For My Sake
by David Gibson Three of Jesus’ Promises “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven . . .” (Matthew 5:11-12). “He that findeth his life shall lose it:…
Read MoreJesus and Miracles
by Hugh DeLong Text: Matthew 8-9 When Jesus finished preaching his now-famous Sermon on the Mount, the people were astonished. Now Matthew collects a series of events in the life of Jesus that included various miracles. In these chapters, Matthew shows the demonstration of Jesus’ authority – the right to command and control. Such was…
Read MoreYour Accent Betrays You
by Bill Robinson A word to those of us who wear the Name A servant girl looked at Peter across a courtyard fire and said what everyone standing there already knew. Your accent betrays you (Matthew 26:73). He was a Galilean. He could deny it all night, and his vowels would keep telling the truth.…
Read MoreFear and Love: Two God-Given Motivations
by Chadwick Brewer Many in the religious world have become uncomfortable with the biblical command to fear God. They redefine “fear” to mean little more than respect, and some even argue that obeying God out of fear is somehow inferior to obeying Him out of love. Scripture takes the opposite approach. It repeatedly commands us…
Read MoreShould Christians not talk to non-Christians?
Question: Hello Pastor, and peace be with you this Lord’s Day. I have been studying the book of Romans today and have two questions: Question 1: When I sincerely turned to God, I found myself in a certain situation: I became willing to befriend and communicate only with Christians, while deleting or blocking non-believers. I…
Read MoreThe Sea of Galilee
by Bill Boyd The headwaters of the Sea of Galilee are up in the snows of Mount Hermon. The peaks of Hermon are over 9,200 feet above sea level. When waters from those peaks reach the Sea of Galilee, they will have dropped about 10,000 feet, because the surface of that inland lake is 700…
Read MoreWhat Is Truth?
by David Gibson How we view truth One of the characteristics of our culture is the belief that truth is relative—what’s true for you may not be true for me. If that’s the case, then neither you nor I have the right to say what anyone else should believe or do. Certainly there are some…
Read MoreThe Existence of God
by Samuel A. Matthews “If someone does not believe in God, He cannot please God, because the person who comes to God must believe that He lives (exists). That person must also believe that God will give rewards to the people who are searching for him” (Hebrews 11:6 Simple English Bible). Loved ones, whether God…
Read MoreResponding to the Evils Around Us
by David Gibson All around us are all kinds of bizarre behavior, sinful lifestyles, and strange ideas that currently trouble our land. How shall we respond? Wrong Reaction: Acceptance Some Christians, sad to say, gaze at the evil and are drawn into it. How easy it is to find our resistance gradually being lowered by…
Read MoreHow do we deal with my son who decided to live with a woman?
Question: Greetings in Christ, beloved brother, By God’s grace, my family and I are doing well, striving to persevere as Christians. I hope you, your family, and the saints around you are generally doing well in the Kingdom there in your area. Our efforts in the Lord’s work are gradually bearing some fruit, and we…
Read MoreTransformation in Matthew 7
by Hugh DeLong What will you do with Jesus and His teaching? Reading the Sermon on the Mount (again – how many times? Many!), I am yet again struck by its personal demands. Believe in Jesus? What does that mean to you? Just the mental assent to certain facts about Jesus? Of course, those facts…
Read MoreMarvelous Light
by Terry Wane Benton Peter was writing his first general letter; it is believed to have been written between 58 and 62 AD, and from the book and knowledge of the time, there was growing persecution against Christians. Persecution gets tiring and wears one down. Peter reminded these Christians that God “called you out of…
Read MoreWhen does jealousy go too far?
Question: In your sermon on jealousy, point C, you said that jealousy between a husband and wife can go too far. I was wondering if you could give me an example of righteous jealousy between a husband and wife and an example of jealousy that has gone too far. Answer: Jealousy can be used in…
Read MoreAre Actions Alone Sufficient?
by Matthew W. Bates from Salvation by Allegiance Alone, Baker Academic, 2017 Similarly, the gospel cannot be reduced to behaving in a cross-shaped manner or to social programs. Saint Francis of Assisi is often remembered to have said, “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.” This is a clever saying (although its…
Read MoreSimple Obedience
by Hugh DeLong C. J. Wright wrote concerning Jesus: “There is, then, a basic simplicity about the moral teaching of Jesus which reflects the same characteristic of the Old Testament. This is not, of course, to say that obedience is easy. There is a commitment, a cost, a challenge. There is precisely the struggle against…
Read MoreChristians on the Internet
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, December 1995 I am a computer illiterate. Not because I cannot read, but because I rarely read the manuals which come with the operating programs. (This is because the manuals are most often written by people who assume you already know all about your computer and…
Read MoreThe Church That Isn’t
by Steve Dewhirst via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, December 1995 Language is our best friend and worst enemy. On the one hand, it’s flexible and accommodative, allowing the conveyance of a concept without being overly technical. Yet it’s this very ease of loose language that finally blurs the same concept. After years of assuming,…
Read MoreThe Emotional Issue of the Origin of Life
by Kenneth W. Ledbetter via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, December 1995 Strolling through the Virginia woods in the springtime is a pleasant experience. It renews our appreciation for the abundance and beauty of God’s creation, especially when we take time to “consider the lilies of the field…” (Luke 12:27) as Christ did. If we…
Read MoreLeeann Warren Redeems the Time
Author Unknown via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, December 1995 I saw her in August of 1984 and immediately recalled our first meetings. She had been a little girl then, visiting our congregation, and she was shy. That was over a decade ago. Leeann is now a student at Florida College. She studies hard for…
Read MoreExpensive Stubbornness
by Perry D. Hall via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 4, December 1995 Between two farms near Valleyview, Alberta, you can find two parallel fences, only two feet apart, running for a half mile. Why are there two fences when one would do? Two farmers, Paul and Oscar, had a disagreement that erupted into a feud.…
Read MoreCompassion
by David Gibson Students of the life of Christ are familiar with the references to His compassion toward the spiritually needy, the physically hungry, the two blind men, the leper, and the widow whose son had just died (Matthew 9:36-38; 14:13-14; 15:32-38; 20:30-34; Mark 1:40-41; Luke 7:12-17). In addition, we have three of Jesus’ parables…
Read MoreWhen was the prophecy of restoring the land fulfilled?
Question: When was Deuteronomy 30:5 fulfilled? Thank you. Answer: “So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the…
Read MoreOrder
by Edwin Crozier When the church comes together, we know the meetings, assemblies, classes, and studies should be conducted with decency and order (see I Corinthians 14:40). When Paul wrote to Titus, he explained that the entire church should be kept in order. This order would be completed on Crete by appointing elders, also called…
Read MoreGod, Who Never Lies
by Edwin Crozier We have hope of eternal life because the God who promises eternal life never lies. Obviously, no human was around to hear God promise before the ages began or from time eternal. Paul’s point is not that we can find a quote of God before the beginning making this promise. His point…
Read MoreMan Does Not Live by Bread Alone
by Hugh DeLong During the wilderness wanderings of Israel, God provided food for them. Sustaining such a large group of people would be impossible for men (even men like Moses), but not for God. How many there were we do not know for certain, but it states there were 605,550 men of fighting age. Add…
Read MoreFaith, Knowledge, and Hope
by Edwin Crozier Paul had a three-part mission for his work as a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. He did that work so God’s elect would grow in faith, in knowledge of the truth, and in hope of eternal life. What a great rubric for our work as teachers in Christ’s…
Read MoreStoring Up Treasures in Heaven
by Edwin Crozier On the surface, it may have seemed Paul had moved on from talking about a relationship with money. But I Timothy 6:17-19 brings us right back to it. Having explained to Timothy how the craving for money had ruined other teachers and Christians and then directed Timothy in the more positive pursuits…
Read MoreGod’s Character Remains the Same
by Zeke Flores “God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He repent” (Numbers 23:19). Balaam tried to curse Israel, but he couldn’t. God had already blessed them. No human plan could override God’s promise. Balaam learned that God’s word is steady and unshakable. This is a powerful…
Read MoreAre We Compromising on Morality?
by John Exum There are times when God’s people need encouragement, and there are times when we need honest self-examination. This is one of those times. As we look around at our culture, it is obvious that morality is no longer guided by the Word of God. Sin is celebrated, biblical convictions are mocked, and…
Read MoreThe Work of the Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/The-Work-of-the-Church.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Psalm 104 I. The world is evidence of the ability of God to design perfect systems – Psalms 19:1 A. Everywhere we turn the wisdom of God is manifested – Psalms 104:24 B. This same masterful designer displayed His great wisdom in the design of the church – Ephesians…
Read MoreThe Beatitudes: A Christian’s Journey
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/The-Beatitudes-A-Christians-Journey.mp3 by Cesar Meza Download Audio
Read MoreWhat does “under the earth” mean?
Question: Hi Jeff, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Philippians 2:10 NKJV). Does the phrase “those under the earth” refer to those in the grave? Thank you! Answer: We typically refer to heaven as being located…
Read MoreHow are the Father and Jesus related?
Question: Dear Brethren in Christ, Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope this email finds you in good health and spirit. Recently, certain doctrinal questions have arisen within our congregation. Some members are concerned that our local preacher’s teachings regarding the nature and deity of Christ differ…
Read MoreWhy Did God Write the Bible This Way?
by Dr. Thaxter Dickey via InLight Media Why did God choose to give us the New Testament as four Gospels, letters, and Revelation instead of a systematic theology or a book of Christian law? In this video, Dr. Thaxter Dickey explores one of the most fascinating questions about Scripture: why the Bible is written the…
Read MoreRevisiting Temptation
by Zeke Flores “God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed'” (Numbers 22:12). Balaam knew what God said, but he kept entertaining the idea of going with Balak’s messengers. He wanted God to change His mind. Balaam’s struggle wasn’t confusion; it was desire. He…
Read MoreFight the Good Fight of Faith
by Edwin Crozier “Flee these things,” Paul tells Timothy. Which things? He says this in the context of warning Timothy about the love of money and the craving to be rich. Don’t just avoid it. Flee it, Paul says. Instead of pursuing riches, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. After all, these are the…
Read MoreThe Love of Money
by Edwin Crozier The number one enemy competing with God for control of our hearts, minds, and lives is not Baal, Molech, Zeus, or Jupiter. It is, no doubt, money. Money seems to make life easier. It promises security and protection. It claims to give happiness. It certainly gains a following. And it is visible.…
Read MoreAgree with the Sound Words of Jesus Christ
by Edwin Crozier “Teach and urge these things,” Paul tells Timothy. He’s already told him the purpose of this letter is so folks will know how to behave as members of the church of the living God, which is the pillar and support of the truth. He’s also told Timothy he needs to pay careful…
Read MoreWill God heal illnesses caused by sin?
Question: Hello, How have you been lately? May God bless you. I would like to ask a question: Will God heal illnesses caused by sin? (I believe that everything is in God’s hands.) After all, if God has chosen someone, He will see it through to the end—is that right? God’s plans are beyond human…
Read MoreI feel so lazy and irresponsible
Question: Hello, I feel so bad, so guilty, so scared to lose my salvation because I’ve been ill and feel like I lost my first love. I was so active in the church, at home, and in my hobbies. I can do the bare minimum at home, and I’ve cut my work hours to a…
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