Coddling Sinners
by Ron Daly To “coddle” is to treat indulgently. Coddling sinners not only can be but is disastrous to an individual or congregation. God does not give us any authority to provide an “escape hatch” for sinners, that is, people who sin and do not repent. Obviously, if a person repents of his sins and…
Read MoreDo Not Become Slaves Of Men
by Sewell Hall “Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. You were bought with…
Read MoreGoing Before and Following After
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Going-Before-and-Following-After.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 5:21-25 I. The phrase “lay hands upon” in I Timothy 5:22 deals giving your blessing to another person A. Such as when Jacob blessed his grandchildren – Genesis 48:14 B. Such as when someone is appointed to a duty – Acts 6:6; 13:2-3 C. It can also be a sign…
Read MoreBad Influence
by Zeke Flores Some 2400 years ago, God’s people were confronted with their sins yet again. When Ezra the priest heard about how Israel had broken God’s law by marrying foreign women, he tore his robes, prayed, and fasted. When faced with the gravity of disobedience to God, the people committed themselves to faithfulness. And…
Read MorePreaching and Performance
by Doy Moyer There is a difference between preaching and performance. This is not to say good preaching does not involve solid delivery or shouldn’t use any aids. It is to say there is a difference in focus, and the preacher does well to understand this. Performance aims at the mechanics. It can come across…
Read MoreAre We Looking for Questions or Answers?
by Doy Moyer There is a difference between the one who is constantly seeking questions and the one who is seeking answers. The following is not intended to be a list of hard rules with no exceptions. Rather, these are observations I have found to be fairly typical in my own experiences: The question-seeker is…
Read MoreSolomon: Failure of the World’s Wisest Man
by Max Dawson In my mind, it is one of the most difficult things to reconcile. How did it happen? How could it possibly happen? I am talking about King Solomon. How did the wisest man in the world mess up so badly? How did a man with such a great beginning have such a…
Read MoreMy daughter’s school is insisting that she take a class that includes provocative dancing
Question: Brother Hamilton, I pray you and your family are well. I have a concern about a class my daughter is taking in high school. There is provocative dancing that I don’t think it’s appropriate for her and our Christian beliefs. I addressed my concerns to the counselor in order to change her class to…
Read MoreWhy didn’t you list the ten tribes?
Questions: You fail to answer your own question, “Who are the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom?” I was looking to see if Levi was among them but no list is given. If Judah and Benjamin remained in the south then that would mean Levi was in the north. But I have read that some…
Read MoreThe Passover Lamb and Baptism
by Matthew W. Bassford The story of the first Passover is familiar to most of us. In Exodus 12, Moses instructs the Israelites to take an unblemished male lamb, slaughter it, eat it as part of a ritual meal, and apply its blood to the doorposts and lintels of their houses. This strange ceremony had…
Read MoreStages of Decline
by Steve Wolfgang The stages of development often seen in religious fellowships, related here by historian David Edwin Harrell, Jr., are well worth contemplating in these times. From truth-oriented to group-oriented. From open controversy to closed controversy. From self-conscious rejection of society to self-conscious acceptance of society. From builders to preservers. [Ed Harrell, “B.C. Goodpasture:…
Read MoreProverbs Sometime Overlooked
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Proverbs-Sometime-Overlooked.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreBe Kind to All
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Be-Kind-to-All.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreThe Wages of Sin Is Death
by Doy Moyer “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). Why should death have been the penalty for sin? In short, because we have disregarded the Giver of all life and breath and all things. If in our own pride we try to usurp God and take His throne and His glory for…
Read MorePride and Preachers
by Bruce Reeves There has been some discussion lately about preachers and jealousy. Brother Tommy Peeler has pointed out that preachers are not the only ones who struggle with jealousy. I knew a man one time that told a gospel preacher that he did not think that it was fair that he had more personal…
Read MoreSalvation by Grace (Bassford)
by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I have become an even louder proponent of grace, indeed of the naked necessity of grace, than I ever was before. I can tell from the comments I’ve been getting on social media that this has made some good brethren nervous. They reply with variations of, “Yes, but you have…
Read MoreIs it wrong for your mom or sister to lead prayers at home?
Question: I know I Timothy 2:11-12 says that women cannot exercise leadership over a man nor teach him, but I’m a little confused. I’ve heard that this only applies in church or in schools, so some clarification on the wording would be very helpful. I ask this because my sister and my mother sometimes lead…
Read MoreThe Bible
by Matthew W. Bassford I will begin with Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. In verse 32 he commends them to God and the word of His grace, which is able to build them up and give them an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Today, we’re going to use…
Read MoreWhat Is “A Different Gospel?”
by Jefferson David Tant In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches, in the beginning, he deals with a serious problem in the churches concerning which he has knowledge, and that is “a different gospel.” “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for…
Read MoreThe 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…
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