In my last post, I looked at Paul’s question – How does God give His Spirit and work power in the church? This question is the difference between all other religions and Christianity.
Think about it. In the book of Acts, the early church had no phones, radio, New Testament Scripture, or anything like the resources and knowledge we have today. Yet they walked in the power of God that’s unrivaled in our modern generation.
As I thought about it, I also realized that my grandparents couldn’t read and had no formal education to speak of. Yet there was an incredible manifestation of the power of God in their lives – what happened?
Let me say something now, for shock value, that I’ll explain more fully in a later post. It was when the church started teaching about the promises we began to lose the power.
Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
Romans 7:9-10
This verse is very clear. God saved me apart from the law when I trusted the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through this finished work I was made alive apart from the law. Then the commandment came, which the Scripture says is the power of sin (I Corinthians 15:56). When this happens, death begins its work in me.
Let me explain how God used this truth to minister to me. One day, as I was driving, praying, and meditating upon the Word, the Holy Spirit started to speak to me. I had been going through a rough time financially.
I had done everything that I knew to do. I had stood on all I’d been taught about prayers and confessions. I’ve always been a tither. I always remind the Lord what His Word says and that I’m standing on His promises.
At this point in my life I clearly heard God speak to my heart and ask me, “What are you basing your expectation on?” Immediately my thoughts turned to the Scripture. I’m basing my hope in the Word that tells me to tithe. If I’ll tithe, then You will rebuke the devourer and open the windows of Heaven. I give special offerings when You lead me to, so that I’ll receive the blessings of the seed of faith.
The Lord then asked me a question that floored me. He said, “So you’re basing your expectation upon the law?” I was speechless. I had no response to this. On the inside I felt like defending and justifying my actions. But deep down I knew that the Lord had hit upon the very root of the problem, even though at that point I had no clue how to get out of it.
I came to the realization that I had placed myself under the commandment. Trying to fulfill the requirements of the promises is a form of legalism.
Question: Are there Scriptural promises that you find yourself legalistic about?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, Christ, church, commandment, finished work of Christ, God, God exposed my legalism, Holy Spirit, Jesus, law, legalism, legalistic, manifestation, miracles, power, promises, promises of God, Scripture, Spirit of God, standing on the promises, the law
In my last post I talked about how we are called to live a life of excellence. Did you know that your eternal rewards are based upon how well you live up to this?
The Bible does speak over and over again about the different levels of rewards based upon the work we perform throughout our lives.
But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 12:48
The fact is that we are responsible for what we’ve received. A young Christian is not responsible for the truths that have not yet been made real to him. Someone who’s been walking with the Lord for years, and ignoring His call, will receive less in the kingdom.
It’s clear from Scripture that we’re going to be responsible for the grace that we’ve been given. With a greater anointing and calling comes greater responsibility.
I’ve found that many believers, ministers especially, want the miracles and the big churches without the character it takes to walk uprightly before God in that kind of work. The Lord wants us to grow from the inside out. An increase in power, without a corresponding increase in character, will destroy our spiritual walk.
As a matter of fact, it’s probably too late for you now. You’ve read too much. If you’ve been reading my blogs regularly, then God is going to require excellence from you and your ministry. Now that you know He’s a God of excellence, and that He requires excellence in His followers, you must begin to walk in it. Read on!
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
The Lord talked to His disciples about the narrow road. We like to interpret this verse as if it’s merely talking about the road of salvation. Salvation is indeed the first step toward excellence. When we chose Christ, we chose a better path than that of the world.
I believe, however, that this Scripture has a broader meaning in application to the body of Christ. Very few find the walk of excellence to which we have been called. “The few;” that sounds like the definition of excellence to me – “that which goes beyond the expected or the normal.”
The Lord expects us to find the narrow gate of excellence. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Question: Have you made the decision to live a life of excellence before God?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: anointing, beyond, Bible, calling, Christ, eternal reward, excellence, excellence and rewards, expected, Jesus, life of excellence, narrow, narrow gate, narrow road, normal, responsible, rewards, Scripture, walk of excellence, wide road, work
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Luke 11:9-10
This is a verse that we like to quote a lot. But, I want to know if it’s real to us. Do we understand the importance of seeking? And in all of our seeking, are we searching for what’s truly important?
I’m reminded of the children of Israel as they waited on the doorstep of the Promised Land. They selected 12 “spies” who were instructed to search out the land and come back with a report.
So they went up and explored the land…When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.
Numbers 13:21-25
God had promised this land to Israel. Now they were seeing it for the first time. They roamed up and down the whole area. Needless to say, they were very impressed with what they saw. The fruit was unmatched anywhere else. It was truly a blessed land that awaited them.
Their exploration of the land should be an example to us. We need to search out both the Scripture and the Mind of God to know our inheritance in Christ. It’s very important that we see what God has in store for us. Without that knowledge, we can’t go before God in faith to believe for the things that we need.
It’s unfortunate that most Christians have no idea the magnitude of the blessings there are in serving the Lord. They live their whole lives never knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for them. I believe it’s time for the church to live the abundant life that we were called to. This, more than anything else, will be an incredible witness to our generation.
That’s why the time you spend in the presence of the Lord is so important. Take the time each day to read the Bible, pray, and pray in the Spirit. That’s how you search out the things God has prepared for you.
As the Holy Spirit speaks to you, be quick to lay claim to the promise, blessing, grace, or strength that He offers. Walk each day in the faith that only comes through a living relationship with the Life-Giver.
Question: How intensely do you explore your “promised land”?
Tags: 12 spies, abundant life, ask, Bible, blessings, children of Israel, fruit, Holy Spirit, importance of seeking, knock, mind of Christ, our inheritance, pray, pray in the spirit, promise, promised land, promises of God, read, Scripture, seek, spiritual explorer, witness
I’ve been posting for a while on the Word of God and its relation to Scripture. In my last post I showed that the power of the early church was based upon their hearing from God. God spoke to them, they obeyed, and God confirmed His Word.
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:20
Scripture says that the Lord confirms His Word with the signs – healings and miracles – that accompanied it. What’s our problem? Do we serve a different God? Of course not. Is He still on the throne? That’s a dumb question.
We serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Then what’s the problem? It should be clear to us. We’re trying to get God to confirm the Bible verses that we’re preaching, when all along He wants to confirm the Word that He speaks to us.
He never told us to go out and read the Scripture to people for them to be saved – He tells us to proclaim His Word. I submit to you that our society has heard enough Scripture – it’s everywhere.
They’re sick of hearing Scripture. Many unbelievers can quote as much of the Bible as some Christians. What the world is desperate for is a Word from God. That’s what’s going to change their lives. They can argue with the Scripture, but the Word of God will cut straight to their heart.
In our exuberance over the enormous availability of Scripture, we have taken it too far. It doesn’t seem to matter what anyone says. As long as there’s a Scripture verse attached to it, we call it the Word of God.
It doesn’t take much listening to Christian radio or cable channels to see that many preachers are using Scripture to support their own teachings and philosophies. Hear me well. They may be preaching Scripture, but they are NOT proclaiming the Word of God.
In these cases, God is under no obligation to confirm what they’re preaching. God doesn’t have to confirm a quote from the Scripture; He only endorses His Word – what He wants said at that particular time and place.
Please don’t think, based upon what I said, that I have no respect for the Scripture. I cannot live without it. Daily, I read, memorize, study, and meditate on the Scripture. I use it prayerfully. I expect and seek God to speak to me through the pages of my Bible.
The difference is that now I’m also listening for God to use other means as well. I want to hear God’s voice – however He wants to speak to me. I believe that this was the basis for the power in the life of Christ and in the early church. One of my goals in this blog is to share how this works in a practical way.
Question: Is it your desire to hear a Word from God?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, confirming the Word, desperate, early church, God's voice, God's word, healings, hearing from God, heart, how God confirms his word, life of Christ, listening, miracles, power, proclaim his word, Scripture, signs following, word, word of God
In my last post I talked about the tendency of our generation to replace time with the Lord by studying Scripture. I think that part of our problem is that we’ve become spoiled by an abundance of the availability of Scripture.
Bibles are everywhere. I personally have about 20 Bibles. That doesn’t even take into consideration all of the Bibles I have access to online.
Please understand what I’m saying. This proliferation of Scripture is a great thing. The availability and accessibility of the Bible to all people is a wonderful blessing.
You would think that with so much Scripture around, there would be more salvations, healings, and miracles. Instead, what we see is a greater rise of worldliness – even among God’s people.
The problem is not that we need more Scripture. We need more of the Word of God. The more I hear from God, the more power I have to live for God.
The early church exemplified this. Think about it. How did they live? When persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, the believers fled in all directions.
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Acts 8:4
Here’s the foundation for their power. The Bible says that when they scattered, they preached the Word. How do you see this in your mind’s eye? What did they do, specifically?
Do you picture them walking into town, calling a meeting, and then saying, “Turn with me in your Bibles to John 3:16.”? That’s how we do it; but did they preach that way?
If you know your history, then you understand that nothing could be further from the truth. When this verse was written about them they had no Bibles. They couldn’t preach Scripture.
“Wait a minute, Pastor Nick, they had the Old Testament. They could use that to preach.”
First of all, most Christians of that day only knew a smattering of Old Testament Scripture. Secondly, they would have no access to an Old Testament “Bible”.
The Scripture was written on scrolls with painstaking detail. In order to afford a copy of the Scriptures you would need to be the equivalent of a multi-millionaire. Then if you did purchase it, you would need a storage space the size of a small living room to house it. Let’s face it, the normal Christian, on the run, had no access to a Bible.
Yet, we’re told that they “preached the Word” wherever they went. What is the Word that they preached? The answer is simple – they preached what they received in their intimate times with the Lord. As they did, an amazing thing happened.
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:20
Question: Is a lack of “signs” because God is no longer confirming, or because the church no longer preaching the Word?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundance, availability, Bible, confirm, confirm the word, God's word, healings, miracles, preach the word, salvations, Scripture, signs, signs following, study of Scripture, studying scripture, too much scripture, wonders, word, word of God
In my last post I talked about how Jesus rebuked the Pharisees (and us) for using the Scripture superstitiously. In effect, Jesus told them, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess healing. Yet you refuse to come to Me, the Healer.”
The Lord could say the same thing to us, these days. “You think that by Scripture you will possess prosperity, yet you refuse to come to Me, the Provider.”
Please understand what I’m saying. The Holy Spirit can speak a Word of healing to me through the Scripture, but He’s not limited to this avenue. All that I need for life and godliness is found in Christ.
I will never obtain God’s blessing through my works – not even through intensive study and memorizing of the Bible. Healing will come by the Word of God – no matter how God chooses to send it to me.
We need to hear a Word from God. That Word will only come from time spent in His presence. When I study the Bible instead of cultivating intimacy with the Lord, I’m going to lose out. That’s the very problem that the Pharisees had.
…and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior…
Titus 1:3
In this passage, Paul tells Titus that the Word of God is made visible by the command of God. It is God’s Word made manifest in God’s time. That’s why time spent with the Lord is so important. I need to be quiet and listening to hear His voice. Hearing from God is actually the greatest theme of the New Testament. It’s the foundation for everything we need in our walk with God.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
This is one of the greatest misunderstandings that we have in looking back to the early church. We think that they were just like us. On the contrary, they knew the importance of seeking a Word from God. They spent time in His presence listening for His voice.
What I’m saying is this – the study of Scripture and hearing from God are not replacements for each other. We need both, in order to have an abundant life in the Lord. In our generation, the study of Scripture has been elevated out of proportion to listening for God’s voice. That’s why my message is so strong for the church to spend time listening to God.
Question: Have you ever been guilty of seeking blessings from Scripture rather than Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, blessing, blessing of God, Christ, church, diligent study, God's word, hear his voice, Holy Spirit, importance of a word from God, Jesus, listening, manifest, Pharisee, Scripture, study, study of Scripture, superstition, voice of God, word, word from God, word of God, word of healing
I have been posting about the Word of God and its relation to Scripture. I’ve probably said some things that have caused you to question my beliefs. In today’s post you’ll see that what I believe is firmly rooted in the teaching of Christ, Himself.
At one point the Pharisees were trying to come up with a reason to kill Jesus. They were upset that He healed people on the Sabbath and called God “Father,” among other things. It’s important to see how the Lord handled these men. Remember, these were people who dedicated their lives to the study and memorization of Scripture.
And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 5:37-40
Notice how the Lord’s words to the Pharisees resemble His words to Satan when He was tempted. He first tells them that they have not heard from God nor seen God. He then told them that God’s Word did not live in them. Wait a minute – they had the Scripture memorized – yet God’s Word did not have a place in their lives.
Jesus then makes a statement that we need to pay particular attention to. He admits that those around Him diligently study the Scripture. Isn’t that a good thing? Why does it sound more like an indictment when the Lord says it?
Because it all depends upon why you’re studying the Scripture. They were approaching it with the wrong reasoning. Listen carefully to the words of Christ. He said that they diligently study the Scriptures because they think that by the Scripture they possess life.
Jesus is clear. You cannot possess life in Scripture. You can only possess life in Christ. It doesn’t matter how hard you study or how many verses you have memorized, according to Jesus, you will not find Life in the Scripture.
You may get mad at me for saying it – but that will not change the truth. How we handle the Scriptures these days borders on superstition. So many of us believe that the Bible is going to give us what we want.
I have heard it preached (I preached it, myself, before I understood the truth) that if you want something from God, “just find a Scripture that supports it and stand upon it.” That’s not what the Bible is for.
Christ came that we might live the abundant life. That life will only be found in Him. There are many aspects of the abundant life that the above truth could apply to. Think of how we do things in the church today. Christ could be speaking directly to us.
Question: How have you seen the Bible used superstitiously?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundant life, Bible, Christ, God's word, Holy Bible, Jesus, life, life in Christ, Pharisees, Scripture, study, study the scripture, superstition, the Lord, word, word of God, word of life
We live in an age where people are using the Bible to support what they’re doing or teaching. How do I know if I’m truly hearing God’s Word? Just because someone quotes the Scripture – is it really God’s Word they’re proclaiming?
In my last post we saw that Jesus didn’t accept the scriptural declaration of the devil. He knew that the enemy was not speaking God’s Word to Him.
Here is a surprising fact you may not know. Throughout the entire Bible, the Scripture never calls itself the Word of God. That’s something we have done.
At this point you’re probably ready to stone me as a heretic. Please wait. I’m not saying that the Bible is not the Word of God. All I’m saying is that the Bible doesn’t call itself the Word of God.
There is an important reason for that, which Christ Himself will testify to. You need to let His words speak to you to understand the true nature of Scripture and the Word of God.
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
John 17:17
Jesus is very clear in this passage. God’s Word is not just truthful. It doesn’t only contain truth. It is, by its very nature, TRUTH.
What about Christ the Living Word? Didn’t He say, “I am the Way, THE TRUTH, and the Life.”? There’s no getting around it – God’s Word is truth.
It’s unfortunate, but people can take the words of Scripture and twist them around for their own ends. That’s why we need a daily walk with the Holy Spirit. There’s a reason He’s called the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of God gives us the discernment we need when reading or hearing the Scripture.
Christ needed to discern the “word” He heard from the devil. He was mature enough to see that even though Satan was quoting Scripture, his intent was evil. In that case, the verse that the devil spoke was not the Word of God to Jesus.
We’re running into the same type of problems in the church today. It grieves me that there are ministers whose only reason for studying the Bible, is to find passages that will convince you to put your money into their wallets. They’ll tell you, based upon a Bible verse, that you will be blessed if you send them an offering of your month’s salary.
They’ll tell you that it’s God’s Word to you that if you’ll send them the money, then you’ll be out of debt and in a new house by the end of the year. Of course, when it doesn’t come to pass you’ll blame God. “I stood on God’s Word and He failed to keep it.”
Unfortunately, it was not God’s Word that failed. What happened was that some preacher’s faulty use of the Scripture failed. Then again, it got him the money he wanted, so it didn’t fail to bring in what he was after – your money.
Question: Have you ever seen the Scripture used to promote a lie?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, Christ, devil, discern, discernment, enemy, God's word, Holy Spirit, Jesus, mature, Satan, Scripture, Scripture truth word of God, Spirit of God, Spirit of truth, truth, walk in the Spirit, walk with the Spirit, word of God
In my last post I talked about the lies of the devil. We saw that, according to Jesus, the enemy cannot hold the truth neither is there any truth in him at all.
Understanding this gives us insight into how the devil operates. He speaks lies, sometimes by making true statements. We need to understand this as we look at an encounter between Christ and the devil.
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Matthew 4:5-6
This verse is important in understanding the relationship between the Bible and the Word of God. Here we see the devil quoting the Bible correctly. He even used it in context. The verse is from Psalm 91 which we all know is about the protection of God for the Messiah and us.
Now, it’s time for the tough question. In quoting the Bible, was Satan speaking the Word of God to Jesus? Be very careful how you answer this. It’s the basis for understanding how the Word of God works in us.
Jesus clearly taught that Satan could not hold the truth neither was there any truth in him at all, yet it is clear that he has the Bible memorized. We know that the devil only quotes the Scripture when it suits his purpose to try and deceive us. His use of Scripture is actually a lie – according to Christ Himself.
As I said previously, we get so caught up asking the wrong questions. We should be asking, what exactly is the Word of God to me? I need a Word from heaven. How do I know what that Word is? When Jesus heard the Scripture from the mouth of Satan, He totally rejected it as a lie meant to trip Him up in His walk with the Father.
Then what is the Scripture? It is the written record of the Word of God, given to various people, at different times, under different circumstances and for many purposes. I have to ask, is what I’m reading God’s Word to me? The answer to that is both yes and no.
There are some scriptures that have nothing to do with me or what I’m going through. There are others that the Holy Spirit can use to speak to me. That’s the key. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me? Very often He will use Scripture to speak to believers.
But you must also understand that Satan will use Scripture as well. That’s why it’s so very important that we learn to discern the voice of the Spirit. The Bible is a spiritual book and must be read prayerfully.
Question: How has God spoken to you through the pages of Scripture?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, Christ, devil, devil and the word of God, discerning, Holy Spirit, Jesus, lie, lies, Satan, Scripture, Spirit of truth, temptation, truth, understanding, word, word of God, word of truth
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
In my last post, I looked at Paul’s question – How does God give His Spirit and work power in the church? This question is the difference between all other religions and Christianity.
The Spirit and the Word 