Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
When I was completing my master’s degree in biblical studies, I was asked to write a simple theology of the Old Testament and a simple theology of the New Testament. My conclusion was this (from my book: The Now Covenant):
The Old Covenant testimony revealed that God always wanted a people who could say God was their God, it would be said of them that they were God’s people, and they would know the reality of living together with Him. The New Covenant testimony is that God finally has a people who from their hearts know that God is their God. He has passed over their sins and made them dependent upon Him in their hearts. He is their righteousness. God finally has a people who are a testimony of Him. They have peace with Him in their hearts because He is their peace. There is no gap between them and Him and thus the testimonies of His heavenly realities are becoming increasing testimonies in their lives and others can see it. God finally has a people who live together with Him in all things. They know the joy of His manifest presence in their hearts. They know that God gives life, He gives them breath, and He gives them all things.
These three things were seen in the Old Covenant through the main feasts of Israel. Passover depicted the testimony of being the people redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. God was their God. Pentecost depicted the testimony of being people of God’s testimony – the Word and the Spirit. We are different than those who seek to live for themselves in the world. We seek God and live to be a testimony of Him in our world. Tabernacles depicted the testimony of being people who celebrated every harvest in partnership with God for His purpose and glory in all things. We don’t live for our own kingdoms, but for the kingdom of God. These realities were not intended to merely be ceremonial feasts. They are attributes of a way of life with God as His family in this world. God is our God, we are His people, and we live together. It is for these three things that leaders lead.
Leaders lead others in knowing God in a personal and intimate way. He gives them life. We are loved by God, and it is God’s love that gives us life at all times. Leaders lead others in knowing the supernatural power of God’s love. They lead in knowing the righteousness of God found in Christ. It is a righteousness of being loved by God through the testimony of Jesus – the redeemer of our lives.
Leaders lead others in being the family of God with the testimony of His Word and Spirit in this world. We have peace with God and there is no gap between us and Him. We are expressions of Him for the glory of His inheritance in all things. God loves us and we love Him! We reveal His love to our world through His continual change in our lives.
Leaders lead others in a partnership with God in all things. God gives us all things and all things are for His purpose and glory. Our lives are filled with many seasons of harvest and each harvest is purposed to give the food of life to our world and plant the seeds of life for a generation to come. This is to live our lives as sons and daughters of God who is our Father. We are givers of life as He is a giver of life to us.
We must live our lives each day with these three strong values in our hearts. We should expect to experience them every day and we should seek to celebrate them with our attitudes, thoughts, and actions in life. God is our God, we are His people, and we live together in all things.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
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