Lottery and Raffle Draws in the church

[An open letter to the churches of Christ]

“Good does not come from wrong (Romans 3:8; the claim to do good out or wrongdoing is never acceptable to God (1 Samuel 15:19-22)”

To the churches of Christ; brothers, and sisters:

Greetings of Peace and Love in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Firstly, this open letter is written not just to address a minor concern, but also as an attempt to share Biblical truth about the matter.

Secondly, the Bible DOES NOT DIRECTLY (word by word) identify that the game of chance (gambling, lottery, and raffle) is something that will strip out salvation in Christ.

Thirdly, most of these games have EVERY GOOD REASON to justify the conduct of such, usually, “fund-raising for a cause”. This sounds a nice and noble act.

Helping the needy (Proverbs 19:17, James 1:27), providing for the needs in the ministry of the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:11-12), giving support to the Lord’s servants (1 Timothy 5:17-18), and more, are among the priorities of Christian giving (2 Corinthians 9:7).

But some think that raffle drawings are fun. Most participants already buy out the idea that what’s important is the cause, not the manner of giving support to the cause. This argument is sometimes backed up by the Old Testament system of drawing a lot for the Lord’s guidance (Leviticus 16:8, Proverbs 16:33, Acts 1:26).

When a congregation agrees to implement projects which need financing, it is worth answering the following questions when a lottery or raffle becomes a consideration:

·        Does God want to fund His programs or cause through raffle or lottery instead of freewill offering or commitments (Matthew 6:1-4, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Psalm, 112:5?

·        Would the lottery or raffle NOT bring the Lord’s church to the bad side of NOT being able to raise money through hard work (Ephesians 4:28, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

·        Is my sacrifice of giving a small amount of money for the cause PLUS a chance to get a considerable portion of the whole collection a TRUE sacrifice (Hebrews 13:16) that pleases God?

·        Does holding a lottery or raffle encourage generosity or the gambler’s mind?

Lastly, in Deuteronomy 23:18, God did not want to receive offering from people who tried to justify the twisted act in the guise of offering some portion to the Lord. The hope of Christians is in the Lord (Colossians 3:1-3) not in raffle or lottery risks.

Brothers and sisters, I write this to express my love to you all! As the Scriptures says (2 Timothy 3:16), the word of God is useful not just for teaching, but also for rebuke and correction.