In my last post I made a statement about the Word of God planted in us. I first made the point that we’re powerless to make the seed grow. I then said that the only help we can give it, is in the watering process.
How do we water the seed of the Word of God? That’s what this post is about.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11
Now that’s an interesting concept. Not only is the Word seed, it’s also the water. The first time you receive God’s Word concerning a certain matter, be it salvation or healing, it’s the seed being planted in your life.
After that, you can still hear the Word of God in those areas. However, it’s now the water to bring the plant to maturity. That is why it’s so important for me to receive God’s Word in all of its forms. I need both the initial seed and the water for growth.
As a pastor, I’m accountable to God to bring His Word to those under my care. I must regularly plant seed and water what’s been planted. Both are done by a Word from God.
The Word is both the seed and the water. But that’s not a reason for you to feel comfortable if you’re not a pastor. You’re under the same marching orders.
You’re accountable to God for the Word God has sent you to plant in the lives of others around you. It’s this truth that sheds light on a problem that we’re currently experiencing in the body of Christ.
Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.
Proverbs 25:14
It’s very easy to claim gifts that you don’t possess.
“I am a teacher to the body of Christ.”
“I’m a prophet of God.”
It’s easy to lay claim to titles and positions. The true test is whether or not people are being planted with the Word of God. Is there fruit to the ministry?
What the world desperately needs right now is a Word from God. The church promises so much, yet a lot of it is “clouds and wind without rain.”
It’s time for God’s people to press in to receive His Word. When our society sees someone truly transformed by the Spirit of God, then they’ll hunger to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Question: Why are so many believers content to merely talk about the good things of God, yet not experience them?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: body of Christ, Christ, fruit, fruit of the Spirit, God's word, grow, growth, healing, Jesus, maturity, plant seed, planted, planted in us, receive God's word, salvation, seed, self-watering word of God, transformed, water, watering process, word of God
I’ve been posting about our relationship to the Word of God. Specifically, how it works as seed in our lives. While I am responsible to accept God’s Word into my life, there is another aspect that I have no control over.
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29
One of the most important concepts for us to understand is that the Kingdom of God is all about the Word being planted. This is a part of all that we do as believers.
As a pastor, my greatest assignment is to receive the Word in order to plant it again in the lives of those who hear me. Every Christian needs to be planting the Word into the lives of those around them.
With that comes the realization that nothing I do will bring about the growth of that seed, once it has been planted. From then on it’s out of my control. Once you plant the Word into the lives of your friends and family, it is time to wait – and that can be the hardest part.
Sometimes we want to force them to produce fruit. We try to convince and coerce. That’s usually when we start to push them further away. We need to learn to plant, then step back and let God provide the increase.
The Word, by its very nature, begins to grow below the surface. It cannot be stopped, but neither can it be hurried along. It goes at the pace God has set for it. One thing is certain; it will produce the harvest that God intended it to bring forth. This thought was echoed by the apostle Paul.
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7
We all have our part to play in the Kingdom of God. Some of us plant the seed and some water it. None of us can make it grow, that’s God’s department. The only help we can give it, once it’s planted, is in the watering process.
Question: Have you ever caused bigger problems by trying to force the Word of God to grow in someone?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: accept God's word, beyond my control, coerce, control, convince, force, God makes growth, God's word, growth, increase, kingdom of God, patience, plant, plant the word, produce fruit, receive the word, the word, wait, water the seed, word of God
In my last post I talked about how the work of salvation was started in your life. But that’s not the end of it. The Word has a greater job to do in you.
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
James 1:21
James is writing to the church in this passage of Scripture. As I’ve stated before, I believe that the book of James was the first New Testament Scripture to be written. If that’s true, then the Word he refers to could not be the Bible, since that was unknown at this point in church history.
What James is telling us is that the Word has been planted in us and is continuing to grow in us. It’s there to change us. Actually, what he says in the original Greek, is that this seed has the power (dunamis) to save your soul. James is telling us to allow the seed of the Word to do its job, the saving of our souls.
Wait a minute! I thought that if I accepted Christ, then I’m saved already. The answer to that is an important one. Yes, you were saved from sin and hell. If you died right now you would go to heaven to be with the Lord.
However, in the broadest sense, salvation is not a one time thing. It’s ongoing. I’m saved (from sin and hell), I’m being saved (from the effects of sin in me), and I will be saved (from my flesh). It’s this ongoing process of salvation that James is writing about.
Salvation itself is a package deal. It includes everything that Christ paid for on the cross. That same Word that brought me over from death to life also works God’s health and provision in me. But for this to work, it has to start in my soul and work its way out.
That’s why the Word is called a seed. Much of its work is done in the unseen places, below the surface. Then, as it continues its work, it bursts out into the sunlight to bring the work in my life to completion – the bearing of fruit.
The question may arise – where does the seed come from? The answer is simple. It comes from the processes of the Spirit. The seed grows, produces the plant and then the fruit. The fruit itself contains more seed. That seed is then planted in new ground to produce even more – and the cycle continues.
So, in reality, the seed comes from those who at one time received the Word, allowed it to grow, and then brought forth fruit. The seed comes from someone who accepted the Word. According to the parables of Christ, there can be 30, 60, or even 100 times what was originally sown. God wants an abundant harvest. The greater the harvest, the greater the next planting will be.
Question: How much has your life changed since you first made Christ Lord of your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: bearing fruit, Christ, church, cross, dunamis, effects of sin, flesh, future, God's word, grow, growth, harvest, hell, James, Jesus, living saved, ongoing salvation, past, power, present, process, process of salvation, salvation, save your soul, saved, savior, sin, word, word of God, word planted
In many of my posts I talk about the relationship between the Word of God and the Scripture. The Bible is the written Word of God. But we also need to hear the Word from the Holy Spirit. This is where the power of God intersects with our lives.
For a few posts I want to write about how the Word of God relates to us. The Bible teaches that we must correctly handle the Word of Truth. In order to do that I must be studying the Scripture – the written record of God’s Word – so that I can handle the Word I receive from God today.
In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Acts 19:20
The Bible uses many terms in relation to the Word of God. It uses language such as spread, increased, grew, reached and multiplied. In the above verse we’re told how. The verse says in this way. If you read through this nineteenth chapter of the Book of Acts you’ll get a taste for the effects of the Word.
We see the gifts of tongues and prophecy being manifested. There was boldness in preaching. Handkerchiefs and aprons that touched Paul were taken to the sick and they were healed. Demonic spirits were confronted and expelled. There was widespread repentance such that a group of new believers burned the equivalent of $5,000,000 worth of satanic sorcery books.
That’s the way the Word of God is described as growing. Literally, the above verse says that the Word became a force to be reckoned with. The Word of God is alive and it grows. That’s the aspect that I want to discuss in this series of posts.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
1 Peter 1:23
We’ve been saved by the living Word of God. That Word is a seed that’s growing inside of us. It will never decay or diminish. It’s there forever.
Somewhere along the line somebody spoke God’s Word to you. It doesn’t matter whether they used the Bible or not – you heard a Word from God that changed your life. It might have been a Bible verse, a word of prophecy, or a statement of divine truth. Either way, you received it, it grew inside of you, and eventually you accepted Jesus Christ and were born again.
That’s how the Word of God starts its work in you. The fact that you’ve established Christ as your Lord and Savior is proof that the Word has taken residence in you. Now it’s up to us what we do with that seed.
Question: What was the Word of God that brought salvation into your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: a force to be reckoned with, Bible, born again, Christ, correctly handle, God's seed, God's word, grew, Holy Spirit, increased, Jesus, multiplied, saved, Scripture, seed of the word, spread, word, word of God, word of truth
I’ve been posting about how Christ has fulfilled the requirements of the promises for us. Now, by faith, we’re free to walk in the blessings as adopted sons of God.
But there’s more that we need to grasp about this truth. Unfortunately, the response of most Christians in the USA to this teaching is, “Great! I don’t need to do anything to receive God’s blessing. I don’t need to tithe or go to church or anything.”
Please understand that I didn’t say that. What I said was that Christ fulfilled the requirements of the promises. The blessing side of the promise shows what God wants to do for us as sons.
However, there’s also a reason for studying the requirement side of the promise. The question at this point is, as a Christian, why do I need to know the requirements?
It’s the requirements of the promises that show us what pleases God. Remember:
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:7-8
We fulfill the requirements of the promises simply because we love God. I know the truth about Christ fulfilling the promise, but I continue to tithe because I love God and He deserves ALL my money. I read the Word of God because I want to know Him better. I go to church because He meets with me and the body of believers there.
If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:6
If you’re not remaining in Christ in this love relationship, then you have no access to the power of Christ. You may not like this, but it’s the truth. Christians ask dumb questions that show their lack of maturity all the time.
“Do I really have to pray every day?”
“Do believers have to tithe?”
Let me explain to you the nature of these questions. Most believers have no idea about the implications of what they’re saying.
What kind of person would ask the question, “If I get married, do I really have to kiss my wife?” It’s simple – a five-year-old would ask that question. Only someone who is not mature enough to understand the beauty and intimacy of the marriage relationship would think that kissing a wife would be “yucky.”
The very fact that you’re asking those questions show that you’re an immature Christian who doesn’t yet understand the intimacy of our love relationship with the Lord. A mature believer wants to serve and please God no matter if there is a blessing promised or not.
Question: Are there ways that you’re serving God regardless of any promise?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: blessing, Christ, immature believer, Jesus, love God, loving God, mature believer, maturity, power, power of Christ, power of God, promises, promises fulfilled, promises of God, requirement, the rest of the story, tithing, word of God
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
I’ve been posting for a while on the Word of God and its relation to Scripture. In my last post I showed that the power of the early church was based upon their hearing from God. God spoke to them, they obeyed, and God confirmed His Word.
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:20
Scripture says that the Lord confirms His Word with the signs – healings and miracles – that accompanied it. What’s our problem? Do we serve a different God? Of course not. Is He still on the throne? That’s a dumb question.
We serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Then what’s the problem? It should be clear to us. We’re trying to get God to confirm the Bible verses that we’re preaching, when all along He wants to confirm the Word that He speaks to us.
He never told us to go out and read the Scripture to people for them to be saved – He tells us to proclaim His Word. I submit to you that our society has heard enough Scripture – it’s everywhere.
They’re sick of hearing Scripture. Many unbelievers can quote as much of the Bible as some Christians. What the world is desperate for is a Word from God. That’s what’s going to change their lives. They can argue with the Scripture, but the Word of God will cut straight to their heart.
In our exuberance over the enormous availability of Scripture, we have taken it too far. It doesn’t seem to matter what anyone says. As long as there’s a Scripture verse attached to it, we call it the Word of God.
It doesn’t take much listening to Christian radio or cable channels to see that many preachers are using Scripture to support their own teachings and philosophies. Hear me well. They may be preaching Scripture, but they are NOT proclaiming the Word of God.
In these cases, God is under no obligation to confirm what they’re preaching. God doesn’t have to confirm a quote from the Scripture; He only endorses His Word – what He wants said at that particular time and place.
Please don’t think, based upon what I said, that I have no respect for the Scripture. I cannot live without it. Daily, I read, memorize, study, and meditate on the Scripture. I use it prayerfully. I expect and seek God to speak to me through the pages of my Bible.
The difference is that now I’m also listening for God to use other means as well. I want to hear God’s voice – however He wants to speak to me. I believe that this was the basis for the power in the life of Christ and in the early church. One of my goals in this blog is to share how this works in a practical way.
Question: Is it your desire to hear a Word from God?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, confirming the Word, desperate, early church, God's voice, God's word, healings, hearing from God, heart, how God confirms his word, life of Christ, listening, miracles, power, proclaim his word, Scripture, signs following, word, word of God
In my last post I talked about the tendency of our generation to replace time with the Lord by studying Scripture. I think that part of our problem is that we’ve become spoiled by an abundance of the availability of Scripture.
Bibles are everywhere. I personally have about 20 Bibles. That doesn’t even take into consideration all of the Bibles I have access to online.
Please understand what I’m saying. This proliferation of Scripture is a great thing. The availability and accessibility of the Bible to all people is a wonderful blessing.
You would think that with so much Scripture around, there would be more salvations, healings, and miracles. Instead, what we see is a greater rise of worldliness – even among God’s people.
The problem is not that we need more Scripture. We need more of the Word of God. The more I hear from God, the more power I have to live for God.
The early church exemplified this. Think about it. How did they live? When persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, the believers fled in all directions.
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Acts 8:4
Here’s the foundation for their power. The Bible says that when they scattered, they preached the Word. How do you see this in your mind’s eye? What did they do, specifically?
Do you picture them walking into town, calling a meeting, and then saying, “Turn with me in your Bibles to John 3:16.”? That’s how we do it; but did they preach that way?
If you know your history, then you understand that nothing could be further from the truth. When this verse was written about them they had no Bibles. They couldn’t preach Scripture.
“Wait a minute, Pastor Nick, they had the Old Testament. They could use that to preach.”
First of all, most Christians of that day only knew a smattering of Old Testament Scripture. Secondly, they would have no access to an Old Testament “Bible”.
The Scripture was written on scrolls with painstaking detail. In order to afford a copy of the Scriptures you would need to be the equivalent of a multi-millionaire. Then if you did purchase it, you would need a storage space the size of a small living room to house it. Let’s face it, the normal Christian, on the run, had no access to a Bible.
Yet, we’re told that they “preached the Word” wherever they went. What is the Word that they preached? The answer is simple – they preached what they received in their intimate times with the Lord. As they did, an amazing thing happened.
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:20
Question: Is a lack of “signs” because God is no longer confirming, or because the church no longer preaching the Word?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundance, availability, Bible, confirm, confirm the word, God's word, healings, miracles, preach the word, salvations, Scripture, signs, signs following, study of Scripture, studying scripture, too much scripture, wonders, word, word of God
In my last post I talked about how Jesus rebuked the Pharisees (and us) for using the Scripture superstitiously. In effect, Jesus told them, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess healing. Yet you refuse to come to Me, the Healer.”
The Lord could say the same thing to us, these days. “You think that by Scripture you will possess prosperity, yet you refuse to come to Me, the Provider.”
Please understand what I’m saying. The Holy Spirit can speak a Word of healing to me through the Scripture, but He’s not limited to this avenue. All that I need for life and godliness is found in Christ.
I will never obtain God’s blessing through my works – not even through intensive study and memorizing of the Bible. Healing will come by the Word of God – no matter how God chooses to send it to me.
We need to hear a Word from God. That Word will only come from time spent in His presence. When I study the Bible instead of cultivating intimacy with the Lord, I’m going to lose out. That’s the very problem that the Pharisees had.
…and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior…
Titus 1:3
In this passage, Paul tells Titus that the Word of God is made visible by the command of God. It is God’s Word made manifest in God’s time. That’s why time spent with the Lord is so important. I need to be quiet and listening to hear His voice. Hearing from God is actually the greatest theme of the New Testament. It’s the foundation for everything we need in our walk with God.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
This is one of the greatest misunderstandings that we have in looking back to the early church. We think that they were just like us. On the contrary, they knew the importance of seeking a Word from God. They spent time in His presence listening for His voice.
What I’m saying is this – the study of Scripture and hearing from God are not replacements for each other. We need both, in order to have an abundant life in the Lord. In our generation, the study of Scripture has been elevated out of proportion to listening for God’s voice. That’s why my message is so strong for the church to spend time listening to God.
Question: Have you ever been guilty of seeking blessings from Scripture rather than Christ?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: Bible, blessing, blessing of God, Christ, church, diligent study, God's word, hear his voice, Holy Spirit, importance of a word from God, Jesus, listening, manifest, Pharisee, Scripture, study, study of Scripture, superstition, voice of God, word, word from God, word of God, word of healing
I have been posting about the Word of God and its relation to Scripture. I’ve probably said some things that have caused you to question my beliefs. In today’s post you’ll see that what I believe is firmly rooted in the teaching of Christ, Himself.
At one point the Pharisees were trying to come up with a reason to kill Jesus. They were upset that He healed people on the Sabbath and called God “Father,” among other things. It’s important to see how the Lord handled these men. Remember, these were people who dedicated their lives to the study and memorization of Scripture.
And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 5:37-40
Notice how the Lord’s words to the Pharisees resemble His words to Satan when He was tempted. He first tells them that they have not heard from God nor seen God. He then told them that God’s Word did not live in them. Wait a minute – they had the Scripture memorized – yet God’s Word did not have a place in their lives.
Jesus then makes a statement that we need to pay particular attention to. He admits that those around Him diligently study the Scripture. Isn’t that a good thing? Why does it sound more like an indictment when the Lord says it?
Because it all depends upon why you’re studying the Scripture. They were approaching it with the wrong reasoning. Listen carefully to the words of Christ. He said that they diligently study the Scriptures because they think that by the Scripture they possess life.
Jesus is clear. You cannot possess life in Scripture. You can only possess life in Christ. It doesn’t matter how hard you study or how many verses you have memorized, according to Jesus, you will not find Life in the Scripture.
You may get mad at me for saying it – but that will not change the truth. How we handle the Scriptures these days borders on superstition. So many of us believe that the Bible is going to give us what we want.
I have heard it preached (I preached it, myself, before I understood the truth) that if you want something from God, “just find a Scripture that supports it and stand upon it.” That’s not what the Bible is for.
Christ came that we might live the abundant life. That life will only be found in Him. There are many aspects of the abundant life that the above truth could apply to. Think of how we do things in the church today. Christ could be speaking directly to us.
Question: How have you seen the Bible used superstitiously?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundant life, Bible, Christ, God's word, Holy Bible, Jesus, life, life in Christ, Pharisees, Scripture, study, study the scripture, superstition, the Lord, word, word of God, word of life
In my last post I made a statement about the Word of God planted in us. I first made the point that we’re powerless to make the seed grow. I then said that the only help we can give it, is in the watering process.
The Spirit and the Word 