LOTTERY FEVER

Updated March 16, 2010 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service)

In the book Money for Nothing: One Man’s Journey through the Dark Side of Lottery Millions, Edward Ugle says the “broke or financially troubled lottery winners are the rule.”

In fact, the consequences of winning the lottery are often more frightful than mere financial trouble.

Evelyn Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery in 1985 and 1986 for a total of $5.4 million, gambled and gave away all her winnings and by 2001 was poor and living in a trailer.

Teresa Brunnings, who won $1.3 million in a lottery in 1985, says that she had a party then, but, “Of all the people who came, not one speaks to me now.”

THE BIBLE’S PROOF

Updated February 19, 2009 (first published April 10, 2002) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org) –

In the final analysis, a man must accept that the Bible is the Word of God by faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

At the same time, Bible faith is not a blind leap into the dark. It is confidence in a believable Record that God has given, for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The writers of the Bible explain to us that they were not delivering cunningly devised fables but an inspired record based on “many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3; 2 Peter 1:16).

Following are some of the objective, time-proven reasons why we can have complete confidence in the Bible:

1. CHRIST’S RESURRECTION PROVES THAT THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD.

Christ’s resurrection was witnessed by hundreds of people (1 Cor. 15:5-7). Paul wrote this less than 40 years after the resurrection, and many eyewitnesses were still living. Were they all lying? At times, the resurrected Christ was seen by many people at one time. They talked with him, touched him, walked with him, and ate with him (Luke 24:36-43). Before the resurrection, the apostles were fearful and were hiding from the authorities (John 20:19). After they saw the resurrected Christ with their own eyes, they became bold and fearless and were willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel. It took a powerful event to cause such a change in their lives.

2. THE BIBLE’S UNIQUE CONSTRUCTION PROVES THAT IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.

The Bible was written by 40 different authors representing some 19 different occupations (shepherd, farmer, fisherman, tax collector, medical doctor, king, etc.) who lived during a period of some 1,600 years. That is approximately 50 generations. The first 39 chapters of the Bible were written in the Hebrew language over a period of about 1,000 years. There was then a 400-year gap when no Scriptures were written. After that, the last 27 chapters of the Bible were written in the Greek language during a period covering roughly 50 years. The writers could not have collaborated, because they did not even live at the same time. The product is one book that fits together perfectly and contains no contradictions or errors. There is nothing else like this in all of man’s history.

BEWARE OF AN UNWHOLESOME ADDICTION TO SPORTS

January 20, 2010 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org)

Playing sports is not wrong in itself, and there are benefits, but there are also plenty of spiritual dangers.

Following are some suggestions in how to keep sports from becoming an idol in your family:

PARENTS MUST HAVE THE RIGHT GOAL FOR THEIR CHILDREN

The goal is not that the children will be good citizens and proficient in some field of endeavor and learn how to have a good time in life and fit into the crowd. That is the goal that unsaved parents have for their children. The goal of believing parents should be that their children know and serve Jesus Christ in His perfect will for their individual lives.

Terry Coomer, pastor of Elwood Bible Baptist Church of Elwood, Indiana, was a professional baseball player, but as a young Christian he made the choice to quite his baseball career because it interfered with his obedience to Christ. Following is his testimony:

“In 1973, I was drafted out of high school, as the 78th player taken in the 1973 free agent draft by major league baseball. I was drafted as a pitcher by the San Francisco Giants. I was the first player drafted from Indiana. So, in 1973 I was the best high school baseball player in Indiana and one of the best in the country.

“We live in a sports crazed society! Many parents have the idea that their child is the next great sports star. The facts are that most children that play in youth sports today will never play professionally or even be close to it. Thousands of dollars are spent on travel, equipment, fees, and other things. In fact, many parents will spend money on these items and if necessary neglect paying their bills.

GOD’S COMMENDATION OF A FATHER

January 21, 2010 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org)

The following is by Pastor Buddy Smith of Malenda, Queensland, Australia <smiletex@bigpond.net.au> --

In Genesis 18, God told Abraham his secrets. Not only the blessings of the future, but the impending judgment of Sodom. God tells His friends His secrets. He always has. But God doesn’t tell all His children his secrets, only a select few.

In Genesis 18:17-19, God deliberates over whether to tell Abraham his plans for Sodom. And as He does, he gives us a rare insight into the mind of God,

“Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? ... For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him...”

If we read the text over slowly and thoughtfully we see that the blessings promised became blessings possessed because Abraham exercised authority in the home. Abraham commanded his children. This does not sound like permissive parenting, does it? This doesn’t even sound like a hen-pecked father, does it?

The word “command” is the same as that used for the words of authority spoken by God to Adam, and to Noah. When God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, He gave them a charge (command) that Pharaoh must let His people go. “Command” is a word that describes the vocalization of rightful authority. In Genesis 18:19 God said that He knew Abraham and that he would command all those in his household, and therefore God told him his secrets.

So what kind of commanding did Abraham do? Was he the imperious, tyrannical father? Not at all. He was a wise father who commanded from a position of obedience to God. He was IN authority because he was UNDER authority. When God called him out of Ur to Canaan, he obeyed. When God commanded him to circumcise all that were in his house, he did so, AND he was the first in line for the knife (Gen. 17:24-27). When God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac, he obeyed and reasoned by faith that God would raise up Isaac when he slew him.

Was he a willful and stiff-necked father who cared not at all for his children? Of course not. He “fathered” poor silly Lot, and when he was carried away captive by the kings of Mesopotamia, Abraham went after them, and defeated them. At the age of 99. He it was that knew enough about the daughters of the pagan Canaanites that he sent his servant back to Haran shopping for a wife for Isaac. He it was that grieved over Ishmael’s expulsion from the household. He was a tenderhearted father who loved all those in his household.

Best of all, Abraham was a worshipping father. His trail was marked by altars built and sacrifices slain. If you stood near Abraham you could smell the smoke of a thousand burnt offerings.

I was blest to have a father like Abraham. He was a little man physically, but a giant in leadership. He commanded his children and his household after him. He was a soldier in the battalion that crossed the Rhine at Remagen in 1945, the first of the Allied troops into Germany. I was born while he was driving an army truck that pulled cannon. He was under authority in the army and when he came home he was in authority. When he was converted in 1948 he soon found his place in the ranks of the Lord’s army and never went AWOL for 48 years, and was finally promoted to glory in 1996. He was my hero. He knew a lot of secrets he got from God, because he commanded his children after him.

USING CREATION SCIENCE MATERIALS

January 27, 2010 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org)

The field of creation science has grown by leaps since the publication of The Genesis Flood in 1962 by Henry Morris and John Whitcomb. There are many organizations and publishers that have promoted the creationist viewpoint, including the Creation Research Society (1963), The Institute for Creation Research (1970), and Answers in Genesis (founded in Australia in the 1970s as the Creation Science Foundation).

Since the 1990s, the Intelligent Design (ID) movement has broadened the attack on Darwinism. Though ID proponents typically are not Bible believers and might even claim to be agnostic in regard to the identity of the Designer, they demonstrate that the Darwinian mechanisms of natural selection and random mutations are insufficient to explain the facts that exist in life. William Dembski says that the basic claim of ID is that “there are natural systems that cannot be adequately explained in terms of undirected natural forces and that exhibit features which in any other circumstance we would attribute to intelligence” (The Design Revolution, p. 27). Intelligent Design proponents point to the intricate design that we see everywhere, from the DNA molecule and the living cell to the perfectly balanced conditions on earth that allow life to exist. Influential ID books include Michael Behe’s Of Panda’s and People (1989) and Darwin’s Black Box (1996), which argue the concept of “irreducible complexity,” Phillip Johnson’s Darwin on Trial (1991), William Dembski’s The Design Inference (1998), and Stephen Myer’s Signature in the Cell (2009).

BENEFITS OF CREATION SCIENCE MATERIALS

Today there are a vast number of books and DVDs, even entire school curriculums, that debunk Darwinian evolution from various perspectives, and there are many benefits that derive from the use of these materials.

Creation science materials are tremendously helpful in fortifying God’s people, particularly young people, against the devil’s lies. Young people need to see that Darwinism can be answered because there are no proven scientific facts supporting it.

SEVEN PRINCIPLES IN TRAINING GODLY CHILDREN

January 26, 2010 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org)

The following article by Pastor David Sorenson is based on his book TRAINING YOUR CHILDREN TO TURN OUT RIGHT. Churches should order carton loads of copies of this excellent book. It can be ordered from Northstar Ministries, 1820 W. Morgan St., Duluth, MN 55811, 218-726-0209, www.northstarministries.com, dhs.northstar@charter.net.

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD

If there is a basic truth that is universal in training children to be godly, it is the necessity of building a foundation of the Word of God in their lives. This is true for any born-again Christian and that includes the children of God’s people. I fear that Christian parents come to rely on Christian media, Sunday School teachers, church youth programs, and Christian schools to see their youth turn out right. All of these are potentially good and can be a great help; however, the foundation for godly living is often missing in the lives of the children and youth of God’s people. That foundation is a daily absorption of the Word of God.

A young person from a Christian home can go to a Christian school or be home-schooled with a godly curriculum, be faithful to Sunday School and church programs, go to church camp, and be carnal, rebellious, and worldly. Or more frequently, they are just lukewarm and go with the flow, but there are not true spiritual convictions in their hearts. The reason is as simple as it is singular. They are not in the Word of God on a daily basis.

It makes little difference if one is a young person or a seasoned adult. Apart from daily consumption of the Word of God, any believer will be carnal and more worldly than godly. God said to Joshua, millennia ago,

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

That premise and promise has never been abrogated. When a young person, or anyone for that matter, saturates his mind with the Word of God so that it soaks down into his heart, it will modify his behavior.

That is why the Psalmist wrote long ago, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). The idea here is not so much rote memorization of Scripture as it is filling one’s mind with God’s Word to such a degree that it soaks down into the heart. When that has happened, we will not sin against God. The will has been changed.

EARLY BAPTISTS REQUIRED FAITHFUL CHURCH ATTENDANCE

Republished February 3, 2010 (first published July 10, 2001) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org) -

Church members today often display an amazingly cavalier attitude toward church attendance. It is not uncommon for churches that run 200 in attendance on Sunday mornings to have only half of that number back on Sunday night and even fewer for the mid-week service. Church membership was treated much more seriously in Baptist churches four hundred years ago.

The following is from Adam Taylor’s The History of the English General Baptists [London: 1818], Volume I:

The general Baptists of the 16th and 17th centuries so respected the nature and importance of assemblies for public worship that the wilful neglect of them was considered as disorderly conduct, which called for the censure of the church. A constant inspection was exercised over the attendance of the members: persons were appointed to take down the names of the absentees, and report them to the elders; and nothing but reasons of obvious importance were admitted as a sufficient apology for their non-attendance. When the societies grew numerous, the members were ranged into districts, according, to the proximity of their habitations: and proper persons appointed to superintend each district. If any member did not appear in his place, on the Lord’s-day, he was certain of a visit, in the course of the week, from one of the inspectors of the district, to call him to account for his absence. These regulations were rendered effectual, by being acted upon with steadiness, impartiality, and decision; and, for nearly a century, contributed much to the order and prosperity of the general baptist churches.

In 1655, an “Order” was made, by the general consent of the congregation at Fenstanton, that “if any member of this congregation shall absent himself from the assembly of the same congregation, upon the first day of the week, without manifesting a sufficient cause, he shall be looked upon as an offender, and proceeded with accordingly. At the same meeting, it was devised, that, if any member should, at any time, have any extraordinary occasion to hinder him from the assembly, he would certify the congregation of the same before hand, for the prevention of jealousy.” And, in 1658, the same society, after considering the case of a wife who had been kept back, by the threatenings of her husband, concluded “that, unless a person was restrained by force, it was no excuse for absenting himself from the assemblies of the congregation.” Resolutions of a similar purport are frequent in the records of these churches: and numbers of cases prove that they were constantly enforced.