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An Example of Christian Service

25 Sep
An Example of Christian Service

We’re going to continue our study of the book of Philippians. Paul has been talking about his ministry. Now he gives them insight into a man named Epaphroditus.

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.

Philippians 2:25 NIV

First, let’s find out a little about who he is. We know that he came from the church at Philippi in order to bring a monetary donation to Paul’s ministry (Philippians 4:18). However, it’s obvious from Paul’s description, that they knew each other very well.

He uses three words of increasing intimacy. He starts by calling him a brother, sharing a common heritage. But, more than that, a fellow worker. They labor together in God’s work.

Then, there’s an even deeper bond. Paul calls him a fellow soldier. They’ve been on the front lines together. There’s a connection that’s forged in the fires of battle. It doesn’t matter whether the conflict is natural or spiritual. They have faced the same enemy together and came out victorious.

Then there’s a word Paul uses that I need to take some time to explain. He calls Epaphroditus their messenger. That’s an interesting translation. The actual word Paul uses is, apostle.

I believe this is because there are denominations that feel the office of Apostle ended with the early church. So, the translators didn’t want to offend some of their readers. The fact is, the Apostle Paul called Epaphroditus a fellow Apostle.

That causes me to believe that Epaphroditus was the pastor of the Philippian church. He had wanted to deliver the offering to Paul personally. But, while he was there, a problem arose.

For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

Philippians 2:26-30 NIV

While he was with Paul, Epaphroditus became sick, and almost died. It’s very important that we see the heart of this man.

At some point, Paul sent a message to the Philippian church that they needed to be praying for his healing. We can see the true heart of a pastor and apostle when we see Epaphroditus’ response. He was greatly distressed – not because he was sick – but because his church found out and was burdened for him.

That’s what the Bible talks about, in putting others ahead of ourselves. He was more concerned about the church than he was of his own condition. Then, God’s healing power was manifest in his life.

This is why Paul exhorts the church to receive him back with joy and to honor people like him. He was willing to lay his life down for the cause of Christ. That’s the true heart of ministry.

He needs to be an example to us, especially to those of us in Christian leadership. It’s not about us. We are to lead God’s people knowing that we’re called to serve. We are to seek to be a blessing.

That’s what Jesus taught His disciples.

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:26-28 NIV

We need to follow in the footsteps of great men and women for God, like Epaphroditus.

Question: How do you personally fulfill the call to servant leadership?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on September 25, 2023 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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Unique Gifts

24 Apr
Unique Gifts

We’re continuing to walk through the book of Ephesians. Having showed us the strength of our unity, Paul now talks about the unique gifts we have in the church.

Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Ephesians 4:7-8 Berean Literal Bible (BLB)

This is great news. Even though we walk in unity as a church, God still deals with us individually. We are each given grace that has been personalized for us by Christ.

That’s why I can’t judge you by what God is doing in me. The Lord works differently in all of us. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. His grace is uniquely catered to each one of us.

But there’s a purpose to all of this.

This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…

Ephesians 4:8-11 NIV

This passage tells me that when Christ rose from the dead, His desire was for the blessing of His people. He gave grace to some for the purpose of being a gift to the church.

This grouping is commonly called the “five-fold” ministry. Just as the USA has a federal Government and a state government, these ministries are like the federal level. Their influence is more far reaching than a single local church.

Unfortunately, many turn around what Paul is saying here. As a pastor, I understand that my life has been given as a gift to bless God’s people. Too often there are those who think that the church is a gift to them, to further their desires.

Each of these ministries is uniquely qualified to enhance the church in some way. Apostles are the first. We have little understanding of these in the modern church. Their job is to start and establish churches on a firm foundation of truth.

Then there are prophets. These men and women are used by the Holy Spirit to speak on behalf of Christ. They keep us in order, if we’ll listen to them.

Of course, there are many who put “apostle” or “prophet” on their business cards who never received that calling from God. The only way to know for sure is to judge them by the work they’re doing for Christ.

Next are evangelists. We’ve used that word in the modern church as a catch-all for anyone who goes around preaching. That’s not the meaning of this word. An evangelist is specifically someone who brings the Good News of Christ, not merely preaching about the Bible.

Teachers are those who take the truths of the Scripture and make them readily understandable to the congregation. It’s through the anointed teaching of God’s Word that we can hear and apply those things that can truly change our lives.

The word, pastor, literally means shepherd. They are the leaders of local congregations of believers. They’re responsible, not only to minister to the needs of the local community, but to be aware of what God is doing on a global level.

These ministries are gifts to the body of Christ. They’re needed for our growth and maturity. In my next post we’ll see what exactly God wants them to accomplish in His people.

Question: How have you seen the five-fold ministry function in the church?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on April 24, 2023 in Anointing, Leadership, Ministry, The Church

 

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Our Unique Callings

02 Jul
Our Unique Callings

We’re continuing in the book of Romans as Paul explains to us the place of Israel in God’s plan. He now looks at the Jew-Gentile relationship. He starts by asking another question.

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!

Romans 11:11-12

He asks the rhetorical question; did Israel trip to the point where they fell and lost it all? The answer is a resounding “No!” He says that their side-slip opened up salvation for the Gentiles. At this point, God is using this chance at salvation to provoke a rivalry.

So, if their side-slip means riches for the world, and their deterioration means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their completion be? God’s goal through all of this is not Israel’s destruction. The Lord is looking for their total restoration.

Paul now reminds us who he’s talking to.

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.

Romans 11:13-14

Paul is specifically writing to Gentiles. It’s important that we understand his ministry. That word, apostle, means one who is set apart and sent out on a mission.

According to Paul, his mission is the Gentiles. At one point Paul submitted his Gospel to the Apostles in Jerusalem. He wanted to make sure he was in sync with the rest of Christianity at that time.

As for those who seemed to be important — whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance — those men added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.

Galatians 2:6-7

In their meeting, they clearly saw the hand of God at work. Peter was obviously called to evangelize the Jews. Paul, on the other hand, was uniquely qualified to bring the message of Christ to the Gentile world.

Both Peter and Paul understood this important truth. We’re not called to do everything and reach everybody. Each one of us has a unique and specific area of ministry. We get into trouble when we try to be like someone else.

In Romans 11:13, above, Paul tells us that he glorifies that area of service – it’s of great importance to him. Yet, in the next verse, he tells us that he’s still hoping to win Israel to Christ.

The Apostle Paul has to deal with the same issues in his ministry that we deal with each day. He has a God-ordained ministry, yet he would rather do something different. He would rather be reaching the Jews.

The simple fact is that Paul wasn’t a Peter. What was it about Peter that he could win a thousand Jews to Christ at a time? I don’t know, but God was at work through his gifts and personality.

Paul was a totally different person. It’s clear that reaching the Jewish people was not his strong point. In spite of that, he tried again and again to reach them. And, whenever he did, he ran into trouble – he was stoned, thrown into jail, or had to go into hiding and leave the city.

We need to learn this lesson. We have to go before God and spend time in His presence. That’s how we come to understand our unique calling. We’ll begin to see who we personally are meant to reach and how to accomplish it. Time in the spirit is a great benefit to our ministry.

Questions: Who are you called to reach? How has God qualified you to do it?

© 2021 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2021 in Israel, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit, Spiritual Walk

 

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Church Ministry (Part 1)

01 Jul

In my last post, we saw the list of ministry functions needed for a healthy church.  In today’s article, I want to begin looking at them in more detail.

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?
1 Corinthians 12:28-30

As I said in my last post, even though some of these may sound similar to the manifestations of the Spirit, it’s not the same list.

Apostle.  Over the years, we’ve Christianized this word to the point where the meaning is almost lost to us.  We get the idea that it’s a “holy man” so high in the ranks that it’s all but unreachable.  Some teach that after the first 12 apostles, there were never any more.

We need to understand that Paul is talking about ministry in the local church here.  That means this apostolic ministry should be found within each local congregation.

This word means to be set apart as a messenger or delegate.  It’s someone who is under orders to go to a certain place and represent the one who sent them.  I believe this is talking about the pastoral ministry in the local church.  It’s the person or people who oversee all the other ministries of the church.

Prophet.  These are people who hear God’s voice and speak what He wants to be said.  We need to be aware of what God is saying to the church.

I think that sometimes we get the idea that prophecy is always about the future.  That’s not the case.  A prophet will reveal truth that we need to hear.

There are times when a prophet will bring hidden sins to the surface so they can be dealt with.  Sometimes it’s a word of encouragement or insight into a challenge we’re going through.  And, yes, there are times when they will reveal something that’s about to happen in the future.

Teacher.  This is the one that we’re the most familiar with.  It’s the person who helps others by explaining truth that has already been revealed in Scripture.

However, that’s not as easy as it sounds.  In the church, we’re not just dealing with facts and figures.  We’re to train people in how to apply the truth of Scripture to their daily walk.

This requires us to spend time in the presence of the Great Teacher – the Holy Spirit.  He alone will give us the insight we need to speak life to those who will listen.  A godly teacher will make deep truths accessible to those who want to learn.

Workers of Miracles.  Now we’re getting into an area we don’t see very often.  Maybe it’s because nobody thinks of this as a ministry of the church.  In most churches, miracles aren’t common anymore.

Simply put, the word miracle in this verse is actually the Greek word for power.  It’s talking about people who consistently walk in the power of God.  They’re the ones you go to when you have a pressing need.

These people should definitely be a part of the church prayer team.  They spend time in the Lord’s presence developing their faith and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

Like I said, this isn’t seen very much in the church of our generation.  My hope is that as I teach it, many will feel the call to walk in this great ministry.  Then, they’ll spend the time needed to develop intimacy with God.

In my next post, I’ll continue explaining these important local church ministries.  If you don’t already know your calling in the body of Christ, read them prayerfully.  Be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to do through you.

Question: Why does the church of our generation seem to downplay the more powerful ministries?

© 2019 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2019 in Leadership, Ministry, Power of God, The Church

 

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Truth in Titles

22 Apr

We’re continuing to look at Paul’s view of the “grey areas”.  Those activities that the Bible doesn’t talk about, but we debate whether or not they’re sinful.  Specifically, he’s talking about buying and eating meat that has been offered in a pagan sacrifice.

So far, he’s given us two principles.  The pagan temples have no power, so the meat itself is not sinful.  On the other hand, there are those who are weak and may feel guilty about it.  They must be protected.

Now Paul begins talking about a third principle.

Am I not free?  Am I not an apostle?  Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?  Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?  Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you!  For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 9:1-2

To begin this thought, Paul talks about his ministry.  He is free in Christ.  He has had an encounter with the risen Lord.  He works tirelessly for God, and the Corinthian church is a result of that ministry.

It is, however, important that we hear and understand what he says about this ministry.  Paul is very clear that he’s an apostle of Christ.  The important key is that being an apostle is a ministry and not merely a title.

I believe that there are too many people today with the title of “Apostle”.  Paul shows us that it’s the work you’re doing that confirms your apostleship.  If you’re not doing the ministry of an apostle, then you’re not an apostle.

There’s another, deeper issue that we need to see.  Paul didn’t go out and have business cards printed with the title, apostle.  He didn’t introduce himself as “Apostle Paul”.

You have to realize that you’re only an apostle to those who have been affected under your ministry.  Paul understood that he was not an apostle to everyone.  It wasn’t a title of honor, but a description of his ministry to certain churches.

We live in a generation where so many people are title conscious.  If you don’t have a title, then you have no credibility.

“Where did you go to school?  What’s your title?  Who conferred it on you?”

Do you understand that in the body of Christ none of these things make any difference?  Don’t tell me what you want to be called; show me what you’re doing for Christ.  That’s the bottom line.

As a pastor, I’ve submitted to the apostles that the Lord’s brought into my life.  They had an effect on me and my ministry.  I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for their ministry.

The funny thing is that only one of them ever publically referred to himself as an apostle.  The one who did only used it in meetings where those under his ministry were present.

Instead of trying to impress people with our titles, we should be striving to advance the kingdom of God.  It’s the work that distinguishes you as an apostle or any other ministry gift.  It’s by their fruit that you recognize them.

Always keep this in mind as God advances you in your calling.  Let the results of your ministry be the proof of your credentials.  In that way, God receives the glory and not men.

Question: What happens when someone claims a ministry gift that isn’t proved by their walk with God?

© 2019 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on April 22, 2019 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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