Can medical conditions be behind negative thoughts, worries, and anger?
Question: I often wonder if medical conditions can be an excuse for how we feel? Take someone that has started having anxiety attacks out of the blue. They have never been someone that worries but because of a hormone imbalance they often have negative thoughts. Are they in sin? How can God help them? I…
Read MoreMy parents don’t like the guy I’m dating and I don’t know what to do
Question: Hi, I have a problem with my parents not being supportive when it comes to my relationships. They want to choose for me whom I date even if I hate the person. They don’t consider my feelings at all. I had to date one guy whom I will name Charles. I took him as…
Read MoreDo Christians celebrate Yom Kippur?
Question: Hello! Do Christians celebrate Yom Kippur? Should Christians fast on Yom Kippur? Why or why not? Is there anything that Christians should do on Yom Kippur? Thanks! Answer: Yom Kippur and the other Jewish feasts are a part of the Old Testament. Jews continue to celebrate them because they refuse to believe that the…
Read MoreThank you for all the encouragement and support you’ve given me
Question: Hey, Like always, thanks for encouraging and providing support to me. I wanted to share with you good news, I forget the verse that talks about sharing with the person who teaches or leads you. The other day I met with the housekeeping manager at the hotel. He wanted to know what the Bible…
Read MoreI never talked to a man who recently died about Jesus? Am I now condemned?
Question: Please help me, I am very scared. I have recently found God and I am trying to grow in my faith, but today a man died who I barely knew. He went to my school, but we never talked or anything and he is a lot older than me. I never told him about…
Read MoreDoes God allow differing beliefs, such as regarding evolution?
Question: Hello, I really like your site. I believe you’re the real deal. It’s clear you love God. Something has bothered me and been hurting my faith. I wondered why so many people have different views on the Bible. For instance, you said the world was 6,000 years old. I was taught that the world…
Read MoreHow do you know if a church is just there to entertain?
Question: How do you know if a church is just there to entertain? Answer: It caters to what people want. The Bible is rarely if ever referenced. Few people ever ask if this is according to what God authorized. You hear people talking a lot about what they feel should be done and no appeal to what…
Read MoreI was born again, but I still find myself committing fornication. What can I do to stop it?
Question: I am born again through the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I still sin. I find myself in a state of fornication and all kinds of sexual immoralities but each time I do pray I feel unworthy even to do so, despite the fact that I preach. Can God forgive me and…
Read MoreA Day of Small Things
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/DayOfSmallThings.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Haggai 2:1-9 I. As Israel began to return from seventy years of captivity, there was great excitement A. Zerubbabel lead the first wave of less than 50,000 people back to Jerusalem. 1. There was a lot of work to do because Jerusalem was completely destroyed. 2. But worship restarted immediately – Ezra…
Read MoreThe Book of My Life
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/BookOfMyLife.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 19:23-27 I. Each week the paper publishes its list of top selling books A. Sometimes the books are biographies, fictional stories, or fiction placed in historical settings. B. They hope that others will also purchase the books, if for no other reason than curiosity. C. Many author’s hope their work makes…
Read MoreI moved in with my girlfriend for financial reasons, but lately, she is seeing another boy. What do I do?
Question: I have been in a relationship with this girl for about a year and a half now and now it’s starting to fall apart. First, let me lay out the facts: She was born and raised Christian, but in High School had a falling out since her Grandma died. She doesn’t drink or do…
Read MoreI can’t get the idea of “selling my soul to the devil” out of my head
Question: I am not a Christian, but I was just reading for curiosity about selling your soul to the devil. I came across your website in which someone mentioned thinking about ‘selling their soul to get a video tutorial working’ and they thought they sold their soul. I already have religious OCD, and now I…
Read MoreYou seem to have two articles giving two different positions on whether an elder’s unfaithful child makes him disqualified. Which is it?
Question: I’ve been restudying the issue of elder’s children who fall away. The La Vista website has an article “The Elder and His Children” by Brett Hogland that concludes that an elder whose children leave the Lord would still be qualified to serve, and another article, “Does an elder need to step down if one…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between feeling guilty and feeling convicted?
Question: Is it true that if you don’t know if something is a sin that you should not do it if it makes you feel convicted? So what is the difference between feeling guilty or feeling convicted? Sometimes I put a lot of thought into something that I bought. I bought the entire collection of…
Read MoreDoctors Push for Teenage Girls to Use Birth Control Devices
Source: Lindsey Tanner, “Teenage Girls Should Get IUDs or Hormonal Implants for Birth Control, Says American College of OBGYNs,” CNSNews.com, 20 September 2012 Logic has not been the strong point among liberal policymakers for decades. It seems that whenever it is found that people are ignoring moral common sense, the outcry is for society to give…
Read MoreAre singing and prayers during mid-week Bible study worship?
Question: Dear Brother, I am a member of the Body of Christ. I have a question that I hope you can answer for me. After midweek Bible class everyone gathers and we sing songs, offer up prayers, a short sermon is given, and an invitation is extended. Is this worship? I know it is not…
Read MoreI think the government is corrupt, so can I get married without the government being involved?
Question: Hello, My girlfriend and I would like to marry outside of the state due to the condition of the corruption and anti-God position of the government and states. I know the Scripture indicates to obey the laws of the land, and I always have attempted to abide by them to the best of my…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between temptation and lust?
Question: Hi I was reading some of the questions that many have posted and one of them caught my attention. In it, you said that being tempted is not a sin. Many of the things we do that are wrong start in the mind, right? So when do the thoughts themselves become a sin? How…
Read MoreI repented of a foolish vow and broke it anyway. So what do I do?
Question: Hello, I am having real trouble with something at the moment, I fear that I have made a vow/oath to God that I really don’t want to keep. The vow does not contain anything sinful, I fear I said “I would give up my hobby.” The hobby is not sinful and I really like…
Read MoreI had oral sex when I was younger, and now I feel I’ll be condemned to have a miserable marriage
Question: I have a question. When I was in high school I was very socially shy and never had a boyfriend. I didn’t really go to church because we were Catholic and my mom thought it was boring. At 19 I had my first boyfriend and one day we kissed, and I gave in and…
Read MoreWas Jesus married?
Question: Was Jesus married? Answer: “Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6). Source: “Did Jesus have a wife?” The New York Times, September 19, 2012. Let’s start with the evidence: There is a fragment, measuring 4 x 8 centimeters, that contains the words “Jesus said to…
Read MoreI’m pregnant after committing adultery and I don’t know what to do
Question: I’m 34 years. I was recently baptized because I love Jesus and I want to live a holy life. There is this one sin that I have prayed for several times asking God to help me to walk away from this sin. I slept with a born-again guy unintentionally. It just happened because he…
Read MoreI was looking for articles and found one written by someone I knew!
Question: Your website is great! I found it by searching for articles on the covering, which I believe in and diligently practice. I looked at the author, Hiram Hutto. I know this man! I know his daughter, Susan, and her husband, Gary Kerr, an outstanding Gospel preacher. I am distressed that so few Christians believe…
Read MoreThank you so much for placing Ethan Longhenry’s article on your website
Question: Dear sir, Thank you so much for placing Ethan Longhenry’s article, Understanding the Tetragrammaton: How Is It Pronounced? on your website. It is an incredible blessing to me! I am trying to make the reasoning my own as it will be great to share with others the name of our God. His name is Wonderful!…
Read MoreMy fiance and I engaged in foreplay. How do we answer the church if we are asked, knowing this will mean we cannot be wed in the church?
Question: How do we answer the church if I and my fiancé are asked if we have had sex before marriage when we have engaged in the foreplay of sexual activities? Knowing we cannot be wed in the church if we say yes, though we didn’t do the real act. Answer: First, there is no…
Read MoreI had oral sex and I now feel so guilty. How do I overcome these feelings?
Question: I’m 21 and feel very guilty. I had oral sex two nights ago. I did this to avoid losing my virginity. According to what I read on your website, I’m no longer a virgin. I’ve worked so hard to keep it. I feel so sinful and bad. Please help me overcome these feelings. Answer:…
Read MoreIf Paul taught against the Sabbath then why couldn’t the Jews convict Paul of blasphemy?
Question: Hi, If Acts 20:7 and I Corinthians 16:1-8 are a result of Paul’s teaching that God’s Sabbath had been fulfilled and God’s fourth command was no longer required to be kept, why is it that after two trials the Jews could not Paul had committed blasphemy? If Paul had ever told the Jews that…
Read MoreSexting Is Associated with Risky Sexual Behavior
Source: Eric Rice, et al, “Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Messaging Associated with Sexual Risk Among Adolescents,” Pediatrics, 17 September 2012. Source: Genevra Pittman, “”Sexting” again linked to risky sex among teens: study,” Reuters, 18 September 2012. Source: Genevra Pittman, “Teen sexting: Strong link to risky sexual behavior,” Christian Science Monitor, 17 September 2012. Basic common sense has been once more confirmed.…
Read MoreIf the Bible is inspired then why does it say the earth is round and in other spots speak as if it is flat?
Question: If the author of the Bible is God through people, why in some places does it say the earth is a circle, like a phrase where it says we are like grasshoppers and God is watching over us and then there is another one where a tree is described and it says that everyone…
Read MoreWould a preacher or elder be allowed who had children involved in sexual sins?
Question: Hello, I have been reading some of your web-based information, and I have a few questions; If a youth pastor in the church of Christ (don’t worry, not yours) that has serious secrets in their family such as a gay son who is now out of the house, and a daughter who has had…
Read MoreWhat Made Paul an Apostle?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/WhatMadePaulAnApostle.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Galatians 1:11-24 I. Paul was different from the other apostles A. He wasn’t with Jesus when he was on earth B. He was not among the original twelve apostles – Luke 6:12-16 C. He started out as a zealous persecutor of the church D. How is it that Paul claimed to be an…
Read MoreWhat happens after death? Will I be reunited with my loved ones?
Question: Hi, Right now I’m not a Christian, but I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. Death kind of scares me, I mean I’m only 14 but still. I kind of wanted to know what you believe, why you believe it, and what I should do, and what happens after death. I also wanted…
Read MoreIsn’t it unfair that North Koreans can’t know about God?
Question: Isn’t it unfair that North Koreans can’t know about God? Do they just go to hell? It’s not really their fault at all. The leader tells them everything. They have no way of knowing about God, no outside communication whatsoever. Will they go to hell for something they have no control of? Obviously, only…
Read MoreI like this church, but my dad doesn’t because it doesn’t have a piano. What do I do?
Question: I’m having some issues right now. We just moved into a new area, and are trying to find a church. There’s one that we went to today that I really like, and feel like I really connect to, but my parents don’t like it. My dad says that he doesn’t like it because there isn’t a piano…
Read MoreWhy don’t you believe that the Spirit actively dwells in the believer today?
Question: In my seeking to find “Christian only” groups, I have visited several “churches of Christ,” which came out of the restoration movement in the 1800s. My question is, though I deeply appreciate the non-denominational and back to the Bible emphasis, why is it that many reject any direct involvement of the Holy Spirit today?…
Read MoreIsn’t Hinduism older than Judaism? And other questions about early history.
Question: Isn’t Hinduism older than Judaism? Why does my textbook always talk about dates as far as 10,000 years back? For example, “farming methods were discovered almost 10 thousand years ago in Mesopotamia” is in a 9th-grade geography book. In one post you said animals were herbivores before the flood. How, if some animals’ teeth…
Read MoreI’m so gloomy. What can I do?
Question: I roam around with a gloomy expression most of the time. I remember her a lot, and I miss her too much. Whenever I see a couple I feel the absence of her. Is there anything that I could do to forget all these things and start looking forward to my future? What should…
Read MoreWithout the church fathers, how do you explain the shift away from the Lord’s Supper and the denial that John 6 is literal?
Question: I have read all the pre-300 AD church fathers. How do you explain the “Lord’s Supper,” not a man preaching, has always been the center of a church service and in evangelical services today it’s a man? How do you explain all the early church fathers who were not later Gnostics or other heretics…
Read MoreFor a Bible class, I was told to ask someone a series of questions. I was surprised at the response I got and I don’t know how to answer.
Question: Hi, I’m taking a Bible class that aids in helping brothers and sisters spread God’s Word. As part of an assignment, we were to ask a non-member of the church the following: What interests you the most? Is the Bible from God? Is Jesus God? Will most go to heaven? Well I asked my…
Read MoreMore questions about Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
Question: Just curious regarding Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs: what are your thoughts on the genre that many of the new “brethren hymns” are written in? That’s a big chunk of the “other 300”, maybe pushing 1/3 of it by a wild guess? For my own edification, and I take a lot of interest in hymnody,…
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