ted4leaders

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Greetings,

Paul was redemptive in his attitude towards those who had disconnected from him and were caught up in some deception of life. Paul also commended the faithful, for the sake of others who would follow in the example of the same. He understood that those who served him in love were also examples of the love of Christ for others to follow in life. Onesiphorus was such a man, who perhaps was caught up in some of the same deception as Phygellus and Hermogenes.

2 Timothy 1:16-18 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

Paul’s prayer was that the Lord would grant Onesiphorus mercy, surely implying that he needed mercy for challenges that perhaps came to him through the lives of Phygellus and Hermogenes or maybe even some error in his own life. It appears that shaking in the present moment didn’t negate Paul’s recognition of this man’s love for him. Whatever the situation was, Paul was stirred in his love for him. Leaders must know that even in the difficult times of betrayal, abandonment, or some opposition inspired by deception, that an attitude of love and the substance of love was to be in the heart of those who lead. Love is the true substance of leadership, and it is the bond of any expression of the community of God.

Paul presented to Timothy that many had turned away from him, but Timothy was to be strong in the grace that is Christ Jesus. Leaders cannot allow the wounding in their hearts caused by others to affect their attitude towards them or towards anyone as they continue in their responsibility of leading in the community of God. No matter what human conflicts a leader faces, they must never allow the actions of others to affect their attitude and willingness to give life to others. This is a supernatural testimony of the work of God’s grace in the human heart. Enduring the challenges of others and continuing strong in the grace of Christ is a part of leadership. This is more important than the tasks of ministry. It is about maintaining the character of Christ in all things.

2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 

Leaders must not just lead tasks of ministry. They must lead people. They must seek to multiply the life given to them by God in the lives of others. Discipleship is not about teaching others what to do in life. It is about increasing the inheritance of life given by God in the generations that follow. The increase of God’s government and peace is a grace to be multiplied in the generations of the family of God. There should always be a multigenerational focus. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel. God is the God of Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others also. This is what I call a one-hundred-year plan.

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 

Every leader should seek to live in this standard of inheritance in the community of Christ. Timothy was to take the things he had heard from Paul and to commit them to faithful men who would be able to teach others also. The focus of father is to live for the sake of the children and the children’s children. This attribute should be in the heart of every leader.

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

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Greetings,

Leaders must know that suffering is part of the process of revealing the true testimony of Christ’s life to those they lead. Paul told Timothy to share in his suffering for the testimony of the Lord. The testimony of the Lord in our lives can only be revealed through the testing of our faith. Leaders must embrace a willingness to endure for the sake of their responsibility in Christ. Endurance is a key to the process of receiving the character of Christ in our lives. Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. We must also endure the cup given to us in life for the joy that is set before us. That joy is that the future generations of men and women in Christ will know a greater fullness of Christ because of who are and what we do today.

2 Timothy 1:8-12 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

The true mark of sent authority is endurance. That endurance leads to a testimony of life for the sake of others. It is through endurance that the purpose of God in our lives is revealed, and the testimony of His grace is empowered. This is when the light and life of Christ in us is truly made known.

As leaders we have a responsibility of both a heritage and an inheritance for the sake of those we lead. Leadership is not simply a skill learned and then a task we do to simply perform some role of ministry. I believe that leadership is more like taking your spot in a relay race. A leader receives the baton given them from those who have run the race thus far. Paul told Timothy to hold fast in presenting a pattern of sound words that he had received from Paul. He was to embrace those things with the faith and love given to his own life through Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:13-14 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

The role of leadership is one of being responsible for what has been given to you through the heritage of leaders before and the substance of the Holy Spirit, Who was the author in the lives of those who led before and the author of the role of leadership in the present. A leader must depend upon and seek to be intimate with the Holy Spirit in keeping to the task given to them by God in Christ. Paul commended Timothy for his faithfulness to these things and gave examples of others who had abandoned the responsibility given to them by God. When Paul named those who had failed, he was not attempting to pass a judgment upon them, but to warn, protect, and guide others to stay fast in the call of God in their lives.

2 Timothy 1:15 This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 

Authority represents authority and when a leader rejects those who have been sent to them as spiritual fathers, they themselves become spiritual renegades. They can hardly set an example of the faith to others since faith includes faithfulness to those that God sends and to the task that God sends them to do. I believe that the number one mark of authority is endurance. It is not just endurance for the sake of enduring, but endurance to be true to who God has made them to be and endurance in all that God has given them to do. It is endurance in love, hope, and faith for the sake of the community of God that they have been joined to.

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 we read the letters written by Paul to Timothy, we must notice the depth of relationship expressed from Paul’s heart to Timothy. It was not just the writing of a leader to another leader who was accountable to them for some tasks of ministry. It was a heart-felt expression of a spiritual father to a spiritual son. I believe that it is important for every church leader to identify those who are spiritual fathers in their lives. Some are no doubt spiritual teachers, or spiritual mentors, but only a few are spiritual fathers. Paul understood this very well in that he wrote that there are many teachers, but only a few spiritual fathers.

1 Corinthians 4:15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Paul’s words to Timothy were words of relationship, not words for denominations or non-denominations of ministry structure of organizational accountability. This is the testimony of true life in the family of God.

2 Timothy 1:1, 2  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul’s expression to Timothy was one of love and affection. He recognized that his own role as a leader was one of spiritual inheritance and that Timothy must be aware that his role was also one of the same. Being a leader is not a matter of merely being qualified to lead or supervise in tasks of ministry. It is a role of spiritual inheritance and responsibility. Paul was a testimony to his forefathers in the faith and Timothy was a testimony to the faith of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. Notice, Paul knew Timothy’s family, their character, their love, and their spiritual testimony.

If we consider Jesus, He had a role of being a spiritual father to twelve men. He was not over hundreds of churches and hundreds of ministries. I have often heard so-called apostolic leaders cite how hundreds of churches are in relationship with them. My question to them would be for them to tell me the name of family members, family history, and spiritual heritage of those they claim to be in relationship with. Being a leader involves being in an intimate relationship with God-sent authority in their lives. It is a matter of relationship, not ministry task or gifting. It is a matter of Divine connection and destiny.

2 Timothy 1:3-5 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,  greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,  when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 

Timothy was to remember his spiritual heritage and to stir up the gift of God that was in him through the laying on of the hands of Paul. Every leader must be able to recognize their spiritual heritage and to recognize that what God has given them is a gift from heaven. It is not a matter of qualification by human strength or skill. It is a matter of gift and grace given by God from heaven. Every leader is responsible before God to stir up what God has put within them for the sake of those they lead.

2 Timothy 1:6, 7 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Every leader must understand and embrace the love that God has for them, the power of His purpose and presence in their lives, and the strategy of thinking given to them by God’s grace. God’s love for them is not merely a love for them, but a love to be shown and given to those they lead. Perfect love casts out all fear, and when a leader knows the love of God, they can walk in the power that God has given them. When they walk with confidence in the power that God has given them their thinking becomes clear and the strategy of leading rises up from within them.

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

Greetings,

I hope you are all well. I am writing this letter to present a need of House of Bread Ministry. I am excited with all that God has done and is continuing to do. I have been providing equipping and resources to the body of Christ in many places for these past years. This is my 52^nd year as a believer in Christ and I will complete my 70^th year on planet earth this year. God continues to open effective doors for me to bring life to this world.

Much of my focus these past fourteen years has been to equip and train people in parts of the world that cannot financially support or contribute to my ability to come to them. I am asking for your help.

I need funding for air travel and support to do all that God has called me to do. House of Bread has been supporting the establishing of churches and schools in Angola, Africa. We need funds for building materials, staffing, and ministry development there.

Even when I travel to places in Europe or the UK, my expenses are very often not covered. I need support for travel, but also for my own family while I am focusing on giving life to God’s family. If God blesses you, please consider partnering with House of Bread Ministry in our commission to reach the nations and generations for God’s glory.

My mandate is to bring Christ’s New Covenant life and the empowerment of His grace to places that have been bound to death and the legalism of law. Anything you can to support House of Bread Ministry will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your prayers and support,

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 leader’s we can easily get caught up in the task of ministry. We can become very focused on the task of ministry or the works of ministry. I believe that God has much more in mind than the task or the work of ministry. As leaders we must lead for the purpose of a BODY not a WORK OF MINISTRY. The will of God was never a matter sacrifice and offerings. His will was a body – a dwelling place of God by His Spirit.

Whether you are called to leading in the church or leading in missions, you are called to people. I believe that the place of God’s choosing for all of us is to find our place of planting in the body of Christ (Deut. 12:5). Jesus Christ was the first expression of the body of Christ in human form. He became a manifestation of God in the flesh so that we as flesh could become an expression of God. The human expression of God in the earth is the very thing that Jesus came to restore. We are called to become the fullness of the likeness and the image of our heavenly Father in human form (Heb. 1:3).

It is the expression of the body of Christ in the earth that is going to subdue the enemies of God in the earth (Heb. 1:13). Jesus as the head is waiting for the fullness of His life to be made known in His body in heaven and on the earth. Our covenant with God is not one of works, but one of relationship. God is writing His nature upon our hearts and upon our minds. The body of Christ is in organism, not an organization. God’s covenant is with a living body, not an institution of works. I believe that the true holy place of God is not a place of coming together for Christian efforts, but a relational place of knowing God in the Spirit.

The power of God’s grace is not discovered in the works of ministry. It is found in the relationship of the body of Christ. The forgiveness of sins is not a testimony of works, but one of relationship with God in Christ as a part of the body of Christ. We must never forget that this is our focus of ministry. We are not here to build the works of the kingdom. We are here to participate in the increasing testimony of the kingdom. This is the testimony of being the family of God. It is a testimony of sons and daughters of their Father in heaven.

We have entered the holy place by the blood of Jesus. It was through the rending of His flesh that we have been invited into membership in His body. The veil that was rent at the cross was not merely the veil of the temple. It was the veil of His flesh that invites us into true relationship with God in His true temple. The body of Christ is the temple of God that is being increasingly filled with the life of His Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 10:19-25  Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

As leaders and influencers of the activities of the church, let’s not be distracted by mere activities. The holy of holies is the heart of the church and it is a corporate place of life in Christ. God is doing a good work in the earth and His enemies will be made His footstool beneath His feet. Those feet are the standing place of the body of Christ in heaven and on earth.

It is not the works of church ministry or mission endeavors that proclaims the glory of God. It is the increasing habitation of God in the earth through the testimony of the written letters of Christ in the body of Christ. Works of ministry are adjustable; relationship in the body is not. Let’s keep our covenant responsibilities intact and make relationship with God and people our primary aim in 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

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Paul instructed Timothy to consider his role of leadership to be an awesome responsibility before God. Leaders must understand that they are leading others to become a testimony of God’s family in the earth. This is not a matter of personal gain, but of personal sacrifice for the glory of God’s will and kingdom in the earth. It is an eternal responsibility before the highest authority in heaven and earth. Timothy was to give his life to the purpose of leading God’s people in his time. Leaders must give their lives to the purpose of leading God’s people in their time in the earth. It is an honor and a great privilege to be chosen by God for such a task.

1 Timothy 6:13-16 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

It is an awesome thing to be entrusted with a responsibility before the One who is the Potentate, King of kings, and Lord of lords! God is the only ruler of all things and to Him all things belong. The One who is the source of all beginnings and endings, the One who made all things and sustains all things, and the One to whom all things belong has chosen to use men. To think that God trusts and entrusts people to represent Him to and for the sake of others is an honor with amazing ramifications. Leaders must realize the gravity of their role in God’s church.

Leaders must be bold for Christ and bold for the sake of leading others into places they may not desire to go. This is not merely leading them into earthly tasks, duties, or responsibilities. It is leading them into the character of the family of God upon the earth. Timothy was to command the rich to not be proud nor trust in their riches but to be generous and to be rich in good works and a willingness to share with others. This was not about their money, but about the character of their hearts.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.  Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Paul didn’t tell Timothy to ‘suggest’ that the rich give to others. He instructed Timothy to ‘command’ them to do good and to use their financial blessings as a means of revealing who they were in the character of Christ with the material things entrusted to them in this life. For a leader to do this means that they must see the character of Christ as more valuable than the riches possessed by men. In order for leaders to be bold in the matters required to lead others into the will of God, a leader must realize that the attributes of Christ’s character, nature, way, power, and authority outweigh the value of personal opinions, possessions, intentions, attitudes, and any other individual quality in life. We must never seek to control or manipulate others to the agendas of our will, but leaders must willingly accept the responsibility of leading people to respond to God’s desires in their lives. It is not that leaders decide what others should do, but they must lead others in responding to what God is requiring of them in their personal lives. 

Timothy was to guard what was given to him by God and avoid entering into disputes with those who contradicted and were concerned with things that did not pertain to the faith in God.

1 Timothy 6:20-21 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge — by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.

God’s grace is with leaders to lead. What has been entrusted to them by God is a testimony of God’s trust in them and His willingness to anoint them for the responsibility of leading others. Leaders must lead! Foolish things that are not the issues of Christ and Christ-like character should not distract them. Disputes over laws, preferences, prideful knowledge, judgmental arguments, feasts, festivals, and various opinions and superstitions are not to be the diet of leaders or of those they lead. A leader must focus on what God has given to them and they must not be distracted by the agendas of foolish people who want to make issues out of matters that do not concern the faith. Faith is towards God and it is a matter of responding to the voice of God in the human heart. It is an action inspired by God’s voice in an atmosphere of a revelation of His love. This must be the focus of leaders, and this is to be the focus of those that leaders lead. Leaders set an example in this, lead others to embrace this, and guard to protect this purpose in the community 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,

Leadership is not simply about being knowledgeable in the word of God. Leadership is to set an example in the character and way of Christ to inspire those they lead to do the same. Much of Paul’s instruction to his spiritual son Timothy had to do with a personal maturity in the character of Christ. Timothy was to set an example that others could follow in pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:11But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

True righteousness involves a love relationship with God and with others. True godliness requires sacrificial acts of love towards others. Faith comes by hearing someone, and it is made manifest through works of love towards them. This is true in our relationship toward God and toward one another. Love is not merely an emotion or a personal gratification of some kind. It is a will, a mind, an emotion, an imagination, and an action towards another for their wellbeing. It is covenantal in nature, and it seeks to give life to others and never takes it. Patience is a willingness to endure, suffer, and wait upon another. Gentleness is a gift of love to another in a kind and tender way. None of these attributes are for personal gain, but for the benefit and life of another. Leaders must be an example in these things and lead others to live their lives in the same way.

Timothy was to set an example in fighting the fight of faith and embracing the eternal life of God. True eternal life is a knowing of God the Father and an intimate knowledge of the Jesus the Son (Jn. 17:3). Eternal life is not just the promotion to glory when we die; it is living in a personal relationship with God throughout our lives for the glory of His name. Leaders must set an example that others can follow in living their everyday lives with an intimate relationship with God in all things.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Relationship with God was to be first and foremost in all things. Leaders must know that the foundation of their leadership grace is in a personal relationship with God. This is the kind of people we are to be! This is the kind of community we are in the earth for the communities of men to see! We must inspire others to see, experience, and walk in the life that God has for all men!

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Please help us complete 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,

Paul charged Timothy to take care of those who were under his care. Good Leadership must guard the community of God from the disputes and arguments that come over foolish words. Those words are expressions of envy, strife, evil speaking, evil suspicions, or simply useless words that hurt people because of corrupt thinking and not understanding the truth. People enter into such things for their own gain. Paul’s instructions to Timothy reveal that leadership was to separate from such people and teach the believers to do the same. This is not the way Christ-like humans act and to associate with such people is a waste of time and a blemish in the community of God. We can expect sinners to act such and we seek to reach out to them in love, but we do not condone these character attributes in a covenant community of God. The best thing to do when people seek to act in divisive ways is to avoid entering into their divisiveness with them. It is a waste of time to get into disputes that don’t lead to life. We are the community of God and we must seek the things that make us be known as people of God.

1 Timothy 6:3-5 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

Leaders don’t lead ministry; they lead people who serve in the ministry of Christ in the earth. Leaders help those they lead to become a community that expresses Christ’s character, nature, way, power, and authority to the world. Leadership must set the example of being a Christ community person and they must accept the responsibility of leading those in their care to become a testimony of the same. We are not to be expressions of worldly communities doing Christian things. We must desire for and allow the Holy Spirit to make us become expressions of Christ-like communities doing the things required of us in an everyday world.

Paul told Timothy to set an example of a godly and content life and to teach others to live godly and content lives. God-sent leaders teach godliness with contentment in the community of their planting. They must guard against the love of things by promoting the more important things before, to, and in the lives of those they lead.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Money or things are not the roots of evil. It is the love of money and things that reveals an evil root in our hearts. People who do not know God are looking to find love in the world and especially the things of the world. In their confusion they often turn to the things the world provides to find their contentment. The result is the manifestation of a worldly, greedy character. These things do not produce true life. The community of God is to be a life-giving community in and to the world they live in. Leaders must set an example that others can follow in the midst of everyday realities in our world. Godliness is to seek to be a giver of life as God is a giver of life. Contentment is to embrace a satisfaction with what every day brings and to live to be a giver of life in every circumstance, situation, and day of our lives. We are children of God, and we live to give the life of God and to be the life of God every day. We don’t seek to gain possessions for our one self-seeking ways, but we use everything that God gives us to be a life-giving son or daughter of God in 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,

In my first years of ministry I was very serious about my responsibility of leadership. I put my whole energy into ministry and leading others. I had virtually no time to do anything that was of a personal pleasure nature. I didn’t have time for such things! In truth, I was overweight, overtired, overworked, and unbalanced in my personal humanity. When I turned 50 a friend of mine encouraged me to take some personal time to bless my own soul. When I was young I used to hunt and I enjoyed it very much, but a life of ministry focus gave me no time for such personal pleasure. My friend gave me a hunting rifle and encouraged me to go hunting again. He also gave me an archery bow and encouraged me even more! When I was young I used to hunt with an archery bow and the thought of being able to easily go to the woods and use a silent weapon for practice enticed me enough to take the challenge. For the past twenty years I have taken personal time to hunt, and it has enriched my soul and empowered me to have a healthier perspective on life and ministry. It has also provided some great grocery supplies of an organic nature! I have had many God experiences in the woods, but just the health that has come to my soul has enriched my abilities as a leader.

About the same time in my life I began to do a morning run and do some physical exercise. In previous years I always gave the excuse of being too busy to do such a thing, but I discovered that waking a bit earlier in the morning gave me all the time I needed. At age 50 I began to become considerably healthier spiritually, emotionally, and physically than I was at age 40. At age 60 it was even better! This is now my 70^th year and I continue with my daily exercise. I begin my day stirring up my spirit, soul, and body. I pray in the Spirit while I exercise in the natural. I set my thoughts, reasoning, imagination, emotions, and desires upon God and upon living life and being life to my world.  I eat to be healthy, and I enjoy some time in the woods now and then. For me, these things are the same as ‘drinking a little wine’. These are practical things I do that empower me to be a healthy leader and thus I can continue in my responsibilities of life in a healthy way for the sake of those who look to me as a leader. As a spiritual father in the lives of others, I say to them, take care of your life. A ‘little wine’ is good for the stomach!

In addition to taking care of himself, Timothy was to be aware of the condition of the lives of those in his charge. He was to even be aware of men’s sins. He was to be aware that some sins are easily seen ahead of time while others are revealed later. Leaders lead a community of people to be a testimony of the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ. This means they must inspire, challenge, and lead those in the care to embrace the testimony of Christ in their personal lives.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.

Timothy was to teach those in his care how to be good servants. In modern terms this would be to teach people how to be good employers and employees in the everyday world. People who are part of the community of Christ must represent the family well in the communities of the world. It is part of the responsibility of leadership to instruct those in their care in the way to live as family members in Christ. This include teaching them to be good, honest, diligent, and hard workers in their jobs and responsibilities of service in life.

1 Timothy 6:1-2 let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.

The role of leadership is very practical. It is not about leading others in church programs, church ministry, or church projects. It is about leading others in a way of life. It is about leading others in being a testimony of Christ’s community in the communities of the world. For a leader to be concerned about the personal lives of those they lead is part of a leader’s business! They must set an example to follow and also take charge to lead those in their care into the testimony of Christ in all things!

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,

Paul’s letter to Timothy was a letter to a pastor. It was meant to make Timothy aware of his responsibilities as a leader and also to give instruction for leaders to come. It was meant to be read by the church so that all are aware of the gift of leadership given by God to the church. Leadership is a calling, an appointment, and anointing given by God for the guidance and empowerment of the church.

Timothy was to lead without prejudice. He was to accept his responsibility of leadership, not merely for those he liked, but for every person given to his charge. All leaders must understand that their role of leading is not something they have chosen, but a role assigned to them by God for the sake of those they lead. Their responsibilities of leadership must be carried out in a manner that shows God’s love and care for each and every person in the community under their care. That love is the testimony of our Father’s love for each of His children.

1 Timothy 5:21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. 

The responsibility of leading is not just meant to be carried by one. God chooses others to partner together for His purpose and will in every sphere of His family. Authority gives life and authority is a grace gift of responsibly for the sake of those to whom they have been sent. Timothy was to give authority to others in a careful manner. Authority is not something taken lightly or given away quickly. Leaders must understand that the authority they walk in is a substance given to them by God. To give that substance to another is a decision led by God and it must be given to those who qualify for such responsibility. It is a serious thing to represent God in some way before others. When a leader lays hands upon someone for leadership the authority given to that person authorizes them to be a representation of the authorizing leader. If they are found to be lacking in character that testimony becomes one that affects the delegating authority as well. A leader must be aware of the gravity of giving authority to others. They must never shy away from giving authority to others, but they must also not be hasty in giving authority to them. The need for gifts of ministry can never outweigh the need for properly discerning who is qualified to receive authority and who is not. That qualification is given by God and directed by God at all times.

1 Timothy 5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.

The role of leadership is a gift to those they lead, and it is a responsibility entrusted to a leader of great importance. Every leader must know that being a leader is not a position of hierarchy, but one of service. It is an honor to serve those you lead. For a leader to lead well, a leader must stay in relationship with God and others well. A leader must love well. They must care for themselves, their family, ant those in their care.

It is important for a leader to take care of his or her life – spirit, soul, and body. Paul told Timothy to take care of himself physically. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy he wrote to him in regard to drinking a little wine for the sake of his stomach. I don’t believe that Paul was merely giving Timothy instructions about wine. It was not meant to be a license for drinking or a law against it. These were the words of a spiritual father to a spiritual son as a matter of love and concern for his wellbeing.

1 Timothy 5:23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

This verse of Scripture implies that Paul was aware of a digestive problem that Timothy struggled with. Paul was concerned for the health of his spiritual son Timothy. Paul was telling Timothy to be sure to take care of himself physically. Let’s consider an even greater scope of possibility here. In Scripture wine is also a metaphor for a happy and prosperous soul. It is not about drinking wine, it is about living with a happy and prosperous soul. I like to hunt. In the forest I spend time with God, but the forest also rejuvenates my soul.

Psalms 104:15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart.

I believe that it is important for a leader to take care of themselves. Life is not about ministry, it is about relationship and when we are not healthy in spirit, soul, or body we are often hindered in our ability to lead. Being unhealthy in any aspect does not disqualify us from leading; it merely creates a personal challenge in our ability to lead. Surely there are many times in life where the circumstance and situation causes us to have to press through hard times, but we should not seek to religiously inflict pain upon ourselves. If we seek to live godly lives we will suffer persecution, but we must not be lazy, negligent, or irresponsible in taking care of our own spirit, soul, or body in our walk in life. When we experience the consequences of not taking care of ourselves we can hardly blame the devil or some sort of tribulation when things go awry. In such cases we can only blame our own foolishness. If we take care of our own lives, spirit, soul and body, we can lead others in doing the same.

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