Does God Approve of Same-Sex Relationships?
by Perry Hall Since those who affirm that God approves of same sex marriage by reinterpreting the plain passages in both the Old Testament (Leviticus 18,20) and the New Testament (Romans 1), let me suggest plenty of ways we can prove same-sex relationships are not approved by God. Creation: God made male and female (Genesis1:27).…
Read MoreCan something be gross but not sinful?
Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I have a question for you about a debate with someone about doing something crazy and reckless versus something sinful. This is very crazy, and I know you answer a lot of questions, so you have heard a lot of crazy stories, but this is extremely crazy. I’m sorry this is…
Read MoreDo Your Choices Even Matter?
by Dr. Thaxter Dickey via InLight Media Are we really in control of our choices? Dr. Thaxter Dickey challenges our culture’s assumptions about who we really are and helps us rethink how we view our decisions. What actually happens when we believe humans are only matter and forget we are made in the image of…
Read MoreGod’s Provision and Personal Responsibility
by Zeke Flores “How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land …?” (Joshua 18:3). Joshua confronts seven tribes who haven’t taken possession of their land yet. They’re hesitant, passive, and slow to act. Yahweh has given the land, but they haven’t moved. Joshua’s question exposes the issue: delay that’s rooted…
Read MoreFull of the Spirit and Wisdom
by Edwin Crozier As the church grew in Jerusalem, problems arose. The apostles couldn’t do everything. They had to divide roles and labor. To oversee the care of the widows in the congregation, they appointed seven deacons (Acts 6). To find these men, the brothers and sisters were to look out among them and find…
Read MoreThe “We-All-Sin” Approach
by Terry Wane Benton In the “we-all-sin” approach to grace, the attitude is that since we all sin, none of us can exclude another sinner from fellowship. But even a casual glance at I Corinthians 5 shows this is not the right approach. Paul, even though he could not claim sinless perfection, said that they…
Read MoreFather, Forgive Them
by Edwin Crozier Jesus’s most well-known statement on the cross must surely be, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 ESV). Read that statement again. Read it several times. Then notice something quite surprising. Jesus did not forgive the people while He was on the cross. Jesus knew how to…
Read MoreBusy Here and There
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Busy-Here-and-There.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I Kings 20:13-42 I. Ben-hadad, king of Aram, was determined to take Israel. A. At first he tried to cripple Israel by demanding anything he wanted – I Kings 20:2-6 B. He threaten to grind the capital of Israel into dust, but he was rebuffed – I Kings 20:10-11…
Read MoreLike Sheep Without a Shepherd
by David Gibson For 40 years Moses shepherded his father-in-law’s flock in the wilderness. Then God called him to shepherd some 2-3 million Israelites for the next 40 years. What a task that proved to be! This flock constantly complained and, at times, was stubbornly rebellious. Yet despite their contrariness, Moses truly cared for their welfare.…
Read MoreWhich of God’s Commandments Are We Free to Reject?
by Jefferson David Tant Wow! Some may think, “That’s a dumb question,” and they would be right, but we deal with this daily. Some students choose to ignore school rules. Many people ignore highway speed limits. And we could go on for many pages concerning rules and regulations that some choose to ignore and disobey.…
Read MoreGetting Along with Parents
by David Trigg As a young person, I hate hearing generalizations like ‘The younger generation is going to the dogs.’ First, it is an overgeneralization, because not all young people are ‘going to the dogs.’ Second, some say this because their parents have failed. Another generalization could be made: ‘If it is true that young…
Read MoreThey Cannot Die Anymore
by Edwin Crozier When the Sadducees questioned Jesus about the resurrection in Luke 20:27-40, Jesus responded deftly and with wisdom. He demonstrated courage to stand up for truth in the face of opposition. He showed knowledge that trickery or foolishness could not assail. He also showed that just because the person asking the question can’t…
Read MoreGet Saved Quick Schemes
by Chadwick Brewer “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (II Corinthians 4:2). Some ways of presenting salvation seem designed to get people saved…
Read MoreFailure Doesn’t Disqualify
by Zeke Flores “Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you …” (Joshua 8:1). After the failure at Ai, Yahweh tells Joshua not to fear. This isn’t empty reassurance; it’s a reset. Yahweh is giving Israel another chance, but this time with clear instructions and full participation from the…
Read MoreExamine Yourself
by Hugh DeLong As we close our reading of the letters to the Corinthian church, we see yet again their questioning of Paul’s apostleship and authority (cp. II Corinthians 13.3). Now in II Corinthians 13:5, Paul turns this around and challenges them: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or…
Read MoreI Am Content
by Hugh DeLong Whenever we hear this phrase, we connect it with Philippians: “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I…
Read MoreGod Doesn’t Explain Evil. He Does Something About It.
by Dr. Nathan Ward via InLight Media Why does a good God allow evil and suffering? In this conversation, Nathan Ward explores the problem of evil, free will, suffering, God’s goodness, and the Christian response to one of faith’s hardest questions. Rather than offering an easy answer, he asks whether we may be asking the…
Read MoreGod, Shield to the Righteous
by Samuel A. Matthews “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.…
Read MoreGo Away for Now
by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above Luke tells us in Acts 24 of a time when Paul, whom the Jews had earlier seized, was brought before the area’s governor—a man named Felix. They brought charges against Paul, and he defended himself. Hoping to receive a bribe, Felix refused to let Paul go, and he…
Read MoreWhat Saith the Authorities
by Hiram Hutto “Once, while two Christians were discussing a Bible subject, one of them asked, “What do the authorities say about it?” No doubt he had lexicons, Bible dictionaries, and historical and geographic works in mind. Yet I feel that sometimes (though not with the one who raised the question) there is the all-too-prevalent…
Read MoreA Place of Prayer, Not a Den of Robbers
by Edwin Crozier Text: Luke 19 Jesus entered Jerusalem and was greeted as if He were King. The people treated Him as if He were going to come in and take over, ruling them. But He didn’t lead the procession to Herod’s Palace–which had been seized by Rome to be the governor’s residence–to overthrow Pilate.…
Read MoreFrom Victory to Defeat
by Zeke Flores “But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully … therefore the anger of Yahweh burned against the sons of Israel” (Joshua 7:1). Joshua 7 shifts sharply from victory to defeat. Achan’s hidden sin becomes a national problem. Israel loses at Ai not because of military weakness but because Yahweh withdraws His support. The…
Read MoreMatthew and Once Saved, Always Saved
by Terry Wane Benton Key Passages from Matthew Verses Showing One Can Fall from Grace Matthew 5:13 — Losing One’s Saltiness Jesus warns that a disciple can become “salt that has lost its savor,” becoming good for nothing and ultimately cast out. This depicts a believer who once had genuine influence but later becomes worthless…
Read MoreWill the Son Find Faith on the Earth?
by Edwin Crozier We’ve already learned about the impudent friend who knocked on his friend’s door late at night and received help (see Luke 11:5-13). Now Jesus tells us about a widow who persistently pled for justice from an unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). Even though he didn’t actually care about justice, he tired of her…
Read MoreBetrothed to Christ
by Hugh DeLong Paul writes to the Corinthians that he ‘betrothed them to Christ’. This is not a custom we are familiar with today. In the first century, this was considered a ‘legal’ binding agreement, but not marriage. The bride ‘belonged’ to the groom, but the wedding was still ahead. In Matthew, we see Mary…
Read MoreOur Cleverness Doesn’t Always Bring Progress
by Zeke Flores “See, I have given Jericho into your hand …” (Joshua 6:2). Joshua 6 begins with Yahweh declaring victory before Israel lifts a finger. Jericho is fortified, intimidating, and strategically important. Yet God speaks in the past tense: “I have given…” The battle is framed as His action, not Israel’s achievement. The instructions…
Read MoreAngered by the Facts?
by David Gibson If they could have had their way, Jesus would have been lying broken and dead at the foot of the cliff. But since it wasn’t His time to die, and it wasn’t the way He was to lay down His life, God protected Him from their murderous intent. What made them so…
Read MoreHow Can a Good God Permit Evil?
by David Gibson This has been called atheism’s strongest argument. And yet it is not an argument that cannot be refuted. The Bible itself records countless cases of horrific evils perpetrated by people with no fear of God, who commit unspeakable crimes against humanity with apparently no remorse whatever. The same is true today. It…
Read MoreProfanity
by Samuel A. Matthews “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37 KJV). Loved ones, the power of speech is marvelous. A…
Read MorePaul’s “I am” Statements
by Samuel A. Matthews “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for…
Read MoreDo You Know If You Are Saved?
by Samuel A. Matthews “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (II Corinthians 13:5 KJV). Loved ones, shall we leave the most important question of our entire life to dark uncertainty? A beloved…
Read MoreNecessary Inconveniences
by Zeke Flores “At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, ‘Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.’ And Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel …” (Joshua 5:2-3). Joshua 5 is a surprising chapter. Israel has momentum. They’ve crossed the Jordan, morale is high,…
Read MoreChallenges of Shepherding
by George Slover “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). In this verse, the author refers to the elders who oversee…
Read MoreWhat Did He Mean by That?
by David Gibson “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw…
Read MoreFood Laws for Christians
by Don McClain Pork is not forbidden in Christianity. It was forbidden for those under the First Covenant, those governed by the Law of that covenant, but pork is not forbidden under the New Covenant. Jesus taught that ritual impurity does not come from food: “’Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from…
Read MoreReceived into Eternal Dwellings
by Edwin Crozier Many things about what we often call the Parable of the Dishonest Manager in Luke 16 give us trouble. I’m sure you could ask all kinds of questions I couldn’t answer. However, Jesus’s statement in Luke 16:9 explains His point, even if it doesn’t answer every question we have about the story.…
Read MoreI’m Bad at Evangelism
by Berry Kercheville Yes, I understand that sentiment! My feelings exactly. I have known very few that I would say were really good at talking to people about the Lord and getting them into a Bible study. For the first nine years I preached, I watched my friend, Bernice Boyes, get Bible studies with people…
Read MorePray with Impudence
by Edwin Crozier Other translations say, “persistence,” but the ESV says, “impudence.” In Luke 11:8, when Jesus explained why the friend who was in bed would eventually respond to the requests for bread, Jesus said, “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because…
Read MoreMemorials
by Zeke Flores “So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:7). Joshua 4 focuses on memory. After crossing the Jordan, Yahweh instructs Joshua to have twelve men take stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial. The point wasn’t decoration; it was preservation. Israel needed…
Read MoreTrials of Life (Sermon)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Trials-of-Life.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Hebrews 12:4-14 I. God knows the hearts of men A. I Samuel 16:7 “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” B. Luke 16:15 “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the…
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