ted4leaders

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Greetings,

Today I will continue to address the topic of leadership responsibility in the church. I am writing concerning Paul’s letters to Timothy in regard to his responsibility as a leader. This letter to Timothy included Timothy’s role in responsibility as well as those leaders affiliated with Timothy in the work of ministry. These letters establish a principle, pattern, and value for us as leaders in the church today. Timothy was to set order for honor and submission in the church. He was to understand his responsibilities as an overseeing elder and require the same of others appointed to the same call of apt to teach, or administrative, leadership.

1 Timothy 3:1-2 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.  A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach…

The term ‘bishop’ is a term for someone who has been given the responsibility of being an overseeing leader for the sake of the church. It is not a position of hierarchy. It is a position of serving the body of Christ and it is a great honor and a good work. An overseeing leader must understand that the role of leadership is one of responsibility and not a position of greater value. The role of an overseer is not one merely based upon charismatic gifting, administrative skill, qualification of education, or mere experience in ministry. It is one of character. A leader’s personal life is directly connected to their ability to lead. They must seek to be blameless. This doesn’t mean that they are perfect, but it does mean that they seek to do their best in all things. When faced with things that need to change in their own lives they willingly embrace the process of change. They know their righteousness is in Christ and they depend upon the power of Christ in them to empower them to not only grow in their ability of gifting but also their testimony of character. They are the husbands of one wife. This is not meant to be a law concerning marriage and divorce, nor do I believe that it is only inclusive to men in ministry, it is a present quality of character in leadership. Whether it is a man or a woman in a position of leadership; the principle, pattern, and value to be gained from these verses is one of covenant. It is not meant to be a legal requirement for leadership. We have all had failures in our past in some way; the question is where are we in the present? A leader must know that their ability to keep covenant in their own family relationships is directly connected to their ability to lead others in the church to know how to stay at the table of covenant. When faced with challenges in their personal lives they willingly seek the empowerment of God’s grace to give them a testimony of a growing, maturing, life-giving covenant. This takes both a man and a woman working together for the greater testimony of the two as one. This gives a leader the grace to empower others in the matters of relationship in life.

A leader is to be temperate – a term for being vigilant, circumspect, and self-controlled. A leader knows how to be heedful of their circumstances with a view towards the potential outcome of any situation in their lives. They are dependent upon Christ in them to give them the needed testimony for the sake of others. They must be sober-minded – to be modest, chaste, and discrete in their way of life. They must demonstrate good behavior to others. They must be hospitable, demonstrating that they willingly live for the wellbeing of others. An overseeing leader (bishop) must be able to teach. I don’t believe that this is merely teaching Scripture. Anyone should be able to teach Scripture in some way. A leader must be able to hear the direction of God for the church and set the direction that others can follow. They are like a dad or a mom in the family that is capable of teaching the children the way in which they must live. They know the family values of Christ and they lead others to embrace the attributes of the family of God, the desires of the family of God, the vision of the family of God, and the destiny of the family.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

The apostle Paul’s words to his spiritual son Timothy were not meant to be instructions of law or rules for the church. They were written to encourage Timothy to be strong in his responsibility as a shepherd of God’s flock. Some of Paul’s words to Timothy can be confusing to us when we don’t look at the principle for which they were written. 

1 Timothy 2:11-15 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

In these verses, the context of a woman learning in silence and submission is a wife to her husband. Paul’s instructions were about proper relationship, not rules for men and women. The word for woman here is the Greek word γυνή gynē (GSRN 1135); probably from the base of GSRN 1096; a woman; specially, a wife. In these verses the context is that of a husband and wife, since the reference is to Adam and Eve – a one flesh union of a man and a woman (Gen. 2:23-25). Paul was not addressing women being in submission to men. He is addressing a wife being subject to her own husband. The text is implying the relationship of a wife and her husband where the man is the head, and the wife is the testimony of the body in their one flesh testimony in Christ. The inference is simply a way of relationship and life, not a structure for ministry. Leaders must deal with real life situations and real-life relationships in an everyday world.

Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

I believe that Paul’s words in his letter to Timothy are not intended to be a law against women teaching, but a guideline for proper relationships and submission in the church. Wives are in submission to their husbands and are not contentious, striving to be separate from relationship. A woman learning in silence with all submission is not a woman without a voice. It is a woman learning with an attitude of relationship with her husband. It is an attitude of the heart, not a rule of law for church organization. At the time Paul wrote this, there was a huge need for wives to learn, since men had not sought to bring them alongside of them in the things of God in times past. There was a need for both men and women to grow in the faith.

These verses were not intended to restrain the voice of women in the body of Christ. There are examples of women teaching in the early church, such as Persilla, who with her husband Aquila were somehow fellow workers with Paul in the gospel (Rom. 16:3). Phoebe was an influential woman in the church and commended by Paul in the work that she did in the church of Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1, 2). Adronicus and Junias, were relatives of Paul who had been imprisoned for testifying of Christ (Rom. 16:7). These were known among the apostles for their testimony. Junia was likely a woman with a notable testimony for Christ. Paul wrote that Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis were “women who work hard in the Lord” (Rom. 16:12). Julia, the sister of Nereus, and the mother of Rufus was a woman involved in the church (Rom 16:13, 15). Several women were mentioned by Paul that clearly imply that women had a prominent role in church life.

The testimony in this text is one of being a married couple. It is one of being a family unit. It is a testimony of being one flesh. This is not a woman to all men; it is a woman to one man. It is the testimony of a wife and her husband as Adam and Eve were husband and wife as a testimony of one flesh before God. The statement of being saved in childbearing is not a salvation unto heaven, but a testimony of a healthy family before God that lives in the grace of salvation in a testimony of faith, love, and holiness with self-control. Again, it is a healthy lifestyle and not a means or method of ministry. It is a testimony of a life empowered by grace, not rules subjected by leaders for law and order in the church. It is a characteristic of believers that comprise the church, not requirements of members in an institution. The church is a body, not an organization, and leadership serves a role of responsibility in helping the members of the body of Christ live their lives with a good testimony as the body of Christ.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

The responsibility of leadership is a very practical one. It involves dealing with people in an everyday world in the practical realities of everyday life. Timothy’s responsibilities were not merely about activities within a church structure, but the testimony of the church in the communities of the world. The church is not a place we go, it is a culture we are part of that brings the influence of heaven into our everyday world. Timothy was to pray and teach those in his charge to pray for kings and all in authority. He was to teach them to live peaceable lives with godliness and reverence. These are not mere activities of the church but are targeted to the very character of the members of the church in their everyday lives in the communities of the world.

1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Paul’s own example was one of being a teacher of faith and truth. A teacher of faith is someone who demonstrates faith before others. Faith comes by hearing God, and it is demonstrated with actions of love that demonstrate a faith towards God. Truth is a testimony of the transformed reality of Christ within our lives. Paul was to be an example of truth so that others could also become truth in Christ. These same instructions were given from Paul to Timothy, and they are still true within the sphere of responsibility of leadership in the church today. Leaders are to be an example as teachers of faith and truth before the people so that everyone can be obedient to the words that God speaks to their hearts and be a true testimony to the life of Christ that is transforming them from within. It is not about church structure; it is about a way of life that demonstrates the lordship of Jesus in all things.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

The family of God is the community of God. They are a testimony of a culture of honor and love in the world. They are not seekers of self, fearful in their focus, or vain in their personal desires. They live as examples of the likeness and the image of God in their testimony as men and women before Him.

1 Timothy 2:8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

Paul’s words to Timothy were not about rules or some order of some enforcement of law for believers in Christ. He was addressing an attitude and focus for believers to have in their everyday world. They were to live in the knowledge of an intimate relationship with God. Paul was not giving a dress code for believers. He was simply advocating for them to live their everyday lives as secure sons and daughters of God who didn’t need to get their identity in the same way that people in the world do. These instructions were not about what to wear or not wear, but the importance of living lives as children of God, not children of the world that pride themselves in fleshly appearances and the fulfillment of carnal desires.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Leaders don’t lead merely for change in those they lead. They lead from the change that is happening within them for the sake of others in their world. Imperfect people are made perfect by the life of Christ working within them to change their imperfections to a life-giving testimony of God’s love and grace. Paul’s first letter to his spiritual son Timothy testified of this in his own life.

1 Timothy 112 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The community of God is a place of reconciliation, forgiveness, redemption, and restoration. The mercy of God ends the past and the grace of God empowers each one to experience a life-transforming change in their lives. Leaders must set an example in these things and lead to create, guard, and protect a culture that gives glory to the King of kings – Jesus Christ the Lord of glory!

Paul reminded Timothy that his role of leadership was a gift given to him by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Timothy was to wage a good warfare concerning the prophecies that had been made concerning himself and he was to walk in the faith before those he was responsible for.

1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Timothy was to not become shipwrecked in his faith like Hemenaeus and Alexander, whom Paul had delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. This reveals the weight of the responsibility of leadership and the willingness to take harsh measures, if necessary, in the protection of the souls of those within their sphere of authority. If you study the action of turning someone over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh you will discover that the purpose was one of love and redemption. It was not an action taken lightly nor was it an act of anger in retaliation to harm caused by someone. It was a strategic and deliberate action intended to lead someone to the place of repentance unto life in Christ. It was not an act of the flesh, but one led by the Holy Spirit as was the case in Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth and his second letter confirming the restoration of such a man. Paul simply references two individuals who had gone down such a path to encourage Timothy to set an example that encourages others to remain faithful in the faith. Timothy was to set an example in faith and give a clear testimony to those in the family of God so they would not be influenced by others who had gone astray from their commitment in Christ.

Leaders are examples in revealing the mercy, grace, and power of God’s love to those they lead.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Auio:

Greetings,

The culture of the community of God must be one that promotes godly edification and faith. Leaders are responsible to command, if necessary, in maintaining the culture of life for the community of God. That command is not a command of control or judgment. It is a command motivated by love and given in a spirit of love to establish safe boundaries for life to flourish in the community of Christ.

Timothy was to charge those who sought to bring disputes into the church to cease their pursuit of dispute. His motive in his commands was one of love and a pure heart. He was to set an example of a good conscience and faith. In the church of the first century some had strayed from true faith in the pursuit of worthless talk and meaningless legalism. These things reveal a principle, pattern, and value that must be embraced by leaders in the church of God today. Members of the community of God must understand that God-given leaders are like shepherds in a flock of sheep, responsible to maintain a safe environment of life for the flock of God.

1 Timothy 1:5-7 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

Timothy was to present that the law is for sinners and the ungodly, not the standard for judgment of one another. He was to teach grace and forgiveness and present himself, like Paul, as an example of God’s goodness and forgiveness to mankind.

As a pastor, I was aware of my role as a son of God before being a leader. To be a good leader one must first be a good son. There were many occasions where I had to embrace the character of Christ in my own life before I could pursue instructing others to embrace that character into their lives. Being a pastoral leader is not a matter of following the rules of discipline. It is embracing the character of Christ and the attributes of God’s love in order to be an example, an inspiration, and even a source of impartation to those in their realm of influence in order to assist the growth of Christ-like maturity in the community of God. This means that every leader must embrace the work of Christ within their own lives before seeking to give instructions to others. It is a matter of attitude, and it is an issue of the heart. It is not merely a discipline of the flesh, but an attribute of life that comes from within.

Leaders cannot shy away from the responsibility of bringing discipline at times. It is part of love. It is a parental responsibility in the family of God. A leader must also know that whatever is in the heart of the one who gives discipline will be imparted into the hearts of those being disciplined. If love is in the heart of the leader, love will be imparted in their discipline. If a legalistic judgment or merely a desire to be right is in the heart of the leader, the fruit imparted will be some measure of death. God’s Spirit is love and only love can give life. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit gives life.

1 Timothy 1:8-11 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

A leader doesn’t seek to impose law upon those they lead. They seek to inspire faith that enables those who hear to experience the presence of Christ within them that brings about true change to their hearts and minds from within. It is not a matter of imposing right information upon those they lead. It is a matter of inspiring them to seek a relationship with God in their hearts that brings about true change. Those in the world are merely subject to law that they might seek life that is found by grace in Christ. Any discipline given by a leader to those they lead should be led by Holy Spirit so that those who hear will receive the voice of Holy Spirit within them that brings about true change. Discipline is not a matter of rules, methods, or ridged written statements. Discipline is an act of love from the heart of our heavenly Father.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

When we read the books of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus, we are reading a unique section of Scripture. These letters are written from a spiritual father to His spiritual sons concerning their responsibilities as leaders in the church of God. These letters were not written to the church, but to the leaders of the church. They are profitable for us all to read, but when we read them we must understand that they were instructions concerning practical and relational responsibilities of specific leaders, in specific churches, dealing with specific situations. The issues of their day set principles, patterns, and values for the issues of our own day. These letters were not written so we can examine leaders to see whether they are fulfilling their responsibilities or not. They were written so we will each understand the kind of responsibilities carried by leaders, the kind of culture they are required to develop and maintain, and the kind of instructions given to leaders as to their position in the church in their responsibility of authority. These things should be understood by church leaders as well as by members of the church community. They were not intended to be a means of applying legalism or law concerning word-by-word rules in the church. They are guidelines for roles of authority in the church. I believe that authority is an attribute of giving. It is not one of control. Authority is a measure of a substance of life given to someone for the sake of those they influence. Authority gives life and leadership has a responsibility of maintaining a kingdom culture of life in the church.

In the first letter to Timothy, Paul instructed that Timothy was to teach people to live godly lifestyles. He was to charge those in his care to not be caught up in pointless things that merely prove to be fables, endless genealogies, or other things that simply cause disputes. As a shepherd to the flock of God, Timothy was to guard the culture of the community. It was to be a culture of life and peace. This principle, pattern, and value applies to church leaders in our day as well.

Members of a congregation will sometimes pursue things that don’t really matter in becoming a testimony of a Christ centered and Christ filled community. They are simply things of personal preference, personal opinion, or some personal revelation that promotes a personal idea in some way. The shepherds in the flock of God must guard against things that merely cause disputes in the community of faith. They must exercise their authority in charging those who promote things that cause disputes to cease their pursuit of such things in the context of the community of God. Leaders are responsible to guard the community of God in order to maintain a safe, life-giving culture of love. It is a parental responsibility given by God to some for the sake of the whole community.

1 Timothy 1:3-4 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 

I was the senior pastor of a church for twenty years. I had to exercise my authority as a shepherd of the flock on many occasions to silence some from introducing a voice of confusion to those I was responsible to lead. Some wanted me to publically state what products to buy or not to buy. Some wanted me to publically state what movies to watch, what movies not to watch, or whether to even watch movies or not. Some wanted me to introduce some sort of dress code. At times some wanted me to enforce Jewish dances or Jewish customs in the church. I even had some who tried to introduce the need for people to change their names by receiving new names from God. Some proposed that it was important to understand some theory concerning a pre-Adamic race. Others wanted to make debates in regard to an actual seven-day creation or a process of creation. Some sought to introduce legalism concerning men in ministry verses women. I faced those things as a senior pastor and I have faced those things as a leader who now influences leaders in various congregations around the world. A dispute over things that do not contribute to the testimony of intimacy with God and a covenant relationship of love has no place in the community of God. Leaders must accept the responsibility of guarding the garden of God’s community from things that do not contribute to the life of that community. A leader must not fall for distractions over things that simply cause disputes. A leader envisions those they lead to keep their focus on Jesus and make fellowship with Holy Spirit and one another the bond of community.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Leaders are given a responsibility to lead others into a way of life that is inspired by a personal relationship with God. Leaders lead others to live their lives as a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. God’s presence in our lives transforms us to become like our heavenly Father in our character, nature, way, power, and authority. God’s presence in each one, and in many together, will empower each one and everyone to be givers of life to their world. This is the testimony of the likeness and image of our Father in heaven. Leaders have this responsibility; therefore, they have an authority to walk in this purpose. Their gifting will serve this authority. Their anointing will serve their gifting to enable them to walk in the full authority of this responsibility before God.

A leader’s anointing is not the same as their authority, nor is their gifting the measure of their authority. Their authority is measured by their God-given assignment. That assignment is measured by God and not by a comparison to any assignment given to another. This is not necessarily measured in numbers of people or physical riches of ministry. The world measures importance and value by size and number. They measure authority by human desire for success. God measures authority by significance and living to the full measure of bringing eternal things into the lives of those to whom they are sent.

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Some things that we create, are not meant to last. They simply serve the greater eternal purposes of God. They support the work of God for a season, but they themselves are not the true work of the Spirit. We cannot measure our success by the things of wood, hay, or straw. The true measurement of our leadership is seen in the personal connections with God found by those we lead. Our leadership is not meant to be bound to those in our immediate care, but it is even seen in the testimonies of God found in the lives of those who have moved beyond our immediate ministries. We will not know the full record until things are summed up in Christ for the glory of our heavenly Father. We must live to see a personal connection with God in the hearts and minds of those we lead. This is the connection to the foundation of Jesus Christ. God’s field, God’s building, is not limited to our ministries. It is bigger than any form of ministry or structure we create. It is meant to fill the earth with a harvest for the glory of God in all things. As leaders we live to lead others in being part of something bigger than any form of wood, hay, or straw that we can create. We lead to assist God’s sons and daughters in making personal connections to God that exhibit eternal inheritances for the glory of God.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of: www.ted4leaders.com www.ted4you.com or www.houseofbreadministry.org. Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to: House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225 To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year. Our Ministry Information Is: House of Bread Ministry 3210 Meridian St. Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders we are given an authority to lead others into the way of life. That way is the way of Christ. Authority is not a matter of control. It is a matter of giving life to others. When we are given an authority, it means we have been given the responsibility of empowering others to step into the blessing of the measure of life that God has given to us for their sake.

The apostle Paul addressed the church of Corinth as being a spiritual letter written by Holy Spirit. That letter was written in his heart first as an apostle to them. An apostle is a ‘sent one’ for a purpose of others also being sent as a testimony of what has been entrusted to them in a greater way. Paul was given the responsibility of leading others into the measure of blessing released in the letter that was being written in his heart. It was not a letter written in ink, but a letter written on the hearts and minds of men and women to become expressions of the New Covenant life found in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The letter being written in our lives is not one of human will. It is one of human submission. That submission is a willingness to receive what God is writing on our hearts and minds to become what and who God has called us to be. As the body of Christ, we are a testimony of Christ to our world. The sufficiency of leaders is not one of their personal gifting or abilities. It is a sufficiency discovered in Christ. It is supernatural and involves a partnership with Holy Spirit to become a measure of the inheritance of Christ for the purpose of the Father’s will in our world.

1 Corinthians 3:4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Leaders are not to lead by the letter of some law. They are to lead by a submission to Holy Spirit. The testimony of their leadership is not in what they can do, but in what they allow God to do in the lives of those they lead. This involves activating the life of God in each believer. It involves facilitating each believer to personally respond to the presence of God in their own lives. This includes responding to His voice, but responding to His voice is not merely about doing the right things. It is about knowing God and becoming sons and daughters of God for His will and purpose in all things. Each member must find the responsibility of their own partnership with God for His kingdom and will to be done in their lives, even as it is in heaven.

The secret to good leadership is to inspire those we lead to turn to the Lord in their hearts and be transformed from within for the glory of Jesus’ name.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

This is the ministry of the Spirit. As leaders we have been given the responsibility of leading others in their turning to the Lord in their hearts. We lead them to see Jesus in their own lives and to be transformed by Him in their lives. This is not just for an individual testimony but for a corporate testimony together as an expression of the body of Christ.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Help us fulfill our Mission:

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Leaders lead others in the path of embracing the good news of God in Christ. What is that good news? The good news is that God has made a way for us to be a dwelling place of His Spirit for His glory in our world. This is not just for His blessing presence, but for His purpose in all things. We have been created in Christ for good works that we should walk in them for God’s glory in our lives. God’s purpose in our lives won’t give us God’s presence, but finding God’s presence will empower us to know His purpose. Gods sees the end from our beginning, and we are predestined in Christ for His good works that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

This good news of being a dwelling place of God by His Spirit is for those who had the covenant of the Law and for those who were destined to be a part of the covenant through the faith of Abraham. This means that the good news is for all people. As leaders we lead others to be a part of God’s eternal plan as being a dwelling place of God in all that we are and do in life.

Ephesians 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

God’s presence resting in our lives is essential for our blessing and our purpose. When God created Adam, He formed Him from the dust of the earth and then breathed in him His breath of life. We must remember where we were and would be without God in our lives. Our lives without God are lives of barrenness. We end up looking for our needs to be met from a dry and barren despairing place in our hearts. When we first experienced God, He breaths into us the breath of life. His Spirit comes into our spirit.

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

By no means was the earth a paradise in the original creation. This was also true in our beginning place of knowing God, and it is still true in the place outside of our direct connection with God in our hearts. In the beginning, there was a place among the dust of the field where God planted a garden. It was there that He put the man He had formed from the dust. It was in a place called Eden. Eden means desirable place. It is a place of life-giving desire. It is a place of knowing God’s presence in our lives. It is a place of being loved by Him.

In the garden man was to have a relationship with God where he could be sent forth in a life of being fruitful, multiplying, filling, subduing, and having dominion. In the garden man experienced an administration of God’s influence where he could eat of all good things and of the tree of life for eternity, but man chose a tree of information instead of intimacy. He chose the tree of the knowledge of good and the knowledge of evil. He chose independence, rather than a dependency upon God in all things.

We need life, more than we need knowledge. We need one another more than we need the power to judge one another. We need to be people of mercy and grace for a destiny of giving mercy and reigning by grace in all things. We need to stay close in our relationship with God by His Holy Spirit. Leaders lead others is saying close to God by His Holy Spirit in all things and all times. This empowers our knowing of God’s love and our ability to give His love to our world.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of: www.ted4leaders.com www.ted4you.com or www.houseofbreadministry.org. Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to: House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225 To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year. Our Ministry Information Is: House of Bread Ministry 3210 Meridian St. Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

A culture of grace is dependent upon the manifest presence of Jesus in our lives. How is this possible? Holy Spirit has been sent to us by our Father God and Holy Spirit is an appearing of Jesus in our lives as a life-giving Spirit. Holy Spirit has come in the name of Jesus. Holy Spirit manifests the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Jesus to and in our spirits to empower our souls and our physical lives to be testimonies of Christ. This is the reality of God’s grace.

Grace happens at a revelation of Jesus Christ. When we see Him in our lives, our lives are changed. This isn’t merely seeing that He is, it is seeing Him for who He is. It is an intimate connection with Him in our hearts. Our hearts are the ultimate room of His presence. We are a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. He dwells in us, and we dwell with Him in this world and in all that is to come. Holy Spirit in us empowers our lives to change. We are empowered to respond to Him as the voice that activates our spirits to flood our souls for obedience to all that He says to us. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who transforms us to become a testimony of God’s truth in and to our world.

John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Holy Spirit in our lives is Jesus in our lives as a life-giving Spirit. When He walks into the room everything changes! The book the Apocalypse, the Revelation, is not about doom and gloom. It’s about the person Jesus and what happens when He walks into the room. The apocalypse of Jesus Christ is about the person Jesus Christ. Each part of the book is a testimony of what happens when the person Jesus Christ walks into the room. Holy Spirit in our space causes every aspect of our space to become a testimony of Jesus in the power of His grace. The very 1^st chapter of Revelation is enough to stand on its own. Jesus loves us! He has washed us in His blood. He stands in the midst of His Church. When we hear Him, we turn and we see Him and when we see Him something in us becomes like Him, because we see Him as He is.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Grace comes at a revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the voice behind us. He is the voice that invites us to have an encounter with Him. Every revelation from Him is an invitation to have an encounter with Him so that we can be transformed by Him and become something of that revelation. This is grace!

As leaders in and the body of Christ we must excel in living our lives with a connection to Jesus Christ in our hearts. We must turn to see Him every day. When we hear Him in our hearts, we put our focus upon Him to be transformed by Him and become an expression of His life-giving truth to our world. We lead others in this path of life.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728