How do we notify the congregation that the preacher was asked to leave?
Question: How do we notify the congregation that a minister has been asked to leave? It has not grown over the last several years, and we want to move forward. Answer: I’m not certain how you determined that the lack of growth was the preacher’s fault and not due to the members of the church…
Read MoreDoesn’t Acts 12:4 mention Easter?
Question: A question I have is in Acts 12:4. What’s was the Scripture pertaining to when it mentioned Easter? “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people” (Acts 12:4 KJV). Answer:…
Read MoreMy family doesn’t believe in Christianity and I find myself losing my temper
Question: I am a convert to Christianity, but my family belongs to the Hindu religion. My family opposes Christianity. They refuse to accept Jesus. I have a very strong belief in Jesus from the core of my heart. My problem is that I am losing my temper, which affects my surroundings. My parents are irritated…
Read MoreThe Christian’s Reign
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton A large number of passages establish the reign of Christians. Paul tells us that Christians will reign with Christ after this life is over. “This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If…
Read MoreNotes on Works
We are not saved by the things that we do. God’s grace saves us and not works in which we could boast – Ephesians 2:8-9 Works of the Old Testament Law cannot save, by themselves, because the Law brings the knowledge of sin – Romans 3:20 We are justified by faith apart from works of…
Read MoreThe Wondrous Book of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/WondrousBookOfGod.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 119:17-24 I. Eulogy of the Bible Many years ago, I entered the wonderful temple of God’s revelation. I entered the portico of Genesis and walked down through the Old Testament Art Gallery where the pictures of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, and Daniel hung…
Read MoreAre things like youth groups, camps, interns, fellowship halls, etc. inherently bad?
Question: Well, I have been reading through your site and it has made me question some things about my church. Right now I’m beginning college and I attend a church of Christ as I did when I was back home. I now have a much more solid understanding of why I attend a church of…
Read MoreI just committed fornication. How can I forgive myself?
Question: I just had been surfing the net and came across your post an hour ago. I’m a 22-year-old male from a Christian family. I was well brought up, but I fell into fornication yesterday for the first time in my 22 years on earth with a Muslim friend. I immediately cried and asked God…
Read MoreIs it adultery to marry a guy who has a child but was never married?
Question: Hi, I am talking to a guy who has never been married but is a single father, having a child from a previous relationship. Would it be considered the sin of adultery if I were to ever marry him? I ask because the Scriptures talk about two joining together and becoming “one flesh”. I…
Read MoreYou have articles on situations I’m dealing with. Thank you!
Question: My wife discovered your website while researching the “once saved, always saved” doctrine. She passed the link on to me. I have already read that article and several others. I have a couple of situations I am dealing with and you have articles that address them. I now have your website anchored to my…
Read MoreWhy do you say the blood moon prophecies are false when they are coming true?
Question: I’ve just read a column on your website about the four blood moon and I was confused. How can it be a false prophecy when it had occurred on the exact date that pastor John Hagee had prophesied years ago? I am a member of a church of Christ and in church, they taught us that…
Read MoreWhat happens if I die before I am baptized?
Question: I recently turned my life to God. I’m on your website all the time learning what things to do and not do. I’m also reading the Bible. I don’t know everything in the Bible, so I’m currently educating myself. I’ve come to be a bit confused since I have a hard time understanding many…
Read MoreIs it bad that most members in our church were raised in the church?
Question: Dear Mr. Hamilton, I’ve been emphasizing how important truth is in the Bible to one of my friends. She has been very receptive to the truths I’ve shown her in God’s Word. I’ve taken her to the church I attend and she enjoys it but she says it’s not her thing. Now I tell…
Read MoreCan you be saved on your death bed?
Question: I have a question! Can you be saved on your death bed? I know you must be baptized, and I’m trying to teach my aunt. She said that you don’t have to be baptized and that her grandad was saved on his death bed but was not baptized! Is that OK? If you can’t…
Read MoreCan you have adultery without sex?
Question: Is this adultery in any form? A spouse texts a guy friend, calls him, sends pictures of herself to him, goes to pick him up, and he buys her gifts. He says he likes her and has recently put a tattoo of her name on his body. She says they haven’t had sex. She…
Read MoreWhy Homosexuals Are Receiving So Much Attention
by Edward O. Bragwell Sr. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:9-10). We are sometimes…
Read MoreHow do I get a child to stop swearing?
Question: Hello Jeffrey, I was wondering if you could give me a few strategies for deterring swearing in my eight-year-old. It has already happened twice in the last few days, and I’ve explained to him why it’s not appropriate to say those things. So I am hoping that did the trick, but just in case,…
Read MoreWhat did the animals eat after leaving the ark?
Question: How did plants survive in the flood? Where did animals, like cattle, get their food after being released from the ark? Answer: Plant seeds can float and survive a flood, as evidenced by plants sprouting after the flood. “Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf…
Read MoreWhat do the Scriptures say about dreadlocks?
Question: Hi, There is a fashion trend among black males to plait their hair or have dreadlocks like rastas. What do the Scriptures say about this? Answer: It depends on the purpose of the hairstyling. I know that the tightly curly hair among those of African descent is often difficult to manage. Dreadlocks are one…
Read MoreWhy do people believe a text written by uneducated people when science has proven the Bible to be completely false?
Question: There are many scientific discoveries and explanations that prove that the teachings of the Bible are completely false. One for example is dinosaurs, which are proven by radiometric dating to be over 60 million years old. How could this be if the world is only 10,000 years old? When Darwin and other scientists have…
Read MoreMy fiancee found out I had been on a dating site and broke up with me
Question: I messed up my relationship with the one person I love more than anything on this planet. She is one of the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever met. She treats me so well. I don’t deserve her and I know she deserves better than me, but I want to become the man…
Read MoreIs tanning wrong?
Question: Is tanning scriptural? Would it be a sin for one to tan? Answer: Tanning serves no purpose beyond cosmetic purposes. Our society currently sees tans as an indication of healthy outdoor living and also a sign of wealth since few people have the idle time to get tanned over a large area of their…
Read MoreShould I tell my ex-boyfriend how I hate him and myself for having sex?
Question: Hello, I have a question. I have had sex with my ex-boyfriend, and I just can’t get over it. I know that I have sinned, I asked God for forgiveness, and I know that God has forgiven me. However, every time I think of my ex-boyfriend, it is so hard for me to forgive…
Read MoreIs Christ no longer of flesh now that he is in heaven?
Question: If the Word was God and became flesh when he came to the earth, did the reverse happen on his return? Answer: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown…
Read MoreMy husband left me and I’m barely making my income last each month. Is it wrong if I don’t give as much?
Question: Dear Brother in Christ: I cannot first say how thankful to God I am for blessing you with the spiritual wisdom and knowledge to provide biblical answers for our questions, and for rightly dividing the word of truth. First, I am a member of the body of Christ, and I am recently separated (not…
Read MoreMy seven-year-old, who is tall and skinny, thinks she is too fat. What do I do?
Question: Thank you for such a helpful website! I’ve read the article on Five to Nine-Year-Olds this morning. I’m concerned about my seven-year-old girl who attends public school. She’s naturally a tall, thin girl but she asked me if I think she’s fat and lately has been obsessed about this — showing me her stomach and asking…
Read MoreWill God forgive me if I continue to mess up with my girlfriend?
Question: Sir, I am so conflicted that I do not know what to do. I’m a Christian and have been doing things to be able to come back to God because I had fallen away a bit. I have two things that have been bothering me for a long time. I am with a girl…
Read MoreWhat is the best way to avoid lying?
Question: Is it true that Jesus said in Revelation 21:8 that all liars will go to hell? If so, what is the best way for a Christian parent to avoid lying about things like Santa, birthday presents, or surprise parties? Or if a suicidal friend makes you promise not to tell someone that they are…
Read MoreIs it appropriate to say a prayer in a restaurant?
Question: Hello, Mr. Hamilton! My husband and I have been studying the book of Matthew, and we have a question about Matthew 6:5-6. How do these verses apply to saying a prayer of thanks before a meal in a restaurant? We have read your answer to the question, “Must a prayer be said before eating…
Read MoreDoes I Corinthians 14:34 only apply to the church in Corinth?
Question: Regarding woman’s roles in the church, what would you say to someone who believes I Corinthians 14 was specifically for the church in Corinth? Answer: When someone doesn’t like what a passage says, a common rebuttal is to claim that the passage has a very narrow application — so narrow that it doesn’t apply…
Read MoreWhat is the correct way of saying a particular congregation: the La Vista Church of Christ or the church of Christ at La Vista?
Question: What is the correct way of saying a particular congregation: the La Vista Church of Christ or the church of Christ at La Vista? Some contend the latter should be used. They argue that the former emphasizes place rather than the church. They use as an illustration as to what Paul has referred to…
Read MorePotential Is Not Enough
by Doy Moyer “It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done” (Samuel Johnson, 1770). Potential has to do with something that can happen but has not yet happened. It has to do with possibilities: unrealized and undeveloped. While it is good…
Read MoreWas Eve formed from Adam’s rib or Adam’s side?
Question: Was the word “rib” the correct translation in Genesis chapter 2? The NIV gives in their footnotes that it is a rib or he took a part from Adam’s side. So which is right? Answer: The Hebrew word tsela, can mean a rib, or a part of the side. How you translate it doesn’t matter.…
Read MoreBrethren with Too Many Relatives
by Edward O Bragwell, Sr. via Guardian of Truth, April 18, 1985 No, I am not talking about a population explosion. I am not even talking about long-lost cousins that surface when someone starts a rumor that we have come into some money. I am talking about relatives as opposed to absolutes. It is near…
Read MoreCan I be forgiven for knowingly sinning by having sex with a prostitute?
Question: Hi, I am a young man, age 22. I came upon this woman, who was a prostitute. I decided to invite her to my place and we slept together. Since that time I became a Christian. I haven’t committed fornication since, but I am scared that God will not forgive me because I did…
Read MoreA housekeeper has been stealing from her employer. Should the matter be brought to the elders or the police?
Question: Good evening Brother Hamilton, I know that the use of the courts to settle disputes between the brethren is, at best, frowned upon during normal circumstances. However, for actual crimes, is it appropriate to press charges rather than using the eldership to confront the individual? I ask because an older family member of mine…
Read MoreWere Adam and Eve married?
Question: Hello! This might be a dumb question but someone brought it up today at school and it was a little confusing. If premarital sex is a sin, Adam and Eve weren’t married, and they had sex. So is that why we are all born in sin? Answer: Actually, it is a very good question.…
Read MoreAm I obligated to marry my fiance?
Question: I somehow made a complete mess of my life and I am hoping to get some perspective on my situation. I am 21 years old. I have been with a man for 4 years. I love him a lot, but I am no longer ‘in love’ with him. We are engaged to be married.…
Read MoreThe Accuser of Our Brethren
by Steve Wallace Via Guardian of Truth, March 20, 1997 In Revelation 12:10 Satan is referred to as “the accuser of our brethren.” The word “accuse” is defined, “(1) to charge with, or declare to have committed a crime, (2) to find at fault; to blame . . .” (Webster 14). Sometimes a person is justly…
Read MoreI just can’t seem to love anyone
Question: I’m writing because I feel completely ruined and came across your web site. I am over 45. I am unable to hold a job of any kind really; although, I should be able to because there is nothing physically wrong with me, and I have multiple college degrees. After a catastrophic event in my…
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