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The pastor in the church we are in slapped my wife and called her a derogatory name. What should we do?
Question: Hello, I have a problem. The church that I am attending is very disrespectful to women and people of color, calling them second-class citizens and that God put them on earth to serve men and nothing more than that. They say women cannot be saved unless they give birth, that Jesus died for only…
Read MoreHow do I solve the religious differences in a serious love relationship?
Question: How can I solve the religious difference in a very serious love relationship? I met a girl who has a boyfriend at work. After we became good friends we both fell in love. She realized that she didn’t love her former boyfriend, quit the relationship, and continued with me. We have been in a…
Read MoreIf I realize that I had sins after baptism, does that mean I need to be baptized again?
Question: Hi, After spending most of my teenage and early adult life in the Baptist Church, I came upon the Interactive Bible Study by Ronald Boatwright, which talked about how to be biblically saved. I was actually baptized for the correct reason a few weeks ago. However, I’ve been wondering if I should be baptized again, mainly…
Read MoreI hope you are all right!
Question: Mr. Hamilton, This is not a question, simply a note to say I was so happy to see your new posts under the Q&A today. Each day I go to La Vista’s website to read your answers. Many of the topics I do not struggle with (although some relate!), but I am eager to…
Read MoreI behaved so badly with my former girlfriend that I think I should remain single for the rest of my life
Question: Dear Minister, Recently I broke up with my girlfriend, but now I am experiencing guilt because I engaged in sexual activity with my ex. We did a lot, except penetrative sex, such as hand jobs, oral, and sexting. Now I feel like I should remain single my whole life because I believe whoever God…
Read MoreI’m suffering from anxiety after coming off of drugs. Is it a bad thing to skip some things, like the youth group meetings?
Question: After prolonged drug use, I have in some ways developed social anxieties, to say the least. I have been sober for almost four months sounds like nothing, but I’m only 18 and I was not sober pretty much every day of high school). The area I live in has harmful influences. I was delivered…
Read MoreWas John ever put in a boiling pot of oil and came out still preaching?
Question: Was John ever put in a boiling pot of oil and came out still preaching? Answer: Tertullian in A.D. 200 wrote, “at Rome, the Apostle John, having been immersed in hot oil, suffered no harm at all from it” (The Prescription against Heretics, chapter 36). The claim is that because John wasn’t killed that…
Read MoreYou’re right. Christians need a healthy fear of hell
Question: During the five years I attended a church in my area, I never heard the preacher once mention Hell or God’s wrath, or the fact that Christians need a holy fear of God. Your “If I Don’t Preach on Hell” summary was excellent. Is a church that doesn’t preach the full counsel of God…
Read MoreWe’ve been sexual. Are we going to hell?
Question: My boyfriend and I have done some sexual things. We love each other, and I know I’m going to marry him someday. We’ve been struggling to stop, but I think the time has come to give up these things, as I know that it is not right in the eyes of the Lord. Are…
Read MoreIs missionary work scriptural?
Question: Mr. Hamilton, What is “missionary work” and is that scriptural? Does God call us to a particular occupation, such as God has “called me” to this career or that career? Is all this scripturally sound? Thank you. Answer: Missionary work has come to mean going to foreign countries to teach the gospel. Sometimes it…
Read MoreIs it a sin to be with a man who has a child?
Question: Should I be with a man who already has a child? What does the Bible say about men leaving the mother of their child to be with the women he loves? Is it a sin for me to be with a man who has a child? Answer: You are asking the wrong questions. The…
Read MoreHow can I tell what God wants from the Bible?
Question: Hello, I am very confused regarding the church. I read articles and studies from different areas around the brotherhood and just can’t wrap my mind around the division that we have. I know you have discussed the process of growing as a Christian and finding out if things we did were right or wrong.…
Read MoreCan a man, converting to Islam marry another wife?
Question: My friend married a Christian in a church wedding. After 20 years of marriage, her husband converted to the Muslim religion and married again to a Muslim woman. Is his marriage to a Muslim woman legal? My friend and her husband still have not separated. Thank you. Answer: “And He answered and said to…
Read MoreWhat was the source of light on the first day?
Question: Which light did God create on the first day? Because we know the sun is the only source of light. If there is an eclipse there will darkness on the surface of the earth. Answer: Light is a form of energy. The sun as well as all the stars produce light. Just because a…
Read MoreShould I take responsibility for another man’s child?
Question: I have been going out with this girl for about five years now. Just recently she got pregnant with another guy. She confessed to me that she doesn’t love that guy and does not believe she can be happy with him. I later told her if the other guy does not take up his…
Read MoreI love your article on tithing
Question: I love your article on tithing. As someone who has faced financial hardship while raising 11 kids on one paycheck, I, as well as my husband, have felt like a failure for not giving enough. At first, we tried to keep tithing but our checks were bouncing, and why should God support a false belief…
Read MoreI messed up with sex. I know it is wrong, but how do I change the situation?
Question: Hi there, I’ve come across your site and read a few articles on what you’ve been writing on with regards to sex outside marriage and all. I have a little problem and I would like to discuss it with you. I’ve been dating my girlfriend for almost about half a year now. I take…
Read MoreHow do I teach a withdrawn-from family member who thinks God is directing her?
Question: I have a family member who was at one time in the Lord’s church. Recently she told me she is “rebelling” against the ‘church’ (was in a denominational church), so I finally asked what was meant by ‘rebelling’ and she said there were so many errors and problems in this church or that one,…
Read MoreI would like to take a girl out, but she has had bad experiences with guys. How do I convince her I’m different?
Question: How do you ask out a young lady who is so convinced that guys are all the same — i.e they are liars and cheats in relationships? She is a nice young lady, hardworking with a good character but seems to have been hurt from previous relationships. I know I’m not perfect. But I…
Read MoreHow do I forget an event which I’ve already forgiven?
Question: Hello, I would like to first say thank you for having a wonderful website. It helped me view matters in a different perspective. My question today regards letting go and moving forward. How do I drop my personal pride and move on? How do I forget an event which I’ve already forgiven? (This matter,…
Read MoreYour notes on the “Sons of Thunder” were particularly poignant for me today
Question: This morning, I read your notes on the sermon entitled “Sons of Thunder”. Thank you for posting them, as they are particularly poignant for me today. Answer: I’m glad it is helping you in your studies.
Read MoreThe Q&A is a great resource!
Question: I have been a member of the church for almost 30 years and attend regularly. Thank you for the service that you provide through your Q&A site — it really is a great resource! Answer: I’m glad you are finding it useful.
Read MoreI want to know God and feel Jesus’ love, but I don’t know how
Question: Am I worthy of God’s grace? If so, why is it that I am lost and can’t control my sins? My whole childhood was a mess during my parents’ divorce. I guess never having a father around made me blame everything on my mother. Getting older I followed what everyone else was doing. I got…
Read MoreAre the sexual things we do sinful if we plan on marrying?
Question: My girlfriend and I have been dating for over three years now, and it’s a given that we’ve faced sexual temptation. Though we have not gone “all the way” we have done mostly everything else. We’ve talked about marrying each other and think it’s a very real possibility. If this is the case, are…
Read MoreWhat do I do? My husband is a drug addict
Question: Dear sir, I have a question about my marriage. My husband is addicted to drugs. I’ve been praying and trying so hard to get him to stop. He keeps promising and goes back to it. We live overseas and things are getting so hard for me, more than I can handle. We have a…
Read MoreIs there a possibility of being kind to an angel or are we just entertaining for angels to watch?
Question: In Hebrews 13:2 it says we are to be hospitable because in doing so some have entertained angels unawares. I’m trying to understand if this means there is a possibility we could show kindness to an actual angel (appearing as a human), or if by “entertaining” it is talking about them being entertained (i.e.…
Read MoreCan a church buy and sell properties?
Question: I’ve been thinking a lot about authority and what ways the church is authorized to receive money into the treasury. Freewill offerings are the only means, correct? The church does not have the authority to open a business to support its funds, correct? If those are true, a question struck me: Does the church…
Read MoreI think my music is giving me bad thoughts
Question: Hello, I have been constantly having bad thoughts and thoughts about things that haven’t happened. I also have been having thoughts about past conversations and events that I don’t want to remember. I know we can sin in our minds, that is why I ask God to forgive me for the bad thoughts. They…
Read MoreWhat do I do? My parents won’t allow me to marry the man I love
Question: I come from a Christian family. I’m lost, I’m confused, I’m miserable. It’s a very long story, hope you can bear with me. I’m 29 years old. Two years ago, I committed fornication with my boyfriend, whom I had known for about two years at that time. We just started a relationship not long…
Read MoreIs it wrong to use instrumental music during a talent show at the building?
Question: I know musical instruments are not to be used in the worship setting. But our leadership is too biblical at times. Some are so biblical that they rather call an event a Gospel meeting and not a revival. I know that we must obey those who rule over us, but you being a leader in the…
Read MoreShould the Lord’s Supper be passed forward from the back?
Question: I am concerned with the way our church serves communion. The elders decided to no longer place the communion plate on the table that says in Remembrance of Me and will pass it from the back of the church. First, they pass the contribution basket and then the wine and bread. It bothers me…
Read MoreAre you permanently defiled after fornication?
Question: Good day, I’m a 20-year-old female, and I’m a Christian. I got saved when I was around 13 years old but ever since then, I’ve never lived my life according to the principles of Christian. I started engaging in sexual immorality (masturbating and pornography) at an early age when I didn’t know what I…
Read MoreWhat do we do, now that a member has confessed to being a pedophile?
Question: A week ago a brother in Christ has confessed to his wife (our sister in Christ) that he’s been molesting several little kids. He came forward because he’s been caught. He repented in front of the church (not giving any details). He asked the congregation to pray for him regarding his sexual problems and…
Read MoreHow can I forgive my husband for his adultery?
Question: I have been married for almost 25 years and found out several weeks ago that my husband has had an affair. I knew something was wrong but was too blind to know what for the past two years and sought Christian counsel to help me. One person asked me if I thought he could…
Read MoreWho started the church in Rome?
Question: Hi Jeff, Got a quick question for you. Do we know who started up the congregation in Rome? Of course, we know that it wasn’t Paul from the way he words his epistle to them, but I wondered just who did or if we even know. Thanks. Answer: The quick answer is no; we…
Read MoreWhy does my wife despise me?
Question: I desperately need godly counsel concerning my marriage. Let me start out by setting up the scenario first. I met my wife at church when I was a teenager. We were friends for the first few years, then started dating, and then got engaged. She is the only woman I have ever dated or…
Read MoreShould we move near each other before getting married?
Question: Hello, I need some advice. You see, my girlfriend and I have been friends for a while. We prayed together and made sure we were the ones for each other before we did anything. Our relationship is definitely God-centered. It’s so amazing! But we are in a long-distance relationship. I live in a different…
Read MoreHow can I get faith?
Question: I really need some advice. You see, I’ve tried to follow the path of Christ so many times I don’t even think I can count. I have never been baptized, but I want to. I’m just scared “what if I get baptized and I backslide?” I want to follow the path, but I just…
Read MoreCan a former murderer be forgiven and be able to work?
Question: Dear Minister, I committed murder at the age of 19 and spent the next 21 years in prison. I was released several years ago. I have been trying to figure out if I can truly be forgiven for the murder that I committed, and if so, just how do I get forgiven, and attempt…
Read MoreThe man I committed adultery with is trying to force me to marry him. What should I do?
Question: I have a child whom I had with a man to whom I am not married. Actually, I’m still married to another man whom I left because of physical, and mental, and emotional abuse. My child’s father has since been confirmed to the Catholic church. He calls our child a bad word for illegitimate.…
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