Should the husband lead Bible discussions and prayers when the family is gathered together?
Question: Hi, If God were to bless me with a wife and kids, I would like for the family to have Bible study sessions as a family. Would it be proper for my wife to lead the discussions at times? Or to pray? Or it should always be the husband? How about the kids? Answer:…
Read MoreShould I apologize again to a man who is also seeing another woman?
Question: Hello, I have been talking to this guy for just under a year. He decided that he was saved and wanted to give himself to Christ. He and I have engaged in sex already. Anyway, he met this girl who has been helping him out in his life. He uses her car to get…
Read MoreHow can I convince my husband that marriage is not about sex?
Question: Hello, and God bless! My question is a hard question, but I desperately need an answer. I’m a Christian and so is my husband. I have the most wonderful husband ever. He does so much for me and has sacrificed so much for me. He even sold or gave away everything he owned and…
Read MoreWe keep committing fornication, though we try not to
Question: I have been with my boyfriend for a little over a year now. We are in our 20s. He got closer to God when he went to jail. He got out and he started reading to me and getting me closer to God. We’ve made mistakes though. We have been having sex outside of…
Read MoreThank you for focusing on the soul of man instead of the artificial needs of men
Question: Brother Jeffrey, I just wanted to say thank you. You and I do not know one another, for we have never met. I was surfing the internet this morning and stumbled across the La Vista Church of Christ website and I must say that I enjoyed looking it over at great length. I especially enjoyed the home page and…
Read MoreI’ve been struggling with being sexually pure
Question: I am a 27-year-old Christian virgin male who wants to wait for marriage for sex. I have struggled with maintaining sexual purity, however. I have struggled and been addicted to porn off and on since I was maybe 12 years old. I remember the first time I ever masturbated to completion, I felt so…
Read MoreWhat more can I do for my ex-wife who lost a child?
Question: Good afternoon Brother Hamilton and all the brethren at the La Vista congregation. I’m hoping you can offer me some guidance on a complicated issue: My former wife’s son recently died in a very tragic fashion. He and I had a great relationship while his mother and I were married and maintained occasional contact…
Read MoreIs an elder an elder for life?
Question: A brother in our area is claiming to be “an elder for life” even though he has moved from one congregation to another and has not been a serving elder in either. He was an elder for a congregation, but that eldership was dissolved because of his domineering attitude and holding this and other false…
Read MoreIf my wife divorces me and then marries again, does that free me to marry again?
Question: I have always believed that man’s written divorce means nothing to God. And you reinforce my thinking when you mention that God is the one who decides when the marriage covenant ends. Doesn’t this mean that even though she wants a divorce (by man’s laws), and I do not, that we are still married…
Read MoreYour site is a blessing in more ways than you know
Question: God bless you. La Vista Church of Christ is an answer to my prayers since I have not been able to find a local church where I can worship our Lord. I find the messages extremely anointed and they explain the Lord’s thoughts so well. I am a mature believer of over thirty years…
Read MoreThank you for the explanation of Exodus 4:24-26
Question: Thank you, Carey, for the explanation and for sharing your resources. It was most helpful. I’m going to read the Bible in a year this year and I came across Exodus 4:24-26, so I’m glad I found this article of yours. Answer: I’m glad you found the article useful.
Read MoreFor if you must be physically immersed in water to be saved, then the blood and Jesus Christ has no power
Question: As a Nazarene Pastor, I wonder about what you have written. As a Christian, I can not judge your salvation. Unless you truly believe that it is the water and not the blood of Christ that saves you. I have read your web site. I am impressed with your research. I was surprised at…
Read MoreWhy didn’t John the Baptist get killed with the rest of the children?
Question: Why didn’t John the Baptist die, as is stated in Matthew 2:16, but lived to adulthood, baptized Jesus, and was ultimately beheaded, or is Matthew 2:16 simply wrong? Answer: When the wise men came, Herod found out where the Messiah was to be born. “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and…
Read MoreThe urge is getting really strong. Should I marry my girlfriend because of this?
Question: Hey, I’m a brother in the church, I’m 21 and I’m a virgin. I am struggling far as thoughts, urges, etc. It’s getting harder each year to contain. Each year the urge gets stronger. I have a girlfriend, she is in the church. She is a great help to the church, and she encourages…
Read MoreI was asked to watch a woman whom the elders suspect is committing fornication. Should I spy on someone because the elders ask?
Question: Good afternoon! I have been a member of the Lord’s church for about three years, after being brought to the church by my college roommate. I have been a dedicated reader of your site since I discovered it and appreciate all of the information provided. I have not seen anything on your website quite…
Read MoreI feel bad because I told the principal that a boy hit my boy and they expelled that boy
Question: Hi, I feel so bad about myself because my boy’s friend hit my boy. I spoke with the principal and I told him that not every school has the program that he needs. My son’s friend has problems but the school doesn’t help. I felt like I did bad, saying what I said. I…
Read MoreShould I leave a congregation with no elders for one that has elders?
Question: I worship at a church of Christ that has no elders. There are qualified men who do not desire the office. There is a sound church of Christ nearby that has elders. Am I putting my salvation in jeopardy? Should I move my membership? My desire is to be pleasing to God. Answer: By…
Read MoreMy husband is a drunk and dying. I don’t want to divorce him. Any advice?
Question: My question is that my husband is an alcoholic, to point of now he has cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis C. He is in the end stages of his liver hardening. I have put my trust in Jesus the Father, for which I am grateful. He has been there for me more times…
Read MoreHow do I become more consistent?
Question: I’ve been disobedient and I want to be closer to God. I want him to bless me. The thing is, I’m a very inconsistent person. Most times, deep down, I don’t feel like reading the Bible, which is horrible. Before when I felt like this I forced myself to read it hoping that the…
Read MoreThe Promise of His Coming
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PromiseOfHisComing.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 3:1-13 I. The variety of beliefs regarding Jesus’ return is large. A. Many expect Jesus to return to rule here on earth B. II Peter 3 stands as a rebuke to those who desire to see the coming as anything other than what it is – the end of…
Read MoreOur Sole Standard
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/OurSoleStandard.mp3 Text: Ephesians 3:1-13 I. In a discussion with a Roman Catholic, he objected to the idea of staying only with the Bible as our source of authority. A. In particular, he believes that the Spirit uses sources other than the Bible to reveal God’s will B. He argued that the apostles only had a partial revelation…
Read MoreWouldn’t the Jewish Bible, the Torah, be the most accurate since Jesus was Jewish?
Question: Hi, I have a question” I googled “Which Bible is the most accurate?” and I stumbled upon your page. But my question is wouldn’t the Jewish Bible, the Torah, be the most accurate since Jesus was Jewish? Answer: “Torah” refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, which were written by Moses.…
Read MoreSince sex isn’t discussed, how is a couple to know what is or is not allowed in a marriage?
Question: Hello, While I agree completely with everything you said, I struggle with one thing, not about your answer but about sex in marriage. Sex is not discussed, in a church forum, publicly or privately, whether because of modesty, or embarrassment, etc. But as young couples, who come out of a world of sin and…
Read MoreThat’s Not the Way I Would Have Said It
by Doy Moyer You just can’t please everyone. Nor should you try — you’ll just frustrate yourself over and over because no matter what you say or do that would appease one, you’ll run against others who just know they could have said it or done it better. Perhaps they could have. But they aren’t…
Read MoreShould I propose?
Question: I have read some of your answers as regards marriage and making the right choice. I have always prayed to God to give me His perfect will. I have a girl I truly love — we both love each other — and I want to get married to her by God’s grace. How do…
Read MoreIndividual Duty or Local Church Duty?
by Howard Justice During the past half-century, there has been a serious amount of confusion as to how a member of God’s family relates to his role in the family of God and how this service involves the local unit known as the local church. It has presented problems in understanding what a Christian may…
Read MoreCan you help me with some arguments advocating divorce for any reason and remarriage?
Question: Hello, I gave “Are All Divorced Persons Eligible to Remarry?” by Dave Miller at Apologetics Press to my stepfather. He said the author was “narrow”. Before he was baptized he had inquired about his marriage situation and was basically told he is OK. One of the leaders in our congregation actually gave him an article…
Read MoreI have an incurable body odor issue. Why should I continue to live?
Question: My question straight forward and honest is would God send me to hell if I’m tired of living? Let me explain. For many years, I have been dealing with an incurable body odor issue, which causes me to smell of ammonia, regardless of how hygienic I am. This is not a matter of hygiene. …
Read MoreI got baptized for selfish reasons. Do I need to get baptized again?
Question: I was baptized according to the Bible when I was 14. I’m now 20 years old. I have been faithful in the church. However, recently I have been questioning the motive behind my baptism. Now that I look back I knew Jesus had died on the cross for my sins and that when I…
Read MoreMy wife is leaving me after only seven months of marriage. Where does this leave me?
Question: I am 19 years old and recently married my high school sweetheart. Now seven months later she wants a divorce, and it’s not for adultery. Should I refuse to sign for the divorce? And if she continues with the divorce, without my agreement, and later remarries someone else, where does this leave me? Are…
Read MoreBack to Basics: Christ and the Law
by Frank Jamerson When brethren are confused about whether Christ came to fulfill the law and prophets or to perpetuate them, it is time to get back to basics! One brother said, “Continuity of law is evident in Matthew 5:17, in that there is nothing about following Jesus that would be obnoxious to Moses.” He…
Read MoreI decided to stop having sex with the man I’ve been living with for nearly 15 years. Is that wrong?
Question: I have been with my boyfriend for nearly fifteen years. We live together and have a preteen child. It’s a new year and I decided not to have sex with him until he asks me to marry him. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to sleep in the bed with him, even though I…
Read MoreI married a woman to do the right thing, but now I regret it
Question: To make a long story short, 17 years ago I got a woman pregnant. I was living in one state, she was in another. I was there on a visit and had grown up there. I was not saved at the time. I felt guilty because I knew that the woman would drag my…
Read MoreWe didn’t have a wedding ceremony. Am I married?
Question: My case is the same with Am I married? but the difference is I am a woman. I knew it was wrong, but still, I already committed it with my boyfriend. Maybe I loved him or maybe I was infatuated with him. I don’t know because he’s the first man whom I ever felt something.…
Read MoreHow can I express my anger in a way that is healthy and in a way God would want us to?
Question: Hello, I would like to wish you a very happy New Year. This year, I want to focus even more on becoming a better Christian and learning what God requires of us. My question is in regards to anger. Sometimes, like all humans, I get angry in life. The causes for the anger vary…
Read MoreCan I baptize myself?
Question: Hi, Thanks for a good website I have learned a lot from reading questions and answers! Is it possible to support your website financially? I want to ask if you would pray for me so I can get out of my sin. As a person, I used to be confident, but I’m not that…
Read MoreI Desire Mercy
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/IDesireMercy.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 9:9-13 I. In honor of Jesus, the new apostle, Matthew, who was also known as Levi, held a dinner. He invited the people he knew. They weren’t the best in Jewish society: other tax collectors and people involved in various sins. A. Mark 2:16-17 B. The Pharisees saw these people…
Read MoreI had sex before with a different woman. Does that mean I’m committing adultery with the woman I am with?
Question: Please. Please, I have many things I have to ask. A woman took my virginity, but it was only for a night. I’m with a different woman now and have been with her for five years. Is that adultery? Answer: Fornication is when you have sex with someone you are not married to. Thus,…
Read MoreTo Play, or Not to Play: That Is the Question
by Jefferson David Tant Shakespeare’s Hamlet pondered the question: “To be, or not to be. That is the question.” In the following pages, we want to deal with the question: “To play, or not to play. That is the question.” The question continues as it has through many centuries and divisions in the body of Christ as…
Read MoreWhat is “Sexual Immorality” in Matthew 19:9?
by Kyle Butt, M.A. via Apologetics Press Copied by permission. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible repeatedly stresses the fact that God designed the institution of marriage (Genesis 2:22-25). He has, from the beginning of human history, given very specific ideas about what composes a divinely approved marriage (Matthew 19:1-4), consisting of one man and one woman.…
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