Gambling — Don't Bet On ItWritten by Hoyt W. Allen, Jr.
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Some advocates of gambling cry out that stock market is a gamble. It is strange that mankind will always turn over every stone looking for a way to justify his sin. Investments in stock markets, and insurance is a far cry from roulette wheels, poker tables, race tracks and river floating casinos. Investments in stock markets and insurance companies produce many jobs for multitudes as this investment money is recycled repeatedly throughout our land and around world. Gambling is addictive. Several million people belong to "Gamblers Anonymous" today. It has caused people to lie, cheat, steal, rob, rape, sell their bodies, minds and souls to get money so that they can gamble "just one more time." Connected with it are many evils. Normally drink is associated with it. Organized crime goes from small neighborhood protection gangs to larger controlled Mafia groups. I Thessalonians 5:22 warns, "Avoid all kinds of evil." I Timothy 6:10 also warns "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Proverbs 13:11 states that money won in gambling will quickly disappear. Can one be a good Christian witness and be a gambler? You must decide! Some recent gambling info looks like following: 1) In a 1989 survey of 2,700 high school students in four states, 50% of students admitted to gambling at least once a year. 2) There are twelve million obsessive gamblers in our land and 90% of them began gambling prior to age twenty-one. 3) One fifth of gamblers of our nation are youth and many do not understand how it is addictive and do not want to earn money old fashioned way — work for it! Gambling produces parasites. 4) "Gamblers Anonymous" has over 700 chapters in U.S.A. with over 12,000 members seeking help! 5) Between 20 and 40 percent of male and 58 percent of female compulsive gamblers have seen mental health professionals prior to enrolling with "Gamblers Anonymous." 6) A large number of compulsive gamblers end up with unhappy marriages, abusing their family (61% become violent toward their spouse), and too often marriage ends. 7) Over $300 billion is spent annually in U.S.A. on gambling. 8) It is estimated that 100 million Americans gamble in U.S.A. in country's 37 state lotteries. 9) Nearly ten years ago ('84) – gamblers in U.S. in one year spent $177 billion. That was twice amount spent on education, fifteen times that contributed to all religious groups combined in America. This exceeded that spent on medical care and one half of what was spent on food. 10) Illegal gambling in America is estimated to exceed our National Debt. 11) State lotteries give only 2-3% to public school education systems, but extra police officers needed and welfare expenses far outweigh income. 12) 60-90% of those who play lotteries are of lower income groups. 13) Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds Manager) made $600,000 per year and gambled $324,000 when he got caught. Due to gambling, he went from "Hall of Fame" to "Hall of Shame." 14) Of "Regular" gamblers – 1 in 10 become "Compulsive" gamblers. 15) One third of gamblers are female and 96% of "Compulsive" gamblers are hooked prior to age 14. Source material: 1) "Gambling, A Bad Bet" by Dr. Norman Geisler; Pub. Fleming H. Revell; 1990 2) "Gambling In America" by Bertha Davis; Pub. Franklin Watts; 1992 3) "Gamblers Anonymous" 606-277-8236 4) "Gambling" Pub. Information Aids, Inc. 1992 5) "USA Today" Sept. 10, 1993, Page 3-A 6) "Gambling And The Bible" by Thomas F. Eaves; Pub. Star Publishing 7) "The Ohio Week" by Sue Gorisek; Page 7; Oct. 15, 1993 8) "Daily Times"; Portsmouth, Ohio Daily Times; Page A-3; Oct. 11, 1993 9) "Gambling, Trading Morals For Money" by Dr. Paul Meier & Dr. Norm Geisler; Focus on Family (Tape #CS 742); 1992 10) "Holy Bible"
Brother Hoyt W. Allen Jr. is a Restoration author, preacher and director of the KYOWVA Evangelistic Association in Ironton, Ohio. You may visit his website at www.kyowva.com. Brother Allen's article is courtesy of the The Home Bible Study Institute - www.james1-22.org. Permission to use is granted if attributed to author, his website and the website of The Home Bible Study Institute.
| | If Jesus Never Came.Written by Rev.A.R.Smith
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So as you can see in just 1st couple of Chapters in Genisus, that it was man that started religion and not God. God, in begining of man had to deal with rebellion and hatred of His athourity by man, because of Fall of Adam. Remember meaning of religion,A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion. Quote”I am fascinated by how they twist and avoid truth in order to claim Bible is somehow holy.”Unquote Holy means; 1.Regarded with particular reverence or respect: blessed, hallowed, sacred. 2. Protected from violation or abuse by custom, law, or feelings of reverence: inviolable,Protected from violation or abuse by custom, law, or feelings of reverence Belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred. Regarded with or worthy of worship or veneration; revered: a holy book. Living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system; saintly: a holy person. Specified or set apart for a religious purpose: a holy place. Solemnly undertaken; sacrosanct: a holy pledge. Regarded as deserving special respect or reverence: Athiest, Agnostice, Humanist, Freethinkers very seldom attack The New Testiment for they see Old Testiment as a key to destroy all beliefe. War in old Testiment is a key target of many people. They fail to understand that it was mans lack of understanding, compassion and duty to all mankind that caused war. James 4:1, puts it this way; From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Lusts is key word here. Man in the, Old as well as New Testiment, even continueing on today, is primary cause of death and destruction. In Old Testiment, God had to destroy man so that mankind could survive, or evolve, eather way you wish to look at it. The reason for flood and death of all but a few lets look at; Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that wickedness of man was great in earth, and that every imagination of thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.Gen 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with earth. The question here is,”Did God give mankind a chance to repent?” The answer is Yes.Here is their answer for death of men, women and children in Old Testiment. 2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 2Pe 2:5 And spared not old world, but saved Noah eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in flood upon world of ungodly; 2Pe 2:6 And turning cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 2Pe 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with filthy conversation of wicked: 2Pe 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver godly out of temptations, and to reserve unjust unto day of judgment to be punished: 2Pe 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after flesh in lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 2Pe 2:11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before Lord. 2Pe 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; Mans, corruption, evil, lust, greed and disreguard for other human life, brought about their own destruction, remember that evil brings forth evil and cannot change for it is not in its nature to do so. As for wars that Israel fought but order of God, 2nd Peter 2:4 thru 10, also answers that question. End Part 1. ars
A.R.Smith Sermons International http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/
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