Church Rejects Donation from Lottery Winner

[Joe]

Lottery money is "easy money" not money earned by honest, hardworking means. The lottery is a stumblingblock to many people, who eventually become addicted to the games, much to the detriment of their homes, jobs, and friends.

I personally wouldn't want money taken from lottery winnings for our church because I believe gambling is evil and God will not bless it. To me, it would be like stealing from someone else in order to put the money in the offering plate, or selling drugs to help the church. God would be more honored if the church member used his time and money in a wiser manner.

And, although I understand someone can win the lottery by just playing a small, inexpensive game, I still believe sin is sin. Winning the lottery by playing a dollar is not a "small" sin. It's sin, period.

What I bolded above, it appears God views it similarly.

Prov 22:16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

Imho, we financially oppress the poor by knowingly receiving their financial contributions, thus playing the lottery is wrong.



On the other hand, if the exact funds from the lottery winnings are not used in the donation to the church, would that be sin for a church to accept the $$? I mean we all combine our funds in our bank account, I hardly ever earmark funds in a separate account. Maybe this is just symantics, and has no bearing upon the principal of a church accepting the donation.


An example:

Chuck buys a lottery ticket, wins $75 thousand dollars.
He owns a home already, and a little land in a nearby town.

Instead of donating the 35 thousand (which is probably how much he netted after taxes), he deposits the money in his bank account. Uses it to live off of

He sells his land and donates THOSE funds netted from THAT transaction to the church. But......... it's likely he would not have donated those funds if he didn't win the lottery

As long as the exact dollars from the lottery are not used at all in the donation to the church, is it still sin for the church to accept the money?
What if the church donated the $35 thousand back to the poor?

 

[Brother Bob]

Oh, goodness no! Don't tithe lottery winnings!
Do what Abraham did, and go in and slaughter a region of people and take their livestock and valuables, and tithe that!

What if I slaughter the neighbors milk cow and give to the church, would that be ok?? She not putting out much milk these days anyway. :thumbs:

BBob,

 

[Alcott]

What if I slaughter the neighbors milk cow and give to the church, would that be ok??

Maybe you can ask Abraham some day.

 

[Marcia]

Oh, goodness no! Don't tithe lottery winnings!
Do what Abraham did, and go in and slaughter a region of people and take their livestock and valuables, and tithe that!

Abraham did that under God's command. The attacks in the OT that were done under His command were part of h\His judgment.

 

[donnA]

Prov 22:16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

Imho, we financially oppress the poor by knowingly receiving their financial contributions, thus playing the lottery is wrong.

from what I've seen it's the poor oppressing themselves when it comes to lottery. No one makes them buy tickets, they do it out of greed.
knowingly recieivng finiscal contributions from the poor,,, does church count? Wouldn't that also be oppressing the poor? No one tells them to buy a lottery ticket, but churches tell them they should give to the church.

 

[billwald]

These days the primary difference between the lottery and the stock market is that stock losses can offset other income.

 

[abcgrad94]

from what I've seen it's the poor oppressing themselves when it comes to lottery. No one makes them buy tickets, they do it out of greed.
knowingly recieivng finiscal contributions from the poor,,, does church count? Wouldn't that also be oppressing the poor? No one tells them to buy a lottery ticket, but churches tell them they should give to the church.

I don't think church would count unless the leaders are being greedy and asking for money for their own gain.

The Bible does say the laborer is worthy of his hire. Giving to the Lord with joy isn't the same as greedy church leaders pushing for money for their own personal benefit.

I've heard that when God has your wallet, he must have the rest of you, too.

 

[Alcott]

I've heard that when God has your wallet, he must have the rest of you, too.

I'm not at all convinced of that. Rather it's more likely if you give a lot of your money to your church-- especially if you live on a small income-- in your mind you are forced to think alot about where your "investment" goes. So giving members often become outspoken about the various situations, get 'picky' about how things are done, and on and on... And in the meantime you also force yourself to think you are 'seeing the blessings' from this. Although I've written about this before... there was an elderly lady, then retired, who attended my church, was there virtually every service and was well-respected. More than once she gave her "testimony" about tithing-- that she worked in the cotton mill for 14 years, and "missed only 4 days being sick in all those years." She didn't say those 4 days were the 4 Mondays after the 4 Sundays she forgot her tithe money; but I wonder if that may have been what she meant. Anyway, you can't pump much money into something without thinking there's a reason, and if it's not obvious, you'll see it somewhere.

Nevertheless, that's still a different category than a recent interview I saw about a couple who gave nearly all their savings to Peter Popoff (!) because the husband needs a "miracle"-- he had some fatal, or maybe mutilating, disease, and he received no miracle. The couple now admit they were nutty for thinking they could buy a miracle. And of course Popoff, and others like him, take in millions from such suckers who can't afford it, to live lavishly, and they have their "out" that those contributors who don't get their miracle just didn't have faith.

 

[Whowillgo]

While I have heard of this kind of thing happening before and I respect the churches position and the Pastors right to refuse the money I will say that I have never seen anyone demonstrate from the Word of God any biblical reason or justification for that position. Anybody know of one? I'd like to know it if it exists and I'd also like to see a clear prohibition to gambling. My heart tells me it is wrong but I have never heard anyone preach/teach a sound biblical message on that subject. Any of you scholars care to comment?

Waiting to be instructed:godisgood: Greg Perry Sr.

(I'm of the opinion that the church should accept the money and put it to the RIGHT use...as long as there are no "strings" attached. Money is a tool..an inanimate object for USE. It is the LOVE of money that is wrong.)
IMHO !

I would like to see someone answer Brother Perry's question. Although I do not participate in the lottery and believe it does cause problems for many people I often see Christians buying raffle tickets to support Schools the best scriptures I find are those below and I am not sure a lottery falls in there. Seems to me the instruction is to those in charge of a church. Now having said this, if the Pastor viewed the gift as filthy lucre then he must follow his concious.

1Sa 8:3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
1Ti 3:8 ¶ Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
Tit 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
Tit 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (KJV)

Anyway I would enjoy seeing Brother Perry's question get answered.

 

[Aaron]

While I have heard of this kind of thing happening before and I respect the churches position and the Pastors right to refuse the money I will say that I have never seen anyone demonstrate from the Word of God any biblical reason or justification for that position.

Eph. 5:11, Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

It is the LOVE of money that is wrong.)
IMHO !

And the love of money is why folks play the lottery.

 

[Aaron]

Oh, goodness no! Don't tithe lottery winnings!
Do what Abraham did, and go in and slaughter a region of people and take their livestock and valuables, and tithe that!

Christ said that a child of Abraham will do the works of Abraham, and here you rail against him as if he were some kind of robber.

You neither know the Scriptures nor the power of God, and it's only the rules of the board that spare you from the pronouncement of another of my opinions.

 

[moondg]

Eph. 5:11, Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

And the love of money is why folks play the lottery.

Why is it the unfruitful works of darkness. A lot of good comes from the money made. Like the paid education of children.

 

[webdog]

Eph. 5:11, Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

And the love of money is why folks play the lottery.

The love of money is why people have careers too. Is working sin now?

So far there has been plenty of opinion...little Scripture. Fact is, if someone wins the lottery, they are not bad stewards...they won, for cryin out loud! They invested $1 and came away with 6 million! 401k's must be sin, too, since that is easy money. Not to mention large inheritances. I bet that pastor would have had no problem taking 600k if the money came from a 401k, inheritance or other investment. There is NO Scripture condemning gambling. That is fact. Like ANYTHING, it CAN be a sin, but is not sinful in itself.

 

[Revmitchell]

"Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase,” Proverbs 13:11.

“A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent,” Proverbs 28 20.

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth,” Ephesians 4:28


Gaining money at the loss of someone else is not a biblical principle. It most certainly does not represent Christ.

 

[donnA]

which includes more then lottery or gambling too. It would also include any gain of monies that are not payment for labor, like IRAs and stocks, as said inheritance.

 

[donnA]

I don't think church would count unless the leaders are being greedy and asking for money for their own gain.

The Bible does say the laborer is worthy of his hire. Giving to the Lord with joy isn't the same as greedy church leaders pushing for money for their own personal benefit.

I've heard that when God has your wallet, he must have the rest of you, too.

Then in fact his statement makes no scense at all then does it.

 

[pinoybaptist]

"Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase,” Proverbs 13:11.

How is winning a lottery "wealth gotten by vanity " ?

[/quote]

“A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent,” Proverbs 28 20.

I am sure there are a lot of lottery players out there who work hard and still plays the lottery.

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth,” Ephesians 4:28

That's easy to quote to others, but we need to admit that not all who name the Name of Christ has the same kind and level of trust and faith that those who are in the ministry have, and I've seen in my time those in the ministry who have succumbed to the temptation of "easy money" themselves in various forms while preaching and shouting from the pulpit against gambling.

Try going into the house of a believer who was previously a thief or a robber or a pickpocket and talking to him about hard work while his wife and kids are trying to make do with a skimpy breakfast or lunch and the baby's got no milk, and rent is way past due the landlord will probably come shrieking at him again in public on his way out to look for work, or try talking to him at night about God's love and provision and how the Scripture says God's children will never go begging for bread, and he tells you how his baby went to bed with warm water and some brown sugar for formula, and his family of five had only one meal that day, while all around him are people who never go to church and who find a child swearing a "cute and funny thing", going around in fancy cars or riding public airconditioned buses, and gorging themselves in food.

Are you going to blame this fellow if one day he breaks and goes sticking somebody up again ? Or maybe tell him that perhaps he has a hidden sin somewhere in his life that needs confessing ?

Or are you going to reprimand him for winning the lottery and call him unfaithful and say maybe he's not really saved ?

Gaining money at the loss of someone else is not a biblical principle. It most certainly does not represent Christ.

True, but at the back of each lottery ticket is a fair statement on your chances of winning, and if you still wish to play then it's your call. By the same token, the State promises to pay you a huge amount if you do win, and they abide with that promise as well. Besides, the State truly DOES NOT represent Christ, and the money you bet is not against the money of the person ahead of you in the line, or behind you. You played against the state.

It's not like poker or blackjack where it's your money and your luck against the other guy's money and luck.

Besides, going back to the OP, most, if not every, lottery winner is advertised. Their faces are shown to the public, because that is the State's way of saying there really was a winner, and it had not fooled anyone.

Having said all these, I think that gambling is a private matter. It's something we can preach about and against, but in the end it's the believer's decision and it's between him and his God.

 

[dragonfly]

Why is it the unfruitful works of darkness. A lot of good comes from the money made. Like the paid education of children.

Why it's an "unfruitful work of darkness" because Aaron says it is. If something doesn't go along with Aaron, he trots out his favorite Scripture to misapply to any situation.

 

[Revmitchell]

How is winning a lottery "wealth gotten by vanity " ?

According to scripture money gotten by windfall without the labour fo your own hands is vanity.

I am sure there are a lot of lottery players out there who work hard and still plays the lottery.

I am sure there is. But that doesn't address the lottery.

That's easy to quote to others, but we need to admit that not all who name the Name of Christ has the same kind and level of trust and faith that those who are in the ministry have,

And?

and I've seen in my time those in the ministry who have succumbed to the temptation of "easy money" themselves in various forms while preaching and shouting from the pulpit against gambling.

And they would be just as wrong as anyone else.

Try going into the house of a believer who was previously a thief or a robber or a pickpocket and talking to him about hard work while his wife and kids are trying to make do with a skimpy breakfast or lunch and the baby's got no milk, and rent is way past due the landlord will probably come shrieking at him again in public on his way out to look for work, or try talking to him at night about God's love and provision and how the Scripture says God's children will never go begging for bread, and he tells you how his baby went to bed with warm water and some brown sugar for formula, and his family of five had only one meal that day, while all around him are people who never go to church and who find a child swearing a "cute and funny thing", going around in fancy cars or riding public airconditioned buses, and gorging themselves in food.

This is not a lottery issue.

Are you going to blame this fellow if one day he breaks and goes sticking somebody up again ? Or maybe tell him that perhaps he has a hidden sin somewhere in his life that needs confessing ?

If you want to start another thread for this issue you are welcome. But you are not welcome to just derail this thread.

Or are you going to reprimand him for winning the lottery and call him unfaithful and say maybe he's not really saved ?

No such thing as situation ethics.

True, but at the back of each lottery ticket is a fair statement on your chances of winning, and if you still wish to play then it's your call. By the same token, the State promises to pay you a huge amount if you do win, and they abide with that promise as well. Besides, the State truly DOES NOT represent Christ, and the money you bet is not against the money of the person ahead of you in the line, or behind you. You played against the state.

While this is irrelevent it is also untrue. You play against every person who plays. the person in the line before you and the person in the line behind you as well as every person in every lotto line in the state. States have no money except that which they collect from us.

It's not like poker or blackjack where it's your money and your luck against the other guy's money and luck.

Irrelevent but wrong.

Besides, going back to the OP, most, if not every, lottery winner is advertised. Their faces are shown to the public, because that is the State's way of saying there really was a winner, and it had not fooled anyone

.

I do not think anyone accused the gambling system of being dishonest.

Having said all these, I think that gambling is a private matter. It's something we can preach about and against, but in the end it's the believer's decision and it's between him and his God.

And I disagree according to scripture rather than situation ethcs.

 

[webdog]

Gaining money at the loss of someone else is not a biblical principle. It most certainly does not represent Christ.

This is called business. Any time I buy something, they are gaining my money at my loss.