Jonathan Vargas recently won a lump sum of $17 million in the South Carolina education lottery. He's a construction worker, and says this was the first time he'd ever played Powerball.
He says he chose the numbers based on family members. He says he heard the numbers in his head, and says he had a feeling from God that he should play. He says he wrote the numbers on a napkin, that now hangs on his wall in his home.
On the video below Vargas say he plans to tithe the $17 million. My question to you is:
Should your church my church or any church accept Lottery money?
You don't have to be a church leader to respond. I just want your opinion. Should the church accept Lottery money as a tithe or contribution.
Preachers what do you think?
9 comments:
Jamie,
I led WABC to actually discuss this in a deacons’ meeting and we passed a resolution of sorts that deals with this very thing. We don’t want it!
This was way back in Jan 2003 so I can’t remember all of the discussion or even sources for the document (can't claim complete originality).
I also spoke to the issue of the lottery on a Sunday night a while back: http://www.thelinkup.com/shared/lottery
Hope that helps. Here's the resolution:
Believing that gambling in general and the lottery in particular are vices which are growing in popularity and public acceptance; and
Believing that Scripture emphasizes the sovereignty of God while gambling encourages reliance on luck and chance; and
Believing that Scripture emphasizes the virtues of work, thrift and saving, contentment and virtue, while gambling encourages risk-taking and a something-for-nothing attitude; and
Believing that Scripture teaches Christian stewardship of resources, which holds that all things belong to God and that we are to use all earthly possessions as His agents in accordance with His will while gambling encourages selfishness and reckless abandon; and
Believing that proper use of money does not include gambling, but instead: provides basic needs; supports the family; contributes to God’s work; meets human needs and gives to the poor; and pays taxes; and
Believing that Scripture condemns greed, covetousness and materialism, while gambling encourages these sins of the flesh, lusting after unearned and undeserved prize money in clear violation of God’s law; and
Believing that Scripture teaches us to avoid all appearance of evil and to hate what is evil, while gambling is a known to be a major source of income for organized crime, attracting criminal elements and encouraging participation in other vices and illegal activities;
Be it therefore resolved that Western Avenue Baptist Church strongly opposes gambling in every form; and
Be it therefore resolved that Western Avenue Baptist Church opposes any government efforts to expand and/or promote the legalization of gambling; and
Be it therefore resolved that Western Avenue Baptist Church will not knowingly accept any gifts, tithes, offerings or endowments gained by gambling in any form.
Thanks Jeff.
Come on now - you don't think every dollar you collect is sterilized by rightesous behavior now do you? Do you check on the origin of every dollar you earn? Is your boss righteous? Are you righteous in every dollar you earn? Would God ever use the unrighteous mammon to bless his church?
Deacon & Usher
deaconandusher.wordpress.com
Please note in the final paragraph the important word "knowingly."
Do you check on the origin of every dollar you earn?
Yes we do actually.
We have a guy Kenny Jones whom takes care of this. He can sniff out unrighteous mammon a mile away.
We fingerprint and run background checks on everyone who gives. If we think they are giving sinful money we send it back or send it to the Duke Basketball program.
They are trying to make it to the Sweet Sixteen before Coach K turns 80. And we are just trying to help.
deaconandusher,
I admit I am still trying to discern your post here. Does the presence of the word "knowingly" in the final paragraph of our resolution soften your condescending incredulity?
I checked out your site to find out you were. However, just like your post, everything is anonymous. Upon reading the post, the anonymity seems intentional as it look to be a site where you only complain about the church (or maybe it's just your church).
Are you really a deacon? An usher?
Tell us who you are, where you're from, what church you attend, why you want to knowingly accept large gifts from well-publicized lottery winners that would implicitly (if not explicitly) condone the very act of gambling.
God looks at the heart. He sees a person receive something that comes from evil but that person uses that for very good. Is God displeased?
God sees a person who is always looking for something for nothing and will stop short of nothing to get it. Is God pleased?
God's word say's that we are to earn our bread by the sweat of our brow. We are to labor for our income,it does'nt matter if you are white collar or blue just earn it honestly.Gambling is the way of the world, it is taking a chance on winning money. What does the word say about money? It is the root to all evil. I won't buy a raffle ticket for a quilt, because it's gambling on taking a chance to win that quilt.When GOD saved my soul he made a new creature out of me, a percular people to be a light to the world. AT the Jews passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourage of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen; AND POURED OUT THE CHANGERS MONEY AND OVERTHREW THE TABLES:And said unto them take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. So, what makes you think that Jesus would want God's house polluted with lottery money?
What kind of an example would you be to receive such money, and if a church does except lottery money,
knowing where the money came from, then,they are just as guilty as the person who took a chance on winning it.
God said that my house shall be a House of Prayer.
Deborah Gibson
I agree, sounds about right to me....
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