I have been posting about Jesus’ parable found in Matthew 13:24-41. Did you know that very soon a weeding is going to take place in the body of Christ? Actually, I believe that it may already have begun.
In the parable, Jesus said that there were going to be elements of the enemy’s kingdom mixed in with His sons and daughters. In the parable the angels inquire, “Sir, didn’t You sow good seed into Your field? Where did all these evil ones come from?”
Jesus explains that it was the work of the Devil.
The angels then ask Him, “Do you want us to go pull them up?”
“No”, He answers, “because while you’re pulling up the evil ones you may root up, hurt, or destroy My sons and daughters. Let both groups grow together until the end of the age. At that time I’ll tell the angels, first collect the sons of the evil one, tie them up and burn them. Then, gather My people and bring them into My dwelling place.”
Here you can see that Christ is not so much concerned with the weeds that are way out on the fringes. It’s the weeds that are mixed up with His kingdom that He wants to do something about. As we approach the end of the age, there’s going to be a time when God starts weeding.
I’ve seen some things happen in my lifetime that were unheard of in the past. Ministries that we thought were incredible seem to have gotten plucked up because there were some things that were wrong going on below the surface. God is exposing sin and saying, “I want that out of My kingdom.”
I believe that as we get closer to the end of the age, we’re going to see more and more of God’s weeding going on. That’s what Jesus wanted to communicate to His disciples. Don’t expect to have a kingdom that’s perfect right from the start.
Instead, He warned them that on earth there was going to be people with impure motives in His kingdom. There are going to be people among us that are not really living for Christ. They may claim to be Christians, but they’re poisonous. In my last post I talked about the specifics of that poison.
As we approach the end of the age, we’re going to see a new move of the Spirit of God as He weeds His kingdom. I believe that very soon, a separation is going to take place. Just as Jesus said, the Son of Man is going to send out His angels to expose, uproot, and remove those things that are not a part of His plan for the church. We, as believers, must be prepared for this to occur by realizing that the hand of God is in it.
Question: Do you see this weeding process as already starting?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: angels, body of Christ, Christ, end of the age, enemy's kingdom, expose, exposing sin, impure motives, Jesus, kingdom of God, move of the Spirit, parable, remove, sin, the last days, uproot, weed, weeding, weeding the kingdom
In my last post I started talking about a parable found in Matthew 13:24-41. I believe it’s talking about the times we live in right now.
In it, Jesus explains that through the centuries, the kingdom of God and the world will mature alongside of one another until the end approaches. Then, as we get close to the return of the Lord, a weeding will take place. What is the nature of these weeds? That’s what I want to talk about in today’s post.
According to the parable, both kingdoms begin to sprout. You could also say they begin coming into fruition. The church is starting to become what God wants it to become. The closer we get to the ministry of Christ, the closer we are to harvest time.
The parable also tells us that the weeds are the enemy’s kingdom sown right alongside of us. The word Jesus uses for weed is a plant called darnel. It’s a special plant that looks exactly like wheat.
The downside of having it in your field is the fact that it contains a deadly poison. Not only that, but if it’s planted next to wheat you can’t tell them apart. As a matter of fact, everything about them looks the same until the harvest. At harvest time wheat starts turning that beautiful, golden color. Darnel, however, turns black.
If you were to eat darnel, it would cause sleep, convulsions, nausea, and even death. It’s a poison. It’s not good for human consumption.
So what Jesus is saying is that there’s going to be a battle going on until the end of the age. This is because two different families are going to be on the earth at the same time with two vastly different agendas. There will be two groups of people that are becoming two different kingdoms. One of those kingdoms is poison and one is life giving.
“The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.”
Matthew 13:41
First, He says that the angels will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin or literally, causes offense and stumbling. Wow! That’s probably half the battle right there. If we can get rid of the things that cause stumbling and that cause offense, living for Christ would get a whole lot easier.
The second type of weed mentioned by the Lord is all who do evil. Literally it says all without law. He is speaking here of those who are not submitted to Christ – they are without law. These people don’t care what the Lord wants them to do – they have their own agenda. Too many people in this generation are “serving” God on their own terms. That is unacceptable to Him.
If you find yourself in one of these two categories, take the time right now to repent and become a life-giving member of the body of Christ.
Question: Have you ever experienced the poison of these “weeds” in a church setting?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: are you a weed, Christ, enemy's kingdom, evil, Jesus, kingdom of God, offense, parable, poison, return of Christ, sin, stumbling, the last days, the world, weed, weeding, without law
I believe that we’re in the Last Days before the return of Christ. Did you know about the weeding that is going to take place in the Last Days? Christ taught about it during His earthly ministry. Very few people talk about it because it doesn’t fit into their view of the end times.
I want to take a few posts to examine this important concept. I think that it’s important for every believer to know what to expect on the road ahead.
The following is based upon the events and teachings found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 13 and verses 24-41. I encourage you to read that passage first, before continuing this post. You will have a greater understanding of what I’m saying.
This is actually the second teaching given by Jesus concerning the last days. He gave it to the disciples in parable form.
At this point the disciples already knew that there would be a day of resurrection sometime in the future. They knew that on that day the graves would be opened. Someday all believers will rise with a new resurrected body. In this teaching, Jesus builds upon that knowledge.
In the parable, the Lord teaches about a farmer who sowed good seed in the ground. Secretly, an enemy sowed bad seed during the night. When asked what he would do about it, the farmer said that he would let both plants grow together until the harvest. That way he could tell the difference between the weeds and the wheat.
The disciples had no idea what Jesus was talking about. Later on in the day, the disciples found themselves alone with the Lord. They took that opportunity to ask Him about it. It’s Jesus’ explanation that I want to talk about.
According to the Lord, sons of the kingdom (that’s us), were sown into the world. But the devil also sowed his sons into the world. According to the parable there are two kingdoms, on earth, growing side by side. I believe that’s where all the spiritual tension comes from that we are presently experiencing.
The kingdom of God and the world are both headed in opposite directions. They have two different kings and vastly different goals. As we approach the end, both kingdoms are going to start developing to the point where they’re bearing fruit. The closer we get to the return of the Lord, the clearer we will see both the church of Jesus Christ and the world for what they truly are.
It is the overlap of the world and the church that causes the problems. This parable addresses what God intends to do about it in the Last Days. This is a very important subject. If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to this blog for email delivery, so you won’t miss any of the posts.
Question: How have you experienced the tension between the kingdom of God and the world?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, disciples, end times, harvest, Jesus, kingdom of God, last days, parable, resurrected body, resurrection, resurrection day, return of Christ, second coming, side by side, spiritual tension, teaching, the world, two kingdoms, weeding
In my last post I talked about the work it took to love others. Faith is the fuel, so as we love, our faith is used up.
That’s the hindrance that we face. We’ve noticed, the more we try to love others, the more of our spiritual reserves are used up. Anyone in ministry can tell you about this phenomenon. The more we minister to the needs of others, the more we need to be built up ourselves.
But, instead of more time in the Word to refuel, since faith comes by hearing the Word of God, we decide to love less. We spend less time truly fellowshipping with other believers. Less time going to church, prayer meetings, and other events that could possible tap into our faith-fuel reserves. That’s the condition of many Christians these days.
There is a fallacy with this kind of thinking. You can’t just decide not to use the car because the gas gauge goes down when you drive it. That’s simply foolish.
We wouldn’t do that in the natural. We’d never think of telling our boss, “I’m only coming to work one day a week because my car would use too much gas if I came to work more often.” Yet, many believers treat God this way all the time.
Jesus warned us that this would be a sign of the last days.
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8b
Jesus was asking if anyone would fuel up in the last days. That’s a valid question based upon what we see taking place in the church today.
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 24:12-13
Jesus warns us that in the last days the love-generators will start shutting down for lack of fuel. Engines begin to grow cold once they’re turned off. In the same way, love begins to grow cold without the addition of faith.
Heed the warning of the Lord. Don’t become a victim of this age. Keep your spiritual engine running. Keep your tank filled with the fuel of faith. Use it to energize your love walk so that your spiritual voltage is always high.
This is the generation when the church needs to shine the brightest. The world is getting darker and darker. This makes the light of the Lord that much more powerful.
Remember, it’s the power of God that draws men to Himself. But that power is only energized in us by our faith working through love. It’s not faith all by itself. Stay fueled up, and keep your love flowing.
Question: How do you keep your “faith tank” filled?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, faith, faith working through love, fellowship, heat, Jesus, lacking love, last days, light, love, love faith connection, ministry, power of God, prayer, prayer meetings, sign of the times, spiritual reserves, the word, time in the word
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
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
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 have been posting about Jesus’ parable found in Matthew 13:24-41. Did you know that very soon a weeding is going to take place in the body of Christ? Actually, I believe that it may already have begun.
The Spirit and the Word 