I’ve been posting about how Christ walked and ministered in the power of God. It’s all about how He positioned Himself to receive it.
A good example of this is found in a parable that the Lord told to His disciples. We usually call it the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector. They were both in the temple praying next to each other. The Lord lets us in on what they were saying.
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
Luke 18:11-12
We read this, but we don’t take it to heart. We know how it ends and who the Lord commends. But do we really listen to the prayer of the Pharisee. If we look closely at it, it sounds like a prayer that a modern Christian would offer up, filled with good confessions.
“I thank you that I’m the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. I thank you that because I tithe you will rebuke the devourer and open the windows of heaven so that I cannot contain your blessing.”
His prayer was filled with good confessions and it was all true. He was different than the tax-collector. He did fast and tithe. The problem was that he had no power.
But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Luke 18:13
Which prayer produced life changing power? Christ was clear about it.
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:14
It’s obvious, from the Lord’s perspective, that the person who dealt with relationship tapped into God’s power. The Pharisee was focused on self. The tax-collector was dealing with that which separated him from God.
Is the power of God about what I’ve done or what the Holy Spirit wants to accomplish in and through me? When I go before God, my telling Him what I’ve done doesn’t impress Him. It will never move Him to work through me.
It’s only as I work on my relationship with Christ that I’ll see the changes necessary. If you want to flow in the power of God, then your relationship with Him is the positioning agent. It’s not about what you’ve done, but what He is able to do in you.
Questions: How well are you positioned for the move of the Holy Spirit? What do you need to do to make it better?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, good confessions, Jesus, life changing, ministry, Pharisee, position, positioned to receive spiritual power, power, power of God, power of the spirit, pray, prayer, praying, publican, receive, relationship, self, sinner, spiritual power, tax-collector
I normally don’t use the KJV in my posts, but this verse gives me a lot to think about.
I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
1 Corinthians 16:15
What was it about Stephanas and his family that caused Paul to describe them as addicted?
I looked up some facts, not from Christian sources, but from the American medical community. How do they describe addiction? You may think you’re “all in” for the Lord. How does what these doctors say stack up to your experience?
You need an increased level to maintain the feeling. Are you feeling tired and burned out by what you do for God? Or are you hungering to go deeper with Him? Addiction means that the amount you’re doing now doesn’t satisfy you the way it used to. You want more, greater, and higher dosages in order to stay fulfilled. I believe that’s the excitement of the ministry.
You are obsessed with the ministry. What’s your thought life like? When you’re not actively involved in your calling, are you still thinking about it? Addiction means that it’s constantly in the back of your mind. You continually think about ways to improve and increase what you’re doing for the Lord.
Even in recreation times, a thought, word, or something you see will trigger an image of what you could be doing to further the Kingdom. Thinking about it is uncontrollable.
You are continually sneaking “quickies” throughout the day. Addiction to the ministry is a lifestyle. Do you find yourself sharing about Jesus at the mall, school or workplace? Are you prone to spontaneously be a blessing to people around you, simply for the enjoyment of it? Maybe you find yourself praying for people as soon as you hear about their need. This is a sign of an addiction to Christ and His ministry.
You undergo a change in your appearance. Does the knowledge that you represent Christ change how you present yourself to others? Does the fact that you’re God’s ambassador to the world make a difference in how you live? The more we become addicted, the more radical the change. How much has your ministry affected you?
You are in “denial” – you continue deeper even though others may argue against it. Some people may say that you’re doing too much for God. After all, look at the lifestyle of most believers. “God will let you get away with a lot less commitment.” Arguments like these don’t even faze you. You want to touch as many people as you can for the Gospel.
You may like to think that you’re addicted – after all, it sounds good. But the truth is, unless you’ve come to the place I’ve just described, it’s only wishful thinking. Hey, don’t get mad at me – this is what the American medical community says about it.
If you find that you’re not addicted and you want to be – my next post will be about the 5 steps to becoming addicted!
Question: How has addiction to the ministry affected your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: addicted to the ministry, addiction, addiction to Christ, argument, change, Christ, deeper, denial, excitement, God's ambassador, hunger, improve, increase, Jesus, lifestyle, medical community, ministry, obsessed, praying, radical, represent Christ, sharing about Jesus
In my last post I talked about deciding to walk in excellence. It’s never too late with God.
I looked at God’s promise of restoration to the nation of Israel. But what about our ministry under the New Covenant? Does God expect us to walk in a spirit of excellence?
If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
II Corinthians 3:9-12
The two verses we looked at in the last post were from that former ministry that condemned men. The glory that God exhibited back then was indeed glorious. But Paul says in verse 10 that we are now living in the day when God wants to exhibit His excellent glory.
When I think about the glory He showed in the Old Testament, I wonder how it could be any better. He ordained a place of worship that was lined in gold. Even the utensils used in its service were mostly of gold and silver. The priests themselves were lavishly dressed – the high priest having precious stones on his garment.
But wait a minute. Remember, that excellence is not about things, but about spirit. It’s based on who you are. Do you excel beyond the normal and the expected? This is different for everyone.
In some places it might mean a large building and the latest technology. In other places around the world, however, excellence might mean a building with a roof that doesn’t leak. I’ve found that in some cultures, just starting a meeting on time is a mark of the spirit of excellence. Remember that it’s not the “what” of the ministry that makes it excellent, it is the “why.”
The preceding verse goes so far as to say that your boldness will be based on the excellence that your ministry exhibits. If you’re content with an “I’ll just get by” spirit, then it will show in your lack of boldness. But one who has learned to step out and believe God for that which is excellent, will be just as willing to believe Him in other areas of his life.
It’s only those who are bold for Christ who are willing to go beyond the normal church routine and enter the realm of the excellent. There are many that desire to be average, simply because they don’t want to attract attention. This is just the opposite of what God wants.
He’s looking for a people who will allow Him to shine through them. That should be our desire as well. Then the world will see and be attracted to the excellent glory of God revealed in us. Oh, that the Church would rise up in excellence and boldness, that the world might once again be turned upside down for the glory of God!
Question: How does excellence and boldness play a role in your life and ministry?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: beyond, boldness, excellence, excellence in ministry, excellent, excellent glory, expected, glory, God, God's promise, ministry, ministry of excellence, normal, restoration, turn the world upside down, walk of excellence
In my last post I started talking about the Old Testament custom of anointing with oil. Specifically, I was looking at David’s anointing as the King of Israel in I Samuel, chapter 16. When Samuel approached David’s family, they thought they were merely being called to a public sacrifice.
In reality, they were called to an anointing of power for kingship. At some point Jesse must have said to David, “It’s not important that you be there.”
That was probably fine with David. As a teenager, he didn’t want to attend a boring church service anyway. He’d rather watch the sheep.
Please understand this point. The whole reason for the meeting was so David could receive the anointing as king. Yet, both he and his father thought it wasn’t important for David to attend.
This should be a sobering thought. Your invitation to the anointing of power will come wrapped in an envelope that looks like junk mail. You didn’t know that God had planned to give you an anointing to heal the sick this Sunday at church.
All you knew was that an invitation somewhere else was more important to you. After all, “I’ve attended faithfully for a while. I deserve to miss a week.”
The calling to the anointing will seem very unimportant in comparison to what we want to do.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:6-7
As a pastor, I want to find the ones in my church who are called to lead ministries. But I have to be careful. The first to arrive is not always the one God wants. Maybe God’s choice is still in bed.
Don’t miss receiving the manifestation of God’s anointing upon your life. Be faithful to show up where you’re supposed to be. Don’t let the excuses and distractions of the world disqualify you for service in the Kingdom of God.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not condemning you for missing church. There are many legitimate reasons we can’t make it. God is big enough to work in us during those times.
I’m talking about not meeting with God’s people in order to please the desires of our flesh. That’s where you run the risk of missing God’s anointing in your life. Don’t miss out on the good things that God has prepared for you.
Question: What’s the difference between missing public worship for the right and wrong reasons?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: anoint, anointed, anointed one, anointing, anointing to heal, boring church service, called, called to lead, David, don't miss the anointing, junk mail, king David, manifestation, ministry, missing church
I believe that God is about to pour out a revival upon His church. Right now, we’re in the preparation stage. Our concern should be, with positioning ourselves to receive it.
Jesus is our example in ministry. If we see how He positioned Himself, then we can follow His lead.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
Christ’s ability to walk in the power of God was brought about in three major events. These were His baptism, temptation, and His announcement of ministry. This verse shows us His entrance into the public ministry.
After reading this portion of Scripture, the Lord announced that it was being fulfilled in their presence. I believe that this holds the key to positioning ourselves. It’s all about the anointing.
We’ve heard a lot of teaching on the anointing over the years. Unfortunately, some of it has been a little off base. Where was it wrong?
First, let’s look at where we were right. The anointing removes burdens and destroys yokes. That’s a true statement based upon Isaiah 10:27. Furthermore, that was Jesus’ whole ministry in a nutshell.
Another part is that the word Christ encompasses the Anointed One and His anointing. Since that’s true, it is also the case that as Christians, we are little anointed ones. That’s the meaning of the name.
The final truth that we must embrace is that we all have an anointing from God. Scripture is clear on that point.
With all of this truth, then where are we off? My question is this; with this entire teaching being proclaimed, why are burdens NOT being removed and yokes NOT being destroyed in much of the church?
I’ve also heard it taught that the Holy Spirit is our anointing. That’s where we’ve misunderstood the Scripture. Look at the above verse carefully.
Jesus clearly said, “The Spirit…is on me BECAUSE he has anointed me.” What we’ve missed is that the Spirit follows the anointing.
This is a different work than salvation. Yes, the Holy Spirit lives in me when I receive Christ as Lord. But the anointing for the power of the Holy Spirit is a different thing. That’s why there are so many believers in the body of Christ that live powerless in this generation.
We need to understand exactly what the anointing is and how to receive it. Then, like Christ, we can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit that this anointing opens up.
I’m going to take the next few posts to try and explain how this works in our Christian walk. If you haven’t subscribed to this blog yet, you should do it now so that you won’t miss any of this vital message to the church.
Question: Are you content with the level of power evidenced in the church today?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: anoint, anointed, anointing, Christ, Christian, destroy yokes, Holy Spirit, Jesus, ministry, misunderstood the anointing, power, power of God, powerless, remove burdens, revival, the Anointed One
How far into the realm of the excellent are you venturing? In my last post I looked at a sobering statement that Jesus made to His disciples.
“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”
Luke 17:10
If all you’re doing in your life and ministry are the things you’re supposed to do, then you’re unprofitable in the kingdom of God, according to the Lord. There are always things that we must do or that we’re expected to do.
The word unworthy is derived from a Greek word that means, not ought. The thought is that you are not what you ought to be. To break into the realm of the excellent you must break through the “musts” and enter into the “oughts.”
Those who are not only doing what they have to do, but have found a way to do what they ought to do, are considered to be walking in the excellent. When a person goes beyond the expected in his or her walk with the Lord we marvel at their spirit of excellence.
What does that mean to me? I must stop saying, “I ought to have…”, “I ought to do…”, or “I ought to be…” then with the next breath say, “But I have so much I need to do; I can’t.” When you develop the spirit of excellence, the Holy Spirit is now free to work in you to accomplish what wasn’t expected.
As excellence starts its work in you, you can tap into God’s “excellent power,” His “excellent grace,” and His “excellent love.” You’ll find out that God has all the resources you need to fulfill the call to excellence that He’s placed inside of you.
In II Corinthians 12:7, Paul talks about being the recipient of excellent revelations. He would not have received these had he not been walking in excellence. Galatians 1:13 says that before he was saved, Paul excelled at persecuting the church.
Everyone else was persecuting Christians in the normal way. Paul, however, went above and beyond the call of duty. He dragged people out of their homes, and if they tried to move away, he even tracked them to other towns. Once saved, He carried over this same spirit of excellence into his work for Christ. That’s why the Holy Spirit entrusted him with all the revelation that he received from the Lord.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
II Corinthians 4:7
The word all-surpassing is the Greek word hyperballo – excellent. This excellent power does not come from our own strength. Don’t ever take the credit for the excellence in your ministry. The glory belongs to God.
Walking in the spirit of excellence is one of the earmarks of the power of God in your life, showing that you hear from God and are obeying His voice.
Question: What are some of the marks of God’s excellence in your life and ministry?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: beyond the expected, Christ, disciple, excellence, excellence from musts to oughts, excellent, expected, glory of God, God, Jesus, life and ministry, Lord, ministry, must, ought, power of God, profitable, spirit of excellence, unprofitable, unworthy, walking in excellence
We all know that it’s impolite to interrupt someone when they’re speaking. Have you ever thought about this in relation to Christ and His work in you? He speaks to us in various ways. Are we guilty of interrupting what He’s doing in us?
I want to look at an incident in the life of Jesus that illustrates this. It’s found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12. At this point in the Lord’s ministry, He’s publicly teaching somewhere when all of a sudden a loud voice interrupts Him.
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Luke 12:13
Can you imagine that? Jesus is walking down the street giving words of instruction and perhaps ministering to the sick when somebody yells out, “Tell my brother to give me my share of the inheritance.”
It makes you wonder what type of individual would be so self-absorbed, that they would make a public statement like that. Well, that kind of presumption was enough to set Jesus off in a new direction of teaching.
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:14-15
When Jesus got done, that person probably felt as though he should have kept his mouth shut. Jesus used this interruption to teach the crowd about the foolishness of greed.
He told them a parable about a rich man with no common sense. This man got a big harvest, built bigger barns, and stored it all up. Jesus explained that the man ended up dying before he could spend all of his wealth. That foolish man lost the eternal to gain the temporary.
The Lord’s message to those gathered around Him was that our life does not consist of what can be accumulated. You’re not to worry about what you’re going to wear or what you’re going to eat. God will provide for you.
Worry about serving God. Worry about doing the Father’s will. In that way you’re laying up treasure in Heaven. Christ said that where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is going to be.
This got me thinking. The Lord is attempting to do a particular work in my life. He communicates His plan to me through a series of events. He speaks to my heart, allows circumstances to come my way, and teaches me through the lives and words of others.
How often do I “interrupt” His plan with a totally unrelated request? I get my eyes off His plan and onto my desires. When it comes to the Lord, I need to think before I ask.
We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit at work in us. Make sure that your requests are in line with His plan. Don’t be discourteous and interrupt the Lord.
Question: Have you ever found yourself guilty of interrupting God’s work in you?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Christ, Christ speaks, eternal, Holy Spirit, interrupt, interrupt the Lord, interrupting, Jesus, ministry, my heart, self-absorbed, sensitive, serve God, temporary, the Father's will, the Lord, treasure in Heaven
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 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
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
I’ve been posting about how Christ walked and ministered in the power of God. It’s all about how He positioned Himself to receive it.
The Spirit and the Word 