Blog in Audio:
Greetings,
Leadership is about leading others into the testimony of life. That life is from Christ and in Christ in all things. We were born to serve others by a supernatural power of life. For this reason, God has equipped some for the sake of serving others in being equipped to bring life to their world. Every believer should know what it means to be sent by God to bring life to their world. They should know that the expression of their life is meant to bring life to their world. They should know the power of birthing life in others. Believers are called to mentor others in life-giving ways. They are appointed by their heavenly Father to care for others by loving them, even as they love themselves. God as appointed gifts for these attributes to be developed in the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…
As leaders we are called, appointed, and anointed to equip believers for the work of ministry – bringing life to the body of Christ. What is the work of ministry? The body of Christ is a metaphor for the church. The church is the co-reigning partner of Jesus Christ as the body of Christ. This is only possible by Holy Spirit abiding within her. The church receives her life from Jesus and finds her connection to her heavenly Father by the life-giving expressions of Jesus that give her a life-giving testimony in this world. Jesus always seeks to present His church alongside of Him in the rule and reign of grace that teaches spiritual powers the wisdom of God in every measure of God’s redemption story.
Ephesians 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
As the church, we are the bride of Christ. We are to daily know fellowship with Jesus by His Spirit that abides within us. It is a deep mystery of relationship. We abide in Him and He abides in us. The process that leads to our future in all things is found in our fellowship with Him by His Holy Spirit. It is through this that powers of darkness are placed in their proper position under the feet of Christ the head (Jesus), and Christ the body (the church).
Ephesians 1:22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The things that have been placed under Christ’s feet include every principality, power, might, dominion, and name. These are placed in their proper position when the body of Christ lives to bring life to their world. Like Jesus, we are commissioned and anointed by our heavenly Father to do good, and in doing good we destroy every work of the devil.
Acts 10:38 …how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
The work of ministry is to bring life to our world. It is enabled by our fellowship with God through His Spirit within us, and it subdues every power of death by the life-giving power of Christ in us. Christ in us is the hope of glory in this world and in all that is to come. Leaders lead others by example and in the process of equipping others to be life-giving members of the body of Christ in their daily lives as men, women, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, and every aspect of community in life. The work of ministry is to live as people who know God in all things and to touch others in their world with life that they too might know the mystery of the fellowship of Christ.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728
