There were times in His ministry that Christ taught some things that the crowd didn’t like, mostly because they didn’t understand it. As a result, a lot of people left Him, even some of His disciples. These are some of the Lord’s most important teachings.
I want to take a few posts to look at one such section. Here’s some background to help you understand what’s happening in this passage of Scripture. Jesus had just miraculously fed 5000 people.
They were all on a hillside listening to Jesus and hadn’t eaten all day. The disciples found someone with five loaves of bread and two fish. They took this meager provision to the Lord. Jesus then broke the fish and bread and fed the whole crowd with what started out as just a little bit.
He then sent the disciples out on a boat to cross the lake and meet Him on the other side. As they were in the middle of the crossing a huge storm came up and the disciples feared for their very lives. In the midst of the storm, Jesus comes to them walking on the water and gets them safely to the other side.
Now, on the far end of the lake, the crowd catches up to the Lord on foot. They were surprised at how fast He got there. Of course, He went straight across. He didn’t have to go the long way around!
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”
John 6:25-26
Here we see Jesus going right to the heart of the matter. “Why do you care where I go and how I get there? The reason you’re following Me is for what you can get materially. You only want a free lunch.”
The trouble with the crowd was that they didn’t want to hear and obey His teaching. Instead, they liked the spread He put on. They weren’t following Him because He had the words of eternal life.
It’s a sad truth, even in Christian circles today. If you throw a church dinner everybody comes. If, on the other hand, you call for a week of special fasting and prayer you get a lot fewer people involved. It’s easy to see that the desires of the flesh haven’t changed in 2000 years.
Question: Why does it seem so hard to deepen our spiritual walk?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, church dinners, eternal life, fasting and prayer, hear and obey, Jesus, lazy, Lord, material blessings, teaching, the word
I believe that the word excellent is overused in our society. In my last post I talked about what excellence is. It doesn’t just mean good, or even great. It means that what’s described is far ahead of all the others. It’s not a word that should be used lightly.
It’s a descriptive word that should probably be reserved for God, and the things associated with Him. We serve a God of excellence. I just want to take a post and show the excellent God that we serve.
The very names that God uses about Himself point to the fact of His excellency. Here are some examples from the Old Testament:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1
In this verse God is called the Most High. This is a term of comparison. There are many things in the universe that could be considered “high.” But of all the high things and people that exist, God is the Most High. This fits perfectly into the definition of excellence.
Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
Psalm 148:13
Exalted and above are also words of comparison. They relate the Lord to His surroundings. They show that He alone is in a position of supreme excellence. There is no other god that can even compare to our God.
My lover is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.
Song of Songs 5:10
In the Song of Songs, written by Solomon, an allegory of the marriage between Christ and His church is put forward. Christ is referred to here as outstanding among ten thousand. This is an obvious comparison showing the excellence of Christ.
In the beginning God…
Genesis 1:1
Before everything, there was God. All of creation sprang from His Word. He’s at the head of all He created. That’s a perfect description of excellence.
When we use the word excellent, we should be careful to understand it. We mustn’t water it down to simply describe something that pleases us. We should always be aware that we serve a God who is the very definition of excellence.
Christ truly is the Excellent One.
Question: How would you describe the Excellency of our Lord?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: above, Christ, Christ and his church, creation, exalted, excellence, fairest of ten thousand, God of excellence, Jesus, most high, names, our excellent God, outstanding, overused
Finally, brothers…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Excellence. It’s a word we hear all the time in the church. Everyone talks about wanting an excellent ministry. Sad to say, most of it is just talk. We need to strive for excellence.
What is a spirit of excellence? I’ve found that many Christians have no clue. If you can’t define it, then you have no basis upon which to judge yourself.
To excel is defined as to do or be better than; to surpass; to show superiority; to surpass others. Some synonyms of this word are to surpass, exceed, transcend, and outdo. These verbs mean to be or to go beyond a limit or standard.
It should be very obvious by now that this word excel is a word of comparison. You only use it when you’re relating to the norm, the average, or the expected.
Excellence, therefore, means that you’re going beyond what’s expected or what others are doing. We tend to get caught up in what people do or how they do it. Excellence is more than that.
It’s something you are. You’re either ahead of the pack or you’re not. There’s no partly excellent, halfway excellent or almost excellent. You’re either living in the realm of the excellent or you’re not.
A word with a similar root is accelerate. To accelerate means that you’re in a state of continually increasing speed. Your speed now is higher than that of a moment ago.
When purchasing a new car, one of the considerations is how well it accelerates. Acceleration is important when passing another car on the highway. In the same way, on the highway of life, if you intend to surpass the normal or that which is expected, then you need the power of excellence operating in your life and ministry.
We know how a great car should act. When we pull out into another lane to pass the car in front of us, we expect an immediate response when we step on the “accelerator.” If the car hesitates, if the engine sputters and coughs, then we know there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
In the same way, if the Lord speaks to your heart to do something above and beyond what you’re doing now, or what’s expected for your type of ministry, He expects immediate agreement to His Word.
Hesitation in ministry is a sign that we lack excellence. When God instructs you to “pull out and pass” the normal or the expected, He’s looking for obedience. Responses such as “We’ve never done it that way before,” “No one else does it like that,” or “I can’t possibly handle that” are indications that you must move on to new levels of excellence.
That’s why He’s given us His Holy Spirit. He’ll work with us, bringing us to new heights in Christ, but only if we’re willing to submit to His leadership. You must desire this walk of excellence.
Question: Do you desire a walk of excellence with Christ?
Tags: above and beyond, accelerate, average, Christ, definition of excellence, excellence, expected, hesitation, Holy Spirit, Jesus, ministry, ministry of excellence, normal, power of excellence, spirit of excellence, surpass, walk of excellence
We live in a society where we have all but given up on understanding. In many schools we’re taught how we need to think. Don’t ask why, just agree.
We now have a generation of people who voice opinions, but don’t know why they have them. The media is constantly telling us what we need to wear, listen to, and watch. After all, “This is what everybody thinks.”
Scripture gives us a different perspective.
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Proverbs 4:7
As believers, we are told to seek wisdom and understanding. We don’t just blindly follow the crowd. There is a reason we are on the earth and it’s our job to find out why.
God has a plan for everyone’s life. We’re not just random. Life has meaning. The problem is that most people are afraid to find out the meaning of life. They would rather just “go with the flow.”
The issue is that wisdom and understanding will cost you something. They bring responsibility with them and that’s what we’re really afraid of.
If we don’t understand, then we are not responsible for what we do. That’s the key. Understanding and the resulting responsibility requires self-control.
That’s the reason that many people choose atheism. If there is a God, then I’m responsible to live under that understanding. My actions will have to be controlled.
But there’s even more to it than that.
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
2 Timothy 2:7
Paul literally tells Timothy to apply your mind to understand. Understanding takes initiative – it doesn’t just fall out of the sky.
The good news is that if we take this first step, then the Lord will give you the next level of understanding. The word insight that Paul uses is the Greek word suneisis. It means to put together.
The fact is that understanding puts truth together. We have to do this with many truths if we are to live a fulfilled life.
For instance – there is a God, He will judge the world, and I will live forever someplace. These are all truths that are important all by themselves. But when I put them together by wisdom and understanding they take on a whole new level of importance. Now my choices are more limited than when I thought there were no consequences.
That’s why understanding is the foundation of coming to Christ. We have to put together our need and His provision. Then I have to bring my actions – and faith – into line with my understanding.
Question: Do you actively seek wisdom and understanding from the Lord?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: atheism, atheist, choosing to understand, Christ, coming to Christ, following the crowd, God's plan, Jesus, meaning of life, media, opinions, purpose, put together, responsibility, self-control, thinking, truth, understanding, wisdom
Yesterday was Resurrection Sunday. If you’re like most Christians, you went to church to celebrate this world-changing event. I hope you had a great time of praise and worship to our God.
My question is this: What happens the next day? How does the reality of the resurrection of Christ affect the rest of your walk with Him?
Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
John 21:2-3
This is a very interesting event in the lives of the disciples. What arrests my attention, is that this happened after the events of the first day of the week.
They decided to go fishing after Mary came running to them with the news that she had seen the risen Lord. It was also after Jesus came to them in their apartment. It was after Thomas was told to touch the wounds in Jesus’ hands, feet, and side.
I would understand it if they had not yet know about the resurrection. But at this point they were well acquainted with the risen Lord. Why did they go back to the same old routine? Especially since fishing is what they did before they had even met Jesus.
Where are we today? Are we stuck in the same old stuff we’ve always been doing? It’s funny just how like the disciples we seem to be.
It was in this setting that the disciples had another encounter with the risen Lord. This time He broke into their everyday world and turned it upside down. They realized that they couldn’t even go fishing without the help of the Lord.
This is the moment when Jesus told Peter, “Feed My sheep.”
Everything changed. There was no going back. Because of the resurrection, the very course of their lives was changed.
What about us? Yesterday, we celebrated the Risen Lord. How does it affect us today? How can we live a “normal” life knowing what Christ has accomplished?
Allow the truth of the resurrection to fill your thoughts. Don’t just consign it to one Sunday a year. Let it set you on a new course. A course that will turn the world upside down.
Question: How does the resurrection of Christ affect what you do today?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: affect, Christ, day after the resurrection, disciples, effect, everything changed, fishing, Jesus, new course, next day, no going back, normal, reality, resurrection, resurrection of Christ, risen Lord, turn the world upside down
I’ve been posting about the power of God at work in us. How far are you willing to go to walk in the power of the Spirit? Experience tells me that we would rather talk a good game and make excuses, than to put forth the effort to see the real thing.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
John 15:7-8
This is the last verse I looked at in my previous post. It deals specifically with the power available to those who remain in Christ. It says that they can ask what they wish and it will be done.
Think about the trust God places in that kind of believer. I personally wouldn’t give that kind of power to most Christians that I know. It would be dangerous.
The fact is that in this fifteenth chapter of John, the Lord referred to us remaining in Him 8 times in 4 verses. I think He’s trying to make a point. It’s required that we remain in Him if we want Him to manifest His power in us.
I asked a question four posts ago – in the first of this series (Power and Authority – The Difference). I asked which form of power – AC or DC – was better?
You probably answered the question as most people do. They say that they prefer DC batteries because they can go where they want. They can take their device with them when they leave the house. When you have to plug it in the wall, you’re confined to stay at home to use it.
This is the big problem in the body of Christ today. We want to be able to leave the house. If your goal is to go in and out of the house, then batteries are better.
If you intend on doing that in the spirit – living for Christ sometimes and living for self at other times, then the power of the law is better than no power at all. Christians of this generation have a real problem with remaining in the spiritual “house.”
There are two forms of power. The greater of these requires you to remain in Christ. Our goal seems to be to live with one foot in the world, and one with Christ. You can’t do that and use the power of the Spirit to any great extent.
We need to take an honest, hard look at our walk with God to see where we fit into this picture. We must then be willing to make the changes necessary to remain in Christ.
Question: What will it cost you to remain in Christ? Are you willing to pay the price?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: body of Christ, Christ, Jesus, one foot in the world, plugged in, power, power of God, power of the spirit, remain in Christ, spiritual power, spiritual walk, the law, this generation, trust
In my last post I talked about the differences between the power of the law and the power of the Holy Spirit.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
There’s another big difference between the law and the Spirit. When you walk by the Spirit, you are totally dependant upon the Spirit. The law, on the other hand, allows you to be self-sufficient. All through Scripture we see this truth. If we are to minister for Him, then we must work in His strength. There is no other way to operate in the Spirit of God
The law gives you the appearance of self-sufficiency. That is, until the batteries die. That’s why it’s so hard to reach people in legalistic churches. They know what they’ve done to keep the law – to live right. They know the effort they’ve put forward.
“I’m okay because I’ve served God faithfully for forty long years.”
That brings us to the final difference that I want to cover. It’s actually the same as the last one, but from a little different perspective. To understand this we could look at the whole of the Gospel of John, chapter 15. Instead, I’ll only look at a few verses that emphasize the point I’m trying to make.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
John 15:7-8
REMAIN IN CHRIST! That’s the crux of the whole matter. In order to be entrusted with the power of God, we must remain in the Spirit of Christ. This is what trips most of us up. We don’t want to remain.
The law is a little more lenient, it allows you to be transient. What’s transient? Now there’s a word you don’t hear very often, but it describes the situation exactly. Let me explain it to you.
My parents used to have a summer home in the state of Maine. It was in a trailer park in the woods. We used to have a lot of fun going up there each year.
My parents spent most of the summer and fall there. They knew all of their neighbors and had a wonderful time living there. While my family and I visited, we heard about another section of the park, with a different sort of people. That was the “transient section.”
The transient section of the park was reserved for those who would come for only a week and then leave to go somewhere else. They didn’t remain there permanently, as my parents did. Instead, they wanted to come and go as they saw fit. This seems to be a problem of epidemic proportions in the body of Christ today.
We don’t want to remain in the Spirit. We want the freedom do what we want and have the blessing of God on our lives.
According to Christ, it is as we remain in Him that we enter the place of power.
Question: Why does remaining in Christ sound so difficult to this generation?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: blessing of God, Christ, dependant, dependant on God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, law, legalistic, power, power of God, power of the spirit, remain in Christ, self-sufficient, transient Christian
In my last post I talked about power and authority. Power is the ability to produce change. Authority is the permission to use power.
Jesus told us that we had authority over all the power of the enemy. This causes me to question our current church experience. If what the Lord said is true, then why does the enemy seem to be winning?
To understand this you must realize that just like electricity, there are two forms of spiritual power.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
These were some of the last words of Jesus before He was taken up into Heaven. We must realize that our power comes from God Himself through the Holy Spirit in us. This means that the two sources of spiritual power are the Holy Spirit and sin.
This is a very important fact to know if we’re to grow in our spiritual walk. Our goal should be to only receive our power from the Holy Spirit.
We must be certain that we’re not powered by the same thing that powers the enemy’s kingdom. To have this assurance, we need to ask a very important question. If sin is a power source, then what is the power of sin?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
That should be an eye opener. Most Christians have no idea that the power of sin is the law. We seem to have missed this fact even though it’s plainly taught in the Scripture. This means that without the law, sin would have no power.
As a matter of fact, Satan’s power is derived totally from sin. So if there were no law, then the enemy would have no power. Everything that Satan is able to do is powered by the law. Whether you realize this or not, every accusation and attack that he makes is all based upon the law. The problem we have is that just knowing this truth isn’t enough to defeat him.
Like AC and DC, both forms are very powerful. AC is the type of electricity that powers your house. DC is the type that starts your car in the morning as well as supplying power for the lightning we see in a thunderstorm. In the same way, the two forms of spiritual power can be very potent.
We, as believers, need to understand the differences so that we’ll not fall into the trap of trying to use the enemy’s power to defeat sin in our lives.
Question: How do we sometimes try to use our sinful nature to defeat sin in our lives?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: AC, authority, Christ, DC, devil, electricity, enemy, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, permission, power, power of sin, power of the spirit, produce change, Satan, sin, spiritual power, the enemy's power source, the law
We live in an age of hero worship. It seems that people are more inclined to follow those with the most glitz and showmanship. It has, unfortunately, carried over into the body of Christ.
When it comes to the teachings we accept, how do we decide who to listen to? We need to be asking the right questions. This was something that was clearly portrayed in the ministry of Christ.
The following is taken from the Scriptural passage found in the Gospel of Luke 4:16-40. You will want to read that first to understand what I share in this post.
In that section of Scripture, Jesus preaches at two different synagogues. One was in His hometown of Nazareth, and the other in Capernaum. In both cases He preached the same message. Knowing that it was the Lord, I am assuming that both messages had the same level of anointing.
In spite of these similarities, only one of the towns, Capernaum, received a blessing out of the visit. It is clear to see from the narrative, that the reason was the questions that they asked themselves as Jesus was ministering.
This is important to us because we are guilty of the same type of attitudes that these people had. I believe that we have missed out on countless blessings because our attitudes got in the way. What makes the difference?
Verse 22 shows the question the people of Nazareth were asking. It demonstrates what they were focusing on.
They spoke well of Him. They were amazed at the words from His lips.
“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
They were concentrating on who was speaking – was He all that they were expecting?
Capernaum was a different case altogether. Verse 32 and 36 make it clear that they were amazed at His teaching. They recognized that His Word had power and authority. Who He was and what He looked like didn’t figure into their acceptance of the Word.
As a result, revival fell in Capernaum that day. Demons were cast out and all the sick that lived in that area were healed (Verse 33-40).
We need to learn this lesson. Sometimes the biggest show has the least anointing. On the other hand – there are times God wants to perform great miracles through His “unknown servants”.
We need to be asking, “What is the anointing, authority, and power upon this Word.” How big a following someone has shouldn’t figure into it. It’s all about the spirit behind the message, not the person God is using.
If we keep this in mind, then we’ll find the blessing of God in some of the most unlikely places. We will also open ourselves up to the miraculous.
Question: Have you ever received a blessing from God’s unknown servants?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: anointing, asking the right questions, authority, blessing, blessing of God, body of Christ, Christ, expectations, hero, hero worship, Jesus, message, ministry, power, preaching, questions, revival, showman, showmanship, teaching, unknown servants, word, word of God
Many people are looking for “the Anti-Christ.” Even Hollywood has done movies about it. If you’re a believer, then you need to realize that we are already facing the spirit of antichrist that’s at work in the world.
Can you recognize the working of this spirit? Do you even know what to look for? This knowledge is important for our spiritual well-being in these last days.
But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
1 John 4:3
The Apostle John tells us that there is a spirit of antichrist. According to him, it was already at work in his day.
What is it? Well, let’s think about it. The title Christ means the Anointed One. It was a description of the Messiah. Anti means that this spirit is actively working against the Anointed One.
When we bow our knee to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we place ourselves under His anointing.
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
We now have the Anointed One and His anointing active in our lives. This anointing is leading us somewhere. It is guaranteeing what the Lord want to accomplish through us. That’s the Spirit of Christ in us.
The spirit of antichrist is active in the world. There is an “anti-anointing” at work trying to neutralize what Christ is doing through us.
What we have to realize is that it’s all about Christ. Have you ever noticed that if you talk about God or a “higher power,” it’s okay? You can even talk about religion to some extent.
But, as soon as you try to talk about Jesus Christ, the conversation gets shut down. Using that precious name to swear is socially acceptable. Yet when I want to show how that name can transform a life, it becomes an “off limits” topic.
There is power in the name of Jesus. That’s where the source of our anointing comes from. We cannot minister without it.
That’s why the kingdom of the enemy is so adamant about trying to shut it down. The spirit of antichrist – this anti-anointing that’s in the world – wants us to remain silent.
That’s why it’s so important to recognize where this comes from. Even more important to know, is that our anointing is greater, stronger, and more effective than anything in the enemy’s arsenal. If we stand in Christ, then we cannot be stopped or silenced.
As believers, we need to recognize that this anti-spirit is active around us. But we must never fear it. Neither will we submit to it or compromise with it.
Question: Have you seen this antichrist spirit active in the people around you?
Tags: anointed one, antichrist, at work, Christ, God, higher power, His anointing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Lord, Messiah, name of Jesus, recognizing the spirit of antichrist, savior, spirit, spirit of antichrist, Spirit of Christ, world
There were times in His ministry that Christ taught some things that the crowd didn’t like, mostly because they didn’t understand it. As a result, a lot of people left Him, even some of His disciples. These are some of the Lord’s most important teachings.
The Spirit and the Word 