Growing Spiritually with Melissa Scott

We have to keep going to find out. In the Arabic, we have here be- ha- n- l- n- a- a- l- f- d- a- b- d- m- h- we’ll put a little “a” there, wa- sa- wasa- hfa- ha- a- al- ha- fa- wa- a- tsa-. I only put half of the sentence here because it’s the only part that I really need. So, “in Him,” which is the same thing; in fact, the letters are very similar. The “b” and the aspirate for ha behet or bo and this word here, which in fact you’ll see the similarity between the Arabic and the Hebrew.

This word yano, it looks like nol, nolna to us, and this word should be very familiar to you, with Dr. Scott showing you and teaching you from the Arabic al feda, “redemption.” It is the same word being translated. It’s not equivalent in its value, but it certainly does give the right picture, “redemption,” al feda. In what? In bedama, the same thing, “in the blood.” So they’re all saying the same thing. We have the same thing. Let me just pick it right here from the Ethiopic: bedamu, this makes it “of His blood,” “the blood of Him,” or “His blood” for the Ethiopic.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

And I’m going to say again, like I said about sainthood, about saints: There are people who are going to say, “There is no possible way that He could have chosen me; God can choose everybody else.” Did you notice? Some of you maybe have been Christians for a long time, so it doesn’t hit you as much as it’s hit me, the realization of what double-standard society we live in, that in essence, “Everybody else can be chosen, but I can’t.” That’s the society we live in. In fact, I made a comment to somebody about when we were at San Quentin. Society rejects the idea of the power unto salvation, the power of God to transform a life.

Society rejects that because if you are not born into the church as a second generation, or if you’re not born into the church as a child growing up who never knew anything else, you become looked at differently: “God couldn’t have possibly chosen you.” He absolutely did. He chose you and spoke your name; He spoke my name and chose me. And there are many people who fight and buck the tide, but eventually, it’s like I said about these people who are responding and saying, “I want to come home now.” You can do stupid things. God gives us freedom; we’re not wind-up toys. He gives us the freedom to make mistakes. He gives us the freedom to do stupid things because we are human.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

Q. So I just asked you about the Old Testament examples of firstfruits. What about the New Testament examples?

A. Well, it’s totally irrelevant to the New Testament because they were not yet taught on all the principles of the Old Testament. It took time to fill in their understanding. They had the Spirit of God in them, which is the spirit of giving. In fact, II Corinthians 8 says that the proof positive that we have the genuine Spirit of God in us is the way we give. God loves the hilarious giver. God gave His Son and His Son gave His life. If the Spirit of God is in us, we have the mind of Christ and it makes givers out of us. The New Testament Christians gave EVERYTHING! So to preach the tithe to them was meaningless, because they had already given one hundred percent. The firstfruits were meaningless, because they had already given the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth fruits. They gave it all. Now, some say that tithing is not a New Testament doctrine. That’s false. Jesus said concerning the tithe, “This ye ought to have done.” (Matthew 23:23) It is evidenced by the detail in which the Pharisees kept the tithe of every little unit that they figured the ten percent on. But it really has no meaning in the teaching of the New Testament because they gave one hundred percent. It’s only as you begin to understand the full principle of giving from the Old Testament that you understand the tithe becomes a ceiling on the giving, and there’s a first, second and third tithe. They gave the first tithe, which is ten percent of all that they have. The second tithe is ten percent on all your earnings, and the third tithe they laid aside to pay the bill to go to the three great feasts in Jerusalem every year. In modern times, it is laid aside to pay your gas and your expenses of going to and from the House of God to keep your worship going. New Testament Christians gave it ALL! That wasn’t God’s plan because He doesn’t want it all. He wants the tithe and He wants to bless what we are allowed to keep with His blessing. He will curse what we have until you will be cursed with one hundred percent. You would make a lot more with the blessing of God on the ninety percent after tithing and firstfruits.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

But what I marvel at is people presenting the Ten Commandments and saying, “We need these. These are good for righteousness. We need to have these so we can walk uprightly.” And the minute you hear that you know the person who is saying it has not studied the New Testament and specifically, listen carefully, has not studied the Gospels enough to be able to stand and speak about Law or freedom.

You might ask, “Are the Ten Commandments good?” Sure they’re good but we can’t, we can’t attain to them. And in fact if we’re realistic, when Jesus came, He raised the bar even higher than the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments simply said, Don’t kill. Jesus said, If you think the thought…. That’s way up there somewhere. I was here at: Thou shalt not kill, and think, “Well I’ve never done that.” But now, Jesus says if you think it it’s as bad as the deed. Well the bar has been raised so high I could never attain to it now anyway.

Pastor Melissa Scott wants us to listen carefully, people. When for example, in the Ten Commandments it says you are to keep the sabbath holy, then go and read the Gospel record where Jesus and His disciples were going through the cornfield and they hungered and the disciples began to pluck the corn and eat. You’re not supposed to do that. Keeping it holy means no work, no work whatsoever. No working in the field, all of your food has already been picked, it’s been prepared. These are Judaic laws even in modern day orthodox Jewry, you find the food is prepared Friday before sundown, usually in pots and things that they even have it down to a science where if they have a stove they keep on simmer then they haven’t touched anything so when the sabbath comes, their food is warm. It’s warming, it’s been cooked and it stays like that through the sabbath: Friday, sundown until Saturday, sundown.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

I like this atmosphere that we have here where people will do anything in the name of the Lord. God bless those people that do, that have missions and do charity work. God bless them, I can’t support them enough with words and money. We don’t do this here. And the thing that is most grievous is you see people who say “Well we’ve got a lot of starving people and we’ve got people who have distended bellies. Now we’re going to tug on your emotions to produce some ‘I’ve got to do something.’”

Well let me ask you something. When you have an opportunity to listen to what is being put out there, we have an epidemic of hunger out in the world for God’s Word being preached. There are empty bellies but it’s not of distended people in some other country. It’s right here who are not being fed the Words of life right out of the Bible. And this attitude that somehow poverty will relinquish and we’ll be done with that. Jesus said “The poor you will have with you always.” Sorry but I’m always going to go back to what the Bible says.

Pastor Melissa Scott tells us that we need to solve the problem in our own backyard first where people can be fed the Word of God. We have an epidemic of people starving for God’s Word that we can solve with straight Bible teaching. No frills attached. I don’t know why people are out there doing what they’re doing anyway. Why bother? Why waste the air space? Although I just, it dawned on me while I’m talking to you: why not? That’s what the devil wants. More air space wasted. Less people taught in the Word, less people to be saved. Or maybe we can put a number on how many people we can save. “Let’s save umpteen million people by the end of next year.” It doesn’t work that way. Oh I want take Gospel to as many places as I can so many people can hear and hear the words of life. It’s not for me to say. It’s not for you to say how many souls get saved. We don’t know. I can guarantee you over thirty years I would say this: Dr. Scott looking down I wish you could tell us how many lives you touched that we’ll never know about. It’s those treasures laid up that you cannot see.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

Pastor Melissa Scott tells us that now one might say “Okay, this all before the law” because this all happens before the Law. Then you’ve got the Passover. Don’t turn to these but I’m just going to off the top I’ve put three scriptures down here that speak of the spirit of giving. Exodus 25, you don’t have to turn there. I’ll read it to you. Exodus 25, if you want to turn there you can, but Exodus 25:2 you read “The LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.” But was it for the Tabernacle: gold, silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, linen, goats’ hair, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, willing with a good heart.

I think, well God specified what He wants them to bring, with a good heart. Exodus 35:5 says exactly the same things. It’s got exactly the same deal going on. “Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring an offering to the LORD…And every wise hearted,” verse 10, “every wise hearted among you shall come, and offer that what the LORD has commanded.”

You read it again in 35:29, Exodus 35:29, “The children of Israel brought a willing,” a freewill offering, not coerced, which will be typified when we get to Leviticus, which I won’t do right now, which will be typified in the burnt offering. When you give something to God and it a burnt offering it is holy. It is a life, it’s an animal, if it’s a person, like Jesus, wholly dedicated completely dedicated, 100% to the Lord. And don’t call it a burnt offering if you’re going to turn around and say “Well I give you all this but I turn around and put this back in my pocket because nobody saw me.” It’s completely turned over to God.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

I have this caricatured idea that the Holy Spirit and the old nature – they must go at it like a boxing match, just one after another – just bang, bang, bang – because my brain still functions on some of those old systems. Do you know the ones I’m talking about? Okay. Pastor Melissa Scott tells us that if we say that we have not sinned we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. Oy!

Do you know that there are still people that live and believe according to – they are Christians – that live and believe according to the law? And they perceive the law to be the Ten Commandments. As a precursor. I have a question then because my hope in this whole session is to get people to get – take a good look at yourself. I’m taking a good look at myself. I need this message just as much as you do. There’s not one person that can stand and stay ‘not guilty.’

My question for those law abiding – and I’m not talking about the law, I’m talking about the Law law. I have a question for you. You ever think of adding in a couple receipts on your tax return that you didn’t spend for but it will make up for maybe some of the things that you need to get back? Don’t answer. I don’t want to see any hands. You ever go in a restaurant and take a package of sugar or sweetener and put it in your purse or pocket because it’s for that coffee or tea that you didn’t have? Don’t answer. Drive in a big city. I don’t really care where you drive, but if you drive now a days I guarantee you jot this down and look it up at home: Exodus 20:7 and 20:13, and come back and talk to me later. One of them is “thou shalt not take the LORD’S name in vain.”

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

The Day of Atonement was not only a day for each person but nationally and it had to be repeated every single year. Christ died on the cross once, once and for all, for everything. He bought the whole deal. So when people talk about whether their sins will be covered or whether they’re okay, whether they’re not okay – I’m really not quite sure at this point where they may be.

What does I’ve got this book, Boice – my husband used to like to read Dr. Boice and I’m going to read something to you from Dr. Boice on the subject of ‘there is no difference.’ Strangely enough I was going to read from somebody that he quotes but he does such a good little synopsis of it that it’s just well worth it to read what he said. On this ‘there is no difference’ he says “for many years when I came to this verse I had the feeling that it was somehow in the wrong place. It was not that Romans 3:23 was untrue. Obviously it is. For that is what Romans 1:18 through 3:20 is all about.”

Pastor Melissa Scott tells us that if you want to know how good God is. He at least let my husband get through those most important passages so any of you who had the luxury of hearing; you basically heard everything there is to know about the good, the bad and ugly. You heard in those passages – thanks be to God he taught on them. It opened my eyes to a lot of things.

“What bothered me in that verse is that it didn’t seem to belong there. I felt that the words ‘there is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ belong with an earlier section; you know the one in the earlier parts when it talks about all the bad things, because that belongs to other people not everybody.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

Now like I said usually we use languages to do an accurate translation of something. Today I put the languages up because my hopes is – and I hope that people, wherever people are in the world today, whether it’s your first time listening or you’ve listened and you’ve been a Christian, you’ve been here for thirty years. I hope we’ll all come back to this starting point. I’d put it in every language if I could take the time write down some other ones. Maybe people will look at this and in their own language they will see “all have sinned” – not some, not a few, not maybe but all. I’m not teaching in Romans.

Pastor Melissa Scott tells us that if you want teaching in Romans please Dolores Press has tapes. No one did a better job in teaching through the book of Romans, at least these chapters and passages we’re in and around than Dr. Scott. I’m not looking for that. I’m looking for something in the text that I’m going to depart with.

We gathered last Sunday night in the Chapel. I didn’t tell of you here. I’d actually forgotten. I was going to announce it and we were going to meet in the Chapel because I had planned to film a Communion. I just want to see hands. Listen carefully. How many are here who have not – that is a negative – you have never partaken in Communion or the Lord’s Supper? Show me your hands. Are there any people here? Don’t look at your neighbor.

Has everybody taken? It looks like everybody here has taken. That’s pretty good. But there are people who are just coming to the network. They’ve never had or taken Communion before. As far as they’re concerned the idea of taking Communion belongs to another denomination. It belongs to other people, primarily, usually the thought is it’s a Catholic doctrine or function or exercise, which it has become that in the church. And there’s a lot of people who are scared or reluctant to partake because A) they don’t understand. Now you’ve all been taught, so you all know this.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott

And you assign that seed and you say ‘This is my seed for Bobby Sue and Suzie whatever-her-name-is and that they might be prosperous. The only people that are prospering in that whole scenario are the people collecting the money on the other side. And I say that; they may be putting their money back into the ministry. None of my business. But what needs to happen in the church today, somebody needs to step out and teach the people. There is dignity in giving. Don’t be a beggar. We know we own a debt beyond what we can ever pay. The woman with the alabaster box if you want a type of how we ought to give when we give: she gave unconditionally she didn’t say ‘I’m going to put some of it on me and then I’ll put the rest on Jesus.’ She gave it all to Jesus. (Applause.)

Pastor Melissa Scott tells us that the church needs to be taught the dignity. And God bless my husband because he taught you and he also taught me that I don’t have to be reduced to some gimmickry. I don’t have to reduce myself to some level to say ‘if you’ll send me your money…’ Yes. I’ll be honest with you – if you’ll send me your money, but don’t send it to me because you feel bad. This is not a charity. Don’t send the money to me because you’re going to take a tax deduction. I will still hold the same policy. We will not give a tax deduction. You’re not going to double-dip into the pot. Sorry. (Applause.)

You may be – come on. Please. I want you to listen to me. Some of you are finding out I mean business. I already know the tide that I am bucking. It’s just easier – I said this last week. If I would just tell you that you’re so great… You know there’s a grain of truth in everything that’s being said. I’m talking about outside in the world. Yes, if you plant a seed you will get blessed, but it’s not going to be the blessing you think just because you put ten dollars here doesn’t mean you’re going to get a hundred back. The blessing comes because God loves the hilarious giver. Not because you’ve kind of decided ‘well if I give this much money here and then if I get that much money back…’ Do you know what I think that God hates more than liars He hates thieves: people who think that they can sit and take it in.

admin Pastor Melissa Scott