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Workplace Submission

Workplace Submission

We’ve been looking at the teaching of the Apostle Peter in his first letter. He’s been talking about submission to authority in general. Now he gets more specific.

You may read this verse and think, “This verse doesn’t apply to us. We’re not in slavery.” That’s not exactly true. The words slave and master in this verse directly translate to household servant and binding house-husband in English.

In our society, contracts are binding. In a modern company, you’ve effectively bound yourself to your workplace. So, this slave/master relationship can directly apply to the worker – boss relationship.

We’re told here to submit to our supervisors with all respect. That word for respect is actually the word fear (phobos). If you remember from my previous posts, that this is the fear that only lasts until love is present.

That’s an important concept to know especially in this context. In talking about the world’s way of living Paul said something that applies here.

What we find is that in our society people worship and serve created things rather than the Lord. Peter tells us to respect, not worship those in authority. What we see happening in many cases is that they love money, so they worship the workplace for the money they receive.

We’re told by Peter to give respect. But who do we respect; only those who respect us? NO! We’re to respect all. That includes those who are good and appropriate, as well as those who are harsh, warped, and bent.

The fact is we must respect our boss, manager, or supervisor. Remember, it’s the position God established that you’re respecting. There’s a bonus for obeying this teaching.

The word commendable in this verse is actually the word grace. God has a grace available to you for the workplace. Why do we need this special grace?

According to Peter, it’s under the sadness of suffering unjustly. Guess what! This will happen to you no matter where you work. There will be policies put into effect over you because someone else messed up.

But the key is, you obtain this grace because you are conscious of God. That word, conscious, means that you’re seeing the whole picture all together like God does.

Of course, you could always narrow your vision and say, “That’s not fair. Poor me.” Or you can see the whole picture and take on the attitude of Christ.

That word creation is talking about all the authority structures in society. This includes your workplace. When you arrange yourself correctly under your employer you get grace. You start to see the whole picture.

It’s not just about you. Your boss and co-workers need to hear the good news. By your attitude, you can make it easier for them to hear and believe the Good News of Christ.

Be the light of the Gospel they need to see in your workplace.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on April 14, 2025 in Leadership, Relationships, The Gospel

 

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The Flow of Authority

The Flow of Authority

I’ve been writing about Peter’s first letter to the church. In my last post, I started talking about godly submission to authorities. We concluded by seeing that submission is always to the powers established by God, not to a person.

This is important to understand, because power always flows down the authority structure. But that brings up a question. What structures are there?

Actually, there are four authority structures that God has established. They are the government, the home, the church, and the workplace. It’s through these that authority flows down from the throne of God to the individual.

When they first hear this, some say that I missed one – the school system. No, God didn’t establish that structure independently. Scripture tells us that the parents are to train up their children. So in reality, the school is under parental authority.

As we talk about godly submission, the true question is “How do I submit?”

We need to be reminded of this truth sometimes. That word, obedient, literally means to allow yourself to be persuaded by. Submission always allows persuasion to take place.

“What if I don’t like that person?” It doesn’t matter. The only case where you would rebel against the person is if that person contradicted the known will of God.

It’s like what happened when the Jewish Sanhedrin ordered the disciples not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus. These believers made it clear that they had an obligation to serve God rather than man.

Now we can understand what Peter was saying. We must be under submission to the ultimate and sent authorities. That means we must place ourselves in a position to be persuaded by their leadership.

Peter continues by showing us God’s purpose through all of this.

Peter always speaks his mind. This is quite the verse if you read it in the original Greek. The apostle says that it’s God’s will that through your doing good, you can muzzle the ignorance of the mindless people.

It’s the next verses that are the key in speaking about submission.

Here he tells us to live our lives unrestrained. Yet, as we do this, we don’t hold our freedom as a cloak for evil.

As God’s people, we understand power. We serve the ultimate power. Submitting to the office that people hold, allowing ourselves to be persuaded by the person holding that position.

Then we must place the correct value on everyone. This includes love for fellow Christians. Fear of God and honor for government officials. We must place ourselves in the position of correct submission.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Authority and Submission

Authority and Submission

We’ve been going through 1 Peter verse by verse. Now he starts a new topic – submission to authority.

Submission to authorities is a very important truth. As a matter of fact, you can’t serve God without learning submission. This verse tells us that we need to submit to all the authority structures of mankind.

To submit literally means to arrange under. It’s how we view ourselves in relation to others – both in the body of Christ and in society

The first thing we must see is that we’re to submit ourselves under authority. This tells me that submission is always voluntary. It cannot be forced from the outside. We must decide to arrange ourselves under all the structures of man.

In order for us to have a better understanding of this, Peter gives an example that he’s familiar with. He starts with the king, who is held above as the supreme authority. He adds this description so that you can replace king with whatever the highest authority is in your government.

But not that only, he goes on to mention the governors. These are the leaders or commanders. He explains that these are the ones who are dispatched through him (the one held above).

Their job is to punish “bad-doers” and to praise “good-doers.” So, there are two levels here. There is the one at the highest, and there is the enforcer.

Here in the USA, we do not have a king – but we have a supreme authority. You may be surprised to learn that it’s not the president, congress, or our judges. The supreme authority in the USA is the constitution. This means that our entire government is in the hands of dispatched people.

Paul also talks about this.

America allows us to choose those whose job it is to enforce the authority of the constitution. Once chosen, it’s then our job, according to Scripture, to submit.

But this verse goes on to explain the terms of our submission. The word for authority here is actually the word power, not a person. God does not establish the person, but the office.

God didn’t tell me who He wanted for president. But He established the office, so regardless of who I voted for, or my opinions, what people say – I submit to the office of president. Right now, this is Pres. Donald Trump.

The other choice is to rebel against the authority, not the person, God has established. That’s because submission is always to the power. That’s why as believers, we submit to the office, not the person.

In my next post we’ll continue with this subject.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on April 9, 2025 in Leadership, Relationships, The Church

 

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Ready for Inspection

Ready for Inspection

We’re continuing through Peter’s first letter. He’s been writing about who we’re called to be in Christ. He wants all believers to live up to their calling.

Now he talks about what the world sees in us.

Peter makes a very interesting statement here that we should take note of, especially in this generation. The opening phrase literally reads that we should busy ourselves, being seen as good and valuable among those in the world.

This brings into question how the world sees us acting on social media. (Yes, I’m going to go there!) How do we treat each other in front of the world? Everything we say and do is public, for all to see these days.

We need to live our lives with the knowledge that everything we say or do is noticed on the world stage. They’re going to judge our Lord based upon how we act or treat each other.

We need to start reflecting the attitudes of Christ more and more in our online dealings. And we’re to live this way, even if we’re accused of doing wrong. That’s true even when we’re labeled as haters for speaking truth.

This verse says that the world will inspect the good works which come out of your life. Then, will glorify God on the day of His visitation. It’s interesting that this phrase means the day of inspection.

That brings up a good question. What is this day of visitation? First of all, I don’t believe that it’s talking about the second coming of Christ. It sounds like a temporary thing for only a season.

Jesus told the people of Jerusalem that they would be judged for not perceiving it.

This is the same phrase used by Peter. They would be conquered because they didn’t recognize their day of visitation.

We read some of the promises of God in the Scripture. Then, we think that when the list of qualifications for a promise is met – we get the fulfillment.

In reality, God sets a day of inspection. We may have already met the criteria at some point. But then, if we don’t continue in that way of life, we fail the inspection and don’t obtain the promise.

God wants the world to see His blessing on our lives. But, in order for that to happen, we must live for Him on a consistent basis. We can’t be trying to live for Christ and ourselves at the same time.

Paul said it well.

It’s time for the church to be who God says we are. Especially online in front of the world. We must always realize that we’re constantly under inspection.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Who Are We? Part 2

Who Are We? Part 2

As we go through 1 Peter, we’re now in chapter 2 looking at Peter’s description of the church. This is the legacy that we’re striving to live up to.

In my last post, I talked about believers as a chosen people and a royal priesthood. The next thing Peter calls us is a holy nation. This literally speaks of a holy, set apart, ethnic group.

The fact is that we have a new ethnicity, no matter where our families are from originally. We are a part of a new race of people.

We must come to the realization that we’re a holy race. A race has a particular set of customs and attributes. This usually includes their own language. A race of people have their own view of how the world works.

That should be the attitude of our life in the body of Christ. That’s why there’s no place for prejudice or bigotry in the church. We are a new group of people tied together in the bonds of the Spirit.

Peter goes on to call us a people belonging to God. This means that we’re a people group who were acquired into a particular time, place, or purpose.

Based on the context, this tells me that we’re a people acquired by God for a particular purpose. This verse is very clear as to what this purpose is. That purpose is to declare a particular message.

Like it or not, your main purpose is to declare the praises, valor, greatness, of the One who rescued us. Your purpose is not to amass as much money or toys that you can. It’s not to climb to the top of your chosen profession.

Our goal is to bring glory to the One who took us out of darkness and obscurity. We have now entered into His light. This place of light is wondered at, marveled at by all who perceive it.

This is who we are right now. I find that absolutely incredible! But there is a problem, however.

The challenge is that we’re at war. But it’s not against the world or the devil. According to this verse, the longings of our flesh serves in a strategic military campaign against our soul – which is our mind.

Believe it or not, our flesh is very crafty. It does everything in its power to get us to think that we’re not select, kingly, holy or needed for a particular purpose.

Peter is inviting us, calling us to refrain from these desires. We need to fight against the thoughts that we’re the same as everyone else in the world. If we fulfill these longings, we reinforce the lie of the flesh.

We then look at ourselves incorrectly and say that we’re no different than anyone else. We need to remain strong in His Word about who we are. That’s what will keep us headed in the right, upward direction.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Becoming New

Becoming New

We’re going through Peter’s first letter to the church. In my last post we saw that we were born again by the living and enduring Word of God.

It doesn’t matter how we were originally born, or our experiences growing up to this point. We are a new creation in Christ. We now have a new nature.

Peter continues this thought.

We all have to come to the grips with the fact that our humanity tends toward decay. We know that this is true as far as our bodies are concerned. We see the effects of aging all around us in society.

However, this tendency toward decay is true for our relationships as much as for our bodies. If you remember, Peter is telling us how true holiness breeds godly love, one toward another.

In the context of this letter, this truth about decay is being applied to our relationships. Left to ourselves we would end up hating each other. But if we let the Word of God work on us, then the effects will last throughout eternity.

That’s why godly, anointed preaching is so important. It allows us to get God’s Word into our spirit.

But it doesn’t end there. The next verse carries the same thought.

Peter is telling us that until we are truly godly, there are some things that we must put away. These are the things that bring decay into our relationships. If left unchecked, they could ruin the work God is doing in us.

The first thing he tells us to put away is all malice. That word means badness, evil, trouble. We know this one. We all like to cause trouble from time to time. But, not for ourselves – for others.

“Do you know what she said about you?”

Then we have to put away all deceit. That means baiting and trickery. It’s saying and doing things that you know will cause others to get mad. We see a lot of this happening in social media. As believers we need to stop acting this way.

Next is hypocrisy. It’s the act you put on trying to make yourself look good and others look not-so-good.

Of course, another is envy. That’s actually an inward shriveling of bitterness or spite. It only hurts you. Usually the other person is oblivious to your inner turmoil. Let it go.

Finally, Peter says to put away slander of every kind. This is defamation or talking against. This something else that people have turned into a hobby on social media. We must not be involved in it.

These are the things that must be dealt with in the maturing process. At first you have to make firm decision not to do these things. But as the Holy Spirit does His work, it becomes your nature – from the heart by the new birth.

The church in America desperately needs to walk in true godly love. We are the body of Christ and should accurately portray who He is and how He loves.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2025 in Power of God, Relationships, Revival

 

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Holiness Develops Love

Holiness Develops Love

We’re continuing our walk through Peter’s first letter to the church. He’s been talking about holiness and the fear of the Lord. Now the apostle goes a little deeper.

Peter is desiring for us to develop love for one another. This is an important teaching for us to hear. That’s because this generation has a notable lack of love. We’ve become very self-centered.

Love is the choice to put others first. It includes the choice to truly fellowship. I’m not talking about simply meeting together for church.

We’re talking about the true love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13. It’s the choice to participate positively in the lives of others.

The key to producing this true love is right here in these verses. If you look closely, before he ever deals with love Peter says, “Now that you have purified your soul in obeying the truth through the spirit…”

That’s the foundation of the love we share as believers. It’s the goal of purifying ourselves. It means we desire to be made holy, set apart to the Lord for His use.

Here is the key. The foundation of true love is holiness.

Remember what Jesus said when He was asked what was the greatest commandment.

The first step is loving God which leads to holiness. So, if you truly loved yourself you would walk in God’s way. That leads to the ability to love others

Peter had to enlarge this in his second letter.

Notice that verse 5 & 6 get you to godliness (holiness). Then it takes godliness in order to step over into brotherly love. This is the first love in 1 Peter 1:22. He calls it a sincere love for your brothers. That’s literally an unpretended brotherly love.

Please understand that brotherly love is the emotion of liking someone as a friend. Until you develop godliness, you must pretend to like others. Believe it or not, we must pretend to love until godliness is developed.

The problem in the church is that we don’t even pretend to like one another. But isn’t that hypocrisy? No – it’s obedience! That’s because we’re headed toward agape-love, which is choosing to love even when you don’t feel like it.

That’s what Peter is saying here. Now that you’ve developed godliness, you don’t have to pretend anymore.

“I don’t like these people.”

Well, that means you still need to mature some more. That’s because mature holiness causes you to like others. I’ve made the choice to love; then God starts to change my heart. I start to become like Him.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Philemon – Slavery Must End

Philemon – Slavery Must End

Continuing through the book of Philemon, we see Paul speaking out on behalf of Onesimus, a former slave. The apostle now gets to the heart of his instruction to the master he ran away from.

Paul uses very clear language in this section. He wants Philemon to elevate his view of Onesimus. He wants Philemon to see him as above a slave. He is now a partner in Paul’s ministry.

That word, welcome, means more than just a wave and a handshake. It literally means to admit him back with both friendship and hospitality. Paul is saying that instead of viewing him as a returned slave, see him as a member of the family who has returned after a journey.

Paul realizes that Philemon might think that Onesimus owes him something. After all, he lost the services that this slave could have given him. So, Paul deals with that issue.

Yes, Paul uses his influence to add a level of guilt to give Philemon that final push to do what is right. He wants to see Onesimus welcomed back with no strings attached.

Both Philemon and Onesimus were saved under Paul’s ministry. That makes them both his spiritual sons. They need to view each other in that way. They must begin a new type of relationship together.

Paul closes this letter with some final words.

Many people question the purpose of this tiny book. I think that the reason the Holy Spirit placed it in the New Testament is clear.

At this point in history, slavery was an entrenched institution. It was viewed as a normal part of society. But that alone doesn’t make something right.
It’s a part of our sin nature to want to control others for our benefit. That makes slavery an outward expression of our sin.
As the Holy Spirit is finishing His inspiration about living as a body of Christ, He’s planting the seeds in the church to think deeply about slavery. If it’s wrong to enslave a fellow believer, and we want everyone to come to faith in Christ, then is slavery ever right? NO! But you couldn’t start there because of thousands of years of history.
As I said, in this book the spiritual seed was being planted in the hearts of believers to end slavery.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2025 in Fellowship, Relationships, The Church

 

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Spiritual Relationships

Spiritual Relationships

We’re looking at Paul’s letter to the Colossians. He now starts a new section. He’s giving some final exhortations before concluding.

In the past, Paul has written about family issues in detail. Now, he’s simply reminding them of his teaching. Paul makes a statement about each member of the family.

He is saying to wives that they need to make a choice to view themselves as under their husband in rank. This is not something the husband can force. It’s a matter of the heart.

This doesn’t imply that the wife is inferior to the husband. It’s also not a matter of blind obedience. It’s about what’s fitting – proper – in the Lord.

To husbands, he says that they must make a choice to actively, positively participate in the lives of their wives. In this way, the husband is not striving to please himself, but doing the best for his wife’s sake.

You’re not to be harsh. You’re not ordering them as their lord. The wife is not a slave to the husband. You’re in this together to make the best family environment.

When it comes to the children, we get to the word, obey. Just a note; this is NOT the same word as submit, above. The children’s place is a place of obedience.

All throughout Scripture it’s clear that children are to obey their parents. I would even say that if you’re a single adult living with your parents, then you still need to follow the “house rules”.

I believe this is more about dealing with older children. As they mature, they begin to question certain things. That’s when we must learn to communicate.

They may ask, “Why?”

“Because I’m the father and I said so.” is not an appropriate answer. As I parent, I need to show some respect for them as a thinking person.

The word, discouraged in this verse, literally means to be without passion. There are too many people in this generation who have grown up passionless. They spend their lives trying to self medicate with entertainment, social media, alcohol, or any of a thousand other things that can fill their time.

This is why the home is a sacred place. For believers, it should be a small picture of the church of Jesus Christ.

Christ is the head of the home and each of the members are striving to fulfill the corporate calling. Yes, every home has a calling. Every member of the family has a part to play.

That’s why how we treat one another is so important. Selfishness by any one member can bring the whole structure down. That’s why so many homes are in turmoil.

As believers, our goal should be a home where Christ is portrayed in all of His glory. It should be an example to the world of how life should be.

© 2024 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2024 in Relationships

 

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Singing Together

Singing Together

As we’ve been going through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church, we see that he’s talking about our spiritual relationships. The Apostle is exhorting us to be led by the Holy Spirit in our dealings with each other.

As we allow the Spirit to engraft God’s Word in us, it begins to overflow and brings glory to God in our meetings. Singing is one of the greatest ways to praise the Lord. It shows our gratefulness to Him.

There are two main ways that we can focus our singing. The first is probably the most obvious.

Our music can be directed toward God in the praise of His glory. This is an important part of our relationship with the Lord. Singing His praises transports us into His presence.

I get so upset when believers view the praise and worship time as merely the “warm-up act” for the pastor’s preaching. Nothing could be further from the truth. As we sing praise and thanksgiving to God, we’re brought into a deeper spiritual place. We become more open to the move of the Holy Spirit.

Praising God in song is an important part of a spiritual walk.

The second aim of music may surprise some of you.

Our music can be directed toward each other. There are many people (and I used to be one of them) that dislike the use of songs that are not directed toward God. This verse clearly shows the necessity of both types of music.

There are times when we need to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another. Why is that so important? Look back at the verse we started with.

It’s through music that the Word of Christ can live richly in you. Singing music that’s directed at each other is a form of teaching and admonishing. As we sing, we learn.

This is an incredible truth. When my children were small, they learned all the states and their capitals because they were put to music. How much more important is it to get the Word into our hearts?

Through music, the Word of Christ can enter our lives and stay with us. That’s why I’m so adamant about not singing songs that contain bad doctrine. Too many Christians believe error because they learned it in their music.

We give praise to our God. We teach and admonish each other. Both of these can and should be done through the music of God’s people.

© 2024 Nick Zaccardi

 

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