Should I move out and work on myself?
Question: I’ve been in a relationship with my boyfriend for ten years. We have lived together for seven of those years. We have no children. After a few deaths in my personal life, I decided I wanted to live right and rededicated my life to God. Two years ago he finally proposed to me, but we hit…
Read MoreMy boyfriend and I keep falling into sexual sin. What should we do?
Question: My boyfriend and I have been dating for about half a year. When I first met him, I was backsliding and hardly going to church. He and I started going to his family’s church together. His mother and father are both people of God. My spirit started talking to me, and I had to…
Read MoreIn the feeding of the five and four thousand, was the count exact or a guess?
Question: When Jesus fed the thousands of people, the Bible says 5 and 4 thousand for both of the times, but how do we know it was exactly that number? Was it exactly 5 and 4 thousand? Did they just round or guess or is it exact? Answer: “Then He commanded them to make them…
Read MoreWhat can I do about my boyfriend’s daughter, whom I can’t stand?
Question: My boyfriend and I are both scripturally divorced Christians. He has a daughter who is in her twenties, married, and pregnant with her second child. Her husband travels for his job, and because they are building a house, she and her daughter live with my boyfriend. I try to mind my own business, but…
Read MoreHow do I put God first in my life?
Question: Okay, what do I have to do to “put God first in my life?” What does this mean? I was thinking about this today. Some of my family have been telling me that I’m different: I get irritated easily, I lose my patience with them easily. For example, I was going to eat lunch,…
Read MoreThe Call of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/CallOfGod.mp3 by Bruce Irwin
Read MoreOriginal Sin
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/OriginalSin.mp3 by Ed Myers
Read MoreIs it blasphemy to wonder if a prophet is truly from God?
Question: Hello, I know that many people have asked you before about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, thinking that they have committed it, but I would like to because I think that my situation is quite serious. I was taking an exam and I was being bothered by the enemy and I was feeling uncomfortable all…
Read MoreDoes Matthew 5:28 only apply to lusting after a married woman?
Question: I am a Christian and worship in a congregation of the Church of Christ. I would like to ask you something, that has been vexing me for some time, and I know the general and most common answers but I would truly applicate your reply. We as a rule tend to take the most…
Read MoreDoes receiving the Holy Spirit mean baptism in water is unnecessary?
Question: I have another friend that believes you don’t need water baptism because once you believe that’s when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and that’s when you’re baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. She gave me theses Scriptures: Acts 11:14-16, Acts 11:47-48, Matthew 3:11-15, Acts 10:44-48, Titus 3:5, John 3:1-5. If you don’t…
Read MoreBecause of my husband’s adultery, I committed adultery and then divorced him. Is my second marriage legitimate?
Question: I am desperate for your help. I am struggling in marriage. I am a Christian and my husband is not, but first, let me give you background information. I lost my virginity when I was 17 after I became engaged to my future husband. We were married for almost a decade. He cheated on…
Read MoreIs it wrong to cause children to feel guilty over same-sex attraction?
Question: I am a thirty-something gay male who has been in a loving, monogamous, and thriving relationship for nearly a decade. All of those in my life consider me the most successful person they know in all elements of life, from family, work, and faith. I came across your website and with all due respect,…
Read MoreDid Paul keep the Sabbath?
Question: Hello, I read through your article about the Sabbath and how we don’t have to keep it today. There are many scriptures I could cite to the contrary, but will only cite these few. In Matthew 24:20, “breaking into what He was teaching about the time of the end just as the tribulation would be starting, Jesus had said ”when…
Read MoreIs baptism unnecessary for salvation because every conversion in Acts doesn’t mention baptism?
Question: Hi. I received the below email and am having a tough time responding to these verses in regards to is baptism being necessary for salvation. I was hoping you might be able to help with these verses. Thank you Here are the places in Acts that you need to check out. Also, remember that…
Read MoreHow do we get our marriage back to the way it used to be before my wife’s affair?
Question: I hope you have some insight. Since her affair, my wife and I have been both very committed to making our marriage what it should be. We have been reading the Bible, meeting with counselors, meeting with our pastor, etc. I am very confident in her commitment and mine. I have been focusing on my…
Read MoreI think I committed the sin of lust. What do I do?
Question: I think I committed lust. I thought of having sex with a person I knew, and really do regret it, after I found out it is a very big sin. No one told me it was a sin, but after I’ve done some research, I found out it is as if I am actually…
Read MoreHow do you tell someone that their hygiene is poor?
Question: I have a twenty-something daughter who is athletic, educated, and a very religious Christian donating much of her money and time. She is very busy and also a coach. The problem is her grooming and hygiene are very poor. Every time she comes home (a few times a year) we get into a big…
Read MoreWhat was the real sin for Israel asking for a king?
Question: How does I Samuel 8 as a whole fit in with regards to God’s history of redemption and what was the real sin for Israel asking for a king? Answer: This sounds like a question out of a theology class book. I generally decline to answer such questions. But the second half is straight…
Read MoreWhy do you patternists abandon your theology to claim that baptism is necessary for the salvation of Gentiles?
Question: Patternists abandon their theology when imposing water baptism in order to obtain salvation on all lost Gentiles today. There was not one Gentile in the crowd in Acts two when these words were spoken. A lost Gentile was told what to do (pattern) in Acts 16:30-31, and the “pattern” given as the response to…
Read MoreWhy did God tell Peter that the unclean animals were clean?
Question: Hi, I was wondering about something from the Bible: In Acts 10 when Peter is on a flat roof praying and then in a trance, he sees a sheet let down by its four corners from the sky, and then God tells Peter to get up, kill them, and eat them. Peter replies that…
Read MoreShould sex be expected when you are separated?
Question: Hi, and God bless you. Over two years ago my husband cheated and committed adultery with a married woman. After I found out, he was very mean about it and repeatedly humiliated me by saying that he loved her, and he never loved me. That all he wanted was to be with her. We…
Read MoreAre special contributions scriptural?
Question: Concerning collections: is it a good practice supported by Scripture to set aside “Special Giving Days” for specific purposes on the first day of the week in addition to the regular collection? This practice seems to contradict what a treasury is for in the work of the church. I respect your knowledge and work…
Read MoreIs this girl the answer to my prayers?
Question: I met the girl online, and we have been talking online for several months now, We haven’t actually met in person but we plan on meeting up next week. We are both Christian, and we have had a few differences of opinion, and arguments. I literally fell in love with this girl before I’ve…
Read MoreHow do I handle an invitation to a party where drinks are being served?
Question: Hi, I have received a recent invitation to attend a pre-nuptial party. I don’t have any objections to the occasion, nor any ill-feeling to the hosts or anything like that. What I am against is that some alcoholic beverages will be served during the party. I’m not sure what to do – either not attend and when…
Read MoreControlling the Tongue
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ControllingTheTongue.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreService Over Self
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ServiceOverSelf.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreWhat is the blueness of a wound?
Question: In Proverbs 20:30, it reads, “The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so [do] stripes the inward parts of the belly.” What does blueness mean? Answer: This is the older way of say “bruise.” We still keep the memory of it when we say a person was beaten black and blue. Bruises look ugly and…
Read MoreIs faith a work that God does to a person?
Question: Recently someone told me that they believed that the work of God in John 6:29 means that God makes a person believe. I assume they think the Holy Spirit works in a person making them believe. I know that faith comes from hearing the Word of God but would like to know if there…
Read MoreIf a husband abuses his wife during sex, is that fornication?
Question: If a man abuses his wife during sex, or takes her in a way that is unloving and clearly destructive, can this be considered fornication? This would be sinning against one’s own body as fornication is described as being in I Corinthians 6:18, considering the wife’s body is his own body per I Corinthians…
Read MoreYour site is a gold mine of information
Question: Dear Sir, I have just stumbled upon your web site while googling for some answers regarding Exodus 4:24-26, though I realize that we don’t actually “stumble” on to anything where our Heavenly Father is concerned. I found the explanations contained on your site to be quite informative and solidly based on Scripture. I now have…
Read MoreShould I continue this relationship?
Question: Hello, I am badly in need of help. Please help me as I have seen your answers to queries on your web site. Here goes my story.. I am a girl who has fallen in love with many guys in the past. When I was in my teens, a guy badly deceived me, and…
Read MoreWill marrying my lover affect my calling from God?
Question: Please help me out. I am in a relationship with the girl I want to marry. I have had sex with her. We are deeply in love with each other. We also had many abortions. Can I still marry her? I have a calling of God in my life. If I marry her will…
Read MoreAre you saying that only individuals can do things?
Question: It appears that you are saying that only individuals do things and not the body (church), is this what you mean? Thank you. Answer: It depends on what “things” you are referring to. There are things commanded of the church and there are things commanded of the individual Christian. A few of them overlap, but…
Read MoreBeing able to read the sermon outlines has helped my studies
Question: I just wanted to say I’ve been looking over the church website from La Vista and it is very helpful to be able to read sermons online. It is also very encouraging and uplifting to be able to read these sermons. Of course, I’ve been doing studies of the Bible outside on my own,…
Read MoreShould I take back my adulterous wife?
Question: I recently discovered my wife of nearly ten years has been involved in an extra-marital affair for about a year. It came as a complete shock to me because of my complete faith in our commitment to each other. I was terribly mistaken in my trust. We have been seeing a counselor and many…
Read MoreI’m afraid I’m going to fail
Question: My question is how do you be obedient? It’s like I want to do the right thing and I’m aware of what I’m doing wrong and have done wrong in the past, but I’m scared that I’m going to fail in doing the right thing in the future. I also feel like a failure…
Read MoreHave some people visited hell in a near-death experience?
Question: I have recently seen a video on YouTube that took quotes from people who had near-death-experiences and had apparently “been” to Hell. And what they said about it just seems to me like it couldn’t be. How could God let anyone, good or bad, be made to have that much pain for all eternity?…
Read MoreDo you think that Jesus will talk to me about my plans?
Question: Hi, I’m a 19-year-old college student and have a close relationship with Christ. Lately, I have been having mixed emotions about life. (I’ve read what you said about feelings). It isn’t that I’m ungrateful for the gift of life, it’s just that in looking at the world in a new light, you see how…
Read MoreHow do I bring up that homosexuality is wrong to someone I’m teaching?
Question: I was wondering if there is a tactful way to speak to someone about their homosexuality. I’ve made a dear friend in the last year and we have had numerous conversations about Christianity and faith. I’ve covered quite a lot of ground with her, definitely more than I have with any other person. She’s…
Read MoreThe article “Waiting for the Proper Time” was excellent
Question: I was preparing a Sunday school lesson for teen girls, here in India, about relationships and came across your page, Waiting for the Proper Time. It’s excellent. Just what I needed. Thanks a lot. Answer: You’re welcome.
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