In One Ear … ?
by David Gibson Listening is a significant theme of the book of Proverbs. The book is designed to guide young men in making wise choices while avoiding foolish ones. To achieve this, one must really listen, learn, and live accordingly. Youth must listen to the teaching of godly parents (Proverbs 1:8; 4:1-6; 23:22). They must…
Read MoreServing the Church
by Zeke Flores In any local church, there are dual needs that must be met. The physical requirements of operating a local church must be taken care of because, after all, we are flesh and blood people with material needs to carry out the Lord’s work. Then, and most importantly, there are the spiritual needs…
Read MoreDon’t Believe Everything You Think
by Chadwick Brewer “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Humility can be partially defined as not trusting everything you think so that you can be taught, corrected, or guided into better understanding. We get into all kinds of trouble when we trust in…
Read MoreAre You an Overcomer?
by Terry Wane Benton John said that “greater is He Who is in us, than he that is in the world” (I John 4), but the question is, “Is God in us?” Have we so little of God in our hearts that the world overcomes us? Are we beaten down so easily that we have…
Read MorePeer Pressure (Flores)
by Zeke Flores Peer pressure is tough. We are naturally inclined to be liked, even by those we don’t know. That inclination might give way to a compromise in values just so we won’t get any flak for being different. But we are different. If you’re a Christian, you serve a different Ruler, you live…
Read MoreCan we use “saint” as a title?
Question: Good evening, dear brother. I saw a flyer by a church that referred to its speakers as Saint … . My question is can we use saint as a title? Answer: I suppose there is as much justification for using “saint” as a title as there is for using “brother” as a title. All Christians are…
Read MoreThings the Lord Hates: Sowing Discord Among the Brethren
by Terry Wane Benton Text: Proverbs 6:19 Sowing discord is not making an effort to get brethren to unite in doing the truth. Ahab called Elijah a “troubler in Israel.” Elijah was not sowing discord; he was trying to correct the discord that idolatry had already caused. Along that line, I remember years ago trying…
Read More“Gender-Affirming Care” Does Not Work
Source: “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices,” Department of Health and Human Services, 1 May 2025. “Health authorities have also recognized the exceptional nature of this area of medicine. That exceptionalism is due to a convergence of factors. One is that the diagnosis of gender dysphoria is based entirely on…
Read MoreSend Me
by Chadwick Brewer “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8). Passages like this help us understand Isaiah better. Isaiah was a man who lived by faith. As we know, without faith, it is…
Read MoreFive Reasons Why I Love Singing Together
by Doy Moyer Often, discussions about singing focus on authority for a cappella singing over against playing instruments in worship assemblies. There is a place for that discussion, but that is not the focus here (so please refrain from that). Rather than debating specific arguments now, I want to provide reasons to appreciate singing. Lifting…
Read MoreWas Noah Sinning?
by Perry Hall In Genesis 9, Noah gets drunk. Ham’s actions follow, leading to a curse. Noah was not cursed. Was drunkenness, therefore, not a sin? This is a good example of allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, specifically showing how Genesis Narratives help explain other Genesis Narratives. The Bible keeps telling the same stories, just…
Read MoreIs it proper for a woman to preach?
Question: Good day, Minister, I am reaching out because I was searching to see if it was okay for a woman to preach in a church. I read a lot, and your breakdown was more understandable and less depressing. I recently joined a church, but women run it. The church members are doing everything in…
Read MoreDread
by Zeke Flores Dread. You’ve felt it. That uneasy, gnawing feeling that something bad is looming. I’ve been feeling a little apprehensive for a couple of days and don’t know why. I mean, life is good, God is gracious, and Cheryl isn’t mad at me. Life is good! But still, there it is, a sense…
Read MoreJudging Others
by Terry Wane Benton Some think Matthew 7:1 forbids any judging of others. Actually, it only forbids unfair and hypocritical judging where the one doing the judging has a bigger issue that does not allow him to see clearly how to remove a “speck” in his brother’s eye. Now, the text admits that the speck…
Read MoreFaith Plus Works?
by Terry Wane Benton Faith-only advocates have actually worked hard to convince themselves that if you include any activity in faith, such as obedience, you have added “you” and your effort to Jesus’ perfect and complete work. Yet, who is doing the believing? You are! How does faith come? It comes by you hearing the…
Read MoreThe Prize
by Perry Hall “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. …
Read MoreTrusting God (Flores)
by Zeke Flores In chapter 2 of his prophetic book, Joel foretells of the events during Pentecost related in Acts 2. His concluding statement from that prophecy was that “it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered” (Joel 2:32). To “call on the name of the Lord”…
Read MoreStepping Over
by Terry Wane Benton In the aging process, Ecclesiastes 12 describes the decline toward death, and after various abilities in health are phased out, then “desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). Some people die unexpectedly, but the aging know that they are phasing…
Read MoreIs Science the Source of Truth? (Sermon)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Is-Science-the-Source-of-Truth.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I Corinthians 1:18-31 I. Mankind has long fooled themselves into thinking they can accurately determine the truth A. We call this search for Truth “Science” 1. “Knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method.” – Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 2. “Science…
Read MoreFit for the Master’s Use (Series)
“Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now…
Read MoreWhat happened to the dead raised at Jesus’ death?
Question: Good evening, Minister, This question has been lingering on my mind for quite a while now. In Matthew, we read of the dead being resurrected after Jesus died. So what happened to these people? I know the Bible is silent on what happened to them, but I was just thinking: Where did they live?…
Read MoreIs it OK for a Christian to be a “sugar baby” or to engage in “sugar dating”?
Question: Is it OK for a Christian to be a “sugar baby” or to engage in “sugar dating”? Answer: “Sugar Dating” is described as one partner who is wealthy and often older, giving financial support to someone in exchange for companionship and sexual intimacy. The relationship puts pleasure before righteousness. It is wrong because it…
Read MoreIs it wrong to study with Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons but not join these religions?
Question: Will God forgive someone if they did bible studies with Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons but didn’t join these religions? Answer: Why would God be against someone rejecting teachings that are contrary to God’s teachings? “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a…
Read MoreDoes It Matter?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Does-It-Matter.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Genesis 1 I. The teaching of evolution has made significant inroads in the beliefs of common man A. In 1999 Gallup found 1. 47% believed in a recent, special creation 2. 40% believed in a God-directed form of evolution 3. 9% believe a strictly natural-caused evolution B. In 2024 Gallup found 1. 37%…
Read MoreRemember (Benton)
by Terry Wane Benton To me, one of the most sobering thoughts was when Jesus talked about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19f). Both had lived their lives and died. One went to a place of comfort, and the other to a place of torment. The rich man wanted simple comfort but could not…
Read MoreThings the Lord Hates: A Heart that Devises Wicked Plans
by Terry Wane Benton Text: Proverbs 6:16-19 Planning to obtain drugs to sell drugs to make money takes planning. You have to think up plans to make it work. If you are a teen, you have to plan how to hide and lie to your parents about what you are really doing with your time,…
Read MoreDoes Acts 3 Prove Instrumental Music Is Scriptural?
by Perry Hall An up-and-coming trend to defend musical instruments in praising God consists of this line of argument: In Acts 3, Peter and John went to the temple at the hour of prayer to pray. The temple used instruments in prayer. Therefore, Peter and John’s actions show it is scriptural to use instruments in…
Read MoreGo Away for Now
by Terry Wane Benton Felix trembled at Paul’s word regarding righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come (Acts 24:25). His best chance at salvation was right then, but he knew he would have to change, and right then was not a good time to change, he thought. Eternity was hanging by a thread. He said…
Read MoreWhat if a ride sharing program is used to commit a crime?
Question: My question is: Should I continue to be friends with someone who takes someone to the grocery store to steal? My friend works as a ride-sharing driver (Uber, Lyft, etc.). He was recently baptized, but he continues to take people to stores, knowing that they are stealing from the stores. He says he has…
Read MoreIs it wrong to attend a different church after being baptized?
Question: Greetings Brother, I want to know if it’s wrong, once we’re baptized, to worship at a church other than a Church of Christ. Answer: I’m puzzled. If you were baptized at a church of Christ because you realized you need to obey the Lord and you realized the church taught the truth regarding baptism,…
Read MoreWhat do you know about the Prophecy of the Popes?
Question: Do you know about the prophecy of the popes? I don’t agree with the approach the Catholics use because they’ve strayed far from the biblical teaching that the New Testament has for us. There has been considerable uproar about this since the passing of Pope Francis. People seem to think that this pope’s passing…
Read MoreWhat Will You Do With the Truth?
by Dennis Strickland Down through the years, there has been a lot of discussion regarding truth. Some have questioned what truth is, as Pilate did in John 18:38. In Mark 12:32, the scribe stated the truth, yet we have no record that this man ever obeyed the gospel. He believed, as did the devils in…
Read MoreTake Your Only Son
by Terry Wane Benton The test for Abraham was a type of the test that God Himself would undergo. In Abraham’s case, offering his only son, Isaac, was a test of his love for God. Would he trust and love God above his emotional attachment to his only son? Even though the command made no…
Read MoreA “Show Me” World
by Zeke Flores We live in a “show me” world. Most of the time, we demand evidence to verify a claim—most of the time. And the more fantastic the claim, the more we want proof. “Show me!” we demand. That’s why I think “doubting” Thomas gets a bad rap. Yes, he had his doubts, but…
Read MoreWhy Study the Old Testament?
by Naomi Works “What is the point of studying the Old Testament? We’re not under that covenant, Jesus only appears in the New Testament, and Leviticus-Deuteronomy is just plain boring!” I feel so sorry for people who think that way. They’re missing out on so many incredible lessons that will strengthen your faith and make…
Read MoreSincere Obedience
by Doy Moyer Obedience is not merely an outward act that conforms to a command. It is a bending of the heart, a surrender of the will, to the mind of God. If I regularly ran red lights because I didn’t want to stop, then I am a lawbreaker at heart. If I stopped at…
Read MoreFuneral Service for Donald Wayne Hamilton
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton We gather here today to remember the life of Donald Hamilton. Donald Wayne Hamilton, 91, passed away in Shady Shores, Texas on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Donald was born on October 11, 1933, to Evard and Dora Hopkins Hamilton. He graduated from Reavis High School in Burbank, Illinois, in 1952. He…
Read MoreIt is unfair that I can’t marry again
Question: Dear Sir: Along with greeting you, I would appreciate an answer to my following question from a biblical perspective. My first marriage lasted six years, and despite having certain doubts before getting married, I chose to do so to avoid fornication and because I wanted to start my own family. The truth is, I…
Read More“Fulfill” doesn’t imply ended
Question: “Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). You…
Read MoreWhat should a husband do when his wife isn’t available for sex?
Question: Hello Jeffery, My wife and I have now been married for over a year, and it has been wonderful. We have, of course, already faced life’s challenges, but I genuinely feel that we have overcome them only by the grace of God and the strength that the Lord gives us through His Word. We…
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