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What is Fellowship?

01 Jul

CrossMost believers have no understanding of what fellowship is all about. I want to take a few posts to talk about it.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:3-7

Our fellowship is in two directions. We have fellowship with God, as well as with other believers. We can’t live a healthy spiritual life without it.

It’s the basis of a joyful ministry and a fulfilled life. It’s how we tap into everything God has for us. Unfortunately, many Christians have no clue what fellowship entails.

The word itself, koinonia in the Greek, means partnership or participation. It comes from a root that means shared or common.

The Bible talks a lot about what we have in common. There’s our common salvation and our common faith. All of us who are in Christ have reached out to God – which is our common faith. We have all received from God – our common salvation.

The fact is, we’re all in this together. We’re all the same at the foot of the cross. But how do we view these things? Am I a part of something that’s much bigger than myself? Or do I view this walk as all about me? These are important questions.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42

This verse talks about the attitude of the early church. It tells us the things that they were devoted to. The word devoted literally means to be strong, steadfast toward. These were the things that the New Testament church majored on.

We would probably agree with most of them. Hearing the teaching of the Word of God. Going to church and celebrating the communion service. I don’t think anyone would question the need to pray.

But fellowship; what about that one? Do we really need to be strong and steadfast toward that aspect of our Christian walk?

We are all a part of the body of Christ. Fellowship should be one of our main emphases. Without it our spiritual lives would shrivel up. We need to understand the function of fellowship in the believer’s life.

That’s the basis of this new series.

Question: How do you view fellowship in your spiritual walk?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2015 in Fellowship, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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God and the Candy Machine

01 Jun

 

CandyThis is the first of six reposts of my most read articles. This one is from 2013. It was originally from a series dealing with how similar our modern attitudes are to the crowd in John Chapter 6. They seem to have their eyes on the temporary, while Christ is trying to point them to the eternal.

Click here to view the original series.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:35-40

Notice that Jesus repeats Himself here. Two times He said to them, “I will raise them up at the last day.” It’s a very simple statement. It’s so simple, in fact, that most Christians miss it as well.

He told them that if they come to Him and put their trust in Him, He’ll give them eternal life and He’ll raise them up at the last day. The key is that you must have this eternal life in you BEFORE you enter the grave. If you have this eternal life in you, then death will not be able to keep you any more than it could hold on to the Lord.

He said it twice yet they didn’t hear him. Look at their reaction.

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
John 6:41

It went right over their heads. They missed it. The Lord said you can have eternal life and that He’d raise you up at the last day. All they heard was that He thinks He’s bread that has come down from heaven. “What does He mean He’s bread coming down from heaven?”

They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:42-44

Jesus is desperately trying to get it into their head that He wasn’t emphasizing bread coming down from heaven. He was trying to get them to embrace eternal life. Over and over again He said, “I’ll raise him up at the last day.” They just didn’t get it.

I think, that just like us, they didn’t want to get it. They could tell that what Jesus was talking about meant change. They would have to change their views and attitudes about God. The Lord would no longer be that big “candy machine in the sky,” but a friend with whom you must spend time cultivating a relationship.

Question: How do you deepen your relationship with Christ?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on June 1, 2015 in Faith, Prayer, Spiritual Walk

 

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Have You Met El Qanaa?

06 Apr

Lightning 3In my last post I showed the first thing the Holy Spirit wrote about Himself. This was found in James 4:4-5. It declared in no uncertain terms that the Holy Spirit is intensely jealous over us.

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?
James 4:5-6

But what really caught my attention was the phrase Scripture says. I started to ask myself where the Bible talks about this jealousy. So I searched the Old Testament.

Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14

In this section of Scripture God is giving Israel the Law through Moses. As I read it I was taken by surprise to find out that His name is Jealous.

Please understand, I’ve heard a lot of teachings about the names of God. He’s Jehovah-Rapha, the Healing God. He’s Jehovah-Tsidkinnu, God our Righteousness. These names don’t even scratch the surface.

But in all of these teachings that I’ve heard about the names of God I was never told about El Qanaa. The Jealous God. (Pronounced like El Kanaw)

We need to lay hold of this. For purposes of comparison I started counting. Jehovah Jireh, the God who Provides, is only used 1 time in Scripture. Abraham was inspired to use this name for God when He provided a ram for sacrifice in place of his son.

In contrast, God calls Himself El Qanaa 7 times in the Old Testament. I think that this is a part of God’s character that shouldn’t be ignored.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30

This verse literally says do not make the Holy Spirit sad, mournful. I think we lose sight of the fact that He’s a person with feelings. How many times do we make Him feel rejected or ignored?

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8

This verse tells us that God did not call us to a life that’s not cleaned. That phrase could also mean not pruned. We think it’s okay to say, “I just don’t want to be cleaned up right now.”

The truth is that we’re called to a set apart life. This is accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit within us. So He starts the cleaning process when we’re saved.

When I reject the process – His instruction and guidance – I reject God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to do a work that He’s proud of in us.

Then we tell Him, “Not now. Come back later.” That makes Him sad. He knows the destiny He’s leading us to. We need an increased sensitivity to the Holy Spirit working within us.

Question: What has the Holy Spirit been working in you lately?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on April 6, 2015 in Revival, The Church

 

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He Calls Us by Name

02 Mar

Courtesy Mzacha, rgbstock.comOne of the single most important aspects of our Christian walk is calling. It determines our effectiveness, provision and fulfillment, yet many believers either ignore it or misunderstand it. If you want to walk in excellence, then you must have an intimate knowledge of your callings before God.

Calling has many parts to it. Each is important to the whole. I’ve found that even some godly leaders tend to focus on certain parts to the neglect of others.

I’ve heard it said many times that “with the calling comes the equipping.” This is very true. It’s also true, however, that if you ignore part of your calling, then you have just cut off part of your equipping. There are many Christians who are wondering why the resources are not coming in. In some cases, it’s because they’ve only heard half of their call and tried to figure the rest out for themselves. We must endeavor to hear and follow the whole call of God upon our lives if we want to run at full speed.

But now, this is what the LORD says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1

This is an amazing verse. It’s a good feeling to know that I’m not just a number to God. He knows me by name, intimately and personally.

I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.
Isaiah 45:3-4

There are things that God has stored up which only belong to me; they have my name on them. His desire is that I would know Him in that same intimate way. The good news is that He had them all planned out before I even acknowledged Him. He patiently waited for my response to His call. Then, as I walk in the works He’s prepared for me, I’ll receive the resources that He’s stored up for me.

The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
John 10:3

The first part of your calling that I want you to realize is that you’re called by name. You’re the product of what was expected of you throughout your entire life. You’ve been called something since the day you were born.

In my next post I’ll talk about how your name fits into God’s plan for your life.

Questions: Have you ever researched your name? What does your name mean?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on March 2, 2015 in Ministry, Spirit of Excellence

 

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Let Thanksgiving do its Work

26 Nov

GrapesI’m taking a couple of posts to talk about Thanksgiving from Psalm 118. In my last post I talked about how Christ has opened the gates of righteousness. Through thanksgiving, we enter those gates into the throne room of God.

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Today is a great day to praise the Lord. God made this day – that we can enter His righteousness. This word rejoice literally means to jump, dance, and spin around under the influence of a violent emotion. God deserves the best of our praise.

In the original Hebrew this verse reads and in this rejoicing we will brighten up and be made glad. So, in reality, you don’t have to feel good to start with. Being thankful changes your emotions. David understood this truth.

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:4-5

This is a lesson we all need to learn. As I thank and praise the Lord, I begin to feel good emotionally. Then, when our emotions change, our whole outlook on life changes for the better.

O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Psalm 118:25-26

When we thank God for His work in us we’re actually admitting that we needed His salvation. Without Him we can do nothing. He is our strength and our success.

When I’m thankful – meditating on the good things of God – that joy gives me strength to move forward. So it’s my thankfulness that makes me strong. That’s why it’s such an important part in the life of a believer.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Psalm 118:26

We’re supremely blessed in that Name above all names that Christ has given to us. In the name of Jesus we have all that we need for life and godliness. We have hope, healing, victory, peace, and salvation. That’s where the place of blessing is – in His name.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

My prayer for you is that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this year. But more than that, I pray that you can live a life of thankfulness before God.

Question: What are you specifically thankful for that God has done in you this year?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on November 26, 2014 in Encouragement, Prayer

 

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The God Who Runs

21 Nov

Heart CellHave you ever felt like God was mad at you?  Maybe you’ve been keeping away from the Lord or His people because you’re ashamed of something you’ve done.  That’s not the way to go.

There’s a parable Jesus told about a son who, because of his choices, distanced himself from his father.  When he hit rock bottom, he decided it was better to go home, no matter what the consequences were.

So he got up and went to his father.  But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Luke 15:20

Most people agree that Jesus was telling this parable about His Heavenly Father.  The young man in question who took an early inheritance and blew it all on wild living.  He ended up in poverty, and became a servant who was feeding hogs.

Finally he came to his senses and thought about what life was like in his father’s house.  Even the servants were eating better than he was at that moment.

The young man decided to humble himself and return home.  He had spent his inheritance and was now willing to simply be a one of his father’s hired servants.

He then made the long journey home.  What would he find there?  What would be the response of the father he had so humiliated by his leaving?

How would we write the story?  A father standing, arms folded, with a stern “I told you so” written across his face.  Would he listen in silence to the young man’s plea, only to say, “We’ll see how you act over the next few months.”  Maybe there would be outright rejection.

We always seem to project these natural, human, responses onto our loving Father God.  I’m so glad that He doesn’t treat us the way we treat each other.  I’m even more thankful that He doesn’t treat me the way I deserve to be treated.

Because of the work Christ has done, all I need to do is start heading in His direction.  It’s at that point the He runs to be with me.  There’s no condemnation, no probation, and no judging.  He only brings acceptance and forgiveness with Him.

Maybe you’ve done some things that you think are hard to forgive.  Maybe you’ve been a long time away from God.  It doesn’t matter.  Return to the Lord and He’ll run to you.  You can be restored in an instant because of the love of the Father.

Trust Him.  He’s the God who runs.

Question: How have you experienced the love and acceptance of God the Father?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on November 21, 2014 in Encouragement, Prayer, Revival, The Gospel

 

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What’s God Looking For?

31 Oct

BinocularsThis is the last of my series of posts dealing with the subject of personal revival.  David has shown us the progression it takes.

Starting with seeing ourselves as needing a touch from God, we then receive the forgiveness and purifying from the Lord’s hand.  After we have been changed, we allow the power of God to spill over into the lives of those around us.

The final part is the attitude that permeates revival.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:16-17

We’re sometimes lead to believe that following God is all about working, serving and giving.  While these things are a part of our Christian walk, they’re not the main things that God is looking for from us.

There are some who feel that once they’ve attended church and given their offering they’ve fulfilled their obligation to the Lord.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Revival brings us to the realization that it’s not about the things we do, but about relationship with the Father.  I have to come to the point where I see that God is not after my money or my stuff.

He wants ME!  All of me.  He wants everything that I am, just the way that I am.  He wants my weaknesses as well as my strengths.

Don’t ever get the idea that you’re not good enough to be intimate with God.  You can’t make yourself more acceptable to God.  He loves you just the way you are.

He wants to begin His work in you from the ground up.  How foolish we are to think that we can impress God by our striving after Him.

Let the truth of David’s experience with the Lord speak to us.  The church needs revival – right here and right now.  It will only come about in God’s way, not ours.

It’s time to lay our lives down before the Lord in submission and humility.  Stop the striving and just allow the Holy Spirit to do the work in you that only He can do.  Prepare yourself for the revival fires of the Lord.

Question: What’s your first step toward a personal revival in your life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on October 31, 2014 in Power of God, Revival, The Church

 

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God doesn’t Need to Cool Off

24 Oct

MeditationThis continues the subject of personal revival which we started in my last post.  The road to revival begins by taking a long, hard look at your life in comparison to Jesus.

Once you see your condition, you’re ready for the second step.  David describes it to us in Psalm 51.

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Psalm 51:6-9

The next logical step, after self examination, is to run into the presence of God for forgiveness.  Don’t ever fall into the trap of thinking that God is mad at you.

It’s never too soon after a failure to go to Him.  Our Heavenly Father doesn’t need any “cooling off time”.  He loves you as much right now as He ever will.  As soon as you’re aware of your fault, seek out His presence.

That was one of David’s greatest character traits.  When he was confronted with his sin, he was quick to repent.  We need to follow his example.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

That’s where true forgiveness can be found.  Remember, it’s God’s forgiveness that can totally wash us clean of our sin.  Don’t try to rely on good intentions, will power, or turning over a new leaf.  Let God work His cleansing power in you.  Lay your sin under the blood of Christ.

That’s the joy and gladness that David talks about.  We’re not just going to try harder.  We’re going to the Lord for Him to clean us by the Holy Spirit.

There’s no need for a guilty conscience.  There’s no need to work extra hard to get God to accept you again.  When God does the work, it’s done and final.

Elsewhere in Scripture it says that God throws our sin into the sea of forgetfulness.  He removes it as far as the East is from the West.  Those are powerful statements about God’s ability to remove the stains of sin.

If you see places of fault or failure in your walk with God – take the time to seek Him for His cleaning process.  Let Christ totally wipe the slate clean.  Then you’re ready to continue your walk toward personal revival.

Question: Why do we sometimes feel that God is mad at us?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on October 24, 2014 in Power of God, Prayer, Revival

 

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Stand Your Ground

08 Oct

DifferentI’m continuing to post about the spiritual battle that we’re in. The Apostle Paul had a lot of insight in this area. Of course not everything he wrote sounds good to me.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Ephesians 6:13

This is one of those scriptures that I have to take note of whether I like it or not. I’m told under the authority of the Holy Spirit to always be prepared to stand my ground.

This is a great lesson that the church needs to hear. So many people give up when things get hard. Some of us are under the impression that working for God should be all hearts and flowers.

Why then does Paul use the analogy of a warrior, fully armed, and dressed for battle? The fact is that there are spiritual forces that don’t want us to succeed in our service to the Lord. The victory comes from knowing that it’s the Holy Spirit giving you strength, and not giving up.

We need to learn how to stand in the center of opposition. The ancient Romans knew how to do this. It was the secret to the success of their army. Each of the Roman soldiers was taught how to defend a 3-foot square of ground from an invading army.   Together, there was no way to break through their lines.

We need to get it into our heads that the only way to victory is to move forward in the Lord. Backing up WILL NOT get you out of the battle. It will only make you have to fight to regain that ground later.

Most of all, the thing about this verse that gives me the most trouble, is when Paul says when the day of evil comes. Not “if”, not “there might come a time when problems arise”. He tells us in a straight forward way that this day is coming whether you’re ready or not. So the best thing to do is prepare now.

The word that Paul uses for stand literally means to stand in opposition to. This word is used elsewhere in the Bible.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

The word resist in this verse is the same word as stand that Paul used. We need to stand our ground and resist the devil. We’re told that if we do this, in submission to the Lord, the enemy will flee. It’s the time frame between the resisting and the fleeing that gives us the most problem.

Why would the devil ever flee from us? After all, we’re not that strong compared to him. The answer is back in the verse from Ephesians.

The phrase after you have done everything actually translates after you have fully accomplished your work. When you have done everything you were assigned to do by the Lord, then it’s time for the Holy Spirit to take over. One thing I’m certain about. The enemy is no match for the God I serve!

So, being forewarned with the knowledge that the day of evil is coming, we need to be ready. We must be fully armed and prepared to stand our ground in Christ. Then we will see the victory of God manifest in our situation.

Question: What are you going through right now that will require you to stand your ground?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on October 8, 2014 in Faith, Ministry, Power of God, Spiritual Warfare

 

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Worship – The Prelude to Victory

15 Aug

TrophyThis will be my last post in the series on true worship. I’ve been looking at the worship around the throne in Heaven recorded in the book of Revelation.

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
Revelation 4:2

Probably the most important aspect is knowing the object of our worship. Worship is always directed toward Christ. It’s all about the person on the throne. It has nothing to do with us.

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
Hebrews 3:1

This is where we lose our grasp of the spiritual on many occasions. We see all the stuff that’s happening around us. We start to concentrate on the circumstances and not the answer to that need.

I need to focus my mind on Christ. I need to make Him my obsession. That’s the beginning of worship; when I let everything else go and zero in on the Holy Spirit calling me into His presence.

In the first post of this series I talked about this heavenly calling – our upward calling in Christ. How can we ever hope to fulfill it apart from worship?

The book of Hebrews talks a lot about this call.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
Hebrews 12:25

We are being called upward to the secluded place of worship. Don’t refuse like the Israelites of Moses’ day did in the wilderness. There were bad consequences. As a result, they were overcome by their enemies.

In Ephesians we’re told about being seated in heavenly places in Christ. Later Paul writes…

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12

We have the advantage of the high ground. We can look down upon the enemy’s position from our seat in heavenly realms. They are the powers of this dark world. They’re stuck on the earth. Even the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms aren’t higher than our place in Christ.

Don’t fight them on their level. Let worship raise you up to the victory Christ bought for you. Respond to God’s upward call to worship.

Question: How do you incorporate the call to worship into your everyday life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2014

 
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Posted by on August 15, 2014 in Power of God, Worship

 

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