HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH EZINE

PLEASE NOTE: I am sure there are several sermons around that refute the Baha'i teachings. However, I have been unable to locate any thus far, so I will give a feeble attempt to explain a few things which will show that it is a false religion and has no value whatsoever as pertaining to everlasting life or serving God properly.

Baha'u'llah (Bah hah' oo' lah) lived from 1817 to 1892 and apparently was a charitable man when it came to helping the poor and oppressed. (This information from their own writings.) In 1844, a young man known as "the Bab" (which meant "the gate") came forth preaching the advent of a "Messenger of God" that would appear among them. "Although Himself the bearer of an independent revelation from God, the Báb declared that His purpose was to prepare mankind for this advent." (quotation taken from their webpage "The Bab")

"Swift and savage persecution at the hands of the dominant Muslim clergy followed this announcement. The Báb was arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and finally on July 9, 1850 was executed in the public square of the city of Tabriz. Some 20,000 of His followers perished in a series of massacres throughout Persia." (Another quote from their page "the Bab").

Baha'u'llah was also imprisoned for being one of the Bab's disciples and while imprisoned, he proclaimed himself to be the prophet spoken of by the Bab. Following is a quotation from their page of the history of Baha'u'llah:

"From Adrianople and later from Acre, Bahá'u'lláh addressed a series of letters to the rulers of His day that are among the most remarkable documents in religious history. They proclaimed the coming unification of humanity and the emergence of a world civilization."

"The kings, emperors, and presidents of the nineteenth century were called upon to reconcile their differences, curtail their armaments, and devote their energies to the establishment of universal peace."

First of all, there is no shred of evidence that either the Bab, or Baha'u'llah, were anything more than simply Iranians with no divine guidance or inspiration of any sort. Secondly, their origin, teaching and existance is in complete disagreement with God's word. (Gal 1:8 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.")

Secondly, Although some of their pleas are desirable and even basically scriptural, their approach and ultimate methods are unscriptural. They plead for religious unity (of sorts) by joining their organization and then tolerating all religions, so long as they are members of Baha'i.

Here is a quote from the "basic teachings of Baha'u'llah": "These Messengers, Whom Bahá'u'lláh called "Manifestations of God," are principally the Founders of the major revealed religions, such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, Muhammad, and so forth."

Please go to their website and read their articles on "The Bab" "Baha'u'llah" and their "History". More if you have time, they are interesting eventhough as far astray as is Islam, etc. They are completely opposite the Islamic doctrine in that they are completely tolerant of all religions while the followers of Islam are tolerant of none other than their own.

If any congregation or individual would like to have their own website built at a reasonable cost, please contact me with your plans. You may view some of my previous work by clicking Here. Or you may visit our homepage at Highway 9 church of Christ

As we grow older, we have to face reality. We are nearing the end of our tour of duty here. It has some very good features. It causes you to realize, and regret, that you have done pitifully little for the cause of Christ. And so, from that you determine that you'll go out doing the very best that you can to make up for that lack.

But you know, that is not good enough. If it were not for the grace of God, that would be unacceptable. I once worked as production manager for a manufacturer of infants and childrens wear. An extremely fast paced, high pressure environment with the prime problem, when I took the job, being that of filling and shipping orders in an acceptable time frame. I'm thankful that I was able to accomplish what the company President asked me to, but during that hustle and bustle, he made a statement that I'll never forget and prior to that, I had not looked at things exactly in that manner.

I was on the job at 6:00 A.M. every morning, and would have much preferred to leave by 4:00 or 5:00 P.M. but he said "No, never leave anything unshipped that you can possibly get out today. Because tomorrow, you must ship for tomorrow, not what you left from today." So I had to work to 9:30-10:00 P.M., but it got the job done! From the hard work of farming with mules, we always worked until dark. If we lacked some work that we had meant to do, we would try to "make it up tomorrow". But if we put in a good day today, we have no time to do the things we should have done yesterday.

The basic Greek word for all forms of the word, "faith," is PISTIS. The verb form is "believe" whereas the noun form is "faith" or "belief." There are, however, a number of usages of this word in the Bible.

When the personal faith of an individual is considered, "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is a deep conviction, or firm persuasion, that is based on evidence presented in God’s word (Romans 10:17).

The word is also used of "trust." "Unbelief," a lack of trust in God, was the downfall of many Israelites (Romans 3:3). Romans, chapters 4 and 5, teach that the child of God is saved by obedient trust. Both Paul and the saints at Rome, to whom he wrote, were already children of God. Paul said, "we have access by faith into this grace." Abraham, cited as an example of justification by faith, had been a child of God for a quarter of a century in the example where "he believed God, and it was imputed unto him for (unto from EIS) righteousness."

Another usage of the word is for loyalty or faithfulness. The younger widows are said to have "cast off their first faith" (I Timothy 5:12). They became unfaithful to Christ. The "plighted faith" in marriage vows is a promise to remain faithful.

By metonymy, faith is often used of that body of truth that is believed-the gospel or doctrine of Christ. Paul avers that there is one faith (Ephesians 4:5). This could not mean personal faith because of the fact that there are many conflicting things that different people believe. It means that there is only one objective body of truth, or doctrine, authorized by God, and upon which all must unite if they are to be accepted by Him.

In a number of passages "faith" is preceded by a definite article, "the." "The faith" is synonymous with "the truth," "the gospel," or "the doctrine." When a great company of priests became obedient to "the faith" (Acts 6:2), they obeyed the gospel. "The faith" that Paul preached (Galatians 1:23) was the gospel. Christians are admonished to contend earnestly for "the faith" once delivered (Jude 3). They were to contend for the body of truth, or doctrine, delivered by the apostles.

Sometimes translators omit the definite article when it is present in the original texts. In this case we are subjected to the judgement of the translators, however learned, who take the liberty to interpret rather than translate. For instance, Paul wrote, "But after that the faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Galatians 3:25). He was affirming that after "the faith" (New Testament) came we are no longer under a "schoolmaster" (Old Testament) (Galatians 3:24-25). Some Greek texts (Berry’s Interlinear for example> have the definite article before "faith" in Ephesians 2:8. It makes perfect sense for Paul to write that we are saved by grace through the faith (the gospel), God’s gracious plan for the justification of mankind (Romans 1:16-17). Consider also Ephesians 3:17, where Paul prays "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by the faith." Christ does dwell in our hearts through "the word."

My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped outside his closed door to listen. Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed."

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room.

Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor.

I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will.

He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas, and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme are laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.

His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished.

But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere.

And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God-to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp.

God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap----I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances-----they all become disabilities when I do not submit them to Christ.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn?

After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of the Lord. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

When you read this, say a prayer. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.

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.

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.

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

More Pilot reports to maintenance & their response.

Report: Dead bugs on windshield.
Response: Live bugs on backorder.

Report: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
Response: Evidence removed.

Report: DME volume unbelievably loud.
Response: DME volume set to more believable level.

Was our nation founded on faith in God? Consider the witness of the Supreme Court Building, completed in 1932. Today, as the Justices enter the eastern portal of the building, they pass beneath a huge relief sculpture. The focal point of that sculpture is the image of Moses, holding the Ten Commandments. Hermon MacNeil, the architect chosen for designing this portal, ensured that our highest court in the land was yet another visible example of our nation's godly heritage. Just 40 years earlier, the Supreme Court determined, "Religion, morality, and knowledge are necessary to good government, the preservation of liberty, and the happiness of mankind."