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

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...

The prophecies of Micah were addressed to a nation consumed with idolatry and false worship. This is not just a problem of the past, it's been a problem since the beginning of time, and it's reflective of the moral, social, and spiritual decline we're seeing in America today. However, it's not all gloom and doom. We're at a turning point, and the prophecies of Micah give us tremendous hope for the...

The book of Micah contains past warnings for an idolatrous nation and warnings for the future. As believers, we should look at these prophecies in light of today's society and where we're at as a people. Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reserv...

Do not take your salvation for granted and get complacent lest you engage in spiritual pride.   It takes vigilance to stay by the stuff.   In the Old Testament the children of Israel drifted away repeatedly and much of the church in America today has departed from the ways of God, but there is still time to return to Him.   He promises a new covenant in which He will put His law in our hearts and...

A lesson from the Apostle Paul, as someone who once rejected Christ, shows us that we should not get puffed up in our calling as gentiles.   God's not done with the Jewish people, and we should not make the mistake of thinking we know who He's going to save.   The picture of election by grace shows us that it's God's prerogative to choose.   VF-2431   Romans 11 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at Past...

The prophet Isaiah foretold of Christ, but he also prophesied that there would be people who would not be able to hear and receive the message.   The rejection of Christ by the Jews was part of that prophecy, as well as the grace extended to the gentiles who can hear His word.   God chooses who He will save, but those chosen should not be boastful or have a sense of entitlement.   We cannot know w...

A lot of churches today present the message of "special sinners" or a "special way of salvation" and neither one of those is biblical.   None of us are born to desire God, and none of us have "special sins."   We're all born with a dark heart.   We're all sinners in need of salvation.   We cannot save ourselves, and we must recognize that salvation doesn't come by doing good deeds, or hearing word...

In the book of Romans, Paul looks to the prophet Isaiah's declaration about the children of Israel and proclaims that a remnant shall be saved, but not all.   He addresses Jews that thought their salvation was automatic. They could not accept that Christ was the end of the law and that the gentiles could be saved without it.   God wants trust, not perfection and for that trust there is eternal sal...

Why do some Jews still reject Christ?   God has the right to choose whom He will save, whom He will show mercy, and whom He will reward.   He also has the right to choose whom He will not.   Don't assume you know which is which. VF-2427   Romans 9:15-26 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to lea...

Many of Abraham's seed believed they didn't need salvation because they had the covenants, the promises, and the law.   Although they were anticipating a Messiah, they rejected Christ and everything He had to say. Paul makes it clear as to "why" in the book of Romans: not all Israel is of Israel.   Some of them had the capacity to respond; many did not.   The same is true today, and until God give...