Am I being paranoid about a two-year-old text message?
Question: I have been with my fiance for nearly two years. I have always trusted him and thought the world of him. We are buying our first home together shortly and getting married later this year. I did something I have never done before yesterday: I went through his text messages. He never deletes his…
Read MoreYour articles are not the gospel, they only use the gospel
Question: I was happy to read your statement on your home page and hope to visit you when am in Omaha. What bothers me is “the articles you write and put on the site.” The New Testament church must and should only preach the word of God. Most, or all of the articles are not…
Read MoreAugustus H. F. Payne
by Earl Kimbrough via Biblical Insights When the dark and angry clouds of war gathered over the nation in 1860, some pacifist gospel preachers in Missouri drew up a document pleading with their brethren to refuse to take up arms in the conflict. Entitled Circular from Preachers in Missouri, the paper was intended for brethren in all…
Read MoreCan a couple, who committed fornication, manage to have a good marriage?
Question: Hello, First of all, thank you for your site. It seems to have good advice on many issues. I have read your article “Dealing with the Effects of Pre-Marital Sex.” I have a question relating to the article, but which is not covered directly in the article: How should a couple, who are planning…
Read MoreDoes God hate people born outside of their parents’ marriage?
Question: Does God hate people born outside of their parents’ marriage? Answer: Absolutely not! There has been confusion due to a passage in the Old Law: “No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the LORD” (Deuteronomy…
Read MoreI got pregnant when I sinned and now my father wants me to abort the child. What should I do?
Question: Good evening minister. I am a Christian and very influential to both the young and the old. I am 29 years old but, due to circumstances, I am still living with my parents. I read one of your posting about the answer to the question: How do you repent of having sex out of wedlock…
Read MoreShould we leave our current church because of unbiblical practices?
Question: I am currently attending a church of Christ where I was baptized and continue to worship. I have been studying the Bible through your very informative website and have realized that a lot of things taught on your site are not practiced in our congregation, which has made me a bit worried as I…
Read MoreCan I marry my brother’s ex-girlfriend? (2)
Question: Dear Sir, I appreciate your website and how deep and rich your answers to pertinent questions have helped to shape people’s lives. I have been dating a lady who was once dating my younger brother. They were both in the same church, and they dated as believers with the consciousness to keep the relationship…
Read MoreCan I be forgiven of my sins?
Question: I need advice. I am in my early twenties. I was born in a Christian family. I was a clever child and a good learner under the guidance of my grandparents, who raised me and my siblings after our mother passed away. Around age 14, my life changed. I started drinking alcohol and attempted…
Read MoreHow to be Happy
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/HowToBeHappy.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 4:1-7 I. Are you happy? Truly happy? A. For many people the answer is “I would be happy, if …” 1. If something changed, then I could be happy. 2. Sometimes the change is something simple. “Once I lose another ten pounds, I’ll be happy.” 3. But too often the demand is…
Read MoreCounting the Cost
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CountingTheCost.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 14:25-35 I. If you look into history, most religious leaders consider their success based on the size of the crowd that follows their teaching. A. Jesus did not. In fact, in our reading for today Jesus explains how hard and how much is expected from a disciple. B. For centuries,…
Read MoreIs the Bible fallible because it was written in human languages?
Question: Dear Jeffrey, I am sorry that I have to turn to you for help, but this is why I am currently studying to be a preacher because people like you and many others inspire me to be able to teach. Unfortunately, I have wasted away much of my life after vain things, such as…
Read MoreHe no longer wants to marry me after years of sex. Does he have obligations to me in God’s eyes?
Question: I have been in a sexual relationship with a man who I love deeply for several years. We are both divorced from other marriages. I want to marry him, I always have. But recently, he told me his feelings have changed and he wants to be free. This is after years of proclaiming he…
Read MoreMy girlfriend wants all of my attention focused on her
Question: Hello, I often have a hard time dealing with my girlfriend. She is 24 and I am 28. I chose her only because of her good character and good education — she is a medical doctor. Other than those reasons, both of us are Christians. I am not interested in other girls. My heart…
Read MoreHow do I overcome knowing my girlfriend had sex with other guys?
Question: There are some troubling things that I have questions about my girlfriend. I have known my girlfriend since senior high school. After she graduated she got into a relationship with a guy who was not attached to God. He pleased her flesh, but he also abused her at the end of the relationship. It…
Read MoreRahab
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Rahab.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Joshua 2:1-24 I. Rahab has given many Bible students difficulty over the years. A. James 2:14-26 – James tells us she was an example of a working faith when she took in the Israelite spies and sent them out secretly. B. Notice that her action was listed as an example similar…
Read MoreAre the blood moon prophecies related to the moon causing things to happen?
Question: I have a question about the blood moon. People are saying that a series of blood moons signify the coming of Christ and, therefore, will fulfill the biblical prophecy. Revelation 6:12 refers to it and Joel 2:30-31 refers to the blood moon and Christ’s coming. So I started thinking about it and I’ve been…
Read MoreEveryone worships differently, but does it matter if we are all worshiping Christ?
Question: I have one question that concerns me: There are many Christian denominations or groups such as Orthodox, Protestantism, Catholic, Baptist, etc. Each one of those denominations or churches has its own practices and symbols. Ones who have the cross without Jesus, ones who have the cross with Jesus, ones who believe in Saints, ones…
Read MoreDoes Acts 11:17 teach that people were saved only by faith?
Question: Those who believe in faith alone insist that because of Acts 11:17 they received the Holy Spirit by believing in Jesus they were saved. How must one defend against it? Answer: In Acts 11, Peter is defending his actions in Acts 10. “But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:…
Read MoreWill God forgive me for worshiping idols to please my mother?
Question: I am 21 years old. My mum is a Buddhist, which forces me to worship Buddhist idols. But I am a Catholic and she opposes me and scolds me. She even denies Jesus publicly. I am not yet baptized because of her. What should I do? Will God forgive me because of my worship…
Read MoreWhy do people choose the priesthood when they want to follow Jesus?
Question: I was wondering if many people who accepted Jesus and decided to follow him joined the priesthood. My question is: Is becoming a priest the only way to follow Jesus and go to Heaven? Why do people choose the priesthood when they want to follow Jesus? And what is the difference between becoming a…
Read MoreLessons from Peter’s Walk on the Water
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/LessonsFromPetersWalkOnTheWater.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 14:22-33 I. The events here immediately follow the miraculous feeding of a great multitude of people (5000 men, plus women and children). A. Jesus sends his disciples in a boat to the other shore while he dismissed the crowd. B. Jesus then climbs a nearby mountain to pray into the…
Read MoreNew Testament Apocrypha – Infancy Gospels
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/NewTestamentApocryphaInfancyGospels.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1:13-21 I. Reasons for existence A. Promotion of a false doctrine because support cannot be found in the Scriptures B. Gaps led to speculation 1. Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ childhood was like? So have many others, which has lead to infancy gospels to tell us what people imagined…
Read MoreThank you for your article on Jephthah’s daughter
Question: Thank you for your article on Jephthah’s daughter and your reply to the question about Leviticus 27:29. There are other comments online, but most of them either did not make sense to me or just seemed to be a point of debate among those who replied. Your answer seemed to be the Bible answering for itself. Thank…
Read MoreIt’s Dark Out There
by David Diestelkamp via Think on These Things A candle burned anonymously across from where I sat. The unusually bright Chicago winter day flooded the room with light, overwhelming the glow of the candle. The candle was superfluous, unnecessary, and useless, at least as far as giving light was concerned. Had the room been dark with…
Read MoreCan a non-Christian lead the congregation?
Question: I’m in charge of scheduling the worship leaders for a small church of Christ. Recently I was approached by an unsaved regular attendee, who wished to participate in leading our body in different aspects of our Sunday morning worship service — prayer, reading, communion, etc. I approached our elders for guidance, as it just…
Read MoreIs it biblical to have camps for groups within a church?
Question: Hi, I would like to ask about fundraising activities for groups within the church, such as youths’ meetings, men’s meetings, and ladies’ meetings. Would it be proper for the youths to have a car wash where the money would go into the youths’ group account and not the church’s account? I know the church…
Read MoreWhich book should be first, Job or Genesis?
Question: I’m confused. A brother mentioned what I understood to mean that Job was to be the first book in the Bible and not Genesis. Since then I have done my own research and am now seriously confused. The way I see it is “Does it really matter?” There are considerably good points brought up…
Read MoreSeven Paradoxes of the Cross
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring8SevenParadoxesOfTheCross.mp3 by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel
Read MoreChoices (Perz)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring7Choices.mp3 by Jonathan Perz 2015 Spring Meeting
Read MoreIs being a sailor compatible with being a Christian? What about people who never heard of God?
Question: Hello, I am currently training to become a merchant marine. I am a married man with children. The company I am working for forces me to be on-board for around three weeks straight, giving a 48-hour break about once a month — twice if things go smoothly and the ship operations allow it so.…
Read MoreImitating God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring6ImitatingGod.mp3 by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel
Read MoreMy daughter is engaged to a man that I found out is still married. What do I do?
Question: This is a complicated situation. The information I have comes from the young man. This young man got a young girl pregnant. They were together off and on for a couple of years. They applied for a marriage license but did not follow through. They applied the second time about three months later and…
Read MoreJudas Iscariot
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring5JudasIscariot.mp3 by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel
Read MoreHow do I handle a woman who says God speaks to her?
Question: I got myself into a debate with this woman who kept going on and on about how God speaks to her and how God is angry at the churches and the pastors. Can you try to help me understand what she was talking about here? I can’t tell if she’s crazy or not. She…
Read MoreHe Preached Jesus to Him
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring4HePreachedJesusToHim.mp3 by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel
Read MoreHouse to House
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring3HouseToHouse.mp3 by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel
Read MoreTraditions
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring2Traditions.mp3 by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel
Read MoreSpreading the Gospel
by Jonathan Perz Are You Open Minded? Traditions House to House He Preached Jesus to Him Judas Iscariot Imitating God Choices Seven Paradoxes of the Cross
Read MoreAre You Open Minded?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015Spring1AreYouOpenMinded.mp3 by Jonathan Perz Spreading the Gospel
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