2) The Anti-Gospel (Doy Moyer)
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"luke12_15\"](\"https:\/\/thegospelobserver.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/luke12_151.jpg?w=676\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n-1-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five Reasons Why I Don\u2019t Play the Lottery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ken Weliever<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith all of the current hoopla about the Powerball, I\u2019m curious on your take scripturally on the lottery,\u201d wrote Heidi, one of our regular readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heidi adds her thoughts saying, \u201cI know many Christians who don\u2019t see anything wrong with it. I wouldn\u2019t want to risk my soul on getting rich quick. I sure could use the money but even $450 million is not worth losing my soul over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many things, the Bible doesn\u2019t specifically mention gambling. So we must consider scriptural principles to decide whether it is a good thing or not. I realize that some people consider playing the lottery and other forms of gambling as entertainment. It may be so for some. But I believe it is a risky form of amusement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are 5 considerations that guide my decision not to gamble, including playing the lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(1) It violates the laws of legitimate economy.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe Bible recognizes 3 legitimate means of transferring property to others \u2014 the law of labor, the law of exchange, and the law of giving and receiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are commanded to work in order to provide for our needs and support our families (Eph 4:25; I Tim. 5:8). The Bible speaks of earning interest on money (Matt 25:27) or making a profit on selling a possession, or investing in real estate (Matt 13:44-45). In addition, both giving and receiving are the result of our work and\/or profits from investments (Eph. 4:28; Acts 2:45).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gambling does not quality as a legitimate area of economy in any of those three ways. Thus, I choose not to play the lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(2) It appeals to greed and materialism.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nJesus warned, \u201cTake heed and beware of covetousness, for one\u2019s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses\u201d (Lk 12:15). The Bible says that greed is \u201cimproper for God\u2019s holy people\u201d (Eph 5:3). In fact, Paul calls covetousness a form of idolatry (Col 3:5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(3) It undermines faithful stewardship.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nChristians are to be good managers of their time, talents and treasure. This is taught in the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-29). The Old Testament book of Proverbs is filled with exhortations to the wise use of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to yesterday\u2019s Today show, your chances of winning the Powerball lottery are 1 in 292,201,338. Not very good odds I would say. In fact, the News Anchor said you have a better chance of being struck by lightning, becoming President of the United States, being bitten by a shark, or dying from an asteroid than winning the lottery!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(4) It sabotages self-control.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAdmittedly, not all gamblers are out of control. But it is a serious enough problem that even some lottery ads issue warnings and provide information on gambling hotlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mayo clinic website warns, \u201cCompulsive gambling is a serious condition that can destroy lives.\u201d These professional experts explain \u201cGambling can stimulate the brain\u2019s reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction. If you\u2019re prone to compulsive gambling, you may continually chase bets, hide your behavior, deplete savings, accumulate debt, or even resort to theft or fraud to support your addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s people are to be self-disciplined, with their passions and desires under His control (1 Cor. 6:12; 9:27; Gal. 5:23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(5) It potentially ruins lives.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nLotteries often tend to victimize the most vulnerable with the lure of instant wealth to those who can least afford to lose money gambling. But even the winners\u2019 lives are often ruined with the problems that come with unearned riches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tales of the unintended consequences of winning the lottery are so numerous that a simple google search will provide many sad stories of ruined lives after winning the lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many go bankrupt. Lose friends. Attract scam artists. Create friction in their families. Become addicted to other vices. And generally find that money does not buy happiness, peace of mind, or personal fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could list other reasons. But these are sufficient. If you think winning a big jackpot would improve your life and put you on easy street, don\u2019t bet on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via Search for Truth, <\/em>Volume VIII, Number 1, August 7, 2016
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"mark1_15\"](\"https:\/\/thegospelobserver.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/mark1_15.jpg?w=676\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n-2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Anti-Gospel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Doy Moyer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is rooted in the fact that all have sinned and fall short of God\u2019s glory (Rom. 3:23). The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23). Mankind, left to himself, is lost, without hope, and unforgiven. There is no grace without Christ, and no path to God without the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The gospel message is that we can receive forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus and be born again to that living hope, reserved in heaven, through the resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3-5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is also inseparable from this primary message: \u201crepent!\u201d Jesus said, \u201crepent and believe in the gospel\u201d (Mark 1:15). This is a clear kingdom mandate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit\u201d (Acts 2:38).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTherefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord\u201d (Acts 3:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God wants all to \u201ccome to repentance\u201d (2 Pet. 3:9). He wants the gospel taught to grant \u201crepentance leading to the knowledge of the truth\u201d (2 Tim. 2:25), for godly repentance leads to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, this message has been rejected in favor of one much more palatable and easily accepted by a world indoctrinated with moral relativism and forced tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel is the message of non-repentance. This message tells people that repentance is not necessary, that it is good to embrace your own version of self, that those who say otherwise are the haters, the bigots, the ones who need to be shunned and shamed. God made us the way we are, so there is no need to do anything but affirm our own feelings. Modern culture deems that the more enlightened embrace the anti-gospel, for modern understanding is superior to the ancients; and since Scripture is a product of the ancient world, we can see the need to move beyond it as a relic of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel turns the grace of God into a license to sin (Jude 4), allowing for all to continue in sin while affirming this twisted version of grace (Rom. 6:1-2). The anti-gospel preachers proclaim that love wins, that the Spirit is with them, that God understands. In the process, a new idolatry has emerged. God has been reshaped to look just like the anti-gospel message. This god no longer requires repentance and despises those who preach it. This god bends to the whims and desires of those who have shaped the anti-gospel. The standard of the anti-gospel is self-will, not Scripture, though once in a while some passage will be trotted out as support of what has already been decided. Those Scriptures that do not support the predetermined conclusions are summarily dismissed and relegated to the shelf of antiquities, appealed to only as evidence of a world that everyone now knows was backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This message is anti-gospel because it teaches people to affirm their sinfulness, to be proud of their sinful behavior, to march in lock-step with flags unfurled to show solidarity. Grace is perverted and the real gospel is veiled as the minds of the anti-gospel advocates are unable to \u201csee the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ\u201d (2 Cor. 4:4), while they preach themselves rather than \u201cChrist Jesus as Lord\u201d (vs. 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel shuns the Lordship of Jesus. It mocks those who embrace God\u2019s authority as revealed in Scripture. It manifests the works of the flesh while parading in disguise as the fruit of the Spirit. Because the anti-gospel denies true repentance, it also denies the kingdom of Christ. There is no grace of living waters in the anti-gospel, but only a poison that may momentarily taste of pleasure. In the end, it will become bitter, and it will kill those who drink of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent and believe in the gospel.\u201d Only in Christ will true salvation be found. Preach the gospel. Let the foolishness of the cross become the power of the saved (1 Cor. 1:18). Now is not the time to compromise; now is the time to embrace the real gospel with even more intensity. It\u2019s not about politics; it\u2019s about truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via The Auburn Beacon, <\/em>Vol. 7, Issue 51, 9\/4\/16
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1) Hear <\/strong>the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe<\/strong> in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith<\/strong> in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong> in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, <\/strong>living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nTebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday<\/strong> services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday:<\/strong> 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor:<\/strong> Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 Contents: 1) Five Reasons Why I Don\u2019t Play the Lottery (Ken Weliever)2) The Anti-Gospel (Doy Moyer)\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 -1- Five Reasons Why I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":657,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions\/657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Jesus warned, \u201cTake heed and beware of covetousness, for one\u2019s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses\u201d (Lk 12:15). The Bible says that greed is \u201cimproper for God\u2019s holy people\u201d (Eph 5:3). In fact, Paul calls covetousness a form of idolatry (Col 3:5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(3) It undermines faithful stewardship.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nChristians are to be good managers of their time, talents and treasure. This is taught in the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-29). The Old Testament book of Proverbs is filled with exhortations to the wise use of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to yesterday\u2019s Today show, your chances of winning the Powerball lottery are 1 in 292,201,338. Not very good odds I would say. In fact, the News Anchor said you have a better chance of being struck by lightning, becoming President of the United States, being bitten by a shark, or dying from an asteroid than winning the lottery!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(4) It sabotages self-control.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAdmittedly, not all gamblers are out of control. But it is a serious enough problem that even some lottery ads issue warnings and provide information on gambling hotlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mayo clinic website warns, \u201cCompulsive gambling is a serious condition that can destroy lives.\u201d These professional experts explain \u201cGambling can stimulate the brain\u2019s reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction. If you\u2019re prone to compulsive gambling, you may continually chase bets, hide your behavior, deplete savings, accumulate debt, or even resort to theft or fraud to support your addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s people are to be self-disciplined, with their passions and desires under His control (1 Cor. 6:12; 9:27; Gal. 5:23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(5) It potentially ruins lives.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nLotteries often tend to victimize the most vulnerable with the lure of instant wealth to those who can least afford to lose money gambling. But even the winners\u2019 lives are often ruined with the problems that come with unearned riches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tales of the unintended consequences of winning the lottery are so numerous that a simple google search will provide many sad stories of ruined lives after winning the lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many go bankrupt. Lose friends. Attract scam artists. Create friction in their families. Become addicted to other vices. And generally find that money does not buy happiness, peace of mind, or personal fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could list other reasons. But these are sufficient. If you think winning a big jackpot would improve your life and put you on easy street, don\u2019t bet on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via Search for Truth, <\/em>Volume VIII, Number 1, August 7, 2016
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n-2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Anti-Gospel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Doy Moyer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is rooted in the fact that all have sinned and fall short of God\u2019s glory (Rom. 3:23). The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23). Mankind, left to himself, is lost, without hope, and unforgiven. There is no grace without Christ, and no path to God without the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The gospel message is that we can receive forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus and be born again to that living hope, reserved in heaven, through the resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3-5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is also inseparable from this primary message: \u201crepent!\u201d Jesus said, \u201crepent and believe in the gospel\u201d (Mark 1:15). This is a clear kingdom mandate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit\u201d (Acts 2:38).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTherefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord\u201d (Acts 3:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God wants all to \u201ccome to repentance\u201d (2 Pet. 3:9). He wants the gospel taught to grant \u201crepentance leading to the knowledge of the truth\u201d (2 Tim. 2:25), for godly repentance leads to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, this message has been rejected in favor of one much more palatable and easily accepted by a world indoctrinated with moral relativism and forced tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel is the message of non-repentance. This message tells people that repentance is not necessary, that it is good to embrace your own version of self, that those who say otherwise are the haters, the bigots, the ones who need to be shunned and shamed. God made us the way we are, so there is no need to do anything but affirm our own feelings. Modern culture deems that the more enlightened embrace the anti-gospel, for modern understanding is superior to the ancients; and since Scripture is a product of the ancient world, we can see the need to move beyond it as a relic of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel turns the grace of God into a license to sin (Jude 4), allowing for all to continue in sin while affirming this twisted version of grace (Rom. 6:1-2). The anti-gospel preachers proclaim that love wins, that the Spirit is with them, that God understands. In the process, a new idolatry has emerged. God has been reshaped to look just like the anti-gospel message. This god no longer requires repentance and despises those who preach it. This god bends to the whims and desires of those who have shaped the anti-gospel. The standard of the anti-gospel is self-will, not Scripture, though once in a while some passage will be trotted out as support of what has already been decided. Those Scriptures that do not support the predetermined conclusions are summarily dismissed and relegated to the shelf of antiquities, appealed to only as evidence of a world that everyone now knows was backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This message is anti-gospel because it teaches people to affirm their sinfulness, to be proud of their sinful behavior, to march in lock-step with flags unfurled to show solidarity. Grace is perverted and the real gospel is veiled as the minds of the anti-gospel advocates are unable to \u201csee the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ\u201d (2 Cor. 4:4), while they preach themselves rather than \u201cChrist Jesus as Lord\u201d (vs. 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel shuns the Lordship of Jesus. It mocks those who embrace God\u2019s authority as revealed in Scripture. It manifests the works of the flesh while parading in disguise as the fruit of the Spirit. Because the anti-gospel denies true repentance, it also denies the kingdom of Christ. There is no grace of living waters in the anti-gospel, but only a poison that may momentarily taste of pleasure. In the end, it will become bitter, and it will kill those who drink of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent and believe in the gospel.\u201d Only in Christ will true salvation be found. Preach the gospel. Let the foolishness of the cross become the power of the saved (1 Cor. 1:18). Now is not the time to compromise; now is the time to embrace the real gospel with even more intensity. It\u2019s not about politics; it\u2019s about truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via The Auburn Beacon, <\/em>Vol. 7, Issue 51, 9\/4\/16
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1) Hear <\/strong>the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe<\/strong> in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith<\/strong> in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong> in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, <\/strong>living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nTebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday<\/strong> services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday:<\/strong> 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor:<\/strong> Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 Contents: 1) Five Reasons Why I Don\u2019t Play the Lottery (Ken Weliever)2) The Anti-Gospel (Doy Moyer)\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 -1- Five Reasons Why I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":657,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions\/657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Admittedly, not all gamblers are out of control. But it is a serious enough problem that even some lottery ads issue warnings and provide information on gambling hotlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mayo clinic website warns, \u201cCompulsive gambling is a serious condition that can destroy lives.\u201d These professional experts explain \u201cGambling can stimulate the brain\u2019s reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction. If you\u2019re prone to compulsive gambling, you may continually chase bets, hide your behavior, deplete savings, accumulate debt, or even resort to theft or fraud to support your addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s people are to be self-disciplined, with their passions and desires under His control (1 Cor. 6:12; 9:27; Gal. 5:23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(5) It potentially ruins lives.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nLotteries often tend to victimize the most vulnerable with the lure of instant wealth to those who can least afford to lose money gambling. But even the winners\u2019 lives are often ruined with the problems that come with unearned riches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tales of the unintended consequences of winning the lottery are so numerous that a simple google search will provide many sad stories of ruined lives after winning the lottery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many go bankrupt. Lose friends. Attract scam artists. Create friction in their families. Become addicted to other vices. And generally find that money does not buy happiness, peace of mind, or personal fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could list other reasons. But these are sufficient. If you think winning a big jackpot would improve your life and put you on easy street, don\u2019t bet on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via Search for Truth, <\/em>Volume VIII, Number 1, August 7, 2016
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n-2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Anti-Gospel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Doy Moyer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is rooted in the fact that all have sinned and fall short of God\u2019s glory (Rom. 3:23). The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23). Mankind, left to himself, is lost, without hope, and unforgiven. There is no grace without Christ, and no path to God without the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The gospel message is that we can receive forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus and be born again to that living hope, reserved in heaven, through the resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3-5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is also inseparable from this primary message: \u201crepent!\u201d Jesus said, \u201crepent and believe in the gospel\u201d (Mark 1:15). This is a clear kingdom mandate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit\u201d (Acts 2:38).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTherefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord\u201d (Acts 3:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God wants all to \u201ccome to repentance\u201d (2 Pet. 3:9). He wants the gospel taught to grant \u201crepentance leading to the knowledge of the truth\u201d (2 Tim. 2:25), for godly repentance leads to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, this message has been rejected in favor of one much more palatable and easily accepted by a world indoctrinated with moral relativism and forced tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel is the message of non-repentance. This message tells people that repentance is not necessary, that it is good to embrace your own version of self, that those who say otherwise are the haters, the bigots, the ones who need to be shunned and shamed. God made us the way we are, so there is no need to do anything but affirm our own feelings. Modern culture deems that the more enlightened embrace the anti-gospel, for modern understanding is superior to the ancients; and since Scripture is a product of the ancient world, we can see the need to move beyond it as a relic of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel turns the grace of God into a license to sin (Jude 4), allowing for all to continue in sin while affirming this twisted version of grace (Rom. 6:1-2). The anti-gospel preachers proclaim that love wins, that the Spirit is with them, that God understands. In the process, a new idolatry has emerged. God has been reshaped to look just like the anti-gospel message. This god no longer requires repentance and despises those who preach it. This god bends to the whims and desires of those who have shaped the anti-gospel. The standard of the anti-gospel is self-will, not Scripture, though once in a while some passage will be trotted out as support of what has already been decided. Those Scriptures that do not support the predetermined conclusions are summarily dismissed and relegated to the shelf of antiquities, appealed to only as evidence of a world that everyone now knows was backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This message is anti-gospel because it teaches people to affirm their sinfulness, to be proud of their sinful behavior, to march in lock-step with flags unfurled to show solidarity. Grace is perverted and the real gospel is veiled as the minds of the anti-gospel advocates are unable to \u201csee the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ\u201d (2 Cor. 4:4), while they preach themselves rather than \u201cChrist Jesus as Lord\u201d (vs. 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel shuns the Lordship of Jesus. It mocks those who embrace God\u2019s authority as revealed in Scripture. It manifests the works of the flesh while parading in disguise as the fruit of the Spirit. Because the anti-gospel denies true repentance, it also denies the kingdom of Christ. There is no grace of living waters in the anti-gospel, but only a poison that may momentarily taste of pleasure. In the end, it will become bitter, and it will kill those who drink of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent and believe in the gospel.\u201d Only in Christ will true salvation be found. Preach the gospel. Let the foolishness of the cross become the power of the saved (1 Cor. 1:18). Now is not the time to compromise; now is the time to embrace the real gospel with even more intensity. It\u2019s not about politics; it\u2019s about truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via The Auburn Beacon, <\/em>Vol. 7, Issue 51, 9\/4\/16
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1) Hear <\/strong>the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe<\/strong> in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith<\/strong> in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong> in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, <\/strong>living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nTebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday<\/strong> services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday:<\/strong> 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor:<\/strong> Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 Contents: 1) Five Reasons Why I Don\u2019t Play the Lottery (Ken Weliever)2) The Anti-Gospel (Doy Moyer)\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 -1- Five Reasons Why I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":657,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions\/657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n-2-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Anti-Gospel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Doy Moyer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is rooted in the fact that all have sinned and fall short of God\u2019s glory (Rom. 3:23). The wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23). Mankind, left to himself, is lost, without hope, and unforgiven. There is no grace without Christ, and no path to God without the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The gospel message is that we can receive forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus and be born again to that living hope, reserved in heaven, through the resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3-5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gospel is also inseparable from this primary message: \u201crepent!\u201d Jesus said, \u201crepent and believe in the gospel\u201d (Mark 1:15). This is a clear kingdom mandate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit\u201d (Acts 2:38).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTherefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord\u201d (Acts 3:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God wants all to \u201ccome to repentance\u201d (2 Pet. 3:9). He wants the gospel taught to grant \u201crepentance leading to the knowledge of the truth\u201d (2 Tim. 2:25), for godly repentance leads to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, this message has been rejected in favor of one much more palatable and easily accepted by a world indoctrinated with moral relativism and forced tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel is the message of non-repentance. This message tells people that repentance is not necessary, that it is good to embrace your own version of self, that those who say otherwise are the haters, the bigots, the ones who need to be shunned and shamed. God made us the way we are, so there is no need to do anything but affirm our own feelings. Modern culture deems that the more enlightened embrace the anti-gospel, for modern understanding is superior to the ancients; and since Scripture is a product of the ancient world, we can see the need to move beyond it as a relic of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel turns the grace of God into a license to sin (Jude 4), allowing for all to continue in sin while affirming this twisted version of grace (Rom. 6:1-2). The anti-gospel preachers proclaim that love wins, that the Spirit is with them, that God understands. In the process, a new idolatry has emerged. God has been reshaped to look just like the anti-gospel message. This god no longer requires repentance and despises those who preach it. This god bends to the whims and desires of those who have shaped the anti-gospel. The standard of the anti-gospel is self-will, not Scripture, though once in a while some passage will be trotted out as support of what has already been decided. Those Scriptures that do not support the predetermined conclusions are summarily dismissed and relegated to the shelf of antiquities, appealed to only as evidence of a world that everyone now knows was backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This message is anti-gospel because it teaches people to affirm their sinfulness, to be proud of their sinful behavior, to march in lock-step with flags unfurled to show solidarity. Grace is perverted and the real gospel is veiled as the minds of the anti-gospel advocates are unable to \u201csee the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ\u201d (2 Cor. 4:4), while they preach themselves rather than \u201cChrist Jesus as Lord\u201d (vs. 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The anti-gospel shuns the Lordship of Jesus. It mocks those who embrace God\u2019s authority as revealed in Scripture. It manifests the works of the flesh while parading in disguise as the fruit of the Spirit. Because the anti-gospel denies true repentance, it also denies the kingdom of Christ. There is no grace of living waters in the anti-gospel, but only a poison that may momentarily taste of pleasure. In the end, it will become bitter, and it will kill those who drink of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRepent and believe in the gospel.\u201d Only in Christ will true salvation be found. Preach the gospel. Let the foolishness of the cross become the power of the saved (1 Cor. 1:18). Now is not the time to compromise; now is the time to embrace the real gospel with even more intensity. It\u2019s not about politics; it\u2019s about truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 Via The Auburn Beacon, <\/em>Vol. 7, Issue 51, 9\/4\/16 1) Hear <\/strong>the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31). Tebeau Street \u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age\u201d (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 Contents: 1) Five Reasons Why I Don\u2019t Play the Lottery (Ken Weliever)2) The Anti-Gospel (Doy Moyer)\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 -1- Five Reasons Why I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":657,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions\/657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2) Believe<\/strong> in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent <\/strong>of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith<\/strong> in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized<\/strong> in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith, <\/strong>living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA\u00a0 31501
Sunday<\/strong> services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 5 PM (worship)
Wednesday:<\/strong> 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist\/editor:<\/strong> Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http:\/\/thomastedwards.com\/go<\/a> (Older version of Gospel Observer website without pictures, but back to March 1990)
http:\/\/tebeaustreetchurchofchrist.org\/<\/a>
http:\/\/ThomasTEdwards.com\/audioser.html<\/a> (audio sermons)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"