The Bible Is Understandable
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The-Bible-Is-Understandable.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 119:97-112 I. When it comes to religion, people seem to prefer having a mystery A. Those in leadership of many denominations prefer it because people depend on them for answers. B. Those in the ranks of denominations are satisfied having others tell them what they need to know. C. The problem…
Read MoreWhy Believe in the Bible?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Why-Believe-in-the-Bible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 1:18-31 I. Could the Bible be a product of man? A. We know that the Bible was written by about 40 different people 1. Each from different walks of life, from shepherds to kings, councilors to fishermen. 2. It was written over a 1,500 year time span B. If men could…
Read MoreIs it a slap in God’s face to ask for forgiveness since Jesus already died to forgive sins?
Question: Hi minister, I’ve recently heard of the dispensation of grace and it’s something I’ve never heard before. I’ve read and been told by those who teach it that it is basically a slap in God’s face or rejecting the finished work in Christ to ask for forgiveness of God when we sin because he…
Read MoreIf there is free will, how can God prophesy specific details?
Question: I have been reading a lot about open theism recently, and I feel like it accords more with the biblical portrait of God and free will than any of the other proposed points of view (Calvinism, Arminianism, etc.). I have read in one of your posts that you also agree that it is a…
Read MoreHonor Your Parents
by Whit Sasser In the list of things worthy of death found in Romans 1:30 is disobedience to parents. Proverbs 30:17 says, “The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.” It is clear, that God’s…
Read MoreThanks for making your site available
Question: Hey, I was writing because I was someone who was raised in a strict Christian home by my grandparents. When I was younger, I found your website and I found it very helpful to understand fully the kind of discipline I received and why it was something to be appreciated even if it wasn’t…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between make-believe magic and occultism?
Question: Hi minister, As a parent, how should I handle children’s entertainment? My child loves movies that have princesses as she now says she is a princess (she loves dresses ). But a lot of children’s content has a form of magic in them. What is the difference between make-believe magic and occultism magic? Is…
Read MoreHymns and Opportunity Cost
by Matthew W. Bassford As a rule, people have trouble understanding the importance of what they can’t see. We prefer buying a big-screen TV to saving for retirement, so we benefit from ideas that help us to reckon with the unseen. Of these, one of my favorites is the concept of opportunity cost. It comes…
Read MoreThe Progress of the Hypocrite
by Matthew W. Bassford The first nine verses of 2 Timothy 3 contain one of the most brutal condemnations of the wicked in the entire New Testament. However, its subject does not appear to be people in the world. Instead, it describes Christians who have been corrupted by the world. Normally, we think of hard…
Read MoreI can’t help everyone
Question: Hello brother Hamilton, Before I explain my situation and ask questions, I wanted to say thank you for the Lord’s work being done on the La Vista website and how easy it is to find study materials and answers to various Bible questions. My friend introduced me to the website some time ago and…
Read MoreThe Apostles and Hermeneutics
by Frank Jamerson Some of the articles that I have read lately have confused ridicule with reasoning. They seem to think that if they ridicule commands, examples, and necessary inferences as the basis of authority, they have given a scholarly refutation of pattern authority. One such article concluded: “It seems to me that we ought…
Read MoreWhen does someone stop being a child?
Question: Ephesians 6:1-2. “Children” has no absolute age-associated concept to it, does it? If it was only used in the sense of young children, well then. But it refers all over scripture to offspring generally. When does the principle of a child as a minor actually come into play here? Answer: Children (not adults) are…
Read MoreWhy did Paul say, “I say, not the Lord”?
Question: I Corinthians 7:12: “But I (not the Lord)…” I studied this years ago, and I realize Paul is capping his statement from verse ten. But Why? Is this not from the Lord? Answer: In I Corinthians 7:10-11, Paul addresses a command that is based on the Lord’s authority, given while Jesus was here on…
Read MoreWhat is “Pauline Christianity?”
Question: Can you explain what exactly is Pauline Christianity? I’ve heard for years people say Paul was a false prophet but only just recently heard the term “Pauline Christianity.“ Did Paul preach a message contrary to what Jesus taught? Answer: You will always find people and groups who wish to cast doubt on sections of…
Read MoreWhat happens when you steal from God?
Question: What happens when you steal from God? I have stolen from the church but have asked for forgiveness from God. I don’t have any source of income to return the money so what should I do now? Answer: What I noticed is that you did not tell the leadership at the church that you stole money…
Read MoreI’m tired of this sinful life
Question: Good morning, sir, I read a page on your website and I saw your advice to a brother. My sin is worst compared to him. I have had sex with the opposite gender twice and have been masturbating for over six years. My life is a living hell. I don’t know who I will…
Read MoreI Wish Someone Had Told Me
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/I-Wish-Someone-Had-Told-Me.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 5:7-14 I. I ran across an article by Chuck Lawless about “Ten Conversations I Wish Someone Had with Me as a Teenager.” A. Hindsight generally reveals that mistakes could have been avoided B. I constantly get told: “I wish someone had told me just how bad this could get” C. And…
Read MoreThings to Remember
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Things-to-Remember.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ecclesiastes 1:3-11 I. There are so many things to remember! A. Need to tie a string around my finger, but then I wouldn’t be able to bend it – there would be so many strings tied there. B. Then there are organizers: paper and electronic, for the technically inclined, which work…
Read MoreTurning Forgiveness Around
by Greg Gwin We hear it frequently in the news these days. It has been a common defense in some high-profile criminal cases. The basic argument is that people can be excused for committing even hideous crimes if they can demonstrate that something awful happened in their past. Unfortunately, this approach has proven successful in…
Read MoreWhen were the four angels placed at the Euphrates River?
Question: When were the four angels placed at the Euphrates River? Answer: “One saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that…
Read MoreWhat are your thoughts on the International Baptist Convention?
Question: Hello, I hope you are well. I intend to visit a church that is under the International Baptist Convention. May I ask you what is your opinion on the International Baptist Convention? Thanks. Answer: The International Baptist Convention started out as an organization of Baptist Churches that served U.S. military personnel in Europe. The group…
Read MoreCan Christians be involved in government?
Question: Dear sir, I trust this email finds you well. I’d like to ask a question. I’ve been trying to learn from the biblical point of view if a Christian can participate in politics. Do we have brothers and sisters in the faith who are actively participating in politics? Thanks, sir. Answer: The styles of…
Read MoreThe Secret Things
by Matthew W. Bassford Many Christians don’t venture deep into the wilds of Deuteronomy, but Deuteronomy 29:29 is a text that is relevant for everybody who thinks deeply about spiritual things. In it, Moses says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to…
Read MoreThe Marks of God’s People
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/The-Marks-of-Gods-People.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 7:15-20 I. By their fruits you shall know them – Matthew 7:15-20 A. You can distinguish between the righteous and the unrighteous by their fruits B. The things that they do make them recognizable. More importantly, the results of their work stand out. C. We could talk about the characteristics of…
Read MoreWould it be wrong to be buried in a denominational graveyard?
Question: Greetings brother. I hope all is well with you. I’ve been added to the church and have been an active member for over a decade. I’ve enjoyed my time growing up as a Christian, and I’ve been thinking about my mortality lately. I’m thinking about having my funeral service with the brethren and having…
Read MoreI need your prayers
Question: Hello, I would first of all like to say that I was not ignorant of what I was doing. I knew what I was doing and its consequences, but I did it anyway. I know the doctrines of the church and the Bible and I knew what great promises lie ahead for the church…
Read MoreShould we stay with this congregation?
Question: Having moved about, my wife and I have worshiped with many congregations that follow the New Testament pattern. Currently, we are visiting a congregation that has a part-time minister and one elder. How this came about is murky. As our options are very limited, we have visited for several months, even to the point…
Read MoreDo I need to confess my sin again?
Question: Hi, I’ve been in the church of Christ since I was a kid. I am now a young adult and not married. I struggled with sexual sins in my early 20s. One day I decided to tell my family because I felt guilty. My parents suggested that I go to the church and ask…
Read MoreAre the NKJV and NASB corrupted translations?
Question: [The original question contained two links to sites as “proof” of his points. Those links were removed to avoid advertizing questionable sites.] Hello, I visited your site and thank you for shedding some light on the Greek primacy vs Aramaic primacy of the original New Testament scriptures. I think the Aramaic argument is being…
Read MoreRight Message, Wrong Audience
by Matthew W. Bassford At first glance, the narrative of Exodus 2:11-14 appears to be one of impulsiveness and immaturity. Moses, a 40-year-old resident of Pharaoh’s household, decided to visit his Hebrew kinfolk. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, strikes the tormentor dead, and hides the body. The next day, he tries to break…
Read MoreCan you explain more about the need for parental consent before marriage?
Question: Greetings beloved in the Lord, I hope you’re waxing strong in the vineyard of our Lord and Master. In Africa, it is cultural to seek parental consent before marriage. But there are instances where this consent is denied for personal and immoral reasons. Can you avail me with materials that one can use to…
Read MoreNecessary Inference Is Absolutely Necessary
by Terry Wane Benton It is truly amazing that we have brethren who actually deny that proper reasoning on the scriptures always involves the use of necessary inference. It is the most basic plank of common sense reasoning, and yet, some brethren draw an inference that they don’t use inference and reason from implications. Anytime…
Read MoreWhat If I Fail Again?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/What-If-I-Fail-Again.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWalking in a Manner Worthy of the Lord
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Walking-in-a-Manner-Worthy-of-the-Lord.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhy Christ and Christianity?
by Doy Moyer I am a Christian for several reasons. I cannot make others accept Christ. I cannot tell others what will convince them. I can only provide an accounting for why I am a Christian and hope that others might think about it. Regardless of difficulties encountered by any worldview, here are some reasons…
Read MoreWhy is Romans 5:13-17 in parenthesis?
Question: Hi, Your article Are Non-Christians Subject to the Laws of God? seems to prove the point, with one possible problem. It relies heavily on Romans 5:13-16, which is in parentheses (KJV and NKJV) which several authorities say indicates it was probably inserted by translators. Is this true? If so, does not that present a…
Read MoreIs the guarantee of the Holy Spirit miraculous?
Question: What is the seal and guarantee or earnest of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 1:13-14? One view of the seal is that it is the miraculous gifts of that time. The ones who hold this view will use Acts 19 where Paul laid hands on the disciples in Ephesus and he was reminding them…
Read MoreIrenaeus on Baptism
by Dan Mayfield “First of all it bids us bear in mind that we have received baptism for the remission of sins, in the name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was incarnate and died and rose again, and in the Holy Spirit of God.…
Read MoreI have linked several of your sermon outlines and writings to my website
Question: Brothers, I want to thank you and the congregation there for keeping your website updated with lots of good information. As a matter of fact, I have linked several of your sermon outlines and writings to my website, TimelessTalks.Net. Thank you for your good work, and may the Lord continue to bless your efforts…
Read MoreConsider the Lord’s Loving Kindness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Consider-the-Lords-Loving-Kindness.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 107 I. Whatever our life, we need to acknowledge God loving kindness toward us – Psalms 107:1-3 A. Many talk of Psalms 107 as a song of God redeeming the nation of Israel from Babylonian captivity. 1. But this isn’t about a nation. It is about groups or categories of…
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