Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
As leaders we lead others to grow in knowing God’s love and to grow in loving others. Knowing God is not about knowing His power. It is about knowing His powerful love. He is our Father who happens to do God stuff! It’s not about His miracles; it’s about His miraculous love. The more we know our Father and the more we know Jesus His Son, the more we should become like Him in our character, nature, way, power, and authority. The more we know God’s love, the more we love one another. God is the one who teaches us by changing our hearts and minds from within. Holy Spirit in us reveals the testimony of God in and through us enabling us to shine as light in the darkness of our world.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more…
Paul charged the church of Thessalonica to grow in love. God teaches us to love one another through an increasing revelation of His love for us in our hearts and minds. As a leader Paul knew that knowing God’s love was the foundation for us to be His sons and daughters in our world.
John was a disciple of Jesus and his testimony to the church was one of knowing God’s love. He had known God’s love in the days of Jesus as a man. He ate with Him, walked with Him, talked with Him, and experienced His friendship in his own life. As an older man he had grown in knowing the love of God in His life and he understood that the fruit of that was evident in his life and in the lives of others who embrace a fellowship with God in their lives.
1 John 1:2 …the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Our fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ is a matter of growing in knowing God’s love. The true light of Christ is the testimony of God’s mercy and grace. His mercy justifies us all to live. This is a testimony of His love for all people. His grace empowers us to live. This is a testimony revealing the empowerment of His love working in and through our lives when we willingly and passionately seek to know Him in our lives. Our obedience is not to commands of the letter of His word to us. Our obedience is an empowerment that comes from within us through a growing intimate knowledge of His love.
1 John 2:9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
If we are going lead people in loving one another we must first lead them into knowing God’s love for them. Our rule of faith is not the Bible. The Bible is a testimony to our rule of faith, but it is not our teacher. Our rule of faith is a knowing of God in our hearts. This is knowing His love. This is knowing His voice. The evidence of this truth will be seen in our love for others. Faith is towards a person, not a promise. We trust God’s promises because we trust God. We are growing in knowing that He loves us and His love is a light in our hearts and unto our feet.
As leaders, we must grow in knowing God’s love. By this we can set an example for others to follow. Each one must grow in knowing God who loves them. The more we get to know Him the more we know His amazing love. The fruit will be love from our own hearts to others in our world.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728
