I Have Walked in My Integrity
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/I-Have-Walked-in-My-Integrity.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Psalms 26 I. David wants to be judged by God – Psalms 26:1-3 A. Most of us want to avoid the judgment of others B. There is a risk of being condemned C. But here David asks God to judge him and it isn’t a risk in his view -…
Read MoreAre You Too Busy to Meditate?
by Ross Statham via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 1, March 1996 Americans are known in other countries as busy people, and for the most part it’s true. My co-workers and customers at work all share the same refrain as my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus: they all tell me how “incredibly busy” they are.…
Read MoreWhat scriptures were the Bereans searching?
Question: In Acts 17:11, what scriptures were they searching to see if the things they were taught were so? Thank you. Answer: “Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three…
Read MoreMaking a Difference
by Bill Robinson Two Kinds of Men Who Teach Error Text: Jude 17–23; Galatians 2:4–5 Every congregation that holds the truth will eventually face someone teaching against it. The question isn’t whether. The question is what faithfulness looks like when it happens, and Scripture’s answer is more careful than either of our instincts. One instinct…
Read MoreGentle, Not Quarrelsome
by Edwin Crozier Text: II Timothy 2 I find it a bit humorous. When Paul tells Timothy he is given a spirit of power instead of fear and tells him to fan his gift into flame, many people conclude, “Timothy must have been a timid, cowardly fellow.” However, I’ve yet to hear anyone say, “You…
Read MoreFour Lessons the Cross Teaches Us
by David Gibson The cross demonstrates how much God loves us (John 3:16; 15:13). Could more powerful proof be given? The cross shows us how sinful sin is. The horribly degrading nature of crucifixion shows what a high price tag sin carries. Jesus “bore our sins in His body on the cross … by whose…
Read MoreYou Shall Not Act Like This Toward the Lord Your God
by Zeke Flores “You shall not act like this toward Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 12:4). Deuteronomy 12 focuses on worship, but not vaguely. In Deuteronomy 12:4, Moses is referring to the casual, anything-goes worship practices of the surrounding nations. Israel wasn’t supposed to improvise their own version of worship; God set the terms. This chapter…
Read MoreJudas Hanged Himself
by Hugh DeLong As we read the sad end of Judas’s life (Matthew 27:1f), we can outline the final events. Matthew tells us that Judas: Recognized what had happened — Jesus had been condemned (Matthew 27:3). Regretted or reconsidered his action — [metamelētheis is the word used here]. Returned the money — Matthew 27:3. Confessed…
Read MoreWhen Your Child Has Doubts
by Nathan Ward via InLight Media What should you do when your child starts questioning their faith? For many Christian parents, a child expressing doubts can feel scary. But what if those questions aren’t something to shut down—but something to welcome? In this conversation, Dr. Nathan Ward talks about how Christian parents can respond when…
Read MoreI owe your congregation a debt of thanks
If I were a betting man, I’d bet you get a million of these a year. But I owe your congregation thanks, and I’m probably going to share more than you’d like. I’ve been a Christian since I was twelve. Raised in the church. I’m nearing 40 now. Several years ago, I was a drunk.…
Read MoreThree Steps to Usefulness
by Edwin Crozier We’ve been told Christ’s church is God’s household (I Timothy 3:15). Usually, when we read that metaphor, we think of the people involved in a household. But in II Timothy 2:20-26, Paul thinks about dishes. The fine China versus the Tupperware. In every great house, Paul says, some of the dishes are…
Read MoreYou Know
by Hugh DeLong After telling the Apostles what would happen with the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the judgment that would come with His coming again, He said to them: “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion”…
Read MoreRemember What God Has Done
by Zeke Flores “Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 11:2). Deuteronomy 11 keeps pressing the point that obedience is tied to remembering what God has already done. In Deuteronomy 11:2, He’s telling the people…
Read MoreA Worker with No Need to Be Ashamed
by Edwin Crozier Text: II Timothy 2 “I want to be a worker for the Lord!” I’ve sung that since I was a teenager. Perhaps you’ve got a long memory of that song as well. “I want to…be busy every day in the vineyard of the Lord.” Paul talks to Timothy about being a worker.…
Read MoreHelp Along the Way
by David Gibson Could he have ever made it into the city on his own? Temporarily blinded by his vision of the glorified Christ, Saul was led by the hand into the city by those traveling with him (Acts 22:11). Three days later he was told, “Get up and be baptized, and wash away your…
Read MoreAn Unbeliever’s Theory: Jesus Did Not Die
by Paul K. Williams In December 1983, I debated Ahmed Deedat, head of the Islamic Propagation Society, on whether Jesus was raised from the dead. Deedat tried to show from the New Testament that Jesus did not die on the cross. He said Jesus became unconscious, that the thrust of the spear in his side…
Read MoreNot Because of Your Righteousness
by Zeke Flores “It is not because of your righteousness … for you are a stubborn people” (Deuteronomy 9:6). Deuteronomy 9 is a humbling chapter. In Deuteronomy 9:6, Moses tells Israel about their stubbornness. That’s blunt, but necessary. Israel needed to understand that God’s blessings weren’t rewards for good behavior; they were expressions of His…
Read MoreMatthew 24
by Billy Boyd Matthew 24 may be the most difficult chapter in the book. Jesus tells his disciples what will come to pass, and his language is sometimes figurative, exaggerated, and apocalyptic. Many wise and respected commentators have struggled with this chapter and differed over its particulars, so do not be discouraged if you find…
Read MoreDid we cross the line?
Question: Hello Minister, I have a question that I’m hoping you can help me understand through Scripture. I was born outside of marriage, but both of my parents later became Christians, repented, and eventually married. Because of that, I grew up being taught very seriously about sexual immorality, temptation, and how sin affects our relationship…
Read MoreWhat Led to the Triumphal Entry
by Clay Gentry Here’s something else to add to the old “I’ve Never Noticed That Before File”: We all know the account of the Triumphal Entry, but have you ever paid attention to how each Gospel writer frames the crowd’s response to His arrival? They don’t just record what happened; they intentionally set the stage…
Read MoreSoldier, Athlete, Farmer
by Edwin Crozier Keep in mind the last sentence of II Timothy: “Grace be with you.” The “you” is plural. In other words, as with his first letter to Timothy and the letter to Titus, Paul expects the entire congregation to read this letter, not just Timothy. Paul is not merely telling Timothy what work…
Read MoreReligious Teachers
by Hugh DeLong “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them'” (Matthew 23:1-3).…
Read MoreGod’s Word in My Heart
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Gods-Word-in-My-Heart.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Psalms 119:9-16 I. God’s Word is important to the Christian A. It tells us how to live – II Timothy 3:16-17 B. It has everything we need to know about life and godliness – II Peter 1:3 C. But it is frustrating for many when there is a passage we…
Read MoreStanding for the Truth Without Being Obnoxious
by David Gibson Firm but Kind God expects Christians to take a firm stand on morals and doctrine. But how can we do this without unnecessarily closing doors? “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if…
Read MoreI Understand, but I Have My Own Ideas
by Jefferson David Tant While talking with a young woman I had several Bible studies with, I asked whether she had read something I had given her. Her reply was, “Yes, and I understand, but I have my own ideas.” Hers is not an uncommon reaction when discussing what the Bible teaches. This kind of…
Read MorePerceptions of God’s Word
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Perceptions-of-Gods-Word-1.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Malachi 3:16-4:3 I. The prophet Malachi declared there would be a distinction between the wicked and righteous A. The rising day would burn the wicked like chaff, but serve as healing balm for the righteous. B. The same event produces two dramatically different results. C. The result did not depend…
Read MoreDoes the Roman Catholic Church decide on matters not directly mentioned in the Bible?
Question: I watched a debate about sola scriptura, and a Catholic apologist made the following argument against it. He said the Bible doesn’t specifically address some things. One thing he pointed out was prepubescent marriage and cousin marriage. His question was: if the bible is the sole source of faith and doctrine, where does the…
Read MoreGod Is Our Creator
by Samuel A. Matthews “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 KJV). Loved ones, the first verse in the Bible accounts for the existence of the created universe in a way with which no alternative, God-hating, human evolution theory, denominational, or world religion can begin to compare. Time, force, energy,…
Read MoreEvidence for the Faith
by David Gibson What evidence is there for believing: 1) God exists, 2) Jesus is His Son, and 3) the Bible is His word? God Exists “… His invisible attributes … have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Jesus Is His Son The…
Read MoreWere the five foolish virgins lost?
Question: Hello, I would like to discuss with you the ultimate fate of the five foolish virgins who were shut out. My understanding is that the five foolish virgins simply missed out on sharing the Millennial Feast with God and rejoicing in Christ’s presence; God’s statement that He did not “know” them signifies His disapproval…
Read MoreI Feel That I Am Saved
Author Unknown via Seeking Things Above A gospel preacher was talking to a woman who said she knew she was saved. The preacher said, “How do you know you are saved?” She made the following reply, “I was attending a religious service one time and all of a sudden I felt light as a feather—I…
Read MoreEmpty Pages
by Gilbert Alexander via Seeking Things Above When children are born, they are like books full of empty pages. Some have more pages than others, but we don’t know how many pages each one has. What we must understand is that we, as parents and elders, are helping write each page in each book. Each…
Read MoreAdolescent Delinquency Linked to Unsupervised Free Time
Source: José Tadeu Arantes, “Unsupervised free time increases the likelihood that adolescents will engage in violent behavior, 21-country study finds,” Phys.org, 12 August 2026. “A study involving more than 58,000 adolescents from 21 countries found that “unstructured free time”—defined as periods without adult supervision or activities guided by educational, cultural or athletic goals—is strongly associated…
Read MoreDid You Ask Him to Worship with You?
by Bobby K. Thompson via The Old Hickory Bulletin, Jackson, TN We might not feel we can accomplish great tasks, but there is something all of us can do. We can invite those with whom we have contact during the week to worship with us on the Lord’s day. This certainly does not require a…
Read MoreTriumphant Entry
by Hugh DeLong As we come to the ending of Matthew’s telling of the good news about the Messiah – Jesus, we come to the paragraph labeled in most English Bibles as ‘The Triumphant Entry’. In some ways this has always seemed a misnomer, for he enters Jerusalem to end up crucified. We back up…
Read MoreDo you still have free will after accepting God?
Question: I had one of our members ask me a question I’m not sure how to answer. The question is: Do Christians who have accepted God still have free will? Answer: If a Christian did not have free will, then he could not be lost. See: There’s No Security for the Believer in “Once Saved, Always…
Read MoreI’ve been feeling very depressed
Question: Dear Sir, I recently suffered a blow—specifically, the affliction of physical illness—and I have been feeling sorrowful and distressed. When I am at church among my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, I regain my strength and feel filled with hope. Yet, when I return home and face my current situation, I see no hope;…
Read MoreRemember God’s Goodness
by Zeke Flores “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen” (Deuteronomy 4:9). Deuteronomy 4 is one of the most passionate calls to remember God’s goodness. Moses tells Israel to be careful not to forget it. Forgetting isn’t about memory…
Read MoreHave You Not Read
by Hugh DeLong Matthew 19 is an important chapter concerning the biblical teaching on divorce and remarriage. However, underlying that whole issue is the issue of the Bible: its reliability and its authority. The Pharisees came to test Jesus by asking a question concerning what God allows/approves of. Where would Jesus go to find such…
Read MoreDeath a Blessing to the Saints
by Isaac Watts Do flesh and nature dread to die? And timorous thoughts our minds enslave? But grace can raise our hopes on high, And quell the terrors of the grave. What! Shall we run to gain the crown, Yet grieve to think the goal so near? Afraid to have our labours done, And finish…
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