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The Word of Life – Its Three Forms

22 Aug

Bible1Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4

We know from Scripture that the Word of God is like seed received into our hearts. How do we receive this life? To answer that question, we’ll go to the beginning of the Gospel of John.

I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.
John 6:47-48

This is vital to our understanding of how to receive life. Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life. That’s the theme of the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. The Lord sums it up in this way.

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
John 6:63

This is the bottom line. In order to walk in the abundant life we must live by every Word of God. Christ is the Living Word – the personification of the Word of God. His Word is spirit and life. It’s a life that can only be received by the spirit. This is the foundational truth of how the Word works in us.

First, we must understand the key to grasping the Word of God. I’m speaking of the two Greek words, logos and rhema. These two words are both translated as “word” in the English, which makes it very hard to see the contrasts without a basic knowledge of the original language. My goal in this series is to bring out the truths contained in these two important words.

A lot of teaching has gone forth in the Faith Movement concerning logos and rhema. Some of it has been good, and some has been a little off. I want our foundation to be solid, so I ask you to read this with an open heart.

Some have mistakenly taught that logos refers to the written Word while rhema is the spoken word. In actuality, the Greek word graphe refers to the written Word. It’s usually translated “writings” or “Scripture”.

In the Bible, both logos and rhema are only referred to as spoken. They’re never read. Graphe is always read and never spoken.

What you’ll find in a careful study of logos and rhema is that they’re almost always indistinguishable from one another. According to Scripture, both of them are alive. Both endure eternally. Both contain creative power. Both are referred to as the sword of the spirit. Both logos and rhema can manifest the power of God.

It’s the differences, however, that I’m going to focus on. The first principle of the Word is found in Matthew 4:4 above. The word used in that verse is rhema. We must live on rhema. This is the source of our life.

The next important truth is found in John 6:63 above. That verse also uses the word rhema. Only rhema is given and received in the spiritual realm. It’s the form that spiritual life takes in order to be transferred from one to another.

You may be wondering why this study of linguistics is so important. I’m now going to put it all together for you so that you can see the beauty of God’s Word in all of its forms. We’ve heard the teaching that the Word of God is like a seed. Think about it as a grain of wheat. In the world, wheat is called the “staff of life.” That makes it a wonderful illustration for the Word.

In my next post I’ll use this view of the seed to explain how God uses His Word to impart life to His people.

Question: How much time do you spend listening to the Holy Spirit?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 22, 2016 in Power of God, Word of God

 

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Jesus Christ – Our Living Hope

19 Aug

Cloud2For a couple of posts we’ve looked at the first time Jesus mentioned the Last days in His teaching (John chapter 5). It’s the basis for constructing our picture of the future return of the Lord.

As I said before, we’ll build “line upon line, precept upon precept” as we go along. In future posts, we’ll be making the picture more complete.

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
John 5:26-30

The cross is our starting point. We come along about 2000 years later. The physical resurrection of the dead that Jesus talked about hasn’t happened yet. But, we know for a certainty that someday the dead are going to rise and there’s going to be a time of judgment with the result being either eternal life or eternal condemnation.

We don’t know when it’s coming, but there will be a resurrection day. In Jesus’ teaching, that we looked at in my last post, the disciples hadn’t heard anything that was new to them. Jesus didn’t start with some new doctrine that they’d never heard before.

You can find teaching on the resurrection throughout the Old Testament, too. Job looked forward to it in the book of Job chapter 19. It’s a Scripture that’s probably familiar to most of you. It was Job’s statement of faith that one day he was going to see the Lord.

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
Job 19:25-27

Even in the Old Testament, believers knew that there was going to be a resurrection. They understood that God was not going to leave His people in the grave. It’s in a few other places in the Old Testament as well. Not a lot, but enough to let us know that it was a recognized concept.

The Old Testament saints knew about it. Even the Pharisees, as a group, believed and taught that one day God would bring about the resurrection of the dead.

This is where Jesus starts out. It’s a very simple concept, but He begins where His disciples were familiar – the fact of the resurrection.

The only shocker in His teaching was that it will be the voice of Christ that causes the dead to rise. I’m sure that the Pharisees had some choice thoughts on that subject. We, however, are given a foundation upon which to build the rest of the teaching on the return of Christ.

It’s the Lord Himself who is our resurrection. It’s His voice who will call us from our graves to a place of victory. This is a day we can all look forward to as believers. Knowing this, we now have a proper foundation upon which to build the rest of our end-time teaching.

Question: How does the hope of the resurrection comfort you, especially in uncertain times?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 19, 2016 in Power of God, Return of Christ

 

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Do You Know the Two Resurrections

17 Aug

GravesWe’ve been discussing Jesus’ teaching on the resurrection as the key to understanding the Second Coming. In talking about this, the Lord describes two kinds. Here is the first.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
John 5:24-25

It’s obvious that Jesus is talking about a spiritual resurrection here, because He uses the phrase, has now come. It was not future, but was being fulfilled in the days that Jesus walked the earth.

The Pharisees were the dead people (spiritually) that Jesus was talking about. He was telling them, “Wake up! You’re dead and if you want life, you must believe and obey my words.”

It was time for them to hear and live. Jesus loved them and desired that they would pass over from death into life.

They could have experienced the life-giving power of God. Unfortunately, their pride kept them from accepting Christ for who He was. Even today pride is one of the biggest hindrances to the move of God in the church.

Jesus makes an important point here. It’s the basis of our belief in His return. Christ is the Life-Giver. This is the foundation for everything else. He uses it as the platform from which to speak of His future ministry of raising the dead (physically) to life.

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
John 5:26-30

This is the first recorded incident in Jesus’ ministry where He mentions the end-times. No, He doesn’t say a lot about it, but what He does say is at the very core of our belief in the Second Coming.

Jesus explains that there’s a day coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and will come out – those who have done good will rise to live; those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

Unfortunately, we usually miss this key. Yet it’s the foundation stone for everything else that you’ll learn about when you study the Second Coming of Christ. The entire message that Jesus teaches builds on this.

Question: Have you experienced spiritual resurrection? How did it change your outlook on life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 17, 2016 in Power of God, Return of Christ

 

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Jesus Christ the Life Giver

15 Aug

One WayI took a couple of posts to deal with the importance of properly studying the Second Coming of Christ. Now I want to look at the key to it all – resurrection. That was the first track of teaching that Jesus brought to His disciples.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 5, we have the first recorded mention that Jesus makes of the end times. I find it amazing that even though this is where Jesus started, I’ve never heard anyone else begin here. As a matter of fact, in this blog you’re going to look at a lot of Scripture not commonly taught as pertaining to the Second Coming of Christ.

In this section of Scripture, persecution is starting to arise because of the things Jesus is saying and doing. The Pharisees don’t like the way Jesus is ignoring their religious traditions. Among other things, He’s healing on the Sabbath.

In this chapter, the Pharisees were starting to have a problem with the Lord. They didn’t like the fact that Jesus made himself out to be God in the flesh. According to the Old Testament, that’s who the Messiah was meant to be.

Jesus couldn’t lie about who He was. Of course, this didn’t sit well with the Pharisees, who wanted all the praise for themselves. They didn’t want to hear who the Lord was, because it meant that they would have had to submit their will to His.

In spite of their unbelief, the Lord starts to explain some things to them.

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. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”
John 5:19-21

Jesus is telling this group of unbelieving Pharisees that He does the same work as the Father. The Father can raise the dead, so He can raise the dead. This is the basis for our trust in Christ. He’s the Life-giver. If I want to live an abundant life, then there’s nowhere else I can turn to.

Elsewhere, Jesus says emphatically that He is the Resurrection and the Life. Our hope must be firmly planted in Him. He’s the source of our life.

The next few verses tell us that Jesus has the same authority as the Father. Disrespect of the Son is disrespect of the Father who sent Him. That’s why any study about the Return of the Lord must start with His teaching. If I contradict His word, then I’m the one who’s wrong. His teaching is the basis for all others.

Question: What place of authority does the teaching of Christ have in your life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 15, 2016 in Power of God, Return of Christ

 

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The Second Coming – Order is Everything

12 Aug

CakeIn my last post I began looking at how to make the return of the Lord less confusing to us. I talked about methods of study that are helpful, and not so helpful.

Another confusing method that some people use is to start their study of the end times with the book of Revelation. They just can’t wait. They don’t realize that Revelation is the icing on the cake.

When baking a cake, we don’t start by getting the icing into the shape we want and then try shoving the cake into the icing. That would be foolish (and messy). But some Christians do that with the Second Coming by starting with the book of Revelation.

What I intend to do, is to start with Christ. If anybody knows about His return, it’s Him. He’s the One coming back. So we’ll start with His teaching and then build upon it by adding the apostle’s teaching to the Lord’s foundation.

Only then can we see how the book of Revelation applies to the whole. If you start with the right foundation, there’s no room for confusion and contradictions.

I’ll also be defining terms as we go along. Phrases such as the last days, the last day, the day of the Lord, and the day of the Son of Man need to be defined based on their use in Scripture. I can’t just use a term like the day of the Lord and make it mean whatever I want it to mean. I’ve got to know what the writer meant when the Holy Spirit inspired him to use that term.

As we look at all these things together, we must be prepared to let the Word of God speak to us. You’re going to hear some things that will challenge you. Hopefully you’ll rethink some of the things that you’ve always assumed about the coming of the Lord. Our goal is to be witnesses who are ready for Christ’s return.

Our direction is simply to follow Jesus’ outline as He taught His disciples. He started with one simple precept and built on it. What you’ll find, if you study out all the teachings of Christ, is that He taught on four main tracks in dealing with the end-times. We’re going to take each of these tracks of teaching at some point in my future posts.

We’ll proceed down these tracks in the order that Christ taught them to His disciples. In this way, we’ll have a clear picture of the end-times that’s received straight from the Savior’s mouth. If you’re prepared to receive Jesus’ teaching, wherever it may lead you, then you’re ready to begin the journey.

I suggest that you subscribe to these posts by e-mail, so that you don’t miss any of them.

Question: Are you excited by the thought that Christ will return? Are you looking forward to that day?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 12, 2016 in Return of Christ, Spiritual Walk

 

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The Second Coming – Are You Confused

10 Aug

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI believe that we’re quickly approaching the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. I also believe that just before His arrival, there will be a great, end-time harvest of souls into His kingdom. In that light, I want to do a few posts concerning the Second Coming.

For my first couple of posts, I’ll explain some things about how I teach the Second Coming of the Lord. I’m a little different than most people.

Many times the teachings I’ve heard tend to do a lot of jumping around in the Scriptures. They go from here to there, sometimes in the Old Testament and sometimes in the New. First a Scripture that looks like it’s talking about cars driving on the street and then one that might be about an atomic bomb.

I get confused just listening to them. My mind quickly turns to mush, especially when they get into their mathematical calculations. You know what I’m talking about.

Sometimes they try to calculate the actual day or month when Jesus is coming back. I’ve yet to find one that was correct; but people seem to enjoy making and listening to these calculations. If you’re looking for that, then this blog is definitely NOT for you.

I teach about the Last Days the way Jesus taught it, line upon line, and precept upon precept. First I try to build the foundation, then the walls, and finally the roof. I believe we’ll get more out of it that way.

I’ve found that when dealing with the return of the Lord, we need to emphasize the rules for studying the Word of God. In Bible schools and seminaries across America, students are required to take a course called Hermeneutics.

Hermeneutics is defined as a careful method of Bible study. It tries to ensure that the message God intended to communicate is accurately understood by man.

Usually there are five rules of hermeneutics that are taught. For our purposes, I’ll only deal with two of them. These are the two that are violated the most often in current teachings on the Coming of Christ.

1. Take the Bible literally unless you cannot. Unless it’s absolutely clear from the verse that something is not to be taken literally (like when Jesus tells a parable, for instance) we need to assume that the writer means what he says and says what he means.

2. Keep it in context. We must never interpret a part of Scripture without taking into account the verses, and even chapters, surrounding it. This is a very important concept, because many times in formulating the thought, a single verse, by itself, may sound just the opposite of what the entire passage was trying to get across to us.

If we’re willing to listen to what Jesus teaches about His return, then we’ll have a good foundation for our faith.

Question: Have you ever been confused by teachings about the Second Coming?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 10, 2016 in Return of Christ

 

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Power Walking

08 Aug

JogIt seems that I talk a lot about the power of God in these posts. I believe that God is restoring His church to a walk of power in our generation. Here’s something to consider in talking about this power.

First of all, let me remind you what true power is all about. Power is the ability to produce change. If there’s no change, then there’s no power. There’s no way around it. If the power of God is manifest, then lives are changed.

As I begin to walk in this power, something new begins to happen. As my life begins to change, I start to get the world’s attention. They begin seeing something working in my life that’s beyond my ability.

It’s this very change that will attract people to Christ. At that point I will not need to convince them how awesome the Lord is – they’ll see it for themselves.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…
Colossians 1:10-11

This is a very interesting section of Scripture. It tells us to walk worthy of the Lord. That should be the desire of every Christian. How does Paul describe this worthy way of life?

The first two indicators are pretty much self-evident and are the ones that are always emphasized. They are bearing fruit and growing in our knowledge of God.

But what about the next line? One of the ways we’re to live a worthy life is to be strengthened with all power according to His glorious might. To live worthy of the Lord is to walk in power.

We’re not to just talk about power. We must demonstrate the power of the living God. In order to do this I must know Him in His power. So I must be in an intimate relationship with Him. Only then will I experience His power flowing through me.

That’s where we miss it sometimes. We want the easy way.

“Just give me a prayer formula that always works.”

It’s not a formula, but intimacy with the Holy Spirit. That’s how we access the power of God in our lives. We have to take the time to build a relationship with Him.

This is what the world needs to see in us. Not a bunch of people who merely talk about how good God is. They need to see His goodness, power, and love in action. That’s what will draw people to Christ in these last days.

Paul summarizes this concept.

To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1:29

That was Paul’s priority, to know Christ in the riches of His power. This leaves me with a choice. Now that I know what true power is…do I want it? If I do, then I need to plug into the source – Christ Himself.

Question: Am I willing to do whatever it takes to walk in God’s power?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 8, 2016 in Power of God, Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Calling the Discontent

05 Aug

WomanI’ve been posting about how God is calling His people back together. It’s a lot like how the Lord brought the Mighty Men to David when he was on the run from King Saul.

All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
1 Samuel 22:2

The last group this verse talks about is those who were discontented; or literally bitter souled. That’s quite a picture of these people, yet God wanted to use them for His purpose.

When I think about bitter souled people I have to ask myself; do I really want them in my church? Then I studied out this phrase in the Old Testament. I made some interesting observations.

It was only used of 4 specific people in Old Testament. A woman named Hannah, who desperately wanted child. Job, who desperately wanted his life restored. King Hezekiah, who wanted healing. There was also the prophet Ezekiel…

The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
Ezekiel 3:14

God placed a powerful Word in this prophet. The problem was that no one listened.

In reading about these individuals I found that bitterness can be used of God. But it depends upon the source of that bitterness. It must spring from a godly desire that we have in our heart. But it’s a desire that hasn’t been met yet. This takes place in us when we know that what we’re looking for is God’s will, but it didn’t happen the way we thought it should have.

All these great men and women of God; Hannah, Job, Hezekiah, and Ezekiel were discontent with the way things were. They knew that God was going to do something; they were just impatient in the waiting.

In that sense, God is calling for all the discontent believers. Bitterness in your soul is the sign that there needs to be a change. But how does it take place? We must cry out to God.

In each example of Scripture, God worked it out. Hannah received a son, Samuel, who anointed kings. Job was restored and his friends were blessed through his prayers. Hezekiah was healed. Ezekiel was miraculously brought to those who would listen to his message.

What has to happen for bitterness to bring glory to God?

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Hebrews 12:15

Simply put; don’t let bitterness take root in your life. Use the bitterness to give you the drive to see things change. Let it bring you to your knees to cry out to God.

No one wants you to be satisfied with things as they are. But God wants you to do something with that discontent.

Bitterness can do one of two things. It can drive you into God’s presence; then you’ll see the power of God. Or it will give you an excuse to drop out.

The Lord wants these drop outs to get back on their feet for Christ. They know the need. They felt the hurt. Now by the power of God they can do something about it.

It’s time to call God’s people to gather back together.

It’s time.

Question: What is your godly discontentment?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 5, 2016 in Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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Do You Need Spiritual Healing?

03 Aug

DoctorGod is calling His church to rise up and be a witness in this generation. I’ve been posting about David’s band of warriors and how they relate to us.

All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
1 Samuel 22:2

One group of people who rallied around David was those who were in debt. In the Old Testament the root word of being in debt is led astray.

Spiritually speaking, there are Christians today who have been led astray and now feel indebted to the world. They’re chasing after the things of the world and have obligated themselves. Now they can’t totally live for the Lord because of it.

It’s time to call them to Christ. We need to get strong in the Lord and break the hold that the world has over us.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8

God is calling His strays back into the harvest field.

“I used to go to church.”

Don’t you want to fulfill your calling? It’s time for you to get back into the spiritual battle. Hear the Word of the Lord. Get strong again.

Think about when David and men came into town for supplies. The debt collectors didn’t go near them. There was strength in numbers. It’s the same in the body of Christ.

Sometimes people make it sound so holy.

“I don’t need church. I’m living for God – it’s just me and Jesus.”

The fact is that the devil has an easy time beating up the “lone ranger” Christians. It’s time to get back into the safety of God’s people.

These believers need to get back on the road to their calling. We can’t fulfill our destiny all alone. We need each other.

Maybe you feel bruised and battered. It might have even been at the hands of church people. I have to admit that there are some churches that do more harm than good.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus Christ has established His church as a place of healing, growth, and worship. Don’t allow the foolishness of others to rob you of your destiny.

For every church that hurts people, there are many others that fulfill God’s calling to bring healing to the broken. You need to overcome your hurt, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to bring you to a body of believers who are living correctly for Christ.

Believe it or not, your hurt is only temporary. God wants to put you back on your feet to live for Him. Don’t waste another day missing your calling. Do what it takes to overcome the attack of the enemy that was meant to destroy you.

Let God have the final Word in your life. You can overcome in Christ.

Question: How has the Lord brought you victoriously through hurts in the past?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 3, 2016 in Fellowship, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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Calling the Pressured

01 Aug

PressureI’m posting about how God gathered the mighty men around King David in the Old Testament. There are many parallels to what God is doing in the church today. In my last article I talked about getting over the hurts of the past and moving forward in Christ.

In the book of Acts, chapter 6, we’re told of a daily food distribution to widows. The Greek speaking widows were being left out. What was the result? Did they get offended and leave the church?

No, it became the start of a new ministry. An offence is simply a ministry that someone isn’t doing. In our generation, it seems that we find it easier to leave, than work things out. It’s time to get over your offence and decide to SERVE CHRIST.

Who were the people who showed up to help David?

All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
1 Samuel 22:2

There are others – Christians all around us who are not living up to their potential in Christ. We should be calling them back to fruitfulness. They’re not going anywhere and not accomplishing anything for the Lord.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Who are these people that God brought to David? The first thing that the Scripture says about them is that they were in distress. That literally means that they were in a narrow place, pressured.

There are Christians under pressure right now. It’s keeping them from going to church. It’s time to be bold. We must go to these believers.

“God wants you strong in spirit.”

“It’s time to hear a Word from heaven.”

We need an influx of spiritual warriors – this is where it starts. God is calling believers who are under pressure. There’s no better time than now to find them.

Why do we want them in ministry?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The word trouble in this passage is actually the Greek word for pressure. Pressure qualifies us for ministry. When we can endure pressure, we can help others who are undergoing the same things.

We must call them in. God can and will restore them.

Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.
Psalm 119:143

David knew the secret to victory in times of pressure. We need to stay in the Word. That’s where we get the strength to overcome.

Question: What are some pressures that God gave you the victory over?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 

 
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Posted by on August 1, 2016 in Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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