Understand the Bible? Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D.

God sent Jonah to a foreign kingdom with this message, "Turn back to God now! Judgment is coming."   Miraculously, they listened and did just that.   This is the same message that needs to be preached to our entire government and all of America.   If the president's spiritual advisors and those with a platform start saying, "Repent! Believe in Jesus Christ and repent of your sins," we might have a...

The prophet Amos speaks of God's judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel.   God spelled out their sins in great detail and warned them that their punishment was coming quickly.   History shows us that God kept His word.   While there is very little hope in the book of Amos, there is a promise that in a future time, the scattered people of Israel will be brought back and Christ will dwell i...

God told the prophet Hosea to marry a whore to symbolize the spiritual infidelity of Israel. In their prosperity, the people had failed to give God thanks and had worshiped idols.   God still loved them, but He said that if they would not repent, they would not be His people and would not obtain mercy.   But in a future time, they will be His people once more and obtain mercy, and Christ will be t...

The prophecy of Joel describes a famine and devastation sent by God to wake the people up and bring them to repentance.   It affected every aspect of life, from the livestock to the crops that made the offerings and worship practices possible.   While Joel's prophecy speaks to the people in his day, it also speaks to us in the present who are living in a very evil time.   It also speaks of the fut...

The book of Obadiah is a small book with only 21 verses, but it has a much larger message.   Through the prophet, God tells what will be done to the Edomites, who scoffed at His people and did not value the things of God.   This book applies to the time it was written and to a future time when those who refuse to repent and turn to God will be forever cut off from His presence.   VF-2540 Obadiah W...

God revealed Himself in the Old Testament through prophecy and miracles.   He put His power, His presence, and His will on display to show people He was God, so they might turn to Him.   He used the prophet Elisha to make sure that His will would be carried out by Hazael and Jehu, to wipe out evil people.   No two servants of God are the same, except in their faith; Elijah and Elisha performed sim...

The miracles that Elisha performed often centered on water, oil, food, or life and death.   They reflected what was lacking in the people, and they were designed to turn the people back to Him.   These miracles showed the people what God could do if they were obedient to Him.   God washes us, provides for us, gives us His Spirit and the Bread of Life, and gives us resurrected life.   2 Kings VF-25...

The life and ministry of Elisha can shed light on our walk as believers if we make applications to ourselves.   The prophet Elisha shows us that God doesn't ask us to be perfect, but He does expect us to respond willingly to His call.   The only question is, will we stay by the stuff, keep the faith, and overcome like Elisha when our faith is tried?   Or will we fall away and defect, like so many...

Elijah was a messenger of God and the story of his own life of faith is a message for us today. During the evil rule of King Ahab and Jezebel, Elijah had great victories like defeating the priests of Baal and despite that victory he ran away in fear wanting to die soon after.   Elijah was not perfect, but his devotion to God did not waver and when he faltered, God restored him and continued to use...

Evil can be blatant but is often very subtle.   The bible provides many examples in the Old and New Testaments to help us to recognize evil when we encounter it.   Christ's response to the temptation from the devil is the example to follow, we are to fight evil with the word of God. His power is greater than any other power that comes against us. VF-2407 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelis...

Jesus repeatedly spoke of things that must come to pass, things that are necessary or inevitable.   He has fulfilled the things He said He must do regarding His death and Resurrection.   There are also things He told us we must do, and things that must happen as a fulfillment of prophecy before the end.   VF-2406 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches f...

Not much has changed from the time of the early church. By 90 A.D. it had been infiltrated with apostasy and heresy. Countering this attack, the apostle John wrote to his congregation, instructing them to be connected in fellowship to God, and to one another; simple instructions that are often misunderstood, but if followed will continue to keep the church in-check and on-track. VF-2405 1 John Wat...

We are to pay the one who teaches us the word of God, and we will reap what we sow.   God has instructed us to be good stewards not only of our money but also our bodies, His word, and our time.   Jesus commended the widow who gave two mites and the woman who gave the alabaster box.   If we trust Him, He will supply our needs .   VF-2334 Galatians 6 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaSco...

The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit, which makes us givers.   We are stewards of whatever possessions God gives us, and there is no excuse for those whom He has called to be ignorant of that.   He laid out a plan for both systematic and spontaneous giving. VF-2333 I Corinthians 13:1-3 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Fa...

Don't let the charlatans who have put a black stain on the ministry taint your view of giving.   God's not a kill-joy begging for your money.   He wants you to get to know Him.   And once you do He's looking on the heart to see if the general message has been received, which includes the principles of stewardship and giving: recognizing Him in all that you have and all that you do, because it all...

Giving is a form of worship, and it is intrinsically tied to your faith.   You are either a person who would hold something back from God or a person who has been changed by Him and gives without coercion.   Don't get puffed up in pride over your giving.   God wants you to give with your heart and to have an authentic relationship with Him.   God will bless you in intangible ways, and He will not...

Biblical giving begins with the understanding that the earth is the Lord's, and the tithe belongs to Him.   We can learn a lot from the Old Testament patterns: God wants people to give with a willing heart, and worshipping Him should be at the epicenter of our faith and our lives.   We should be glad that God gives us the opportunity to participate and accrue rewards in heaven. VF-2320 Psalm 24:1,...

The close of Micah deals with a future time when the nations will be stripped of their power and humbled, and they will recognize they had rejected Christ and will turn to Him.   God is a forgiving God.   No one else can completely forgive and wipe away all our sins like He can, and He is true to His word. VF-2347 Micah 7:14-20 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa...

It is important to reflect on the role of fathers and to recognize the sacrifices they make for their children.   The love of our Heavenly Father is apparent in the story of the prodigal son.   Though the son had the wrong attitude when he left the father, when he came to his sense and turned back to him, the father received him with joy.   VF-2346   Luke 15 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorM...

Micah paints a gloomy picture of the society in his day: the rulers demanded gifts, the judges accepted bribes, and the powerful dictated what they desired. On top of that he observed a blatant disrespect for God, the family unity, and for the dignity of life and living. He warned the people of their terrible fate and yet, right in the middle of gloom and doom he spoke a word of encouragement: God...

Through the prophet Micah, God proclaimed the judgment that would come upon the people because they had departed from Him and His ways.   They were corrupt, engaging in acts of greed and false worship.   God was giving them a warning so that they might turn back to Him.   We need to listen to that warning today.   VF-2344 Micah 6:9-16 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor M...

In Micah 6, God brings His grievance against the people almost as if He is making a legal case.   He reminds them of His past deliverances and His goodness to them, but they responded with the wrong attitude.   In the face of coming judgment, God still has his hand on His chosen ones, and He is in control.   Will you trust Him?   VF-2343 Micah 6:1-8 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaSco...

Micah paints a prophetic portrait of Christ as eternal, everlasting, God incarnate, and ruler, both when He came in the flesh, and when He returns to rule over the whole earth in last days, at the end of time.   Although the picture that Micah paints is one of doom and calamity, we should take comfort in the knowledge that God has a plan for the future, and heed Micah's warning by putting away our...

Micah juxtaposes the leaders during his time with the Lord of Hosts during the time God establishes His kingdom on earth. While there will be people that will resist the rule of Jesus Christ in His 1000-year reign, there will be people from many nations who will learn from Him and walk in His paths, regardless of their religious background. During Christ's reign, there will be universal peace, uni...

In Micah 3, the prophet focuses on the sins of the nation's leadership.   The leaders oppressed the people and allowed lawlessness to run rampant.   Though they had the power to turn back to righteousness and law, the leaders loved evil and abhorred judgment.   In this, we see a reflection of the state of our own country today.   VF-2340   Micah 3 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott...