HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH EZINE

Published every two weeks by Joel Hendon Piedmont, Alabama 36272 Tuesday, January 9, 2002

DISCLAIMER: We will not intentionally publish articles or refer to websites that teach error, however, this is sometimes difficult to discern. The fact that they are printed in this publication does not necessarily mean that we endorse them 100%.

Hairesis is defined thus: "Hairesis, a choosing, choice; then, that which is chosen, and hence, an opinion, especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects…" (W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). There is a different Greek word used in verse 18 translated "divisions." The word in verse eighteen is Schisma. This Greek word means to rent or tear, to split, rend open, according to W. E. Vine (cp. Matt. 9: 16). When the two descriptions found in verse eighteen and nineteen are combined, the picture is indeed ugly and reprehensible. The church at Corinth had division, separations and spiritual tears, and sects or factions that existed as a result of choices made and loyalties formed to matters other than truth.

(Taken from a sermon "A Forgotten Verse" by Don Martin on his website, Bible Truths. To read the full sermon, Please Click Here)

The needless, wanton, taking of innocent human life is murder. No single action taken by a human being upon another is as hideous as abortion for the sake of convenience. Each year in the United States there are about 1,500,000 abortions. Since the Supreme Court of the United States legalized unrestricted abortion, January 22, 1973, there have been about 35 million such procedures through 1996, as reported by the National Right to Life organization. And this is multiplied the world over.

The methods of abortion as practiced legally in the United States of America are several, occurring at different stages of development upon the unborn. I thought about giving a detailed explanation for each, but decided you can go to the National Right to Life web site which details each procedure (http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/asmf.html). Keep in mind that the vast majority of abortions performed each year are for personal convenience. Even in many abortions which are said to protect the life of the mother, its not the physical threat of death at stake, but factors as emotional stability and economic security - again, convenience.

The influences of humanism, situation ethics, and evolution have robbed mankind of his identity. God declared from the very beginning of creation: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:26-27). The apostle Paul declared that it is God who: "...giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:25).

Since it is God who created man, created life, it stands to reason that human life begins when it is formed - at conception and that it is God who causes the conception. "So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son" (Ruth 4:13).

It is God who fashions the unborn in the womb. Job said: "Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?" (Job 31:15). Referring to God, Job said: "Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews" (Job 10:11). And in the beautiful language of the Psalms, David wrote: "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalms 139:13-16).

Yet, we slaughter and murder, by state sanction, 1.5 million precious, innocent, unborn every year in the United States, a nation founded upon Judeo-Christian ethics. And we call Adolf Hitler a monster. May God have mercy upon our blood stained hands, America.

*****

Leon D. Schrei, The Daily Observer, June 23, 1999 * Volume 1 * Number 22

May I Bring My Dog? (We could learn an awful lot) ------------------- A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a midwest town he planned to visit on his vacation. He wrote, "I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?" An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who said, "I've been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I've never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the walls. I've never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. and I've never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you're welcome to stay here, too."

COLVIN STREET CONGREGATION, ANNISTON, AL, ANNOUNCES NEW RADIO PROGRAM For those in the listening area of WDNG (1450) AM in Anniston, Alabama tune in for the Colvin Street church of Christ's radio program on Sunday mornings. The time slot is 9:30 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. CST Regular speakers will be William B. Kughn and Elbert Lewis. SOUTHEASTERN LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR CHRIST The future of the church rests on our ability to train effective leaders. There will always be a need for leaders to rise to the occasion as servants, Bible class teachers, ministers, deacons, and elders. Believing that such training should begin at an early age, Leadership Training for Christ provides an opportunity for youngsters, beginning in the third grade, to recognize and develop leadership skills. Training is Biblical, practical, and in-depth. Leadership Training for Christ provides local congregations an opportunity to work with children and teens on a year-round basis. The second annual SELTC convention is being planned for March 29-31 in Mobile, AL. For more information please see our website Click Here or call 205-988-5808. BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE, SCOTTSBORO EXTENSION The Bear Valley Bible Institute, Scottsboro Extension (BVBISE) is half-way through it's second year of operation under the oversight of the elders of the Broad Street Church of Christ in Scottsboro, Alabama. The school is an extension of the BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE of DENVER. 40 courses (and eight out-of-class mini-courses) completed over a four-year period lead to the Bachelor of Biblical Studies Degree. The Associates Degree may be earned in half that time. One course is taught each month (except July and December) in two all-day Saturday sessions along with outside assignments. The school is TUITION FREE. The only costs to the student are for required texts & materials, and a $5 fee each Saturday to help cover the teacher's expenses. The teachers are academically well-qualified and experienced gospel preachers who know and love the Bible as the verbally inspired and authoritative word of God, and who volunteer their time and work as a labor of love. BVBISE is committed to training sound and able Bible teachers (men and women), and faithful gospel preachers for service in the kingdom of Christ. The format is designed to make this training possible for men and women who must continue their jobs and other pursuits while they study. Credit is given for previous college or preacher-school study. A preacher-school graduate may be able to earn the Bachelor of Biblical Studies Degree in as little as four months of study. For more information please contact the Broad Street Church of Christ, 613 South Broad Street, Scottsboro, AL 35768. Phone: 256-574-2489. EMAIL

PARTING SHOTS FROM JOEL	Nadine & Joel Hendon
It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would surely have put them on my knees. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter...I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after. May God continue to bless His faithful children, wherever they are.

The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: It connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. - John Quincy Adams Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.... And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds...reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail, in exclusion of religious principle. - George Washington, Farewell Address, September 1796

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Household of Faith Ezine is planned to be published every two weeks beginning in September, 2001. Materials in this are gleaned and compiled by the editor, Joel Hendon. Our purpose is to help present items of interest to New Testament Christians, to furnish a "meeting" place for Christians to help other Christians by doing business with them and for other such interaction.(...let us do good unto all men, especially unto them that are of the household of faith. Gal 6: 10). To submit any messages, articles, ads, announcements or comments, Click Here.

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