Worshiping What You Do Not Know
by Hugh DeLong “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). The background of this discussion is found in the history of the Samaritans. In short, they are descendants of Jews who returned from Babylonian captivity and intermarried with people who had been…
Read MoreBar-Jesus and Saul
by Edwin Crozier The first stop for Barnabas and Saul on this first missionary journey has some really interesting wordplay in the names. First, you’ve got Bar-Jesus and Barnabas. The first literally means “son of Jesus,” and the second literally means “son of the prophets.” Luke gives us more insight by calling him the “son…
Read MoreDo We Act When God Speaks?
by Zeke Flores “And Yahweh said, ‘Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand'” (Judges 1:2). Judges opens with a simple but important moment. Israel asks Yahweh who should lead the fight, and Yahweh answers clearly. Judah goes first. It’s not flashy, but it reminds us that Yahweh still directs…
Read MoreSeeing God Accurately Through the Eyes of Christ
by David Gibson An unworthy God? Some people are repelled by the God of the Old Testament, finding Him to be unreasonably demanding and harshly vindictive—therefore, unworthy of our respect and worship. Jesus, according to this view, provides us with a refreshing corrective to the wrathful, distant deity of the Old Testament. A careful, unbiased…
Read MoreHow the Chips May Fall
by Chadwick Brewer “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (II Timothy 4:1–2). These…
Read MoreIs it impossible for me to come back?
Question: Dear Sir, I will try to make this short and get to the point. My wife and I were baptized in a church of Christ many years ago. We were excited about our salvation and faithfully attended church, strived to be obedient, and did our best to walk in the light. We were in…
Read MoreConvinced, but Not Converted
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Convinced-but-Not-Converted.mp3 by Garry Floyd Download Audio
Read MoreA Mere Ignorant Apocalypse Preacher?
by Terry Wane Benton Atheist: The New Testament Jesus believed in a bunch of Old Testament nonsense. He was an ignorant apocalypse preacher, at best. Reply: Maybe all the real ignorance is yours, and you’re the one who’s believed a bunch of nonsense. How did an “ignorant apocalypse preacher” manage to get His death and…
Read MoreSaying the Things People Don’t Want to Hear
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Saying-the-Things-People-Dont-Want-to-Hear.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Amos 7:1-9 I. God brings to Amos a vision of terrible destruction – the destruction of the northern kingdom, Israel – Amos 7:1-9 A. Israel had failed to measure up to God’s standard. They were like a leaning wall ready to collapse. They were no longer straight. They…
Read MoreThe Value of a Made-Up Mind
by David Gibson We all know how easily New Year’s resolutions can fall apart, but this post is about truly making up our minds to avoid evil and choose good—at any time of year. Here are some Bible examples to inspire us to do just that—and keep doing it: Job resolved, “I have made a…
Read MoreFueling Our Obedience
by Zeke Flores “You have seen all that Yahweh your God has done … for Yahweh your God is He who has been fighting for you” (Joshua 23:3). Joshua’s farewell speech starts with an observation: “You have seen.” He doesn’t ask Israel to believe blindly; he points to reality, to concrete history. God fought for…
Read MoreHis Disciples Believed in Him
by Hugh DeLong As you end this gospel, John writes: “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have…
Read MoreGod Blesses Righteousness
by Samuel A. Matthews “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look…
Read MoreI thought I needed to say more
Question: Hello, I have been baptized into Christ. I have been taught the gospel and why I need to be baptized. Going into it, I fully believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and publicly confessed that. My dad asked me that question and quickly dunked me under. At the time, I thought…
Read MoreTo the Gentiles Also
by Edwin Crozier When Peter returned to Jerusalem after baptizing Cornelius and his family in Caesarea, some Jewish Christians were furious. How could Peter, a faithful Jew, eat with uncircumcised men? So Peter explained the whole story. He told about the vision of unclean animals. He told about the message Cornelius received from the angel.…
Read MoreWhy Do We Need to Hold God’s Hand?
by Jefferson David Tant There’s a familiar spiritual song titled “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand,” and another is titled “I Hold His Hand.” Both hymns offer good thoughts that convey a meaningful message. Let us consider some reasons why we should trust God and “hold his hand.” May I suggest that we need to hold…
Read MoreBaptized in the Name of Jesus Christ
by Edwin Crozier Although Peter himself had proclaimed that the promise of salvation was for all who are far off (Acts 2:39), he was still surprised when told to preach the gospel to a Gentile. Yet, while he was preaching to Cornelius, the “Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:45). What…
Read MoreSuccessors of Peter?
by Terry Wane Benton Roman Catholics claim that Peter was the first pope and that he had a higher authority over the other apostles and the church in general. Yet Scripture does not show this to be true. Paul by the Spirit said that he (Paul) was not one whit behind the “most eminent apostles”…
Read MoreServants Like Tabitha
by Edwin Crozier To make sure his readers knew Peter could be trusted to baptize Gentiles (which we’ll see happen in Acts 10), Luke told the stories of two incredible miracles. First, he told about the healing of Aeneas, a man paralyzed for eight years. Second, he told about the raising of Tabitha. If God…
Read MoreGod’s Reliable Work
by Zeke Flores “So Yahweh gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it” (Joshua 21:43). Joshua 21 closes a major section with a clear summary: God did exactly what He said He would do. Israel received the land, lived in it,…
Read MoreWhy were Adam and Eve created naked?
Question: I have one question: Why did God create Adam and Eve naked? Answer: Technically, almost every animal God created was made without clothing. Monkeys, lions, dogs, cats, etc., do not wear clothing. And every creature born comes into this world without clothing. The lack of clothing is specifically mentioned in Genesis 2:25 to help…
Read MoreEnticed
by Hugh DeLong Twice in this chapter (II Peter 2), Peter writes of brethren being enticed (II Peter 2:14, 18). Only James uses this word when he wrote that “each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” ( James 1:14) Louw Nida wrote in their definition of this…
Read MoreGood Times in Bad Times
by David Gibson The late radio news commentator Paul Harvey would sometimes report on some horrific situation, then he’d turn his attention to an uplifting story by saying, “Now wash your ears out with this.” That reminds me of the book of Ruth. Ruth lived during the time of the judges, when “every man did…
Read MoreGod’s Justice Is Thoughtful
by Zeke Flores “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge …'” (Joshua 20:2). Joshua 20 establishes cities of refuge, places where someone who unintentionally kills another person can flee for protection until a fair trial. This system reflects Yahweh’s commitment to justice and due process. Contextually, these cities prevent revenge-driven…
Read MoreResponding to the Good News
by Edwin Crozier The Ethiopian Eunuch had traveled hundreds of miles to worship at the Jerusalem temple. However, he was not allowed to fully participate in the worship because the law said a eunuch could not enter the Lord’s assembly in Deuteronomy 23:1. I don’t know if he was aware of that law before he…
Read MoreNot the Same, But Appropriate
by Zeke Flores “Then the second lot fell to Simeon … and their inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the sons of Judah” (Joshua 19:1). Joshua 19 continues the land distribution, showing God’s attention to each tribe. Simeon receives territory within Judah’s portion because Judah’s land was too large. This adjustment isn’t…
Read MoreThrough Knowledge
by Hugh DeLong “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (II Peter 1:2-3). Through the…
Read MoreFollowing Jesus
by Edwin Crozier Text: Acts 7 I absolutely love Stephen’s example. It seems to me that Stephen is set up in Acts as what it looks like to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we all have to be executed in order to be faithful Christians. But Stephen takes up…
Read MoreThe Godly Are Set Apart for God
by Samuel A. Matthews “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?…
Read MoreAre You Encouraging?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Are-You-Encouraging.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio
Read MoreRender to God the Things That Are God’s
by Andy Sochor Matthew recorded an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees in which they came to test Jesus (Matthew 22:15-22). They tried to “trap Him in what He said” (Matthew 22:15), so they sent some of their disciples with some of the Herodians to question Him. They prefaced their question with flattery. “Teacher, we…
Read MoreBe Cautious What You Read
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Be-Cautious-What-You-Read.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio
Read MoreI Am What I Am
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/I-Am-What-I-Am.mp3 by Garry Floyd Download Audio
Read MoreThe Duty of Mankind
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/The-Duty-of-Mankind.mp3 by Cesar Meza Download Audio
Read MoreIs the canon of the Scriptures infallible?
Question: Hello brother, I have appreciated the material you make available on the La Vista website, and it has helped me greatly over the years. We are currently dealing with a brother who has left the Lord’s church for the Greek Orthodox Church. I would like to ask for your help with a question. How…
Read MoreWhat does “visible and invisible” refer to?
Question: I thank you and your congregation for the wonderful explanations you provided. I also offer my heartfelt thanks to God for your ministry. Please help me grow in my knowledge of God; your lessons are proving immensely useful to my congregation, to me, and in my preachers’ classes. Please explain whether the Church is…
Read MoreAre chronically late people seeking attention?
Question: Dear Minister, Have you ever encountered members who want to be noticed or seen by others? For example, I know a husband and wife who almost always come in after class on Sunday mornings and walk in when everyone else is seated and the announcements have started. They always sit down in the front,…
Read MoreWhat are the rules for preparing and serving the Lord’s Supper?
Question: I have some questions about the Holy Communion; Who is supposed to prepare the Lord’s Supper? Must the one who prepares the Lord’s Supper abstain from sexual activity with his wife? Can a sister who is having her menstrual period eat and drink the Lord’s Supper? Some say, “plates for bread must be white,…
Read MoreCan you use the song “All Things Are Ready” to introduce the Lord’s Supper?
Question: Can the song “All Things Are Ready, Come to the Feast” be used to introduce communion? Answer: “All things are ready,” come to the feast! Come for the table now is spread; Ye famishing, ye weary, come, And thou shalt be richly fed. “All things are ready,” come to the feast! Come, for the…
Read MoreBeing Different
by David Gibson Has anyone ever told you that you are different? If so, was it a compliment, a criticism, or simply an observation? Jesus told us we should be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). Because light is different from darkness, and salt from its surroundings, they are useful and beneficial. When we dare to…
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