It’s hard to believe, but in reality the United States can no longer be called a Christian nation. Yes, there are pockets of Christian majorities on various parts of the map, but overall the influence of believers is almost gone. I believe this is because we have lost sight of the true message of the Gospel.
I was recently reading a post about 5 issues the church will have to deal with over the next ten years. It was by Ed Stetzer, the President of Lifeway Research. In it he made some startling statements that I may comment about from time to time.
The issue that caught my attention, was that the church of this generation needs a clear understanding of the Gospel. It wasn’t many years ago that the flames of renewal and revival were sweeping across many parts of our nation. How have we fallen so far from the message of Christ?
Where has the Gospel of Jesus Christ gone? In many churches we are taught how to be “good people.” There are messages on how to live a great life – overcoming depression and other negative qualities. It’s almost as if the modern church has become a group emotional-therapy session.
Paul’s words should bring us a much needed wake-up call.
2 Timothy 2:8
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel…
We wonder why our impact on society has diminished. This just might be the key. The Gospel is not about New Year’s resolutions or turning over a new leaf. It’s not even about wanting to be a better person, spouse, or parent.
The true message of the Gospel is not about what I do. It’s all about what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. He died, was buried, and He rose back to life on the third day. The Lord accomplished this so that we could receive His life and become a new person in Him.
Anything less than that is not the Gospel.
In his post, Ed Stetzer made a statement that I have turned into a question in order to check myself. As a pastor, I’m responsible for the message received by the people under my care. I’m going to be accountable for what I preach to them each week.
The question I must ask myself is this: Would the message I’m preaching still be true if Jesus hadn’t died on the cross? If so, then I’m not proclaiming the Gospel. It might be good and helpful to the listener, but it isn’t the Good News of the Bible. The Gospel is life-changing.
The church in America needs to return to the true Gospel message.
Question: How do you perceive a need for the Gospel in our generation?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: America, America needs the Gospel, believers, Christ, Christian, Christian nation, church, cross, good news, gospel, influence, Jesus, message, message of Christ, preaching, proclaiming, renewal, revival, true message, understanding, United States
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:31
We are so far removed from the reality of this Scripture. This is such a simple statement about the early church, yet the term Word of God meant a far different thing to them than it does to us.
One of the things I must be careful about is to bring forth this truth clearly so as not to confuse anyone. That’s not my goal. I want to see the church of this generation walk in the same powerful Word that these believers had.
It’s unfortunate that when most believers read the phrase Word of God, they immediately think – the Bible. The truth is, that’s not always the case. We must remember that at the historical point in this Scripture, there was no Bible that they could speak from.
Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.
1 Corinthians 4:6-7
Here Paul warns us not to go beyond what is written. Unfortunately we don’t understand this today. Because of our shallow understanding of what the Word of God is, many abuses have crept into the church. There are those who are now very adept at using the words of Scripture to fleece God’s sheep for their own personal financial gain.
God wants to clean up His church. I believe a proper understanding of the Word of God will help us in this area. That’s why I’m going to post about this for a little while – it’s so important.
Jesus, the Living Word, is the final authority on this matter. That’s why His teaching will be the foundation for what I share. Before we begin to look at the words of Christ in the next post, I want to share a couple of interesting facts that I uncovered in my studies.
When you read the pages of Scripture, there are some facts that emerge. First, throughout the entire Scripture, the Word of God is always spoken and never read. There is one notable exception to this.
The prophet Jeremiah was banned from coming before the king on pain of death. The Lord spoke to him a Word of prophecy for that king. So Jeremiah dictated it word for word to his secretary and told him, “Write what I SPOKE and read the Word of God to the king.” As this Word was read to the king, he burned it page by page as it was being read.
Conversely, according to the Bible, the Scripture is always read and never spoken. These are a couple facts that we need to think about. Over the next few posts, I believe that the words of Christ will clarify some of these issues concerning the Word of God.
Question: Have you ever heard someone use a Bible passage for their own agenda?
Tags: abuses, Bible, Christ, church, early church, Holy Bible, Jesus, living word, personal gain, powerful word, Scripture, understanding, understanding the word of God, word, word of God
I believe that in this generation God is trying to get His children to listen to His voice. He wants them to hear from Him on a daily basis. God is maturing His church. I believe that we are very close to a revival.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
1 Corinthians 13:11
God is bringing us from adolescence to adulthood in the Spirit. In order to attain to this place in Christ we need to “put childish ways behind us.”
By referring to childish ways, I don’t mean these things are bad or wrong. They’re simply things that we needed to progress in our childhood, but no longer need in adulthood. For instance, I needed to ask permission to use the car as a teenager when I lived at home. Now I have my own car, and I can use it whenever I want. There was nothing wrong with asking permission, but that phase of my life is now over.
The church is progressing through the training levels God has for us. As this happens, there are some things that worked for a season, but are not needed in our maturity. I want to take a few posts to talk about this maturing process. As I go through the teaching of Scripture, we will see some of these temporary principles.
What I’m afraid of, is that there are some who are so attached to the things of our childhood, that they will not want to release them and embrace adulthood in the Lord. With that in mind, please read with an open mind and an open heart. Receive those things that are Scriptural and of the Spirit. And, if there are any things that I have put in from the flesh – with no Scriptural foundation – then you have my permission to lay them aside.
God is bringing His church back to a deeper walk in the Spirit. At this point in history it seems that we do so much by the flesh. The winds of change are blowing. It’s time for us to start operating in the new move of the Spirit. The foundation for this is the Word of God.
Paul told Timothy that we need to “correctly handle the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) In order to correctly handle something, you need to know what it really is. In the next few posts we will look at what the Word of God is and what it isn’t.
I think some of the words of Christ will surprise you. In reality, the church has been guilty of using things that are not the Word of God as if they were. It’s time for us to get back on track.
Question: Do you think the church is ready for revival? Are you ready?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: adulthood, childish things, childish ways, church, deeper walk, grow up, growing up in the word of God, hear God, mature, maturity, put away childish things, revival, voice of God, word, word of God
For the last few posts I’ve been talking about the Good News of Jesus Christ. What exactly is that Good News? I think you’ll be surprised at how the modern church has turned the message around, making it empty of its power.
If I were to ask people “What is the Gospel?”, I would probably receive many answers. There are a host of believers who are actively trying to “win the lost.” They would most likely give me very Biblical answers.
What I want to know are the perceptions of those who hear the Gospel. From talking with unbelievers who have been “witnessed to” I could boil it down to the following: “You’re an evil sinner going to hell, but if you repeat a special prayer you can go to Heaven.”
If that’s what they got out of an encounter with a Christian, then something’s wrong with our approach. There is no way to demonstrate a statement like that. That’s why so many unbelievers are bitter toward those who have tried and failed to convert them.
We need to return to a true understanding of what the Good News is all about.
Here is an example of Jesus’ ministry.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:15
Jesus made two statements. The kingdom of God is near was the Good News. The Lord then told the people how to respond to this Good News.
Repent and believe is not the Good News, it’s the response that’s needed. We must learn that the power is in the Good News, not in the response to the Good News. In many cases, we have started calling the response, the Gospel. You cannot go out preaching “repent and believe” and assume you’re bringing the Gospel to the world.
When it comes to the Good News, one size doesn’t fit all. There are gang members and single moms, Wall St. executives and the homeless. Is the Good News the same for all of them?
Don’t get me wrong, I realize that the response to the Good News must be the same for all people. But the message itself will be different depending upon who you’re talking to. This is how God established it in His Word.
God, Himself, gave us four Gospels. Matthew was written for the Jews and Mark for the Romans. Luke was for the Greeks and John contained Good News for the Christian.
It’s a fact that religious people need to hear something different than the unchurched. The Bible itself describes the Good News in many ways. It’s called the Gospel of the Kingdom, of God, of Christ, of God’s grace, of your salvation, and the Gospel of peace.
Of course, no matter how the Gospel message is tailored to an audience, Jesus Christ is central. Furthermore, it all must be demonstrated by the power of the Holy Spirit in order for the world to see the full picture.
Question: How can you bring the Good News to those in you sphere of influence?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: good news, gospel, Gospel of Jesus Christ, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew, message, message of the gospel, modern church, power, power of the Gospel, salvation, true gospel, unbelievers, unchurched, win the lost, witnessing
I believe that signs and miracles are a part of the true Gospel. Without them, it’s difficult to impact the unbeliever.
The Apostle Paul refers to this truth throughout his writings.
I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Romans 15:18-19
Paul tells us how he led the Gentiles to obey God by announcing the Gospel and making disciples. Notice, that he accomplished this by what he SAID and DID. It was through the power of signs and miracles. The difference between a sign and a miracle is that a sign is a miracle that confirms what you say about God.
The key issue is that by operating in this way, Paul fully proclaimed the gospel. I believe that just talking about Christ is not the whole Gospel. The Bible is clear that the kingdom of God is “not a matter of talk but of power.” (I Corinthians 4:20)
Last week I asked, what is it about the Gospel that we’re ashamed of ? I used some illustrations. If I won a new car I would call you over to look at it. If I got a promotion at work, I would immediately show you my new business cards. How is that different from the spiritual Good News?
I believe it’s because we have reduced the Gospel to clichés. “Jesus loves you.” “Jesus wants to bless you.” “God loves you and I do too.”
The problem is that there’s no demonstration. It’s not like the new car or the promotion at work because I offer you no proof of what I’m saying.
Based upon Scripture, if there’s no demonstration, then there’s no Gospel. Many are ashamed because all they can do is tell about Jesus. Some can’t even see the proof in their own lives because of the lack of power. It makes many believers feel like charlatans when they share the Good News.
It seems we’ve lost the original Good News. We don’t understand the power of God and we don’t understand the Gospel. The two go hand in hand.
Without the Good News, there’s no need for the demonstration of power. Some American Christians want the power without proclaiming the Good News. The fact is, that without the message of the Gospel there’s no need to demonstrate healing, prosperity, joy, freedom from depression, or anything else the Lord has provided for us through the cross. I’m striving to spur the church on to get hungry to experience the full Gospel.
That’s why Paul could say that he had fully proclaimed the Gospel of Christ. Not only did he tell about Christ, but he also demonstrated the love and power of the Lord.
Question: How can we return to the true Gospel?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: announce, ashamed, ashamed of the gospel, Bible, Christ, confirm, demonstration, good news, gospel, Jesus, make disciples, miracles, place of signs and miracles, power, power of God, power of the spirit, proclaim, revival, Scripture, share, signs, true gospel
Do we proclaim the same Gospel as the early church did? Is there something missing from our experience that would make a big difference? I believe that we’re lacking one of the greatest aspects of the Gospel. We need to return to this truth if we’re going to impact our generation for Christ.
In my last post I talked about the need to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. In today’s post I want to explain exactly what that means. Here’s one of the verses I looked at last time.
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
1 Thessalonians 1:4-5
I have heard people explain this verse by saying, “The hearers were convicted by the Holy Spirit. That’s the power Paul’s talking about.” I simply can’t agree with that kind of thinking. Paul said that the Gospel came to them with power AND the Holy Spirit, AND deep conviction.
Even the very word conviction that Paul used was a Greek word that means many assurances. It was something that could be seen and experienced by the unbelievers receiving the Good News.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5
As you can see, I’m not using some isolated verse without context. This teaching runs throughout the New Testament. The Good News must be demonstrated. That demonstration can only be energized by the power of God. It is beyond our human ability to walk on that level if we rely upon our own strength, wisdom, and knowledge.
I fear that too many Christians allow their faith to rest on man’s wisdom, because they have never seen a demonstration of the power of God. There are so many believers that have never seen a healing or a miracle. They have never heard an anointed prophecy or someone speaking in the heavenly language. There are Christians that have never witnessed someone delivered from demonic possession or oppression.
As a result the Good News, in most cases, has merely become an intellectual debate. On many occasions, what we call the Gospel today, is void of any power to change the direction of a life impacted by it.
The church needs to do what it takes to once again walk in this life-changing power. In short – we need revival. We must admit that we’ve lost something along the way and allow the Lord to make the necessary adjustments.
Questions: Do you think the modern “American Gospel” has the same impact as the early church? If not, what must we do to change?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, convicted, conviction, deliverance, demonstration, early church, good news, good news of Jesus Christ, gospel, healing, heavenly language, Holy Spirit, how we water down the gospel, Jesus, miracle, missing, power, power of God, preach, proclaim, prophecy, revival, share, spiritual power, water down
Why do we share the message of Christ? Is it all about how many people we can get to pray the “sinner’s prayer”? In my last post I talked about how we are to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As important as servanthood is, there’s still more to understand about the Good News.
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:17-18
As God’s people, we must come to the understanding that we are not sent to merely “get people saved”. Our goal is to announce the Good News. When someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, that’s only the beginning of the salvation process. As a pastor of over 20 years I am still “being saved” by the power of the Gospel. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples.
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Mark 16:15-16
We are to preach or announce the Good News first, then baptize later. Our main job is to announce the Good News. I believe this is the point where we’ve lost sight of what the Good News is all about.
It’s what Paul was talking about in the passage from I Corinthians 1:17-18, above. Our goal shouldn’t be to “get people saved”. We are commissioned to announce the Gospel. According to Paul, it’s sometimes not with words. It’s not even with wise words. The reason for this is that words can sometimes neutralize the cross.
How can that be? Paul continues to explain it to us. He states that the message is foolishness to the unsaved even though it’s the power of God to us. So many Christians think that the Gospel is merely announcing the message of the cross. That’s why so few are turning to Christ these days. We are trying to win them with what they perceive is foolishness. There is another way – it’s the way Paul and the early church turned the world upside-down for Christ.
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
1Thessalonians 1:4-5
The early church brought the Good News with not just words. They brought the Gospel on the scene with the manifestation of the power of God. This is what our generation desperately needs to see.
Question: What will it take to once again see God’s power manifest in His people?
Tags: announce, being saved, get people saved, good news, gospel, gospel not about numbers, Gospel of Jesus Christ, message of Christ, neutralize the cross, not with words, numbers, power of God, preach, salvation, salvation process, sinners prayer
I’ve been taking a few posts to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today I want to talk about an aspect we don’t hear about too often.
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
Ephesians 3:6-7
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has far-reaching effects. Paul tells us about the power of this Good News. As it started to do its work in establishing him, the grace of God began to have an effect. It called out to him – and he listened. In the same way, it’s clear that the Good News calls us to that same place of servanthood.
This means that we are to become servants of the Good News and not servants of the law. This is the servanthood that we are called to. Sons of God are servants of the Good News. We must live to serve the Good News.
What do I mean by this? We must serve the good news just like a waiter serves your food. Think about it. In a rat infested dive of a restaurant, they throw your food at you.
In a restaurant where they have “cuisine,” however, they’re not really serving you, but the food. Why do they have white tablecloths on the tables? Why the silver utensils, crystal goblets, and fine china? Do you think that the waiters wear tuxedos for you? Absolutely not!! All that finery is because they believe that THE FOOD is worthy.
Now think about church. It’s not a place of reverence anymore. Most congregations don’t even dress up these days. Spiritually speaking, people are coming out to eat less and less at these “restaurants of the Word.” This causes me to think that maybe the food isn’t as good as it once was. It just might be that we’re not serving the Gospel like we used to.
As a local pastor, I’m the executive chef of my spiritual restaurant. That makes me as much to blame as anyone for the quality of the spiritual food at my church. Then there’s the leadership team – they are the souse-chef and maître de. Our church members are the waiters and waitresses.
Then there’s the fact that at a “high class” restaurant there are no prices on the menus. If you go there, you expect to pay whatever the meal costs. As the saying goes, “If you need to ask what the price is, then eat somewhere else.” Could it be that many American churches today are “spiritual dives?”
The truth is that we need a deeper understanding of the Gospel. I need to understand my role as a servant. We need to learn to serve the Gospel as they did in the early church.
Question: What can we do to better serve the Good News of Jesus Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, good news, gospel, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus, power of the Gospel, reverance, servant, servanthood, serve, serve the Gospel, spiritual food
This will be my last post in my series about the Last Day’s weeding that the Lord will perform in His Kingdom. Jesus went on to underscore this message by telling another parable.
“Once again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into a lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:47-50
The Lord tells us that the kingdom is like a net let down into a lake. This net has been dredging the lake for 2000 years now. It has caught a variety of fish. Some of the fish are good and some are bad.
There are people who claim to be Christians yet know nothing of the Biblical means of salvation. They’re relying on their own good works or their church membership instead of the blood of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.
There are many that have heard and rejected the Good News because they like their own version better. They say things like, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe in something.” The church universal is full of good fish and bad fish.
So what’s new about that? It’s been like this for hundreds of years. It will not go on like this forever. God is starting a separation process.
When the net is full, or literally, complete and finished, something new is going to happen. Angels are going to be dispatched to separate out of the kingdom of God those who really don’t want to be there on God’s terms. The word separate means to set off by a boundary.
In the last days God is going to perform a supernatural work that makes a clear distinction between His people and the world. Right now the church and the world look very much alike. Divorce, abuse, crime, and substance abuse levels are almost equal.
The end of the age is the time set by the Lord to cleanse His Temple. He’s going to show that there’s a difference between His kingdom and the world. It will soon become impossible to straddle the fence.
If you’re wise, you’ll make your decision now to serve Christ wholeheartedly. Don’t wait until the weeding forces you to make up your mind. Don’t miss out on a single thing that the Lord has planned for you.
We live in exciting times. If you go all out for the Lord, then I can promise you that you’ll be a part of the greatest adventure the world has ever known.
Question: How different should we be from the world?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: angels, Biblical salvation, Christ, cleansing the temple, devotion, distinction, end of the age, Jesus, kingdom of God, parable, separating fish, separation, separation process, serving Christ, straddle the fence, the last days, the world, wholeheartedly, works
I have been posting about the weeding that God will do in His kingdom during the last days. It’s recorded in Matthew 13:24-41. You can read my last few posts to see how the Lord will do this weeding.
The two things weeded out will be everything that causes sin and all who do evil. Along these same lines, Jesus makes a sobering statement in Matthew 18. I am convinced that most believers are unaware of what He meant when He said it. It’s usually taken out of context.
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
Matthew 18:7-9
Whenever I’ve heard this Scripture preached, the message was always about personal sin. I’ve heard it taught, “It would be better to cut your hand off, than to continue in sin.” While sin does have the power to ruin your life, Jesus was speaking of something deeper here.
Notice the context. He wasn’t talking about physical body parts that cause sin. The Lord referred to the man through whom they come.
I can see countless examples of when my own hands, feet and eyes have participated in my sin. Yet, I cannot honestly say that the sin was initiated by that part of my body. Sin has always been conceived and planned out by my own will. My body had no choice but to follow my decision into sin.
Jesus knows that it’s not the body that initiates the sin. He’s talking about people who cause sin. When the Lord uses the term hand, foot, and eye, I’m convinced by the larger context of His teaching that He’s talking about His attitude toward His body – the Church.
Only in the Body of Christ can a member cause the body to sin. Please be warned. You may think that your role in the church is as indispensable as a hand or a foot. But, if you’re offending the body, the Lord has no qualms about losing a member to save the body.
Jesus is very serious about dealing with those who cause offense. This is one of the things we are going to see being weeded out of the church by God in the last days. As a matter of fact, I think that we’re already beginning to experience God’s cleansing process.
Make sure that your faith is bringing health to the body of Christ.
Question: What can you do to make the church a better place?
© Nick Zaccardi 1013
Tags: body of Christ, cause sin, Christ, church, cleansing, do evil, God serious about weeding, God's cleansing process, Jesus, kingdom of God, member, offend, offending the body, personal sin, the last days
It’s hard to believe, but in reality the United States can no longer be called a Christian nation. Yes, there are pockets of Christian majorities on various parts of the map, but overall the influence of believers is almost gone. I believe this is because we have lost sight of the true message of the Gospel.
The Spirit and the Word 