Elijah
Elijah – Part 1Elijah – Part 2Elijah – Part 3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 17:1-13 I. The Bible is filled with memorable characters. Among the prophets, Elijah stands out. A. We don’t know much about his background. He just suddenly appears on the scene forecasting doom to Ahab – I Kings 17:1 B. His name…
Read MoreYour article on “A Sin Leading to Death” was very insightful
Question: I was reading I John this morning and did not understand “sin that does not lead to death”. Your article, A Sin Leading to Death, was very insightful. I feel that I have not been living by faith and need to repent. Please pray for me. I do believe that Jesus is the son of…
Read MoreHow can I improve in giving presentations?
Question: I am a trainer. I will be giving a presentation soon, but I am not confident. I am tense and get scared thinking about it. How can I improve? Answer: Fears exist because of unknown things. You aren’t certain about your abilities or the audience’s reception, so you imagine all the possible ways it…
Read MoreAre All Peacemakers Blessed?
by Gary W. Summers All Bible students have the obligation to study the Scriptures to ascertain their true meaning. Many problems in the Lord’s church, not to mention the religious world in general, could have been avoided with more of an honest investigation into God’s Holy Word. Too often has a verse been lifted out…
Read MoreApostolic Supremacy
by Clinton D. Hamilton via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 1952. The real issue with reference to religious division is which church is the true one. In an almost unanimous voice, religious people affirm that for a church to be the true one it must teach the identical doctrines revealed by the apostles. The…
Read MoreSexuality is more than physical action
Question: Fact Sexuality means much more than physical arousal and orgasm. Attached to a person’s sexuality is the capacity to feel affection, to delight in someone else, to get emotionally close to another person, and to be passionately committed to him or her. Sexuality is central to that marvelous human experience, being in love—to be…
Read MoreDid Tamar renounce Judah publically or privately?
Question: I have a question about Genesis 38:24-27. When Tamar informed Judah that she was the harlot he went into at Timnah, did Tamar tell Judah privately, or was Judah publicly humiliated? In verses 24-25, it appears that Tamar was going to be burned in public for her harlotry. But reading on in verse 25,…
Read MoreWhen the Israelites said the giants made them feel like grasshoppers, was this an exaggeration?
Question: In Numbers 13:33, how could there have been giants that made them feel like the size of grasshoppers? Or is this just a figure of speech or are they just exaggerating? Answer: “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight,…
Read MoreThank you for posting the Bible story pictures
Question: I wanted to thank you again for posting the Bible story pictures. Your stuff often pops up as I am building my PowerPoints for my sermons. Thank you for your contributions to the Kingdom. Answer: You’re welcome.
Read MoreProclaimed in All Creation
by Jefferson David Tant via Biblical Insights, March 2011, page 9. Some thirty years after Christ’s death, Paul wrote to the Colossians. A year later, an earthquake destroyed Colossae along with Laodicea and Hierapolis. Among the interesting things in Paul’s letter is the statement in Colossians 1:23, wherein he urges them to “continue in the faith…
Read MoreWhy was Abram rewarded for lying to Pharaoh?
Question: I just read Genesis 12:1-20 and I’m a little perplexed by it. Abram bent the truth concerning Sarai by getting her to say she was his sister rather than his wife when they came into Egypt. I know she was his half-sister by his father, but it was still a lie. So why was…
Read MoreWhy are all the guys I date bums?
Question: Good day minister, A man of God met me and introduced me to his brother saying God said he will be my husband. I met the guy. We talked, but I found out there was no compatibility between us. I don’t love him, perhaps “like” I will say. But along the way, we sinned…
Read MoreAm I still a virgin after giving oral sex?
Question: I had oral sex twice, but both times it wasn’t sexual at all. My intention wasn’t to please him. I panicked and did it. And being that I was sexually abused a lot of things cause me to panic, but I should have never put myself in that situation knowing I was weak. Am…
Read MoreSometimes my fiance and I get too involved with each other and it is disturbing me
Question: I am in a situation that needs your help. There is this sister in my church. I have proposed to her and we plan to get married after her graduation from the university. We both love each other. We have never had intercourse, but sometimes we get involved in real body contact. I feel…
Read MoreWhy don’t I feel forgiven?
Question: I accepted Christ when I was in my twenties. Like most, I have had times when I was close to God, and times when I was not. I have struggled with a sex and porn addiction since I was a teenager. I am doing well with it for the last few months and have…
Read MoreShould I be baptized again because I didn’t fully understand what baptism was about?
Question: I was re-baptized by a minister in the church of Christ because a brother said that if I was not baptized for the remission of sin then my previous baptism was not valid. Now I have many doubts because I feel that I accepted this baptism as a sacrament of sorts, like a ritual that…
Read MoreHow can Paul die with Christ if Christ is living?
Question: I am confused about “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT). Isn’t God the living God?…
Read MoreYour lessons on drinking were wonderful!
Question: I listened to your lessons on drinking from the Old and New Testament and they were wonderful. I have read the book, Bible Wines and the Laws of Fermentation, have bought many of them, and given them out. Your lesson included some things that I did not know. Answer: I’m glad you found the information useful.
Read MoreShould I quit preaching to find a wife?
Question: I have been a minister now for almost 30 years. My wife left me after nearly 30 years of marriage. However, I need a helpmate. I want to date but all women are scared of dating a preacher. I understand that too. I don’t want to cause a “Black Eye” on the church so…
Read MoreIf you become best friends, isn’t there a danger of the girl not wanting to marry you because she only sees you as a friend or a brother?
Question: I hope that you still use this email address for I have just read something on your website that appears to be contrary to what I have learned from experience. In your article on lust, you state: “Love is built on a relationship between a man and a woman that develops over time. There…
Read MoreWas 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 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,…
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