Posts Tagged ‘authority’
The Sponsoring Church Arrangement: What Was the Issue?
by Bill Hall I can’t say enough about the encouragement it is to me to see your continued interest in this effort that we’re putting forth. Your willingness to come and study with us — it means so much to me. When this was planned, I thought we could educate those who come as to…
Read MoreChurch-Supported Orphans’ Homes: What Was the Issue?
by Bill Hall It was a difficult time. I don’t know that I could in any way picture for you if you didn’t live then, just how difficult that time was. Back somewhere in the mid-50s, in the pages of the Gospel Advocate, a quarantine was called for against all those who preached the gospel…
Read MoreKitchens and Fellowship Halls: What Was the Issue?
by Bill Hall I don’t know how to thank you enough for the opportunity to come and deliver these lessons on these Sunday afternoons. It has been a very challenging experience for me, and I hope the lessons have been challenging for you. To see the number of people who have come each Sunday…
Read MoreScriptural Silence and the Burden of Proof
by Matthew W. Bassford In my life, I’ve had training in logic from two main sources: the church and my secular education. The further I progressed, the more I realized that the same principles were taught in both settings. I used the same canons of logic in formal debate and law school that I saw…
Read MoreCan the role of women change?
Question: I hear that women roles are changing within the group of churches as a whole. What are the roles women are permitted to do? In my congregation women now talk and teach, they read scripture, and pass communion trays. On the web, they are saying that women may do everything aside from preaching and…
Read MoreDid Jesus always have all authority?
Question: In Matthew’s 28:18, why was all authority given to Jesus? Did he not have all authority already? And in I Corinthians it says that He will give all authority back to his Father. Please explain this to me. Answer: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to…
Read MoreIs everything in the Bible applicable today?
Question: Would Jesus have advocated the disgusting torture that animals endure throughout their lives in present-day slaughterhouses? While you clearly say eating dead animals is okay by God and the Bible, the Bible also says slavery is fine and selling one’s daughter is okay. So, is absolutely everything in the Bible truly applicable to present-day…
Read MoreWhat’s Down that Road?
by Warren E. Berkley The most vital consideration for every human being and certainly every Christian is the allegiance of the heart and obedience of the life to God. While we must avoid the arrogance of self-righteousness and the bondage of human creeds and traditionalism, we must determine with all our hearts to never relax…
Read MoreHow to Become a Christian
by W. Frank Walton “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (II Corinthians 5:17). The Bible says salvation from sin is only in Christ (Acts 4:12). The most important commitment you’ll ever make is deciding to become a true Christian. What “steps”…
Read MoreThe original Lord’s Supper was observed at night and it wasn’t on Sunday
Question: The original Lord’s Supper was observed at nighttime (Matthew 26:31), and it was not observed on the first day of the week (Sunday), The practice of breaking bread was done on a daily basis from house to house, not on a weekly basis as in the churches of Christ. You find this information in Acts 2:46. And you’ll also…
Read More“It Is Written”: Reflections on Authority, CENI and Grace
by Doy Moyer Those claiming to be Christians will make the claim on the basis of what they believe the Scriptures teach. This is so, regardless of how far right or left on the spectrum of thought they find themselves. This is not to say that all interpretations are correct or that as long as…
Read MoreYour church uses a website and a Facebook page, so why can another church have a fellowship hall?
Question: I’m not even saying I want to have or like having a fellowship hall, but given your stance that the Bible does not specifically provide for it, why do you have a website and email for your church? Also, why do you have a Facebook page? Is not a Facebook page, if used the way…
Read MoreRespecting Silence
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/RespectingSilence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Mark 10:46-52 I. What do you do when witnesses to an event give two different sets of details? A. Matthew 28:1-7 mentions an angel rolling away the stone blocking the entrance and sitting upon the stone. The angel talks to the women when they get to the tomb. B. Mark 16:1-7…
Read MoreJesus’ Approach to Authority
by Terry W. Benton Here was Jesus’ approach to authority: The Son can do nothing of Himself (positive authority must allow the action). But what He sees the Father do (Divine precedent or example). The Father shows Him all things that He Himself does (John 5:19-20). Thus, Jesus placed a lot of emphasis upon example and the authority of…
Read MoreIf I disagree with a brother or a leader, am I being rebellious?
Question: If a brother gives me a challenge do I have to take that challenge? If I choose not to, am I being rebellious? Or what if I disagree with a leader? Answer: It probably depends on what the brother is challenging you to do, but the general answer is “no.” We help each other…
Read MoreWhat Would God Have Us Do?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WhatWouldGodHaveUsDo2.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Thessalonians 2:1-12 I. I was talking with a young man the other day. He wasn’t certain what God wanted him to do in regards to school and career. A. I finally realized that he wanted someone else (God) to make his decisions for him. 1. The idea that God left…
Read MoreThe Words in Red
by Terry Wayne Benton Some have the impression that if we believe the words in red (in red letter editions of the Bible) are more sacred and binding than the other words delivered by the other apostles of Jesus. This reasoning is terribly wrong. First, Matthew wrote over a decade after Jesus ascended to heaven…
Read More“May I?” or “Must I?”
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/MayIOrMustI.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 4:1-12 I. Romans 15:4 A. As we read through our Bibles, it doesn’t take long notice how differently the Old Law is presented in comparison to the New Law. 1. The Old Law contains many regulations that spell out, some times in detail, what a person could and could not do.…
Read MoreI don’t understand, our granddaughter is absolutely defiant of authority, even as a small child
Question: Hello, Thank you for the time you take to answer so many questions. My story is long and my questions are many being new to the church of Christ, so I will ask for insight into just one specific situation that is leaving my husband and me not really having accurate knowledge in this…
Read MoreWhen Are Biblical Examples Binding?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/WhenAreBiblicalExamplesBinding.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Thessalonians 3:1-18 I. At first glance, the question seems to be trivial A. But then do people think of Judas hanging himself? 1. Well, obviously examples of sin is not to be followed B. How about meeting in someone’s home as the disciples did? 1. There are people who believe that a church…
Read MoreLaw and Legalism
by H. E. Phillips via Guardian of Truth – January 6, 1994 Law is: “A general rule of action or conduct established or enforced by a sovereign authority; as, a law of Caesar; a law of God” (Webster’s Twentieth Century Dictionary, Unabridged). Webster says of legalism: “Close conformity to law.” Law and legalism are not the same.…
Read MoreBut It Is a Good Work!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2062/05/ButItIsAGoodWork.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 I. Periodically I’ll get irate notes from people who are upset that I talk about the teachings of the Salvation Army and point out that they don’t match the Scriptures A. Rarely does anyone say I’m mistaken about the teachings, rather they think it shouldn’t be an issue…
Read MoreThe Need for Book, Chapter, and Verse
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/NeedForBookChapterAndVerse.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Do we really need book, chapter, and verse? A. Frequently practices are justified by the absence of Scripture. “It doesn’t say not to.” B. The argument is taken so far as to say, “There is no book, chapter, and verse for having book, chapter, and verse.” C. The point of saying we need…
Read MoreUnless the Lord
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/UnlessTheLord.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MorePitch-Pipes and PowerPoint
by Bryan Hodge Members of the church of Christ have historically emphasized that the Bible teaches that we should have Biblical authority for what we do. God has required such. He did under the Old Covenant (e.g. Leviticus 10:1-2; I Samuel 13:9-14; II Chronicles 26:16-21). He does under the New Covenant (e.g. Acts 15:22-24; Colossians 3:17…
Read MoreA Fool’s Approach
by Gary P. Eubanks Two men are desperate to learn the answer to the same Bible question. Two men take Scripture and resort to the isolation of a park. Two men focus on particular but different texts. Two men begin a process that will take them far from the religious backgrounds in which they were…
Read MoreThe Apostles’ Creed
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ApostlesCreed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 17:11-23 I. Every once in a while someone will ask what is our statement of faith. A. Back when we were home schooling, we were wanting to get involved with a local group, but they wanted us to sign a statement of faith B. Another name for a statement of…
Read MoreMisquoting the Scriptures
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/MisquotingTheScriptures.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Timothy 2:14-19 I. Atheists will often use short quotes from the Bible to make it appear that the Bible is contradictory or teaches something that people would find repulsive A. But then, when you lift words from their context, you can make almost any point you want B. To be…
Read MoreAuthorized Aids
by Larry Ray Hafley The Bible does not state that Noah used hammers, saws, and axes in the construction of the ark. However, such instruments were authorized by the command, “Make thee an ark” (Genesis 6:14). Without the instruction to build the ark, the tools would have been unauthorized. The Bible does not mention church…
Read MoreDespising His Name
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DespisingHisName.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreIs one permitted to interpret God’s commandments to bolster one’s point of view?
Question: I came across your web site and find it interesting that We are not to add to or take away from God’s commandments. and God also sanctioned self-defense as we read of the young David slaying both lion and bear in defense of his flock in I Samuel 17. In verse 37 David said…
Read More“Where the Bible Speaks, We Speak – Where the Bible is Silent, We are Silent”
by Danny Brown The Preceptor – October 2006 This famous slogan, “Where the Bible speaks; we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent” was spoken by Thomas Campbell in August or September of 1809. It is implied by those who believe and accept the principles implied in the motto that they: Believe that…
Read MoreA Sound Mind in a Sound Body
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SoundMindInASoundBody.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 4:6-16 I. Back in the time of the early church, a Roman poet, Juvenal, stated “You should pray for a sound mind in a sound body.” A. The thought is clear. To have one without the other is far from an enjoyable life. B. But what is meant by…
Read MoreBy What Authority?
by Jefferson David Tant “When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me,…
Read MoreWhat is the proper thing to say as you are baptizing someone?
Question: Hi Jeff, I read an article that asks what does someone says before they baptize someone else. It almost answered my question but not completely. I have always been taught that it is not a proper baptism unless the proper things were said. After taking their confession and then preparing them for baptism, it…
Read MorePeter’s Vision and the Great Necessary Inferences
by Terry Wayne Benton Acts 10-11 Some brethren have erroneously concluded that direct command is the only way we can know the will of God for us. They attack or dismiss the idea of reasoning from statements, commands, examples, and drawing necessary inferences. But, I find it to be very obvious that God wants us…
Read MoreWhat Is “Lawlessness”?
by Jefferson David Tant In a well-known New Testament passage, Christ addresses a misconception that many had in that day, which is also held by many today. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Changes
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreWho Started The Argument From Silence?
by Paul Earnhart The students of John L. Girardeau, professor at Columbia Seminary, South Carolina in the 1880s, asked him to explain to them why he opposed the use of instrumental music in the worship of the Presbyterian churches. In response, he wrote a book that was published in Richmond, Virginia in 1888. It was…
Read MoreYou use the Internet, for which there is no approval, so I can use instrumental music in worship
Question: I have just read your article on music in church. In it you state “…we cannot assume approval for something when none is given.” How, then, can you use the Internet when obviously there is no approval to use it? Answer: The line of reasoning is invalid. Instead of addressing the issue raised, you are…
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