Can We Know?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/CanWeKnow.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 24:36-44 I. A massive advertising campaign has started claiming that Jesus’ second coming and the Judgment Day will be on May 21, 2011. A. Different billboard proclaim slogans, such as “The wise men knew, we can know” or “Noah knew, we can know.” B. Most of us understand that this…
Read MoreWhen should I tell my girlfriend that I’m not a virgin?
Question: Hello. I have been looking over your site and have been blessed by it very much. I was looking for a question but couldn’t find it, so I thought I would ask myself. I know that going into details about my sinful past with my current girlfriend isn’t necessary, but I do feel I…
Read MoreMusic, Movies, and Maturity
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/MusicMoviesAndMaturity.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreCan We Trust Our Feelings About Salvation?
by Mike Johnson via simplebiblestudies.com Some people claim to rely solely on their feelings for assurance of personal salvation. They may say, “I know that I am saved because I feel that I am.” They will often ignore very plain passages in the Bible about salvation because of a “feeling” that they have. Some are heard…
Read MoreWhat If …?
by Ken Leach via Biblical Insights, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 2009 I am familiar with a situation wherein a young female college student became pregnant out of wedlock. This young Christian and her parents experienced a range of emotions unlike any others in their lifetime. It has now been more than twenty years since those…
Read MoreGrowth — The Good and the Bad
by Gilbert Alexander The growth of true New Testament Christianity is good, even vital, because it means that souls are being saved from eternal condemnation, and lives of promise and hope are being embraced. What makes one a Christian makes him free from guilt and condemnation for his past sins (Romans 6:17,18), makes him a…
Read MoreHow do I know my repentance is genuine?
Question: I have doubts about repentance. I suffer from depression. At times I feel really sad, at times I feel really angry, but at times I feel nothing — not sad, not happy or angry, just, an empty room. So I hope that what I’m going to tell you is caused by depression. My boyfriend…
Read MoreGrains of Sand
by Sam Stinson “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in…
Read MoreWhat do you think about people saying that Christ is going to come back on May 21, 2011?
Question: What do you think about people saying that Christ is going to come back on May 21, 2011? Answer: I had to laugh because there was an article on the front page of the paper about this very thing. This is just another prediction in a long list of failed predictions of when Jesus…
Read MoreThe Organization of the Church (Kimbrough)
by Earl Kimbrough via Searching the Scriptures, August 1978, Volume 19, Number 8 The Lord designed the church according to his own will and circumscribed it with certain distinguishing marks that are clearly set forth in the Scriptures. No one of these essential features of the church is more important than any other. “All things”…
Read MoreThe Gospel Paul Preached
by Sean P. Cavender The book of Romans is Paul’s defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Throughout the epistle, Paul details man’s sin, man’s need for justification, the conditions for justification, the effects of God’s grace, and the assurances of the child of God. He makes several statements of his dedication to preaching this…
Read MoreGod’s Name
by Netagene Kirkpatrick I call the name of Jesus, or Lord God when I pray. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not by-words to say! It bothers me to hear someone who takes God’s Name in vain. If I ever slip and do that, I know I’ll be ashamed. Some things are often cut,…
Read MoreHow do you prepare for missionary work?
Question: Recently I’ve really been wanting to die to self and my dream desire is to live in a really poor area, hopefully in China — not the U.S. It’s hard to be an evangelizing Christian in the U.S. where it’s so wealthy and most people already know Christ. However, I don’t know how to…
Read MoreShould I wait to teach until after my wife is converted? Is blogging a substitute for going into the world to teach the gospel?
Question: Thanks for all your scriptural answers to questions. They helped me a lot! My questions are: Is it wrong to wait for a while to teach (or preach) to other people while I’m still teaching my wife to become a Christian? I feel like a hypocrite to teach others without my wife becoming a…
Read MoreCan a woman be an Associate Campus Minister?
Question: I’ve been attending the church of Christ. I’m fairly new there. It’s almost 30 miles away and there is no other acceptable church that I know of. My concern is with their campus ministry. My husband only recently noticed a flyer in the church hallway announcing a woman as the new Associate Campus Minister.…
Read MoreGod Shows No Partiality
by Bryan Matthew Dockens Racial discrimination is senseless and ungodly. God’s plan for salvation has always been open to all. Centuries before Christ came to fulfill the divine promise, Isaiah prophesied of the church that “all nations shall flow into it” (Isaiah 2:2). Indeed, the very day it was established, the church included members “from…
Read MoreMan’s Duty To “Prove All Things”
by B. C. Goodpasture Men are prone to go to extremes. This has always been true. Paul seems to have been guarding against this tendency when he wrote, “Despise not prophesyings; prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thessalonians 5:20-21). In his day, there were those who claimed to “prophesy” by the…
Read MoreGod Breathed
by Stan Cox In II Timothy 3, the apostle Paul penned a wonderful sentence that establishes both the precious nature of the words contained in our Bibles and their efficacy in ordering our lives as His servants. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for…
Read MoreGod Bless You! Bless Your Heart!
by Netagene Kirkpatrick eu’phe-mism, n. (Gr.: well + to speak). The substitution of an inoffensive or mild expression for one that may offend or be unpleasant; e.g: “passing away” for “dying”. ~ Webster’s Dictionary, 1961 Some people say “God bless you”, Or sometimes, “Bless your heart!” I know they mean it all in love, God’s care…
Read MoreThe Washing of Regeneration
by Jim Ward via The Lost River Bulletin, Vol. 58, No. 4, September 2008. The denominational world has spent centuries trying to oust baptism from God’s plan of salvation. One of the most common efforts centers on works. Notice this argument in syllogistic form: First Premise: Works do not save: (Titus 3:4-6). Second Premise: Baptism…
Read MoreBorn Again Into The Kingdom
by H.E. Phillips via Searching the Scriptures, February 1992, Volume 33, Number 2 The church is the people who are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). The…
Read MoreA Marriage in Decline
by Steven Harper Throughout the Bible, God uses the analogy of marriage to describe the relationship of God with His people. In the Old Testament, God spoke of how He was “married to” the ones of Judah (Jeremiah 3:14) and “was a husband to” the Israelites (Jeremiah 31:32), and even used the analogous picture of putting away and giving a…
Read MoreWas Paul a Sabbath Keeper?
by Benard Kagaga Always, when the Bible is given time as the word of God (II Timothy 3:16-17) to give us the clear way (John 14:6), when our minds reach a point of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33), given time with the Bible we will understand. When talking with the Sabbath keepers, we learn they hate…
Read MoreAre elders responsible for the employment of preachers?
Question: I enjoyed and appreciated your article on the work of the evangelist. I find it quite different from many by what you might consider institutional churches of Christ. I am concerned about the final paragraph on the selection of the minister. As I understand first-century history, many preachers were involved in the establishing, building up,…
Read MoreWas the Titus in the Bible the same as Titus Vespasianus?
Question: Is Titus Vespasian, who was involved with Bernice, the same as the Titus who traveled with Paul? Answer: Then as now, just because a person has the same name, it doesn’t mean they are the same person. There is only one Titus mentioned by name in the Bible and he was a preacher and…
Read MoreGive It Up!
by David Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 3, Jan. 16, 2009. Toward the end of WWII, it was obvious to everyone that the Japanese empire was on its last legs. It was only a matter of time before the Japanese would be beaten. But, with a strict code of honor and battle, most Japanese…
Read MoreThe Funeral Service of Shunn Hamilton
by Tommy Thornhill Around noontime, Thursday, March 16, 2006, a man’s life was taken from him in a moment of time. As he and a couple of his friends were on their way to lunch, their vehicle came over a hill and collided with another vehicle that was in the roadway. Shunn Hamilton was thrown…
Read MoreHow do I object to homosexuality without getting fired?
Question: Currently at my place of work I have homosexual couples doing things that really disturb me. Is there not something wrong with homosexual couples adopting children, or female homosexual couples being able to get in-vitro fertilization to have children? I really desire to voice my opinion but I know that I will be the…
Read MoreIs there a non-miraculous form of prophecy?
Question: I’m having a problem understanding “prophesying.” In Romans 12:6 Paul said, “let us prophesy.” Is I Corinthians 14:3-4 teaching that during the days of the early church one form of prophesying was not in a “miraculous” sense but rather a “natural” ability (cf. Romans 12:4-6)? Answer: In Romans, Paul makes the point: “For as we have…
Read MoreDoes the Bible predict a future war in Korea?
Question: Hi, I have a friend online who sent me this message; “I HOPE you know the SERIOUSNESS of this approaching Korean war! The Bible mentions it! So it MUST be a MAJOR MAJOR WAR (to be mentioned in the Bible!) My guess, (for it to be SO MAJOR that it’s mentioned in the Bible)…
Read MoreIs there any hope for me?
Question: I went through your article, “A Sin Leading to Death.” Like so many other articles on the sin that leads to death and apostasy, there seems to be no final consensus on what are these sins, what are their consequences, and the chances of reversing these consequences. So the article held some hope for…
Read MoreHow could the men with Saul hear and not hear the voice?
Question: Can you explain the seeming contradiction in these verses from Acts? Acts 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man Acts 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake…
Read MoreI’m so grateful to find your article on premillennialism
Question: I have accepted a challenge to spend two Sunday mornings (that’s not much!) in surveying the basics of premillennial eschatology. I am grateful to our faithful Jesus, the Lord of us both, that I finally, after so much searching, came across your church’s web site and your article on premillennialism. You’re so right that…
Read MoreSelling Yourself
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2005/07/SellingYourself.mp3 Text: I Kings 21:1-26 I. Have you heard the old phrase that someone had sold his soul to the Devil? A. Unfortunately, it is not just some mythological idea. It has some biblical basis. B. Elijah, in I Kings 21:20, accuses Ahab of selling himself when he took possession of Naboth’s vineyard. 1. Notice though that Ahab…
Read MoreWhy do you teach that a man can only have one wife?
Question: I just read “What Bible Passage Teaches Monogamy?” by George Hutto. It has to do with men having only one wife. While I agree with most of what is written, I have a problem with the intent. Since most men, of any measure of success, in the Old Testament, had wives known as maidservants,…
Read MoreHow can you prove that the New Testament contains God’s only pattern for worship in the Lord’s church today?
Question: How can you prove that the New Testament contains God’s only pattern for worship in the Lord’s church today? Answer: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you…
Read MoreCould there be some “event” that God is waiting for to trigger the second coming of Christ?
Question: I know the Bible says no one knows when Jesus’ second return will be. However, those who are called are watching out for it, so, therefore, it won’t be such a surprise to them. Is that correct? Why does it seem to me and others that things in the world are happening in such…
Read MoreIn Mark 3:29, why does the NKJV say “eternal condemnation” while the NASB says “eternal sin?”
Question: The NKJV in Mark 3:29 has “but is subject to eternal condemnation” and the NASB has is “guilty of an eternal sin”. Are the meanings different? They seem to mean something different. Isn’t the NASB more accurate to the original than the NKJV? Answer: Both the NASB and the NKJV are accurate translations. However,…
Read MoreWhy did Antioch send relief to Judea if the famine was worldwide?
Question: Can anyone tell me why the church in Antioch sent relief to the brethren in Judea (Acts 11) if the famine was worldwide? Wouldn’t they all have suffered? Were the people in Antioch just more wealthy and could afford to help more needy Christians? Answer: In regards to your question, we do not know…
Read MoreWhy was Haman’s face covered?
Question: In Esther 7:8 it reads, “As the word went out of king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.” Does this mean that his face was covered because he laying on her bed and was much too close to Esther, or that he was now marked for death? Was the covering of someone’s face a custom then?…
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