In my last post I talked about those who minister without the Word of God. We are experiencing an epidemic of this in our American Christian experience. Jude wrote about this problem almost 2000 years ago.
These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm – shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted– twice dead.
Jude 1:12
This rebuke describes a growing segment of the church. What an appropriate editorial on many of the “ministers” we see on Christian cable and radio.
Jude describes them as shepherds who feed only themselves. They preach messages that excite people in order to keep their cash flow going strong. They’re clouds and wind with no rain – autumn trees with no fruit.
If there’s no fruit, then there are no seed to plant. But that doesn’t matter. With no rain they couldn’t water them either.
It’s a sign of the times that we live in. There’s an abundance of the Bible being preached in America these days. How much of it is a Word from God? How much of it speaks what God wants said to this generation for this time in history? How much planting and watering is being accomplished?
For the amount of Scripture being sent through the airways and over the internet, there is very little fruit to harvest.
“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.”
Amos 8:11-12
The prophet Amos predicted the days when there would be a famine of the Word of God. What is a famine? It’s usually a dry weather pattern. As a result there’s no rain, no crops, and no new seed. This must go on for years to qualify as a famine.
During the time of spiritual famine that Amos wrote about, Israel had many synagogues. These were places where the Scripture was taught. There were people teaching the Scripture all over Israel. Scripture reading abounded – but not the Word of God.
It grieves me to look at the United States in light of this Scripture. We are in that exact same place. An abundance of the Bible is being preached and taught from every possible media outlet. Yet for all of this, the church of Jesus Christ is, for the most part, marginalized.
We need to hunger and thirst for a revival of the Word of God in us. Of course we need Scripture as our foundation – to keep us on track. But we must seek God Himself so that we can receive the Living Word to burn within us.
Questions: What could America look like with an abundance of the Word of God going forth? What could your life be like?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: American Christian experience, Bible, Christ, Christian radio, Christian TV, church, epidemic, famine, famine of the word of God, fruit, harvest, Jesus, minister, planting, rain, revival, revival of the word of God, Scripture, scripture without the word of God, shepherds, televangelist, watering, word, word of God
In my last post I made a statement about the Word of God planted in us. I first made the point that we’re powerless to make the seed grow. I then said that the only help we can give it, is in the watering process.
How do we water the seed of the Word of God? That’s what this post is about.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11
Now that’s an interesting concept. Not only is the Word seed, it’s also the water. The first time you receive God’s Word concerning a certain matter, be it salvation or healing, it’s the seed being planted in your life.
After that, you can still hear the Word of God in those areas. However, it’s now the water to bring the plant to maturity. That is why it’s so important for me to receive God’s Word in all of its forms. I need both the initial seed and the water for growth.
As a pastor, I’m accountable to God to bring His Word to those under my care. I must regularly plant seed and water what’s been planted. Both are done by a Word from God.
The Word is both the seed and the water. But that’s not a reason for you to feel comfortable if you’re not a pastor. You’re under the same marching orders.
You’re accountable to God for the Word God has sent you to plant in the lives of others around you. It’s this truth that sheds light on a problem that we’re currently experiencing in the body of Christ.
Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.
Proverbs 25:14
It’s very easy to claim gifts that you don’t possess.
“I am a teacher to the body of Christ.”
“I’m a prophet of God.”
It’s easy to lay claim to titles and positions. The true test is whether or not people are being planted with the Word of God. Is there fruit to the ministry?
What the world desperately needs right now is a Word from God. The church promises so much, yet a lot of it is “clouds and wind without rain.”
It’s time for God’s people to press in to receive His Word. When our society sees someone truly transformed by the Spirit of God, then they’ll hunger to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Question: Why are so many believers content to merely talk about the good things of God, yet not experience them?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: body of Christ, Christ, fruit, fruit of the Spirit, God's word, grow, growth, healing, Jesus, maturity, plant seed, planted, planted in us, receive God's word, salvation, seed, self-watering word of God, transformed, water, watering process, word of God
In my last post I talked about how the work of salvation was started in your life. But that’s not the end of it. The Word has a greater job to do in you.
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
James 1:21
James is writing to the church in this passage of Scripture. As I’ve stated before, I believe that the book of James was the first New Testament Scripture to be written. If that’s true, then the Word he refers to could not be the Bible, since that was unknown at this point in church history.
What James is telling us is that the Word has been planted in us and is continuing to grow in us. It’s there to change us. Actually, what he says in the original Greek, is that this seed has the power (dunamis) to save your soul. James is telling us to allow the seed of the Word to do its job, the saving of our souls.
Wait a minute! I thought that if I accepted Christ, then I’m saved already. The answer to that is an important one. Yes, you were saved from sin and hell. If you died right now you would go to heaven to be with the Lord.
However, in the broadest sense, salvation is not a one time thing. It’s ongoing. I’m saved (from sin and hell), I’m being saved (from the effects of sin in me), and I will be saved (from my flesh). It’s this ongoing process of salvation that James is writing about.
Salvation itself is a package deal. It includes everything that Christ paid for on the cross. That same Word that brought me over from death to life also works God’s health and provision in me. But for this to work, it has to start in my soul and work its way out.
That’s why the Word is called a seed. Much of its work is done in the unseen places, below the surface. Then, as it continues its work, it bursts out into the sunlight to bring the work in my life to completion – the bearing of fruit.
The question may arise – where does the seed come from? The answer is simple. It comes from the processes of the Spirit. The seed grows, produces the plant and then the fruit. The fruit itself contains more seed. That seed is then planted in new ground to produce even more – and the cycle continues.
So, in reality, the seed comes from those who at one time received the Word, allowed it to grow, and then brought forth fruit. The seed comes from someone who accepted the Word. According to the parables of Christ, there can be 30, 60, or even 100 times what was originally sown. God wants an abundant harvest. The greater the harvest, the greater the next planting will be.
Question: How much has your life changed since you first made Christ Lord of your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: bearing fruit, Christ, church, cross, dunamis, effects of sin, flesh, future, God's word, grow, growth, harvest, hell, James, Jesus, living saved, ongoing salvation, past, power, present, process, process of salvation, salvation, save your soul, saved, savior, sin, word, word of God, word planted
In many of my posts I talk about the relationship between the Word of God and the Scripture. The Bible is the written Word of God. But we also need to hear the Word from the Holy Spirit. This is where the power of God intersects with our lives.
For a few posts I want to write about how the Word of God relates to us. The Bible teaches that we must correctly handle the Word of Truth. In order to do that I must be studying the Scripture – the written record of God’s Word – so that I can handle the Word I receive from God today.
In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Acts 19:20
The Bible uses many terms in relation to the Word of God. It uses language such as spread, increased, grew, reached and multiplied. In the above verse we’re told how. The verse says in this way. If you read through this nineteenth chapter of the Book of Acts you’ll get a taste for the effects of the Word.
We see the gifts of tongues and prophecy being manifested. There was boldness in preaching. Handkerchiefs and aprons that touched Paul were taken to the sick and they were healed. Demonic spirits were confronted and expelled. There was widespread repentance such that a group of new believers burned the equivalent of $5,000,000 worth of satanic sorcery books.
That’s the way the Word of God is described as growing. Literally, the above verse says that the Word became a force to be reckoned with. The Word of God is alive and it grows. That’s the aspect that I want to discuss in this series of posts.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
1 Peter 1:23
We’ve been saved by the living Word of God. That Word is a seed that’s growing inside of us. It will never decay or diminish. It’s there forever.
Somewhere along the line somebody spoke God’s Word to you. It doesn’t matter whether they used the Bible or not – you heard a Word from God that changed your life. It might have been a Bible verse, a word of prophecy, or a statement of divine truth. Either way, you received it, it grew inside of you, and eventually you accepted Jesus Christ and were born again.
That’s how the Word of God starts its work in you. The fact that you’ve established Christ as your Lord and Savior is proof that the Word has taken residence in you. Now it’s up to us what we do with that seed.
Question: What was the Word of God that brought salvation into your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: a force to be reckoned with, Bible, born again, Christ, correctly handle, God's seed, God's word, grew, Holy Spirit, increased, Jesus, multiplied, saved, Scripture, seed of the word, spread, word, word of God, word of truth
As I was reading the Bible the other day, I came across a Scripture that caught my attention. It was describing Christ and how He was revealed to the world. It got me thinking about our relationship to God.
…and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:4
Jesus Christ was shown to be the Son of God. Not just by someone’s testimony. It was an act of power by God raising Him from the dead.
That in itself was not news to me. The part that really spoke to my heart was who did the declaring. The passage says that it was through the Spirit of holiness that He was shown to be the Son of God.
That’s what I found to be interesting – the Spirit of holiness. Why did Paul not call Him the Holy Spirit? Isn’t that the more common term? Actually, this is the only place in Scripture where He’s called the Spirit of holiness.
Holiness is something that this generation of believers really needs to come to grips with. It seems that we tend to back away from any mention of holiness. We find it boring and old fashioned.
This is a subject of great importance in the Bible. It’s found throughout the New Testament. We are to be a holy people before God.
Holiness is related to separation. It means to be set apart for God’s purpose.
It’s like this. When Christ found us, we were like a dirty, cast off piece of pottery in the trash heap of the world. When we turned to Him as our Lord and Savior, He rescued us from that place – that’s our salvation.
He then took us as His own and placed us on display in His household. We are now to be exclusively used for the Lord’s purposes. That’s holiness.
As we remain in His house, Christ continues to clean us up and restore us. That’s our sanctification.
By using the term Holy Spirit, we mean the Spirit of God who is set apart from the world and the things of the world. The phrase Spirit of holiness brings it to a whole other realm.
He’s not only the Spirit who is set apart – but the Spirit who sets us apart. He is the Spirit of God who makes us holy. That’s where we try to water down the truth.
We like to think of the Holy Spirit as the power source of the church. Miracles, healings, signs, and wonders always draw a crowd. But separation, on the other hand, sounds too much like commitment.
This generation seems to want the power without the holiness. I believe that it’s time for us to seek the Spirit of holiness. At the place where we are separated for God’s exclusive use, we will find all the power we need to live victoriously and win the lost.
Question: Have you seen examples of the Holy Spirit setting you apart for His use?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, commitment, exclusive use, God, God's purpose, holiness, holy people, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Lord, makes us holy, power of God, relationship with God, resurrection, savior, separation, set apart, Son of God, Spirit of holiness, the world
This is the final post about how Abraham positioned himself to receive God’s supernatural provision. At this point we find him with the knife raised, about to sacrifice his only son.
But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Genesis 22:11-12
Abraham was able to come through this time of testing victoriously. But there was something that always puzzled me. God said, “Now I know that you fear God.” I thought God knew everything, so why would He say that?
The Hebrew word for know is Yada, which means to know by seeing. What God said was that now Abraham’s faith could be seen. His fear of God was now obvious to everyone.
That’s the reason for trials and testing. We may have faith quietly tucked away in our hearts. Without works, it’s not yet a living faith. It must be proved genuine.
It’s the trying of our faith that causes it to be seen by those around us. That’s why Scripture tells us over and over again that without trials we’ll never become mature in Christ.
It was when his faith was tested, and proved genuine, that Abraham’s eyes were opened to the provision of God that was before him.
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. [Jehovah Jireh] And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:13-14
Jehovah Jireh – the God Who provides. There are many who think this name is a promise of unbridled wealth. They think that it’s all about their physical comfort. What they fail to see is that Jehovah Jireh is a place of supernatural provision in Christ.
As I said in the first post of this series, it’s a spiritual mountain that must be climbed. To get to that place in God, it will require the same thing from us that it did of Abraham.
It will take a life of immediate obedience to God, perseverance, speaking our faith, and a decision to give up everything for the cause of Christ. That’s the real mountain that Abraham had to climb. The physical mountain was easy in comparison.
As with all things in Christ, God has already provided everything we need for life and godliness. The problem is that we need to position ourselves to receive the provision of God.
That’s the point. Why do we want God’s blessing? To accomplish His will or ours?
If you want Christ to be exalted in you, then you’re in a position to receive.
I ask everyone who reads this post to pray and believe God for those who respond to the following question…
Question: What is God calling you to do that you need His supernatural provision for?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Abraham, Christ, decision, faith, faith that can be seen, fear God, genuine, God who provides, Jehovah Jireh, Jesus, living faith, mountain, obedience, perseverance, position, position ourselves, provision of God, receive from God, speaking, supernatural, testing, trials, trying of our faith, victorious, victory
I have been posting about Abraham and his experience on the mount of sacrifice. He is an example to us of how to position ourselves to receive God’s provision in our lives.
In my last post I talked about how he was quick to obey the voice of God. But sometimes, even when we respond right away, things don’t happen when we think they should.
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
Genesis 22:4
We saw that God had told Abraham to leave home with his son. He also told Abraham that He would show him the place where he was to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham obeyed immediately, but that was not the end of it.
It’s now three days later and they’re still traveling through the wilderness. This had to be the hardest walk Abraham ever took. Yet he continued on, even knowing that he would lose his son in the end.
I’m sure he kept telling himself to just turn around and go home.
“You must have heard wrong.”
In spite of this constant internal pressure he continued to move forward. He did this not even knowing where his final destination would be.
This is the second key to being victorious in the face of trials and unlocking the blessing of God. We must cultivate perseverance. Sometimes it all comes down to the choice to put one foot in front of the other no matter how hard that is. We must continue to serve God day after day, even when everything around us looks just the opposite of what we think it should be.
It’s in times like this that we must place our confidence in the Lord. Drawing strength from Him is the only way to move forward when the going gets tough. Christ has promised us that He would never abandon us.
The good news is that situations can change. Just because things don’t look good now doesn’t mean that God is not in control. He is still on the throne.
The truth is that it’s not always easy to follow God’s leading. But the end result is always worth the effort. Don’t let the temporary problems rob you of the blessings that the Lord has for you.
Maybe you’re going through something right now that you don’t understand. You might not know how the Lord could possibly get you through it.
Take the time to draw upon the Lord’s power for you. Spend time before Him in humility, acknowledging that without Him you can do nothing. Place your future in His hands and commit yourself to seeing His plan fulfilled in your life.
Question: How has God proven Himself faithful to you in the past?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: choices, Christ, confidence, confidence in God, God's leading, God's provision, going the distance, Jesus, move forward, needs, perseverance, provision, supply, temporary problems, the Lord
There are a lot of people who write about how you can have the blessing of God on your finances. I’ve been feeling lately that the Lord wants me to write about this truth for a couple of weeks in my posts. I’m hoping that it will be a benefit to you.
There’s a name of God that gets a lot of attention. Jehovah Jireh – which is Hebrew for the God Who provides. This is one of the names of God that has inspired so many songs and sermons.
It was on the mountain of sacrifice that Abraham used this term for God. This was the first and only time it was used in Scripture.
It happened just after God stopped Abraham from offering Isaac as a sacrifice.
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. [Jehovah Jireh] And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:13-14
There are many people who view this name as a promise of provision. What they fail to see is that Jehovah Jireh is not a promise but a place. It’s a spiritual mountain that must be climbed. To get to that place in God, it will require the same thing from us that it did of Abraham.
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
Genesis 22:1-2
Of all the things that come with the spiritual walk, testing has got to rank among my least favorites. Yes, I understand from the Scripture that unless my faith is tried and tested it’s worthless. But that still doesn’t mean I have to enjoy the process.
When we think about Abraham, we usually refer to him as the “father of those who walk by faith.” A lot has been written about the faith of Abraham. I’ve heard many people say that they aspire to have that same level of faith.
What’s sometimes forgotten, however, is that along with great faith comes great testing. Abraham was no exception. Because his faith in God had risen to such a high degree, he endured trials that I can’t even imagine going through.
Just as he is our example of faith, Abraham can give us insight into how to stay strong under testing. For the next few posts we will take a close look at this aspect of his walk with God.
As we take this journey with Abraham, I hope that you’ll find that place of abundant provision in Christ.
Question: Have you noticed that with each new step of faith, you enter another phase of testing?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Abraham, blessing, blessing of God, Christ, faith, finances, God provides, Isaac, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Jireh is a place, Jesus, mountain of sacrifice, promise, provision, spiritual walk, testing, testing of your faith, the Lord will provide, trials
God is calling His church to a higher level in Christ. The return of the Lord is very close, yet sometimes the church seems to act like we have all the time in the world. Are you complacent about where you are spiritually? Or do you want to see a greater move of God through your life?
At one point in his life, Moses had a similar choice to make.
Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
Exodus 4:19-20
Moses had been away from Egypt for a long time. But in this time of his life, God was calling him to return to his former home. The difference was that this time he had a mission from God – to set his people free. Even so, it still required a long wilderness journey.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to start. The planning and organizing are usually pretty easy.
I enjoy hiking. There are times that I have spent a few days on the trail.
When morning comes and it’s time to move on, thats when the truth of this is made real. It’s not that tough to break camp and put things away into your pack. But when you finally put your pack on, and stand there with your trekking poles in your hand – a subtle transformation occurs.
Suddenly, without warning, the campsite that you’ve called home for the past twelve hours is no longer yours. Now you’re a part of the trail and looking for a new destination.
We may be very satisfied where our life is right now. But this isn’t our destiny – the Lord has a greater work He wants to do in us. When God calls us to a higher level, we can never be satisfied this way again.
Remember that we need to be a people who are packed and ready to go. This world is not our home and the things of this world will never truly fulfill us.
Sometimes we just need to go before the Lord and reiterate to Him our total commitment to following His path for our lives – no matter where it leads. We need to thank Him for the destiny that He has prepared for us. Then, we need to be open and listening for any course changes He may speak to us.
It all depends on our attitude. Am I satisfied where I’m at, or do I hunger to see what God wants to do in these last days?
Question: Do you desire to move up to a new level in Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: attitude, Christ, complacent, course changes, destiny, greater move of God, higher level, hunger for more, Jesus, Lord, Moses, move on attitude, moving on in Christ, return of Christ, satisfied, spiritual, spiritual level, the world
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God…
Romans 1:1
Paul uses some interesting language in this verse. He calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ – literally a slave. It’s interesting, because on various occasions Paul made a point of proving his freedom.
Once he was arrested and he asked the guard why he was being denied his right to a trial as a Roman citizen. The guard explained that he, personally, had to buy his freedom. Paul, on the other hand, said that he was born a free Roman citizen.
At that time, if you were born a slave, you were expected to be a slave forever – there was no escaping it. Under Roman law, a slave could find out his “sale price” from his master. Then, if he saved enough money, he could pay the buying price to and have the ownership transferred to one of the many Roman gods. Then, as a slave to that god, could serve as a free man.
I believe this was in the back of Paul’s mind as he penned these words. We are all born under slavery to sin. That was our unfortunate lot for the rest of our lives.
Jesus Christ paid the “slave price” for us. Now, just as Paul did, we need to transfer the ownership of our lives over to God. As God’s slaves we can now serve as free citizens of the kingdom of Heaven.
We have to live under this knowledge if we are to have a fulfilling life in Christ. We don’t own our lives.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5-8
Christ, Himself, set the standard of living that we need to follow. He said that He came to live a life of service. That should be our attitude as well.
The Apostle Peter understood this truth.
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
1 Peter 2:16
In the first verse above, Paul said that as a slave, he was called to be sent forth as an apostle. Once we’ve transferred the ownership of our lives to God, our callings will open up to us. We are now free to serve Him to the best of our ability.
Paul finished off the verse by saying that he was set apart to the Good News. That literally means that we are set off by a boundary. The Good News is our field of service.
This is the attitude that will push you to great things in the body of Christ.
Question: Have you transferred the ownership rights of your life to the Lord?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: calling, Christ, citizens of heaven, freedom, God, Jesus, life of service, ownership, ownership of our lives, servant, servant of Jesus Christ, service, set apart, slave, slavery to sin, tranferred ownership
In my last post I talked about those who minister without the Word of God. We are experiencing an epidemic of this in our American Christian experience. Jude wrote about this problem almost 2000 years ago.
The Spirit and the Word 