Was Mahalath a Canaanite and did Esau marry her to get back at his father, Isaac?
Question: Was Mahalath a Canaanite and did Esau marry her to get back at his father, Isaac? Answer: “When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah” (Genesis…
Read MoreThe Change Starts With Me
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChangeStartsWithMe.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 64 I. I was reading the notes that come through a subscription list to which I belong. A list is a method for having a group discussion on a particular topic. It is similar to listening in on the conversation in a room, putting in your own two-cents…
Read MoreMust I confess my sins to a priest to be forgiven?
Question: I was born into a Catholic faith but a non-church going family. I have now and “always” had a problem with the Catholic faith saying that we cannot get absolution unless we have confessed our sins to a priest. I have not been to confession in over 40 years. I do pray almost daily,…
Read MoreSelf-Inflicted Wounds
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/SelfInflictedWounds.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 7:1-5 I. I’ve mentioned to several people an interesting book by Gregory Koukl called Tactics. A. It discuss how Christians can discuss the gospel with others, especially those who might be hostile to the ideas of Christianity. 1. It is about not only presenting points, but getting the other person…
Read MoreHow do I set boundaries with my boyfriend?
Question: I’m a member of the church and have really enjoyed the encouragement from my brothers and sisters that I get here. I found your site a couple of years ago and have referred to it often when I have questions because I appreciate your Bible-based wisdom and advice. Since entering college, I met a…
Read MoreHow far can we go in touching each other?
Question: I have been in a relationship with this girl for quite a few months, and well it’s hard for her to show her emotions toward me through words; she is a feeling person, and I’m one too, but not as much. When we’re alone, we just hug tightly, play with each other’s hair and…
Read MoreI keep doing things that I know are wrong. Can you pray for me?
Question: I have great trouble with resisting sin, porn, drugs, alcohol all on occasions. I know it’s wrong, but I find myself still indulging. Please pray for me to overcome. Answer: To realize that what you are doing is wrong and harmful is a step in the right direction, but what you need next is…
Read MoreWhat lexicon would you recommend?
Question: I’m really getting into Greek word-studies now. I was wondering what lexicon you’d recommend. I once read a review that claimed Thayer’s is outdated, which is what I’ve been using through the Blue Letter Bible. Have new findings since its writing been significant enough to use a newer lexicon? If so, which would you…
Read MoreShould a Christian do yoga?
Question: Should a Christian do yoga? Answer: Your question has complexities because yoga is viewed in two different ways. Yoga originated in India and was strongly connected to Hinduism. It was later picked up by Buddhism and Jainism. The goal of yoga as a religious practice is for the practitioner to attain a state of…
Read MoreHow do I explain spontaneous erections and masturbation to my stepson?
Question: During some research, I found on your site, which was named “Growing up in the Lord: A Study for Teenage Boys.” My stepson is beginning a new stage in life, puberty, and he has been getting spontaneous erections. Now, I realize that this can happen at any time and also any place. He’s been…
Read MoreWill baptism cleanse me?
Question: I have just recently joined the church and am going to be baptized soon. I have been worried lately because I have had premarital sex (and I am not married now), and I want very desperately to find a way to cleanse myself. I feel very guilty about what I did, and I pray…
Read MoreHow do I handle my compulsive need to run?
Question: I’m extremely self-conscious about my weight. A lot of the time, such as now, I feel as though I am overweight. When I was a child, I was overweight and teased mercilessly in school about it. In high school, I lost the weight, but I still believe, maybe falsely, that I’m overweight to this…
Read MoreHow do I stop having sex with a guy I’m not married to?
Question: I am a young girl in college. At the beginning of this year, I met a guy and we both fell in love with each other. We started dating, and after a few months, the guy started showing interest in sex by asking questions like when do you want to have sex? I told…
Read MoreAm I distracting my girlfriend from being a Christian?
Question: I have a relationship with my girlfriend. We have been dating for more than a year, and we both are 20. We were not like the kind of teens that have God in our past, not even when we started dating. But, well, she comes from some other relationships that didn’t work at all,…
Read MoreWhen the Bible says sin brings forth death, is that talking about hell?
Question: In James 1:13-16 at the end when it says “sin when it is full-grown brings forth death” or something like that. Is the “death” referring to hell? Answer: It is referring to spiritual death, which does ultimately lead to hell. Think about it this way: The first time you sin, it bothers you greatly.…
Read MoreWake Up Call
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/WakeUpCall.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreIs it right to watch movies with poorly dressed people?
Question: Is it right to watch movies with badly dressed people? People seem to think that because it’s in a movie, it’s normal. I disagree. Most movies are sensual. Answer: What is being argued is that it is acceptable to look at scantily dressed people for entertainment. But if that is true, when does clothing become…
Read MoreIf there are no warnings for the second coming of Christ, then what about the signs in Revelation?
Question: If there are no warning signs for the last days or second coming of Christ, what do the Bowls, Seals, and Trumpets represent in Revelation? Answer: Revelation deals with things that were to take place shortly. One of the greatest errors people make in regards to understanding Revelation is to ignore several statements in…
Read MoreWhere does it say the commandments were nailed to the cross? If we are not to keep the commandments, then we would be free to sin
Question: I read your article about the commandments being nailed to the cross. I can’t seem to find a reference to that in the Bible. But I have found in several books stating that we are under the law and even Christ said to keep His commandments (by the way the Scriptures do not say Jewish…
Read MoreHow do I help my friend get over his remorse that we sinned together?
Question: Hi there, I’m desperately seeking help, and thank God, I’ve found your page. Hopefully, you can help me out with this problem. I’m a nonbeliever; yet, I’ve destroyed a devout Christian, my best friend. This is a long and complicated story. I’ve known this guy for almost a year now and have fallen for…
Read MoreWhy do some translations give opposite meanings to Esau’s blessing in Genesis 27:39?
Question: In the King James Version Genesis 27:39 reads “And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above”; and some other translations such as NKJV, ASV, ERV seem to have the same meaning for this verse. However,…
Read MoreIs hypnosis wrong?
Question: Is hypnosis wrong, or does it depend on the environment and person doing it? Why is it wrong for a spirit-filled Christian? Answer: Hypnosis, as defined by the Mayo Clinic is: Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus, concentration and inner absorption. When you’re…
Read MoreIs there redemption for a person who has been in multiple marriages?
Question: What’s the fate of a man or woman who has married twice, have discovered the church of Christ, and are convinced it’s the only true way? Can the person be baptized? Brethren in my congregation says there’s no redemption for such a person because of the person’s past marital life. Answer: Redemption is available…
Read MoreThank you very much to the La Vista church for very good topics on your web site
Question: I just searching around and found your lovely website. I read some pages. My English is not that good, but I try to read. I want to say thank you very much to the La Vista church for very good topics on your website and to encourage you guys. We are in a different…
Read MoreWho is the one man among a thousand and why couldn’t a woman be found?
Question: What does Ecclesiastes 7:28 mean? Who did Solomon refer to as the one upright man? Was it himself? Did Solomon manage to find a good wife, as some verses from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes seem to suggest not? If yes, how could he love them but not seem to trust or find them good? Can…
Read MoreHow do I get over being afraid to do things in the church services?
Question: I have a real problem. I am very fearful of doing things at church eg. reading, exalting, etc. Here is the real problem: if I know that I am going to do something at church or called on without knowing, I do not go church. Honestly, I do not want to be like this.…
Read MoreI am convinced that the vast majority of the world never opens a Bible
Question: After reading a lot of your responses, I am amazed at how well you handle some of the questions proposed to you. The more questions I read from people the more I am convinced that the vast majority of the world never opens a Bible. My prayers go out for you. If we ever make it…
Read MoreWhat if you feel that a particular church is not suitable for you?
Question: What are the suggestions if one cannot afford monetarily to attend church, or feels that a particular church is not suitable for him? If he does private bible study, is this enough? Does he have to go through the baptism ceremony? If a Christian continues to study other religions and philosophies, is this against…
Read MoreYou should be spreading the joys of Christian living rather than taking excerpts from the Bible
Question: Your web site is filled with messages of hate and judgment. Your ministry should focus on love and spreading the joys of Christian living rather than taking excerpts from the translated Bible as a rule book for life. Spread love, not hate! Note: I find it interesting that I received both a letter in…
Read MoreIs it appropriate to have PowerPoint presentations during sermons?
Question: Is it appropriate to have PowerPoint presentations during services? Personally, I find it very helpful in keeping up with Bible verses during the sermons, but I wonder if God approves it. I don’t know how the brethren feel. This is something I have been wondering about since I began going to the church. Answer:…
Read MoreWhat authority do we have to lead a prayer?
Question: What authority do we have to lead a prayer? Where in the Bible does it talk about this practice? Answer: I Corinthians 14:26-33 tells us the importance of church services being orderly. People are not to be talking at the same time. In that same discussion, there is mention of someone saying “Amen” when…
Read MoreWhat does “delight yourself” mean?
Question: What exactly does it mean in scripture when it says, “delight thyself” and how does the Lord delight himself in us? Who were some of the people in the Bible that delighted in the Lord, and who did the Lord find delightful? Answer: The phrase appears twice in the Bible: “Delight yourself also in the…
Read MoreWhen did baptism for the remission of sins start?
Question: In the “Articles” section, under Baptism, “Answering Arguments Against Baptism”. You state that “Baptism for the remission of sins did not begin until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37-38), so the thief (and Jesus) lived under the law of Moses.” Please read Mark 1:4: “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism…
Read MoreI have a problem with controlling and avoiding masturbation
Question: How are you today? I am e-mailing you because I have a confession to make as well as an act of sin I like to address. So please bear with me. I am trying to live my life God’s way after many years of shunning Him. But I want to confess that I have a…
Read MoreHow do I keep from giving in to my five-year-old?
Question: I have a five-year-old, soon to be six. Her whole life I have pretty much gave in to her, and I see that this has only hurt our relationship. She is a very good kid but all too often throws a fit to get her way. My biggest problem is I show my anger.…
Read MoreWho died first, Jesus or the thief?
Question: Who died first, Jesus or the thief? Answer: “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers…
Read MoreI keep committing sexual sins. Will God still forgive me?
Question: I consider myself a Christain. But I keep committing sexual immoralities, and I ask God for forgiveness every single time. But I know it is wrong, and I keep doing it. Will God still ever forgive me? Answer: “”But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all…
Read MoreWhere does Christ ever mention homosexuality … in the red letters?
Question: Where does Christ ever mention homosexuality … in the red letters? Answer: You place a false restriction on your question because Jesus said to the disciples (in red letters): “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16). Thus,…
Read MoreWhy can’t we see God?
Question: Why can’t we see God? Answer: Adam and Eve died to God because of their sin. They once had direct contact with God because He walked in the Garden with them (Genesis 3:8). Mankind lost that close relationship, and it will only be regained when sin is destroyed. “And I heard a loud voice…
Read MoreThanks for “In the World but Not of the World”
Question: I have read your sermon “In the World But Not of the World.” Thanks for the message. Answer: Thank you for taking the time to be encouraging. I appreciate it.
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