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How do you handle the argument that the Greek Orthodox traditions date back to the days of the apostles?
Question: Have you ever debated with a Greek Orthodox and how did you handle the conversation when they brought up their traditions being able to trace back to the early apostles? They seem to think we ignore history for convenience’s sake. They also say we are a group that started in the 1800s so how…
Read MoreIs stigmata real or a hoax?
Question: Is stigmata real or a hoax? Answer: Stigmata is the appearance of marks, wounds, or pains located on the body where the wounds of Christ during the crucifixion would have appeared. These were first reported during the middle ages and those who report having them are most often Roman Catholics. Interestingly, the vast majority…
Read MoreHow do I deal with a member who is in an adulterous marriage?
Question: I have a question that requires me to go outside of the current congregation where I am a member. If there is a member who is in an unscriptural marriage, which I do have personal knowledge of, and who is being allowed to preach and teach in worship service, should I remain a member…
Read MoreWho controls when we die?
Question: Hello sir, I have another question. Who controls when we die? Recently, someone I knew died in a car accident at only 19 years old. It really made me question why and who controlled this. Answer: There are occasions when God decides the time of someone’s death. “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill.…
Read MoreShould a church have allowed a homosexual to sing before the congregation?
Question: On Mother’s day, our church leaders allowed a young gay man, who had never attended our church before, to get up and sing a song to his mother and Grandmother. The grandmother requested that what she wanted for Mothers’ Day was for her family to attend church with her. The grandson wanted to sing…
Read MoreIs it wrong to keep a secret?
Question: Is it a sin to keep secrets? I have some secrets I want to keep hidden at the moment. Only at the right time will I reveal it. However, this is a compounding issue. Since keeping secrets may often lead to lies, and (as I’ve read on your website) lying is not an option. If…
Read MoreIs it sinful to make marks and notes in your Bible?
Question: Hello brother, We’ve never met, but I’ve always appreciated the Q&A section on the LaVista church website and thought I’d bounce this off you since it’s a somewhat unique question. What do you say to someone who takes a very literal view of Revelation 22:18-19, and thinks it’s sinful to mark in their Bible?…
Read MoreI have enjoyed using your website over the years for research, study, and thoughts on a particular subject
Question: Dear Brethren, I have enjoyed using your website over the years for research, study, and thoughts on a particular subject. Keep up the solid biblical wisdom provided. I recently came across a passage which I really liked the translation. It took me a while to find it (the quoted verse was on Instagram) but…
Read MoreHow can I be humble without putting myself down?
Question: Dear Sir, How can I be humble without putting myself down? What does God mean by esteeming others? Answer: “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble…
Read MoreDid Jesus fear?
Question: The Bible teaches that we should not fear. “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (I John 4:18). We know that Jesus was the only man to live a life without sin. Did Jesus fear as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane? “Father, if you…
Read MoreI’m afraid to convert
Question: Good evening, I hope you are doing well and staying healthy with your family. I found your website on the Internet while I was looking for advice from Q&A’s, and I read numerous articles of yours. I am in a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend for over two years. We intend to marry each other…
Read MoreHow did Peter know that it was Moses and Elijah having never seen either of them before?
Question: How did Peter know that it was Moses and Elijah having never seen either of them before? Thank you. Answer: “Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different,…
Read MoreAre tattoos defacing the temple of God?
Question: Recently I heard a denominational preacher talk in favor of tattoos stating that those who opposed them used Old Testament scripture from Leviticus which has to do with the priests keeping themselves pure and unspotted (Leviticus 17:21-23). He went on to say that tattoos should define who you are and should be “spiritual” in…
Read MoreCan having imaginary friends prevent you from entering Heaven?
Question: Hello, I have an odd question for you. Can having imaginary friends prevent you from entering Heaven? Answer: I must say, your question was not one I would have expected. Just over 1/3 of children invent imaginary friends. Those who do invent imaginary friends tend to be the oldest sibling in a family, an…
Read MoreI am grateful for the support of your site
Question: I have used lessons from the site the past few years to help in the creation of my own. I am writing to you after looking over the lesson on Judaizing teachers. It is helpful because you give the background that keeps things in their context, which is important. I am extremely grateful for…
Read MoreWhy am I so unlucky in love?
Question: Hello, I’m a young lady, aged 21. This issue has been bothering me for a while now and I just feel I need someone who can counsel me. Several years ago, I started my first year at college. After a few weeks, I met a very cute guy and I immediately developed a crush…
Read MoreDo you have a workbook on the Holy Spirit?
Question: First, let me thank you and those that have contributed to your webpage. I search it at least weekly. Great job. Since you have such an exhaustive set of resources on your website, I thought you might have an insight into a good classroom workbook or set of material for adult Christians on the…
Read MoreAre there rules for how the Lord’s Supper is to be conducted?
Question: Blessed day! I am a member of a church of Christ. One of my brethren suggested that we need to kneel when praying during the Lord’s Supper as a sign of respect and humility toward the body and blood of Christ. Is it right to kneel when praying during the Lord Supper? Second, do…
Read MoreDid God clothe Adam and Eve in Goat Skins?
Question: Good afternoon I just read a paragraph in a wedding planner that I do not agree with. It said: ‘The fundamental nature of God is love. We are very quick to impress upon one another that what God has joined together nobody may separate. However, when Adam and Eve sinned God Himself slaughtered a…
Read MoreI took some vases without asking permission
Question: I was out walking a few months ago in an area I don’t normally live. One of the neighbors was selling their home and moving to a new home. They started to trash stuff and there were two beautiful vases that I admired so much. One day I took the vases thinking that they…
Read MoreCan we or should we call Jesus our brother?
Question: Can we or should we call Jesus our brother? Answer: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and…
Read MoreHow do I explain that I’ve changed?
Question: Hi La Vista Church and Mr. Jeff, Hope everyone and yourself are doing well. I just came to know your website while browsing today and I shared it to my social media accounts and messenger groups. I am fasting and what a great blessing to feast upon your articles and answers to different questions…
Read MoreWas the great commission only commanded to the apostles?
Question: Was the great commission only commanded to the apostles? Answer: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy…
Read MoreHow do I be forgiven for eavesdropping?
Question: I had a problem with eavesdropping. Do I need to tell the people I’ve been eavesdropping on that I’ve done it or is it enough that I asked God for forgiveness and stopped eavesdropping? I’m kind of confused, in general, about when we’re required to tell someone about a sin that may have involved…
Read MoreMy past makes me unworthy of God
Question: I have been doing well concerning abstaining from pornography. I suppose it has been over a year since I last involved myself in that mess. Prior to that, I had gone about three years without giving in to it. I certainly can’t say I have overcome that sin, but I guess I would say…
Read MoreI’m not sure I’m ready to explain to someone why I believe what I believe
Question: I do so much appreciate the work you have put into your website. I have consulted it regularly. I am in my late 60s. I obeyed the Gospel a few years ago and it has changed my life. I was re-reading I Peter 3:15 and it became clear to me that I am not…
Read MoreMy husband doesn’t know, but I committed fornication before we were married
Question: I found your website, and I’ve been reading it a lot. I’m overwhelmed with grief and shame. I’ve been married for over 10 years. I love my husband and children dearly. Before we were married I committed fornication. He doesn’t know and assumed I was a virgin. We never spoke about it. I’ve repented of my…
Read MoreThank you for your insights
Question: God has brought me to your insights to guide me down the path of God, and for this, I thank you. Answer: I’m glad you have found the website useful.
Read MoreThank you for sharing “Searching for My Friend”
Question: Just a note of thanks for sharing this post and the notes to your friend. I pray that he is still on the right path. There was much wisdom in your notes. I have a son who is headed down the same path that your friend was on. Your approach has given me hope,…
Read MoreDo I let go of my failing marriage?
Question: I’m sorry this is a bit long. My husband has cheated on me several times in our marriage. Each time, he would convince me he would change, and he would for a few years, but then it would happen again and again. I would take him back and just pray and hope he wouldn’t…
Read MoreCan you break a covenant with Satan and turn back to God?
Question: Hello sir, I have quite a few questions if that’s alright. Is it possible to make a covenant with Satan and break a covenant with God? Can you break the covenant with Satan and turn back to God? Does God ever lose hope in someone and cut them off completely? Does God love all…
Read MoreIs it compulsory to marry and have children?
Question: Is it compulsory to marry? Is it compulsory to bear children? If you don’t bear children are you sinning against God and Genesis 1:28? Answer: “But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. … I think then that this is good in view…
Read MoreOur Roles Are Not Shameful
by Jarrod M. Jacobs God created man and woman (Genesis 2:7, 18-25; Matthew 19:4). He also made them to fulfill specific roles on this earth. In Genesis 2:18-25, God states that man and woman have certain roles and responsibilities. These roles have transcended the years and the confines of countries and are with us to…
Read MoreWere the prayers in I Corinthians 11 referring to praying in an unknown tongue?
Question: Good day, Regarding I Corinthians 11:3-16, where women commanded to cover their heads while praying and prophesying. Some argue that the prayer mentioned in that verse was a miraculous activity connected with prophecy. God talked to man through the Spirit. In I Corinthians 14:14, Paul mentioned praying with an unknown tongue. “For if I…
Read MoreWhy would we need to work out our salvation when God is working in us?
Question: In Philippians 2:12, we are told to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. But verse 13 says “for it is God worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” I have never, to my knowledge, heard verse 13 quoted before. It seems most stop at verse…
Read MoreAre these points about Easter true?
Question: Is this true? Origin of Easter: Origin of word, “Easter”: Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring: “Eostre” In her honor sacrifices were offered at the vernal equinox or spring By 8th century church leaders applied “Eostre” to Christ’s resurrection In Acts 12:4, “Passover” in mistranslated “Easter” is in some Bibles Origin of symbols of Easter: Easter…
Read MoreI’m still confused why Matthew used “Eli” while Mark used “Eloi”
Question: Your explanation of the above subject is a bit confusing because we are told that the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew to English while the New Testament was translated from Greek to English. So, I expect them to pick the pronunciation of the same words uttered before translation into English or any other language. Thanks. Answer:…
Read MoreIs it a sin not to get married in a church?
Question: I am in my late twenties and my fiancee is a year younger than me. We live in an African country, and we have been engaged for several years now. We have been waiting for the approval of my fiancee’s parents. They don’t want the marriage because I am a pastor and I’m not…
Read MoreWhy did God have His Son killed instead of just killing the devil and ending everything?
Question: I’ve seen this reposted on several internet platforms and I just want to know your thoughts on this: why did God have His Son killed instead of just killing the devil and ending everything? Answer: Ending Satan immediately would seem like a just response to the misery Satan has caused in this world. However,…
Read MoreDoes it make a difference that the preposition used for “in the name of” is different in various verses?
Question: I have often tried to tell people that “in the name of” in Acts 2:38, means or is “by the authority of.” When I was looking at the Greek, it has the word “epi” in Acts 2:38 for the word “in” which means “on, upon”, and the usage is “on, to, against, on the…
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