A Biblical View of the Local and Universal Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/A-Biblical-View-of-the-Local-and-Univeral-Church.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreDon’t you realize that the Torah is the way, the truth, and the life?
Question: Hello, I noticed your article on polygyny using I Corinthians 7:2. Do you understand that the Torah is the way, the truth, and life? Just like Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Word of God. The Word made flesh. It’s written to add or take away from the…
Read MoreThe Biblical Meaning of Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Biblical-Meaning-of-Church.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreCan women teach classes with teenage boys since Bible classes are not a part of the assembly?
Hello, Where I attend church, we recently have had enough teens move up to where we can have a high school class. Men were willing to teach this class. We don’t have elders. The men met because one of the young women volunteered to teach the high school class. The men voted and decided it…
Read MoreJoseph’s Four Dreams
by Jarrod Jacobs When reading about the birth of Christ, I saw something I had not seen before. Namely, the Bible records Joseph’s four dreams before and after Christ’s birth. Below, we will list the occasions of Joseph’s dreams and then comment on them. (Please read the context of these Bible references on your own.)…
Read MoreYou Believe the Bible? Hilarious!
by Terry Wane Benton They looked at me as if I was some odd, foolish, and gullible person who got conned into believing a fairytale. Because of my studies, I look back at them with pity and sadness, and they don’t realize that they were the ones conned into believing the fairytale that everything got…
Read MoreSame Sex Marriage?
by Jerry Joseph In today’s news, you hear much about what is called “same-sex marriages.” What is promoted by such is a man married to a man or a woman being married to a woman. What about such marriages? Are they approved of God? Many want to leave God out of the picture when discussing…
Read MoreSin and God’s Glory
by Doy Moyer The problem of sin is sometimes difficult to assess because of our perspective. We see what we consider a “small” sin and then react strongly when the punishment does not seem to fit the crime. Because we tend to minimize the sin, we may under-appreciate the consequences. Some will then think badly…
Read MoreJeremiah didn’t know the Sabbaths would be canceled
Question: You cite Jeremiah 31, indicating that Sabbath feasts and kosher diets are no longer connected to sin in the New Covenant. I don’t think Jeremiah knew that when he referred to “my laws.” The law anticipated that circumcision would be of the heart, and the sacrifice presented to God was our own bodies in…
Read MoreUncleanness (Sermon)
Uncleanness (Part 1)Uncleanness – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 5:1-8 I. Under the Old Testament, there are a series of rules dealing with unclean things A. I am finding that people are condemning as unclean things that God never mentioned. B. The rules confuse people, mostly because they do not understand what uncleanness was…
Read MoreWhy Blood?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Why-Blood.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Hebrews 9:15-22 I. Let’s look at Hebrews 9:22 A. Have you considered, “Why blood?” 1. If I wanted to clean something, blood is not the first thing that I would think of using. Blood stains are often difficult to remove. B. How is it that remission of sin requires the…
Read MoreIs loving God a process over time?
Question: I understand that the process of one becoming a Christian isn’t an overnight decision many times. Of course, it can happen that way, but many begin learning about God at an early age, and as they learn more, they will be baptized into Christ at a teenage year or even older. For some, it…
Read MoreCan a church let the community use its well?
Question: Greetings Brother Hamilton, I trust you are doing great today. I have this conflict to clarify: I understand the church is not suppose to go into business or maintain one. But I have a challenge; My congregation was gifted a piece of land with a sunken borehole (well) by a brother . Can the church…
Read MoreThe Commitment of Love
by Terry Wane Benton Love is not a feeling that may come or go. You don’t fall in and out of it. That is more of infatuation and Eros than the valuable love (agape) that is what keeps couples working to forgive and affirm each other through thick and thin. This kind of love is…
Read MoreIs There Just One Way?
by Perry Hall Is there only one way to God? Contrary to popular thought and recent comments made by the head of the Catholic Church, Jesus is the only way. But do we deeply understand what that means? Jesus is called the Way (John 14:6), and Jesus’s followers were so identified with their Lord that…
Read MorePredestination
by Kyle Campbell Are some people predestined to be saved while others are predestined to be lost? If this is true, would it make any difference for one to do right if he is predestinated to be lost? Predestination is definitely a Bible topic, but not in the way that espouses that every individual has…
Read MoreTwo Political Principles
by Doy Moyer Two prime principles should help Christians navigate through the various political systems of this world, whatever they may be: Worldly powers are ultimately in God’s hands. “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings” (Daniel 2:21). Likewise, “the Most High is ruler over the…
Read MoreIs it a sin to get breast implants?
Question: Hello brother! I have a question for you! I’m a baptized member of the church of Christ, and I was wondering if it would be a sin to get breast implants. I have a ”deformity” that causes them to look strange, and I was wondering if it would be a sin to go ahead…
Read MoreIs it wrong to watch or play sports?
Question: Hello! I’ve read several of your articles on sports but needed more information. I love college sports and the friendly competition that’s behind them. Is there any biblical principle that prohibits playing or watching sports? Answer: The Bible mentions several sports and uses sports to illustrate a few concepts. See Notes on Sports. There is…
Read MoreTrue Love (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer True love is not about infatuation, mushy feelings, and giddy joy. While these may occasionally attend love, true love is found in the trenches of life. Love is knowing that you have each other’s backs at the end of the day. It’s working through difficulties and not fearing that the next disagreement…
Read MoreThe idea of redemption confuses me
Question: Hi there, I’m reading through the Bible for the first time. I’m up to Numbers 18 and was confused by verses 14-16. For reference (I’m using an NIV, but I might switch to ESV sometime): “Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord is yours. The first offspring of every womb, both human…
Read MoreAmazing Prophecy
by Terry Wane Benton “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you one will go out for me, to be ruler in Israel; and his origins are from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2 LEB). The ruler in Israel would come out of Bethlehem, and he…
Read MoreMy Time
by Chadwick Brewer “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27). One of my biggest self-deceptions is that my time is my own. I often feel and act as if I am the rightful owner of 24 hours each day. The truth is, my…
Read MorePreaching
by John Iverson Introduction Even those who have a vague idea of what the Bible teaches know preaching is ordained of God (Titus 1:1-3) Some of the greatest men who have ever lived were proclaimers of God’s Word. Noah (II Peter 2:5) Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:1) Paul (I Timothy 2:7) Jesus (Luke 4:18-19) Some of…
Read MoreA Relationship with God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/A-Relationship-with-God.mp3 by Garry Floyd Download Audio
Read MoreCleansing the Soul
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cleansing-the-Soul.mp3 by Garry Floyd Download Audio
Read MorePope Claims There Are Many Ways to Reach God
Source: “Pope Francis stirs controversy with interreligious remarks,” The Pillar, 13 September 2024. “All religions are a path to reach God. They are – I make a comparison – like different languages, different idioms, to get there. But God is God for everyone, and since God is God for everyone, we are all children of…
Read MoreUnderstanding Christ’s Church
by David Bunting September 26-29, 2026 Thursday (September 26) to Saturday (September 28) at 7 pm Sunday (September 29) at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 5:00 pm The Biblical Meaning of Church A Biblical View of the Local and Universal Church The Purpose of the Universal Church The Purpose of the Local Church – Financial…
Read MoreIs it right for a church to support a Bible school?
Question: Greetings to you, Brother Hamilton; I trust you have been in good health. I need your guidance on these issues: Is it a sin for the church to financially support Bible schools? The church sometimes requests Bible school students to help carry out a massive evangelism campaign. How can the church balance its relationship…
Read MoreI was thinking of asking you a quesion, but you just answered it
Question: Brother Hamilton, I am just writing to thank you again for all that you do. I was considering writing to you about a topic, but I opened the site this morning to find your Q&A on “Should the church organize social activities?” addressing the very topic I had in mind. You are in our…
Read MoreDead and Raised
by Terry Wane Benton Paul describes our pre-conversion state as “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1). We walked like others in the world, but we were spiritually dead toward God. But from our dead state, He “made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). We were “raised up together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:6). This…
Read MoreHow could he ruin my life like this?
Question: Good, dear Minister of God. I have been married for ten years and knew my husband for about eight years before we married. One of the primary reasons I believed he was God’s will for me was that I saw him as an honest person with very high integrity. He had been a choir…
Read MoreShould a church organize social activities?
Question: I have been a Christian for nearly 40 years and recently became a member of a new congregation after moving. One of the initial impressions is the focus among the brethren about various social activities. Card playing clubs, baseball outings, book clubs, etc. Some of these are promoted from the pulpit, and signs are…
Read MoreCan you separate instead of divorcing?
Question: Hello, First, thank you for your patience, guidance, knowledge, and service. To God be the glory, and may His will be done always. I have a question and need guidance. Recently, a fellow Christian couple realized that they were in an unscriptural marriage. The option of going back to her original spouse is not…
Read MoreI can’t grasp the concept of grace and that I don’t need to punish myself to be forgiven
Question: Hello sir, I have questions about sin, repentance, and the importance of confession and restitution. I love your website, and I admire your wisdom and helping others, which are completely backed up by Scripture. Your input would be greatly appreciated, sir. I also hope that by asking these questions, I will help others on…
Read MoreThat’s Not a Problem Here
by Heath Rogers Several years ago, I was reprimanded for preaching a rather straightforward sermon on the sin of homosexuality. The language of the sermon had upset a couple in the church, as they did not want their young children exposed to this subject. When I discussed this matter with two older men of the…
Read MoreThe First Day of the Sabbaths?
by Perry Hall Open your Bibles to Acts 20:7, and you will see that the church gathered to break bread on “the first day of the sabbaths.” Go on to I Corinthians 16:2, and we again read how Paul gave instructions about collecting for the poor saints on “every first day of the sabbaths.” The…
Read MoreThe Sabbath (2)
by Terry Wane Benton The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week. It was designated to Israel as their day of rest, patterned after the fact that God rested from creative work on the seventh day (Exodus 20:11). The rules for Israel were expounded upon in other parts of the Torah, telling the rules…
Read MoreAre gender reveal parties unbiblical?
Question: Hello, I am bringing this up because my family and I are invited to a party next week. It’s a gender-reveal party. I have attended at least two in the past, and I guess they were pretty enjoyable. I did try to search for some answers, whether they are biblical, and I did find…
Read MoreGod’s Remedy for Sin
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Gods-Remedy-for-Sin.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 58:1-11 I. In our Scripture reading, God has Isaiah loudly proclaim the sins of His people. A. A fact that surprises the Israelites. 1. They delight in knowing God. They consider themselves righteous and followers of God’s Word. 2. They delight in the nearest of God, but God doesn’t…
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