Religion According to Man
Text: Galatians 1:6-10 I. What happens when man decides to worship God in his own way? A. We see among denominations thousands of varying beliefs, yet all claim to be worshiping God and using the Bible as their guide B. Some even abandon the Bible and use other books, such as the book of Mormon C. Could God…
Read MoreShould I get in better shape before preaching?
Question: I would like to have earrings, maybe be tan, and be in better shape, plus I would like to whiten my teeth. It sounds ludicrous, but are these things wrong according to God if I want them? If I were to do these things, I feel like they would be holding me back for…
Read MoreWho was the first negro convert?
Question: Who was the first negro convert? Answer: “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace…
Read MoreWhere do you draw the line between helping and enabling?
Question: I’m almost embarrassed to ask this one, but I would like an objective point of view and refuse to bring it up to anyone at my congregation. We recently moved and placed membership at a local congregation of the Lord’s church. Since I become a Christian in December, I have really been looking forward…
Read MoreDoes God send us signs?
Question: I am curious to know whether God sends signs to us. For example, a man has an interest in a woman he has never met but seen at school or someplace. He tries to look for signs to see if she has any interest. He later finds out that she’s a Christian, and finds…
Read MoreEternal Victory
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008Fall6EternalVictory.mp3 by Ed Smith Revelation for Today
Read MorePouring Out the Wrath of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008Fall5PouringOutTheWrathOfGod.mp3 by Ed Smith Revelation for Today
Read MoreThe Rebellion of the Beast
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008Fall4RebellionOfTheBeast.mp3 by Ed Smith Revelation for Today
Read MoreRevelation for Today
Series by Ed Smith Given October 17-19, 2008 Who Is This Judge? Judgment Begins at the House of God Seven Seals and Seven Trumpets The Rebellion of the Beast Pouring Out the Wrath of God Eternal Victory
Read MoreSeven Seals and Seven Trumpets
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008Fall3SevenSealsAndSevenTrumpets.mp3 by Ed Smilth Revelation for Today
Read MoreJudgment Begins at the House of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008Fall2JudgmentBeginsAtTheHouseOfGod.mp3 by Ed Smith Revelation for Today
Read MoreI was healed but I never benefited from it because my daughter abuses me
Question: I took seriously ill six and more years ago and found the sickness and its diagnosis a mystery. The doctor I attended is a Christian and as such up until I got this sick was guilty of having prescribed to me not once but twice the wrong medication, the result of which was horrific,…
Read MoreDid you ever study the life of Christ? Then you would not that it’s impossible for God to kill
Question: Why is it you claim to be Christian? You, no doubt, don’t even come close to knowing the truth about God. Did you ever study the life of Christ? Did He ever kill anyone? Yet Jesus said, “you have seen me you have seen the Father”. If you knew God you would know that…
Read MoreI really appreciate the way you explain your reasoning
Question: I recently found your web site. I really appreciate the way you explained your reasons for worshiping the way you do. It is quite to the point. I am a member of the church of Christ and agree with your reasons for worshipping in such a way, but reading how you wrote it made it…
Read MoreWho Is This Judge?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008Fall1WhoIsThisJudge.mp3 by Ed Smith Revelation for Today
Read MoreWhy do you say Judges 11:31 is better translated as “whoever” instead of “that which?”
Question: I don’t know where you have received the understanding about Judges 11:31 because it is not coming from the text. Verse 31 uses the relative and all-purpose preposition ‘asher. Strictly translated, it means in this case “that which”. “And it will be that which is going up from the doors of my house…” Translations of “whoever”…
Read MoreHow tight of a reign should elders have over a preacher?
Question: I am a minister in the Lord’s church and want to get your understanding of what authority elders have over the minister. I guess I am interested in how detailed can they be in managing the preacher? I am told I must do a weekly report and email it to the elders and I…
Read MoreWhen are we judged, at death or on the Judgment Day?
Question: Here is something that I am confused about. In I Thessalonians 4:17 Paul told the Thessalonians “then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and shall we ever be with the Lord.” Now in II Corinthians 5:10, Paul…
Read MoreAre the gospels more important than the rest of the New Testament?
Question: I recently heard a preacher from a non-denominational church. He touched on a point I totally disagreed with, but it will take me some time to research as I read through the gospels and mark out verses. But in the meantime, I was wondering about your opinion. He made a statement that what is…
Read MoreWould I still have the right to remarry if I slept with another man before my divorce was final?
Question: Hi! I have a serious question: My husband walked out on me after 20 years of marriage. He has had numerous affairs. He has been gone for 2 years. I finally filed our divorce five months ago and it may be over within the month. For the past year, he has been living with…
Read MoreWhy do you say that the wine at the marriage feast in Cana was grape juice?
Question: I read your web site. Why do you tell Christians that the wine at the marriage feast at Cana was grape juice? Read my book. You don’t need to protect the Gospel from its own truth. The wine at the marriage feast at Cana contained alcohol and you cannot make it plain grape juice…
Read MoreDoes the tree of life still exist?
Question: Does the tree of life still exist? Answer: The tree of life was one of two special trees in the garden of Eden. “And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst…
Read MoreWill both God and Jesus judge us on judgment day?
Question: Will both God and Jesus judge us on judgment day? Answer: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (II Timothy 4:1). “In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according…
Read MoreWhy does Paul say, “take heed lest you fall” and Peter says “you shall never fall?”
Question: In I Corinthians 10:12 Paul states: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Then in II Peter 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” Can you explain the difference? Answer: In both…
Read MoreHow could Herod, an Idumean, end up ruling Israel?
Question: I found the article on the Internet concerning Edom quite informative. I am reading Josephus Flavious and have some interest in what the secular historians say in regard to biblical times and places. Josephus states that Herod was an Idumean. My question is, since Ezekiel’s time, when the land was uninhabited, how a personality…
Read MoreEternal Security
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2004/08/EternalSecurity.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 2:1-6 I. A large number of denominations follow a set of teachings popularized by John Calvin in the 1400’s A. His teachings were not new. They actually date back to man named Augustine who lived in the 400’s. Augustine’s teachings were very influential in the formation of the…
Read MoreWho Is Lost?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/WhoIsLost.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Thessalonians 1:3-10 I. Whenever I’ve published material which is read by people who claim to be Christians but are not living by God’s word, I’ve received complaints. A. “Why are you bothering with this issue? You should be seeking the lost instead. All you are doing is causing division…
Read MoreI think you are awesome representatives for Christ
Question: I am a young Christian and I have recently discovered your site and I just want to say that you guys TOTALLY PWN [gaming slang for “owned” as in victorious or dominating]! I think that you are awesome representatives for Christ and think you do an exemplary job of demonstrating the infallibility and all-knowingness…
Read MoreHow many major and minor prophets are there in the Bible?
Question: How many major and minor prophets are there in the Bible? Answer: The division of major and minor prophets come from the Old Testament. There are 17 books of prophecy in the Old Testament and they are divided into two groups: the long books (the major prophets) and the short books (the minor prophets).…
Read MoreBeware of Satan’s Tactics
by Rickey Shive via Lost River Bulletin, Vol. 58, No. 2, June 8, 2008. The book of Job is a marvelous piece of ancient, Scripture Although scholars are uncertain who the author of the text actually is or the exact time period when it was written, they have speculated that it may be the oldest book…
Read MoreBecause It Is Right
by Jim R. Everett Reward incentive motivation permeates our society. People respond to rewards just like little puppies do. Some parents think only in terms of rewarding their children, and, they even reward them for being bad. When a parent says to a little child, “If you will quit throwing a temper tantrum, we will…
Read MoreIs sin causing God to be sad because we turned away from Jesus?
Question: Something that I was told recently really makes sense to me, and I really want your input. When I used to repent of my sins, I would repent for the sin, such as masturbating, lust, lying, or whatever it was. I felt like I was talking to a wall because I knew that tomorrow…
Read MoreI’m coming off of drugs, but I had cursed the Holy Spirit, can I ever be forgiven of this?
Question: I am 21. I am not trying to justify what I am about to tell you, but I was a drug addict. Drugs are a tool of the devil. I am now sober for 5 months. I impulsively cursed (damned) the Holy Spirit and said that its power comes from Satan. Is this unforgivable…
Read MoreBaptism for the Dead
by Joe R. Price Mormons contend that the New Testament church practiced baptism for (on behalf of, in the place of) the dead. Their attempted justification of this hinges, in part, on an understanding of I Corinthians 15:29. However, their defense of baptism for dead people goes beyond that. They affirm that after death one…
Read MoreBaptism and the Blood
by T. Doy Moyer The blood of Jesus saves us from our sins: the blood was “shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). What does baptism have to do with the blood? Peter preached, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of…
Read MoreSince I Corinthians 14:7 mentions instruments, doesn’t that justify instrumental music in the worship?
Question: In I Corinthians 14:7 Paul states “And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?” Is this referring to having instruments in the church? Answer: “Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but…
Read MoreDoes God condemn marriages to non-Christians?
Question: My question is about marriage. I am married to a non-Christian. Is this marriage regulated by God, but not approved by God because I did not marry in the Lord? Does this mean that I am living in sin until my husband obeys the gospel? Answer: I Corinthians 7 deals with questions about marriages…
Read MoreDid Gentiles who converted to Judaism worship in the same way as a native Jew?
Question: Regarding the Gentiles who repented of their wickedness and converted to Judaism (such as Ruth, and the 120,000 of Nineveh that repented), were they commanded to follow all the laws and commandments the same way as all Jews were? Did they then worship in the same way, offer sacrifices, etc.? Answer: There were provisions…
Read MoreCan I divorce my husband who is a drug addict?
Question: I found out three months after my husband and I got married in 2006 that he had a drug addiction. He would leave the house for days abandoning my daughter and me and would not answer his phone. Two weeks ago he moved out of state, leaving a note on the bed while I…
Read MoreWhat happened to Barabbas?
Question: Does the Bible say what happened to Barabbas after the crucifixion of Jesus? How would I find out? Answer: The world contains a lot of people and the history of most is not recorded. We know about Barabbas solely because he was offered as an alternative to releasing Jesus. We know that he was…
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