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Experiencing God’s Work

16 Feb
Experiencing God’s Work

We’re now going through the epistle of Jude, that tiny book toward the end of the Bible. He helps us to understand and identify false teachers and preachers in the body of Christ.

Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals — these are the very things that destroy them.

Jude 10 NIV

This is a very important verse that we need to pay careful attention to. Again, the word he uses for speak abusively against is the Greek word for blaspheme. But, what is it that they blaspheme in this verse?

That word, understand, literally means to know by seeing. In other words, they blaspheme things that they haven’t personally experienced.

Jude goes on to say that these people have a level of understanding. The Greek words that he uses mean that the knowledge they stand upon is in the natural.

That’s an important concept. He says that this natural knowledge will cause them to shrivel, wither, and become ruined.

The Apostle Paul dealt with this exact same issue in his first letter to the Corinthians.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV

That phrase, man without the spirit, is literally natural or soulish man in the Greek. In other words, like Jude tells us, they don’t accept what they don’t understand.

I’ve seen this many times in my ministry. If you were to label me, I’d be called a Charismatic preacher. That means I’ve received the baptism in the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues.

I regularly pray in the spirit (in tongues). I know, by experience that I cannot minister fully in God’s power without it.

However, I also know that there are many believers who haven’t experienced this manifestation in their lives. I don’t judge them or look down on them.

But, there are also those who preach and teach against this experience. Many of them go as far as to say that what I experience is of Satan. I have a big problem with this.

I’m about to say something that may sound like I’m bragging. I assure you I’m not because it’s all based upon the power of God and not my own strength or intelligence.

I have brought many people into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I have laid my hands on the sick and have seen them healed in the name of Jesus Christ. I have cast out demons in the name of Jesus Christ.

Why would the devil ever allow me to do that if I was operating in the power of the enemy. Like Jesus said to His accusers…

“If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?”

Matthew 12:26 NIV

I believe Jude is talking about this. These people are blaspheming what they haven’t experienced. We need to be very careful about how we treat others in the body of Christ, especially if we don’t understand their ministries.

Question: How do you respond when you hear someone preaching against other ministries?

© 2026 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 16, 2026 in Healing, Ministry, Power of God, Prayer in the Spirit, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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New Man – New Clothes

19 May
New Man – New Clothes

As we continue our study through Ephesians, I want to finish up talking about Paul’s teaching on the process of spiritual growth. We touched on putting off the old man and renewing the mind. In my last post I started talking about the new man that God created us to be.

…and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:24 NIV

We saw that it’s something that we must choose to do. But it’s a path that few believers seem to want to take. I think it’s because of the ramifications of the action.

It’s a total transformation of our lifestyle. It will radically change what we do and how we look to the world. Paul puts it this way…

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Romans 13:14 NIV

The new man is Christ, Himself. He’s the One we’re to put on. It’s His nature and character that will be seen manifesting in us. This means that we want Christ to be the only thing that the world sees in us.

Therein lies the problem. Is this true of the church in general? Is it what the average church member wants?

It doesn’t seem to be the case in practice. A look at how the church lives out its faith today proves my point that putting on Christ doesn’t just happen because we receive Christ as our Savior. There’s more to it.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:26-27 NIV

If you’ve placed your faith in Christ Jesus, then you’re a part of the family of God. In this series of posts, I’m not talking about whether you’re saved or not. If you’ve trusted Christ, then you’re saved and going to Heaven. That’s beyond question.

What I am talking about, is the outward manifestation of that salvation. I want the world to see Christ in us. In the book of Acts we’re told that the Jewish religious leaders took note that the Apostles had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). They saw the same lifestyle and ministry that Jesus had when He walked the earth.

Look closely at what Paul says in the above verse. He starts with the group of all believers, those with faith in Christ. Then he moves on to a smaller group. He talks about those who were baptized into Christ. This group, according to Paul, has clothed themselves with Christ.

We already know from previous verses that this doesn’t happen by accident. So, we have to ask ourselves; what’s this baptism that Paul is referring to in this passage? The Bible talks about many baptisms. We can’t just assume that we know which is meant in this verse.

All of the people who I’ve heard preaching on this verse say that it refers to water baptism. Now that the Holy Spirit has had me study it deeper, I no longer see it that way. Whenever water baptism is mentioned, it says that the believer is baptized into the name of Christ. That’s a baptism into the family.

A baptism into Christ, Himself is a different thing. This baptism literally clothes you with Christ. The original Greek text of this verse reads, “For all of you who were immersed in Christ have sunk into Christ as into a garment.”

When I was young, there was an iced tea commercial on TV. A man came home from a long tiring day at work. His wife hands him a nice tall glass of iced tea. As he tips his head back to drink it, the camera pulls away for a wider shot. As he continues to drink, he falls straight backward into a swimming pool.

That’s the kind of thing that Paul is talking about here. We must let everything else go and fall backward (by faith) into Christ. We need to be immersed in Christ. This is what the modern church needs to attain to.

Question: How would the church look if we were truly immersed in Christ?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2023 in Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Putting On the New Man

17 May
Putting On the New Man

We’re continuing to go through the Book of Ephesians. I’ve been posting about the foundational teachings that Paul referred to in this letter.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

So far, I’ve talked about the putting off of the old self and the renewal of the mind. The final piece that these early believers were taught was how to put on the new man that was created to be like God.

This process can take place slowly or quickly, depending upon our obedience and understanding. In looking at the modern church, it seems like this is the step that we know the least about. We definitely have very little experience with it.

But, before I get into the “how” of putting on the new man, I need to warn you. What I found in Scripture, as I studied it, totally changed my perception of how God works in us. As I got deeper and deeper into the Word, I found that my definition of the words I was reading was inadequate and, in some cases, inaccurate.

As we go along, I will have to redefine some words that the church has watered down over time. It wasn’t done maliciously, but it’s had a negative effect on us none the less. Please keep an open mind as you prayerfully take in what the Word of God teaches us.

Keep in mind that this is what the early believers were taught, at least under Paul’s ministry. Through prayer in the spirit, they overcame and put off the old man. They won the war against the flesh and its misdeeds.

Also, through prayer in the spirit they were able to grasp and retain the mind of the Lord. It caused their minds to be renewed in the process. They no longer thought the way they used to.

Now there’s a need to put on the new man. The old is gone, but we must replace it with something better. God wants to give us a new nature that’s been manufactured, fabricated, to be like God.

What’s the sign of this transformation? According to the Scripture, it’s true righteousness and holiness in the lives of those who accept it. I’m not talking about positional righteousness and holiness. As important as these are, they don’t always manifest in the lives of believers. They must be laid hold of by faith.

I’m talking about the actual, physical walk of righteousness. It’s living out the holiness that God has for us. When this happens, the world sees something different in us.

Unfortunately, based upon this definition of the new man, much of modern Christianity has missed it. What we have is a church that can’t get out of its own way. God’s people are too busy chasing after the world and its pleasures. All the while we’re confessing Scripture and believing for the blessing of God. Any talk of commitment or devotion to God is seen as condemnation and we avoid it.

The simple truth is that we’ll never be like Jesus until we put on this new man. The phrase put on literally means to sink into like a robe. We must be immersed in it.

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Romans 13:12 NIV

It’s clear from this verse, and many others, that putting on the new man is a matter of our choice. It’s not automatic. Why would we be exhorted over and over again to do it if it would just happen by itself? It’s another step in our Christian growth.

In my next post, I’ll finish talking about this important truth.

Question: How does the modern church compare to the life that Jesus Christ exemplified for us?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2023 in Prayer in the Spirit, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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