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Monthly Archives: October 2015

Where Do You Worship?

07 Oct

ThroneWorship is a word that we use a lot as Christians. Do we really understand what it means? We call church buildings “place of worship.” But that’s not entirely correct. Actually, there are many churches where there hasn’t been any real worship for years, yet they still call what they’re doing “worship services.”

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16

The Bible is clear that for us, the temple is not a physical building. We find this thought in more than one spot in the Word. When we’re told that you are the temple, sometimes the you is singular and sometimes it’s plural.

Regardless of the tense that’s used, the meaning is clear. Worship takes place in people. It’s not about a special location. It takes place in me or in us.

But what is this place of worship that we’re called to? Throughout the book of Hebrews, the writer uses the term draw near only for worship.

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:22-24

The true place of worship is around the throne of God; for He’s the only one worthy to be worshiped. The Apostle John had a vision of the majesty of this place.

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
Revelation 4:4-6

True worship takes place around the throne of God. The fact is that when we worship, we are transported in spirit to God’s throne. That’s because worship is a supernatural encounter with God. It has nothing to do with our flesh, but everything to do with our spirit.

In talking to the woman at the well, Jesus spoke about this truth.

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:24

When you pray in the spirit, you’re brought into the very presence of God. Your spirit is there with others in God’s throne room.

That’s why it surprises me that there are those who simply ignore this awesome opportunity that we’ve been given. We’re allowed instant access into the place of worship in the throne room of the Sovereign of the universe. Take advantage of this great invitation that we’ve been given.

Question: How often do you worship in spirit?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on October 7, 2015 in Prayer in the Spirit, Revival, Spiritual Walk, Worship

 

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Stuck in the Routine

05 Oct

TrailHave you ever been discouraged by the routines of life? Everyday seems to be the same. Go to work, come home, eat, sleep, etc. Some people find it hard to keep going when nothing new seems to be happening.

As believers, we need to realize how God works. Many times He moves behind the scenes in unexpected ways. Look at the life of Christ for an example.

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.
Mark 3:13-15

There were many times that Jesus needed to be alone. He had to make the allowance to spend quality time with the Father. Throughout His ministry we see how the Lord would find a quiet place to pray.

That’s how Jesus was able to do all that He did. He said that He saw it first in the Father’s presence. Then He went out and did what He knew that the Father was already accomplishing.

Choosing His twelve disciples was no different. When it came time to call the Twelve to a higher walk with Him, Jesus went up on a mountainside. He had to get away from the city with all of its distractions.

He did this in order to distance Himself from the crowds. His desire was that there be no politics or favoritism, only the Father’s will.

I’m sure, to the casual observer and maybe even to the disciples, it looked like any other ordinary day. Jesus went up on the side of a mountain to pray. They were used to seeing this in His ministry. Little did they know that this prayer time was going to be life-changing.

All they could see was that they were walking with the Lord – day after day and week after week. I’m sure that even the ministry of Jesus got into a daily rhythm. The crowds, the miracles, teaching, eating and sleeping. To the disciples, this might have started out being a day just like any other.

Then the disciples received the call to climb the mountain that day. They probably didn’t even realize that with each step they were heading to new heights in the Lord. They were now rising above their old lives. This calling was bringing them to a new level.

Don’t ever get stuck in the hopelessness of the daily grind. The Lord has greater plans for you than simply spinning your wheels. Whether you know it or not, the Holy Spirit is at work in the background; preparing you for what’s to come.

In our walk with Christ we should be open and ready to climb each new mountain of faith. We must be found waiting on the Lord to hear a higher call to a new level in Him. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly when or where it will arrive. It usually happens when we least expect it.

That’s why we should never fall into the trap of complacency. God is always at work to do something new in us. Keep the fire of your spirit burning and ready for each new calling.

Always start each new day in the Lord’s presence. Approach His throne with eagerness and expectancy. In that way you will be ready to walk up that mountain to see a new work of grace performed in your life when the time is right.

Open your heart to the Lord today. Come before Him with an earnest desire to hear His Word to you today. After all, today might be the day that you see His hand at work in a new way.

Question: What were the events surrounding the last great work the Lord did in your life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on October 5, 2015 in Encouragement, Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Healing Principles – Intercession

02 Oct

HandsThis will be my last post on the principles that govern the healing that Christ provided for us on the cross. In my last article we saw how healing is based upon a Word from God. We need to really grasp this point.

Healing is not based upon my need. Neither is it based upon my love for the sick person or my desire to see them get well. Healing is initiated by a Word from God for me to take authority over that sickness.

That explains what James said in his letter.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16

We see two important thoughts in this verse. First of all there’s confession of need. I already talked about this one in a former post in this series. If nobody knows about your sickness, how can they be in prayer for you?

The word confess literally means to speak out where you’ve missed the mark. This includes if you are missing the mark of God’s perfect health.

The second thought is just as important, yet highly overlooked in our generation. James says to pray for one another for healing. I believed that we’ve totally misunderstood what he’s saying here.

He’s not talking about laying hands on people to bring healing. This verse is speaking about our daily routines. We should be praying and interceding for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Then, from time to time we will receive a Word for someone’s healing…or other situations they may be going through.

The last line of this verse clinches that for me. It says that the energized prayer of the righteous is a mighty force.

Energized prayer – I believe he can only be talking about prayer in the spirit by using that term. Paul talks about it in that way as well.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Romans 8:26

When I intercede in the spirit for my fellow believers, I’m praying beyond my limited knowledge. Then the Holy Spirit is free to give me a Word for their healing. That’s the precise way that the healing ministry of Jesus took place.

Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
John 5:19

The whole ministry of Jesus was Word based. He heard from the Father, and then did what He saw. Of course, that meant spending a large amount of time in the spirit, listening to the Father’s voice. That’s the biggest hurdle for us. We need to take the time necessary to operate at this level.

I believe that the day is coming when the church will finally be so upset by our lack of power, that we’ll press in and learn to hear God clearly. That’s what will initiate the final harvest before the coming of the Lord.

We need to be a people of prayer. Prayer in the spirit and intercession for others should be a part of our daily walk. This will bring us to where we need to be as God’s people.

Question: What would the church look like if this was in place?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on October 2, 2015 in Healing, Power of God, Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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