Greetings;
As leaders in the body of Christ we must know that we lead for the Father’s house. We don’t lead for our own ministries. The kingdom of God is an internal kingdom and it is only the internal kingdom of God that transforms individuals. The exterior expressions of human lives are only truly made known by the transformation of hearts and minds. Righteousness, peace, and joy are attributes of internal relationship with God in the human heart by the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is in the place of the heart that the true house of God is discovered.
John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
I believe that this Scripture is not just about a place beyond this world after we die. I believe it is about a place in this lifetime, and beyond this lifetime, that is beyond this world. The word mansion is the Greek word μονή monē (G3438). It means, a staying, i.e. residence (the act or the place). It comes from the Greek verb μένω menō (G3306) meaning, to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy). Each, and every person has a place prepared by God where they can abide with the presence of Jesus by the Spirit. It is a place of relationship, a place of expectancy, a state of being with Him, and even a state of being because of Him. It is not just a place where Jesus comes into our lives, but where we enter the fullness of life within Him. It is a room in the Father’s house. Each of us has a pre-appointed time and a pre-appointed boundary in this life and it is important that we allow Jesus to come there and receive us to Himself in the journey of life.
God dwells in a temple of human hearts and human lives. He doesn’t dwell in anything made by human hands. We cannot prepare a place for Him to dwell, we must find the place that He has prepared for us where we can experience the fullness of His dwelling. As leaders, we must discover this place in our own lives and we must lead others to find their own pre-appointed time and boundary in life. The time given to each of us, and the boundary given to each of us, is a spacious room in the Father’s house. Each man and woman has been given a measure of time. What, and who, will fill it? Each man and woman has been given a measure of rule. What, and who, will fill its sphere of influence?
When the apostle Paul came to the city of Athens in Greece he pointed to the identity of what a room in the Father’s house appears to be. Every person in life is motivated by an internal desire to discover their room in the Father’s house. It is a place of life and it is from that place that life is meant to happen. It is not a religious place of bondage and death, but a place of life and peace in Christ.
When Paul entered the city of Athens he was provoked in his Spirit when he observed the idolatrous attributes among the people. His provocation was not against people, but against the things that were destroying their perception of who God truly is.
Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
It became evident that Paul’s anger was not against people when he was called before the Areopagus on Mars Hill. His words were not words of condemnation for people, but words that pointed to the place of life in the midst of their searching. Paul’s anger was an anger of the Spirit and it was against the things that seek to control and destroy the lives and destinies of men. Paul did not condemn the people of Athens for their places of idolatry. He simply presented to them that they were religious. He pointed out that they were searching for answers. They were looking for life. Paul then presented an obvious attribute of a room in the Father’s house. He told them they had already experienced that God of resurrection life. He was the one they knew to be, but they could not understand.
Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
Paul was directing the attention of the leaders of the city of Athens to the room in place in their city that revealed the goodness of God. He is the one that cannot be understood by the limitations of self-seeking, self-gratifying, or self-sustaining minds. He is beyond our understanding. He is good! The atmosphere of any room in the Father’s house exceeds the limited expectations and understandings of men. If everything in our lives can be explained by our own understanding we are not living in the full boundaries of a room in the Father’s house.
Consider a first attribute of the Father’s house. He is beyond our understanding and that is ok. If you understand everything within the boundaries of your life, you might not be in a room of the Father’s house.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
Thank you so much to those who have risen tot he challenge of helping House of Bread fulfill the call to be a resource and equipping ministry to the body of Christ. If you have not yet been able to offer your support, please consider supporting House of Bread Ministry. Checks Payable to: House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Online Donations can be made above at the column to the right.
