Greetings;
I hope you are all well. This is my second leader’s blog and I think I am getting the kinks worked out of the process. I apologize for any hiccups this blog start up might cause you. If you received this blog and you would not like to receive it please click the “unsubscribe” button. There is likely a link in your received email contact. If not, you can find an “unsubscribe” link by scrolling down on the right side column of my blog under “Blog Administration”. I do hope that these blogs will be useful to you and you will choose to continue to receive them.
Last week I addressed my personal non-negotiable in regard to the purpose of leadership being for the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is not just a fellowship of socially connected people, but a divinely joined connection of members of Christ’s Body for Christ’s purposes in the earth. I want to continue on that theme today and address a few more essential points as I see them in regard to the Body of Christ.
When completing my Masters degree in Biblical Studies I was asked to write a theology of the Old Testament. My theology of the Old Testament was quite simple. The first thing that God wanted was a people who could say, “God you are our God”. This was known as Passover and the Old Testament was filled with principles, patterns, and values revealing the need of God as man’s God. The second thing that God wanted was to have a people that it could clearly be testified of them, “These are God’s people”. This was known as Pentecost and the Old Testament was filled with principles, patterns, and values revealing God’s desire for a special people. The third thing that God wanted was for a people who would live together with Him. This was known as Tabernacles and the Old Testament was filled with principles, patterns, and values revealing God’s desire to tabernacle with men. I was also asked to write a theology of the New Testament. My theology for the New Testament is pretty close to my theology of the Old Testament. Stated simply it would be that God finally has a people who can truly say from their hearts, “God you are our God”. There is undeniable evidence that God’s people are His with the evidence of heavenly power and fruit. Now all people can come and abide with God in Christ and He with them. This is the reality of the Covenant made living in Christ! Another way of saying these three things is to say: In Him we live, in Him we move, and in Him we have our being! This is the true reality of each of us being empowered by God’s grace to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all of our strength.
As those who influence the Body of Christ I believe we must seek to lead for the purpose of activating, facilitating, and releasing people into these three things. There is a great Scripture spoken by the Prophet Isaiah that I believe reveals these three things in a great way.
Isaiah 51:16 “And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ “
Jesus said that if we come to Him and drink, out of our inner beings would flow rivers of life-giving water (Jn. 7:37-39). This is none other than the word of God within our mouths. It is a confession that God is our God. God has poured out His Spirit upon all flesh and now is the time for all tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations to come with the testimony of God’s resurrection life upon them. This is the blessing of God’s hand upon us as His own special people. The ultimate testimony is for God to cause His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth just as it is in heaven. He is planting the heavens (a people who say God is our God), laying the foundations of the earth (a people who are the testimony of heaven in the earth), and saying to Zion, “You are My people”(a tabernacle of God and men together in heaven and earth).
We must lead to facilitate the hearts of men. The kingdom of God is not a kingdom that is far away. It is a kingdom that is within the hearts of men (Lk. 17:20). The key to being a living body is the heart. The heart is the door to heaven. Our role as leaders is not one of rules and commands, but that of opening the hearts of men to God. We cannot change people, nor can we empower them. Only God can give true life!
We must lead to facilitate TRANSFORMATION not to implement INFROMATION. The Old Covenant presented a concept of the way, while the New Covenant is the reality of the way. Information government will not activate, facilitate, and release the true testimony of God. Only a transformation government can do that and this is only found in the power of God’s grace. The Spirit of Christ within the BODY is the only hope of glory.
We must lead to raise up a BODY. The Old Testament was filled with principles, patterns, and values that only revealed a shadow of the true principality Christ. He alone is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Law was only a shadow of the good things to come (Heb. 10:1) and was never intended to be the good thing that God gave. The good thing that God gave was His only begotten Son and He came in the stature of a Body. He allowed His Body to be broken that we might receive Him and become pieces of the living bread sent down from heaven. Before the sacrifice and offerings were, the Body was. The Body is the key because the body is the place. Only a living Body can say, “God, You are our God”, “We are God’s People”, and “We live together”. Works of ministry can’t do that, only a living being can.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
Ted – lovely stuff and as always , life giving from your good heart !