Posts Tagged ‘obedience’
Does God expect us to do our part?
Question: When Simon helps carries Jesus’ cross in Mark 15:21, does it have any special meaning? I remember a pastor talking about how Jesus told Christians to deny ourselves and take up our own cross (such as in Luke 9:23), but He could not carry His own cross. Simon had to carry it for Him.…
Read MoreFoundations
Foundations – Part 1Foundations – Part 2Foundations – Part 3Foundations – Part 4 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 61 I. When we are teaching others, it is important not to just address the issues raised, but to think about why a person has come to the wrong conclusions. A. When a person claims to be…
Read MoreIs Christianity Rules or a Relationship?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2016Summer3IsChristianityRulesOrARelationship.mp3 by Tommy Peeler God Has a Plan
Read MoreI don’t think my walk with God is going well
Question: Hi, I’m worried about my walk with God, and I don’t think it’s going well. I hardly read my Bible and I always forget to pray. When I do pray I’m worried God is not listening. I know He is, but I can’t shake this feeling. My question is: how can I make my…
Read MoreObeying God
by Dennis Stackhouse On one occasion King Saul had been given a direct command from God to utterly destroy Amalek, including men and women, children and infants, as well as all the livestock (I Samuel 15:3). However, Saul and the people spared Agag, the king of Amalek, along with the best of the sheep, the…
Read MoreWhy do I fail every time I try to serve God?
Question: Dear sir, I am writing from a very small city. I was first called by God on His mission, but I refused it due to my family’s financial situation. Now I am again starting His service, but I am not able to serve it fully. Satan always puts me in places where I always…
Read MoreHow can we not be saved by works, but must do the things God requires of us to be saved?
Question: Hi, I’ve studied some of your material and it is helping me understand better how to improve my relationship with God. I am unclear about three related issues. On the one hand, you say: We are not saved by the things that we do. [How can faith be combined with works?] Yet, on the other…
Read MoreAgainst the Odds
by Gary W. Summers What war tactic has usually proven successful? The ambush. Joshua had used it, at God’s instruction, with great success in the second attack on Ai. Once the men of that city were lured out into the open, by what they undoubtedly considered would be another route of Israel, they were hemmed…
Read MoreCommands in Conflict
by Andrew Hamilton “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will…
Read MoreI know I’m heading to hell, but maybe when I’m 21 I’ll pray to God
Question: To tell you the truth, I’m probably going to hell. Not that I follow Lucifer or any other entity, it is just that, well, I don’t know. I just read your article about sins and all. Some of the stuff you said I can relate to (and I’m not talking about the positive stuff…
Read MoreHow do I please God?
Question: Sir, Please, I want to know more about how to please God. Answer: You learn what God wants by studying His teachings in the Bible. “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the…
Read MoreCommandment Keeping and Boasting
by Edward Bragwell, Sr. via Biblical Insights, June 2014 Jesus declares that hypothetically if we were to keep all his commands, we would still have no right to boast. “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to…
Read MoreShould We be Picky?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/ShouldWeBePicky.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 50:7-23 I. Jesus’ condemnation of the Jews, especially the Pharisees and the Sadducees, is well-known A. Many Christians are rightly concerned that they not fall into the same trap that snared the Pharisees. 1. Often when it is pointed out that we should do things one way and not another,…
Read MoreI prayed to God to change my heart but nothing has changed
Question: I prayed to God to change my heart but nothing has changed my way of thinking or my attitude to show love and not anger. I tried to read the Bible, but I don’t feel anything. Please help. Answer: It appears that you are looking for something outside of you to change you, instead…
Read MoreNotes on Works
We are not saved by the things that we do. God’s grace saves us and not works in which we could boast – Ephesians 2:8-9 Works of the Old Testament Law cannot save, by themselves, because the Law brings the knowledge of sin – Romans 3:20 We are justified by faith apart from works of…
Read MoreBrethren with Too Many Relatives
by Edward O Bragwell, Sr. via Guardian of Truth, April 18, 1985 No, I am not talking about a population explosion. I am not even talking about long-lost cousins that surface when someone starts a rumor that we have come into some money. I am talking about relatives as opposed to absolutes. It is near…
Read MoreWhat Scripture says we have a personal relationship with Christ?
Question: Our preacher says he is about a relationship with Christ instead of rules. I read and liked your article, Shouldn’t we emphasize a relationship with Jesus instead of rules?, but I really can’t find scripture that gives examples of a personal relationship with Christ. Answer: “Relationship” is a broad word. Jesus is my Lord…
Read MoreHow do you humble yourself in front of the Lord?
Question: How do you humble yourself in front of the Lord? Answer: To be humble is the opposite of being prideful. A prideful man only listens to his own desires. He acts in accord with his own wishes. “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the…
Read MoreWe have a new preacher teaching unity in a diversity of beliefs
Question: Our congregation recently has a new preacher. He is related to half the church members and is well-known in the community. But he is very liberal and has admitted to me that he wants to change things at our congregation. He told me, “he is about a relationship with Christ, and I am about…
Read MoreThe Lord Knows Those Who Are His
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/LordKnowsThoseWhoAreHis.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Timothy 2:14-21 I. There are always going to be people who will not accept what God says. They’ll quibble over words to get wiggle room for their particular beliefs. A. That is why the Christian has to be a good student of the Bible – II Timothy 2:15 B. You…
Read MoreCan a person go to heaven who doesn’t accept God but believes He exists and is good?
Question: Do you think a person who doesn’t accept God but believes He exists can go to heaven if he is a good guy and help others? Answer: You are asking if a person partially obeys God, picking which commands he would like to follow while ignoring the rest of what God said, can he…
Read MoreCan someone live a holy life without undergoing baptism?
Question: I kindly wanted to ask: Can someone live a holy life without undergoing baptism? Answer: Can someone claim to be holy while disobeying God’s command? “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,…
Read MoreNoah, You Have Got to be Kidding!
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/NoahYouHaveToBeKidding.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Most are familiar with the story of Noah, the great flood, and the ark Noah had to build A. However, Noah was also a preacher of righteousness – II Peter 2:5 B. The world Noah lived in was a moral cesspool. 1. Some scholars estimate that the world’s population at that time equal…
Read MoreI was baptized, but I seem more lost than I was before
Question: Hello I read a post that a young boy was sad about sinning and kept returning to the sin that he hates doing. I was baptized as an adult several years ago, but after that, it seems that I’m lost even more than before being baptized. I would like to get up one day…
Read MoreLessons I’ve Learned From My Dog
by Rob Speer A dog requires constant training. Training Bear to do something once is not enough. He must be constantly reminded and lessons need continuous reinforcement. He will obey the commands we have taught him as long as we are consistent. He will get a toy, sit, stay, etc. when we give him the command. If…
Read MoreWill I make heaven if I don’t keep God’s laws perfectly?
Question: I read “I have OCD-Religion and obsess over bad thoughts. Is there anything you can do to help me?” today that, in a way, describes my feelings. Although most of it does not concern me, some do and I am wondering if I too have OCD. My problem basically concerns overthinking things. This started…
Read MoreHow do I earn God’s love back?
Question: Dear Jeff, I find myself asking you questions in the wee hours of the morning. I get so conflicted with questions and loneliness that I don’t know where else to turn. But anyway, my question is: How do I earn God’s love back? I’ll give context first before continuing. Lately, I’ve been putting God…
Read MoreShouldn’t we emphasize a relationship with Jesus instead of rules?
Question: I just want to add that I looked around the site, but I never saw a topic about creating an intimate relationship with Jesus. One of the biggest misunderstandings is that people live according to do’s and don’ts. They don’t understand that Jesus wants a relationship with them and that Jesus is not just…
Read MoreGod Knows My Heart
by Marilyn LaStrape Those of us who have evangelistic courage for the lost and continuing concern for the unfaithful probably have heard the title of this article in defense of their lifestyle choices. When questioned or challenged about accountability, God “knowing their hearts” is often the response. “I know I need to change my life,…
Read MoreDoes it matter what I believe?
Question: We have a problem here that involves the following questions. I sure would appreciate it if you would share your thoughts concerning these when you have time. Does it matter what I believe? Does it matter what I did to be saved? Does it matter what church I attend? Does it matter how I…
Read MoreNo one can live righteously, so am I lost?
Question: Hello, I want to love God with all my mind, heart, and soul. I respect God and by God, I mean YHWH, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit. God is indeed good and has blessed me and my family much. I have been and am still living quite a sinful life. I recognize my sin…
Read MoreSalvation Is Neither Deserved nor Earned
by Doy Moyer Salvation cannot be earned for the simple reasons that: If deserved, it isn’t salvation. We deserve what we are saved from, not what we are saved to. If deserved, it isn’t grace. Grace grants something good that we don’t deserve. Sin makes it impossible to earn or deserve salvation (Romans 3:23; 6:23),…
Read MoreWhat Constitutes Obedience? (Thetford)
by Richard Thetford A passage of Scripture comes to mind when I hear the word “obedience” and that is from I Samuel 15:22 which says: “And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and…
Read MoreHow do I ensure I am following what the Bible truly means?
Question: Greetings Brother Hamilton, Upon my defending the gospel and the one true church many learned men desire to use the Restoration Movement as an assault against the church of Christ claiming it could not possibly be the true church. How do you deal with such attacks? Also, I do not desire to follow the…
Read MoreGod and the Concept of Patterns
by Doy Moyer The nature of typology shows that God is a God of patterns. Without even going through a process of trying to “establish” authority, God shows through His overall record that He is a God of patterns. This is evident right from the beginning when God made a pattern for creation that He…
Read MoreParenting Pre-School Children – Obedience Training
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ParentingPreschoolersObedienceTraining.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 6:1-4 I. Simply because limits are placed, it doesn’t mean that they are always followed A. Children of this age have a fair ability to communicate B. A source of endless “Why?” 1. It is no longer enough to know something exists, they want a reason. 2. Not so much as to…
Read MoreWhy is apeitheo in John 3:36 translated “not obey” in some versions and “not believe” in others?
Question: Something interesting that I came across last week in studying: John 3:36 is a commonly quoted scripture. The KJV, NKJV, and Youngs roughly say: “He who believes (pisteuo) in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe (apeitheo) the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on…
Read MoreImprinting On Christ
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ImprintingOnChrist.mp3 by Brett Bowen
Read MoreIs disobeying my parents a sin?
Question: Is disobeying my parents a sin? What if I did something that’s not sinful (like daydreaming or not concentrating on school), but they told me not to do it. If I disobeyed them, did I sin? Answer: The commands are: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father…
Read MoreWhy is it so bad to disobey God?
Question: Hi, I have a question. I know sin means to disobey God or to break His law, but I was wondering, why is it so bad to disobey Him? And why was it so bad that Adam and Eve decided to disobey God? Couldn’t God have let it go and let them do what…
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