Posts Tagged ‘faith’
Lessons from the Mamertine Prison
by Jefferson David Tant Do you ever feel discouraged, defeated, alone, forsaken, or any other word used to describe one who is “down in the dumps?” I’m sure we have all been affected by one or more of these words in our lifetime. If you are fortunate to have escaped all these negative feelings, just…
Read MoreDisobedience and Unbelief
by Matthew W. Bassford The epistle to the Hebrews might be the most tightly reasoned book in the whole Bible. Sentence by sentence, clause by clause, the Hebrews writer constructs intricate arguments that establish the superiority of Christ over Moses and the folly of Christians returning to Judaism. The more closely we read Hebrews, the…
Read MoreWhat Faith Is
by Doy Moyer Faith is the demonstration of our conviction that we trust the reality of what we cannot see. That is not the same as saying there is no evidence. Trusting the reality of what we cannot see means only that our faith is not dependent on first-hand material observation. I accept historical testimony…
Read MoreHow Noah Was Saved
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/How-Noah-Was-Saved.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 3:18-22 I. In our reading, Peter draws on the account of Noah’s salvation to illustrate how the Christian is saved. A. Many people object to the straight forward reading of I Peter 3:21 because it stands contrary to what they have accepted. 1. To many people, baptism is simply…
Read MoreDavid – A Child’s Faith
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/David-A-Childs-Faith.mp3 by Ross Ward Text: I Samuel 17:32-37 David’s Faith David Overcame Vs. 33-35 – bear and lion 33 – a youth 34 – shepherding 34-35 – lion and bear take a lamb David caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him 37 – The Lord that delivered me… will deliver me…
Read MoreGenuine Faith
by Jefferson David Tant The topic of “faith” is often discussed and often misunderstood. Skeptics accuse Christians of having “blind faith,” or taking a “leap of faith,” meaning that there is no basis for what we believe. Thus our faith in God’s existence is no different than what I have encountered in South Africa, i.e.…
Read MoreDoubts
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Doubts.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 17:5-8 I. I had the opportunity to study with a member of the International Church of Christ. A. Many of their core beliefs are similar to our own, but they diverge from the plain teachings of the Scriptures in a number of significant ways. B. While researching their beliefs and…
Read MoreWhy do people feel God needs to tell them everything?
Question: Growing up in a Christian household my father was a preacher and my mother a Sunday school teacher, so they wasted no time at all getting me baptized. As such, I tend to have more Bible knowledge than my peers. Occasionally I would get asked questions that I myself don’t have the answers to…
Read MoreFaith Is Active
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, June 2000 “Faith is always active,” the speaker declared. “It is never passive, but always indicates a spirit of obedience,” he quickly added. He is not the only preacher I have heard who has said such a thing, nor will he be the last. There is something in the concept that…
Read MoreWeak in Faith vs. Weak in the Faith
by Fanning Yeater Tant Gospel Guardian, 24 September 1970 To be weak in faith is not the same as to be weak in the faith. There are two kinds of “weakness” involved, and they are to receive different treatment from those who are stable in Christ. The first kind of weakness is that which afflicted…
Read MoreI’m having doubts about my baptism
Question: Hello, I hope you are well. I have a question about baptism. When I was 13, I was baptized into Christ. However, I later realized I had only done it out of pressure. I was baptized into Christ when I was 19. Not long after, I began to have doubts as to if I…
Read MoreI Believe in God
by Jefferson David Tant Although our nation is declining in its religious values, many still believe in God. And if you ask the average person if they believe in God, they will probably give you an affirmative answer. In fact, in a pleasant conversation I was having with a woman who was serving me some…
Read MoreObedience to God
by Paul Southern via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 10, August 1952. The subject of obedience is an important theme that should engage the thought of every responsible person. Rebellion against constituted authority seems to be a trait inherent with mankind. On every hand, we witness infractions of constitutional, statutory, and social laws. Hence, it…
Read MoreRun Through the Rain
Author Unknown Oldest copy found was dated 2010 by Anonymous A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Walmart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a…
Read MoreTrusting in the Providence of God
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Trusting-in-the-Providence-of-God.mp3 by Alan Feaster
Read MoreIf You Want to Walk on Water, You Must Get Out of the Boat
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/If-You-Want-to-Walk-on-the-Water-You-must-Get-Out-of-the-Boat-1.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreMajesty! Worship His Majesty!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Majesty-Worship-His-Majesty.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreLord, Do You Not Care?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Lord-Do-You-Not-Care.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreThe Verse that Will Change Your Life
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-Verse-that-Will-Change-Your-Life.mp3 by Wilson Adams Faith Over Fear
Read MoreHow do I live by faith while providing for my family with my own job? Is there such a thing as a spiritual calling?
Question: Hello Jeffrey, I’m in need of advice and I’d like to ask a question. First, I want to know how I can live by faith, while at the same time providing for myself and my loved ones with my own job. One of the things that I’ve been struggling with is the temptation to…
Read MoreFive Stones in the Hands of a Boy
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Five-Stones-in-the-Hands-of-a-Boy.mp3 Text: I Corinthians 1:26-29 I. The armies of the Philistines and the Israelites faced each other across a valley – I Samuel 17:1-3 A. With both armies camped on mountains, it became a standoff. Whoever attacked the other would be at a disadvantage. B. Thus, the Philistines sent out their champion issue a challenge and break…
Read MoreFaith Over Fear
Lessons presented by Wilson Adams of Nashville, Tennessee September 27-30, 2020 The Verse That Will Change Your Life “Lord, Do You Not Care?” When This Journey Comes to an End … Majesty! Worship His Majesty! Pray BIG! If You Want to Walk on the Water -You Must Get Out of the Boat
Read MoreHow can I have faith when so many are leaving the faith?
Question: I am a long time reader of your site and a Bible believer for 10 years, I’m afraid I am coming to my second and perhaps final crossroad in faith. At age 19, I learned of the likes of Harris, Dawkins, and most importantly Hitchens after trying to liberalize my beliefs due to same-sex…
Read MoreAre We Trusting God or Testing God?
“Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike…
Read MoreTo Whom Shall We Go?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/To-Whom-Shall-We-Go.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 6:48-69 I. When Jesus feed the 5,000, his popularity was at an all time high A. Some of the people decided it was time to make Jesus their king – John 6:14-15 B. Jesus left because the people’s motivation was wrong. They were only thinking of the free food Jesus…
Read MoreFoundations of Apologetics
by Doy Moyer I have tried, for better or worse, to dedicate myself over the years to the foundations of what it means to defend the reason for our hope (I Peter 3:15). While the study of apologetics (the defense of the faith) has many layers and even more topics, here is, in my experience,…
Read MoreIf I pray but make preparations for my prayer not to be answered, is that a lack of faith?
Question: Hello, First off, I want to thank you, and those who assist you, for your awesome website and the question and answer section. It’s such a helpful resource for those who are studying God’s word and looking for guidance. I have a question: I am currently going through a situation that has the potential…
Read MoreGodly things don’t interest me
Question: Good morning, sir, Sir, now the things of God do not interest me. I have not really told anyone about Christ because when I tell them about Christ most of them agree to hand over their lives to Christ, but at the end, I realize that I am not happy. It seems like their…
Read MoreI Don’t Feel Forgiven
by Whit Sasser Everyone keeps telling you that you need to learn to forgive yourself; but the truth is, you need to learn to trust God. If God says you are forgiven, then you are forgiven. “But, I don’t feel like I am forgiven.” My friend, forgiveness is a promise of God, not a feeling of…
Read MoreHow can I overcome the fear of death?
Question: Hi Mr. Hamilton, Is there a way to become unafraid of death? I have been terrified of dying since I was very young and sometimes it consumes my thoughts. I fear the concept of being put in a box in the ground unable to move, think, feel or talk to anyone for who knows…
Read MoreDistinguishing Faith and Feelings
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/DistinguishingFaithAndFeelings.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 11:1-6 I. Many in the denominational world are told that faith is this feeling you have inside that you are doing what is right. A. Mormons in selling Mormonism will ask you to pray and that the Holy Spirit will give you a feeling inside regarding whether what they…
Read MoreHow could the Almighty God accept me?
Question: Mr. Jeffrey, I don’t admit this to many people, but I have an issue in my thinking when it comes to God. I have a fear that no matter what I do and no matter how I try to be righteous and help others get to heaven, that at Judgment Day God will hold…
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 MoreNotes 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…
Read MoreNotes on Things that Accompany Salvation
Hear Believe Repent Confess Be Baptized Obey Commanded Acts 16:31; Hebrews 11:6 Commanded Acts 2:38; 17:30; 26:20 Commanded Acts 10:48 Commanded Philippians 2:12 To come to God John 6:45 To please God Hebrews 11:6 To gain times of refreshing Acts 3:19 Brings joy in heaven Luke 15:7 To be confessed before God Matthew 10:32-33 To…
Read MoreHow could Cornelius be righteous if all of man’s righteousness are filthy rags before God?
Question: Hey Mr. Jeffrey, I’m having trouble in my understanding on a matter. In the book of Isaiah it seems to insinuate that a man’s righteousness is filthy rags before God, and Isaiah, a righteous prophet, felt unclean in the sight of Holy Yahweh; yet, the Bible also states we can please God with our…
Read MoreA Song of Faith
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SongOfFaith.mp3 Text: Psalm 23 I. The most famous psalm is a song about faith. A. It weaves in a few brief words the clear message of a special relationship between man and God B. It speaks of trust and security in good times and bad. II. Faith in Times of Quiet – Psalm 23:1-3 A. The Lord is my…
Read MoreO for a Faith Such as This!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/OForAFaithSuchAsThis.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 56 I. Read the song “O for a Faith That Will Not Shrink” by W. H. Bathhurst (#462) II. A faith without fear A. Most of our fears of our own imagination – Psalm 53:5 1. When our dreads are elusive, we make things up, and what we imagine is almost always…
Read MoreIs there a minimum level of faith needed to become a Christian?
Question: I have been a Christian for many years. When I was baptized I came up out of the water and began to doubt if I really believed in Christ. I was under much emotional stress at that time. I did not let this doubt stop me from worshiping, but I always seemed to feel…
Read MoreHow can we be confident that God will answer our prayers?
Question: Hello, I have a question regarding prayer, one which I have submitted to numerous places. I’ve tried to present it in the most concise and intellectually understandable language I can think of but have received in response almost an outright refusal to acknowledge what it is I am asking. Whether it is deliberate or…
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