In past posts I talked about spiritual power in physical terms. What does it take to walk in the power of God? Scripture gives us the answers.
The following is an event that’s recorded in Luke 7:36-50. I encourage you to take the time and read through this section of Scripture to see the truth of what I’m describing.
A Pharisee had invited Jesus over to his home for dinner. When Jesus arrived at the house, the Pharisee neglected a few simple courtesies that were a way of life in that region of the world.
He didn’t offer Jesus a kiss, water for His feet, or oil for His hair. This was a slight against the Lord.
During Jesus’ visit, a woman came in and did something unique. She knelt before Him and wept, allowing her tears to fall on His feet. Then she wiped them with her hair. Once His feet were cleaned, she opened an alabaster bottle of expensive perfume and began to anoint His feet.
As this was going on, the Pharisee was thinking that if Jesus were really a prophet, He would know how sinful this woman was. According to the Pharisee’s thinking, Jesus shouldn’t let her touch Him.
Jesus, knowing his thoughts, turned to the Pharisee and told him a parable about two men who had their debts forgiven. One had a large debt, and the other a small one.
He asked the Pharisee which had more love for the one who forgave the debts. The Pharisee answered that the one who was forgiven more, loved more. Jesus then applied that truth to the Pharisee and the woman, much to the Pharisee’s shame.
In doing this, Jesus said some things that are very important for us to hear in regards to the flow of the power of God.
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:50
We see from this verse that faith brought the woman salvation and peace. These are two results that can only be accomplished by the power of God. It is through the salvation and peace of God that we can live above the problems found in the world system.
But there is something else that Jesus said that causes us to question if faith was the only thing involved.
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
Luke 7:47
According to Jesus, she had something else that released the power of God into her life. She had much love. This is an important concept for us to grasp. In order to truly understand the nature of power, we must come to terms with the relationship between faith and love. In short, we must understand the faith – love connection.
Question: Do you see the connection between faith and love?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: Christ, faith, faith love connection, flow of power, Jesus, love, much love, peace, Pharisee, power flow, power of God, salvation, Scripture, spiritual power, what does it take
It’s Christmas Eve. Our thoughts turn to the Child born in a stable in Bethlehem.
This is the day everything changed. Christ was born. God made flesh.
And yet, many people miss the significance of the events that occurred that day. Sometimes the smallest detail can make a world of difference.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:8-12
At night in Bethlehem, everyone was asleep in their beds. Well, not everyone. There was a group of people who couldn’t sleep. They had a job to accomplish. They were shepherds watching over a flock of sheep.
Suddenly the unexpected occurred. They had a supernatural encounter. An angel showed up with an important message for them. The Christ was born.
But more than that – there was a sign. That means there was a special thing they were to look for to prove they were in the right place. A baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.
This sign to the shepherds was more than just proof for them. It was a sign of things to come. This baby was placed in a manger – not a crib or cradle. A manger is a fancy way of saying a feeding trough for livestock. It’s a place for animal food, not babies.
Yet this was the “Bread of Heaven” who came down to give us life. So for Christ, this was an appropriate resting place for Him. The Bread of Life lying in a feeding trough.
The strips of cloth were another sign. It wasn’t the normal kind of baby clothes of that day. Strips of cloth were used to clothe the dead, not the living. This baby was dressed as a corpse. Again – it was a sign of things to come.
Here was the Lamb of God. He has come to take our place on the cross. Even as a baby, His calling was revealed. Death, burial, resurrection and ascension – all for our sakes.
On this great day, amid all the activities and excitement you may find around you, don’t lose sight of the signs. This child we celebrate is no longer a baby. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is our Life and Light. This season is all about Him.
Have a Blessed and Wondrous Christmas!
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: angel, baby Jesus, Bethlehem, birth of Christ, bread of heaven, bread of life, Christ, Christmas, God made flesh, Lamb of God, manger, shepherds, sign, sign of things to come, stable, strips of cloth, swaddling clothes
Did you know that the present culture of America has an anointing on it? I have been posting about Christianity as a counter-culture. Today I want to talk about the modern cultural anointing.
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
1 John 2:18-19
The word antichrist is very interesting. When some people think antichrist, it brings images of The Beast or a world dictator. Actually, antichrists have been around as long as the church has been in existence.
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
What we need to understand is that there is a spirit of antichrist that is constantly at work in secular society. Let’s stop and think about it. Here is a spirit that is anti – opposite – Christ.
In my last post I made the point that Christ means the Anointed One. That means we’re talking about an anti-anointing that’s operating in the world. Whether you know it or not, there are two different anointings at work in our society. There’s the Spirit of Christ and the spirit of antichrist.
The first verse above tells us that there are people in churches who have bought into the anti-anointing that’s in the world. Eventually these people get offended at the Gospel of Christ – the true anointing – and they leave.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist — he denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:20-22
It is all about Jesus Christ – that’s the bottom line. We live in such an accepting and tolerant world. It’s okay, no matter what you want to talk about…that is until you mention Jesus Christ. Suddenly the conversation gets shut down.
The reason is clear. There are two competing spirits at work. The spirit of antichrist wants no mention of the true anointing. Christ, the Anointed One and His anointing can break the bondage of sin, sickness, depression, and a whole host of other symptoms of this age.
We need to walk in the boldness of the Holy Spirit. Even if it means that we are ridiculed, shut down or rejected. We must be a light for the true anointing of Christ in our generation.
Question: Have you ever noticed intolerance for the name of Jesus Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: America, anointing, antichrist, Christ, counter-anointing, counter-culture, culture, gospel, Gospel of Christ, Holy Spirit, intolerance, Jesus Christ, offended, secular, society, spirit, spirit of antichrist, tolerant
Our culture is our way of life. Why, then, is modern Christianity so much like the culture of America?
It doesn’t matter what you talk about, the statistics are very close. Divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, and a host of other issues seem very much a part of church life. I have known Christian girls who couldn’t wait to turn 18 so that they could lose their virginity legally.
Why are we so much like the world?
We would rather talk about religion than Jesus. We try to be so careful not to offend anyone by what we believe.
I think an important word to use is counter. Think about how we use it in society. We have groups in counter-intelligence or counter-terrorism. To be counter means that you are going opposite that group.
More than any other people, Christianity should be counter-culture. We should have our own cultural lifestyle. If you remember from my last post, that means our own way of doing things. It should be different than how our society operates.
We need to see the Scriptural pattern.
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
This verse tells us that it’s God’s job to make us stand firm in Christ. How does He do that? The Lord accomplishes it by anointing us.
Anointing – now there’s a rich word. The very word Christ means the Anointed One. His anointing came from the Holy Spirit that was upon Him. Now we are standing firm in the Anointed One. That’s where we have the power to fulfill what we’re called to do.
This passage states that the anointing upon us is one of the things that are guaranteeing what is to come. That tells me that I have a future in Christ. This anointing is taking us somewhere.
In the same way, this culture we live in is headed somewhere. It leads to addiction, divorce, depression, guilt, and, worst of all, hell. Personally, I don’t want to go where the American culture is leading us to.
As the church of Jesus Christ, our future – our direction – should be vastly different. Actually, the world should want what our culture leads to. The differences should be that obvious. We need to get back to the basics of what Christ wants to do in us. Then we must follow it through to the end.
Question: What are some differences that should be obvious to the world?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: anointed one, anointing, Christ, Christ the foundation of a counter-culture, church life, counter, counter-culture, culture, different, foundation, future, Holy Spirit, Jesus, lifestyle, modern Christianity, religion, the world, way of life
Is the church called to run contrary to the world? If so, then where are we missing it? I want to take a few posts to deal with this issue. I want us to think about our walk as Christians in America.
This topic actually isn’t that new. James wrote about it long ago.
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
James 4:4
Those are some strong words he uses. He called them an adulterous people. What does cheating on your spouse have to do with the spiritual condition of a generation? The answer is found in the verse just preceding this one. It explains his choice of words.
As he talked about asking for things in prayer, he wrote…
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James 4:3
Here’s the problem that James is describing as adultery. They asked God for things so that they could then spend those things on their pleasures. It literally says that their motives in seeking God, was so that they could become consumers of pleasures.
That sounds a little too familiar.
“God, please help me to get a better job.”
Then, as our blessings increase, we get more things and push God further into the background. After all, now that I have more stuff, I have less time for “church”.
Here’s the problem from God’s perspective. It says in verse 4, above, that trying to make friends with the world is an act of hostility toward God. To make a friend, you need to try to please them or be like them in some way.
Remember, we’re not talking about the people, but the world system. You can make friends with people without buying into the system.
There’s a word we use for the world’s system of order. It’s the word culture. Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary defines culture as, the sum total of the attainments and activities of any…people, including their implements, handcrafts, agriculture, economics, music, arts, religious beliefs, tradition, language and story.
In other words, the American culture is our entire way of life. It’s how we live and what we expect. It’s what we strive for as well as what we accept as “normal”.
When I think about the mainstream of life in the United States, I get a picture of the system at work here. Then, when I see the lifestyle we are called to as followers of Christ, I get a whole different picture. There are some areas where the two cultures are drastically different.
How do we live in both worlds? That’s what I want to talk about in the next few posts. Hopefully you’ll join the conversation.
Question: Do you see areas where the church is too friendly with the world system?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: blessings, Christ, Christianity, Christianity the counter-culture, consumers, contrary, counter-culture, culture, different, followers of Christ, normal, order, pleasure, spend, spiritual adultery, way of life, world, world system
Do you find yourself feeling dry – spiritually speaking? Do you even know what this means? In the same way we try to keep our body healthy, we need to tend to our soul.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:1-2
I enjoy hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I remember a trip I once took up Holt’s Ledge in New Hampshire. It wasn’t very high – under 3000 feet. But, because of poor planning on my part, I ran out of water. To make matters worse, there were no springs ahead on the trail until I went up and over to the other side of the ledge.
It’s an awful thing when you know that you’re dehydrating. First you start to get light-headed. Then, every muscle in your body begins to cramp up. Just putting one foot in front of the other becomes agony.
In that situation there was only one thing I could do. I walked on with the realization that if I was going to survive, I must get to water. It was tough, but I eventually made it to a water source. I drank my fill, resupplied, and started to feel normal. Later, I vowed never to let that happen again.
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
John 7:37-38
This is a great promise to us. Jesus said that those who trust Him will have streams of living water on the inside. We have access to that life-giving river all the time. The question is, do we draw from it?
Many Christians foolishly live in spiritual “dehydration” every day of their life. They ignore the presence of God and wonder why their spiritual life is so cramped up. Why is every step so hard to take?
We need to keep our souls healthy. This requires the same daily care that we give to our bodies. Make sure that you don’t suffer from spiritual dehydration – run to the stream of the Lord each day for refreshment.
Refresh yourself right now by spending time in His presence. Fill your soul with the living water only Christ can provide.
Question: Have you ever gone through a dry spiritual season? What did you do to overcome it?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: Christ, cramping, dehydrated, drink, dry, dry season, healthy soul, Jesus, light headed, living a dehydrated life, living water, presence of God, spiritually dry, streams of living water, thirsty, water, water source
These thoughts on Thanksgiving come from reading Luke 17:11-19. In this section of Scripture we see an interesting event in the life of Christ. It caused me to ask myself if I am truly thankful for all God has done for me.
This story from the life of Christ surrounds ten lepers. These were men who had an incurable skin disease. They came to Jesus for a miracle and were not disappointed.
In these verses, we see everything needed for obtaining the blessing of God. There’s faith, obedience, and expectancy. Jesus’ response to them is simple.
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:14
There was no special religious display. The Lord didn’t touch them or even pray over them. He simply gave them a task to complete.
Then, something unexpected happened. As they were on their way to the priests, their healing was completed. By the time they got there, the leprosy was totally gone.
But that wasn’t the only unexpected occurrence that day.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
Luke 17:15
On the way to the priests, one of the men sees what’s happening to him. As he experiences his healing, he turns around. He begins to make his way back to Jesus.
As he does so, he starts yelling. The literal Greek uses the words mega-phone. This was not a quiet thankfulness of the heart. His actions must have attracted attention. And what’s more, he didn’t even care who heard him. He wanted to praise God because of His blessing.
What this passage taught me is that thankful people live out loud for the Lord. This is not just a church thing, but a lifestyle of praise to God.
That’s why I believe Thanksgiving is more than just “Turkey Day” or “Football Day.” It’s about what God has done for us. Even the disciples of Christ caught hold of this.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen…
Luke 19:37
This is a normal response to the hand of God at work. It doesn’t mean you have to yell all the time. What it does mean, is that God’s work should be abundantly evident in your life.
Question: What are you thankful to God for? Are you willing to let people know about it?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: Christ, football day, Jesus, lifestyle, lifestyle of praise, praise God, ten lepers, thank God, thankful, thankfulness, thanks, thanksgiving, truly thankful, turkey day
I’ve been posting about the power of God at work in us. This is the power that changes us and others. We saw that the first component of the Holy Spirit’s power in us is love. It’s this love of Christ that provides the spiritual pressure that propels us forward.
We started by looking at Paul’s view of this power.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
The second component of power is described here as self-discipline. Actually the word translated self-discipline is literally a saved mind in the Greek. I believe that the two components of power in the Word of God are love and a saved mind. If we follow this through we find that the rest of Scripture confirms this.
Remember what I said about electrical power. The two parts were voltage and current. How does electrical current relate to the truth of a saved mind? Physically speaking, current is electrical movement. Current is how fast the electrons are moving through the wires. In the verse we read from Second Timothy, Paul said that the components of spiritual power were love and a saved mind. Just how important is it to possess a “saved mind?”
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
Without a saved mind, a mind that has been washed and renewed by the Word of God, we will never grasp what God’s will is for our lives. The problem is that most modern Christians don’t place a priority upon renewing their minds. We want to think and act the way the world does.
This makes for a very interesting dilemma. Most Christians seem to want to know God’s will for their lives. Yet, we don’t prepare our minds to receive it. According to this verse the only way to know God’s will, is to renew your mind.
This was evident in the ministry of Christ.
“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
John 6:38
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
John 4:34
In natural terms, electrical current is the movement of electricity in the lines. Power requires movement or action. Jesus was able to move and act because His mind was attuned to God’s will. It’s clear from Scripture and the life of Christ that a saved mind is spiritual current because it produces action. We know from the Word of God that “faith without works [action] is dead.” (James 2:17) A saved mind is a mind that is full of faith THAT ACTS upon that faith.
Question: Is renewing your mind a priority in your walk with Christ? What do you do to accomplish this?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: action, Christ, current, electrical current, electrical power, faith, forward movement, Holy Spirit's power, Jesus, Jesus Christ, movement, power, power of God, renewed mind, saved mind, secret of knowing God's will, self discipline, spiritual current, spiritual power, washed, word of God, works deeds
We have been talking about the nature of God’s power in your life – how His Spirit produces change in us and in those around us. We also saw that in nature, power is composed of two components, voltage and current. How about spiritual power? Scripture gives us some insight into this.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
It’s obvious from this passage that the Lord doesn’t want us operating in fear. What He desires for His people is a spirit of power. It seems that the more I meditate on this verse, the clearer I see it. I believe that this verse is telling us that the spirit of power is evidenced by two component parts – love and self-discipline.
The natural power law says that power is voltage times current. It’s a known fact that in the natural, power is always measurable. I believe that if you know the Word of God, you should be able to gauge your level of power.
The first component of power we’ll look at is voltage. In the natural realm voltage is electrical pressure. It’s the force that’s pushing the electrons through the wires in your home. How does this translate into the spiritual?
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
2 Corinthians 5:14
It’s Christ’s love in us that compels us to work for the Lord. By using the word compel, Paul means that it’s the love of Christ that puts pressure on us to minister for the Lord. This verse makes it obvious that love is the spiritual equivalent of voltage. It’s love that puts pressure on us to serve God, to reach out, and to help others.
Jesus Christ walked in more power than anyone who ever walked the earth. Do we see the evidence of this love putting pressure on His life?
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Matthew 14:14
This incident in the life of Christ happened just after the death of John the Baptist. Jesus had recently been told that Herod had beheaded John. Not only was John a colleague in ministry, he was also a family member. If you read through Matthew chapter 14, you’ll find that Jesus went to a remote place to get away from the crowds so that He could mourn the death of John in private.
When He arrived at what He thought would be a secluded spot, Jesus found that the crowds were waiting for Him. What would we do in that situation? We know what Christ did. Scripture says that He was moved, pressured by compassion to minister to the people in spite of His grief.
Question: Have you ever been pressured by the compassion of Christ to go beyond your normal boundaries?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: Christ, compassion, current, God's power, Jesus, Jesus Christ, love, love compels us, measure spiritual power, measureable, ministry, power, power of the spirit, pressure, produce change, spirit of power, spiritual power, voltage
I am hoping to wrap up my talk about faith with this post. I hope that by now it’s obvious that faith is an on-going process of discovery and response. It’s how we continue to grow in our walk with Christ.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.
Hebrews 11:1-2
Actually, even though I usually like the NIV, it’s not really a good translation of verse 2. The KJV is a little closer in saying that the ancients “obtained a good report.” Literally, the verse says that in faith, the elders witnessed.
We must go from being a discoverer to a witness. Let’s talk about our good friend Christopher Columbus again. In my last post I talked about him coming to the New World and discovering America. At some point he returned home.
At that point he has become a witness of what no one else in Europe has ever seen. He tells anyone who would listen, “I’ve seen a New World. I’ve discovered a land that no European has ever been to before.”
In the same way, faith is your witness. Every time you see something new about Christ, you choose to respond to it. You believe this new truth and embrace it. As you begin to put your confidence in it, you become a witness to this truth.
In the last post I used the example of hearing for the first time that Christ is the Healer. The Holy Spirit makes it real to you through the discovery of faith. You then go out and begin to share with others that Christ is the healer, even if you’ve never been healed.
It’s not a matter of, “Well, the pastor preached about it so I guess it’s true.” On the contrary – it’s on the inside of you. Then, when you need it, it’s there to heal you.
If you lay hold of each new truth, you will continue to trust Christ even if the enemy tries to knock your faith out of your hand. That’s why it’s so important that we see faith as a walk and not just an event.
The fact is, “we walk by faith and not by sight.” It’s time for believers to pick up their shields and move forward. Then, we must never back down, but respond in faith to each new discovery of the Word of God.
Question: How has your faith in Christ brought you through in your hard times?
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Tags: be a good witness, Christ, Columbus, discoverer, discovery, embrace the truth, faith, growth, healer, Holy Spirit, never back down, respond in faith, response, share, truth, walk by faith, walk in Christ, witness
The Spirit and the Word 