One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Luke 24:45,
“Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” When I say one of my favorites, I am saying one of the verses I want to be true in my life. I read the Bible a lot and spend hours every week memorizing it. I read commentaries and listen to sermons by the best Bible expositors. I write a lot about what I see and understand the scriptures to say. I want to understand precisely the truth in every passage I teach. When I read and study, I pray and ask with all my heart, “Please, Lord, open my eyes and mind to understand Your Word and see how best to teach it.

Tonight, I was reading a group of people on Facebook discussing the meaning of a particular Bible passage. I was amazed at the diversity of interpretations and the total lack of scholarship or clear thinking on the part of many who were giving their opinions on the passage’s meaning.

For 48 years, I have pastored at Jefferson Baptist Church. My main goal has been to teach people the true and accurate meaning of the Bible and how to live it successfully so that they can grow to become like Jesus in character, build His church, and bear much fruit for Him as His disciples.

When I was 60 I started thinking about what would happen to JBC if I were to die, and I decided that I needed to find a successor that would carry on with the same emphasis on teaching accurately the living Word of God that I had. After much prayer, thinking, and pondering, I decided on Mike Dedera. He started slow when he took over preaching the weekend services in 2015, but he has grown steadily in his preaching skills over the years. It warms my heart when I walk by his office and see him reading and studying in preparation for teaching the living Word of God.

It is more than skill when it comes to being an anointed preacher and teacher. It is Luke 24:45, “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” He does that for those who want it, ask for it, and study hard.