Answering the Atheist
by William J. Stewart Answering the Atheist was started as a response to supposed contradictions put forth by opponents of the Bible. In particular, a young Christian came to me, distraught with a series of about 30 supposed contradictions that a “friend” at school gave him. Within a few days, I supplied him with explanations for…
Read MoreTranscendental Meditation
Text: Philippians 4:6-9 I. Many people have heard of transcendental meditation even though they may not know what it is exactly. A. It is actually a trademarked name by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1958. B. He made it into a large business with a Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, in the southeastern part of the…
Read MoreWhich Translation Should I Use?
Text: John 17 I. A question that I’m asked repeatedly is which translation is best? A. It is a good question because in English alone, one brother made a list of 128 different translations. The majority of them have been compiled in the last 100 years. B. Part of the reason for the wide variety is the…
Read MoreWhat do you think about this group who says believers cannot lose their salvation?
Question: I am not really sure you are familiar with the Grace Evangelical Society out of Dallas Texas, but I asked them the same question I asked you: “Is it possible biblically to be a ‘born again from above’ believer in Christ and be an active homosexual or live in an adulterous relationship?” Look at…
Read MoreWho are the three doctors of the Bible?
Question: Who are the three doctors in the Bible? Answer: Luke is an obvious answer: “Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you” (Colossians 4:14). Jesus said that a proverb concerning physicians could be applied to himself, “He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have…
Read MoreThe Scriptures
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Scriptures.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 24:33-49 I. How do you look at the Bible? A. Lately I’ve talked to people with wide opinions concerning the things written 1. One person seems to take great pleasure in locating and pointing every apparent inconsistency he can find in God’s Word. a. It is obvious to all that he…
Read MorePlanning for Uncertainties
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/PlanningForUncertainties1.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 41:25-40 I. Consistently, the Scriptures warn us that wealth is an unreliable commodity A. Wealth is untrustworthy – Proverbs 11:28 B. Making wealth your goal is foolish – Proverbs 23:4-5 1. It is also dangerous – I Timothy 6:9-11 2. Ironically, the desire for wealth – greed – will eventually lead you…
Read MoreMoney Matters
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/MoneyMatters.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Chronicles 29:10-18 I. We live in a society consumed with the desire for wealth A. Since money is a part of a Christian’s life, we need to know how to properly regard money and wealth. B. We need to know how to properly handle money. II. Wealth comes from God and…
Read MoreThe Story of Balaam
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/StoryOfBalaam.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Numbers 22:22-35 I. Background A. As the children of Israel left their wanderings in the wilderness and move towards the promised land, they had to cross through the territories of a few countries. 1. The leaders of these countries were nervous to have such a large mass of people (a few million)…
Read MoreIs the use of a “praise team” scriptural?
Question: Have you heard of this idea of having a “praise team” in the song service of some churches? This is confusing to me because it would seem that it would place women in a leadership role if they were part of the “team” leading the congregation. What are your thoughts on this? Answer: A…
Read MoreMaintenance
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 I. Come the beginning of the year people begin thinking of weight-loss programs and exercise regimens. A. It could be that with a new year, people want to get a new start in being healthier, but I suspect that all the overeating from Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years…
Read MoreWhy did Catholicism start and when did it happen?
Question: Why did the religion Catholicism start and what year did Catholicism start? Answer: Why Catholicism started is fairly straightforward. Man has a difficult time leaving something alone. There is a strong desire to modify things with the goal of “improving” things. This tendency is encouraged by Satan who wants to destroy the works of…
Read MoreWould an atheist be saved if he did good deeds during his life?
Question: If an atheist has always done good deeds during his life (abided by God´s rules preached by all religions), where would God (if there is any) allocate him after his death — heaven or hell? I personally believe that God, being so gracious as we have been told, will place him in heaven as…
Read MoreThe Reason For Regulations
by Stephen Harper Years ago, when I was in college, I had an assignment to write a formal paper on some aspect of how government regulations affected society. The paper could be on just about anything, so since I was interested in the automobile industry, I decided to write about how safety regulations had affected…
Read MoreWhy twelve apostles?
Question: Why were there only 12 apostles? Answer: Certain numbers appear frequently through the text of the Bible, much more frequently than you would expect from mere chance. Twelve is one such number and its repeated use indicates foreshadowing in the Bible and it is a reflection of the fact that the whole Bible is…
Read MoreNotes on Idolatry
Galatians 5:20 Ephesians 5:5 Colossians 3:5-6 Revelation 22:15 See also Mythology
Read MoreNotes on Mythology, False Gods and Their Worship
General References Judges 2:12 1 Kings 9:9 2 Chronicles 7:22 Ammonite Gods Molech Leviticus 18:21 2 Kings 23:10 Jeremiah 32:35 Amos 5:26 Zephaniah 1:5 Acts 7:43 Assyrian Gods General References 2 Chronicles 32:21 Land Based Gods 2 Kings 17:26-27 2 Kings 18:33 Isaiah 36:18 Babylonian Gods General References Isaiah 21:9 Marduk Jeremiah 50:2 Bel Isaiah…
Read MoreLetting Go of Sin
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 3:1-14 I. “Will God forgive me?” A. It is a question that I have been getting over and over again. B. People of all ages from teens to adults caught up in sin and now that they realize the error of their past and turn from it, they wonder if…
Read MoreThe Book of Job
Text: Job 1:6-12 I. If someone asked you what the book of Job was about, how would you answer? A. Most of us would point out that it deals with the question of human suffering. 1. The book tells the story of a man who loses everything 2. He suffers greatly and wrestles with the apparent injustice of…
Read MoreNotes on Prayer
What is Prayer Philippians 4:6 I Timothy 2:1-3 Supplication (a request regarding a need) John 16:24 II Corinthians 1:11 James 4:2 Prayer (to praise or worship) I Samuel 2:1-10 Psalm 66:19-20 Intercession (to request a change) Ephesians 3:12 James 4:8-10 James 5:16 Thanksgiving (gratitude) I Thessalonians 5:18 How to Pray II Kings 4:32-35 Ecclesiastes 5:7…
Read MoreDid God pick Jacob for salvation before or after he was born?
Question: In regards to your article “Predetermined Destiny”: First, after stating in paragraph five that God’s selection of Jacob was made before Jacob was born, you turn right around and say that God’s selection of Jacob was not made before he was born. Well, which is it? Did God pick Jacob before he was born,…
Read MoreAre You a Born Again Christian?
by Steve Dewhirst What other kind of Christian is there? Jesus told the night-visitor Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” When Nicodemus expressed his puzzlement, the Lord explained, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3-5). This rebirth…
Read MoreCan a woman speak out in response to a question or say “amen” during the worship?
Question: Is it scriptural for a woman to speak out during a public worship service to answer a question asked by the preacher? Is it scriptural for a woman to say “amen” at the close of public prayers? I have noticed this being done lately, and I thought women were to keep silent in the…
Read MoreShould Christians avoid unclean foods?
Question: I read your article and liked it very much! I would like to make a comment though about eating unclean meats. I am not saying that by eating them a person will not be saved, because we are saved by grace. But if we want to be free from disease and sickness, then we…
Read MoreWhen is it appropriate to start kissing?
Question: When is an appropriate age to start kissing from a biblical standpoint or is there one? Answer: Most people start at infancy. Okay, okay, I know that isn’t what you meant, but it does point out that it isn’t the kiss that is critical to the answer, but the intent of the kiss. The…
Read MoreIs it wrong to use a slogan?
Question: I am a member of the Lord’s Church assembling with the saints. The sign out front reads “Church of Christ.” I find your website very refreshing in that you say very little about the Restoration Movement, nor do I see you using the slogan “Speak where the Bible speaks, silent where the Bible is…
Read MoreAll Things are Lawful
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/AllThingsAreLawful.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 10:21-33 I. I Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 are sometimes cited to justify actions. A. Everything can be right. B. It forms the foundation for situational ethics, where right and wrong is not determined by what is done (or not done), but upon the situation. C. People will agree that something…
Read MoreIs There Unity in Diversity?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 12:3-16 I. You find the motto of the United States in many places, “e pluribus unum,” “from many, one” A. It describes the sentiment that people from all over the world can come, settle here, make a life for themselves, and be united with all other citizens. B. Or described as…
Read MoreWhat about ghosts and speaking with the dead?
Question: I heard that communication with spirits is forbidden. Is this true? How about those who claim that they can communicate with spirits? Is it a gift from God that they can do that? I learned that there is a verse in Revelation that goes something like this: “…the dead in Christ shall rise first…
Read MoreWhat is pornography’s draw?
Question: I don’t know if this was already explained, but why are so many people addicted to pornography? More and more people are engaging in this kind of activities. And the viewers get younger and younger. I highly doubt that there are any benefits of pornography. But why? It’s really a sin to do such…
Read MoreWhat is the name of David and Bathsheba’s firstborn who died?
Question: What is the name of David and Bathsheba’s first born who died? Was it Shimea? Answer: From the time the child is first mentioned in II Samuel 11:27 until his death in II Samuel 12:23, the child is not referred to by name. Since II Samuel 12:18 specifically mentions that the death occurred seven…
Read MoreCould you clarify when women may speak in church?
Question: I have been having a terrible time in our Bible study on Sunday mornings. I had been approached by at least two people saying it bothered them that I spoke up in class. One couple said that I was usurping the authority of the speaker and that I should know better than to be…
Read MoreWhere in the Bible does it say we inherit the nature to sin?
Question: Where in the Bible does it say that we only inherit the nature to sin and not the original sin? Answer: Don’t you just love questions that want you to choose between two possibilities, but neither one is correct? The concept of man inheriting the original sin of Adam was espoused every early on…
Read MoreMust a preacher teach from the Greek and Hebrew text?
Question: I would like you to answer a question for me. There’s a person here in our city teaching from his basement or another room he has rented. He teaches Greek and Hebrew lessons and he also appears on TV. This person teaches that if your pastor isn’t teaching from the Greek or Hebrew Bible,…
Read MoreIs reading sexually explicit romance novels wrong?
Question: I really have a great deal of respect for your opinion just based on what I have read on your web site. I would like to get your opinion on how to handle a situation with a couple where I preach if you have time. The husband tells me that his wife spends a…
Read MoreMust a couple, previously married, separate after they are baptized?
Question: If a couple consists of two divorced individuals, and they are converted to Christ and are baptized, do they need to separate? Answer: This question leaves out too much to answer well. For example, you did not mention whether the individuals had a right to remarry. The Bible speaks of divorced people who have…
Read MoreThe Role of Obedience in Salvation
by Jack Holt Obedience is an obligation each human being sustains to God. This is so because God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, and we are his creatures. Beyond the fact that God is Creator and Ruler, love places us under a moral obligation to obey. As creatures with moral ability love…
Read MoreAren’t prophets useless if they don’t submit to the church’s authority?
Question: Our recent experience in our church with prophets was a very bad one; even God’s elect can be fooled and conned! Granted, they are gifted and see into the spiritual realm in a way that those have not been anointed cannot see. I think that the enemy does and can fool them and causes…
Read MoreCan a woman, wearing a covering, work in a store selling alcohol?
Question: What about women who wear covering among the regular population? Is it a sin to let the woman who wears a covering to work in a store where they sell beer or things of the sort? I need to know if I am sinning if I do not wear a covering. It is hard…
Read MoreOur Purpose in Life
by Kent Heaton In October of 2005, C. D. Moore of Bell, Florida offered a prayer at a gathering of saints at the Cherry Sink Church of Christ. In the course of the prayer he offered, he made the following statement: “Lord, help us to remember what our purpose in life is – the privilege to serve the…
Read More