____________________________________________________ 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). ____________________________________________________ July 13, 1997 ____________________________________________________ What If You Won The Lottery? by Jason Moore Are you surprised at my question? It's an appropriate one anymore. Folks are playing the lottery. Christians are playing the lottery. Some Christians will admit it openly. Some have never considered whether playing the lottery is right or wrong. Others defend it vehemently. And there are some who do it secretly when they buy chewing gum at the Stop'N Go. But if the world is doing it, and with great fervor, there are certainly Christians somewhere who are doing it also. The inception of state lotteries has legitimatized gambling. There is not the rank stigma attached to it that there once was. The casinos, the dog tracks, and horse races are advertised as family attractions. And once society has labeled gambling as family entertainment, Christians who participate will cease to defend the activity. They'll accept it on the basis of the respect bestowed on it by society. It will be that simple. So in a few years not many will be shocked if I ask, ``What would you do if you won the lottery?'' Not even Christians. They won't think I'm joking. They'll give a serious answer. A few noble souls might even offer to give me a raise with their winnings. Well, if you won today, what would you do? Not with the money. What would you say when folks found out? How would you defend playing the lottery if someone were surprised that you as a Christian were playing it? Some might argue that playing the lottery is just like investing in the stock market. Any serious investor would scoff at that reply. People ``play'' the lottery. It is a game of chance. It is not an investment. In the stock market you buy a share in a company that produces a good or a service and that makes a viable contribution to the economy and to society. Not so the lottery. I believe Marvin Zindler said, ``You have greater chances of being eaten alive by sharks in West Texas than of winning the Texas Lottery.'' I'm not saying you shouldn't play because your odds of winning are poor. Common sense ought to tell you that. I am saying that it is poor stewardship to waste your wealth in a game of chance. And I am also saying that it is dishonest and self-deceptive to justify that as an investment venture. A businessman is sometimes said to ``take a gamble'' when he makes a risky investment. But even in those instances, he acts upon the credibility of the person or persons to whom he entrusts his money or upon the foreseen value of the goods or service to be provided. Proverbs 6:1-5 warns about careless lending. If investing in the stock market and playing the lottery are really parallel, that argues not investing in the stock market rather than justifying the lottery. Somebody is bound to say, ``What's the difference in my buying some lottery tickets and you going to the Rockets game? They are both forms of entertainment.'' If I can ``throw money away'' at a basketball game, can't he throw his money away in hopes that he'll make money? I am not opposed to entertainment. Man needs rest and rejuvenation to function well. Entertainment is a compound word formed of the prefix inter (within) and the Latin root teneo (to hold). Entertainment is that which holds your attention or which occupies your mind. But there are some things which the Christian should not allow residency in his mind. Any movie may fall under the broad category of entertainment. But some movies are not fit for viewing because of what their viewing will do to my mind. The same holds true with the lottery. Gambling is based completely on selfish motives. The only basis for the lottery's existence is the aspiration of its participants to win. The love of money, greed, covetousness, or just the exhilaration of taking a chance are the motivating principles. I, for one, don't need those things occupying my attention. I have enough trouble focusing on heaven without clouding my vision by the cultivation of base motives. I fail enough with getting over self without more obstacles. I am too much enamored with the world and have too little faith already. God forbid that I should invite greater affection for this material world. There is a risk in all forms of entertainment. We can prize our fun more than our souls. And my desire to watch the Rockets along with all my other fun can choke my spirituality. But at least it begins with legitimacy. The lottery however can never be construed as having a legitimate motive. It is inherently selfish. You play to win. No matter how modest or magnanimous your investment, no matter how small or great your zeal. It is selfish. If it begins with such paltry motivation, it can only proceed in a downward spiral. I don't need any help in that direction. If playing the lottery is really just another form of entertainment, that argues giving up my other entertainment, not playing the lottery. Oh, I know you gamble in moderation, not in excess. It has been my observation that folks often talk about exercising moderation in order to justify their excess. If there is such a thing as gambling in moderation, where is the line drawn? When is it excessive? How much of an admittedly selfish activity is good for you? To argue doing something in moderation, the activity must first be shown to be good for you at all. And if your moderation, as you call it, encourages somebody else's excess, what will you say then? Don't tell me that you're not responsible for their actions. You are responsible for how you influence their actions. ``But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea'' (Matt. 18:6). Your participation, however much or little you say that you care about winning, contributes to someone else's covetousness and waste. Any endeavor in which we participate which will knowingly hurt our influence for good is sin (1 Cor. 10:24; Phil. 2:4). Probably if you won the lottery, you wouldn't much care about what I've said here. You could afford not to care, right? That attitude alone scares me to death. -- Via Online Southside Reminder, November 29, 1995 ___________________________________________ Seeing is Believing? by Doy Moyer The catch phrase, ``Seeing is believing,'' is often heard when referring to something magnificent or spectacular. However, it can also indicate doubts. ``I'm not going to believe something unless I actually see it.'' This is precisely the way I feel about some things; but is this the way we approach our spiritual life? Thomas expressed this attitude about Jesus' rising from the dead. ``Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe'' (John 20:25). When Jesus appeared again, Thomas saw and responded, ``My Lord and my God'' (vs. 28). What was the problem? The fact is that Thomas would not believe credible witnesses to the resurrected Jesus. The other apostles' statement, ``We have seen the Lord,'' just wasn't good enough. He had to see for himself. So what's so wrong with that? Well, who today will be able to lay eyes on the resurrected Jesus? Perhaps when He comes again, but by then it will be too late. If we are going to believe, then we are going to have to trust the eyewitness, historical testimony (see Luke 1:1-4). It's strange that some will take this approach to Jesus, but they have no problem believing that George Washington was the first U.S. President, that Columbus tried to sail around the world, or that Alexander the Great conquered the ancient world. No one today has witnessed these things. ``But it is a matter of historical testimony,'' one might respond. Exactly. And so is the testimony regarding Jesus. If it takes ``seeing'' in order to believe something, then ask yourself some questions to further illustrate the point: can I see gravity? How much does it weigh? What color is it? The response might be, ``but I can see its effects.'' Very well. Look around. Can we not see the effects of a powerful God? Can we not see the natural testimony of a benevolent Creator? Read Romans 1:18-20 and Psalm 19:1-6. The point is that we accept and believe many things that we do not directly witness. As far as our Lord goes, it is not necessary to directly see Him in order to believe. Jesus told Thomas: ``do not be unbelieving, but believing'' (vs. 27). Then, after Thomas' response, Jesus said, ``Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed'' (vs. 29). Was Jesus here asking for gullibility? Not at all. In fact, the very next couple of verses drive home the reasons as to why these records are given to us: "There are many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31). So, believing is not necessarily due to seeing after all. Believing is a choice we make based upon whether or not we will accept the evidence presented to us. Really, that phrase should be turned around for the Christian: believing is seeing. Once we accept the things of God, our eyes will be opened up to riches and beauties of the heavenly blessings. After healing a blind man, Jesus said, ``For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind'' (John 9:39). There were some who asked if they were blind. Jesus responded, ``If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, `We see,' your sin remains'' (vs. 41). This strikes at attitude. If our hearts are willing to accept the will of God, then we will truly be able to see. The just shall live by faith (Rom. 1:17). This is the life of a child of God. It is not a blind faith, but a confident trust in the One who has granted us all things pertaining to life and godliness. ___________________________________________ Free Bible Courses Upon Request Bible Film Slides Also Available Have a Bible question? Call or write us. ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES The aneurysm in Earnest Hamm has grown exceedingly large and thin-skinned. The doctors are not able to operate on him. Please keep him in your prayers. Let us also be praying for Boyd Sellars of Avon, IN, who recently had an operation on his eye due to a severed retina. A couple days later he had to return to the hospital due to a terrible headache which was caused by infection and inflammation of his eye, which on last report (about a week ago) was blind. I talked with Joe Galford a couple days ago. It was good to see him up and around -- though he still has much therapy to go through. Right now his shoulders are partially ``frozen,'' and he has difficulty moving his arms. The shattered bone in his leg, however, now shows up on the x-ray as being solid; and the gap in his Achilles tendon now is growing back into one piece. The doctors are baffled, but Joe attributes it to God answering prayer. This was the foot that, at one time, the doctors wanted to amputate, thinking that surely infection and gangrene would have also set in -- it never did. When Joe first entered the hospital after his accident, it was said that he would live not more than 3 hours. He has certainly come a long ways since then: he was even out driving his car a little recently. He is also able to walk around and up and down stairs -- though his one foot must remain bandaged and in a type of support for six more weeks. Welcome visitors! Please come again. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________