In chapter 19 Apostle Paul finds some disciples who had experienced John the Baptist’s water baptism. But they had not been baptized as believers in Jesus Christ. So, Paul baptizes them. Then he lays hands on them, and they receive the fulness of the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in tongues. I bring this out to show that there is more to receive from God than what a lot of people receive. Many believe on Jesus and get water baptized. But there is more, and every follower of Christ should be open to receiving this. Some say the baptism in the Holy Spirit (as we call it) is not for today. But they cannot give a good reason for believing God doesn’t want us experiencing everything the early believers did. A long time had passed between Acts 2:1-4 when the Holy Spirit was first poured out, to Acts 19. If these many years later Paul is still leading believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit, why shouldn’t we? The answer is we should.

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 19-20

Years ago, I was reading something that Dr. James Dobson wrote on the biggest problems in marriage, from a woman’s perspective. Out of the top ten things, number ten was aging. As a young man my thoughts were off when I felt it was a vain response. If someone was concerned about getting wrinkles, that was vanity! Now that I’m older I understand.

I realize now that some of the women who responded to the doctors’ inquiries were older women. The Preacher tends to be pessimistic, so I don’t think getting older has to be a disaster. But the reality is, your body will challenge you as you age. Physical limitations are real for older people. And this can definitely become a problem in marriage especially if one of the couple starts having health issues. My advice is, if you want to climb mountains, do it while you’re young. When you get older you can have trouble just climbing the stairs.

Pastor Roger Dean

Ecclesiastes 11-12

“You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” (22:10)

At first glance you might think this rule was because of the different sizes of the animals or their gaits when walking. But look at the verses before and after it. In verse 9 you are not to sow different kinds of seeds together. In verse 11, you were not to wear clothing of different materials together. So, you don’t plow with an ox and a donkey because they are different. In the New Testament we find that believers and unbelievers are not to be yoked together (2 Cor. 6:14). This is often used in regards to marriage. A believer shouldn’t marry an unbeliever. But it isn’t limited to that. Any close partnership would qualify. Why? Because believers and unbelievers are different. This doesn’t mean that they can’t be friends. It doesn’t say you can’t let your ox and donkey graze in the same field. But in covenant relationships, it is best not to be unequally yoked.

Pastor Roger Dean

Deuteronomy 20-22

It is unfortunate, but most of us believers will mess up. At some point we will sin. Thankfully, God has provided an answer for that:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1:9)

By itself this scripture may seem to apply to the unsaved. It is true that they can be forgiven but this verse was written to Christians. If we read on, we see:

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also the whole world.” (2:1-2)

Jesus died for everyone. His forgiveness is available to all. The good news is that His forgiveness doesn’t stop at salvation. God doesn’t want us to sin but if we do, He will forgive us.

Pastor Roger Dean

I John 1-3

During Paul’s travels he came to Berea:

An example to all, the Bereans received the word of God with enthusiasm. They were not bored hearing the preaching. They were enthralled. There have been times in my life when I wasn’t getting a lot out of the messages. But it wasn’t the message or the speaker, it was me. I wasn’t receiving what I was hearing. Another good point here is that the Bereans didn’t just believe everything they heard. They read the word for themselves and decided if it was true or not. I’ve heard some things over the years that did not line up with the whole word of God. A good rule of thumb when you are feasting on the scriptures, chew the hay and spit out the sticks.

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 17-18

God has a great love for Israel and Jerusalem. In fact, He is quite passionate about them.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Zion with great zeal. With great fervor I am zealous for her.” (8:2)

The margin notes in my Bible say this could be translated “ I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy. With great heat or rage I am zealous for her”. Further notes say zealous can mean to be full of zeal, full of emotion, to be passionate, to be highly possessive of something. Although not a negative word, it is used a lot when the Lord is being provoked to jealousy by His people flirting with other gods. I pity the people that try and mess with the ones that God loves. And I think that includes those of us who follow Christ. He loved us enough to give His Son for us. I can’t imagine that kind of love. But I can imagine how He feels when we flirt with evil or when evil threatens His possession.

Pastor Roger Dean

Zechariah 8-14

The Preacher, the author of this book, considered himself a philosopher. He based his comments on things that he observed in the natural world. Much of what he thought was pessimistic, like:

This is the problem with basing your beliefs on what you are seeing around you and not on what the Bible says. The scriptures tell us that we run races to win, that we are more than conquers, that wisdom belongs to God and those that follow Him will never see their children begging bread. I could go on, but you get the idea. Don’t base your “world view” on the world. Base it on what the One who created the world has to say. And you’ll find that in the Bible.

Ecclesiastes 9-10

 

Tomorrow, we Americans, celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving. There is no better way for us to give thanks than to praise the Lord. So here is Ps. 134 for us to say:

We may not be in the sanctuary or in Zion and it may not be night but tomorrow we can still bless the Lord. In fact, there is no reason that we shouldn’t praise Him today. Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord! And in advance I say to you and yours, “Happy Thanksgiving.“

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 134-136

As they were rebuilding the temple, Ezra the scribe shows up to teach the people the Law. One law they had was not to intermarry with the non-Jewish local inhabitants. The concern was the pagans religion would defile the Jews worship. When Israel was taken captive only the poorest of the Jews were left to tend the land and the conquerors moved in a bunch of other people that came from other conquered places. This helped the rulers from having to deal with a nationalistic mentality . Everybody was from everywhere. Unlike most groups however, the Jews managed to keep themselves separated, even in captivity. Chapters 9 & 10 deal with the subject of those who had married pagans. In a country like ours, which is called a melting pot, keeping ourselves from the contamination of the world is hard. You can’t tell some Christians from the pagans of today. I’m talking about the way they act, not look. Maybe we should be reacting like Ezra did and rip our clothes and mourn.

Pastor Roger Dean

Ezra 6-10

Today, while reading about the rules for kings, two things stood out to me (17:14-20). One is the fact that they even had any rules. The Israelites didn’t have a king, until many years later, when King Saul was made a king. But God, knowing the future, gave them some principles that would help the king be successful. The second thing is the warning in verse 17 for the king not to multiply wives. This rule was broken the most by Solomon who had 700 wives and concubines. Solomon was only the third king that the Israelites ever had. The wives’ religions caused Solomon to stray from the true God. Maybe if he had done what verses 18-20 says this wouldn’t have happened. They say the king should be reading the word of God so that he’ll keep the Law and not stray. If he does, it will prolong his kingdom for him and his children. Solomon’s first heir lost half of the kingdom right off the bat because of Solomon’s sin. This is a good idea for all of us. Read God’s word and you’ll keep it. And if you’ll keep the word, you’ll keep your domain.

Pastor Roger Dean

Deuteronomy 16-19

There are some Christian’s that do not believe that the Lord is coming back. Like those Peter talks about in 3:4, they ask:

He hasn’t come back so that we could get saved. I’m glad He waited for me to ask Him to be my Savior. But He will return, in His own time, and I hope that He finds you ready. Let’s meet Him in the air together! He is willing, so be one of the whosoever wills (John 3:16).

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Peter

Church conflicts are always difficult to navigate. Anytime people are at odds with each other there is tension. When it is co-workers, they may be able to put up with each other for a paycheck. But when it is in a ministry setting, where everyone is supposed to love each other, the disagreement seems worse. Paul and Barnabas have been co-laborers for a while, but they disagree over whether to take John Mark with them on a trip to preach the gospel. John Mark had gone home during a previous trip and Paul didn’t want him around (15:36-41). This causes the men to go separate ways with Barnabas taking J. M. and Paul taking Silas. Could they have worked this out? Maybe. Later on, Paul and John Mark work together, so Paul’s opinion changed. When things like this happen, try to work it out. If you don’t think you can, don’t give up on the ministry. After a while your heart, or theirs, may change.

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 15-16

This scripture is often quoted, at least partially:

“So he answered and said to me ‘ This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit ‘ says the Lord of hosts.” (4:6)

The governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, was charged with rebuilding the temple. This verse tells us that he was not to build it trusting in the abilities and resources of man but to trust in God’s Spirit to get the job done. This still holds true today. As we build the kingdom of God, and His church, we need to be Spirit led and empowered. The work isn’t to be done in our own might, a word meaning strength, especially military strength. It also means accumulated goods as in wealth. The battles we fight belong to the Lord and we don’t need to worry about the cost. He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.

Pastor Roger Dean

Zechariah 1-7

“Wisdom is good with an inheritance and profitable to those who see the sun. For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense. But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.” (7:11-12)

Having wisdom is better than having money. Both can be a defense but If you have wisdom, you can have both. And the excellence or advantage of wisdom is that it gives a person life. A lot of rich people are not truly living or happy. But if a person walks in knowledge, he knows things others don’t. It will make them glow and have a strength that can be seen on their faces (8:1). Wisdom comes from God. And when people know God, He gives them life and that more abundantly. Spend time with God and your life will be well spent.

Pastor Roger Dean

Ecclesiastes 7-8

Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment to the promise made to David. And this promise is everlasting. Jesus is on His throne, for all of eternity. All hail, King Jesus.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 131-133

When the Israelites laid the foundation of the temple there was rejoicing and there was weeping (3:12-13). It was a time of celebrating for everyone except the older people. They had seen the temple that had been there before the exile. And this one wasn’t going to compare to the old one. Solomon’s temple was magnificent. This new one wouldn’t be. Anyone can get stuck holding onto the old and not embracing the new. We tend to remember things as being better than they were. Even Solomon addressed this in Ecclesiastes 7:10:

I can reflect on all that God has done and give Him the glory. But I don’t want to get stuck looking back. There are a lot more things that God wants to do. As they say, you can see a lot more out of the front windshield than you can out of the rear-view mirror.

Pastor Roger Dean

Ezra 1-5

In the instructions for the seven-year debt cancellation, the only time you didn’t have to release the debt, was when there were no poor in the land. This would only happen if the Lord blessed them because of their obedience (15:1-6). But it seems this may never happen because we read in 15:11:

“For the poor will never cease from the land, therefore I command you saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.”

God has always made provision for the less fortunate. Our national holiday, Thanksgiving, is coming up. Do you know anyone you could buy a meal for? Or give a turkey to? Perhaps you could make a donation to a food pantry. Our church is supplying boxes of stuffing mix for the local food pantry in Batesville. Find out what is needed and help meet a need. You’ll be as blessed as those you bless.

Pastor Roger Dean

Deuteronomy 13-15

Every believer has a gifting or gifts that God has given them. This gift is to be used, not for their profit, but for the profit of the church (1 Cor. 12:7). These gifts are given by the Holy Spirit according to His will (1 Cor. 12:11). It is our responsibility to use these gifts, we are the stewards of them. Originally a steward was the person who managed a household or estate. It is our duty to administer the use of our gift(s) for the blessing of other believers. This is hard to do if we do not attend church. I know that the gifts can be used outside the church and are vital when witnessing to unbelievers. However, if we are stewards, it implies managing our gifts for their use in a household. And that implies the household of faith. Besides, if a person doesn’t use their gift with people that believe like them, will they really use them with nonbelievers?

Pastor Roger Dean

I Peter 4-5

 

The minute Apostle Paul was saved he began preaching Jesus in the synagogues. Later, while helping Barnabas in Antioch, he and Barnabas are officially recognized as apostles (13:1-3). This came about as they and other prophets are ministering to the Lord. After the Lord told the group to separate them to the ministry, the group fasted, prayed and laid hands on them. This wasn’t done lightly. What I’d like to point out is, Paul and Barnabas both had been in ministry a while before God thought they were ready for apostleship. You may be called to preach, and you may be doing that. But maybe you are not ready to pastor a church or travel full time as an evangelist. My advice is be faithful where you are at and let God confirm your place of ministry. You may not need man’s recognition, but you do need God’s. And a title is not as important as the Lord’s approval.

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 13-14

 

After the return of the Israelites from exile in Babylon, they started to rebuild the temple. This why King Darius sent them back to Jerusalem. God told him to have the temple rebuilt. But the people had stopped working. So, God sends the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to stir them up.

“Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.” (2:19)

The “this day” referred to is when the temple’s foundation was laid (2:18). So basically, the blessings started at the time they started to do the work. The “fruit” was not apparent to the people, but the blessings of God began when they began working. Their obedience opened the windows of heaven for them. Sometimes we get tired of working because we are not seeing the fruit of our labor. But if we are being obedient to do what the Lord is saying, our blessings are already happening.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Haggai

As you read the Preacher, you see him go back and forth between two opinions. Or does he? It depends on what you are talking about. When it comes to money he says:

“He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver. Nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity.” (5:10)

But he says in 5:19 that if God has given riches and wealth to someone, it is the gift of God to partake of it and rejoice in it. It may sound contradictory, but it isn’t. Loving wealth and having it are two different things. The love of money is the root of many evils. But being blessed by God to have wealth is just that, it is a blessing. You can clamor after more money, or you can clamor after God. Do the latter, seek God and His righteousness, and the rest will be added to you.

Pastor Roger Dean

Ecclesiastes 5-6

 

Josiah, the king of Judah, was a good man and restored the true worship of God. But for some reason, when Necho the king of Egypt came to attack Carchemish, he decided to join in the fracas. Necho warned him that God was with him, but Josiah wouldn’t listen and disguised himself to go into battle. He ends up getting killed. This is a great illustration for us, that God-serving good people can miss the Lord. God didn’t tell him to go and fight. Yet he went on his own accord. How many times does stuff like that happen to us? We get a great idea and run after it instead of running to God with it. We miss Him most often because we do not seek Him. The bigger the decision we have, the more it deserves our thought and prayers. Good people can get off track when they start thinking that God will back anything they want to do. Instead. they should back whatever God wants them to do.

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 33-36

A Song of Ascents, Psalm 128 is a benediction of blessings. The key to these blessings is found in verse 1:

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.”

The fear or the awe, respect, of the Lord is a key to receiving the blessings of God. If we truly have this fear, or respect, we will walk in His ways. We will follow the path He has provided. When we realize that we are not being blessed we need to take stock of our obedience. It is easy to get off track in some area of our life. Note also that this blessing is for everyone. God is not a respecter of persons. It doesn’t matter what color you are, what your sex is, nor how old you are. If you make the decision to follow the Lord with your whole heart, you will be blessed.

“All for Jesus, I surrender,” will be awe for Jesus, I surrender.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 128-130

 

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they got tired of eating manna and cried out for meat. So, the Lord sent them quail and they gorged themselves on it. And a bunch of them died because they clamored after something God didn’t want them to have. This is not to be the case in the Promised Land. If they want to eat meat they can eat as much as they want (12:20). The meat needed to be considered clean and they were not to eat the blood. If it was considered holy, they couldn’t eat it at home but had to take it and eat it before the Lord (12:21-26). The difference between the wilderness and the new land was simply a difference between what the Lord was wanting. The key was their obedience. Most of us eat whatever we want, whenever we want. But if we feel the Lord is telling us some specific instructions on our diet, we should listen. Our lives may depend on it.

Pastor Roger Dean

Deuteronomy 10-12

Similar to The Day, or the last days, is the “ last time”. The word time means an opportune time, set time, due time, appointed time. It is the word kairos in the Greek and describes the kind or quality of time discussed, as opposed to chronos which talks about a quantity of time. Here in I Peter 1:5 it is referring to the 2nd Coming of Jesus: “ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”. Salvation can be viewed as past, present and future. I received salvation, I am saved and when Christ returns, I’ll see the end of my faith, the salvation of my soul (1:9). Knowing that through our faith we are kept unto that Day should bring us joy regardless of the circumstances in which we live. Some people fear the End Times. We should welcome it instead.

Pastor Roger Dean

I Peter 1-3

In 11:1-18, Peter has the vision of the sheet being lowered with unclean animals on it. He refuses to eat because he has never eaten anything unclean. But then he hears the Lord say:

After this happens 3 times, 3 guys sent by the centurion Cornelius show up. Peter goes with the men and everyone at Cornelius’ house is saved. The take away for me is that God is not a respecter of persons. It doesn’t matter what your ethnic background is, what your financial status amounts to or whether you’re young, old, female or male, you are loved by God and can be saved. You could be 7 or 67 and God will accept you if you will accept Jesus Christ as your savior. And the really good thing is, after you’ve received Christ as your Savior, you can still eat bacon!

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 11-12

I was recently at a ministers meeting when the subject of what was going on in the Middle East came up. This naturally led into a discussion on end times. Today’s book has this on the subject:

“Be silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is at hand, for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has invited His guests.” (1:7)

The day of the Lord can be seen as a day of judgment or as the Lord’s return, depending on where you’re reading it. The word day means just that, a day, which has daytime and nighttime. It can also mean a certain period of time. Zephaniah sees the day of the Lord as a day of God’s wrath being poured out (1:15-16). When I say it, I’m usually referring to Christ’s return. I’m believing I’ll not be here for the wrath, but I’ll be returning with Him (1 Thess. 4:14-18). Make your travel plans now. You’ll either be running away from the Lord, or you’ll be running with Him.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Zephaniah

After giving us this verse:

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (3:1)

the Preacher gives us a long list of things that have their times. This theme reoccurs throughout the book and shows up again in this chapter in verse 17:

“I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked. For there is a time for every purpose and for every work.”

The Preacher believes that there will come a day of judgment. Indeed, there shall for the wicked. Those who have never received Jesus Christ will be judged and their eternal fate will be proclaimed. Unfortunately, that is an eternity in hell. The righteous dead already know they are heaven bound. Any judgement they receive has to do with their works and rewards. I’d rather know now, that heaven is in my future, than to live in fear of eternal torment. Receive Christ today and receive peace.

Pastor Roger Dean

Ecclesiastes 3-4

A lot of the things people do are just vain. Solomon, in his book Ecclesiastes, writes about a lot of them. In Psalm 127:1 we see two things that are vain:

Guess who wrote this psalm? Yep, Solomon. One of only two he is credited with writing (the other being Ps. 72). I doubt that he was talking about a literal house under construction. More likely he is referring to the need, for couples starting out together, to have the Lord in their lives. And Sol should know. He had 700 wives and concubines and they caused him to stray from God. After his vanity detailed him there, he was told the kingdom would be ripped out of his family’s hands. When we read that story, we see that he doesn’t even try to correct the situation. He knew if God said it, it was going to happen, and it would be vain to try to stop it. May our Lord be in our marriages and may He watch out over our cities and our country. Amen.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 125-127

Next time you’re facing a battle remember these verses:

The tipping point in any battle you face is that our God fights for us. You may not be fighting an invading army, but your fight is just as real and important to you. And if it is important to you, it is important to the Lord, because you are important to Him. Don’t lean on the arm of flesh. Lean on Jesus.

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 29-32

Obedience brings blessings. Some of those blessings are outlined for the Israelites in chapter seven verses 12-26. The first blessing is multiplication. He would cause them to increase. He would also bless their fruit, grain, new wine, oil, cattle, and their flocks. He would bless them with health. He would deliver their enemies into their hands. There are more verses for this because it’s easier to believe God to hand over the good stuff, than it is to trust Him to handle the bigger problems. Today, when we are obedient, we can expect God to bless us as well. When these things are not apparent it doesn’t always mean you are disobedient. We have an enemy that attacks and tries to destroy the things God is doing to us and through us. Thankfully, we can trust God to deal with these powers. We can see our enemies defeated, even if they are invisible to our eyes.

Pastor Roger Dean

Deuteronomy 7-9

Can a person so backslide that they are in danger of losing their salvation? I think so and it appears so does James.

A person cannot wander from the truth unless they have known the truth. If you are being turned back, it implies you are returning to where you have been. Now I’m not advocating that we lose our salvation for every little sin. But if a person stops following the path to heaven, then they are going the wrong way. That just makes sense to me. Our job as believers is to make sure we keep each other on the right track. And when people get off track, we need the boldness to turn them back.

Pastor Roger Dean

James 4-5

When Paul is on the way to Damascus, to capture some Christians, a light shines from heaven and blinds him. He hears the Lord speaking and one of the things he hears is:

In the KJV version goads is translated pricks. They were sharp sticks that were used to get oxen moving. But what I want to point out is that Paul was persecuting believers, yet Jesus says Paul was persecuting Him. Why? Because Jesus takes it personally when His followers are mistreated. Every year there are thousands of Christians martyred across the globe. My prayer is that all of those who are doing the evil deeds would have a Paul-like experience. That they would “see the light,” follow Christ, and bring many souls into the kingdom.

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 9-10

Idols are worthless. At least that is the opinion of many who comment on them in the Bible. Habakkuk gives his take in 2:18-20 (my paraphrase): “what good is an idol that some guy made? It is a lie. Why would the carver trust in it? It doesn’t come to life and speak. You can tell it to come to life but it isn’t going to. It’s just a piece of wood overlayed with silver and gold. There is no breath in it. But the Lord is in His Holy temple and the whole earth ought to show Him reverence.” It doesn’t make sense for people to worship something they made with their own hands. This goes beyond just the traditional idol. Anything made by man should not be worshipped. Not your car, your money or even another person. You should show your adoration to the One that deserves it. He isn’t a dead piece of wood. He is alive and speaks to us. God is on His throne, worship Him.

Pastor Roger Dean

The book of Habakkuk

This book is usually credited to Solomon as the author. When Sol became king God told him to ask for anything he wanted. So, he asked for wisdom. He is considered one of the smartest guys that lived in those days. But in his old age, when he wrote this book, he is pessimistic about everything, even the wisdom God gave him.

“For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (1:18)

Being smart doesn’t make you happy. Getting more educated isn’t a bad thing but it is no guarantee for inner peace. Joy, peace and happiness come from our relationship with Jesus. We need to know Jesus in our hearts, not just our heads. Solomon, the wisest guy around, strayed from God and lost his joy. That wasn’t too smart, was it?

Pastor Roger Dean

Ecclesiastes 1-2

Trusting God during a time of trouble is one of the reoccurring themes we see in the Psalms. It might help us if we could remember this verse: “ Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth” (124:8). The help we seek is in the name above all names. There is no other name under heaven and earth by which a person can be saved. Those who call upon this name will be saved. We may apply these thoughts more to eternal salvation than to Him delivering us out of our everyday troubles. But prayer in the name of Jesus is the best answer to solve any problem. If we believe that God made the heavens and the earth, we ought to be able to trust Him to take care of any situation that we face. Mountain moving faith is believing in a God who can not only move mountains, He can remove them.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 122-124

When we read the Books of the Kings and the Chronicles, we find that some of the kings serve God, but many do not. And even the ones that do serve God are flawed. King Uzziah falls into the good king category according to 26:4-5. Yet we find in 26:16-21 that he becomes prideful and tries to burn incense on the altar of the temple of the Lord. The priests try to stop him, but he becomes furious and ends up with leprosy. The take always for me are: 1. Don’t let your pride cause you to step out of your calling into someone else’s. You may be good at what you do but you won’t be good or called to do everything. 2. When you’re rebuked by your spiritual leaders you need to receive it. Getting mad at them may lead to something worse than a verbal warning. 3. Even people that serve God screw up. Walk in grace towards them. At some point you’ll need to reap what you’ve sown.

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 25-28

We are told in scripture to properly handle the word of God. This would include adding to it or taking away from it.

We see a similar statement made at the end of The Revelation ( 22:18-19). When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, she added “you shall not touch it”, to the restriction of not eating the fruit. It is not unusual to find people adding more burdens to serving God than is called for. Likewise, others cut themselves so much slack that they will allow anything. Adding to and taking away from the word of God is more than just adding or deleting words. It is to change the meaning and intent of God’s word. For this reason, we need to be careful how we interpret it.

Pastor Roger Dean

Deuteronomy 4-6

Here’s something that can be hard to do:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (1:2-4)

Now I don’t know about you but rejoicing when trouble comes isn’t my first thought. I know others that refuse to ask for patience because they don’t want the battles that might be associated with it. How can we adopt this attitude of joy with our problems? Paul writes about this subject also in Romans 5:3-4. But he sets the subject up by talking about our being justified by faith and having peace with God. This faith gives us access to grace, helping us to stand and rejoice in the glory of God (5:1-2). I can handle the trials because I have right standing with God through Jesus Christ. With this right standing I have peace and grace that allows me to watch as God gets the glory when He solves the problems. Through this trust in Him we become mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Pastor Roger Dean

James 1-3

After the deacon Stephen becomes the first known martyr of the church, people scattered and began preaching the word everywhere. And this brings us to Philip the evangelist:

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.” (8:5)

Jesus had told the disciples to preach the gospel in Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Until the persecution no one that we know of had gone to Samaria. Philip had revival in Samaria and many were saved. Demons were cast out and people were healed. But note what he was preaching: Jesus. He was preaching about the Christ and His cross. He wasn’t telling the people how to make themselves better. He was telling them what Jesus did for them. He was telling them the good news, the gospel, and the good news is Jesus Christ.

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 7-8

“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked.” (1:3a)

We know that the wicked who are not acquitted are the ones that do not repent and receive Jesus as their Savior. Those who teach that everyone will be let into heaven are wrong. But God doesn’t do this out of anger. If He were acting in anger He would just wipe people out whenever it pleases Him. But He gives them all a chance to repent. He has power over nature (1:3b-5) and He has power over His nature. Which means He can control His anger and other emotions. We can’t control the weather but we can learn to control our emotions. When people tick you off do you wish they went to hell? If so, you are not acting godly. He so loved the world that He gave His Son for everyone, so that none of us would go there.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Nahum

Have you ever been in trouble? If so, you probably did this:

We cry out and He hears us. He always hears us. This, of course, implies that He also rescues us. There are times that it seems He isn’t coming but then He does. And there are other times when letting us go through the mess we created is better for us. Not all of our troubles are the work of the enemy. Sometimes it is our fault. Our having to face the issue is the cure for our negligence. In this way He delivers us from our life of poor decisions. If you’re in trouble right now cry out to Him. He is a God that is able to save. He can save us from the enemy and from ourselves.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 120-121

 

In the New Testament we see comments made about the Israelites having killed the prophets. In 25:20-33 we read about this happening to Zechariah. This not Zechariah the son of Berechiah, who wrote the Old Testament book. That Zechariah was around after the exile (Ezra 6:14). The one we are reading about today is the son of Jehoiada the priest. Joash having him killed is one of the worst acts any king does. Zechariah’s dad saved Joash as a child and taught him to be king. Now we can look back and say, ‘Wow we’d never do anything like that today.’ Maybe not physically kill them but how about killing their reputation with gossip and slander? Character assassination happens all the time. Jealous staff members, board members who don’t get their way and angry church goers have said plenty to mortally wound the careers of ministers. Remember James tells us the tongue is full of deadly poison. We shouldn’t use our tongues to harm anyone. Instead, we should bless them.

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 21-24

As the Israelites are making their way towards the Promised Land we find two interesting verses in chapter 2. In verse 5 we see God telling the Israelites not to attack the descendants of Esau because He had given them their land. Then in verse 9 we see God saying the same thing about the descendants of Lot. Later these two groups will be enemies of Israel. But for now, God gives them a pass because He stands behind His word. If He has given someone something He isn’t going to let anyone else take it. What has the Lord given you? The enemy would love to steal from you all that he can. Whether this is your money or health or even things like your peace and joy, your enemy doesn’t want you to have it. So, unless you give it away, God isn’t going to let you be robbed. Remember this the next time you are in a battle. Stand in faith that God is on your side.

Pastor Roger Dean

Deuteronomy 1-3

When I was a kid, my mother did most of the spanking. Back then people were not so opposed to giving their children a good whooping. They never hurt me much, more my pride than anything. The one time I really remember my dad laying into me taught me I didn’t want another. This reminds me of today’s scripture:

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful, nevertheless, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (12:11)

When God lets you have it you know it. You can stubbornly refuse to accept the correction, or you can submit to the discipline. God doesn’t do it out of anger or just to show you who is boss. He is trying to keep you on course for the future that He wants for you. So, receive it accordingly.

Pastor Roger Dean

Hebrews 11-13

 

In chapter 6 we find a stressful situation. Some of the Greek speaking widows are not having their needs met. At first this could be seen as a racist thing but actually it is a logistics and management problem. The apostles are too busy to take care of everybody. So, they decide to get some deacons to help them. The requirement? They needed to have a good reputation and be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (6:1-3). The resume didn’t have to be long. They just needed to have a good report with the people and be wise Spirit-filled men. It is still a good idea that our leaders today fulfill these requirements. They shouldn’t be chosen because of how much money they donate or if they are the pastor’s best friend. Good character and spirituality, with wisdom, will get the job done.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Acts 5-6

 

Micah has given some pretty harsh words to Israel so far. Now for some words of hope.

“I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob. I will surely gather the remnant of Israel, I will put them together like sheep of a fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture. They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. The one who breaks open will come up before them, they will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it. Their king will pass before them with the Lord at their head.” (2:12-13)

The idea of a shepherd-king would’ve been good news to Israel. “ The one who breaks open” is a Messianic title for Deliverer. God always gathers the remnant. But to know the Shepherd-King is to know the Deliverer. And when we know Him, Jesus, we know peace and can lay down in our pasture.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Micah

 

In 30:4 we are asked a series of questions and who fulfills them. Obviously all the answers are God. But Jesus also fulfilled them. “Who has ascended into heaven or descended?” Answer: Jesus, Ephesians 4:9. “Who has gathered the wind in His fists?” Answer: Jesus, He had authority over the wind, Matthew 8:26. “Who has bound the waters in a garment?” Answer: Jesus, He showed His power over water by walking on it, Matthew 14:22-33.“ Who has established all the ends of the earth?” Answer: Jesus, He created everything, Colossians 1:16. “ What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know? Jehovah and Jesus. We could check off the answer to each question. And if you don’t know who Jesus is, you’d better check.

Pastor Roger Dean

Proverbs 29-30

This Psalm deals with the Law, also called comandments, statutes, precepts, ordinances etc. The start of it lays out the major premise: if you keep the law, you will be blessed. Keeping the law means walking in it blamelessly. To do this you must seek Him with your whole heart, and you can’t commit iniquity. The author wishes that they were automatically inclined to keep the law, then they wouldn’t be ashamed. The more they learn of His precepts, the more they recognize how hard it is to keep them. So, he’ll praise the Lord, try to keep all the commandments and hope God doesn’t forsake him (119:1-8). As we Christians know, the real purpose of the law was to point us to the need for a Savior. Without Jesus it is impossible to be righteous or live for God. With Jesus you will be blessed.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalm 119

When Hanani the seer rebukes Asa the king of Judah, for accepting help from Syria instead of trusting God, he starts out by saying:

God is looking for the few, the not too proud, who are loyal to Him. And how do we show our loyalty? If we go by this example, we show our loyalty by trusting in God when we are facing bad situations. God considers our trust in Him to be loyalty. This is harder than it sounds. It is easy to trust in our bank account, our grandma, our friends, or even our own two hands. But these can all fail, whereas God will not. When you put your trust in God, you put your fate in the hands of the only One who won’t let you down.

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 16-20

 

I’d say most of us are aware that Israel has been attacked by Hamas. The dislike of Israel by Its neighbors goes back to the beginning of their days as a people leaving Egypt. Led by Moses out of Egypt, and by Joshua into Cannan, they encountered much hostility. When you read the Bible, you see that the hostility never really stopped. Their small country has only existed since 1948 but was given to them by God when Moses was still living.

Most of their enemies in that area are followers of the first part of the Bible. They read Moses but somehow do not see the many passages that guarantee Israel the Promised Land. It is one thing to fight against Israel. It is another thing to fight against God.

Pastor Roger Dean

Numbers 33-36

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, gave Himself, so that you and I would inherit eternal life. This new covenant, also called a better covenant, was written in His blood. “ And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission “ (9:22). Remission means a release from bondage, a dismissal and forgiveness that cancels all judgment, punishment, obligation, and debt. The cross not only provided us eternal life but it also removed the sin that was preventing us from having forgiveness. We are people of the new covenant, which is better, because it is made with better promises, paid for by the blood of Jesus.

Pastor Roger Dean

Hebrews 8-10

In chapter 3 a notable miracle takes place. A lame man that everyone recognized was healed. Peter begins preaching to the crowd and in chapter 4 he and John are arrested. After being threatened they are released, and they tell the other believers. This leads to a powerful prayer meeting:

“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.“ (4:31)

A lot people say that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was a one time happening on the Day of Pentecost to commemorate the start of the church. Here we see it happening again. Jesus said they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. Here we see them proclaiming the word of God with boldness. If the disciples that were with Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit, why wouldn’t the rest of us?

Pastor Roger Dean

Acts 3-4

How does a person run from God? He doesn’t. It isn’t possible. We can see this in Jonah’s case. He is told to go to Nineveh and preach to them, but he tries to get away from the presence of the Lord (1:2-3). When things start getting bad, he tells the sailors that he is fleeing from the presence of the Lord (1:10). Our God is Omnipresent . He is everywhere. You can’t hide from Him. Adam and Eve tried it, and it didn’t work. King Davis said you couldn’t hide at the bottom of the ocean. And guess what, that’s where Jonah ends up. You can’t hide from God. And in like manner you can’t hide your sin from Him either. Adam and Eve tried that too and it didn’t work. If the Lord is dealing with you about something, you might as well face it. You will have to, sooner or later.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Jonah

Years ago, I heard Bill Murray speak. Not the comic actor but the son of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the atheist who got prayer taken out of schools. He was a minister for Jesus and said his mother was motivated by money. When she first started complaining about prayer in schools, a rich nudist gave her 10 grand to legally fight against it. The nudist was against anything moral, not just prayer. Bill’s mom saw she could make money and that started her whole atheistic organization. She did well enough financially that she was eventually murdered for her money.

“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked but such as keep the law contend with them.“ (28:4)

Evil people join with other evil people, even if their goals are not the same. But it is our duty as believers to try our best to stop them.

Pastor Roger Dean

Proverbs 28

 

For those of us who are not Jewish by birth we can take joy in Psalm 117:

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”

A call for the Gentiles to worship God, is a call to salvation. This is the way Apostle Paul viewed this scripture. In Romans chapter 15 he not only quotes part of Ps. 117 but other verses that show God wants the non- Jew to also worship Him. Ps. 18:49, Deuteronomy 32:43, and especially Isaiah 11:1,10:

“There shall be a root of Jesse, and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles. In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”

Thank God we have hope in Jesus! Let us praise Him, for His mercy endures forever!

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 117-118

The kingdom splits, Rehoboam rules Judah and Jeroboam rules Israel. The Levites leave Israel and go to Judah because Jeroboam and his sons rejected them from serving as priests to the Lord. Jeroboam then appointed priests for himself for the high places, for the demons and the calf idols which he had made. Because there were no priests of the Lord in Israel, everyone went to Judah to sacrifice to God. This made Judah strong for 3 years because Rehoboam walked in the ways of his father’s David and Solomon (11:1-17). But then in 12:1 we read that he forsakes the law of the Lord, and every one else follows him. As we will read rejecting God’s leaders and His law doesn’t work out well for either king. Today similar things are happening in our country. I believe we were founded on godly principles. We have never been a theocracy where God ruled totally. But God’s workers and His word have been honored. It is getting to be less true. How long will the blessings of God continue for us, if we reject the things of God?

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 11-15

October 2

God instituted the sabbath, a day of rest. I think He understands that people need some down time. He gave Israel a lot of feast days also. The Feast of Trumpets was to herald in the new agricultural year (29:1-6). The Israelites had numbered their months of the year since the time of the Exodus. But they celebrated the beginning of the year with the start of the growing cycle. They had a day of rest, sacrifices, and blowing of trumpets. Think of it as a big New Year’s Eve party with a more religious theme. These special sacrifices were besides the regular ones for the New Moon, which was the first day of their 28-day month. Some Christians like to teach against our religious holidays, like Easter and Christmas, because they replaced pagan holidays. When I see Halloween decorations before October, that bothers me. Easter not being a national holiday bothers me too. Most people would be fine with another day off. Even if it was Groundhog’s Day.

Pastor Roger Dean

Numbers 29-32

October 1

“So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: You are My Son, today I have begotten You”. As He also says in another place “ You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.“( 5:5-6)

Obviously, this is talking about Jesus our High Priest. No one else in scripture is referred to as being of the order of Melchizedek. This phrase is repeated in 7:7, and 7:21 and is a prophetic quote from Psalm 110:4. So it is significant. Although we believers are told we will reign as kings and priests, no where does it say we will be part of this order. You can’t knock on enough doors or ride your bicycle far enough to get yourself ordained into this group. We are sons of God, but we are not the Son of God. Any doctrine that teaches we can be of this order, is out of order. It is false.

Pastor Roger Dean

Hebrews 5-7

September 30

When the Day of Pentecost comes the believers in the upper room are filled with the Holy Spirit (2:1-4). This draws a crowd and Peter, emboldened by the Spirit, preaches to them (2:14-36). The crowd comes under conviction and asks what they should do (2:37) and Peter replies:

“Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (2:38)

I could spend a long time on this verse, however I don’t have the space. So, I’ll just point out that the first thing Peter says is Repent. Without repentance there is no forgiveness of sins. Many want to put the emphasis on water baptism. But repentance is first and should be stressed. In Peters next sermon (3:19) he again tells a crowd to Repent and doesn’t even mention water baptism. We should be water baptized but it isn’t the method of our salvation. We need to stress repenting and confessing Christ as our Savior (Romans 10:9-10).

Pastor Roger Dean

The Acts of the Apostles 1-2

September 29

“For the day of the Lord upon all nations is near. As you have done, it shall be done to you. Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.” (15)

The phrase, the day (or Day) of the Lord is used by several of the prophets. It usually signifies a time when God is stepping in to put things right. The righteous get saved and the evil are punished. Because Old Testament prophets did not always “see” in a chronological sense, their prophecies can have more than one fulfillment. Sometimes what they saw was going to happen soon. Sometimes their prophecy referred to Christ’s first coming. At other times it regards when Jesus comes back again, or the end of all things, like the creation of the new heavens and earth. One thing is clear: the things that were to happen, have happened. Which means the things that have not come true yet will come to pass. Jesus is coming back. I want to be rewarded, not punished. How about you?

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Obadiah

September 28

King Solomon was the chief writer for Proverbs. In his writing you find several themes that repeat themselves. The wisdom of God, and how valuable and hard it is to attain, is a favorite. Righteousness and wisdom work together, and evil people will suffer is another. And the fool, the lazy, the proud, and the sinful are not to be admired. These contrasts I found in the notes of my Bible but in today’s reading we find this on the lazy:

“As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed. The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.” (26:14-16)

Solomon achieved much in his life and could never be accused of being lazy. Of course, with all the wives and concubines he had, he probably didn’t have time to sit around.

Pastor Roger Dean

Proverbs 26-27

September 27

Ps. 114 is a short psalm that talks about Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt. Israel sees it as proof that they are God’s chosen people. When He delivered them, He chose them to be His sanctuary, His dominion. This makes their religion different than others. It was based on fact, not on myth. Every group had their own deity or deities, but they were not rooted in historical facts. I remember reading about an archaeologist that went to the Middle East to disprove the Bible. He came back a believer because everything he found proved that the Bible was true. I don’t believe in a mythical God that can’t be felt or heard. I serve the God of all heaven and earth, and He makes Himself known in real ways. He’s not just a God of stories. He is real and in my life.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 114-116

September 26

In chapter 9, verses 1-12, we have the Queen of Sheba coming to pay King Solomon a visit. She has come to see if he deserved his fame and to test him with hard questions. In later years others will come and flatter other kings. Their purpose is to see all that they can get from the Israelites. They are just spying out the land. This reminds me of some people and how they come to the Lord. Some go to Him because they just want what He has. They are only interested in Him for what they can get from Him. Others, like the Queen of Sheba, are looking for wisdom. They have questions that need answering. They come to seek His face not His pockets. We all have needs that have to be met. But our greatest need is a relationship with Jesus.

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 6-10

September 25

In chapter 26 we have a census taken of Israel. This is different than the census that was taken before. The first census was taken to determine the marching orders and battle ranks. This one is taken in order to divide the land (v52-56) between the tribes. The first generation, everyone over the age of twenty, has died in the Wilderness because they wouldn’t enter the Promised Land. Now in preparation for entering and conquering the land of Canaan, the Israelites need to know how large each tribe is. The amount of land given to each tribe will be based upon each tribes size. Whenever we are entering into a new endeavor it is good to know your strength. It is also good to know how the profits will be divided.

Pastor Roger Dean

Numbers 25-28

September 24

Whenever you fill out an application for a job it’s a good idea to have a resume with it. What about the job as Savior? What is on the resume of Jesus? Read 1:1-4:

“God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

He speaks to us, He is the heir of all things, created all things, is the brightness of God’s glory and the image of His person, upholds everything through the power of His word, purged our sins, sits at the right hand of the Father, better than angels. That’s a slam dunk resume. He has the job as my Savior.

Pastor Roger Dean

Hebrews 1-4

September 23

Jesus made several appearances to believers after His resurrection. One of those is recorded in John chapter 20. In verse 22 it says:

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit.“

Most commentators say it is at this point that the disciples are born again. Yet, when we read Acts 1:5-8, Jesus is telling them not to leave Jerusalem because they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit and will receive power to be witnesses for Him. Are these scriptures contradictory? No. When we are saved, we are born again by the Spirit. But after that, we can receive the power of God, when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Two separate acts by the same Spirit. One gets us saved, the other helps us get others saved.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Gospel of John 19-21

September 22

In chapter 5 we see a lamentation being sang by God. A lamentation was basically a funeral dirge. “ The virgin of Israel has fallen; she will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land, there is no one to raise her up” (5:2). This sounds like the end for Israel. But God’s grace is still being offered as we see in 5:5:

“Seek me and live but do not seek Bethel nor enter Gilgal nor pass over to Beersheba. For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity and Bethel shall come to nothing.”

The admonition is to seek God but not at the sanctuaries. To seek the Lord and live is repeated in verse 6. Israel’s worship had deteriorated but God was still open to them seeking Him or literally His face. We may find ourselves on the downhill slide but don’t give up. There is still time to seek the Lord. Our troubles are never bigger than our God.

Pastor Roger Dean

Amos 5-9

September 21

Having the right words to say isn’t always easy. But when you get it right it blesses not only you but also the hearer.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.” ( 25:11-12)

We are told by Jesus that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say when we need them. When it comes to rebuking people you really need the Spirit’s leading. For this to be successful it takes two things. First, you have to use wisdom to say the correct thing. You can’t just pop off an opinion. Second, they have to have an obedient ear. If they refuse to listen or do what you’re saying, then it amounts to nothing. You have wasted your words. But when it goes right it is precious, like gold.

Pastor Roger Dean

Proverbs 25

September 20

Once in a very great while I’m out of sorts and do not enjoy worshiping God. I either have too much on my mind or on my heart and I just can’t get into it. I don’t love God any less, I just can’t express myself because I’m all caught up in myself. Instead of being caught up in myself, I should be caught up in God. This is a rare thing for me, and I’ve found if I press through, can get my praise on. I should remember this verse:

“From the rising of the sun to it’s going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.“ (113:3)

When is it time to praise the Lord? All the time. All day long. Good weather, bad weather, good mood, bad mood, good music, not my favorite music, it doesn’t matter, it is always time to sing praises to God. I make the decision to worship, and I do it. I don’t need to feel like it, I just need to start doing it and my mood changes. Truly the garment of praise lifts the spirit of heaviness.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 111-113

September 19

Solomon is getting ready to build the temple in Jerusalem and sends a letter to Hiram, the king of Tyre, asking for timber. In the letter he says :

“But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?” (2:6)

Solomon makes a great point. God cannot be contained in a building. He can’t even be contained by all the heavens. The purpose of the temple was to worship God not keep Him in one place. Our churches are supposed to be places of worship. But they can’t be the only place His presence is. His presence should be with us too. He lives within each of us who know Christ as their Savior. And we shouldn’t try to contain Him either. We should be sharing Him with everyone.

Pastor Roger Dean

2 Chronicles 1-5

September 18

Every once in a while, I get into a conversation about the Bible and the subject of the Lost Books of the Bible comes up. I only capitalize lost books to put the emphasis that others place on them. Usually, the person who brings the matter up thinks there are more books that we should have. They think somebody kept us from having all the knowledge that God wanted us to have by censoring the scriptures. First off, there are no “lost books“ of the Bible. The Holy Bible is just that, holy. It is complete. The Bible does refer to books that we do not have like The Book of the Wars of the Lord (21:14). But if God wanted us to have them, we would have them. Do people really believe that the God who created everything couldn’t protect His written Word? Apparently, they do. If it wasn’t included in the canon of scripture, it is because God didn’t want it there. And if God didn’t include it, why should I?

Pastor Roger Dean

Numbers 21-24

September 17

This epistle, written by Paul, was to a wealthy slave owner in Colosse. It was probably sent at the same time as the Epistle to the Colossians. The purpose was to ask Philemon to forgive a former slave, Onesimus, who had committed some bad act and then ran away to Rome. In Rome Onesimus reconnects with Paul, gets saved, and is helpful to Paul during his incarceration. Paul not only wants Philemon to forgive Onesimus but to send him back to Rome, so he can continue to aid him. What stands out for me in this letter is that Paul felt the liberty to even make such a request. It is obvious from what’s said that Paul and Philemon are friends. But beyond that, Paul as the apostle of the church at Colosse, had the spiritual authority he could’ve used but didn’t. As leaders, do we feel comfortable to make hard requests of our friends? Or do we use our position to require it done?

Pastor Roger Dean

Philemon

September 16

Chapter 17 is basically a long prayer that is broken down into three sections. The headers of the sections are entitled: Jesus Prays for Himself, Jesus Prays for His Disciples, and Jesus Prays for All Believers. Not a bad model for us to follow. The shortest section is Jesus praying for Himself. Unfortunately, for most believers, this is the place where most of our prayers happen. If it wasn’t for praying about their own needs, many people wouldn’t pray at all. There is nothing wrong with praying for yourself especially in times of great stress. Jesus was in a place of great stress but still found the time to pray for others. If we are focused on just ourselves, we will not be kingdom minded. The next time you spend time in prayer, try to pray for other people like Jesus did.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Gospel of John 16-18

September 15

When we think of prophets in the Bible, we probably think that being a prophet was their full-time job. For some of them this was true. But for others, like Amos, it wasn’t. According to verse one, he was a sheep-breeder from Tekoa. Tekoa was 10 miles south of Jerusalem. He is considered the first of the “writing prophets“ of the 8th century B. C. The others include Hosea, who wrote to Israel and Micah and Isaiah who wrote to Judah. Maybe Amos didn’t consider himself a prophet like the others, but God used him to proclaim messages to the northern kingdom of Israel. Our lesson from his life is that God will use anyone. They don’t have to have special training, a degree in theology or hold a full-time ministry position. All they have to do is to be willing. All YOU have to do is be willing.

Pastor Roger Dean

Amos 1-4

September 14

My wife overheard 2 guys talking at a truck stop and one of them said that money was the root of all evil. The other countered that it was the love of money that was the root of all evil. She wanted to add that it was the root of many evils, which is a better translation. Having money isn’t wrong. But for some their focus will be.

“Do not overwork to be rich, because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”

When we put our focus on intangibles, we miss the really important things. Put your focus on God and He will help you take care of the rest.

Pastor Roger Dean

Proverbs 23-24

September 13

Psalm 109 is entitled, “Plea for Judgment of False Accusers.” David obviously would like to see his false accusers dealt with harshly. The word accuser is used in verse 6:

“Set a wicked man over him and let an accuser stand at his right hand.”

The word accuser in the Hebrew is Satan. That’s right, Satan. The same as the enemy of mankind. It can also be translated as adversary as we see in 1 Peter 5:8:

“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Note he is YOUR adversary. Satan isn’t anyone’s fan. But he will use people to do his bidding, and this includes false accusers. We live in a day when we can’t believe anything anyone says against his opponents. Repeating what we hear may put us in league with the devil. And I don’t want to be accused of that.

Pastor Roger Dean

Psalms 108-110

September 12

Being spiritually focused can have unintended consequences. Like being focused only on yourself and your spiritual well-being. If you are going to live for Christ, you have to take stock of where you are. But sometimes we can be so self reflective that we forget to reflect Jesus to others. All of our actions can touch others. And it is a good idea to keep our families in mind when we are making big decisions. In 28:8 David tells the people:

“be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.“

Let’s seek God for more than just our own well-being. Let’s seek Him for our children’s childrens future.

Pastor Roger Dean

I Chronicles 25-29

September 11

When God took the Levites, and separated them from the rest of the tribes, He made them His possession. And He was their inheritance.

“Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.“ (18:20)

They could not own land etc. They were to minister before Him, and their salary was the tithe of the rest of Israel (18:24). The act of ministers making their living from the tithe of others started long ago. But ministers must tithe also. The Levites were to take a tenth of their income and tithe to the Lord (18:26). He gives to us. We give back to Him. Our giving goes to ministers. Ministers give to Him. He is the Provider and we show our thanksgiving. At least, this is how it is supposed to be.

Pastor Roger Dean

Numbers 17-20

September 10

Sometimes I like to take a look at the person an epistle is written to or by. Today we will look at one of Paul’s disciples, Titus. We do not know very much about him. Unlike most of Paul’s companions he is not mentioned in the Book of Acts. He was evidently not raised Jewish because he was not circumcised (Galatians 2:3). Apparently, he was a Greek convert of Paul. As we read this Epistle, we find that he and Paul must’ve done some preaching in Crete that produced some believers. Enough were won that Paul left Titus there to raise up some leaders, elders, from this work. It wasn’t limited to just one city either (1:5). The take-away from this for me is that God will use anyone and not everyone gets his name in the big lights. Not being in the Book of Acts isn’t a big deal. Titus has his place in scripture. I don’t care if I’m in the Book of Acts II. I just want to be in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Pastor Roger Dean

Titus 1-3

September 9

Most of us who know Christ as our Savior realize that we have received the Holy Spirit as a constant companion. Better words than companion might be intercessor, comforter, helper, advocate or counselor. This is how parakletos, the word used for Helper in 15:26, could be translated.

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me.”

As comforting as His presence is, His purpose in our lives is to help us fulfill the same purpose as His. To testify about Jesus (Acts 1:8). He will help us, counsel us on strategies, and train us like lawyers for debates. Our part is to co-labor with Him. He is the One who comes along side us, which is the definition of parakletos. Holy Spirit, give me the words today that will glorify Jesus.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Gospel of John 13-15

September 8

There comes a time when everything winds down. Humanity has had its chance, nations are to be judged.

“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down, for the wine press is full, the vats overflow. For their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.’“ (3:13-14)

When the nations, multitudes, reach the valley of decision it is actually too late for them to make a decision. This is the day the Lord makes the decision to deal with the wicked. Mankind better make its decision now. Either serve the Lord now or get the sickle later. Our decision makes His decision. Decide for Him, He’ll decide for you.

Pastor Roger Dean

The Book of Joel

September 7

When I was a kid there was a popular children’s doctor named Dr. Spock. He advocated a non-disciplinary approach to parenting. He centered on positive reinforcement. Years later some people blame our permissive society on this kind of teaching.

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him.” (22:15)

Discipline is not beating your kids. Some spanking may be necessary. But if started when they are young, letting them know that you are serious about what you’re saying is usually enough. Not following through on repeated threats only let’s kids know you’ll let them slide. Beating children is abuse. Not disciplining them is another way to injure them.

Pastor Roger Dean

Proverbs 22

September 1

People don’t just “fall into” sin. Somewhere along the line they have thought about it. Whether it was just a quick thought, or a long-lasting lust, they opened the door to it.

“Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, they have become for him altars for sinning.“ (8:11)

We don’t build actual altars to make false sacrifices on. Instead, we build altars in our minds. We think about doing stuff until we do it. What is the outcome of building altars for sin? Sinning!!! If we could learn to cast the thought of sin down when it came, we wouldn’t be making ways to accomplish it. If you have been considering how great it would be to indulge yourself in a little old-fashioned sin, deal with it now. Tear down those altars. Sin is only pleasurable for a season but the consequences last forever because the wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23).

Pastor Roger Dean

Hosea 8-14