ending source of thought, ideas, and encouragement. Such is the case for me with II Corinthians 5:21 — “For…
Read MoreNot What They Told You – Opioids
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NotWhatTheyToldYouOpioids.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:1-8 I. Opioids are a class of drugs derived from opium A. They include heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and many more B. These were originally developed because they attach to the opioid receptors in your brain, muffling your perception of pain and increasing your feelings of pleasure. 1. “At…
Read MoreNameless
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Nameless.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 13:1-10 I. This is a story about two men, who remain nameless. One young and another old. A. Both are prophets. One is a good man and the other is a liar. B. One was selected to carry a message and the other was not. C. One dies, but not…
Read MoreThe Word of the Lord to Jonah
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall8TheWordOfTheLordToJonah.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreThe Burden of Malachi
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall7TheBurdenOfMalachi.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreI caught my fiance lying and now I can’t trust him
Question: Hi and good day, My fiancé and I have both been Christians for some years now; however, I strongly believe that he has a problem with lying. He lies and makes others look bad, and he looks like the victim. Accidentally, I found out the truth about a matter, and only when I confronted…
Read MoreThe Word of the Lord to Zephaniah
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall6TheWordOfTheLordToZephaniah.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreIs Obadiah saying that man would live among the stars?
Question: On your website is a question about “What does the Bible say about man inhabiting space?” Wouldn’t that include man living on other planets and their moons? I think Obadiah 1:4 in the New King James Version says it all: “‘Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest…
Read MoreI appreciate your consistent quality of answers to questions
Question: Brothers, I appreciate your consistent quality of answers to questions. Saturday, I searched Google for “Is Teknon in Titus 1:6 singular or plural?” The top result was La Vista Church of Christ. My brothers with simple, easy-to-understand answers at the top of Google’s list. It brings me joy (and a bit of envy –…
Read MoreThe Burden of Habakkuk
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall5TheBurdenOfHabakkuk.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreIs time just an invention of man and doesn’t really exist?
Question: Hey Jeffrey, I talk to these new age types of people, and I’ve heard them say multiple times that time doesn’t exist but is an invention of man to keep track of things. How does one respond to that? Didn’t time begin once God began the creation? Answer: Yes, the Bible starts out, “In…
Read MoreThe Problem with Jeroboam II
by Matthew W. Bassford In any secular history book, Jeroboam II would look like a successful king. He reigned for 41 years in an age when the length of a reign correlated with political power. Militarily, he was one of the greatest commanders among the monarchs of Israel. During his reign, he brought the seesaw…
Read MoreThe Word of the Lord to Joel
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall4TheWordOfTheLordToJoel.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreThe Word of Hosea
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall1TheWordOfHosea.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreLessons in the Minor Prophets
by Wesley Key 2018 Fall Meeting Series The Word of Hosea The Word of the Lord by Haggai The Vision of Nahum The Word of the Lord to Joel The Burden of Habakkuk The Burden of Malachi The Word of the Lord to Jonah
Read MoreWhat is the meaning of “pipes prepared in thee”?
Question: In the book of Ezekiel 28:13, what is the meaning of “pipes prepared in thee”? Did Satan have musical instruments as part of him? Did he have a harp as part of his body? Answer: “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and…
Read MoreThe Vision of Nahum
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall3TheVisionOfNahum.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreThe Word of the Lord by Haggai
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018Fall2TheWordOfTheLordByHaggai.mp3 by Wesley Key The Minor Prophets
Read MoreI find your article on why suicide is a sin to be completely unsympathetic and untrue
Question: I feel compelled by God to send you these words of enlightenment. As a Christian person who suffers from deep depression (on medication and under a doctor’s care), I find your article to be completely unsympathetic and untrue. There are many, many other Christian writings out there that contradict what you have written. To me,…
Read MoreWhat is meant by the dividing asunder of soul and spirit?
Question: Can you explain Hebrews 4:12, especially the phrase: “the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow”? Answer: “Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and…
Read MoreThe Real Issue in Modesty
by Doy Moyer I see a variety of discussions about modesty. Often they seem to devolve into disputes about issues like women’s empowerment, men’s lustful habits, and where exactly the lines on the body should be. I have no interest in starting another such dispute, so let’s not go there. What I do want to…
Read MoreWhen did Jesus become the Son of God?
Question: Hi minister, I do not believe that the Bible contradicts itself; hence, whenever I sense a contradiction I call it confusion. Now I am a little confused because I do not know when Jesus became the son of God. This is because some passages of the Bible say he became the son by virtue…
Read MoreIs there any mention of God the Mother in the Bible?
Question: Good day, Is there any mention of God the Mother in the Bible? I have to prepare for a group that is going to convince me from the Bible that it does teach about God the Mother. Answer: I’m assuming you have run into members of the World Mission Society Church of God. This…
Read MoreFollowing the Lord Fully
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FollowingTheLordFully.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Joshua 14:6-14 I. God describes for us the character of various men by referring to them by certain phrases A. Abraham was called a friend of God – James 2:23 1. Because that is how God referred to him – II Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8 2. Perhaps that gives greater weight to…
Read MoreNot What They Told You – Marijuana
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NotWhatTheyToldYouMarijuana.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 5:21-31 I. It sounds noble A. We need to legalize medical marijuana! 1. But instead of controlled studies where the effectiveness of a derivative drug is analyzed for its benefits versus its harm, the door is thrown wide open. 2. There is an oil extract from marijuana that does appear to…
Read MoreWhen did people start calling God, “Abba Daddy” or “Papa?”
Question: What are your thoughts on calling God “Abba Daddy” or “Papa?” In reading the thoughts of others and their reason for using this phrase, I was wondering when this came about. Answer: The phrase “Abba, Father” came about when Jesus called out to God in an hour of need before his crucifixion. “And He…
Read MoreIs it wrong to give a bribe in a country where bribery is prevalent and demanded?
Question: Please, is paying a bribe to someone who demands it before justice is practiced a sin? The public sector and almost every institution in my country are choked with extortioners and people expecting bribes. Employment in the public sector is found by paying something to politicians and “middlemen” before one is given employment. This…
Read MoreWas Timothy’s father an Aramean?
Question: In Was Timothy’s father a non-believer? you said, “In the end, I think all you can state is that Timothy’s father was of Greek nationality.” But Acts 16:1 (translated from Aramaic Peshitta, based on Younan) says, “And he arrived at the medintha [city] Derbe and at Lostra. Now there was there a certain talmida [student]…
Read MoreCan plays and skits about Bible stories be used to teach children during a VBS?
Question: Can plays and skits about Bible stories be used to teach children during a VBS? Answer: A Vacation Bible School (VBS) is basically a gospel meeting for kids. The Bible shows teaching being done in a variety of ways: A fig tree was killed (Matthew 21:21), Idols and worldly poets were cited (Acts 17:23,28), Children…
Read MoreI learned a lot from your post about avoiding sex before marriage
Question: Hello, I have read the post on avoiding sex before marriage. I have learned a lot. I hope that I will be able to stick to what the word says and that my relationship won’t fail because we are trying to stay pure. Thank you for the advice. Answer: You’re welcome.
Read MoreLimping Between Two Opinions
by Matthew W. Bassford The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is one of the most famous in the book of I Kings. Even though the direction of the book is generally downward, I Kings 18 contains a moment of spiritual triumph. However, even before the triumph takes place, there are still lessons…
Read MoreThe Nature of Law (Sermon)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NatureOfLaw.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 7:1-14 I. Laws can be irritating at times. A. Do this, don’t do that. B. Of course, we never get it right. C. Why do we need laws? II. Law defines right and wrong – Romans 7:7-13 A. The law does not make things right or wrong, it simply states what exists. 1. We…
Read MoreI recently slept with a guy. Is there any hope for me?
Question: Hello Sir, I’ve sinned against God. I am gay. I slept with a guy just recently. Please, is there any hope for me to inherit God’s kingdom? I’m really confused. Please help me. Answer: The same passage that says that homosexuals cannot inherit the kingdom of God also says that fornicators, adulterers, and drunkards…
Read MoreHow could Ananias give Paul the Holy Spirit?
Question: If Paul was an apostle, he was supposed to receive the Holy Spirit from another apostle or directly from God, yet he received it from a disciple. I thought only apostles had the ability to give the Holy Spirit. Answer: “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of…
Read MoreNot What They Told You
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Society often justifies sin by not portraying the complete facts and, thus, making dangerous things appear to be minorly harmful or even beneficial. Not What They Told You – Alcohol Not What They Told You – Marijuana Not What They Told You – Opioids Not What They Told You – Pornography
Read MoreNot What They Told You – Alcohol
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NotWhatTheyToldYouAlcohol.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Galatians 5:16-24 I. There are many factors that led to the downfall of Israel, but one reoccurring theme was the greed of its leaders. A. They were in it for the money – Isaiah 56:11 B. They dealt falsely for money – Jeremiah 6:13 C. Everyone was after money – Jeremiah 8:10…
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