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Godless Christians?

07 Sep

Dry2I’m posting about the pattern of life handed down to us in the Scripture. Living for Christ is not all about following a set of rules. That’s the way the world tries to function.

“As long as I’m not breaking the rules, I can do what I want.”

A number of years ago I was leading a high school boy’s Bible Study at a Christian school. A frequent question that I got asked on a regular basis was, “Can I ___________ and still be a Christian?”

The blank was different every time, but the attitude was the same. It might have been about alcohol, dancing, R-rated movies, or rock music. The focus was the same each time it was asked. They were basically asking me, “How close to the world can I go and still make it to Heaven?”

Unfortunately, that’s the way a lot of Christians live out their lives. They look at the “religious” side of their life. They read the Bible, pray regularly, and go to church. So they’re okay. The rest of the time they do what they want. In our society they’re considered good Christians.

I’m about to say something that will probably make you mad. Please continue reading with an open heart. My goal is to see the church become who we were meant to be.

Right now there are a large percentage of “good Christians” who are godless. That’s a word that we usually associate with the unsaved. But a study of the Word of God will show that it sometimes applies to Christians as well.

Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
2 Timothy 2:16

Here Paul is warning a young pastor not to get involved in godless talk because it leads you further into ungodliness. That makes it clear that a Christian can be ungodly to a point. But what does that mean?

Simply put, ungodliness means that you live each day with no thought of God being involved in your life. You can be saved, on your way to Heaven, and love Jesus. But in your daily life you don’t look for God to have a big role.

You make your plans for the day or the week ahead. Then you go before God in prayer and ask Him to bless it. You may not want to hear this, but that is an ungodly lifestyle. You’re not unsaved, you’re not an evil person; you’re just living a godless lifestyle.

The Scripture gives us the pattern of life that will bring God, Himself into our daily lives. He should affect all that we do.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…
Titus 2:11-13

In my next posts I will talk about what the godly pattern of living is all about. If we will strive for that, it will bring us to a whole new level in Christ.

Question: What does it mean to get God involved in our daily lives?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on September 7, 2016 in Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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Life Patterns

05 Sep

ScrewsHave you ever bought furniture that you’ve had to assemble by yourself? I have and I even enjoy it a little.

But I know people who hate putting things together. They say that they can never understand the directions.

The fact is that all of these things come with detailed instructions. If you can understand them AND if you follow them – step by step – you’ll end up with a beautiful piece of furniture.

I’ve also known people who ignore the instructions. They go right to work assembling things based upon the picture on the box. More often than not they end up in trouble.

So why am I talking about furniture? Because it actually has a lot to do with our Christian walk.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

Paul tells his readers in this letter not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world. In many instances life is all about conforming to a pattern. The world has a pattern of living.

There are socially accepted ways of putting your life together. As we grow and mature, we learn and incorporate these patterns into our lives. At some point we’re seen as an accepted member of the culture we’re a part of.

The challenge arises when we come to Christ. When Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior, we enter a new Kingdom. We are now part of a new culture; a new society. There must, therefore, be a new pattern to shape our lives around.

The unfortunate thing is that many believers try to serve Christ while living according to this world’s pattern. When that happens, we have a life where we see the promises God holds out to us. Yet we never seem to lay hold of the realities. It’s a very frustrating way to live.

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:13

It all has to do with our teaching. In the modern church we tend to do more teaching on doctrines than on patterns of living. What we end up with are believers who know the teachings of Christ and the apostles, yet never experience the true culture of Christ.

I want to take a few posts to talk about the pattern of living that Christ gave us. I think that it will help us to attain a higher walk with the Lord.

Question: What do you think are the differences between the pattern of the world and the pattern of Christ?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on September 5, 2016 in Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Wilderness Provisions

31 Aug

Water JugsHow far can you trust God? Are you willing to place your complete confidence in Him? Or is there a point where you’ll “cut your losses” and try to get by on your own?

These are questions we all need to deal with as believers. The Lord has promised to be our everything. All we need for life and godliness is wrapped up in Him. But we have to be willing to surrender totally to His will.

The prophet Elijah had to learn this lesson.

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.”
So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
I Kings 17:2-6

I’ve heard it said, and have found it to be true, that where God calls, He also equips. We sometimes seem to be under the impression that there are places that God can’t get to. We can also think that there are situations that are beyond His control.

After all, how can God provide if you’re out in the wilderness, far away from any human assistance? The above event in Elijah’s life makes it abundantly clear that God can and does provide even in the desert places.

You’re never beyond God’s reach. If you’re doing His will, then He promises that He’ll watch over you, caring and providing for your needs.

I recently had an encounter with God’s goodness in this way. A couple of weeks ago I went out to hike and pray on the Appalachian Trail in New York. My intent was to be out for over a week.

The hike was one of the worse struggles I’ve ever had in the woods. This was due to the drought that the Northeast is currently experiencing. Most of the places where you would expect to find water – springs and brooks – had dried up.

I found myself having to conserve water and was close to dehydration. But the fact is that even in the wilderness God had my back.

I was approaching a particularly tough climb, one the hikers call Agony Grind. I was badly in need of water. As I crossed a road and re-entered the woods at the foot of this steep section, I was totally amazed. A local “angel” had placed about 25 gallon jugs on the trail for hikers to enjoy (the above photo).

I took this as a blessing from God. He knew what I needed, and when I needed it the most. This proves to me once more that I can trust the Lord completely with my future.

Strive to be in the center of God’s will for your life, as Elijah was. That’s the place of abundance in Christ. Remember not to put the cart before the horse. Seek first to be in His will, then the rest will follow.

Spend time in His presence and meditate on what you know of God’s plan for your life. Seek to enter closer and closer to the heart of what God desires for you. This could mean the difference between an empty life and a life of abundance.

Question: What is an example of God’s faithfulness that you’ve experienced?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 31, 2016 in Faith, God's Provision, Power of God, Spiritual Walk

 

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Receiving God’s Word

26 Aug

BreadI’m posting about giving and receiving the Word of God as spiritual seed. I’ve talked about preaching and teaching being like a baker making a loaf of bread for those who listen. Jesus had something to say in this regard.

Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
Luke 12:1

On different occasions Jesus told His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees. At that time they didn’t understand what He was saying to them. Later on they realized that the Lord was speaking about their hypocrisy.

This was not a warning that only applied to the disciples. We need to take care not to add our own baggage into the mix. If so, then we will corrupt the pure Word of God with our own pet doctrines. What we mix into the Word determines the spiritual climate of our churches.

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.
Hebrews 4:2

This verse speaks to us about the similarity between us and Israel. It warns us about how we receive the Word. It literally says that the logos of their hearing did not benefit them. The only way it will is if we combine it with faith in the process of receiving it. The Word of God must be combined with your faith in order for it to be of benefit to you.

So, here we are. I’m doing my best to present you with the pure, clear, logos of God in this article. I want to give you life and nourishment through the Word of God. This is the logos of your hearing. There’s only one way that it will accomplish what was intended. That’s for you, the reader, to combine it with faith. But wait a minute! Where do you get this faith which you’re to combine with the Word?

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

Most of us have this verse memorized. Faith comes by hearing the Word. What it says in the Greek is that this faith comes by hearing the rhema of Christ. What is this? Is it a “catch 22”?

I present the logos to you, but the only way it will benefit you is if you combine it with the faith that only comes through rhema. What kind of circular logic is this? Actually, it’s a picture of the infinite wisdom of God. It’s better than anything you could ever imagine.

In my next post, which will finish this series, I’ll show how God wants to impart both logos and rhema into His people. But, more importantly, what we need to do to receive them.

Question: When have you heard a Word from God while listening to a human speaker?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 26, 2016 in Faith, Ministry, Word of God

 

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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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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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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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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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Victory vs. Our Abilities

27 Jul

TrophyI’ve been posting about giving yourself as a gift to God. That means that we give up all personal rights over to His will. Paul understood what this meant.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58

The context of this verse is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Paul goes into great detail explaining the importance of His rising from the grave.

Paul concludes this section by talking about our victory in Christ. The resurrection is the foundation for our victory in this life. We know that the victory is ours in Christ, no matter what the situation may look like right at the present moment.

So in this passage, Paul uses the word therefore. It’s because we know that Christ is victorious – past, present, and future – that we can give ourselves fully to God. We already know the outcome, so we can give ourselves willingly.

The problem is that willingly and fully are two very different things. I can willingly serve God with only part of my life, time, and resources. The real victory comes when I willingly give all to Christ.

Jesus Christ is returning soon. The clock is ticking. God wants to do great things in our generation. The question is; do I want to be a part of it, or simply watch what happens in the lives of others?

Please understand that this has nothing to do with your abilities. It has everything to do with your willingness to fully commit your life to God. The Macedonian churches are a great example of this in the Scripture.

For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
2 Corinthians 8:3-5

This is one of the most miraculous verses in the Bible. How can you ever give beyond your ability? I don’t know; but that’s Paul’s testimony of what they did.

I believe that the key to all this is found in verse 5. Paul said that they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us.

Your first calling is not to a church or a ministry. It’s to God Himself.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t commit yourself to a church. What I am saying is that committing yourself to a church without first giving yourself to God is counter-productive.

It’s only when you first give yourself to God, that you can accomplish something beyond your ability. That’s when people notice that it’s God working in you. Only then will God get the glory from your life, and people will be attracted to the Gospel.

Question: How fully committed is your life to God?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on July 27, 2016 in Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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The Cross and our Rights

25 Jul

Cross SunsetI’ve been talking about giving yourself as a gift to God. In my last post I talked a little about carrying the cross.

“And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:27

What did Jesus mean by that? I’ve heard people use this in a lot of different ways. Sometimes they’ll use this term in talking about an ongoing illness, or even their spouse.

“That’s my cross that I have to bear.”

Is that what it’s all about? I don’t think so. Carrying a cross is a sign that you’re about to die. Very soon you’re going to be laying down your life.

In the next few verses in Luke (verses 28-32), Jesus talks about counting the cost of becoming His disciple. He doesn’t make it sound easy.

It’s like a contractor determining the cost of a building before he starts the construction. You wouldn’t build the foundation only to realize that you don’t have the funds to complete it.

Jesus also said that it’s like a king who’s at war. He must come to a decision as to whether or not he can hold off the force that’s coming against him. If not, he must seek terms for peace before the fighting starts.

After giving these examples, the Lord comes to a conclusion.

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:33

That’s what carrying your cross means. It’s giving yourself as a gift to God. We have to realize that a gift gives up all of its rights.

That’s why Jesus went on to say…

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 14:34-35

Back when this was written, salt had a higher percentage of impurities than we have today. If it got wet, the actual salt would wash out and you were left with the dirt. You wouldn’t want to use that on your food.

In the same way, there are believers who want to serve God. But at the same time they want to retain their rights to determine what they want to do or not do. That doesn’t work out too well in the Kingdom of God. It’s like putting dirt on your sandwich.

As a matter of fact, most fights and disagreements start over a perceived violation of our personal rights. Living for Christ requires a whole different mindset.

We must give up our wants and desires, as good and noble as they may be. In their place we take on God’s great purpose for our lives. That’s how we will step into the destiny we were created for.

Question: What has God called you to accomplish for Him?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2016 in Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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