The Earliest Manuscripts

by Ferrell Jenkins “In the original Greek, it says…” How many times have you heard that in a Bible class or sermon? The fact is, we have no originals (autograph copies) of any New Testament or Old Testament book. Textual critics, those scholars who work with the available materials to produce Hebrew and Greek texts,…

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God’s Existence Doesn’t Depend on Me

by Perry Hall In Megan Rappinoe’s last game, she injured herself by tearing her Achilles tendon. She is the women’s soccer team captain and outspoken advocate for LGBTQT+. She immediately said afterward, “I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a god, like, this is proof that there isn’t”. Let’s examine her…

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Examining Christianity

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Examining-Christianity.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 13:1-8   I.         Most religions in the world surround themselves in mysteries             A.        Followers are asked to accept things without full knowledge             B.        Only a select few are granted special insight             C.        But God’s teachings are not like these religions                         1.         God challenges us to reason about the evidence available – Isaiah…

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Why Doesn’t God Prove Himself?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Why-Doesnt-God-Prove-Himself.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 43:8-13   I.         “If God is real, why doesn’t He just give concrete evidence?”             A.        It is a question that preachers frequently run into.             B.        If I don’t personally see the evidence, then I don’t think adequate proof exists – John 20:25 II.        God has given evidence             A.        The Creation speaks of God’s…

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Evidence of the Resurrection

by Wayne Wells The Greatest Hoax or the Greatest Event? The resurrection of Jesus was either the greatest hoax of history or the greatest event ever.  How can we, living nearly two thousand years later, ever really know whether such an event took place?  The importance of finding the answer can be found in 1…

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The Witness

by Jefferson David Tant We are all familiar with the role witnesses fill in our lives. If we have a document that needs some verification, we go to a Notary Public and sign it, and then the notary places a seal on it as proof that the notary has been a witness to my signature.…

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Names Names Names (Ezra 2)

by Jarrod M. Jacobs Interspersed in the Bible are lists of names. Sometimes, these are genealogies of certain families (Genesis 5, 10, etc.). Often, these genealogies focus on Judah’s descendants leading to Christ (Ruth 4; Matthew 1; Luke 3). At other times, these names teach us about faith (Hebrews 11; Romans 16). There are also…

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A Pattern of Peace

by Doy Moyer John 20:18-21 shows an important pattern. Jesus was raised up from the grave and first appeared to Mary Magdalene then to the disciples (sans Thomas). Notice the pattern: Mary to the disciples: “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18). The disciples to Thomas: “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). Jesus offers…

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The Confirmation of Jesus Christ

by Jefferson David Tant The following is a presentation of the absolute evidence that confirms the true identity of Jesus Christ. There are those who admit that he was a great teacher, but that he was only one among others, such as Buddha, Mohammad, Vishnu, etc. But the evidence is overwhelming that he is who…

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The Bible – God’s Revelation

by Fanning Yater Tant “But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” These are the words of Solomon as found in Ecclesiastes 12:12. In his day the books were made and written only by hand. Hundreds of scribes would…

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