Condemning Silence

One of the things closely related to God being our Provider is the topic of tithing. It says in Malachi 3:10

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

I think that tithing is simply putting God first in our lives, especially in our finances. With our tithe we are telling God that we trust that He will provide for us with the remainder. It is tempting when we work, and bring home a paycheck to look at that money as our money, that we earned. But tithing is God’s way of reminding us that our money comes from Him, and ultimately is always His. Scripture tells us to tithe, not because the church needs the funds, but because it is important that we be givers, and not just Christians with a greedy, me first attitude.

It says in 2 Corinthians 9:7

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in allthings, may have an abundance for every good work.

This is true for much more than just our money. We should be givers of our time, and our skills. What God gives us, we should always be ready to give back, as He desires.

I can remember many times that I had to make a decision between paying my tithe and paying a bill, and I can honestly say that every time, God provided the money for the bill, when I put Him first with the tithe.

A tithe is generally recognized to be a tenth of our income, but more important than how much we give, it is important to remember that it is ultimately about putting God first in our finances, and when we do, He promises to provide, every time.

Andrew Trivette Scripture Bible study, finances, tithing

This is part 3 in my series on the Scriptures. (Read Part 1 and Part 2)

For the sake of clarity, I’m referring to society here as a governmental system, it’s laws, policies, and enforcement which establish the structure in which a nation of people operate.

History has presented us with many, many differing theories of government, and theories on how the ideal society ought to function. Here in the United States we find ourselves living in what is considered to be one of the most successful systems of government ever conceived. Democracy. The level of freedom offered by this system is one of it’s greatest advantages, paving the way for opportunity, peace, and equality.

And yet…

Our government today features some of the most significant failures in history. We slaughter innocent children, let criminals go free, glorify greed, ignore(even criminalize) those living in the despair of addictions. Worse than that, the middle and upper class do their very best to ignore the poor, and work hard to isolate themselves from the “uncomfortable elements” of the society they themselves created.

What are the possible solutions? Let’s look at some of the solutions I often hear promoted.

1. They(the bad elements of our society) just need Jesus.

   This one sounds really good, and makes us all feel all warm n’ fuzzy. It even has an element of truth to it. Our society would indeed be better off if everyone believed in Jesus. But it doesn’t address the governmental problems because it doesn’t take into account those who choose not to follow Jesus. There will always be those who choose not to, and Jesus even says that the majority will not follow Him. It is important to remember that a government is put in place to limit those who choose to do wrong, or infringe on others freedom. Therefore, pretending that evil on earth can be eradicated, or ignored doesn’t ultimately solve any problems.

2. Stricter laws

   Yep, that’ll do the trick. Our laws are actually pretty strict as it is, and it hasn’t solved anything.

3. Better enforcement of the law.

   While the court system could definitely use an overhaul, it hands down an unprecedented number of sentences every year without reducing crime one bit.

4. Another government system, such as socialism, monarchy, dictatorship, communism, etc.

   All of these have been tried in history without success. Time and again these systems fail, many times with poverty, crime, and death spiraling out of control. Why don’t these, and other similar, systems work? These systems fail ultimately because their vision of an ideal society fails to accurately take into account the human soul, it’s failings, and it’s motivations. Many theories of government assume the ultimate goodness of humans, or at the other end of the spectrum, assume that we tend towards evil and stupidity, and therefore must be controlled.

Another way!

So if all these systems fail to create a well balanced society, what hope do we have? If only God had told us what His idea of a perfect society should look like! It occurs to me that He did indeed outline this perfect society, in what many consider the most dry and boring section of the Scriptures: The books of the law(Deuteronomy, Numbers, and Leviticus). In those pages you will find some of the most refreshing ideas and principles of government. When I read the Israelite laws, I see so many revolutionary principles that could solve the problems that we see in the world around us. These principles transcend religion, cultures, and customs. They take into account our failings, our weaknesses, our strengths, and our desire for good.

What is so unique about these ideas? They require personal responsibility, restitution for crimes, strict crime deterrents for small crimes(where all criminals start!). The judicial system has safeguards against corruption, and fair trade is enforced impartially. Every single person has access to the judicial system without regard for class, education, or money. Capital punishment is prescribed(with safeguards) for many significant crimes. This punishment alone makes many people see the overall system as barbaric, and useless in these modern and “enlightened” times. What they fail to see is that the principle in use here is one of deterring crimes. Can you imagine how drastically the crime rate would go down, if criminals didn’t have to worry about going to jail, but rather about losing their life?

In a biblical system of law, jails are made obsolete. Instead full restitution(plus a little) is required, and the person is allowed to return to society having gained nothing, and having learned that crime literally doesn’t pay

Imagine the reduced financial toll on our country, if prisons were no longer necessary. I saw an unconfirmed statistic today that said one in 31 people in the United States are or have been incarcerated. This means that 30 people are paying, in taxes, for someone who should be paying for himself. It seems like we’re punishing the wrong people for the crime.

There are many more ways that the biblical laws could transform our(or any) society. In the near future, I will create a separate series to go into greater detail, and challenge the status quo of our current system.

It is important to remember that this is not just a mental exercise, or wishful thinking, but a real solution to the problems that ail our governmental system. Think about it, a nearly 4,000 year old system of government that is still relevant today. Wow! It’s almost as if God knew what He was doing!

Andrew Trivette Scripture Scripture

This is part two of my series on the Scriptures. (Read Part 1)

Listen to: Scripture: God-breathed and Profitable!

Divinely Inspired
Every word is filled with meaning, and that includes every genealogy list, every story, every detail of prophetic visions, and even down to the dimensions of various religious buildings. Every one of these details are details that God included for our understanding, and for our edification.

These are not deep mysteries available only to the educated. The Scriptures offer no power to the philosopher. Matthew 11 says that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. The Bible is not a mystery needing the enlightenment of the intelligent, the educated, or the religious. God said that there is no mediator between man and God, only the man Jesus Christ. Not a minister, not a priest, not a doctor of divinity, or greek and hebrew scholars. We make the scriptures far too complicated. Does it really take scholars to understand words penned by those in history who were barely literate? Perhaps we look for hidden meanings, and deep mysteries in our Bible, because of our pride, or because we are scared of where the simple interpretation would take us. All we succeed in accomplishing is watering down the words of God until they are made of no effect in our lives, and as a result God’s hope makes no impact in the lives of those around us.

I gave some examples earlier of various parts of Scripture, that we tend to ignore, and often consider irrelevant to our lives. Let’s look at a couple of those.

Genealogies:
I Timothy makes it clear that we are not to engage in endless disputes of genealogies. So why would God include huge lists of genealogies throughout Scripture? Perhaps to demonstrate the importance of families, and the importance of knowing where we came from.
Take the genealogy of Christ as found in Matthew. It shows the unfolding of God’s plan throughout history. It also shows the lineage, in which God placed the hope for humanity. The list reads as a list of murders, liars, whores, adulterers, kings who participated in child sacrifice, cowards, doubters, heathens, and many more. It essentially boils down to a list of unremarkable humans just like you and me, with failings and successes, doubts, fears, mistakes and triumphs. If Christ had come from a lineage superior or above average from anyone else, His ultimate triumph over evil and temptation could be disregarded as simply good biological breeding, of no effect to the rest of us. Instead He came among us, triumphing over evil not because of a great lineage, or because of His divinity, but because of His constant reliance on His and our heavenly Father, thus making clear that victory over sin now lies firmly within our grasp, and is proportionate to our constant reliance on the Father, through His Holy Spirit.

Another area of Scripture we often overlook are the many historical stories we see.
These are not just bedtime stories, or stories to give us warm and fuzzy feelings, or even to make us feel better than those who failed. They’re not even formulas for denominational doctrines, or church policies. I cannot think of a single story where we can’t see ourselves in the characters. Perhaps one thing God is trying to show us is that people have been the same throughout history. That the people He used were average failures, just like us. Failures that He turned into the cloud of witnesses which inspire us on, leaving us with no excuse to remain silent; no excuse to abandon our watch posts in this hurting, hopeless world; and no excuse to leave the Great Commission to the ordained, or educated.

The next time that you are reading your Bible, and the section seems a little dry, just ask the Lord why He felt it was important to include that section. You will be blown away by the revelations He shows you.

As always, you may agree or disagree about what I have to say. I’m not really worried about it! I simply encourage you to Read the Scriptures, Study them for yourself, and most importantly, Live it out, wherever it may take you.

Andrew Trivette Scripture podcast, Scripture

Listen to: Scripture: Living and Powerful!

This begins a series on the beauty and power of Scripture, and it’s applications in everyday life. It’s not intended to be exhaustive, or present novel and unique insights. Just my thoughts. Enjoy!

For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews Chapter 4 Verse 12

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 17. that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy Chapter 3 Verses 16 and 17

What do I wish to accomplish in this series? I would love to highlight a few of the ways in which the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, speak to our daily lives, our work, and our relationships. If we can truly grasp how powerful the Scriptures are in every minute area of our lives, then we will be able to stop treating it as an archaic book full of great platitudes, good prose, and interesting philosophic ideas.

Let’s abandon the spiritual jargon, and the denominational lingo, and take the Words of God in their simplicity, in their power, and in their life, wherever they may lead! Every single word was carefully chosen with love, filled with meaning, not to confuse us, or force our reliance on scholars, or to make us spiritually smarter, but to empower our lives with the knowledge of His plan, and His intense love for us.

When it says in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word of God divides even to the joints and marrow, I don’t take that as hyperbole, or as just a great literary device by the author, but rather I would propose that God is emphasizing just how powerful and effective the Scriptures are in our daily lives, in our health, our finances, our relationships, and our society. It suggests that Scripture touches every minute aspect of lives, not just the “religious” areas.

I have on many occasions listened to well-intentioned Christians downplay the value of the Old Testament for today’s church. I think this is a horrible mistake. When 2 Timothy 3:16 refers to the Scriptures as God-breathed, profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and for instruction in righteousness, it is speaking to the “New Testament” church specifically about the Scriptures that we today call the Old Testament.

When we disregard such a large portion of God’s words, don’t we open ourselves up for an imbalanced understanding of God’s plan and work? Yes, the sacrificial laws of the Old Testament are no longer needed because of Jesus incredible sacrifice, but they still allow us to understand the bigger picture of why Christ’s sacrifice was required, and how it covers us all.

In the pages of the oft-reviled Old Testament judicial laws, we see the principles for God’s idea of an ideal society. Not just an idyllic society, but an achievable ideal that takes into account the hearts of man, our weaknesses, and our strengths.

Exploring these principles and many more will be the focus of the remainder of this series.

You may agree or disagree about what I have to say. I’m not really worried about it! I simply encourage you to Read the Scriptures, Study them for yourself, and most importantly, Live it out, wherever it may take you.

Andrew Trivette Scripture podcast, Scripture