Featured Pastor warns Christians not to play Mega Millions lotto

As much as I respect Piper, Macarthur, and others who rail against gambling, I must insist that we as Pastors are commanded not to go beyond THE TEXT. While gambling is nowhere in the Bible said to be a sin (although I believe it is sheer stupidity!), it IS sinful to teach instructions of men, and wisdom of men, as if it is instruction from the Lord.

1Co 4:6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.

Mat 15:8 "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
Mat 15:9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

Its just sad.

 

Interesting reading.

I smoke cigarettes. Don't drink. Played the dollar lottery a couple three times. A bit over-weight. Can't stand gossipers; holier-than-thous; know-it-all's; not impressed with those who float across the floor; have always stood up for the underdog; been faithful and married to the same woman for 47 years; been to Vegas a few times on business and played the slots. In short, I'm not any better or any worse than the rest of you.

I have known Jesus since 1972 and more often than not I'm sure He has just stood and shook His head at me. I do know a current Deacon who made whiskey up till 1975 but don't know if he claimed to be saved way back then or not.

I'm sure glad our Lord is Long Suffering. Praise God! :godisgood:

 

BTW, if you win the lottery, feel more than welcome to tithe to my church!

 

A little thick with the abrasive?

 

The lotto is the poor mans tax!

Here in NC it's billed as the NC Educational Lottery. Each dime that goes toward education merely reduces the State budget otherwise targeted for education. The education industry does not receive one dollar more than the original budget. This excess is then provided to Bubba, the 1st cousin of some political hack, to repave a bad spot in the road.

Everything any government does for it's citizens has bungee cords attached.

 

I have been on the end of that educational lottery and what you say is so true.

 

The very reason for the gospel, the kingdom of God.
thy will be done on earth as
He will judge in righteousness.

The only biblical reason I can think of without giving it a lot of thought is,

Come ye out of her my people.

The lottery is a part of the system of of this world run by the prince of the power of the air.

 

Hi percho, actually all businesses are to some degree involved with the rulers of this world.

NKJV

1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.​

We are in the world but not of the world.
How far each of us is willing top compromise is between the believer and God.​

WE all compromise to a point or we would be dead.​

Many seemingly innocent corporations which we depend upon for food clothing and shelter support abortion clinics and abortifacients.​

Every dollar we give to them we give a few cents to these entities they support as well.​

My opinion of course.


HankD​

 

This is one of the worst reasoned responses I've read in a long time. You've not addressed anything from an actual Scriptural stand point. Instead you've defaulted to fear mongering, eisogeting Scripture, and really really bad argumentation about addictions.

So let me get this straight, one of your big arguments against gambling is that the winners don't ever have to work and that's a violation of Scripture?

This is all ad hoc with no basis for the rationale. My grand parents would buy two lotto tickets every week for the 65 years they were married. It didn't break up their family.

Your entire line of argumentation is not logical or well considered.

 

This is a bad allusion to Scripture. The verse you're talking about has nothing to do with gambling.

But you're decision about investing was not predicated upon anything but, ultimately, chance. When someone goes and buys a lottery ticket, they own that ticket. That ticket can be redeemed for the amount that it was worth after the incentive period, but afterwards its still yours.

So I bought a bunch of GM stock a couple of years ago, before the bankruptcy. I bought at a decent price for the stock and sat on it, even through the bankruptcy. Last week I received notice the stock is worthless and cannot be traded anymore. So I've got the certificates, bought upon the idea that GM was a decent investment, and they're worthless. So they essentially have the same value as about 99% of the lottery tickets bought yesterday.

 

Oh, and I'm still waiting for Scriptural discussion showing us where gambling is prohibited in the Bible.

 

It is implied, just like abortion is.

1 Thess 4:11-12, "and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need."

2 Thess 3:10-12, "For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread."

 

?? Abortion is not "implied" to be a sin! "Thou shall not murder." That is NOT implied, it is spoken plainly.

Nothing about gambling here, implied or otherwise. Having a bunch of money does not preclude one from working with ones hands. IF you twist scripture bad enough to make this apply to gambling, it would ALSO, EQUALLY apply to being a successful, well off business owner.

Of course, all of that is completely foreign to the text. A person who works hard doing volunteer work, but is filthy stinking rich, does not violate this scripture.

Again, nothing about gambling here. Since you are interpreting this text this way, I suppose you would ALSO believe that riches from ANY source are wrong....

Again, scripture, please. You are doing the same thing the Pharisees did. "Oh, you can't work on the Sabbath. Well, we need to clarify that. So, you can't make mortar. Oh, well, we need to add to that. You can't spit on the ground, cause then you will be making mortar, and breaking the Sabbath."

Sillyness. AND, sinful! It is SIN to invent commandments that are not in scripture. It is NOT sin to gamble, though it is stupid.

 

1. Your ad hominem attack was not needed (behaving as a middle schooler). Practice what you preach.
2. I have convictions. I have no trouble stating them.
3. I defend those convictions. This is a debate forum. If you don't like debate and would rather discuss topics like the weather etc., there are forums for that. I suggest you go there.
4. I am not trying to coax you into anything. I reply to posts as they reply to me, or who have differing opinions than me. That is what debate is all about.

Again, this is debate. I believe the Bible has much to say about this topic. If I take the time I can write quite a lengthy post on what the Bible says about gambling, and that is what buying a lotto ticket is. In fact entire books have already been written on this subject.
I don't know if you are familiar with the outreach "Reformer's Unanimous," but I have worked some with it. I know the evils of gambling. I know the destruction that it has caused families. I know the ease as to how addictive it can be. And as with every other form of addiction it starts so simply. I also don't believe it is a good testimony to the unsaved nor to the saved. Those are my convictions, not a put down to any one person. Again this is a debate forum.

It is difficult, if nigh to impossible, to assess a person's personality and character from the opposite side of keyboard half way around the world. My writing reflects my convictions. The context of my writings is in a debate forum. It is hardly a reflection of who I am. You are in no position to assess that. Again, if you can't stand the heat of the debate, step out of the frying pan. Go to the discussion forums.

My children had the advantage of being home-schooled and learned to read at the age of four. At the age of five the read quite fluently out of the KJV. That is not something that the average person taught in our public schools can do. That was my point and I stand by it. By and large our public school system is a mess. This is another topic, but one that I am quite knowledgeable about.

The Bible doesn't change. I know what I believe. I preach what I believe. It is doubtful that you will change my convictions. But that doesn't mean my convictions should be censored on the board just because you disagree with them. If you don't like debate then get out of the debate forums.

This is not a forum for witnessing for Christ. The title of this thread is about playing the lotto that has nothing to do with evangelism. If you want to start a thread about evangelism you have the freedom to do so. Thus your point is moot.
And again, your last point is another ad hominem, the very thing you preach against.

 

I agree the very purpose for the kingdom of God. As you can tell I am not a kingdom now person, for sure not on this inhabited earth.

Just as in Daniel I'm sure we have a prince assigned to the old US of A.

 

I'm thinking of selling some tickets to a cake walk for tonight. Oops what is a cake walk? Old dude.

 

Here is how Baptist Pastors obtain unjust weight.

 

Here are the results:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/lottery-official-winning-mega-millions-ticket-sold-maryland-051513853.html

 

I agree with your foundation but not how you arrived there. Murder is spoken plainly, but not abortion. Where is abortion dealt with in the Bible? You started with a theology to prove a point not the foundation. That is like building a home on a foundation that someone else may have started and it may or may not be adequate. I am unable to see how you developed murder and abortion as synonymous. The Bible says that God breathed the breath of life into them. Some well known preachers such as Criswell and others at the time did not believe it was a baby until it was born. Therefore abortion was not murder because the baby was not born yet. Is not abortion pre-birth?

Is it a baby because it did not have the breath of life in it and did not live?

I just do not believe that you can be anti-abortion directly from scripture. Is it wrong to abort a baby because it endangers the mother?

I think many Christians miss one important thing. That is that God places importance on some things above others. Is it more important to work at a hospital and miss a sabbath/church or is going to sabbath/church an absolute.

Ex. 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

How would you support priorities in that situation directly from scripture.