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At the Ballot Box

(Today, October 15, 2018 is the first day of early voting in Idaho. I’m, admittedly, a stick in the mud when it comes to voting on “election day” and, yes, I realize that this new day of early elections means that “election day” began today. I’m just that way.)

Proposition 1 – Is it about horse racing or rapid-bet slot machine gambling?

The way we answer this depends on what the question is.

Is it important for a Christian to know what the question is in order to make a well informed and responsible decision on how to cast a vote on the matter on November 6, 2018? Yes, I think it is.

The thoughts I want to express here are not to tell anyone how to vote, but mostly to give an example on how to think through how this proposition is being presented. I think this is an important exercise to even do with your children. We need to be better listeners and better thinkers.

If you have not read the proposition then that is obviously a first thing that needs to be done in order to make a reasonable and responsible conclusion. Warning, it is a very lengthy read. But if one is to be a well informed and responsible voter then it is on us to read it. (see LINK). There can be great confusion surrounding propositions. Sometimes this is intentional.

DISCLAIMER: What I express in the following paragraphs is my opinion and is not an official opinion of any organization I represent. It is an attempt to help myself think through my opinion and to help others become better thinkers, even if the reader does not agree with my conclusion.

When I’m done reading a document like this proposition it requires me some extra time to process what’s being said and what the sponsors want to accomplish with the way they word the proposition. I’m not afraid to read a document like this with a dictionary in my lap to understand what the drafters of it want me to know and compared to what words they are using to persuade the reader to vote for it. (I do the same thing with any document the opponents write and encourage the reader to do the same with what I have to say.

I have to be intellectually honest from the beginning and realize everything I read, write, and think comes with at least some kind of bias. It’s a rare thing to have a completely unbiased opinion. This is a starting point that needs to be understood at the start.

I could make a case against gambling quickly based on what my family, my church, personal examinations have influenced me historically and presently.

That’s a long disclaimer. Wow!

Proposition 1 on the (October 15 -) November 6 ballot in Idaho is known as the “Save Horse Racing in Idaho Act”.

So, some unpacking and good research was required to get a better understanding of this proposition. You’ll need to do the same and your conclusion may or may not be the same as mine. But at the end of the conversation we are at least better informed.

I will express some things with some levels of assumption on behalf of the reader. Otherwise this piece may become so long that no one would ever finish it. I will post my discussion of this from this past Sunday night that may aid in some additional background information.

First: We have a proposition before the people of Idaho to “deregulate an industry and celebrate western history”. This resonates with anyone in the west. We are all the time talking about not wanting government regulation and of course we want to celebrate western history. But we have to be better disciplined than just responding to this kind of language.

For the follower of Christ, we come to Scripture as a lamp to illuminate our path even if it doesn’t directly speak to an issue. With the aid of the Holy Spirit we can apply biblical principles and precepts as we form a conclusion. And at the same time be at peace that not everyone may come to the same conclusion.

Case and point.

I start with how the gambling “industry” presents the matter and how does that sit with the principles of Scripture. I weigh in the way God describes the normal means of earning wages and then consider the health of a civilization in that economy with regard to not only how they earn a wage, but also in how the wage is spent to support the economy.

For example, an employer decides the value of his product and has to calculate the kind of wage he pays his employees with consideration to the likelihood a consumer is willing or able to pay for the product and for the employer to still make a reasonable profit. (I’m not an economist, I’m just trying to think this through. I’m sure there’s more to the equation than this.)

Again, God uses language in Scripture that implies an established economy that has a foundation of a people earning a wage and then purchasing or trading fairly in the marketplace for equal or fair exchange.

This first observation is a much longer discussion than this space allows, but it does at least expose a flaw in the appeal of bigger than normal reward for smaller than expected expense. This is an appeal to live in an altogether different economy than what the Bible would describe. I admit there are parts of my written expression here that does not unfold every question raised. After all, some would say, don’t you stop by Sonic on a regular basis and purchase a soft drink? Isn’t that wasteful and irresponsible? Let’s have that conversation some day, but I’ve already exceeded the work count limit of most readers of blogs.

I want to give the benefit of the doubt as best as I can to the sponsors of this proposition. I don’t like thinking the worst about someone without cause. So, I read and think about what they are saying.

I do have to say that the phrasing of the promotion for this proposition sounds disingenuous. I’m not accusing anyone of being deceitful unless it is shown that the use or lack of use of words is intentional to confuse rather than to clarify.

Let me just get to the point.

  • Is the legal horse racing industry in Idaho really in danger? (In danger of what? Financially bankrupt? If so, isn’t that the way a normal economy works? When there are not enough consumers for a particular product or service that same industry normally closes its doors. Is it the role of a government to then make a way for that industry to continue doing what people aren’t interested in by letting them do something different, that is unconstitutional, so they can continue calling that illegal activity under the name of the historic industry? Now I’m confused.)
  • Have people lost jobs since this kind of gaming was declared unconstitutional in 2015? (I don’t make light of the reality that jobs are serious.)
  • Is this a proposition to restore “historical horse racing”? (This is really a serious question to be asking.)

It does appear that the legal horse racing industry in Idaho is financially suffering. People have lost their jobs since this kind of gaming was declared unconstitutional in Idaho. “Historical Horse Racing” (HHR) has nothing to do with live horse racing.

It is a slot machine style game (just do a little research) that the gamer places bets on historical horse races with a pool of other gamers. No one knows what historical race they are betting on but they are apparently making calculated guesses on an unnamed horse in an unnamed race in an unknown year for the hopes of winning (big) against the others betting with them at the same time in the same location.

So, let me state some kind of conclusion.

When I read about proposition 1, it sounds like it is all about horse racing. This is, in my opinion, dishonest marketing. It is not about horse racing, it is about highly addictive, rapid-bet (slot) machine gambling. It has been well documented that this kind of gaming is geared to attract undisciplined recreators and the long term impact is negative upon the family, the economy, emotional, and spirituality of a civilization and the promise of funding education is always part of the deal, where it is again documented that education benefits little from lottery/gaming industries.

Let’s talk about this (kindly)… What do you think?

How Do You Walk in the Fear of the LORD?

In this sermon I address the starting place of walking in the fear of the Lord. The Bible declares the the fear of the Lord is the beginning; the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. But how does one walk in the fear of the LORD?

Listen in as I address the this in part one of “Walking in the Fear of the LORD”. This is also the frame work for my next column in the Twin Falls, Times News.

 

Is He Your God?

I preached from Isaiah 25 this past Lord’s Day. The evangelist, Isaiah, made the declaration of God Almighty very personal. He did not refer to God as his father’s God or Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob’s God. He referred to Him as his God.

I would take serious inventory of this matter. If Yahweh is only your father’s God and not your God too then you are only part of a traditional religion. I would prefer a personal religion that is marked with a personal relationship.

Traditional religion says, “He is God.” or “He is my father’s God.”

Personal religion says, “You are my God.” “You are my salvation.”

  • We are in a day where we need a heaven born revival in the church. Not a spiritual movement hijacked by a national patriotic movement. No!
  • We need a fresh pouring out of the Holy Spirit of God Almighty. The kind of movement where the conscience of nations are awakened, where there are regional movements marked with repentance, with wide spread reform, a restoration of the church ordered to propagate the gospel to the ends of the earth.
  • We are in a day where once again God’s people are satisfied with God.
  • We are in a where sin must no longer just simply be modified or redefined, but completely mortified.

“Behold, I bring you good tidings of comfort and joy.”

“Let not your heats be troubled…”

The markers of traditional religion and personal religion are clear.

  • Man may say, ” You are God.”
  • The Godly man says, “You are my God.”

In Isaiah 25, Isaiah clarifies that the godly man wants what God offers; joy in the Lord. God wants joy to characterize His people. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Depressions may come and mark us from time to time, but they must not abide in us. We wrestle in this temporal day but we are not of this world. We are all together, as A.W. Tozer identified, “other worldly.”

Listen, Church! You come from a long history of a people who wait on God. When life presses in upon you, wait, look, long for, hunger, thirst. Be satisfied with Christ! Alone!

_____________________________

Full sermon from July 29, 2018:
Video:

Audio:

Isaiah, the Evangelist

I’ve just finished preaching the first third of the book of Isaiah.

Here are a few thoughts at this point.

  • Matthew Henry identifies Isaiah as the Evangelist. It is clear that Isaiah is an example for the preacher on how to preach the gospel, biblically.
  • Isaiah shows himself willing to obey God regardless of the response of men. His devotion is to obey His God. I want to live like that.
  • Isaiah shows himself to be compassionate for not only his homeland but for every nation. He is a living example of one who not only loves doing what is easy but also genuinely loves his enemy.
  • Isaiah is steadfast and consistent.
  • I have great hope for what is still to come in this mountain of a book.

All past forty-two sermons are archived here:

Pastors’ Round Table

Every Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. (mountain time) I’m on air along with Bear Morton, pastor at the Magic Valley Bible Church in Twin Falls, with the host of Magic Valley This Morning with Bill Colley. On July 12 we will pick up the topic from the 1689 Second London Confession questions 8 and 9.

#8 What is God
#9 Are there more Gods than one?

As time allows we will walk through these questions and discuss how it has impact on things like former president Jimmy Carter saying God would approve of same sex marriage and perhaps the case in Oregon related to an exercise of religious liberty.

Listen in on your AM radio at 1310
or listen online from anywhere HEREhttp://newsradio1310.com/listen-live/?source=desktopnav

A New Sermon Audio Feature

Eastside Baptist Church has been broadcasting sermons for over eight years. Over the past two years we have been live streaming our sermons. All of this by the kindness of God and the generosity of His people.

I’ve recently been contacted by a local radio station to broadcast our Lord’s Day sermons, with a one week delay. I’m still praying about this and waiting for the Lord to give direction on this possibility. This past six months have shown that a consideration to broadcast on a medium other than the internet has proven a need. This need has shown itself expensive. To broadcast online is relatively inexpensive, but to broadcast on the radio, that is more widely available, is very expensive.

The guys at SermonAudio have just made another way for people to listen in this week. To someone with a mobile phone or access to a phone with free long distance you can now listen in with a simple phone call.

Help me spread the word to those unable to attend in person, don’t have a computer, but have a phone.

Here are the details:

  • Dial the free SermonAudio Listen Line .. 712-432-4200
  • Listen and follow the instructions ..
    • Dial 1 for the 24/7 radio stream.
    • Dial 2 to listen to our live webcast on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (mountain time)
  • You will be asked to enter the 5-digit Church Code ID
    • enter this number. 25378 This is the code for Eastside Baptist Church

——————————————————
Simple Instructions:

  • Dial 712-432-4200
  • When prompted, enter 2
  • when prompted, enter 25378

News Feed Algorithms

I’m no mathematician.

The smart thinking of Tim Challies explains the matter of social media algorithms.

Every time I learn how to get a blog post to get more traffic I learn that new algorithms are being unleashed and everything I thought I knew is now outdated. That’s the way a user of a product works and the smart guys producing the products are more than just a step or two ahead of me.

Challies, who writes with a much wider scope than I do, makes a strong argument about the old fashioned way we used to get things off of the internet from the guys and sites we want and not what the algorithm building guys want their customers to see.

As one who produces content to read (I’ve been blogging for nearly 15 years, that’s ancient in internet years) and one who archives sermons to listen to (over 370, and counting) and occasional podcasting series, it is valuable to learn as much as one can about how to share what I’m producing to as many people as possible in how to get content dispersed.

I don’t have any aspirations to cash in on any content I produce related to my ministry of the word and so I also realize I have to rely on word of mouth and people who intentionally come looking for things I post here and on Sermon Audio (and YouTube).

I don’t fault anyone producing platforms that many people use such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. They do what they do for the reasons they do it. I try to take advantage of all platforms to disperse content and I understand that’s the way it is.

Tim Challies, in his post this morning, makes a strong case for the consumer of information to stay in control of the content we read by actually subscribing to those sources we want to read. If you use social media to be the primary source of your news you should expect them to give you what they want you to read. If you want to decide what you read, then you need to act the part of curator, as Challies puts it.

So, today, I’m inviting you to consider a few things to help me.

  • Subscribe to this news feed to get a new email when I produce a new post (click on that “Follow” button on the lower right of the screen.)
  • Subscribe to SermonAudio feed https://www.sermonaudio.com/thebridge
  • Follow my Public Figure Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PastorPaulThompson/
  • Follow my Twitter Feed: https://twitter.com/TwinFallsPaul
  • Follow my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAhExzbgiDz3A99ci0S6WyA?view_as=subscriber
  • Share any posts or sermons on your social media outlets.
  • I write a regular column in the Twin Falls Times News (magicvalley.com). My ability to continue is largely on feedback the Times News gets on the column I write. The best way to communicate this to them is to share links directly to the Times News. Sharing and liking those columns goes a long way in telling them that people read them. (I don’t write for pay for the Times News, it is at their request and I’ve been pleased to do so for the past 7 years.)

Thank you for reading and helping spread the “news”.

 

To the Law and To the Testimony

“To the law and to the testimony!” Isaiah 8:20

There are many influences competing for our attention. All the more for why we must look eagerly for Christ.

The many influences are swaying us to consult them. They sometimes whisper, they may sing, they may shout, they may laugh their way in, but one thing is consistent, regardless of how they attempt to get our attention, they mumble and mutter so we don’t fully understand what they are attempting to do. The child of God will not knowingly turn a deaf ear to God for good.

The influence we give permission to is the one who will eventually begin to drive our life. If there is no light in the influence, then it is sure that it will drive us with an unsatisfied hunger for more darkness. This is what the Apostle Paul means in Romans chapter 1.

No! follower of Christ, to the law (instructions) and to the testimony.

If you notice a growing dislike of godliness and an interest in not loving God, then there is reason to examine who you are letting influence you today.

Rather, consult the oracles of God and resist consulting the wizards of foolishness. Lear to make good use of your bible.

Here are a few things I shared in my sermon on January 21, 2018 from Isaiah 8:16-22.

What use do we make of our Bibles?

  • Speak according to the Bible
  • Do according to the Bible
  • Make this Bible our standard
  • Conform to the precepts of the Bible
  • Take counsel from the Bible
  • Let the Bible illuminate our paths
  • Let the Bible examine our hearts
  • Be nourished by the Bible
  • Be healed by the Bible
  • Define holiness by the Bible
  • Define joy by the Bible

Listen to the entire sermon HERE:

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