Local Church Assemblies

By Weldon E. Warnock

One important phase of the Christian’s life is to attend all the assemblies of the local church where he is a member. Faithful attendance is a good barometer to indicate one’s spirituality. Let us look briefly at church attendance.

The Early Church Assembled

Several passages of Scripture show that the first century church assembled. We read that they continued daily in the temple (Acts 2:46), assembled for a prayer meeting (Acts 4:31) called together by the apostles in order to select and appoint special servants in the church (Acts 6:2), assembled in order to be taught (Acts 11:26), and came together to break bread (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-34). The author of Hebrews stated, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together . . .” (Heb. 10:25). James wrote about preferential treatment of a rich man over a poor man who comes into the assembly (Jas. 2:2). Clearly, these passages establish the fact of the assembly in the early church and its importance.

Why Should the Church Assemble?

Many reasons are taught in the Bible as to why the church should assemble.

1. To Worship. There are certain acts of worship for which we are to come together. On the first day of the week we are to eat the Lord’s supper. “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them” (Acts 20:7). Also, we are to “lay by in store” upon the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2). Of course, when the church is assembled for these acts, it may, and should, sing, pray, and teach or preach. However, these last three may be done any time the church assembles.

2. To teach. For a whole year Paul and Barnabas assembled themselves with the church at Antioch and taught much people (Acts 11:26). The church at Corinth came together for edification (1 Cor. 14:23-26).

3. To transact business. The apostles called the church together to make arrangements to care for the needy widows (Acts 6:1-4).

4. To report the results of evangelism. “And when they had come and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).

5. To discuss matters of differences among the brethren. The church at Jerusalem and those who came down from Antioch came together to consider the matter of circumcision, which the Judaizers were imposing on the Gentile churches (Acts 15).

6. To discipline the unruly. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that when they are gathered together to deliver the fornicator among them to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved (1 Cor. 5:4-5).

Christian’s Duty

Now then, what is the Christian’s duty toward the assemblies of the church? Obviously, the Christian should be present, if possible, at all of these meetings. That would be the responsible thing to do. If one may miss without cause, then all may. Hence, there would be no assemblies. Let us look at some reasons why a Christian should be at every service.

1. He is commanded to assemble. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). Notice, the verse does not say “assembly” but “assembling.” Verse 24 indicates that in these assemblies we provoke or stimulate one another unto love and good works.

2. In order to do good. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17). Attending all the services of the church is doing good. It does good to the one attending and to the welfare of the whole church. Poor attendance on Sunday night and Wednesday night destroy the spiritual vitality of the church. It is also a bad influence on the community that we are trying to convert. One who sits at home when the church meets does not have the good of the church at heart. Those who think that Sunday morning is sufficient want to go to heaven at a minimal effort. This kind of attitude does not reflect devotion to God and commitment to Jesus Christ.

3. In order for elders to feed the flock. Elders are shepherds and they have the duty to feed the sheep (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). It seems some like the feed that is offered on the “boob-tube” rather than the sincere milk of the word (1 Pet. 2:2). To stay away from the assemblies does not show much of a cooperative spirit toward the elders. Compare Hebrews 13:17. 

Brethren, there is more to Christianity than just attending services. But this is an important part of it. Actually, those who refuse to attend all the services don’t take very seriously the other duties of being a Christian. Show me a person who neglects the assemblies of the church and I will show you a person who is doing little, if anything else for the Lord.

87 Ormond Dr., Scottsville, Kentucky 42164

Truth Magazine Vol. XLIV: 23  p20  December 7, 2000

Young People, Read the Bible!

By Ron Halbrook

Young men and young ladies, I urge you to read the Bible as the guide of your life. American education originated in the desire to equip young people to read the Bible. Please consider a few reasons this is so important for your life.

1. I urge you to read the Bible because it is the only book in all the world given to us by the guidance of God. “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Every word God gave in Scripture is true and right. The Bible is the infallible Word of God.

2. I urge you to read the Bible because it is the only book in all the history of the world protected and preserved by the providence of God. Both the Old and New Testaments contain God’s promise that he will protect his Word. “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Pet. 1:24-25; Isa. 40:7-8). God preserves his Word so that each generation can have the opportunity to read it. He wants you to read it.

3. I urge you to read the Bible to learn the way of salvation. That is its main theme. We learn in Genesis 3 that our greatest problem is sin. God promised to send a Savior through the seed of Abraham: “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). The Old Testament further explains God’s promise of a Savior:

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we  like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:4-6).

In the New Testament, read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to learn about the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).    

To better understand the way of salvation, read the Great Commission and the book of Acts. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). The book of Acts records how the gospel was first spread and how men received it. Read Romans through Revelation to learn how we are to live, worship, and serve God in the way of salvation.

4. There are many other reasons to read the Bible. Read Genesis 2:24 and other passages to learn God’s plan for true married love. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” If you make God’s Word the foundation of your marriage, your home will be one of the greatest blessings of your life. Read Proverbs to learn words of wisdom which apply to every aspect of life. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7). “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (14:34). “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (20:1).  Read Ecclesiastes to learn the true meaning of life. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil” (12:13-14). 

I urge you to read the Bible with confidence that you can understand the one book in the world given by your Creator to guide you through life and to give you eternal life. God designed the Bible so that when we read it, we can understand his Word (Eph. 3:4). Young man, young lady, read the Bible as your guide in life!

(This article gives the gist of my remarks as one of the speakers on the Baccalaureate Program at Columbia High School on 21 May 1995. Our second son, David, graduated on 26 May.)

3505 Horse Run Ct.,Shepherdsville, Kentucky 40165

Truth Magazine Vol. XLIV: 24  p1  December 21, 2000

It’s Hard To Believe

By Johnie Edwards

The goings on among some churches of Christ is hard to believe. Take a look at some of these things which are going on among some churches of Christ:

1. Supporting a Billy Graham Crusade: A Nashville, Tennessee church of Christ is bringing Billy Graham to Nashville this month to preach. Mr. Graham preaches, among other things, salvation by faith only. The Bible does not teach such. James said, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (Jas. 2:24). It’s hard to believe some have drifted so far!

2. A Good Friday and Easter Service: The Bering Drive Church of Christ in Houston, Texas conducted a “Good Friday Service” in April. Their bulletin stated, “Come remember the day Jesus died on Good Friday at 7:00 p.m. “Join us for breakfast, a dramatic presentation from the Gospels, and a celebration of Jesus, the Resurrection and Life. Come worship as the Bering Chorus presents special songs for Easter.” Ever read anything in the Bible about the Lord’s church conducting this kind of a service? It’s hard to believe but it happened!

3. A Passover Meal: A church of Christ “shared a Passover Meal.” I thought the Passover belonged to the Jews of the Old Testament as they remember the sparing of their first born in Exodus 12. Beats me!

4. Baked Potatoes, Ice Cream and Prizes: A church of Christ conducted a fifth Sunday singing and their bulletin stated: “The April singing offered a new menu for the supper with baked potatoes, pies and ice cream. Prizes will be given to those who can answer special questions about singing.” I thought the gospel of Christ was the drawing power (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-2), not potatoes, pies and ice cream with prizes! Didn’t Paul say that the “Kingdom is not meat and drink . . .” (Rom. 14:17)?

4121 Woodyard Rd., Bloomington, Indiana 47404

Truth Magazine Vol. XLIV: 23  p21  December 7, 2000

Gambling

By Donnie V. Rader

What is gambling? Is it a sin? Can we prove it to be wrong, even though it is not mentioned in the Bible? How can we argue that betting $2.00 on a horse is wrong, but losing $1,000 in the stock market is not? Can gambling be justified on the basis that the revenue it generates is used for education and other good programs? These and other questions we will attempt to answer in this article.

A Widespread Problem

“Lotteries are the most-played form of legalized gambling in the U.S.” ( John R. Hill, Theft By Consent). In 1997 Americans wagered $35.8 billion on lotteries. That is $135 for every man woman and child in the nation. “The amount gambled yearly in the United States — estimated at more than $500 billion — easily outpaces government expenses on Medicare and Medicaid combined” (Mayo Foundation, 1999).

“At least 75% of all high school students have gambled.” That makes it average and expected. Thus, gambling to many is no big deal. The fastest growing group of problem gamblers in terms of those calling for help is senior citizens. Seventy-two percent of Florida’s seniors calling a hotline for problem gamblers — identify the lottery as the source of their problem.

Store owners in California reported a decline in grocery sales equivalent to the sale of lotteries tickets where stores sold the tickets (John R. Hill, Theft by Consent, 4).

Not a New Problem

The Greeks of Homer’s time took knucklebones from  sheep and goats and marked them to serve as dice. Gambling boards discovered in Crete date back to 1800 to 1900 B.C. In Babylon, headless arrows were used for making wagers.

The ancient Egyptians played atep, a game of guessing the number of upheld fingers. The classical Greeks are known to have played with astragals, the forerunner of modern dice, and Jews in biblical Israel gambled by throwing dice. The Romans were reportedly obsessed with gaming and bet heavily on gladiatorial fights and chariot races. The Roman historian Tacitus noted that the ancient Germans gambled not only wealth but liberty as well (Grolier).

Tertullian said, “If you say you are a Christian when you are a dice player, you say what you are not, because you are a partner with the world.”

What Is Gambling?

1. What gambling is: The dictionaries and encyclopedias define gambling as “To bet money on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event” (American Heritage Dictionary, 546). “Gambling is the wagering of money or other valuables on the outcome of a game or other event” (Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia). “Gambling is betting on the outcome of a future event. Gamblers usually bet money or something else of value as a stake on the outcome they predict. When the outcome is settled, the winner collects the loser’s stakes” (World Book Encyclopedia, 1979).

The above definitions suggest that there are three elements involved in gambling: (a) There is an uncertain event that is arbitrarily determined. (b) There is a bet or wager that is deliberately chanced. (c) Then, there is a winner and a loser. The winner gains at the expense of the loser or losers. When these three elements are present, there is gambling.

2. What gambling is not: Gambling is not taking a risk. Life is filled with risks such as crossing the street, starting a business, or operating a farm. Taking a risk does not have the three elements mentioned above. For example, buying single stock is quite risky. However, if the business does well, no one loses. Furthermore, there is no wager involved. Something of value is bought that may go up or down in value.

Buying insurance is not gambling. Again, something of value is bought — financial protection. The buyer and the insurance company both stand to gain. The risk is not created by buying an insurance policy.

Prizes such as winning a sweepstakes is not gambling. There is no risk created by registering to win a prize. There is no bet or wager involved. The three elements of gambling are not present when one registers or wins a prize.
3. Gambling is not determined by size or degree. It is a matter of what action is taken, and not the degree. It could involve $50.00 or 50¢. “Gambling, for the compulsive gambler is defined as follows: Any betting or wagering, for self or others, whether for money or not, no matter how slight or insignificant, where the outcome is uncertain or depends upon chance or ‘skill’ constitutes gambling” (Gambler’s Anonymous web page). That would include “little” things like flipping for who will buy the coffee or matching pennies.

Different Forms of Gambling

The obvious forms of gambling include the lottery, horse or dog races, poker, roulette, slot machines and betting on sports events.

There are other forms of gambling that may not be as obvious to some. At least they are practiced in places where “gambling” is not legalized. If the three elements of gambling (uncertain event, a wager, and a winner and loser) are present, it is gambling! A raffle involves gambling. Some bingo games have all three of these elements. Playing the chance games at carnivals and fairs have all three components.

Why Gambling is Wrong

The Bible does not always state the conclusion that we are to draw. Rather, there are times that God gives us the evidence from which to draw that conclusion. For example, when John sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus did not give a specific “Yes” or “No.” Instead, he worked miracles in their presence and told them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard” (Luke 17:19-22). He merely gave them evidence from which to draw their conclusion. Jesus did the same on the question of divorce in Matthew 19:3-6.

The point is: gambling is not specifically mentioned in the Bible. That is, there is no passage that says, “Thou shalt not gamble.” However, there are biblical principles that are violated in gambling. The Bible gives ample evidence for us to conclude that it is wrong.

1. It is addictive. The enslaving nature of gambling is seen in the necessity of such organizations as Gambler’s Anonymous (www.gamblersanonymous.org). The crimes gambling breeds suggest that it is an addiction that has to be supported. John R. Hill, Ph.D., senior policy analyst for Alabama Family Alliance, states:

For many of these problem gamblers, the source of their trouble is the lottery. Of the 40,000 calls to the Council on Compulsive Gambling national hotline in 1996, fully 52 percent were from adults addicted to playing the lottery (Theft By Consent 15).
Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12). Even things right within themselves become wrong when it reaches the point of addiction. When we are addicted to something we no longer have the control of self that the Bible demands (2 Pet. 1:5).

2. It is covetousness. The gambler has an inordinate desire to gain what is not rightfully his. He seeks to win at the expense of others. That is covetousness which, Paul said, is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Timothy was told, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10).

3. It violates the principle of love and the golden rule. The gambler cannot love his neighbor and practice the golden rule while striving to take all at the loser’s expense. Gambling is stealing by consent just as dueling is murder by consent. It is an effort to beat another out of what he does not want to give.

Jesus preached that we should love our neighbor as ourself (Matt. 22:39). In his mountain message he taught, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12). In gambling one certainly is not treating others the way he wants to be treated.

4. It violates the principle of stewardship. We are to be good stewards of what God has given us (Luke 12:42; 1 Pet. 4:10). Stewards have the weighty responsibility to be diligent in handling what belongs to his master (1 Cor. 4:2).

To say the least, gambling is poor stewardship. Would you want someone to manage your money that way? The odds are against winning. John R. Hill said:

In the typical state lottery, the odds of picking the right numbers are one in 12-14 million. By comparison, your chances of being struck by lightening are one in 1.9 million (Theft By Consent 23).

5. It violates the legitimate means of transfer of money or property. There are three legitimate ways of transferring money or goods. Labor involves money earned and paid for effort extended. Numerous passages allude to this (Eph. 4:28; 2 Cor. 11:8; 2 Thess. 3:10; 1 Cor. 9:9-10; Luke 10:7; Matt. 10:10; 20:1-15). Gambling does not involve gain by labor.

Exchange is where a commodity is exchanged for something of value (money or other goods). Any buying or selling involves exchange (cf. Matt. 13:44-45; Luke 22:36; Acts 4:32-37; 16:14). Buying stocks or insurance is an exchange. Gambling does not involve gain by exchange.

A gift is money or something of value that is given without any expectation of any return. Helping the needy involves a gift (Eph. 4:28; Acts 2, 4, 6, 11). When one receives an inheritance, it is a gift (Num. 27:1-11; Deut. 21:15-17). Gifts were given to Jesus at his birth (Matt. 2:11). When a company gives prizes (products or money) away for advertisement it is a gift. Gambling does not involve a gift. Thus, gambling does not fit any of the legitimate means of transfer of money or goods.

Gambling Breeds Others Sins

Jesus said we can know a tree by its fruits (Matt. 7:15-20). The problems that gambling generates tells us that it is corrupt.

1. Crime to support the addiction. Many gamblers (who never thought of committing a crime) have turned to all types of criminal activity to support their addiction to gambling.

According to research by the Compulsive Gambling Center in Baltimore, at least two-thirds of compulsive gamblers engage in criminal activity to finance their addiction, including check forgery, tax evasion, embezzlement, bookmaking, prostitution, selling drugs, and fencing stolen goods. Before their addiction, many gambling addicts had no prior criminal record (John R. Hill, Theft By Consent 19).

2. Suicide. The probability of attempting suicide is far greater among gamblers than the general population. The probability for the general population is 1.1 percent. For members of Gambler’s Anonymous it is 13 percent (John R. Hill, Video Vice 11).

Suicide rates in gambling cities is higher than other cities.

Suicide rates in gambling cites such as Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City are higher than in non-gambling cities, according to a study published December 15, 1997, in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Web Site).

3. The general crime rate is up in gambling areas. Let’s look at three areas of the country. Las Vegas had the highest crime rate per capita in the nation in 1981. At one point they reduced the crime rate by aggressive tactics which resulted in incarcerating ten percent of the city’s population. In 1994 it had five times the violent crimes as it was able to solve (John R. Hill, Video Vice 14).
Atlantic City’s officials claim that two-thirds of all its crimes are gambling related (Ibid. 14).

In Mississippi bank robberies have increased fourfold along the river since 1992. Tunica has reported a 500 percent increase in drunk driving. The total crimes such as credit card forgery, illegal drug possession, embezzlement, prostitution and robberies have increased (Ibid. 14).

Conclusion

With the knowledge of what gambling is and the principles that it violates, any reasonable person should have no problem understanding that it is wrong.

408 Dow Dr., Shelbyville, Tennessee 37160

Truth Magazine Vol. XLIV: 23  p17  December 7, 2000