Complaints About God’s People

by Doy Moyer I grew up in California. I have worked and lived in several states across the U.S. over several decades. And I have found this consistent pattern: Christians are good people. They are loving, giving, and striving to do what is right. None that I know claim perfection. But they want to please…

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Grumbling

by Matthew W. Bassford We don’t often think of it this way, but one of the most significant moments in the Pentateuch occurs in Exodus 16:2. By this point in time, the Israelites have seen one of the most impressive displays of God’s power in the entire Bible. He rescued them from Egypt, brought them…

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Without Grumbling or Disputing

by Matthew W. Bassford The military theorist Carl von Clausewitz once said, “Everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.” The same is true of Christianity. Most of the time, we don’t struggle with the knowing, but with the doing. Philippians 2:14 is a prime example of this unpleasant truth. “Do…

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Masks, Vaccines, and the Bible

by Matthew W. Bassford The following restates the biblical principles that should govern our speech and behavior when it comes to masks, vaccines, and discussion of the same. In areas where we are given liberty by man and God, we must respect the liberty of others. We must not judge or show contempt toward those…

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A Social Media Warning from the Psalms

by Edwin Crozier I am not trying to establish a legalistic rule here. Rather, I want to caution you to think a little more deeply and thoroughly before you post. “If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ I would have betrayed the generation of your children” -Asaph, Psalm 73:15. Asaph recognizes the dangers of…

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Pining for the Past

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/PiningForThePast.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Numbers 13:32-14:4   I.         People are known for their selective memories             A.        Some wrap themselves up in the horrors of their youth, blaming every misfortune on what had happened to them in the past.             B.        More common though are the people who remember the good things that happen and suppress the bad…

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My wife is always complaining. How can I help her?

Question: Hello! I am coming here with a question in regards to my marriage. My wife and I are newlyweds, just a few months into our marriage. However, at the moment things seem to be flipping upside down! My wife is a severely depressed person, and, as a result, we are fighting a lot. I…

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My problem is that I grumble too much at work. What should I do?

Question: Sir, I have been looking through the previous answers on public sin. But I could not find anything that was quite like my question. This is the best website I have found and I think it has helped me a ton. I think my biggest problem is when at work, usually, I will talk…

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I just can’t take it anymore

Question: My husband and I are both in the church of Christ.  I have been emotionally and financially abused for almost thirty years.  My two sisters gave up on trying to be there for me, although when I could I was there for them in every way no matter how long it took.  I have…

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The Change Starts With Me

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ChangeStartsWithMe.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 64   I.         I was reading the notes that come through a subscription list to which I belong. A list is a method for having a group discussion on a particular topic. It is similar to listening in on the conversation in a room, putting in your own two-cents…

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Let me give you a real story of the problems I see

Question: Three members of a church of Christ have been shunning two others for two years for reasons unknown. One member spreads unfounded gossip about another woman using vile language. She later asked for forgiveness but never apologized. Some members lack the courtesy to say, “Good morning,” nine out of ten times. The minister, a…

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How do you handle a complainer?

Question: There is a preacher I have known for at least 20 years. At one time he lived a few hours from where I was and when he started feeling down his wife would talk him into coming and paying my wife and me a visit because she felt that I could get him to…

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Stop Complaining

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/2008Spring3StopComplaining.mp3 by Whit Sasser Lessons in Christianity

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Ten Rules for Improving the Church

I.         The bookstore shelves groan under the weight of “self-help” books. The kind that tell you how to improve various aspects of your life.             A.        I would like to offer a different type of self-help: a way you can improve the church — all by yourself!             B.        It sounds like a tall order, but it is not.                         1.         Each…

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My seven-year-old complains every time he has to do something

Question: I am once again in need of advice from those of you that have been at this longer than I.  I am having a problem with my 7-year-old son.  He is completing his chores and his schoolwork, but I am troubled by his attitude.  I feel like I have to push him through his…

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Horns of Destruction

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Zechariah 1:18-21   I.         Zechariah, at the end of Judah’s captivity, was given a vision of four horns             A.        Horns are used symbolically to represent power.                         1.         In particular, the horns represented the power of the nations around Judah (see verse 21)                         2.         II Kings 18:11-12 – Assyria pulled away the northern tribes                         3.         II…

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