Consider 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…
Read MoreEvery Good Work
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Every-Good-Work.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 111 I. From the beginning, God has given men work to do A. Adam was to care for the garden – Genesis 2:15; 3:17-18 B. As Christians, we are commanded to work – I Thessalonians 4:11 C. We are being disobedient if we do not work – II Thessalonians 3:6-13 II. This…
Read MoreAm I a poor teacher?
Question: Hello brother. How are you doing? I hope you are doing well. Brother, I feel confused and at the same time, I feel a little disappointed in myself. Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing a good job when I’m teaching others. There was a man I was teaching. No matter how many Bible verses…
Read MoreYour article answered my wife’s question on “Sodomy” so well
Question: My wife had a question about ‘Sodomy’ and your article answered it so well. Taking a peek at your other articles and seeing the depth in each one is encouraging me to go deeper into the Word. If I lived closer, I would surely come and visit. Even though I’ve been a Christian for about 10 years,…
Read MoreHow did people get saved before Jesus was crucified?
Question: How did people get saved before Jesus was crucified? Answer: Prior to Jesus, people were expected to live in obedience to God. “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not…
Read MoreThanks for the wonderful answers
Question: Thanks for the wonderful answers. You’re blessed indeed. Answer: I appreciate the encouragement.
Read MoreWhat do I do about my abusive father-in-law?
Question: Good morning! I’m writing you today because I have a question. My father-in-law is a preacher at a church of Christ here. I’ve known him for over 5 years now. I am really close to my sister-in-law and mother-in-law so they have told me some things that concern me and I don’t know what…
Read MoreWas the formerly blind man correct in John 9?
Question: Hello, How are you? Well, I hope. I have a question and this was the only way I knew how to contact you. I was in a discussion earlier today with a man on the topic of the sinner’s prayer. I quoted John 9:31 to the man and his response was “that blind man…
Read MoreDid the Hebrew midwives lie?
Question: In Exodus 1:15-20, do you think this was a lie told by the midwives to Pharaoh or was it really true that the Hebrew women gave birth before the midwives came to them? Answer: “Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was…
Read MoreWhat should a captain of a soccer team do if he is required to wear an armband with a gay pride symbol?
Question: In soccer, where the captain wears an armband, if it’s branded with a pride flag, should a Christian wear it? Answer: Here a Christian is asked to tell the world, by what he is wearing, that he supports homosexuality (I Corinthians 6:9-10; Romans 1:32). He should politely decline and if the team insists, he…
Read MoreThe Qualifications of Preachers
by David R. Pharr Twice Paul refers to Timothy, as a “man of God.” “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (I Timothy 6:11). “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:…
Read MoreIf miracles could have caused Sodom to repent, why didn’t God do them?
Question: Hello brother, I have a question for you. It is in Matthew 11:20-24. If God knows what people need in order to repent, why didn’t he do it? Answer: “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe…
Read MoreAm I bad for not liking Christian music?
Question: Greetings My question is concerning music. I am a devoted Christian. I love my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. All I want to do is honor Him and glorify Him. I read and study the bible. I read many good Christian books. I don’t like Christian music. Does this make…
Read MoreDo What You Are Able to Do
by Andy Sochor Those who are conscientious Christians will have a desire to do all that they can in service to God. And as we see the needs that exist around us, it is natural for us to want to provide help for all that we can. However, the reality is that we cannot provide…
Read MoreTake Whatever Steps Necessary
by Doy Moyer “If you can’t do that without also doing this, then don’t do that.” Here is a principle that many parents invoke when they are raising their children, and it applies to multiple activities — activities that are not in themselves wrong. Yet if those activities become the vehicles by which we do…
Read MoreIn the Breaking of the Bread
by Matthew W. Bassford In the gospel of Luke, the primary resurrection appearance of Jesus is when He reveals Himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. After they explain the events of the past few days to Him, not realizing that He is Jesus, He takes over the conversation. The rest of…
Read MoreIs it wrong for the song leader to express appreciation for the preacher and his lesson?
Question: Hello brother Jeffrey, I hope you are doing well. I recently heard a brother ask this question and wanted to reach out to you with it. If hand clapping in worship is wrong, what is the difference between that and a song leader appreciating the preacher after his sermon? Are those appreciative words not…
Read MoreWill breaking government laws keep us out of heaven?
Question: No doubt, a Christian realizes the seriousness of sin. It’s ugly. What do you think about everyday things we get into like speeding, even a mile over, texting while drivings, and not wearing a seatbelt? Do you think these are things that would keep us out of heaven? Answer: I don’t sit in…
Read MoreYour response is the best I’ve read about Ephesians 2:3
Question: The response you provided for Ephesians 2:3 is the best I have read over the last month of research about Augustine’s view of Original Sin. Thanks for taking the time to clarify the Koine Greek as well. Blessings on you and the Church in La Vista. Answer: It is good to hear that the…
Read MoreWhat differentiates your beliefs from the heresy of Pelagianism?
Question: What differentiates your beliefs from the heresy of Pelagianism? Answer: I’m a bit curious why you would think that someone who lived some 1700 years ago has any impact on a group of Christians who focus on teaching the Bible. We follow the Bible and not the teachings of men. I’m also curious if…
Read MoreThe Preacher and His Study
by Hiram Kemp The preacher of God’s Word is to speak with all the authority God has given him (Titus 2:15). He is to speak as the oracles of God (I Peter 4:11). He is to proclaim the gospel as the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). However, all of these things assume that…
Read MoreSeeing Our World Through the Eyes of Jesus
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Seeing-Our-World-Through-the-Eyes-of-Jesus.mp3 by Max Dawson
Read MoreShould Christians purchase dinners from denominational churches?
Question: Should Christians purchase dinners from denominational churches? Answer: Start by reading Should a Christian attend a university operated by a denomination? It covers many of the basic principles we need to discuss. The core question is: Does the purchase show support for the denomination and its teachings? For example, in a number of places,…
Read MoreIs Sincerity Enough?
by Jefferson David Tant A popular idea among many people when questioned about their religious beliefs is that sincerity is the final judge of what is right and wrong. So long as a person believes in Christ, whatever his practices or beliefs may be in regard to that faith, so long as he is sincere,…
Read MoreI’m having trouble resisting fornication
Question: Hi, I have been involved in sexual immorality and fornication in the past, but it is coming back to me. I would like to repent, but it’s tough. I have been messing around with escorts at massage parlors all my life. I really would like to repent. Answer: Resisting temptation is always difficult. “Be…
Read MoreChildren According to the Promise
by Matthew W. Bassford The wisdom and subtlety of God truly are beyond our comprehension. Sometimes, though, we are privileged to get a glimpse of it in the Scriptures. This is the case with the story of Abraham and his descendants in Genesis, which only makes sense in the light of its New-Testament explanation. For…
Read MoreChristians and the Arts
by Doy Moyer Worldviews and faith are expressed in many ways. We express them in the way that we work through our jobs, the way that we show ourselves as neighbors, and even in the way that we recreate. We are not afraid to show that we “serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24). The challenge…
Read MoreDid Paul bring alms to all Jews or just Christians?
Question: Hello Jeffrey, The Apostle Paul in Acts 24:17 shows that he brought alms, supplied by churches, to his nation. Alms would be mercy benevolence to the poor of that region. The New Testament Greek word for “nation” in this passage is ethnos. Thayer defines this word as a multitude associated or living together. Louw & Nida’s Greek Lexicon…
Read MoreShould I continue a career that might take me where there is no church nearby?
Question: Good afternoon to the Church Of Christ in LaVista, I am a member of the Church of Christ. I thank God for your website and all of its content. Currently, I am in the military serving in the U.S Navy, I have a month before I have to make a decision as to whether…
Read MoreThe material on this website has great relevancy to our generation
Question: Greetings to you, sir, and to the church! The materials and subjects here on this website are of good timing and of great relevancy to our generation and especially to young evangelists like myself, who desire to grow in the knowledge of the truth so as to teach the whole counsel of God’s Word…
Read MoreIs sexual touching a public or private sin?
Question: This is a situation involving a Christian man and a woman. I have several questions. The man is married and his wife is still living. The woman’s husband has passed away. and she is now single. As friends, they became close. At times they have embraced each other. They also have touched each other…
Read MoreWere women forbidden to speak in Corinth because they were prostitutes?
Questions: I was told that women in the church of Corinth were prostitutes and that is why they couldn’t speak in the church. And that does not have anything to do with the other churches. Answer: “I was told” makes a useless source. The most detailed information we have about the church in Corinth comes…
Read MoreThere is too much to do and too little to do at the same time
Question: My wife and I are both fully retired. We moved to this rural community to help watch our grandkids. Life has been great until moving here. Now things are a little testy. The biggest problem, it seems, is that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to do outside of babysitting. Our center has been the…
Read MoreYour articles shed light on some difficult topics
Question: Good morning, I just want to take a moment to say thank you. I minister at a small congregation. I have often read your articles on the La Vista Church of Christ website, for what I can confidently say is some years. They have been very helpful in shedding scriptural light on sometimes difficult…
Read MoreKnowing God
by Terry Wane Benton Just because one person does not know God, does not mean that nobody really knows God. The atheist and the skeptic do not know God, and they assume nobody can know God, but that is just their assumption based upon their own ignorance. Just because they don’t know God does not…
Read MoreIs it biblical to take a vacation?
Question: Dear Sir, Is it biblical to take a vacation from work? Thank you. Answer: Employment is governed by rules set by governments and the agreement between the employer and the employee. For example, under the Law of Moses, the Israelites were required to not work on Saturdays (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). They also had special religious…
Read MoreHow old is “young” in I Timothy 4:12?
Question: Hello brother, May I know who can be considered as young in the church based on I Timothy 4? Thank you. Answer: “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (I Timothy 4:12). The Greek word neotetos simply…
Read MoreThe Freedom of Truth
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/The-Freedom-of-Truth.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 8:30-59 I. Many began to believe on Jesus – John 8:30-31 A. Jesus said that if they would live in the words of Jesus, then they would truly be his disciples – John 8:32 1. Obedience to his teaching would cause them to know the truth. 2. Obedience leads to greater…
Read MoreThe Conclusion of the Whole Matter
by David R. Pharr Frank Sinatra was only 54 when he recorded his popular song, “I Did It My Way.” The song may imply his life was nearly over. “And now the end is near, So I face the final curtain.” The lyrics may suggest a full and mostly successful life, with emphasis on it…
Read MoreI Don’t Go There
by Jefferson David Tant People use many devices to mitigate or cancel out plain Bible teaching. This ancient practice can be traced to the Old Testament. Seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah was dealing with a rebellious people. God told him: “Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a…
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