____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ June 19, 2005 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Gambling is a Sin (Steve Klein) 2) "Medicatin'" (Jim Everett) 3) The Almighty God (Dan S. Shipley) 4) News & Notes ____________________________________________________ -1- Gambling is a Sin by Steve Klein I've heard more than one person assert that "the Bible does not condemn gambling." While it is true that there is no Bible statement which says, "Thou shalt not gamble" it is entirely UNTRUE that the Bible is silent on the subject. Gambling is shown to be sinful by the principles of truth and righteousness found in the Scriptures. The Bible condemns gambling the same way it condemns racketeering, drug abuse, and pornography. None of these things is specifically mentioned in Scripture, but they can all be shown to be sinful by the straightforward application of Bible principles. Gambling is Sinful for the Following Reasons: 1) It is an exercise in covetousness. People gamble because of a lust for money possessed by others. In Hebrews 13:5 God's book says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have." If gamblers are "content with" what they have, why are they gambling? They are looking for the big payoff! They are willing to risk what they've got out of a desire to get rich quick. "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Jesus said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). 2) Gambling is poor stewardship. All that we have has been given to us by God and is to be used to glorify Him. The apostle Peter admonishes us to be "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). Gambling institutions such as casinos, horse tracks, government lotteries and charity raffles design their games in such a way as to guarantee that players will lose much more money overall than they ever win. The odds of hitting the jackpot in a typical state lottery are about one in 12 million. Any investment firm that took such chances with its clients' money would soon be out of business and probably facing criminal charges. Surely the Christian's duty to be a "faithful" steward is greater than that of some Wall Street investment firm (1 Corinthians 4:2). How can Christians consider themselves faithful stewards of the finances God has entrusted to their care and gamble them away? 3) Playing the Lottery promotes addiction. Addiction is sinful because it places another master on the throne of a person's heart. That throne should be occupied by the Lord alone. "No man can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24a). A significant percentage of people (especially young people) who gamble will become addicted to it. It will control their lives. 4) Playing the Lottery is worldliness. Gambling is worldly in its origin and nature. In fact, one would be hard pressed to think of an activity that more people would identify as being worldly. When Hollywood wants to depict a character in a film as a man of the world, what activities do they typically have the character engage in? Three things immediately come to mind: drinking, smoking and gambling. In 1 John 2:15 the apostle John commands us, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Gambling is definitely a sin. "Whoever abides in Him does not sin" (1 John 3:6). -- Via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, April 17, 2005 ____________________________________________________ -2- "Medicatin'" by Jim Everett A devout, country-kind of fellow, not quite so skilled in the English language nor good at choosing the right word to express himself, purportedly said with reference to his time of deep thought and contemplation that he was "medicatin'." He might have missed the word "meditating" by a mile but he expressed an excellent idea by the wrong word. There is no better medicine for the health of the soul than a period of serious reflection upon the Lord and His law. Gone are the days of following "Ol' Paint" down a row of freshly tilled earth. What with the steady plod, an occasional "whoa," "gidaup," "gee," and "haw," there was time for serious thought reflection and tasting of scripture impressed upon the memory. Old time farmers were close to the earth and respected it as God's special creation. They were mostly humble, strong and zealous for the faith. In fact, they were so dedicated that they could work from sunup to sunset, occasionally stopping before sunset to hitch up the wagin', travel ten miles to a meetin' and "medicate" on some fine preachin'. If there was no meetin' nearby, they would gather their families in the livin' room and teach them the precious words of inspiration before retiring at night. They had, early in their lives, memorized Psalms 1:2 -- "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." All disciples need a little of this kind of "medicatin'" -- a little eyesalve that will enable us to see ourselves as the Lord sees (Revelation 2:18). Serious meditation is as critical to health of the soul as proper medication is essential to curing diseases (cf. Philippians 4:8). The serious minded Christian is conscious of the dangers of pressure-pot employment that steals precious time from studying the word (note Matthew 13:22). We might yearn for the days of quietness while toiling in the field but that is impossible so we must make sure that there is still ample time for meditating on the law of the Lord. Take a break. Take a little time from the noise, confusion and stress. Spend a little time quietly savoring the word -- it'll do your soul good. -- Via "Our Church Bulletins" (Cedar Park Church of Christ, Cedar Park, TX) ____________________________________________________ -3- The Almighty God by Dan S. Shipley The omnipotence that belongs to God is difficult for the finite mind to grasp. It is unlike any power of mortals. Whatever man wills is not realized except by means. With God, means are unnecessary. He wills it and it is done. He says, "Let there be light" and there is light. Such is the incredible power that makes time stand still; that calms the stormy wind and waves with but a word and that causes even the dead to render ready response to its command. Truly, "great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend" (Job 37:5). No wonder then the reference to Himself as "the almighty God" (Gen. 17:1); the One with whom "all things are possible," as Jesus puts it (Mat. 19:26). Infinite power is complimented and directed by infinite wisdom, love and righteousness. Accordingly, such power is never used recklessly nor wrongfully. Every manifestation of Divine power is exactly as purposed by Divine wisdom; nothing is incidental or accidental. What God produced with His creative power was precisely what he willed ("And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" [Gen. 1:31]). Spiritually, man was made in a pure and perfect state; physically, "God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him" (1 Cor. 12:18). Note: By Divine creative power, God set (from Gr. TITHEMI, "to put, to place") the various members in the human body -- they didn't get there through a process of evolution! God is the first and efficient cause. Creation demands a creator; life, a life-giver; law, a law-giver; design, a designer. Almighty God is all of these and more. Not only does God have the power to know all things at all times and the power to make something from nothing, He also has the unique power of presence -- the ability to be in all places at once. As Paul says, "He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27). His abiding presence is pictured by the Psalmist (139:3-12) and is implied by the writer of Hebrews in recalling His promise: "I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee" (13:5). Remembering that He is a witness to every thought, word and deed of every man ought to encourage a better conduct. In prayer we sometimes speak of "coming into His presence"; but really, we never leave it. (Do we fear or appreciate His presence -- or both?) Since God's power is immutable (unchanging, "eternal," Rom. 1:20), it is never diminished nor abated in any way -- even when exercised through men. The power employed by the apostles was from "on high," which they readily acknowledged (Acts 3:12; 15:12). How unusual then, that modern-day "faith-healers" who claim the same power from the same source should have such different results! Divine power never fails; it is instantaneous and complete, independent of the subject's faith. Many still err, "not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God" (Mat. 22:29). To believe in God is to believe in His great power, in His authority and sovereignty. He alone has the power to save and destroy (Jam. 1:12; Mat. 10:28) -- and to provide all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). He IS almighty! -- Via Plain Talk, April 1973 ____________________________________________________ -4- News & Notes There will be a Gospel Meeting this week at the South College Road church of Christ in Lafayette with David Banning as the guest speaker. The meeting will be June 19-24 and will begin at 7:00 through the weeknights. ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________