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What was Naomi’s lineage?
Question: What was Naomi’s lineage? Answer: “The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion-Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there” (Ruth 1:2). Ephrath is the old name for Bethlehem (Genesis…
Read MoreI enjoyed the outline “Sons of Thunder”
Question: I read your article about the “Sons of Thunder” and it really blessed me, thanks! Answer: You’re welcome.
Read MoreDoes God care about all the surgeries I’m going through?
Question: I was an evangelical Christian over five years ago. I am still a believer. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs or anything like that. I don’t have a girlfriend. I stopped going to church about two years ago. It was because I had surgery (Palatal Expansion). I was born with…
Read MoreBefore becoming a Christian, I committed fornication many times. My preacher says I need to wait before getting married. Isn’t it better to marry now?
Question: Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ. I write this e-mail with great shame over myself. I committed fornication with a girl who was not my girlfriend and got her pregnant. The girl whom I got pregnant knew that I already had a girlfriend whom I was planning to marry and had already paid…
Read MoreIf a person is divorced because of adultery, can he remarry his ex-spouse?
Question: Can a spouse who has been put away for the cause of adultery, be reconciled to the innocent party if the innocent party so desires according to I Corinthians 7:11? Answer: Of course. Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:9 is an allowance, not a requirement. A person dealing with a spouse who is committing adultery…
Read MoreI am so tired of the hatred and violence. What can I do?
Question: Mr. Jeffrey, I really need your help with a lot of things! First of all, I know my life isn’t right and before I try to change other people I need to change myself first. I’m a Christian but yet I find myself still committing sins. I want to change this world! I want…
Read MoreCan a group split off from a church to worship in the same location at a different time?
Question: Recently a portion of our congregation (approximately 30 out of 110-120) started meeting at a separate time from the normal time but in the same building. On Sunday we meet in the morning for Bible classes and worship and then in the evening again for another period of worship. This group began meeting in…
Read MoreIs it better to accept unfair wages or stay unemployed in hopes of better wages?
Question: Should a person work for an employer who provides unjust wages, even if it’s the market rate? e.g. employer keeps 90% profit, employee 10%. In this scenario, is it better to negotiate a fairer rate or change professions? If one is unemployed, should one accept an unjust wage? Would this scenario change if one…
Read MoreI have pure OCD with uncontrollable thoughts. How can I keep my faith?
Question: I found your website because I have POCD (uncontrollable thoughts). I was searching the web and came across your site. My POCD was really bad. I thought I was crazy for a long time until after three years I found out the name for what I was feeling. However, the new thing that has…
Read MoreI knew it was wrong, but I committed adultery. Will God forgive me?
Question: Hi, I’ve been a Christian for eight years. I read my Bible and know what to do and what not to do in regards to being a Christian. Recently I committed adultery for the first time in my entire life. I’m feeling bad and guilty of such an act. Since then I have been…
Read MoreI was sexually abused as a teen and now suffer from ADD related to those events. How do I change?
Question: I was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by my stepfather from the age of 13 until 16. I became pregnant by him at the age of 15 and had his child when I was 16. He continued his abuse towards me even after. I finally got the urge to report it, even if it…
Read MoreCan we be forgiven if we plan to have sex before we marry?
Question: My girlfriend and I have been together for eight months now and have been discussing having sex. We do plan on getting married because we are both loyal, honest and love each other very dearly. However, we both have very strong religious backgrounds and are not sure if we could be forgiven if we…
Read MoreMust a priest, preacher, or pastor perform a marriage for it to be valid?
Question: Have a good day! I just want to ask a question: One of our pastors said it is against the Law of God if the marriage is done by a judge or by a mayor. He also said that the marriage must be done by a priest or a preacher or a pastor. Since our…
Read MoreIs abstract art and thinking abstractly diving into worldly thought?
Question: Is it OK to observe and draw abstract art because abstract art is all about changing thought patterns and perceptions of things? But I don’t want to depart in my thinking of God. I don’t want to be tricked into worldly thought patterns. Answer: Worldly thinking is focusing on things of this world, such…
Read MoreWhen my boyfriend proposed to me, he said that he had a child when he was a teenager. If I marry him, will that make me an adulteress?
Question: Hi, We are two people in love and about to marry. He proposed to me but before I gave him an answer, he said, “I have a child by my ex-girlfriend. It was a mistake. I did it when I was a teenager, but now I love you and I will never do that…
Read MoreShould some songs not be sung?
Question: I read your review of Jeffcoat’s songbook and have some questions about certain songs in general. What are your thoughts on the following songs: My God and I Jesus hold my hand I come to the garden There’s a royal banner (vs. 3 from Praise for the Lord). These are songs I struggle with. The first…
Read MoreHow do I get my daughter to obey the first time?
Question: I am having an issue with my eight-year-old. I can ask, or tell, her to clean her room, do her homework, take a shower, or anything for that matter and it takes me being right on top of her and hounding her to do it, and when it does finally get done (if it…
Read MoreMy girlfriend committed suicide when I told her I would be marrying the girl my family chose for me. I feel so empty
Question: Dear sir, My girlfriend committed suicide one and a half years back. We had a relationship of five years. Both of us loved each other badly, and she got pregnant twice and had an abortion as I told her to do this. Due to my family pressure, I refused to marry her and got…
Read MoreMy 30-year-old son moved back home and won’t leave
Question: I’ve been a Christian for over 30 years. We took our kids to church until they grew up and got married. One got divorced. Because of that he started going to church and got saved. He moved in with me and my wife. Now I’m having problems with him. He’s trying to change me…
Read MoreDid God in Bible days not let disease and disability affect people in His church?
Question: Did God in Bible days not let disease and disability affect people in His church? Answer: I believe you are referring to: “And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all…
Read MoreOur 18-year-old step-daughter is into sex and alcohol. What do we do?
Question: Hello, I have a stepchild who was living with her mother’s side of the family until age 13 until we got full custody of her. She is now 18. She has been exposed to seeing her mother (my husband’s ex-wife) doing drugs and seeing her mother having sex with multiple guys at once. She…
Read MoreThanks for the thoughtful, scripture-based article on gluttony
Question: Thanks for the thoughtful, scripture-based article on gluttony. It was helpful in my study of this topic. Answer: I’m glad to have been of service.
Read MoreDid people really do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth to people?
Question: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” — does that really mean that? Did they really do that in the Bible days? Answer: The phrase “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is a part of the law that was given to judges who were deciding…
Read MoreI’ve made a mess out of my life. Can you give me some insight into straightening it out?
Question: I became a member of the church about ten years ago. I later married someone I was unequally yoked with. She had a daughter from a previous relationship. In less than six months, it became an abusive situation for me. It came to the point where I felt disgusted to lay next to her.…
Read MoreI’m concerned that my 15-year-old still doesn’t want to be baptized
Question: My husband and I both attended Christian colleges and are life-long members of the church of Christ. We have two children, ages 12 and 15, who we have faithfully taken to church since they were babies. They are now both very involved in the church youth group. I am concerned about my 15-year-old…
Read MoreShould becoming a Christian and getting married be postponed until people are at least 20?
Question: Hello, I looked at a page dedicated to questions and answers about baptism. Could you read these two verses please, Numbers 32:11 and Deuteronomy 1:39, and tell me what is your understanding? Did you know them before? It seems that 20 years old was considered by God the age to know what is good…
Read MoreIs it OK to use online dating?
Question: Do you believe that it is OK for a Christian to use online dating if he does not currently have any options where he goes to church or where he works? The few whom I would be interested in at church are simply not interested in me. (I understand that I’m not everyone’s “type”)…
Read MoreI proposed to marry my girlfriend in two years, but she wants to wait four years. I don’t know if I want to wait that long
Question: Hi. I’m a male in my mid-twenties who has been dating a woman in her early twenties for over two years. I completed my degree last year, but she is still in school. She will complete her degree in four more years. I love her very much and proposed we marry in two years,…
Read MoreHow do I stop putting so much emphasis on physical beauty?
Question: How can a person stop putting too much emphasis on physical beauty, especially when it’s given so much priority in society? I want to stop getting so disheartened when I look into the mirror and start focusing on how God sees me. I want to stop judging myself and others beyond what is written…
Read MoreCan I divorce my husband of 30 years for his fornications that took place before our marriage?
Question: Can I divorce my spouse because of his fornication with other women before our marriage? I was not guilty of the same. It bothers me after all these years and I find it hard to forgive. He says it was not a sin against me, but I feel the pain. And even though we…
Read MoreI don’t have much, so what do I do with my money?
Question: Hello, I have very little money and this is a rare opportunity to spend it on much-needed personal items. Or should I spend my money on a poor person, giving them all of it? Or should I pay my sister all of it because I owe her quite a bit of money? Answer: “Let…
Read MoreHow should prayer be done at a wedding when the in-laws are Muslims?
Question: Hello, I have a friend in our Bible study group whose son is getting married to a gal who converted to the Christian faith a couple of years ago and has been immersed, but her family is Muslim (except one brother). The couple, both in their early 30s, chose to have a garden wedding…
Read MoreThank you for your excellent website
Question: Brethren, I worship with the church of Christ. We are a non-institutional congregation of 35-40 members. Just a quick note of “Thanks” for your excellent website. I have used your site for 2-3 years or so. When I am called on to preach, I sometimes use the sermon outlines on your site as a…
Read MoreWhy wasn’t Judah punished for seeing a prostitute?
Question: Hi, There is something that has been nagging me for a long time. I am a young Christian man, and I have this question about the story of Judah and Tamar. As you know, Tamar tricked Judah into fathering a child with her by disguising herself as a prostitute. In the narrative, at least…
Read MoreWhy didn’t my old girlfriend want me?
Question: Hello, I was 15 years of age and a girl lived just in front of our house. She proposed to me one day. She was 16 years of age at the time. She said to me that she loved me a lot. We exchanged flying kisses and smiles. This went on for three years.…
Read MoreWhat do Primitive Baptists believe?
Question: To start with, I want to thank you for your website, particularly the questions and answers section. It is well organized and presents a strong knowledge base, which I am now wanting to draw from. I am a member of the church of Christ and have been using your information on denominations to help…
Read MoreI’m in love with a man who has a girlfriend whom he got pregnant. Should I marry him?
Question: Hi, I am 30 years of age, born again, having a boyfriend near my age also born again. We are related according to our culture as our mothers share the same clan name. We deeply love each other and all our conversations are always about God. We help each other to understand the word…
Read MoreHow do I bring an agnostic friend to Christ?
Question: Hello. I thank you again for the opportunity to ask questions and get them answered so promptly! I am debating with my close friends, so my question is how do I bring my agnostic friend to Christ? Here is a discussion we are having at the moment and please let me know if my…
Read MoreHow do you get added to Jesus Christ’s church?
Question: How do you get added to Jesus Christ’s church? Answer: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. … So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and…
Read MoreDoes the fact that God’s will is not being done on earth mean the kingdom isn’t here?
Question: I was stopped by two Jehovah’s Witnesses and was very thankful that I had the scriptural knowledge and the courage to dispute some of the things they said. As a member of the church, I fully understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom and provided scriptural evidence for its current presence on earth. They posed…
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