The Age of Accountability

by Brent Hunter Introduction This is a controversial subject because the Bible does not specify an age at which one becomes accountable for his sins. So in one sense, there is no specific “age of accountability.” The age of accountability varies from person to person, depending on what they have been taught, the development of…

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Go Away for Now

by Terry Wane Benton Felix trembled at Paul’s word regarding righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come (Acts 24:25). His best chance at salvation was right then, but he knew he would have to change, and right then was not a good time to change, he thought. Eternity was hanging by a thread. He said…

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Coercive Christianity

by Doy Moyer Christians desire to see people do what is right. We look at a society that has lost its way and wonder, with echoes of Habakkuk, how long this will continue before God acts in righteous judgment. We want to see people come to Jesus and submit to His will. Yet if we…

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Not What We Were, But What We Become

by David Gibson He lied—repeatedly (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-13). Yet we remember Abraham as the man of great faith, the friend of God (Romans 4:18-22; James 2:23). It was Abraham’s great-grandson Judah who persuaded his brothers to sell their despised brother Joseph as a slave (Genesis 39:26-27), but 22 years later Judah proved himself to be…

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Being Crucified with Christ

by Terry Wane Benton Formerly, Paul was an enemy of Christ and made it his mission to stomp out His church if possible. He thought he was doing God service as he searched to persecute and kill Christians, those Paul sincerely thought were heretics of the Jews’ religion. According to the law of Moses, those…

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Vessels for God’s Glory: A Conversion Story

by Charles N. Spence, Jr. via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 3, September 30, 1990 I’ll never forget the first sermon I preached: “Jesus Is Love,” just before I was ordained a Methodist preacher in the AME Zion Conference. I never imagined that the thoughts expressed in that lesson would become an important reality in my…

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Changing Clothes

by Perry Hall Notice how Colossians 2-4 has many parallel thoughts to Zechariah 3. Satan Accuses Joshua “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him” (Zechariah 3:1). Colossians 2:14 mentions a certificate of debt caused by our failure to…

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Changed by God

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Changed-by-God.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio

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Was I truly born again?

Question: Hello, I had a question regarding baptism. I was baptized a few years ago when I was around 20 years old; however, I struggled with sexual immorality and lust with my girlfriend for a long time. Eventually, we got married. After this, I started to think baptism wasn’t necessary for the forgiveness of sins,…

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Evangelism, Converts, and Bearing Fruit

by Andy Sochor “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who…

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Becoming and Doing

by David Gibson Why are we here in this world? To have a good time? To earn a living? To accumulate wealth? To make a name for ourselves? Unless we clearly understand our purpose, we’ll be sure to take a wrong turn and miss the whole point of living, as so many people do, which…

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Soul-Deep Conversion

by David Gibson When the man behind the counter saw the badly worn shoes I had brought in for repair, he told me they were too far gone to fix. I then took them down the street to another shop. The man there didn’t say anything about how bad they looked. He just fixed them.…

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Lessons from Saul’s Conversion

by Terry Wane Benton Saul would become the saved apostle Paul, and his conversion from being totally against Jesus and his disciples to becoming a disciple of Jesus, from being a persecutor to being persecuted, is a remarkable account of what is involved in the process of conversion to Christ. Read Acts 9 and then…

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How Did I Get Here or Why Do I Think That?

by Hugh DeLong Maybe I am obsessed, at least a bit, with knowing why I think what I think. It is easy to picture that I came into this world as a blank Etch-N-Sketch, but a world where I controlled all the buttons. Yet, from the beginning, other people have been pushing my buttons! So…

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Why the Change?

When the gospel was preached at Corinth, those who were fornicators, adulterers, and homosexuals stopped practicing those sins. “Such were some of you” (I Corinthians 6:8-11). Did the preachers actually preach against those lifestyle choices? Did no one worry that this kind of preaching was not politically correct? Are people being convicted of sin in…

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The New Creature

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/The-New-Creature.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Clean-Hands-and-a-Pure-Heart.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 24   I.         People want to get to heaven, but it seems many don’t want to put much effort into getting there.             A.        Jesus warned – Luke 13:3             B.        The example of the Jews should be enough – I Corinthians 10:1-12                         1.         They were God’s chosen people, but they didn’t make it.…

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Forgetting the Past

by Jefferson David Tant “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). “Therefore if…

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Why Did the Adulterers and Homosexuals at Corinth Change?

by Terry Wane Benton Paul mentions a list of sins which included thieves, drunkards, adulterers, and homosexuals (I Corinthians 6:8-10) and said, “such were some of you”. They were washed from such sins, justified, and sanctified. What was the motivation that moved them to change? They did not argue that they were born this way…

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How do I convert my Hindu girlfriend?

Question: Hello sir, I have this question — it is more like a problem. I started dating this girl, but she’s of a different religion (Hindu). I am a Christian. I like this girl. What should I do? How do I convert her to Christianity? Please respond to me. Answer: Teaching anyone to become a…

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God doesn’t want you to change

Question: It’s not about wearing clothes its about doing everything in society so that you match your body in human form. God doesn’t care if you wear clothes or what clothes. He just wants you to be you. Don’t ever change. Just be yourself. Thanks for trying. Just so much wrong out there. Find your…

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Should you baptize someone who doesn’t plan to be a member of the church?

Question: I read Baptized but Not Converted on your site, but I have a more specific question. After a long study with some ladies, they all came to the conclusion that baptism was essential for salvation. One of the ladies, right before she was baptized, indicated that she wouldn’t be attending services. Should she have been…

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Rock Star

by Zeke Flores When I was a late teenager I had dreams of becoming a rough and rowdy rock star. I’d hit it big then flame out like the shooting star in Bad Company’s song “Shooting Star.” I hated the thought of waking up in mid-life wondering what I did with my life. Better to…

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Renewed

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Renewed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-11   I.         At times we stop and sigh. Wouldn’t it be nice to return to the days of childhood, when we didn’t have a care in the world? When we were ignorant of all the problems in the world and unacquainted with sin? – Matthew 18:3             A.        In our…

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Seeking the Things Above

Seeking the Things Above (Part 1)Seeking the Things Above (Part 2) by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-4   I.         So often we focus on winning souls for Christ that we lose sight that conversion is not the goal but the first step in a life long process of change – Colossians 2:6-7             A.        To stay with…

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Your Wreckage Can be Repaired!

by Gary Henry “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (I Timothy 1:15-16). Under the influence…

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Restoration

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Restoration.mp3 by Wayne Fancher I. Restoration of Purpose, Zeal, and Love John 21:1-9 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in, Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His…

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The Conversion of Saul

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ConversionOfSaul.mp3 by Jeff Hamilton Text: I Timothy 1:12-17   I.         The path that Saul took from Judaism to Christianity can teach us a lot about what it takes to become a Christian             A.        It is a lesson that many need to learn by people caught up in denominational teachings.             B.        We will look at the events that happened…

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Rash Decisions

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Rash-Decisions.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 19:23-41   I.         Our text illustrates the making of a riot             A.        Certain men feared that Christianity would impact their income. – Acts 19:24-27                         1.         They stirred up the masses with fear of lost income and fear of a lost way of life.                         2.         The fear spread through the city, even when…

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Notes on Examples of Conversion

Where Hear Believe Repent Confess Be Baptized Result At Pentecost Acts 2:14-41 Acts 2:38 Acts 2:38, 41 Forgiveness of sins Acts 2:38 Added Acts 2:41 Acts 3:12-26; 4:2,4 Acts 4:4 Increase in number Acts 5:14 Added to number Acts 5:42 Increasing in number Samaria Acts 8:4-8, 12 Acts 8:12-13 Acts 8:12-13 Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8:30-35…

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Baptized but Not Converted

by Fred Shewmaker Years ago in a home Bible study, the couple with whom we were studying complained that the words I was using were too big. Being somewhat inexperienced in home Bible studies, I was surprised by their complaint. The words about which they were complaining were all words found in the Bible. I…

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Jehu’s Reformations

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/JehusReformations.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 12:25-33 I.         After the northern tribes separated from Judah, the kingdom they established was never ruled by a good king.             A.        The very first king, Jeroboam, sought to stabilize his country by establishing his own religion – I Kings 12:25-33                         1.         He feared defection if the people crossed into Judah…

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Is it a sin to leave the church you were born into?

Question: I’m currently a member of the old-order Mennonite Church. I have come to the conclusion recently, upon studying the Bible, that Jesus has asked everyone to be of one mind and there be no divisions at numerous places in his word. I want to leave this group, but they say leaving a church that…

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Just as I Am

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/JustAsIAm.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 51 I.         “Just as I am! Without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me, and that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, Oh Lamb of God, I come! I come!”             A.        When each of us come to Christ, we have no argument to offer that we deserve…

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