It is evident from the materials on your website that you are truly a congregation of the Lord’s church.<\/p>\n
I came upon your site while attempting to find well-defined information to refute the “unity” movement today.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, my former congregation in Florida is planning a merger with a local “Christian church” in the name of unity based on their understanding of Jesus’ plea for unity in John 17. They have already done away with Sunday evening worship in lieu of “Life Groups”, meeting at various homes in the area. Their plan includes offering an “instrumental” service and a “traditional” worship service to “please the brethren”.<\/p>\n
I am especially saddened by this plan because that church will always be my “home church” in my heart. I was taught the gospel there, the way of salvation, and baptized there. I was taught the truth about issues like the error of using instruments in worship while I was there by the same minister who is now preaching error.<\/p>\n
The majority of the people who have worshiped there for 30 years or more have had to move to another local congregation. All of our lives have centered around the Lord and His people there. I’m sure you can imagine the depth of our sorrow.<\/p>\n
The current preacher there is the same man who, with his wife, in their home, taught me the truth. Now, it seems, I must teach them the truths they taught me all over again. We are very close, both as brother and sisters in Christ and as dearest friends. He has told me that he is willing to discuss the matter and will wait for me to respond to him with questions and comments.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: I appreciate the good, clear sermons and lessons you have made available to others on your site. I would like to have your permission to share the appropriate information from the La Vista website with this man of God who has gone astray.<\/p>\n
Thank you for reading the late-night ramblings of a worried sister. I look forward to your reply.<\/p>\n\t
Thank you for your kind words. All the material on this site is free to be used, without permission needed, so long as it is not for commercial use.<\/p>\n
I hope you are able to make headway with this man, but keep in mind that often people are distracted from the truth because of money — either directly or indirectly. I’ve seen people willing to compromise on the truth because it will give them a bigger congregation, which leads to more prestige and a bigger salary. I hope your friend hasn’t fallen into that trap.<\/p>\n
If I can help, such as answer a question that has you stumped or help you to locate passages on a topic, just write.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: It is evident from the materials on your website that you are truly a congregation of the Lord’s church. I came upon your site while attempting to find well-defined information to refute the “unity” movement today. Unfortunately, my former congregation in Florida is planning a merger with a local “Christian church” in the name…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[127,478],"class_list":["post-9734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-about-this-site","tag-false-teachers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":92920,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/splitting-a-church-or-working-out-your-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":9734,"position":0},"title":"Splitting a Church or Working Out Your Salvation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jim Ruff via\u00a0Sentry Magazine, Vol. 19 No. 3, September 1993 It is a serious matter to be a party to \"splitting a church.\" Christ demands unity and peace (I Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:3). Our salvation is also a serious matter (Matthew 16:26), and we are each responsible for working\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61724,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-call-to-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":9734,"position":1},"title":"A Call to Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford I watched a recorded worship service the other day. During it, I was invited to sing a verse of \"Onward, Christian Soldiers\" that I had never sung before. It reads: Like a mighty army Moves the church of God; Brothers, we are treading Where the saints\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66656,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-there-multiple-churches-near-each-other\/","url_meta":{"origin":9734,"position":2},"title":"Why are there multiple churches near each other?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I hope you are well. I'm writing to you to ask a question about unity. The Bible speaks about unity and that his people should be united, but why are there so many churches of Christ in one city? I live in a small town with a population of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87145,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-unity-look-like\/","url_meta":{"origin":9734,"position":3},"title":"What does unity look like?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Jeffrey, I'm struggling a bit with what unity really means in light of scripture, and I'd appreciate your guidance. From my study, I understand unity to involve being \"of the same mind and judgment\" as in I\u00a0Corinthians 1:10-11, and having the humility and love described in Philippians 2:1-5.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90257,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-uncomfortable-with-changes-made-to-the-order-of-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":9734,"position":4},"title":"I’m uncomfortable with changes made to the order of worship","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello! I attend a church where some changes have occurred recently. Although several in the congregation are unhappy about it, I still am not sure whether these are scriptural matters or personal preferences. Our order of worship since I have been there is two songs, prayer, scripture reading, song,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41166,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-online-worship-acceptable\/","url_meta":{"origin":9734,"position":5},"title":"Is online worship acceptable?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"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. 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