Homosexuality
by Ken Frazier via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 30, 1989 Homosexuality and the Church of England The general Senate of the Church of England, trying to satisfy both conservative and liberal wings, has decided that homosexual acts are not outright sin, but “fall short” of Christian ideals of marriage. The Lesbian and…
Read MoreHow Will It End?
by Terry Wane Benton How well was the input and output? What you take into the heart and what comes out of the heart in kindness, care, and good deeds will be the most important factor in how your life ends. So, rather than worrying about the manner of dying (will it be cancer, heart…
Read MoreFrom Now on Sin No More
by Zeke Flores There she sat, crumpled on the ground and completely humiliated. She was plainly guilty of her adultery, but her only defender turned the legal quibble into a moral quandary. Who had the right to judge her? No one, it seems. One by one, they dropped their stones and shuffled away. Jesus chose…
Read MoreGrieving God
by David Gibson How must God feel when He freely offers His great salvation, purchased at such dreadful cost, but the vast majority are not interested, too busy doing their own thing to care? A Recurring Theme “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your…
Read MoreSatan’s Devices
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 30, 1989 Introduction The Devil is real and out to get us (I Peter 5:8). His will not be a frontal assault; he will get us with his tools and his devices of deception. He does have devices (cf. II Corinthians 2:11). It will…
Read MoreBe an Example
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 30, 1989 A mature man who had been preaching full-time for only a couple of years once told me that he picked five men to study before he began such work. He examined the work and lives of these five men to pattern himself…
Read MoreSubmission vs. Acquiescence
by Chadwick Brewer “And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” (I Samuel 10:24). Samuel was the judge of Israel for most of his life. Now that he was…
Read MoreRepentance: The Power of a Contrite Heart
by Terry Wane Benton Few churches today preach repentance, and fewer people who attend churches are actually repenting. It is more like people are joining clubs (called “churches”) but not actually repenting toward God and repenting of sins. The Lord preached repentance and expects His church to preach repentance and actually repent in their heart…
Read MoreDiscouragement or Encouragement
by Joe Works The Bad News I have a confession … I sometimes feel discouraged, and you may be my source of discouragement. I generally consider myself a pretty happy guy, so I hope my discouragement comes as a little shock to you. Social media, for me, is a place to see friends and lift…
Read MoreObervations on the Significance of Baptism
by Nathan Smelser I have a few observations on the oft-overlooked significance of baptism in the New Testament. When Paul writes to the saints and faithful brethren in Colossae, he repeatedly contrasts their formerly dead state with their present life in Christ. For example: “…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were…
Read MoreControl
by Mark Chatfield via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 4, June 30, 1991 Several days ago, I went for a lunchtime walk near the Air and Space Museum in downtown Washington, D.C., near my office. I was considering the fine weather and fresh breeze. Suddenly, a sheet from the Washington Post skittered diagonally across the…
Read MoreWill Only Members of the Church of Christ Be Saved?
by Jeff Cavender via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 While talking to some friends, I stated that I attended worship services at a local church of Christ when one of them asked, “Is that the group that believes that only the members of the church of Christ will be saved?” I…
Read MoreThe Narrow Way
by Chadwick Brewer “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14). To enter…
Read MoreRewriting the Bible
by Tom Wacaster It seems that the 20th and 21st centuries will go down in history as the age when men sought to rewrite the Bible and present to men what they want to hear rather than what God wants them to hear. The modern versions [for the most part] are the product of an…
Read MoreCan a church divide itself into smaller groups and remain a church?
Question: Good day, brother. Here’s a case I’d like you to consider, A local church agrees to hold gatherings in different locations, not in the current meeting place but in zones based on proximity to one another. There are three zones, where fellowship is held in brothers’ houses on the same day, at the same…
Read MoreCan We Be Sure We Are Saved?
by Sewell Hall via Gospel Guardian, 23 December 1965 Many people spend much time worrying about whether they are saved. Some believe that salvation involves some miraculous “better-felt-than-told” work of God within their fleshly heart, and they spend a lot of time trying to interpret the past events of their lives to determine if this…
Read MoreOpinion Builds That Rare Fish Isn’t Evolutionary “Missing Link”
Source: Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 When the first living coelacanth came to the attention of scientists 50 years ago last month, they recognized it as belonging to a group of fishes previously known only from fossils and thought to have been extinct for 80 million years. The specimen, hooked by…
Read MoreGrace and Repentance
by Doy Moyer We are saved by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5). Salvation is not of ourselves but is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-10). That teaching should be front and center for us. Grace also has a context that should never be ignored. We don’t have the authority to define it however we…
Read MoreWomen in God’s Scheme
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 An Amalekite, one of the people Saul had been commanded to destroy utterly (I Samuel 15:3), told David that he had killed the wounded Saul (II Samuel 1). David, acting hastily, ordered him slain without ascertaining the facts in the case. David…
Read MoreOpen My Eyes that I Might See
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 The writer of Hebrews, in Hebrews 5:11-14, tells us that those full of age have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Most of us can understand how young Christians (spiritually young, that is) can be so easily mistaken…
Read MoreA Better Understanding of Hebrews 10:25
by David Gibson For a Bible passage to have the maximum impact, we must see how it connects with the Big Picture. The Scriptures speak of “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some” (Hebrews 10:25). How does this relate to God’s Grand Plan? Two verses before, it says, “. . .…
Read MoreA Study of Polygamy
by Dudley Ross Spears via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 Polygamy is probably the least important issue Christians face today. Yet, issues associated with it are becoming more and more prominent as they relate to the general issue of marriage. Few, if any, would dare to justify a spouse with multiple…
Read MoreChristians and Bankruptcy
by Art Cornell via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 On a recent visit to the Chapallear’s home, I told Floyd I was working for a bankruptcy judge. He asked me whether I thought a Christian could file for bankruptcy. I thought for a moment and replied that Psalms 15 says that…
Read MoreThe Church of Christ Is Not a Denomination, But It Became One Again and Again!
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 31, 1989 There are certain axiomatic truths (that is, statements so certainly correct that none will deny them) concerning the church of our Lord. One is that the “Church of Christ is not a denomination.” Even the most jaded among the liberals will admit…
Read MoreThe Still Small Voice
by James P. Needham via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 One of the cardinal doctrines of Calvinism is “effectual calling.” Its basis is another cardinal doctrine of Calvin, namely, hereditary total depravity, that is, that every person is born guilty of Adam’s sin, which is so spiritually debilitating that one can’t…
Read MoreConfession of Wrongdoing
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Confession-of-Wrongdoing.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 32 I. Each time we gather, we offer an invitation to those who desire to become Christians to do so without delay. We also offer an opportunity for those who desire the prayers of their brethren to make that desire known. A. At times brethren use that opportunity to…
Read MoreShould those with mental illness be treated as shut-ins?
Question: Dear Sir, Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! Sometimes, people with clinically diagnosed mental illnesses, like MDD, anxiety disorders, bipolar, etc., have episodes. They don’t want to go to church because they feel judged and misunderstood. Sadly, some of them don’t feel safe while in the church because some of their triggers happen…
Read MoreHow do we deal with a homosexual child?
Question: Shalom brother Jeffrey, We have a dilemma. Two of our children are gay with a partner. There are some situations that I foresee in which I fear sinning, and they are the following: Can they visit us in our home with their partner? Can they sleep under our roof? Could we travel as a…
Read MoreWithout Christ, All Are Lost
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, 1987 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That love was shown by Jesus Christ when he willingly died for all mankind, even those who participated in his crucifixion. While we were yet…
Read MorePrayer and Devotion
by Larry White via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 We pray little because we desire little. A full soul, full of the world and fat on the plenty and pride of this world, will not be a praying soul. He requires nothing. The hungry soul longs for God, never resting, ardently…
Read MoreHonoring Men and Honoring God
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 We do not honor these men by merely naming a “holiday” after them. On the contrary, we honor them by incorporating into our daily lives the good principles for which they stood. We practice the things they taught us to practice. At…
Read MoreWomen, the Bible, and Necessary Inference
by Perry Hall When it comes to religion, people throw out common sense. That is one of my observations regarding hermeneutics, the way we interpret Scripture. For example, women use necessary inference as one of their main methods of communication. And yet, when interpreting the Bible – and someone mentions necessary inference – a common…
Read MoreFacts Are Stubborn Things
by David Gibson A Miracle No One Could Question It was a double miracle: a man lame from birth was healed instantly and could immediately walk without having to learn to walk. No lengthy rehabilitation. It was as if he’d never been lame a day in his life. Naturally, the crowds “were filled with amazement”…
Read MoreHas the Lord Given Enough Evidence?
by Terry Wane Benton The heavens declaring His glory (Psalms 8; 19; Romans 1:20), leaving us “without excuse,” along with our eyes, brains, hearing, being “wonderfully made” (Psalms 139:13-14), the seasons, rain, and food give testimony (Acts 14:17), and the prophetic word is made more sure in amazing predictions and fulfillment (II Peter 1:16-22), and…
Read MoreWhere Is Your Heart Set?
by David Gibson In the Bible, “heart” almost always refers to the inner person where we make choices, good or bad (Matthew 15:15:19; I Peter 3:4). D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones defines the heart as “the centre of man’s being and personality; it is the fount out of what everything else comes” [Studies in the Sermon on…
Read MoreHonoring Your Parents
by Perry Hall I have two adopted children whom we taught to honor their biological parents by praying for them. The greatest self-respect comes from my character, not theirs. I understand the difficulty of honoring parents who are unworthy. I am also called to love my enemies, and sometimes, that might include parents who deserve…
Read MoreHow do I forgive myself?
Question: Brother, I am in my later years and obeyed the gospel nearly forty years ago. I have been in the church of Christ all this time. I have filled in preaching and teaching in my local congregation at many levels. I have been going to other countries for about fifteen years to preach, teach,…
Read MoreYour lesson on wine was excellent
Question: Hello, I came across your website while preparing some lessons on alcohol and the Bible. I wanted to say your lesson on wine was excellent and very detailed. Thank you for your research. Answer: I’m not certain which lesson you are referring to as the site contains several, but I’m glad you found the…
Read MoreSongs of the Saints: Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell
by Wayne S. Walker Anyone who has studied and is familiar with the history of the call for religious reformation and restoration in the early 1800s of this nation will certainly recognize these two names. Barton Warren Stone was born on December 24, 1772, near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland. The preaching of James…
Read MoreAre interracial marriages wrong?
Question: Hello Jeff, I have been a bit worried lately, and I needed your guidance. I am currently dating someone of a different race. We love and respect each other, but like any other relationship, it has ups and downs. We also do our best to follow Christ’s teachings. Lately, I have heard people’s views…
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