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A Call for Repentance

11 Nov
A Call for Repentance

We’ve been looking at Paul’s “open letter” to the unsaved society around us.  That’s how he starts his letter to the Roman church.

He warns that without Christ, judging each other is pointless.  Of course he gets to the heart of the matter.

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

Romans 2:4

That’s the real question that those in the world need to be asked.  It’s our job as believers to show them the kindness, tolerance, and patience of the Lord.  All the while we should be leading them towards repentance.

The problem is that many times we do the first part while ignoring the second half of this verse.  We love and accept the unsaved just as they are.  However, if we never show them the way of salvation, they’ll be lost for eternity.

Too often we stay silent because we fear rejection.  But they’re refusal of the Gospel is not on us.  It’s a choice that they might make.

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.  God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”

Romans 2:5-6

Remember, Paul is speaking as if to the unsaved.  As believers, we don’t need to worry about God’s wrath.  There’s no wrath in Christ.  (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

Most of us don’t like to think about this truth.  Yet, I believe it’s something we need to ponder.  If I, as a Christian, don’t understand what’s at stake, I’ll be very uncaring about the lives within my sphere of influence.

We have a responsibility to warn the ones we love about this future event that everyone needs to prepare for.  The apostle shows us the clear choice.  It all hinges on what a person is seeking in life.

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For God does not show favoritism.

Romans 2:7-11

This passage is actually a great guideline for checking someone’s readiness to receive the Gospel.  You can tell by their works what they’re seeking in life.  The words, glory, honor, and immortality, have more than just a religious meaning.

It’s talking about an unsaved person who consistently shows certain qualities.  They try to do things that raise dignity, add value to life, and produce long-lasting effects.  These are the ones who are ripe for the Gospel message.

Those who are self-serving and only accept what they want to believe need to be interceded for.  They need a change of heart by the work of the Holy Spirit first.  Then they’ll be ready for that saving Word.

But the bottom line is, no one is outside of God’s love or His grace.  Everyone has the potential to receive the forgiveness and salvation of Christ.

Question: Who needs to hear the Gospel in your sphere of influence?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 11, 2020 in Faith, Ministry, Prayer, The Gospel

 

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Judgment?

09 Nov
Judgment?

Paul’s letter to the Roman church starts in chapter 1 with a Word about unsaved society at large.  He talks about the results of rejecting the true knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As we enter chapter 2, Paul shifts a little and starts speaking directly to those in the godless world around us.  That’s who the apostle is speaking to in verses 1 through 16.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.  Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.

Romans 2:1-2

Let me repeat myself.  This passage was not written to believers.  It is a Word to the unsaved.  He’s explaining the foolishness of ungodly people judging one another.

I know of believers who were living sinful lives.  Then a concerned brother or sister comes to them and tries to help restore them.  The sinning believer immediately quotes this verse and says, “The Bible says not to judge, so stop judging me.”

A quick look at Paul’s other letters will show the fallacy of this remark.

Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.

1 Corinthians 5:3

This was concerning a believer in the Corinthian church who was involved in an affair with someone else’s wife.  Look at what Paul also said.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?  Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

1 Corinthians 5:12-13

The fact is, believers are supposed to judge the actions of other believers.  In that way we can lovingly warn them of the result of what they’re doing.

What I’m not supposed to judge is your motives.  I don’t know what you’re thinking.  So I’m not to judge you based upon what I perceive your intentions are.

Also, we’re not to judge the lives of the unsaved people around us.  Sinners are going to sin.  It’s not our job to tell them that what they’re doing is wrong.

For the most part, the unsaved know that there’s something wrong with their lives.  What they need to hear is the love, forgiveness, and salvation that are only found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Too often the church is accused, and rightly so, of preaching a word of condemnation.  On the contrary, my place is to preach the Good News of Christ.  That’s what will draw people to the cross.

Getting back to the verse in Romans above, Paul points out the foolishness of what goes on in the world.  It’s full of people who are condemning one another.  He says that when they pass judgment on someone, they’re actually giving themselves a guilty verdict.

That’s because, in God’s eyes, they’re habitually practicing the same wrong behaviors.

So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?  Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

Romans 2:3-4

It should be obvious now, from this last passage that Paul is speaking to the unsaved.  We need to hear God’s heart.  The goal of all this is repentance.

In dealing with the world, our goal should be the same – introduce them to the love of the Savior.

Question: What is your attitude toward our godless society?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 9, 2020 in Legalism, The Gospel

 

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How Did We Get Here?

06 Nov
How Did We Get Here?

We’re continuing to look at Paul’s view of Christless society in the book of Romans.  He’s talking about those who have refused the knowledge of God.

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

Romans 1:28

This is an interesting verse.  It literally says that these people did not approve of God in their knowledge.  They know what God would require of them, so they would just rather not think about Him.

Because of this, God yielded to their wishes and allowed them to operate with a worthless way of thinking.  This is the cause of what we see in our society right now.

Simply put, the knowledge of God is not politically correct.  As soon as we start talking about God’s way of doing things, those who have rejected God try to shut us down.  It seems like we can tolerate any belief system except Christianity.

What we get as a result, is a society that looks just like what Paul describes here.

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:29-32

I don’t think I need to describe each of these things individually.  You get the point.  But I do want to talk about a couple of them that I think are very applicable to our generation.

The first is envy.  We live in a very envious society.  That’s the basis of our advertising industry.  They show us what others have and what we should want.  Then we spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need.

Another area is deceit.  This is rampant in our day.  Now that I’m a senior, I get many annoying phone calls.  People call, who claim to be the IRS, police, or other government agencies, who are scammers just trying to get me to give them cash.

Another big issue is God-haters.  In my experience, there are very few true atheists.  I, personally, have never met a true atheist.  What do I mean by that?

I think a true atheist is someone who put all the facts together and came to a conclusion that there’s no God.  Instead, what we see are people who look at the hurt that they or others have gone through.  Then, as a result, conclude that they can’t believe in a God who would allow that to happen.

I’ve even talked with a nationally known atheist.  But it was clear from the conversation that she was a God-hater rather than a true atheist.  There are many in that condition, who simply like the label of “atheist”.

In all of this, I think it’s the last phrase that says it all.  Those who do things that are obviously wrong are approved and applauded.  That’s the basis of much of our entertainment industry.

Just look at the TV shows and movies we watch, the music we listen to, and the gaming scenarios we participate in.  Many of them promote, or allow, a celebration of evil actions.  Murder, hatred, and the occult are the themes in much of our cultural activities.

As Christians, we need to be careful to continually guard our spirits.  Spending time in the presence of the Holy Spirit is needed to keep ourselves clean from the sin that’s all around us.  We must be the light of Christ shining in our darkened society.

Question: How do you keep yourself set apart to God in this culture?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 6, 2020 in Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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God’s View of a Sinful World

04 Nov
God’s View of a Sinful World

I’m continuing to go through Paul’s letter to the Roman church.  We’re now about to enter one of the most controversial sections.  I have to be careful in how I explain it.

This passage of Scripture is not controversial because we argue over what it means.  On the contrary, the meaning of the words is very clear.  We argue over whether or not to believe it as God’s Word.

Personally, I choose to believe everything in the Bible as written.  That being said, I also believe that there’s no place in the Christian life for self-righteous hatred, bigotry, or condemnation.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Romans 1:26-27

The first thing to note is what this passage is and is not saying.  Too many Christians grab this verse and run with it to attack others. That’s not the purpose.

We have to remember that everything in Scripture is based in God’s unfailing love.  There’s no one outside of God’s love.

Even in this section I see the grace and patience of the Lord.  There’s a phrase that’s repeated three times – here, in verse 24 (which we looked at in the last post), and in verse 28.  It reads, God gave them over.

That literally means that God surrendered or yielded to their desires.  In other words, God allows us to do what we want to do.  He doesn’t stop us, even if we head in a wrong direction.  He gives us the freedom to choose our own path.

Another issue we need to understand is that sin is about actions and not desire.  In my flesh, I may want to do wrong, but the spiritual battle isn’t over until a final decision is made.

Of course, that brings me to an important point…what exactly is sin?  When people hear that word they immediately think, “Evil”.  But the truth is that sin isn’t always evil or bad.

The literal definition of sin in both the Old and New Testaments is to miss the mark.  God holds up the ideal of the perfect life.  We strive to reach it.  But, when we miss God’s best, even by a little, that’s sin.

The Bible is clear that all sin is the same in God’s eyes.  It all comes with the spiritual death penalty.  There’s no grading on a curve.  A white lie and murder are equal before the Lord.  That’s why we need a Savior who carried all of our sin to the cross.

As human beings we like to assign different values of severity to sin.  We think some are worse than others.  Because of this, we’ll vocally attack some lifestyle choices, while we nurture others.

Case in point – before the pandemic you would have to stand in line to get in a buffet restaurant on a Sunday after church services conclude.  We would happily join someone with a gluttonous lifestyle, as they satisfy that craving.  (I can say that because this is one of my personal battles I’m trying to overcome in my life.)

Finally, we have to realize that we’re all under God’s grace.  There’s no condemnation until the final judgment when Christ returns.

STD’s are not God’s judgment on alternate lifestyles.  Just as heart disease and cancer aren’t God’s judgments on overeaters and smokers.

Yes, as Christians we need to know what actions the Bible labels as sin.  But we also need to walk in the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.  That’s what our dark society needs right now.

Question: How do you show Christ’s love to those who are not living by God’s standards?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 4, 2020 in Spiritual Walk

 

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Dark Thinking

02 Nov
Dark Thinking

In my last post, I began looking at Paul’s view of society without Christ.  He also made the point that God’s character is seen through His creation.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

As a believer who loves the outdoors, this verse excites me.  To see the beauty of a mountain vista, fall colors, lake, sky, and wind.  They all combine together to give a sense of awe and wonder.  All of Creation seems to cry out that it’s the work of someone vastly more intelligent and powerful than you or I.

But that’s not how it is for everybody.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Romans 1:21-23

This passage reminds us that not everyone credits God for His work.  There are those who see a vastly different picture.  As I said in my last post, evolution and chance are the gods of this world.  There are many people who overlook the obvious in order to avoid giving account of themselves to God.

The fact remains that God has revealed Himself in the context of His Creation.  This is why society does not seek understanding even though it’s the most important issue of life.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Romans 1:24-25

The problem is that understanding brings with it the desire to know God.  So, in order to deflect this knowledge, man has decided to worship creation rather than the Creator.

You may think that this section of Scripture is outdated.  People don’t worship images in the shape of humans or animals anymore.  But is that really the case?

We need to see the definition of the word, worship.  It means the act or feeling of adoration or homage.  It involves the giving of deference, respect or honor to someone or something.

Just because our modern idols are not statues of silver and gold doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  In our society, we worship athletes, entertainers, educators, politicians, and chefs to name a few.  We even have a popular show called American Idol. 

According to the verses above, this mindset causes us to walk in foolish and empty reasoning.  We end up worshiping things that are temporary and decaying.

Without Christ, we make a very foolish exchange.  We give up the glory of a powerful and eternal God for things that will never satisfy or last forever.

The worst part is that there are many Christians who are running after these same things.  They don’t understand that true satisfaction and fulfillment can only be found in the center of God’s will for them.

Make it your goal to seek the eternal.  Spend time getting to know the God of Creation through your relationship with Christ.

Question: What is the focus of worship in your life?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on November 2, 2020 in Creation, Spiritual Walk, Worship

 

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The Cost of Understanding

30 Oct
The Cost of Understanding

We’re continuing our walk through Paul’s letter to the Roman church.  Having finished his introduction, the apostle now begins the journey to maturity.

He begins by talking about mankind, lost and without Christ.  That’s where any walk of faith must start.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Romans 1:18-19

This is an interesting contrast to what he just wrote.  In my last post we saw that Paul talked about the righteousness of God being revealed through the Gospel.  Now we see the anger of God being revealed from heaven.

Who is this anger against?  The answer is simple.  It’s against the godlessness and wickedness of mankind who suppress truth.

We live in a society of spiritual convenience.  What do I mean by that?  It would be very convenient to not have a God that we must answer to.

So on one hand we have true atheists who have made the choice not to believe in God.  On the other hand we have practical atheists who say they believe in God, but live as if God has no effect on their lives.

The result is a society that’s slipping further and further into wickedness.  In Scripture, that word speaks of doing things where it’s self-evident that they’re wrong.

I guess the real question is, how has God made His anger plain?  Many people say that they can look at creation and not even think about a God.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

There’s a key phrase in this verse – being understood.  Understanding means to apply the mental effort needed to reach a decision.  It means to put together everything you’re seeing to form a conclusion.

This is what society fears the most.  If you apply understanding to what you see around you, it will lead you to God.  There’s no way around it, understanding will bring you face to face with God.

The Lord made it impossible to use understanding to arrive at the conclusion that we’re here by the evolutionary process.  Applying understanding to the world around us will never lead to a belief in random chance.  How does that theory come about?

It starts with the foundation of atheism – I don’t want there to be a God.  I must now find an explanation for how we could have gotten here if there were no God.  Of course, all the facts won’t fit into my theory, but at least I can explain how there can be life without God – even if it means I put my understanding on hold.

That’s why evolution will always be a theory.  It can never be proven, because there are too many things that it can’t explain when taken all together.  All it can do is provide a bit of consolation for those who don’t want to believe in God.

This is where the frightening world of understanding comes in.  Understanding will cost you something.  It brings responsibility with it.  Once I understand that there’s a God that I must answer to, the rest of my life is affected by this knowledge.  That’s why the quest for understanding is one which is not undertaken by many.

It’s my prayer that you are one of the few who seek to understand the truth.

Question: How does your understanding of God affect your lifestyle?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 30, 2020 in Faith, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Gospel

 

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The Righteous Walk

28 Oct
The Righteous Walk

In my last post I talked about the Good News of Christ that brings salvation.  Paul now continues by talking about the results of this Gospel.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 1:17

There are so many believers bound in the notion that if we can just be righteous enough, we can walk in the power of the Spirit.  They spend their lives frustrated trying to live up to the righteous rules set out by their teachers.  Many give up on ever obtaining a walk in the power of the Spirit.  Little do they know that their quest is in vain.

The truth is that the law, any law or set of rules, has no power to change a life.  All of my good intentions and will power are not enough.  I need the Holy Spirit to work in my life if I’m going to see lasting change.

The righteous life can only come from a walk of power.  Jesus not only walked in power, but also in the righteousness of the Father.  This means it’s possible for me as well.  I just need apply the truth of Scripture to my life.

Righteousness is not a function of my strength or my will power.  It comes from God through His Holy Spirit.  The key is that this truth is revealed in the Gospel – the Good News.  Truly, to many believers righteousness from God is Good News.

As I’ve said before, so many live their lives constantly failing to live up to the standards set by Christ in the Word.  The Good News is that you don’t have to walk in failure.  But wait a minute!  Maybe you think I’m talking about the imparted righteousness that God gives to us when we’re saved.  I’m not.

The Bible teaches about two different kinds of righteousness under the New Covenant.  First, there’s imparted righteousness.  This is the righteousness that Christ places within you when you’re saved.

This means that when God the Father looks at you, He sees you in Christ.  This gives you access to God at all times so that your sin will not keep you from approaching the throne for forgiveness, praise, worship, or any other purpose.  We need this righteousness to establish a relationship with the Lord as we grow in our faith.

There is also another kind of righteousness that the New Testament talks about.  That’s the walk of righteousness.

This is the application of the righteousness of God to our daily lives.  This means that I live correctly before God.  This one is harder to see manifest in my life.  That’s especially true if I try to accomplish it in my own power, as so many Christians endeavor to do.

I believe that in the above verse, Paul is talking about the walk of righteousness.  It’s this righteousness from God that allows us to live righteously.  We can never hope to walk rightly before God in our own strength.  It’s going to require us to walk in the ability of the Lord in order to please Him.

The book of Romans is all about the journey to a walk of power and righteousness in Christ.  Right now, we’re only going through Paul’s introduction.  Stick with me and you’ll see how it all applies to your life.

Question: Why is it so tempting to please God in our own strength?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 28, 2020 in Legalism, Power of God, Spiritual Walk

 

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Ashamed of the Gospel?

26 Oct
Ashamed of the Gospel?

Do you find yourself hesitant to share your faith with the people around you?  Do you get flustered when asked about what you believe or your opinion on religious matters?

Many Christians find themselves in this condition.  As we continue our study in Romans, Paul gives us the answer to this.

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.  That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Romans 1:14-16

We probably all know by now that the word Gospel in the Bible is a Greek word that literally means the Good News.  What is this Good News?

According to the verse above, it’s the power of God to save everyone.  That’s the Good News in a nutshell.  God is powerful enough to save all who come to Him.

Because of this truth, Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed” of this Good News.  But that statement leads us to a thought provoking question.  If I am ashamed of it, is it really the Gospel?

Think about this illustration for a moment.  You were just promoted to Vice President of your company and your salary was doubled.  Would you be too ashamed to tell anyone about that good news?  If you had just won a new car, would you be too ashamed to speak about that?

When it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have to ask, what is it that we’re ashamed of and why?  Is it even the Good News that we’re talking about?

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’s 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’s 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 your sphere of influence?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 26, 2020 in Power of God, The Gospel

 

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Mutual Encouragement

23 Oct
Mutual Encouragement

As we continue in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he introduces his purposes for them.  From the way he writes, it sounds as if they had not received a visit from any of the apostles at this point.  Paul wants to remedy this since he’s called to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.  I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Romans 1:11-13

He tells them that he has an intense desire to see them.  It’s not just for a social visit.  He wants to impart to them some grace gifts.

We miss this sometimes in our present church experience.  We sometimes get the idea that it’s every man (or woman) for themselves.  We lose out on the passing of spiritual gifts from one generation to the next.

What gifts are being talked about here?  I believe that Paul is referring to the gifts that he speaks about later in this letter.  I won’t go into detail with them now, but here’s the list.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.  If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;  if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:6-8

In chapter one, Paul says that he wants to impart grace gifts to them.  In chapter 12, he says that these gifts come as grace is given to us.  That’s why I believe these gifts are the ones he’s talking about.

What we have to realize is that these are the gifts of sharing.  We’re all given the grace of God, but the Lord doesn’t expect us to keep it to ourselves.

These gifts explain how each of us shares this grace with others.  We all have a unique personality and temperament.  We all share God’s grace differently.  Notice that only one of these gifts involves giving money.

But for now you’ll have to be patient.  I won’t talk about these in detail until I get to chapter 12.

Paul goes on, in the verse from chapter 1, to tell them the main reason for his visit.  He wants to see them established in their faith through mutual encouragement.

That was a big part of Paul’s ministry as an apostle.  Look at how the apostle closes this letter.

Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past…

Romans 16:25

This is what the letter to the Roman church is all about.  It was inspired by the Holy Spirit to establish us in the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The term, mutual encouragement, literally means to be coached together.  As we learn the principles set forth in this epistle, we can put our faith together and grow into the mature believers we need to be.

That’s my goal with this series of posts.  To show the journey of faith as Paul lays it out for us.

Question: How do you see yourself sharing God’s grace with others?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 23, 2020 in Encouragement, Faith, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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Who Hired You?

21 Oct
Who Hired You?

We call Satan “the enemy.”  But in many cases, it looks like regular church people have accepted payment from him to ignore the work of God.  Are you one of these individuals?

As he begins his letter to the Romans, Paul talks about who hired him.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.  God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

Romans 1:8-10

The first thing I see is that our faith is visible in our actions.  Everyone knew the faith of the Roman church because they heard about what they were doing.  As a result, they were constantly being prayed for as people thought of them.

In the next verse, the word serve literally means to serve as a hired menial.  So Paul is saying that he considers himself hired by God for a purpose.  He understands that there’s a payment, a reward that he’ll receive from God for a job well done.

How do we handle this?  In our modern American culture there’s not a lot of job loyalty anymore.  People are constantly keeping their resumes tuned up in case a better position opens up in another company.  It’s unfortunate, but this same mindset has spilled over into the church.

Satan tries to capitalize on this thinking.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Matthew 4:8-10

In this verse we see Satan trying to give Christ a better offer.  It was promised that the Messiah would one day rule over all the kingdoms of the world.  But by God’s way, the Lord would have to suffer and die in agony to receive it.

Satan is giving Christ the chance to bypass all the pain.  By a simple act of devotion, He could receive the reward without the pain of the cross.  I’m so glad that Jesus saw through the deception, and carried out God’s plan as it was meant to be done.

Satan tries to buy us off all the time.  He holds out to us all the pleasures, entertainments, and activities of the world.  He tells us to just play with these toys for a little while.

“They’re not sinful, and nobody will be hurt by them.”

But there’s a price that’s being paid.  The work of the kingdom is being ignored by a large segment of believers.  There are souls not being saved, prisoners not being set free, and lives not being healed.  There’s a calling that only you can fulfill.

If you’re looking for a better offer, Satan will give it to you; he just won’t follow through with it.  It’s time for the church of Christ to rise to its feet.  We must throw off the distractions of the world and complete the assignments that we were called to do.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…

Hebrews 12:28

Our wages from the Lord are well worth what we’re called to do.  We’re hired by God for a purpose.  Let’s give all and do great things for God!

Questions: How has the enemy tried to buy your time?  How have you answered his offer?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 21, 2020 in Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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