The Songs of Ascents

by Terry Wane Benton Psalms 120-134 There is a special grouping of Psalms that were often used to prepare the Israelites for making the worship at the temple very special. It was like anticipating the worship to ensure it would not be a vain and wasted moment. You sang or meditated on what would be…

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Reasons That the Local Church Assembles

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Reasons-that-the-Local-Church-Assembles.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church

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Can a non-Christian serve in worship?

Question: I have a great deal of respect for your website and the articles on it. However, I don’t agree 100% with everything. I have worshipped in congregations that have and don’t have a fellowship hall; neither bothers me. The congregation installed elders and deacons, which has caused some problems. I have a question about…

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What Is Being Neglected or Forsaken?

by Adam Litmer The following question was recently asked: “What specifically is meant in Hebrews 10:25 by ‘neglecting’ or ‘forsaking’? Is it inferring a requirement of attendance, or is it addressing an attitude towards worship? If it is a requirement, wouldn’t that infer all opportunities (Wednesday night, etc.) set up by local elders or congregation?”…

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Pomp and Pageantry

by Doy Moyer Pomp and ceremony do not make worship more holy any more than does the physical location. God seeks true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). He does not need the inventions of our hands, does not dwell in buildings made with our hands, and is not impressed by our…

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Worship Weariness

by Dennis Abernathy Malachi said Israel was weary, bored, and tired of worship. (Malachi 1: 13). It was too demanding and had become a grievous chore rather than an exalted privilege, a burden instead of a blessing. Fast forward to today. Many want shorter sermons, with less Scripture and more wit, less identification and exposure…

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Why Christ Is Worthy of Praise

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Why-Christ-Is-Worthy-of-Praise.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 1:1-14   I.         Christ has been appointed heir of all things             A.        Everything belonging to the Father are Christ’s – John 16:15             B.        The nations were given to him as an inheritance – Psalms 2:8             C.        All things are gathered together under his rule – Ephesians 1:10             D.        All Christians are his inheritance…

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Is it right to say your own prayer while someone else is praying in worship?

Question: Good day, First, I find great biblical knowledge on your Facebook page! It is a very valuable resource for Bible questions and answers. I want your assistance regarding some questions that I have. Is it appropriate or biblically correct to pray aloud (in a hushed but audible voice) while someone is praying during service?…

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The Sabbath

by Terry Wane Benton The Sabbath day was for Israel to have a day of rest. Paul, by the Spirit, said that sabbaths, among many other things, were a “shadow” of the good things to come (Colossians 2:13-16). Since the shadows lead up to the substance that cast the shadow (Jesus), the substance takes preeminence.…

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What happens if someone makes a mistake during worship?

Question: Thank you so much. May God bless you for the amazing work that you do. I find it hard to switch from one act of worship to another, especially when I believe the one leading has made a mistake. For example, one Sunday, during the Lord’s Supper, the one leading us in the Lord’s…

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God Conscious

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/God-Conscious.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 139   I.         A truly godly man lives with a constant realization of God’s divine presence             A.        He is God conscious             B.        When he awakes in the morning, there is God.             C.        As he dresses for work, there is God.             D.        As he goes in to breakfast with his family, as he drives…

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Things to Bring to Worship

by Mike Wilson It’s another Sunday morning, and you are fighting to get everything and everyone ready on time. The kids are screaming, and someone is honking the horn. Most families know the feeling. As you come staggering to the car at the last second, did you forget anything? Do you have a checklist of…

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Worshipful Music

by Robert F. Turner Plain Talk, July 1969 Recuperating from surgery, I lay bedfast, half-hearing the radio. Suddenly I realized that the instrumental number being played was the very old and beautiful hymn, Near To The Heart of God, and that I was brought into a worshipful attitude as I listened. The shocking aspect of…

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The Sabbath Was Saturday, Not Sunday

by Terry Wane Benton The 7th day of the week is the old Sabbath commanded of the Israelites (Exodus 20:8-11). Are we to keep it? No! We are not under the law of Moses (Romans 7:6). The inspired apostle Paul said that the ordinances of the law were “abolished” in His flesh (Ephesians 2:15). Jeremiah…

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The Joy of Obedience

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-Joy-of-Obedience.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:3-9   I.         Despite the persecutions Christians faced in the first century, there was joy – I Peter 1:3-9             A.        A great joy, an inexpressible joy, was had knowing that they were saved             B.        That joy overrode all the hardships of life II.        This attitude is strange to a number of…

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Choirs and Solos

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Choirs-and-Solos.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 13:12-16   I.         Satan never stops in his relentless pursuit of God’s people to lead them astray – I Peter 5:8-9             A.        In the past, we talked about the introduction of musical instruments into the worship.                         1.         We showed from scripture that the practice was not authorized by God                         2.         We showed…

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Worship by God’s Design

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Worship-by-Gods-Design.mp3 by Joe Greer Lessons to Build Your Faith

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Daily Religion

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Daily-Religion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 9:23-26   I.         What kind of religion do you have? How is your faith expressed?             A.        Acts 5:42 – The early Christians had a daily religion             B.        It seems today that many have a once a week, once a month, or even a once a year religion             C.        Even in the Old…

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Early Christians Speak Concerning Assembling

by Ron Halbrook The early saints speak to us in both word and deed regarding their assemblies. Their narrative is rich with lessons for us today if only we have hearts to hear. Let us review and reflect upon the record of their meetings in the book of Acts in the first century, and a…

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Joyful Devotion

by George Slover “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold…

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What if you are traveling somewhere where there is no church?

Question: Hello, I wanted to say thank you for the way the website is set up. This has been great to look at a topic from many points of view using the question and answers. My question is regarding attending services when you are away from the local church you’re a member of. I know…

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What About the Next Sunday?

by Terry Wane Benton Some people meet with the church on “Easter Sunday” and hardly ever anytime else. That is out of tradition, not out of thinking seriously about doing the will of God. Tradition has been in the family to at least go to church one time a year, maybe two. But what about…

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Is Bible reading a part of worship?

Question: I salute you, brother, in our Lord Jesus Christ. Is scripture reading also an act of worship along with prayer, songs, preaching, the Lord’s supper, and giving? Is there any biblical order to be done in worship? Answer: “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (I…

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No Other Gods

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/No-Other-Gods.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 40:12-26   I.         The Ten Commandments formed the prologue to the Law of Moses             A.        They were the foundation of the Old Law             B.        Even though the Law of Moses ended, nine of those ten commandments are still in effect today.             C.        Understanding these basic laws can help us understand the New…

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Worship or Entertainment?

by Bob Prichard In our entertainment-oriented culture, many churches find themselves trying to ‘outdo’ themselves with more and more elaborate additions to worship. What began as special music by a choir becomes a full orchestra with professional soloists. A dramatic reading necessitates a full Broadway stage production. And as long as those who come to…

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Is online worship acceptable?

Question: Good morning, I hope this email finds you well. During the national lockdowns in my country, the church moved to online worship and this was beneficial in many ways. Now national lockdowns have ceased and the building is open for members to return. Attendance within some congregations has not returned to its normal level…

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Do virtual assemblies count?

Question: Hello, brother in Christ, I hope you are doing well. My question comes from Hebrew 10:25. Now I fully understand what assembling together means, but there seem to be those who say that assembling can be of anything and anywhere. So, does “virtual assembling” count as assembling as described in the Bible? For example: when the…

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Emotional Worship of God

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Emotional-Worship-of-God.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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Women Participating in Bible Classes

by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I’ve been engaged in an email discussion with a brother on the subject of women participating in our Bible classes. He sees inconsistency in many congregations between Bible classes, in which women may read Scriptures, make comments, etc., and worship services, in which they are required to remain silent. He…

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Is it wrong to read a prayer in worship services?

Question: Is it wrong to read a prayer in worship services? Answer: “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (I Timothy 4:13). Many of the passages of the Bible are prayers, such as Jesus’ prayer (John 17), Hannah’s prayer (I Samuel 2), Solomon’s prayer (I Kings 8:22ff),…

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Can non-believers join you for worship?

Question: Hi, I have two questions for now from reading your web site, I am sort of looking for the why and wherefore from you and God’s word. With your invitation to join the congregation for Sunday worship and Bible study; do you have any restrictions on who can and cannot join you for worship…

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Is the first day of the week Monday in some countries?

Question: I am confused over the first day of the week. Why is Sunday is the first day of the week in America but it is Monday in the UK? Does that make Monday a day of worship there? Answer: The world has always had multiple calendars in use. The one used in the United…

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Worshiping during the Coronavirus-19 Pandemic

Question: Brethren, I really appreciate the wealth of information contained on your website and it has been very helpful and insightful. I do have a current concern with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been a few articles in your archive where some have inquired about proper worship as individuals as opposed to…

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Does God accept wrongly done worship if the heart is right?

Question: Hello, I understand that God does not accept vain worship (Matthew 15:8-9), that we are to worship the way the Bible teaches (John 4:23-24), and that God punishes those who worship in their own way (Leviticus 10:1-2). But does II Chronicles 30, where the Passover was held not in accordance with the Law of…

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Looking for God in All the Wrong Places

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Looking-for-God-in-All-the-Wrong-Places.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Amos 5:4-9   I.         God wants us to seek Him             A.        It is not that God is hiding or “playing hard to get.”                         1.         God is not found unless we are looking.                         2.         Example: the child who cannot find his shoes.                                     a.         He has looked “everywhere,” but he is standing in the middle of…

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