That Questionaire
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994 My congratulations are extended to those men who refused to reply to the infamous “Questionnaire” being mailed by some churches. My sincerest concerns are extended to those brethren who responded to it out of fear that support would be cut off. (Do not think…
Read MoreDid Dinosaurs Really Exist? (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer, Standing On Solid Ground (unpublished) via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994 Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 3, September 1994 Some, afraid of the repercussions of evolution, really do question the existence of dinosaurs. However, denying the existence of creatures for which there is substantial evidence will not help defend the…
Read MoreAre atrocities committed reason to reject Christ?
by Kenny Chumbley via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994 Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 3, September 1994 Question: How do we answer the atheist who cites the crimes and atrocities committed in the name of Christ as an argument against believing in Christ? Answer: We do not deny that a Christian can engage…
Read MoreWhat Unbelievers Believe
by Kenny Chumbley via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994 Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 3, September 1994 Atheists like to portray Christianity as the non-thinking man’s sugar stick. They, we are told, are guided by reason and logic, whereas believers hold to antiquated religious superstitions that have been scientifically debunked. Nothing, however, could…
Read MoreStudies in II Peter 3: Naturalistic Uniformity
by Pat Hardeman via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994 The second coming of Christ is the first of those “last” things (Greek: eschatos) scorned by scoffers in mocking words: “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation”…
Read MoreWho Are You Listening To?
by Hugh DeLong Text: Galatians 3 The promise to Abraham – all nations bless in his ‘seed’, which is Jesus. The law was given to Israel, but was their ‘tutor’ or ‘guardian’ to bring them to Christ, and now they are no longer under that tutor (the Law). However, the blessing was for all nations…
Read MoreA Prayer from a Pit
by Bill Boyd On a visit to Jerusalem, I was taken to a church that was built over the traditional house of Caiaphas. In the lower parts of that church, there is a cistern. An ancient tradition says that this cistern is where Jesus was kept the night before his crucifixion. We went down into…
Read MoreSin Leveling
by Gardner Hall What is “sin leveling”? I recently heard this term, and the more I think about it, the more I think it describes a great evil. “Sin leveling” is giving the same weight to depraved or predatory acts that we give to the involuntary shortcomings that all disciples battle. But aren’t all sins…
Read MoreHeirs According to the Promise
by Hugh DeLong Text: Galatians 3 Recall that God made a promise that through Abraham’s seed all nations (peoples) would be blessed. Jesus is introduced as the Seed of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). Between Abraham and Jesus, God repeatedly chose whom He would use to produce the promised ‘seed’ (a person). He chose Isaac, Jacob (Israel),…
Read MoreCan someone be born with a sin that cannot be forgiven?
Question: Hello, First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I do appreciate your knowledge. I have an interesting question about the topic of “saveability” (not an actual word). Does God allow for someone to be born with sin that they cannot be forgiven of? I know the…
Read MoreWhen Wisdom Walks Away
by Cleve Stafford There’s a certain kind of argument that never ends well. No matter how calmly you speak, how clear your reasoning is, or how sincere your intentions are, the other person will not act accordingly. Proverbs 29:9 lays it out plainly: “If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool…
Read MoreCrucified But Lives
by Hugh DeLong “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the…
Read MoreThat Is Not the Way You Learned Christ
by Doy Moyer “But that is not the way you learned Christ!” (Ephesians 4:20). We hear much about how people think Christianity is supposed to be from all sides. This is often debated ad nauseam through the lens of taking partisan sides. Christianity gets culturally hijacked and manipulated to fit a narrative of our own…
Read MoreIs marriage the business of the church or the family?
Question: Hello Minister, I hope you are doing well. I have a few issues I would like some clarification on. Is marriage primarily the business of the church or the family? In many African contexts, the acceptance of a bride price by the woman’s family during a formal occasion is a prerequisite for marriage. After…
Read MoreViews of Heaven
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Views-of-Heaven.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Revelation 21:1-4 I. Most cultures have some view of an afterlife A. It is a logical conclusion. Either there is an afterlife or there is not. 1. If there is no afterlife, then life becomes meaningless. There is no reason to go through hardship and suffering. There is no…
Read MoreCan Deconstruction Actually Be a Good Thing?
by Andy Diestelkamp via InLight Media A lot of Christians may think deconstruction is nothing but a threat to Christendom. But maybe that’s not always the case. Andy Diestelkamp unpacks the concept of deconstruction, highlighting ways we can engage in good deconstruction as people of faith seeking objective truth.
Read MoreWhy Do We All Believe in Right and Wrong?
by Doy Moyer via InLight Media Across cultures, times, and worldviews, humans share a deep sense of moral obligation—a feeling that some things ought to be done and others ought not. But where does that sense come from? Is morality something we invent as societies… or is our conscience discovering something real? In this video, Doy…
Read MoreDo we have eternal life permanently?
by Terry Wane Benton Question: If we have eternal life, doesn’t that mean we have it permanently? Answer: We have eternal life in promise. Just as formerly, we had eternal condemnation in promise. The promise of eternal damnation is to the unbeliever who can change their destiny by belief and repentance. Change your destiny by…
Read MoreDoes faith cause salvation?
Question: Dear Mr. Hamilton, Thank you for sharing the article “What Saves a Person.” I’ve read it carefully and wanted to follow up with a sincere question. I noticed the article lists many things Scripture associates with salvation — God, Christ, grace, faith, repentance, baptism, obedience, etc. — and then concludes that all are equally…
Read MoreIf everyone sins, how can anyone go to heaven?
Question: I have some questions for you: I saw a video that says sinners cannot go to heaven; you cannot walk on the path of sin and still expect your name to be written in the Book of Life. If the video is correct, sinners cannot go to heaven. However, even Christians make mistakes and…
Read MoreA Need to “Reinterpret” Paul?
by Allen Dvorak via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14 No. 8, August 2014 In Matthew 5:41, Jesus said, “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” His statement makes sense to the Bible student who understands that, under Roman law, a Roman soldier could compel any Jew, as a subject in…
Read MoreDon’t Be Surprised by Suffering
by Edwin Crozier Text: I Peter 4 Jesus told the apostles: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the…
Read MoreAin’t Skeered!
by Dennis Strickland While driving around in recent months, I have been seeing stickers on the back windows of trucks that say: “Ain’t Skeered!” It is not very difficult to determine what this means. To one speaking properly, the phrase would be: “I’m not afraid.” In various situations, many people have claimed they were not…
Read MoreThe Foundation of My Belief
by Hugh DeLong What is the foundational base of my belief (and consequently, yours)? Not that my understanding becomes the standard for your belief, but how you read, interpret, and understand the revelation given by the Spirit. Let us start with several observations. There is a revealing of God’s will to men. (OK, first hurdle – what scriptures…
Read MoreNotes on Foreigners
The Resident Alien The Hebrew word is gerim. These are people who live within Israel’s borders, often as refugees or laborers. Leviticus 19:33-34 “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you…
Read More“David” Found at Dan
by Henry Robinson via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994 Tel Dan Stele The March/April 1994 edition of the Biblical Archaeology Review (Vol. 20, No.2) reported the following: “It’s not often that an archaeological find makes the front page of the New York Times (to say nothing of Time magazine. But that is what…
Read MoreDo You Know Who I Am?
by Mark Mason via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994 There is a story floating around about then-President Bush a few years ago. He was supposedly visiting a nursing home, where he took the hand of an elderly man walking the halls and asked kindly, “Sir, do you know who I am?״ The…
Read MoreUse Your Gifts to Serve
by Edwin Crozier Text: I Peter 4 Let’s get back to what it looks like to keep our conduct honorable among the Gentiles. Peter provides a handful of instructions. We are to be sober-minded and self-controlled. I know this is part of honorable conduct because it mirrors what he told husbands about living with their…
Read MoreClouds Without Water
by Terry Wane Benton Peter spoke of change agents as false teachers who creep into churches, promise liberty from the old way of doing things, but they “despise authority” (II Peter 2). They are “clouds without water”. What does that mean? It means they have no real substance to their own teaching. They can criticize…
Read MoreSuicide Is a Very Complicated Issue
by Kevin Rutherford Suicide is a very complicated issue. It is one that we cannot be flippant about and careless with. This discussion should always be accompanied by caution, compassion, and care. If anyone reading this article has come to such a condition that you have had thoughts of suicide, please seek professional and spiritual…
Read MoreThe Judgment that Matters
by Edwin Crozier Text: I Peter 4. In I Peter 3:18, the apostle explained that when Jesus suffered once for sins, He was put to death in the flesh, but was made alive in the Spirit. Men killed Him, but God raised Him. Man’s rejection mattered little to Jesus personally. God’s assessment and acceptance mattered…
Read MoreIslam and Governments
by Larry Rouse Here is the simplest way to explain what makes Islam fundamentally different from every other major religion, and why it is uniquely destabilizing. Judaism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions, meaning they teach belief in one deity. Islam adds a second, inseparable layer, and that is exactly what makes it problematic.…
Read MoreIf the Devil Wanted to Make a Denomination Out of the Church
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 2, June 1994 The church of our Lord was fashioned in the mind of God before earth-time began (Ephesians 1:9-10; 3:9-11). It was made according to His purpose and was built by Him after the earthly sojourn of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18). Everything about it was perfect…
Read MoreVery Costly Perfume
by Hugh DeLong In chapter 14 of Mark, we are introduced to two different worldviews: what is the most important goal of one’s life, and the resulting use of one’s monetary resources. First, the ‘woman’, identified for us in Matthew 26:6-13 and John 12:1-8, is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She takes an…
Read MoreJudah and Jospeh
by Chad Bird Genesis 38 often feels like an unwanted interruption in the Joseph story, a dark and unsettling back-alley detour filled with death, sex, deceit, and judgment. For years, I treated it like a commercial break, impatient to return to Joseph’s story. But that view missed the point. Badly. Genesis 38 is not a…
Read MoreScience Still Can’t Rule God Out
by Buddy Payne via InLight Media Has science really proved that God does not exist? Many people assume modern science has made belief in God obsolete—but is that actually true? In this video, Buddy Payne examines the limits of the scientific method and asks an important question: Can science prove that God does—or does not—exist?…
Read MoreRoots of Repentance
by David Gibson Repentance isn’t easy. Why? Sin is pleasurable. Change is challenging. Confession is humbling. What can prompt a 180°? Fear of punishment Knowing God was about to punish, the Ninevites repented (Jonah 3:4-10). Seeing their penitence, God relented (Jeremiah 18:7-8). Shouldn’t Judgment Day motivate us? “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now…
Read More“Woke” – A Biblical View
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Woke-A-Biblical-View.mp3 Download Audio by Garry Floyd Text: James 3:17 “Woke” philosophy is not a single, formal philosophy. It’s a modern cultural and social framework that blends ideas from civil rights activism, social justice theory, and academic critical theories. The term has evolved a lot, which is why it’s often confusing and controversial. Here’s a clear,…
Read MoreTwo Sons Show Us the Truth
by Terry Wane Benton When we hear those who read the scriptures through Calvinistic lenses tell us that Adam and Eve handed down “Total Depravity” and “Inability”, we turn our attention to two sons, each of whom should have inherited this depraved gene. Cain and Abel show us the opposite. Both brought an offering to…
Read MoreA New Man
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/A-New-Man.mp3 Download Audio by Garry Floyd Text: John 3:1-18 What Does It Mean to Be “A New Man”? II Corinthians 5:16–17 Paul declares that in Christ we no longer evaluate life merely from a human point of view. To be a New Man is not cosmetic change or religious language. It is a complete transformation…
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