loyalty – La Vista Church of Christ

Loyalty to God

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:28:10 +0000

by Zeke Flores

"You shall follow Yahweh your God and fear Him, and you shall keep His commandments" (Deuteronomy 13:4).

Deuteronomy 13 addresses loyalty to God directly. The context is about false voices, even familiar ones, pulling people away from God.

The chapter is blunt because the danger is real. Israel wasn’t threatened only by armies. They were threatened by influence. A persuasive friend, a charismatic leader, or a compelling idea could shift their allegiance. Moses wants them to evaluate every voice by one standard: Does it lead you toward God or away from Him?

We face the same dynamic. Not in the same cultural form, but in the same pattern. Ideas, voices, and influences compete for our attention. Deuteronomy 13 pushes us to be honest about what shapes us. If something consistently pulls you away from obedience, don’t treat it lightly.

Following God requires clarity about who you listen to. Moses’ instruction is simple: Test every influence by its direction.

When the Bible Makes Us Squirm

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 03:14:58 +0000

by Zeke Flores

Sometimes, the Bible makes us squirm. It can make us uncomfortable when God uses such highly sexualized language to describe His people’s unfaithfulness as He does in Ezekiel 23. I assume that’s because it’s supposed to make us uncomfortable.

When God’s people, whether His Old Covenant tribes or His New Covenant saints, turn away from serving Him loyally and wholeheartedly, it’s just like a woman who turns away from her husband to pursue illicit lovers. And, like most who are caught up in immoral affairs, that activity can turn around and bite them.

Though we often think we “can handle it,” there is nothing good about flirting with sin. It may be satisfying for a while, but what do you really have in the end? Emptiness, sorrow, and condemnation, that’s what.

For those who walk away from God to dally with the pleasures of this world, your “love” will be short-lived. In the end, your pleasures will carry you into a terrible eternity, and they won’t be able to comfort you then.

So turn, turn and live.

"Look! I am stirring up your lovers against you concerning whom you turned away, and I will bring them against you from all around ... and they will repay your obscene conduct upon you, and the guilt of your idols you will bear, and you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh" (Ezekiel 23:22,49 LEB).

Unity Among Brethren

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 21:08:52 +0000

by Sewell Hall
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014

Jesus prayed, "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us" (John 17:21). This prayer was not for unity among denominations, nor even for goodwill among congregations. It was for all individuals who believe in Jesus. Furthermore, it is not attained in some earthly organization or association but in God and Christ -- " In us." Jesus prayed. I am one with individuals who may never know of my existence if we are both in Christ. This unity depends on two things:

That we be one with God and Christ, and
2) that we not separate ourselves from others who are in Christ because of peculiar loyalties.

Teaching or Practice Contrary to the Teaching of Christ

We abide in Christ, the vine, as His word abides in us (John 15:3-8). However, "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God" (II John 9). When one leaves the doctrine of Christ he separates himself from Christ and those who abide in the doctrine. I must not "receive him into [my] house nor greet him" as a brother (II John 10). John describes such individuals: "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us" (I John 2:19).

Conflicting Loyalties

Among those who endeavor to "abide in the doctrine of Christ," conflicting loyalties can destroy unity. This was the problem in Corinth. Paul wrote, "Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas, or 'I am of Christ" (I Corinthians 1:12). Paul, Apollos and Cephas were good men with no desire to be the nucleus of a faction, yet factious people made this of them based on various prejudices and preferences.

If this was a problem in Corinth, it can surely be a problem for us. We can admire a certain preacher to the point that we judge anyone who does not share our admiration for him to be of questionable soundness. We can be so strongly supportive of a college that we view with suspicion anyone who does not attend that college or send their children there. We can be loyal to a particular religious paper to the point that we take as truth anything it teaches and question the faithfulness of anyone who does not take that paper or may read or write for another one (Loyalty to a particular paper in the 1950's determined the position that many took on controverted issues). We can even be so enthusiastic about the congregation we attend that we find fault in others just to try to improve our own reputation. We may also make the mistake that the Pharisees made when we elevate our human traditions (and every congregation has them) into a standard that every congregation or individual must respect to enjoy our approval.

Such attitudes are divisive and sinful and can cause us to be lost. Among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5: 19-21 are "factions, divisions, parties" (ASV). Like adultery, fornication, etc., such attitudes give pleasure to some people. They enjoy competition between us and them, especially when they can feel a sense of pride in the comparisons. They are ready to believe everything good about "us" and bad about "them."

This was the spirit shown by John when he complained to Jesus: "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us" (Luke 9:49). Elijah also suffered from such a spirit, exclaiming that of all the prophets of God, "I alone am left" (I Kings 19:10). Both these men were rebuked, Elijah being informed that God had "seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him" (I Kings 19:18). Doubtless there are seven thousand and many more faithful disciples of Christ who have never heard of the preachers I admire, the college I attended, the papers I read or the congregation I attend, yet they are one with me in God and Christ. Let me never disregard them simply because they do "not follow with us."

What Made Hezekiah Great?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 18:05:47 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/WhatMadeHezekiahGreat.mp3

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

Text: II Kings 18:1-6

I. Our reading tells us that Hezekiah was a great king of Israel.

A. There was no king like him before in Judah.

II. The question, though, is what made Hezekiah great?

A. It wasn’t his father, Ahaz

1. Ahaz was a wicked man - II Kings 16:2-4

2. Later we read how he took money from the temple in order to make tribute payments to king of Assyria.

3. While there he became enraptured with the design of an altar he saw in Damascus and he had one built when he returned and ordered the priests to use the new altar instead of the old one.

4. As money became short, he “borrowed” portions of the temple to make payments to Assyria.

5. Despite such a wicked father, Hezekiah was not like him.

6. Sins of the father are not passed on to the children - Ezekiel 18:4, 14-17

B. It wasn’t his son, Manasseh

1. II Kings 21:1-9 - Manasseh undid all the reforms of his father and encouraged Israel to more onto even greater sins.

2. Hezekiah was a great man, but perhaps because Manasseh was so young when Hezekiah died, he did not learn to follow God.

3. Just as children are not responsible for their parents’ sins, parents are not responsible for their children’s sins - Ezekiel 18:20

4. Parents are required to raise their children properly, but in the end, each bears the burden of his own choice - Ephesians 6:4; Galatians 6:4-5

C. It wasn’t his age

1. He was 25 at the start of his reign and he reigned 29 years. In other words, he was only 54 when he died.

a. When God first told him to get ready to die, he was only 39! Perhaps now you see why Hezekiah was upset.

2. Many here would think that 54 was quite young, but think of all that he had accomplished in his short life.

a. Most of his great deeds were done before his illness at 39.

III. Hezekiah was great because

A. He did right in the sight of God

1. He aimed to please God and not man

a. Galatians 1:10 - Not men pleasers

b. Acts 5:29 - We must obey God

2. He was a man of action. He actually did something.

a. In the very first month of his reign - II Chronicles 29:3

b. Far too many say they know what they ought to do, but they never move! - James 4:17

c. Be doers of the word - James 1:22-25

B. He trusted God

1. You can see the strength of his trust - II Chronicles 32:7-8

2. Such trust brings stability, not just to him, but also to his nation - Jeremiah 17:7-8

3. Trust is just another word for faith. He believed God, as should we all - Hebrews 11:6

4. Without trust in God, a person rebels - Hebrews 3:7-19

C. He was loyal and uncompromising

1. Deuteronomy 10:20 - Our respect for God makes us rely on him

2. It is what all Christians are encouraged to do - Acts 11:23

3. It doesn’t happen accidently, there is a resolution in the heart, a purpose and goal to one’s life - II Timothy 3:10-15

a. It is knowing where he wanted to go and why that gave Paul the drive to overcome hardships

b. You don’t coast into heaven anymore than a runner can meander to the finish line - I Corinthians 9:24-27

c. I fear more Christians will miss their chance for heaven because it was not the purpose to their lives - Hebrews 6:11-12

D. He kept God’s commandments

1. So many talk about loving Jesus, but they willingly disobey - John 14:15

2. They think that God’s love will overcome their shortfalls, even the ones they purposely do - John 15:10

3. The evidence of God’s love for us is the commandments He requires of us to kept - I John 5:2-3

4. It is the danger of the lie that a child of God cannot lose his salvation - I John 2:3-6

IV. You know, what made Hezekiah great is something that is within the reach of everyone here.

A. God doesn’t require you to climb Mt. Everest or swim the English Channel.

B. He requires faith, He requires loyalty, He requires obedience

C. Will you obey God this day?

Dying for Jesus

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 22:55:39 +0000

by Matthew W. Bassford

These days, it seems like people in our country are increasingly being led astray by a godless, secular mindset. This worldview has a lot of superficial appeal. After all, if there is no God, you don't have to submit to anybody. You can do whatever you want with whomever you want. The world is your oyster!

However, this apparent freedom comes at a steep cost. The unrestrained life is also a meaningless life because pleasure is ultimately empty. Even the goals and ideals of the worldly are unable to provide meaning.

This is most obvious in their failure to address life's most consequential events. What, for instance, is marriage to the irreligious? It does not consecrate a relationship that otherwise would be sinful. At most, it offers a tax break.

The problem is even worse when it comes to death. If a life without God is meaningless, death is the ultimate in meaninglessness. It is the squashing of the human cockroach beneath the boot of the random universe.

Outside of edge cases, like dying for one's country, no earthly philosophy can mitigate the horror of this fate. Take, for instance, sexual autonomy, which is the great secular religion of our day. You can spend your life promoting LGBTQ causes. You can celebrate Pride Month with the fervor of a medieval Catholic celebrating Christmas.

However, sexual autonomy offers no way to engage with death. When you get that terminal diagnosis, it marks an end to your promoting and celebrating. You can't advance the cause by dying. Your philosophy gives you no hope. Everything for which you have lived will perish with you.

Things are utterly different for the Christian. Worldly ideologies crumple in the face of suffering and death. However, the suffering and death of Christ is the central event of our religion. Indeed, we view discipleship as a continual dying to self. In our hymns, we regularly anticipate our coming deaths.

Consequently, it is in the presence of suffering and death that Christianity is most powerful. They cannot overwhelm the meaning of our existence. Rather, our faith endows even death with extraordinary meaning and significance.

Consider, for instance, the language of John 21:19. Jesus has just finished predicting that Peter would be arrested and executed by the enemies of the gospel. John comments that Jesus said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. He does not say that Jesus said this to indicate that Peter’s death would glorify God.

The distinction is subtle but profound. Peter will die a martyr’s death, but he does not have to die a martyr’s death for his death to be God-glorifying. Rather, any death that Peter dies will glorify God, provided that Peter remains faithful.

What is true for Peter is true for any Christian, and it gives me great purpose now that I have received my terminal diagnosis. I will surely die, just as Peter surely would, but if I am steadfast, my death will glorify God as his death did.

Thanks to the public nature of my illness, I have received innumerable cards and expressions of support from my brethren. Among those that I most treasure are the ones that come from relatives of Christians who already have died from ALS. These relatives describe how their loved one remained cheerful and kind in the face of despair, how they shone with the light of faith, and how they encouraged others to follow after them.

These are deaths that glorify God. I can give no higher praise.

As I am dying, I strive to do the same. I seek to bless, encourage, and inspire. I exalt the One who is giving me the hope of eternal life, and I urge others to come to Him too. Death can bring my body low, but my faith and my Lord are greater than it is. Death is vast and unconquerable when compared to any earthly ideal, but next to Christ it is nothing. Even as my flesh fails, I regard it with contempt.

Do this also. When your time comes and you die, die so as to glorify God. Whether you die as a martyr before thousands of scoffing pagans in the Colosseum or in front of a few family and friends, glorify God in your death. It will be the last earthly service that you can offer Him. It may be the greatest.

How do I attend services when my atheist father threatens to kick me out of the house?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 15:19:29 +0000

Question:

Hello,

I became a Christian a year and a half ago. I am an 18-year-old male high school senior. I have a father who is an extremely stubborn atheist. He lived most of his life in Iran (and so did I) which is an Islamic theocracy and my father has come to hate all religions as a result of his experience there. Iran expects 99.5% of its population to be Muslim and does not allow anyone to change their religion. Converting away from Islam is inarguably the greatest and most serious crime any Iranian can commit, and they will certainly face death for it and have all of their assets taken away if they are doing it in a foreign country.

We have been living in the United States for over five years. My father has not allowed me to attend church for all of this time. He makes the excuse that if I go to church, an Iranian spy will see me or the word will spread that I have converted and then my dad will lose all of his assets and real estate in Iran. (All of this is nonsense in my opinion. What Iranian spy would be in a random church in the middle of nowhere?) My father worked very hard for decades to have a good paying job and build wealth. I believe that this is his excuse for not letting me go to church since he has deep scorn for all religious people and simply wants to keep me out of church so that I will eventually fall away.

For about a month and a half, I told him every Sunday that I’m going to take a walk. Then I took a walk for about five minutes and then was picked up by church members and attended services. At some point, he found out and got extremely angry. This happened a year ago.

I am conflicted between Hebrews 10:25 and Ephesians 6:1. Acts 5:29 gives a general principle of obeying God rather than men when the two conflict but I’m not sure if that’s what I’m supposed to be doing here. I have no idea what my dad might do to me if I attend weekly worship. If he kicks me out of the house I have no way of supporting myself financially. I apologize for all of the text but this situation cannot be oversimplified. Please tell me your thoughts as to what is the Biblical thing to do in this situation and any other comments you would like to make. I cannot get rid of the feeling of despair, terror, and hopelessness that overwhelms me every time I talk to my father about this subject and the conversation ends by him yelling so loud that people in India can hear him.

Answer:

Many people miss that Ephesians 6 is qualified. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1). If your parents tell you to steal, the correct response is to disobey the order because it violates what God commands.

I have known a number of young people in your situation who chose to do what God said. One young man was kicked out of his home at the age of 14 for becoming a Christian. One of the elders took him in and he became an outstanding Christian. Another left home because his mother refused to allow him to become a Christian. He moved to another state where Christians took him in for a short while he got a job and earned enough to buy his own car and rent his own apartment.

What I would suggest is that you talk to the members at the church you are attending and tell them about your situation and your fears. Hopefully, one or more of them will be willing to take you in if the worse happens. Meanwhile, quietly continue to serve the Lord. If you can, get a part-time job and save up an emergency fund.

At the age of 18, you are technically an adult in most states. If you get kicked out, you can start working full-time and rent your own place. If you want to attend college, start applying for as many scholarships as you can. Hopefully, you can get a full ride through college. You may have to continue working part-time or full-time while in college to support yourself. It may mean you won't have a social life for several years, but the hardships will be temporary.

But what I suspect (and hope) is that your dad is all talk and no action. He may yell, but as long as he doesn't become violent, you can tolerate it for a few more months. You are correct that his talk about Iranian spies is simply a way to play on your fears so you will do as he says.

Twisted up by Evil People

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:59:45 +0000

by Matthew W. Bassford

When we read the Bible, we learn about some people we simply have to feel sorry for. Hosea has to marry a prostitute. Jeremiah has to faithfully proclaim God’s message to a wicked nation that doesn’t want to hear it and will kill him for saying it. And so on.

On the list, though, we must include Saul’s son Jonathan. From beginning to end of his life, he seems like a high-character guy. The major sins that mar the reigns of Saul and even David are absent from his life.

However, he’s got one serious problem, and it’s his father. The story of Saul’s reign is his descent into bloody-minded paranoia, and Jonathan is one of those who suffers the most from it. In I Samuel 19:2, Jonathan has to betray his father’s confidence to save an innocent man’s life. In I Samuel 20:2, Saul hides further murderous intent from him so that he looks like a fool in front of David. In I Samuel 20:30-31, he is publicly humiliated for protecting David because he is guiltless. In I Samuel 31:2, he dies because of Saul’s sin.

To anyone who has had to put up with a family member, friend, or brother in Christ whose heart has been corrupted, this pattern of suffering will seem all too familiar. If we are in a position where we have to take our cues from an evil person, they will often twist us up like Saul twisted Jonathan up.

People like this will deceive us so that what we believe doesn’t line up with reality. They will antagonize somebody who is guiltless and demand that we take their side as proof of our loyalty to them. They will have no scruples about belittling us in front of others. They will betray our trust to do what they want to do, regardless of the effect on us.

The problems with this kind of behavior are obvious from a distance or in retrospect. However, when we’re in the middle of the situation, we often won’t see what is happening. Our love for somebody who is proving unworthy of it will blind us to the evil that they are doing. Rather than being disgusted by their wickedness, we’ll be confused by it. We will often begin to believe (indeed, they will often work to make us believe) that the problems lie with us and not them.

Loyalty is a wonderful virtue, but wisdom is too. We have to be willing to see the truth about those around us, even when that truth isn’t something that we want to believe. Otherwise, the more twisted up we become, the more we will lose touch with reality and who we are. We may well be led into sin ourselves. Psalms 15:2 emphasizes the importance of speaking truth in our hearts, and we must have the strength to do this even when the truth does not flatter someone whom we love.

The Difference Between a Man and a Dog

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:17:32 +0000

by Jeffery Kingry
Sentry Magazine, June 2000

Mark Twain once quipped, "If you find a shivering, starving dog, take him home to your hearth and make him prosperous, he will not bite you if you attempt to pick him up. This is the main difference between a man and a dog. "

Photo by Jordan Koons on Unsplash

Nothing hurts quite as much as a bite from a friend. One whom we trusted to "be there" in time of trouble, standing by to help. instead joins the enemy and attacks us in word and deed. God knows what that is like, "Even my close friend, in whom trusted. who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (Psalms 41:9). Indeed, we "crucify him afresh" upon the cross (Hebrews 6:6) when we sin. Yes, God knows the sick feeling of betrayal by those He thought better of.

Sometimes I get tired and discouraged. Unlike some among my brethren, I do not believe that to be a sinful state. Jesus was "a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). Life is a lot like licking honey off a thorn, not as easy as we might wish it to be. However, "joy comes with the morning" (Psalms 30:5). No night of struggle with our demons of depression is an ultimate match for the hope of faith ... if we can just survive till morning. However, the hardest burdens to bear are those which fall upon us when we are least able to bear them -- when we are weakest, most downtrodden.

"Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, 'I will never be moved'"(Psalms 30:7). God knows how it is with men, that "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak ..." (Mark 14:38)? It is easy enough "in time of prosperity" to declare, "Not me, Lord! Even though the others may fall away I will not!... Even if I have to die, I will never forsake you" (Mark 14:29-31)! But good intentions and fervor in good times do not prepare us the Gethsemane or Golgotha. The Lord knows this.

Depression hurts. When you know you cannot depend upon your friends, that your brethren will most certainly let you down, that good people sleep on, ignorant of your pain, distracted by their own concerns while you agonize, the pain is real and intense. "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch with me" (Mark 14:34).

We expect friends, when we have made a mess of things, not to discard us as though we had done a permanent job of it. A true friend feels what we feel. A friend will see us through when others think we are through. He understands even if he might not approve, for he has gone through the same process. The Lord knows this. "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

"Being partakers of the divine nature" (II Peter 1:4) means more than merely having our doctrines straight. It is understanding - not a state achieved once by the intellect as one might come to realize a truth -- but a process (II Peter 1:5-8); a process of growth developed only by years of living by faith (I Peter 1:5).

God wants us to understand what it is like being God. He wants us to drink of His cup, and endure the immersion in suffering that He has endured (Matthew 20:22; Mark 10:38). The servant is not greater than the master. If Jesus learned obedience through the things which he suffered, shall we be exempt (Hebrews 5:8)? Do we wish to be treated as true sons and daughters of God. or bastards (Hebrews 12:8)?

The understanding found through endurance does not make the pain of betrayal and rejection go away. The lesson of the brass serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14; Numbers 21:9) is that the cure does not stop the pain, it just keeps the painful evil bite from being fatal.

No, we can count on a dog to be uncritically loyal and faithful. That is why he is called "Man's Best Friend." That is the major difference between a man and a dog.

My King

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 00:36:40 +0000

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/My-King.mp3

by Raymond Warfel

Our Allegiance

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 15:55:15 +0000

by Doy Moyer

Arrogance and haughtiness do not appeal to God’s people. Rather, humility and love do, for this is what characterizes our Lord; this is the way of the cross. We must not applaud the conceit and selfish ambition of those in powerful positions lest we find ourselves bowing to the idols that are the fruit of such arrogance and power.

When Daniel came face to face with the arrogance and power of Nebuchadnezzar, he was respectful, but he declared the truth that there was a kingdom much greater than anything Nebuchadnezzar could imagine. When Daniel’s three friends faced the idol that came from Nebuchadnezzar’s selfish ambition, they would not bow down. They chose the path of ridicule and suffering over the ease of kowtowing to the one who thought of himself as the greatest ruler ever. Only God would exalt the humble.

Daniel Interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Daniel 4

It doesn’t matter how much Nebuchadnezzar did for Babylon: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” Babylon may have “great,” and Nebuchadnezzar may have been powerful, but his arrogance brought him down and marked him as God’s enemy. He was still accountable to the God of gods, and he had to be brought low to recognize this. It has ever been so.

Christians are never to lend support to evil, and they are not puppets for the arrogant and powerful. The conceited rulers, no matter what they accomplish, are still enemies of the cross of Christ—and this contrast is vital to understand for Christians trying to maneuver through a fallen world. For these enemies,

“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:19-21).

Never lose sight of our ultimate allegiance.