The Rule of Elders (Hamilton)
The Rule of Elders – Part 1The Rule of Elders – Part 2 Reading: Matthew 20:20-28 I. Consider an imaginary congregation A. It is a fair-sized group with an abundance of men, but few are actively involved in the work of the church. B. There are two active and very visible elders. 1. They exclusively teach the adult…
Read MoreAre willful sins irremissible?
Question: Hello, I repented wholeheartedly and believed that I would never (willfully) sin again. I was determined to not sin. I was overjoyed to be baptized for the forgiveness of my sins because I knew what Jesus went through to make it possible, and I thought that surely I would never turn my back and…
Read MoreIs my boyfriend cheating on me or am I just being hormonal?
Question: Hi, I’m having trouble figuring out if I’m being paranoid, or if my soon-to-be husband is cheating on me. I’m 8 months pregnant. I had an episode of angina several days ago. My doctor said it was caused by excessive stress and it could happen again. Now my fiance is being careful with his…
Read MoreGod’s Plan for His People
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2014Fall3GodsPlanForHisPeople.mp3 by Mike Waters The Good Life
Read MoreI’m not happy about my girlfriend’s past and I’m afraid it might happen again
Question: I have been with my girlfriend for about a year. We have known each other for about five years. I’m not happy about her past, and it scares me if she will ever do it again. She had a boyfriend for four years, but it wasn’t a really nice relationship. He treated her badly…
Read MoreMy wife is having an affair and wants a divorce. What do I need to do?
Question: Hello, My wife and I have been married for 15 years. For over five years I have been dealing with jealousy issues because of flirting and her having emotional-type affairs with other men. I felt like my masculinity was in question and if I said the way she was acting bothered me, it seemed…
Read MoreTrip Report – 2014 (Singapore, Bali)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/TripReport2014.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton
Read MoreI’m taking prescription medication without a prescription. Will this keep me out of heaven?
Question: I was baptized in a nondenominational Christian church at the age of ten. I fully believed and accepted the message of Jesus Christ and the cross. I backslid at fifteen, had a series of sexual perversions happen to me, and started to use drugs. I have been struggling with drugs ever since. My drugs…
Read MoreIf we were married in a courthouse, does God consider us married? Also, how do I stop lying?
Question: Hi, I have a question for you. My wife is Catholic. We have been married for over a year. She and I were married in a ceremony at the local courthouse; however, we were never married by either a priest or minister. I love her and don’t want her to suffer spiritually. Does God…
Read MoreWe Thank God for You
by Ethan Longhenry via Biblical Insights, August 2014 We live in a time of extremes when it comes to self-esteem and affirmation. Some people are constantly criticized, derided, and put down, even by family members, and feel as if they are worthless and can never be good enough. Other people receive nothing but praise and affirmations…
Read MoreI feel the Lord doesn’t want me to be happy because He has not sent me a wife
Question: I feel like the Lord does not want me to be happy because He has not sent me the right woman yet that I want to marry. I am already 34 years old and I have a very good job and a lot of good things going on. It just seems like women only…
Read MoreWhen my fiance broke up with me, I slept with another woman. Now they are both mad at me. What do I do?
Question: Hi Jeffrey, I have a child, under the age of five. The child’s mother is my fiance. She’s currently pregnant and expecting my second child. I truly love her with all my heart but things have turned out the worst for me. We have been engaged since last year, and we’ve finalized our wedding…
Read MoreShould I turn myself in because I had sex with a minor?
Question: First of all let me start by saying, your site is amazing. Your answers remain as biblical as possible and I do appreciate that. I read another question that someone else had that was very similar to the situation I am going through now, and reading your response really helped shed light. Nonetheless, I…
Read MoreWhat is the Christian’s new name?
Question: When we accepted Christ we were given a new name and identity. What is our now or name? Answer: The phrase “new name” is only stated three times in the Bible: “The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of…
Read MoreGrowing Old
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/GrowingOld.mp3 by Austin Hausner
Read MoreI want to divorce my husband because I don’t find him sexually appealing
Question: I am a girl from India. Here 70% of the marriages are arranged by parents from the same caste and community. I am a person who listens to what my heart says. I am also a physical kind of person, which means I usually get attracted to smart and cute guys. Nature is also…
Read MoreDo I have to confess my sins before the church? I don’t want people to have more reasons to look down on me
Question: I am a born-again Christian, but I have had many problems since I was raised by different people from among my relatives (uncle, aunties, grandpa, etc). I find myself different from others in a bad way mentally and in behavior. This feeling continues to disturb me. It was about ten years ago that I…
Read MoreDo you have an answer key for your study on the Song of Solomon?
Question: Greetings Jeffrey! I’ve been reading and reviewing your lessons on Song of Solomon. It has been very interesting and educational. I was wondering if you had answers to your questions? Some answers are obvious, but not all. I appreciate so very much the work you do in the kingdom of Christ with this site! Answer:…
Read MoreAre there five doctrines of angels?
Question: I told someone in our Bible study recently that “eternal security” is a doctrine. She said no, that doctrines are doctrines of angels, about five or so in number. What do you think about this? Answer: Doctrine means “teachings.” “For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law” (Proverbs 4:2). There is…
Read MoreDo Not be Afraid
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/DoNotBeAfraid.mp3 by Dean Scarlet
Read MoreThe Lord Reigns
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/LordReigns.mp3 by Andrew Long
Read MoreMy congregation is so caught up in meals and activities that they have lost sight of teaching
Question: Hello, I have been a member of the church of Christ for almost 20 years. I now have my own family and have been highly discouraged to continue attending the congregation in our hometown. Lately, I have been noticing so many changes in the church. Many local congregations, as well as ours, host what…
Read MoreA preacher here is teaching that Jesus is not the Son of God but became the Son of God
Question: Christian greetings to you. How are you, bother? I am thankful to you for your ability to preach the word of God. I hope that you are able to give an answer to my question. In our place, a preacher started preaching that Jesus is not the son of God but he became the…
Read MoreThank you for helping me understand how easy it is to fall into sin without noticing
Question: I just want to thank you guys for helping me to understand how easy it is to fall to sin without noticing. I am a teen who was curious about a problem like this and similar situations. After reading through this page I now see and can relate to how sin and shameful acts…
Read MoreShould sex before marriage be encouraged in Christianity?
Question: Should sex before marriage be encouraged in Christianity? Answer: “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…
Read MoreI’ve squandered our money, hiding it from my husband, but now it is out in the open and I don’t know what to do.
Question: I have been lying to my husband about our finances pretty much ever since we got married. I have always had horrible money management, and he knows that but not to what extent. He is deployed and this is our first time apart for more than two months since we’ve been married, and I…
Read MoreAre yoga pants, bikinis, and short shorts immoral?
Question: Are yoga pants, bikinis, and short shorts immoral? Most women in my area wear these, even pastors’ wives, so it confuses me greatly because I feel sometimes like they’re immodest and that I should avert my eyes. Answer: They can be immoral. When clothing no longer hides a person’s nakedness, then it is wrong.…
Read MoreMan’s Positional Relationship to God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/MansPositionalRelationshipToGod.mp3 by Clint Crosier
Read MoreDealing with Bad News
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/DealingWithBadNews.mp3 by Evan Barnwell
Read MoreIs it OK to ask a girl for a date who is seeing someone else?
Question: Hi There was a discussion in which I’d like you to help out. Suppose one is interested in a certain lady who happens to be in a relationship with someone else. Is it OK to try to ‘displace’ the other gentleman? After all the two aren’t married, so technically she doesn’t ‘belong’ to him.…
Read MoreIf God hasn’t selected a day, why did Paul say a day was appointed for the second coming?
Question: I was reading “If Jesus is God, how come only the Father knows of the second coming?” because I wanted to know the answer to this question, but if the Father hasn’t chosen a day, what about this verse? Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in…
Read MoreI had an affair and became pregnant. My husband forgives and wants to keep the child, but I am so ashamed that I don’t think I can love her.
Question: I had an affair and became pregnant. I came clean with my husband, and he forgives me and wants to raise the baby as his own, which is wonderful. It’s me that’s having a terrible time with forgiving myself and accepting this child. I feel no bond whatsoever, and it’s all because of the…
Read MoreI broke my vow to God and gave into sexual immorality. What do I do to keep my vow?
Question: Good evening sir, I once made a vow to Jehovah that if He helped me keep my job, I will never give in to sexual immorality again. Well, I lost my job and I broke the vow. Is it that Jehovah did not hear me or He just wanted to punish me? I decided…
Read MoreWhat does a wife do when she finds condoms in her husband’s car?
Question: As a Christian what should you do in the following situation? What if a wife found condoms in her husband’s car, one used. She confronts him and asks, but he says they must be really really old because he hadn’t purchased condoms since 2011? But according to research that had been done, going by…
Read MoreThank you for putting the Song of Solomon studies on the Internet
Question: I have stumbled upon the Songs of Solomon studies. Thank you for putting them on the Internet. Answer: You’re welcome.
Read MoreHow do I handle marrying a Hindu?
Question: I am a Christian, baptized when I was 16 years old. I used to live with my parents and I never used to eat anything offered to idols or entered temples. Four years later I thought food won’t hurt us nor would going to temples hurt our faith in God. The only thing I…
Read MoreShould I leave a denomination that accepts homosexuality?
Question: Read your article about homosexuality in churches these days. I have tried to explain to people that when you accept Christ he says our old ways are in the past and we are new. But like you said people state I think they are born that way. Our church recently put a picture of…
Read MoreDo belief and confession mean that baptism is unnecessary?
Question: Hi, Thanks for your web site. It has been a God-send to folks like me who are relatively new in our walk with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been trying to find a Bible-believing church to attend, but there are so many false teachings and divisions in the body of Christ today that…
Read MoreIs it wrong to scold someone? Do I rebuke every bad thing a person does? Does a little bit of immorality make a show bad?
Question: Hi Mr. Jeff, I really enjoy your website. Thank you for sharing it with others. I just wanted to ask you about three questions: The first question I had was: As followers of Christ, our speech and conduct is supposed to give grace to those who hear. Sometimes I’m confused as to if what…
Read MoreGoing to the Source (The Anointing of the Spirit)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GoingToTheSource.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:18-29 I. The other day, one of my boys needed help with a math problem, so I asked him to show me the problem. He brought in his paper on which he was working. A. “No,” I said, “I need to see the original problem in the book.”…
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