Jesus, the Way
by Doy Moyer “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus declared Himself to be “the way,” but the way to what? “To the Father” is the immediate answer. That is, fellowship with God can only be attained through the path…
Read MoreInternational Relationships
by Zeke Flores International hostilities go back a long way. Way, way back. Consider the international relations in Isaiah’s day. Israel’s former enslaver, Egypt, was constantly vying for top-dog status, which they won and lost repeatedly. Assyria was the superpower of Isaiah’s day. Their unofficial mantra was “march and conquer, march and conquer.” The road…
Read MoreDoes Everything Happen for a Reason?
by R. J. Evans Based upon how often we hear the expression “everything happens for a reason,” you would think the answer would be a definite “yes.” Some time back, while watching a professional football player on TV being interviewed and commenting on his team’s loss, he remarked: “I know everything happens for a reason.”…
Read MoreWe can’t afford to get married
Question: I feel awful because I was reading a post from 2010 titled, “Should we marry now or when we are in a better financial situation? I feel the same way. The thing is, we are both 20. My boyfriend doesn’t have much money, and we have been together for over two years. What’s worse…
Read MoreThe Direction of Your Life
The Direction of Your Life – Part 1The Direction of Your Life by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 6:19-24 I. Whenever I taught someone to drive, I was reminded that people have a tendency to go in the direction they are looking. A. When a person first learns to drive, they tend to look at things…
Read MoreI have been blessed much by your teaching
Question: Mr. Hamilton, I have so many questions. May I ask of you? I’ve been trying to understand the Scriptures on my own, but I believe in the blessing and command of the church and teachers. I have been so blessed by many of your letters and teachings, and I long for solid ground. Also, my…
Read MoreIs not taking God’s name in vain just about swearing?
Question: I also would like to ask if you think this commandment refers only to oaths or if it may refer to saying the name of God without purpose, like “God willing…” without God in mind. Thanks in advance! God bless your work. Answer: This particular commandment is focused on men treating God with honor…
Read MoreDid any woman perform a miracle in the Old Testament?
Question: Are there any Bible references to women performing miracles in the Old Testament? Answer: If you include the gift of prophecy, then several women are mentioned in the Old Testament as being prophetesses: Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Huldah (II Kings 22:14; II Chronicles 34:22), and Isaiah’s wife (Isaiah 8:3). If you are…
Read MoreJesus, the Bread of Life
by Doy Moyer The Passover feast was at hand, and thousands were visiting the area. A large crowd was coming to Jesus and the disciples were concerned about how they could be fed. This led to the great miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14). Jesus more than amply provided for the needs…
Read MoreWhat Is Institutionalism?
by Gardner Hall When young disciples ask, “What is institutionalism?” … How should we answer them? A simple definition is that institutionalism is seeing God’s church as a network of congregations with its traditions and organizations. Biblically, God’s church is His saved people whose names are written in heaven (Hebrews 12:23). Only He knows who…
Read MoreReasoning
by Terry Wane Benton The exercise of thought upon ideas to sort the true from the false, the stronger idea from the weaker idea. It is thinking through the available evidence to reach a conclusion. The book of John sets forth a propositional statement that says God came in human flesh, then reasons from one…
Read MoreSpiritual versus Earthly
by Terry Wane Benton Have you noticed that everything in Christ is spiritual or heavenly as opposed to earthly? The old system had an earthly place for Israel (land of Canaan), now we have “the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6). Moses was at an earthly mountain (Sinai) receiving the stone tablets, but we…
Read MoreRepent of Your Sins
by Nana Yaw Aidoo via The Gospel Preceptor, Vol. 7, No. 2, February 2024 Over and over again, the New Testament emphasizes the necessity of repentance in the salvation of humans. The first preacher in the New Testament is John the Baptizer. We are told that he was sent to prepare the way for the…
Read MoreThe Cry of Distress
by Zeke Flores “For the cry of distress has gone around the territory of Moab, its wail goes as far as Eglaim and its wailing even to Beer-elim” (Isaiah 15:8). Reading through the judgment oracles of Israel’s foreign neighbors sometimes seems like a chore. We might hurry through these chapters believing there’s nothing in them…
Read MoreCan Introverts Go to Heaven?
by Gardner Hall It’s an extrovert world! And yet many introverts who feel uncomfortable in certain social situations, still believe in God and want to serve him. Extroverted disciples sometimes make introverts feel that there is little or no hope for them. When they aren’t laughing with others they sometimes hear – “What’s wrong with…
Read More“Religion says DO, Jesus says DONE”?
by Terry Wane Benton People come up with the strangest viewpoints and don’t realize how unbiblical those ideas are. I keep passing a sign that says the above but offers no scripture reference. Because the Bible is the final authority, I would suggest that both Jesus and His religion say, “Do the will of the…
Read MoreComing Clean from Addictions
by Terry Wane Benton Read Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31; II Corinthians 7:7ff People mess up their lives so much with drugs and alcohol. Jesus can heal them but there has to be repentance, a full stop of all that landed them in prodigal and wasteful living. Some have gotten in so deep that…
Read MoreI appreciate your post about not drawing attention to ourselves based on the things we own
Question: Hello, Thank you so much for your post “Is it a sin to own a luxury handbag?” I am struggling with what the world says women should do to gain worth or look good vs. what God says. I am still learning. I prayed to God to teach me and searched on Google and…
Read MoreIs it proper for a church to pray together silently?
Question: Good day, brother Jeffery, Thanks for always answering questions. They’ve been helpful to me and the people around me. I want to ask you a question about the orderliness of prayer in the church. Can the church pray such that a time is given during worship, such as 10 to 20 minutes where prayers…
Read MoreI don’t feel good enough to pray
Question: Hi! I got a woman I was dating pregnant. We married a few months later. We now have a son, and we love each other, but the problem is my walk with Christ. I feel spiritually down. I want to be back on my feet, but it’s hard. I love my family. I want…
Read MoreAre the plagues in Revelation literal?
Question: While much is figurative in Revelation, are the plagues that John sees in his visions literal? Did those things actually happen at some point? Answer: A better question is why select the plagues to be literal in a book filled with symbolism and figurative language? What indications are there that these should be treated…
Read MoreThey Weigh Too Much for Me
by Jefferson David Tant Have you ever heard of Samuel Plimsoll? He was a member of the British Parliament back in the 1860s and 1870s. During this time there were some serious problems in the shipping industry. Numerous ships carrying loads of cargo were sinking in the ocean when they encountered severe storms. Plimsoll took…
Read MoreJesus the Living Water
by Doy Moyer by Nathan Anderson via Unsplash Jesus came into Samaria to a town called Sychar, where Jacob’s well was situated between mounts Ebal and Gerazim. Here a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus simply said, “Give me a drink.” The woman was taken back because Jews and Samaritans had no dealings…
Read MoreJust an Ancient Book We Blindly Follow?
by Terry Wane Benton The “ancient book” is tested and tried testimony. It shows inherent proof of not being written to deceive, but to state a case to be examined carefully. It points out the serious flaws of the Jews, foretells them rejecting their coming Messiah (Isaiah 53:1ff; Acts 4:10-11; Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 28:16), His…
Read MoreWho Deserves Your Heart?
by Terry Wane Benton “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and…
Read MoreGod Does the Seemingly Impossible
by Zeke Flores God seems to delight in doing the impossible. Aside from the glorious power of creation itself, He has done the unimaginable again and again. From an old man and an old woman, he brought forth a son who would be the child of promise for a nation. Centuries later that nation would…
Read MoreStanding for the Right
by Zeke Flores It can be intimidating to stand for what’s right. It’s even harder when you stand alone. Isaiah tells us that in his day, God’s true followers were an ever-decreasing minority. Oppression, selfishness, and flagrant sin were everywhere. Few were the ones who stood by the godly principles God provided in His Law.…
Read MoreWhy People Reject Christ
by Jefferson David Tant We live in a nation today that is becoming less and less “religious,” which includes an increasing number of those who reject Christ, as they may believe he is a myth, or if a real person, certainly not a divine being. Let us examine what may be behind what is happening…
Read MoreIs there scriptural support for youth, women’s, or preachers’ forums?
Question: Greetings Brother Jeffrey, Thank you for your consistent effort in the service of God. I have a concern for which I need biblical insight. Is there any biblical support for a youth forum, sisters or women forum, or even a preachers’ forum? I happened to be a leader in a youth forum in my…
Read MoreWorthy Art Thou: An Understatement
by Terry Wane Benton “And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation'” (Revelation 4:9). So, a new song comes out in…
Read MoreDo I need to tell my parents about my sins?
Question: Hello! I’m writing out for advice on what to do. I am a female in my twenties. I have a boyfriend and we had sinned sexually previously. We felt so much guilt and knew it was wrong. We went with our pastor and he gave us advice. He told us to talk it out…
Read MoreI’ve been breaking the Sabbath
Question: I’m kind of in a tough situation and I need some help with this. I have a bad sin. It’s the breaking of the Sabbath. “Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. For the same one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Even if you…
Read MoreJesus, the Only Way
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Jesus-the-Only-Way.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MorePersonal Goals for 2024
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Personal-Goals-for-2024.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhen Is One Drunk?
by Terry Wane Benton We knew when we were children that when we spun around a little while and then stopped, but the world seemed to keep moving, we were “drunk.” When we lost our balance, we were “drunk.” No, we were not drunk by drinking liquor, but we were unstable due to the motion…
Read MoreEarthly Politics Versus the Almighty
by Terry Wane Benton “Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever” (Revelation 4:9). In John’s vision “up here” he sees the living creatures giving honor, glory, and thanks to God on the throne, and he knows that God is eternal,…
Read MoreJesus the Divine Temple
by Doy Moyer John’s gospel begins by affirming that Jesus is the divine logos, the Word through whom all things were made. In Him is life and light. Life comes from Him, and He, the light of the world, came to this earth to overpower the darkness so that all who come to Him would…
Read MoreReminder of Sinai
by Terry Wane Benton When John saw the vision of Revelation, there seems to be a reflection that reminds us of Sinai. “And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 4:5). We recall thundering, lightning, and voices…
Read MoreUsing Our God-Given Abilities
by Bret Miller Think on These Things, Vol 55, No. 1, January-March 2024 In Matthew 24, Jesus is asked about the signs of the end of the age. Jesus then spoke for a long time on many different subjects, answering what the kingdom of heaven would be like in the end. One of those descriptions…
Read MoreConspiracy Theories Abound
by Zeke Flores I can’t count all the conspiracy theories I’ve heard in my life. Let’s see, there are the ones about the Illuminati, Opus Dei, the Masons, the grassy knoll in Dallas, whether man landed on the moon, aliens, and many, many more. Conspiracies excite the imagination because folks like to believe in something…
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