Love your article on the King James Version. Disappointed in your home page
Question: Regarding your article on the King James Version: God bless you! How so many in our movement think that the KJV is the only acceptable Bible, I will never understand! Wow! Then I went to your home page and was SOOOOO disappointed! Answer: Upon what passage in the Bible do you base your disappointment? “For do I…
Read MoreParallel Worship (Children’s Church)
by Bob Berard Some elderships with announced good intentions have introduced the practice of excusing children and a few members from their congregation’s Sunday evening worship services for a special program called “children’s church.” While the remainder of the church engages in a worship assembly wherein are conducted the same worship activities as in the…
Read MoreIf Satan is tempting one person, is everyone else safe at that moment?
Question: Is Satan omnipresent? If yes, how do we understand Job 1:6-7? If not, can we say when Satan is tempting somebody, everyone else is safe? Answer: “And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from…
Read MoreI Got Sick of the World
by Gerry Sandusky “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Christ” (I Peter 1:18-19). My religious background could be summed up by saying there was almost none. My Baptist grandmother took me to the Methodist…
Read MoreEmphasizing the Physical
Text: Matthew 12:1-14 I. Schools have been placed in tough positions in the recent years A. They are told to keep religion out of schools. Almost every direct form of discipline has been forbidden to them. 1. The natural result is the steady decline in the moral standards of their students. 2. In response the community demands the…
Read MoreWas there a ritual that a Levite had to go through before becoming a high priest?
Question: Was there a ritual (cleansing, education, ceremony, etc.) that a Levite must go through before he became the high priest? Answer: Among the Levites, only descendants of Aaron could become priests or high priests. Other Levites served the Lord but in different functions. The consecration of a Levite before his service is covered in…
Read MoreI don’t think I understood what I was confessing well enough before my baptism. So am I saved?
Question: I am wondering if I am saved. I was baptized in a Church of Christ and since learning more about it I have questions. First I don’t think I understood the confession part. I thought it was confessing to God that you are a sinner and in need of salvation. Then I recently heard…
Read MoreWhy is Romans 5:13 in parenthesis in the King James Version?
Question: This came up recently: Romans 5:13 is in parenthesis in the King James version. Could you please explain why? Answer: The parenthesis was added by the translators, both in the King James and New King James versions, to emphasize that this is explaining the charge made in Romans 5:12. Paul stated, “Therefore, just as…
Read MoreCan a woman sign for the deaf during worship?
Question: I understand why women are not to lead singing in worship services. My question is: Can a woman stand before the congregation and sign for the deaf during singing? If she could do this, could she also sign for the preacher or for anyone else? Thank you. Answer: The command in I Timothy 2:11-12…
Read MoreDo you sell everything you have? Why do you have an air-conditioned building?
Question: “Quite simply, we are a church that follows after the pattern of the New Testament.” —from the church website. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the…
Read MoreIs all lying bad?
Question: This question is about lying. Is lying in all views, such as white lies or small lies, a sin? Is there such a thing as using a lie to help someone? I can’t think of a good example now, but I do hope you know what I mean. There are also lies about even…
Read MoreHow do I stop my 14-year-old son from sneaking out at night to see a girl?
Question: My 14-year-old son has just started sneaking out of our house in the middle of the night. Two times in the last month he left our house at 2 am and walked over one mile to his girlfriend’s house. My son is very sneaky, and he will wait until I’m asleep and then leave…
Read MoreDaily Bible Reading Schedules
“Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (I Timothy 4:13). Photo by chris liu on Unsplash The best way to become familiar with the contents of the Bible is to read it on a regular basis. Below are various reading schedules to help you organize your reading plan Daily Bible Reading…
Read MoreOvercoming Bitterness
by Lawrence Kelley “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it…
Read MoreShould a man search out the father who abandoned him as a child to remove a curse of a broken family from him?
Question: We were having a conversation about a man from a broken family, who is born again. Should he go to look for his dad who abandoned him when he was a child? We were divided into two camps. One group was of the opinion that this man should go look for his dad so…
Read MoreI came to the same conclusion regarding the letter to Laodicea that you did
Question: Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After reading Colossians during one of my personal studies, I came across the reference to the letter from Laodicea. I wanted to find out more, so I read many commentaries to try to see what this letter was all about. No…
Read MorePraying a Sinner’s Prayer
by Jarrod Jacobs via “Common Questions — Bible Answers” (Southside church of Christ, Owensboro, Kentucky) A while back, I received a sample packet of tracts from “The Tract League” (a.k.a. “Faith, Prayer, & Tract League”) out of Grand Rapids, MI. According to their form letter addressed to the “Pastor,” they have over 300 tracts in…
Read MoreThe Sinner’s Prayer
by Bob Myhan The so-called sinner’s prayer is the prayer of an alien sinner for the forgiveness of sins. An alien sinner is one who has never been saved and is not yet a citizen in the kingdom of God. The sinner’s prayer has had many incarnations over the years but it usually goes something…
Read MoreYour web site is great and easy to use
Question: I want to compliment you a bunch on your web site. It is great, easy to use, and very user friendly. I really enjoy it and plan to access it often! Answer: Why thank you! It particularly tickles me since I teach web site design at a local community college every once in a…
Read MoreThe lesson “The Weight of the Nails” is incredible!
Question: I just finished reading the lesson on your web site regarding Psalm 139 and the “Weight of the Nails,” about the clotting agents and the days that should be waited until circumcision is done. Incredible! I am absolutely awed by your home page. This is what a church should be. Answer: I’m glad you are finding the web site…
Read MoreFour Callings
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/FourCallings.mp3 by Reggie Finch
Read MoreIs it right for my wife to work at a tanning salon?
Question: My wife recently was thinking of changing jobs, going back to working at a tanning salon she once worked at. The owners want her to be the store manager and take on more roles than when she worked there before. She brought something up to me tonight that bothered and upset me. One of…
Read MoreHow do you deal with an easily angered father?
Question: How should a Christian deal with a person who is easily angered? Well, let me rephrase that — how can a Christian deal with a very easily angered father, who is always speaking negatively about people, things, and me? Answer: I’m not certain how old you are, so let me cover a few points.…
Read MoreCan my wife or I remarry after the divorce?
Question: My story: My wife and I are Christians. A few years ago my wife had an affair. I forgave her. But since that time I have been the spouse who has pretty much carried the relationship. I suggested counseling and suggested a closer walk with God. I notified my spouse that she needed to…
Read MoreHow do you answer someone who claims “new wine” in Acts 2:13 must be alcoholic?
Question: In attempts to discuss my beliefs with some people in the denominations, the issue of alcohol came up (the person I was speaking to brews her own beer). Their claim was that Acts 2:13 proves that the new wine was alcoholic, even though I tried to point out that, instead, it was being used as an insult…
Read MoreWhy was the value of the books burned given?
Question: I have a question concerning Acts 19:19-20 “Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” I…
Read MoreMy girlfriend kissed another man. What do I do?
Question: Something happened this week my girlfriend confessed that she kissed another man. She said it started as a game and they were teasing one another and they kissed for about two seconds and she pulled away and walked off. I don’t know whether it’s out of guilt, or if she was genuinely sorry, but…
Read MoreShould we marry now or when we are in a better financial situation?
Question: My girlfriend and I intend to get married in the future and want to wait until we are in a better financial situation to marry. Also being in a long-distance relationship would mean that if we did marry, we would be unable to live together straight away just yet. But I’m in fear of…
Read MoreShould I keep waiting for God to find me a husband?
Question: I have questions regarding marriage: My mom wants me to get married so badly, she even got me a fiance. Nevertheless, I am a Christian and I want to wait on the Lord for the right person He has for me. I am 25 years old. My mom just wants to have grandkids. She…
Read MoreWhat is the spirit within us? What are the roots of your teachings?
Question: Thank you for your fabulous web site – I am slowly working my way through your teachings of the Word. Judging by the sheer volume of material you have on your site I can only imagine how busy you must be. If you have the time I would like to ask you your teachings…
Read MoreThe Age of Miracles
by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 47, Nov. 21, 2008. Question: Most of the older members of the church tell me that the age of miracles has ended. But I can’t find anyone who can give me the passage of Scripture that teaches that. Can you provide me with the Scriptures? Answer:…
Read MoreWhat is the “free gift?”
Question: I’m having a little trouble with this passage and hope you can shed some light on it for me. Romans 5:12-21 talks about a “free gift”. What is it? Who brought it? What does it do for us? Answer: “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s…
Read MoreI just want to thank you for the time and effort you put into the web site’s Bible art section
Question: I just want to thank you for the time and effort you put into the website’s Bible art section. This has been helpful for me as I am writing some Bible class materials. Some of it I can’t use directly, but I have an artist who can get ideas from the old pictures. Perhaps we…
Read MoreAll Things in Common
by Bryan Matthew Dockens It has been argued that socialism is a divinely approved economic system exemplified in scripture. Proponents point to two passages as evidence of their claim: “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had…
Read MoreLittle Lies
by Rusty Miller “Buy truth, and do not sell it” (Proverbs 23:23). Of all the things God desires most, none has suffered more in recent times than honesty. The lie is no longer something to be scorned; in fact, “everybody lies” is the most common excuse heard when someone is actually caught in a lie.…
Read MoreThe Weight of the Nails
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/WeightOfTheNails.mp3 Text: Psalm 139 I. For a book as concise as the Bible, it contains a surprising amount of detail A. Detail that many ignore B. So much detail that Reader’s Digest once took it upon themselves to produce a condensed version of the Bible, for which they were justly ridiculed. C. I Corinthians 2:12-13 – God selected…
Read MoreAre Christians commanded to only sing the psalms?
Question: I recently was made aware of an old acquaintance who is now part of a house church. In a message he sent to me giving a short explanation, he said, “…after a lot of study, I have come to the understanding that we are only authorized to sing inspired songs from the book of…
Read MoreYour collection of pictures is invaluable
Question: Thank you for creating this invaluable web site full of public domain Bible illustrations! I have used quite a few of them in my free children’s Bible lessons on www.martydonnellan.wordpress.com. You rock! Marty Answer: Thank you for your kind words. I don’t often post notes which contain links to other sites, but I’ve looked through…
Read MoreDoes God hear the prayers of those who are not yet saved?
Question: I am writing, after reading your article, wondering your understanding of the Scriptures that point to God willing not to hear because of sins or God not hearing a sinner’s prayer, or even yet, God hears open to the prayers of the righteous? From those Scriptures I arrive at the following conclusion: God is aware…
Read MoreI had unprotected sex with my boyfriend a few weeks ago and now I’m not feeling well. What could be wrong?
Question: Hi. This the first time I have felt like this. My boyfriend was here a couple of weeks ago and we had unprotected sex. Six days later I started feeling dizzy, not eating a lot, and everything smells bad. I’m not in the mood to do anything and underneath my belly button, it’s hard.…
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