Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
Our original self was meant to be a testimony of the likeness and image of God and our original self can only be found in the character of Christ. It is by the character of Christ formed in us that we can lead as leaders. It is by the character of Christ formed in us that we can be the testimony of the unity of the body of Christ. As leaders, we must know who we are in Christ. We must lay hold of the prophetic sound of life, a sound of Christ’s redemption and formation in our lives. When we discover our true selves in Christ, we also discover our part in the calling, the inheritance, and the power of destiny in Christ. These were the attributes found in Jesus Christ, the firstborn of humanity that know who they truly are for the glory of their heavenly Father in all things.
I have been addressing being the house of the manifest presence of Christ. I believe that this is most important in our role as leaders. We are not leading people to mimic Christ character by the application of law or by some form of biblical principle. We are modeling being a life that is filled with the presence of God and we are leading others to discover this reality in their own lives. On an even greater scale, we are leading people to become a corporate expression of God’s presence in their connection with one another at times of celebration and in their way of life together in a covenant journey of being the family of God. Today I want to revisit a Scripture I presented in an earlier blog, but I want to focus on a different aspect. I will begin today and continue next week.
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. 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Houses are built upon foundations. As the body of Christ, we arethe house of God’s manifest presence. There can be no other foundation, but Christ. To be the house of Christ we have to build with the material of Christ. We are part of the calling of Christ, the inheritance of His name, and the purpose of His destiny in the nations and generations of men. If we build our lives with materials that reflect our self-interests, we will suffer loss in the reward of eternity. I believe that things of straw are things that focus on personal comforts. Straw is a material that can make a bed or meet a personal need of comfort in some way. As leaders we cannot live for mere personal comfort and we must challenge those we lead to live their lives beyond the meeting of their personal needs. Those who do not know God live for these things and they are not fulfilling the true destiny of humanity in the likeness and image of God. I believe that things of hay are things of personal success. People in the world live their lives for some kind of success. That success could be a success of money, education, adventure, good works for human pride, and many other things that could be used to measure whether someone is successful or not. As leaders we cannot live to merely produce some type of success in our lives. This includes some form of success in ministry. We must also challenge those we lead to live beyond the mere measure of success in life. I believe that wood is a human material with generational capabilities, but only as long as they are attached to the family name. This could include a generational legacy of some human effort. It could include a business, a ministry, or any expression of our human selves that carries beyond our lives in the earth. As leaders we cannot merely lead for some measure of human legacy and we must challenge those we lead to live beyond this measure as well. God doesn’t merely want to meet our needs; He wants us to be people who are blessings to the world we live in. He doesn’t merely want us to be successful, He wants us to be significant. He wants us to give greater value to those beyond our lives. God doesn’t want us to live limited lives that focus on some human legacy, He wants us to live for the purpose of the Father’s glory. The materials of straw, hay, or wood all burn in the flames of true destiny. God wants us to build with things of gold, silver, and precious stones. Gold is a symbol for things of Divine nature and influence. Silver speaks of things that are redemptive in purpose and inheritance. Precious stones are things that testify of God and Christ character and they reveal the attributes of who He really is.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
If God has blessed you to bless us, we would greatly appreciate it. We have several tickets to purchase for ministry engagements in September, October, and November. Please pray with us that the provision of God will be loosed so we can do all God has called us to do in this season. If God gives you the means to help, please consider making a donation to House of Bread Ministry.
Thanks Again – Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225
