ted4leaders

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Today I am going to begin to address seven things a leader must lead in – seven things a believer must live in.

The writer of the book of Hebrews addressed the foundations of our lives empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is Christ in us that gives us the reason of use in being a testimony of a member of the body of Christ. Whereas the Old Covenant was a matter of information and instruction of law, the New Covenant is the empowerment of our lives as believers by the power of God’s grace. The Old Covenant was an administration of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but the New Covenant is an administration of an intimate relationship with God and the tree of life.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to ⁷perfection, not laying again the foundation of ¹repentance from dead works and of ²faith toward God, 2 of the ³doctrine of baptisms, of ⁴laying on of hands, of ⁵resurrection of the dead, and of ⁶eternal judgment.

In these verses seven things are revealed that every leader must embrace and seek to live in to lead others in doing the same. These are empowerments of God grace concerning:

1. Repentance from dead works
2. Faith towards God
3. A way of life that comes by submersions in the Holy Spirit
4. The life-giving authority of the laying on of the hands of Christ
5. Living in the manifest presence of the Resurrection Life of Christ
6. Embracing the Eternal Judgment of God’s Mercy
7. Growing in the perfection of the maturity of Christ to release an inheritance to others beyond our lives

These seven realities are also seen in the testimony of seven things found in the foundation of the birthing of the New Covenant Church as seen in the book of Acts.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, ¹“Repent, and ²let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall ³receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Acts 2:42 And they ⁴continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and ⁵fellowship, in the ⁶breaking of bread, and in ⁷prayers.

The first thing that every leader must embrace and lead others to live in as well, is a repentance from dead works. This is not a repentance from evil. It is a repentance from being dead. It is a gift from God, not a discipline of the flesh. It is an empowerment of the Spirit of the Lord in our lives. The Spirit of the Lord gives us a desire empowered by being loved by God! Repentance is a gift, or granted to us by God when we embrace His love in our hearts. 

Acts 5:31 “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

When we seek external things to find love, to find our identity, it is because we lack an internal revelation of being loved by God. Receiving the love of God in our hearts makes us come alive to God in our hearts. The dry places of our hearts become empowered to be a watered garden of God’s presence. Paradise is restored in our lives – a place of knowing God, living with Him, and walking with Him in life. It is the desirable place of knowing God and it frees us from being dead in our hearts. Leaders must lead others by example in being loved by God in their hearts and no longer living in the shadows of illegitimate life sources that only leave us dead to repeatedly do dead works that never produce the fruit of life. It is not a repentance of condemnation and shame. It is a repentance unto life! It is knowing the truth of God’s love in our hearts. We were born to be loved by God! He loves us and He gives us the desires of our hearts! Those desires given to us by Him change our lives forever and it is a continually growing reality in our lives. This is not a one-time experience of turning to God in our hearts, but a daily turning to Him so the light of His life gives desires that come from being loved by God.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

A couple of days ago I head God say that 2023 is a year of ‘new strength’. It will be a year of hurdles. What is a hurdle? A hurdle is an obstacle that you are expected to overcome. It is not a place that you cannot get over. It is a place that you are expected to get over, but you are going to have to find the strength to do so. That strength comes from within.

A hurdle is a device used to draw the best of the abilities of the one who finds the hurdle on the course. It is part of a training course, but that training simply reveals a fuller potential from within the one on the course. It is meant to draw out a strength that reveals one’s true abilities.

The central attraction in our lives needs to be God our Father, Jesus the Son, and intimacy with Holy Spirit. These are the center of our world. In God we live, we move, and we have our being. Christ in us is the hope of glory. So, to find ‘new strength’ means that we will discover a deeper understanding of Christ in us. I believe God is going to draw out the identity, testimony, and purpose of Christ from within our hearts and we will see new things in 2023. Those things will reveal a greater purpose for God’s glory.

Yesterday I heard God say that 2023 is going to have some unexpected turns. Perhaps the unexpected turns will reveal the hurdles that we can expect to overcome. Unexpected turns are not something we can plan for. They are unexpected. We can plan to find our strength in Christ. Finding our strength in Christ will surely give us whatever we need for any unexpected turns in our lives.

I don’t sense that unexpected turns of 2023 are a negative thing. I feel that the unexpected turns of 2023 are going to inspire us to believe for more, see more, and experience more in our identity, testimony, and purpose in Christ. Holy Spirit is working in our lives to walk with God as our friend in our paths of destiny.

The apostle Paul wrote that the signs of a sent one (apostle), were accomplished with all perseverance. They were demonstrated in supernatural ways, but they were accomplished with perseverance.

1 Corinthians 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.

The word perseverance is not just endurance or a determination to win. The word implies a cheerful endurance. It is a persistence that draws upon the life of Christ from within us.

I believe that we are facing a new season in Christ to know the cheerful endurance that comes by the life of Christ within us. The hurdles before us will only challenge us to find the joy of Christ within our hearts to experience new testimonies of our victory in Christ.

As leaders, we must set an example in perseverance that others can follow. The joy of the Lord is our strength and a new strength for our new path in Christ will come from within. We must inspire those we lead to find their strength from within. We must inspire those we lead to overcome every hurdle put before them to find the joy of new testimonies in Christ in 2023.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Today I felt to post a portion of some prophetic declaration and words given by my son, Pastor Jonathan Hanson, and myself, this past Sunday. I believe that 2023 is a season to embrace the fresh presence of Jesus in your life. He is coming in clouds! He is coming in His manifest presence in bodily form. We are in another measure of His life-giving, life transforming river. It is another measure to know Him in a deeper way and to see His glory rise in the earth. The body of Christ is going to arise and shine in this hour in new levels of intimacy and testimony in the power of Christ.

Jonathan Hanson:

I decided to look up the word Advent this morning, and it means “important coming”, or “important arrival”, or “important promise”. So, I just feel like, what Amy just said being grateful that Jesus is the greatest gift.

I hear Him say, “Are you ready for an important arrival? Are you ready for an important coming.”

There’s something in the air, there’s something God is doing in your life. Even if you can’t see Him working, He’s doing something. I promise you, He’s up to something. Even if people around you can’t feel it or sense it, and you like, how come I am the only one that is bubbly and everyone else is like tormented? It’s because God is doing something whether you feel it or not. So, I want to posture my heart to just believe what He says more than what I feel. I want to believe what He says more than what everyone around me is feeling. I want to believe God.
I know You are the most important arrival that every came, You’re also the most important that is coming, and You’re the most important that’s here right now. And so God, I just know you are up to something in this season that we’re in. You’re always working. You’re always doing things. You’re always talking to us. You’re always preparing and making ways and providing a way.

So, I just hear Him say, “Get ready! I’m coming! Get ready, I’m coming! Get ready, I’m coming in your life in new ways. Get ready, I’m about to show up in a way that you’ve never experienced Me before. Where you’ve only tasted blips of Me before, I’m coming in a brand-new way. So, get ready, 2023, I’m coming. Get ready for the most important arrival of your life. Jesus is showing up in your life in ways you’ve never experienced before. So posture your hearts to receive, posture your hearts to believe, posture your ways of knowing who I am more than what you see, but posture yourself to believe and to trust that I am here with you.”

Ted J. Hanson:

“Do you understand that My mercy is new every morning? That My grace is sufficient for every situation. I am not turning the page to give you a new calendar, I’m giving you a new appointment book, says God.  For this is not a time of opportunity, this is a time of divine appointments. And you’re going to understand in this new season, how wonderful My mercy is. That I am not the One who simply comes to do ‘do overs’ in your life, I am the One who makes all things new.  And that which you have not even dared to see or dared to believe for, is going to stir in your spirit. For God says, I am renewing your thought, I’m renewing your strategy, I’m renewing your emotions, I’m renewing your imagination, I’m renewing your desire.”

“This is going to be a season of you depending upon Me, not out of desperation, but out of joy. Out of anticipation. Out of divine connection, and you will understand that I work on your behalf. That I look at you as children and friends and I move on your behalf to reveal who I am. Not so that I will receive, but so that you will receive. So that you will believe. So that you will become all that I have declared,” says God. “So, this is not a season of a new calendar. This is a season of new appointment and it’s a fresh season to know that My mercy is new every morning and my grace is more than sufficient for every situation.”

Food for Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Today I am posting a portion of a blog from 2014. I felt stirred to repost this in light of us all doing our share, not to demonstrate ministry, but to be a witness of connection to God and to one another by the life of God’s Spirit. As I wrote last week, “love is the bond, but that love is God’s love and not love that is connected to our own self-seeking desires.” Each of us are who we are for the sake of giving life to others in our world.

Many people believe that what they do determines who they are in this life. This is the way of thinking in the world. Living for what we do is very self-focused and narrow-minded in fulfilling human purpose. People in the world seek to fulfill their own destinies, but they very seldom discover the greatness of living for the life of others. Unfortunately, this same thinking often prevails in the Church. Our thinking must change in order for us to live for God’s purpose in this world. We are all called to the hope of Christ’s calling, we reveal a testimony of His inheritance, and the power of Christ in us is meant to change the world beyond our own lives. This was the way of Jesus. He lived for a calling beyond His natural circumstances, He stood as a heavenly testimony of life in the midst of a dead world, and the testimony of the power of His life was seen in the changed world of others beyond His own natural days. His mindset was one of true authority. He knew that the will of God was who He was; therefore He could do whatever was necessary to fulfill His destiny.

Jesus didn’t come to die for our sins. He came to reconcile us to our heavenly Father, but He was willing to die for us to make that happen. He could do the will of God because He first knew that He was the will of God. He was the Savior of the world; therefore, He could do whatever was necessary to save it. We must embrace this same way of thinking.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Our minds are continually being changed so we can stand in the authority of life that God has given to each of us. No one’s measure of authority is less significant. Each and every one of us was born to bring life to others. Each and every person in this world has a value of being a one and only child of God. That value is not determined by what we do. It was determined by the price that God paid for each and every one. He gave His only begotten Son as the redemption value of each one. We must all value who we are, and we must seek to live life in the uniqueness of our own authority.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 

To think of ourselves more highly than we ought, is to think outside of the boundary or sphere of who God has made us to be. We don’t need to become smaller so that others can be bigger. We need to be true to who we are so that who we are will bring life to those who are what we are not. We each supply life to one another. We cannot live in false humility thinking we are nothing; we must embrace true humility simply living for the sake of others within the boundaries of our own authority. We are all part of a corporate plan of life. Faith comes by hearing God, and it is in hearing God that we come to know who we are. We cannot do anything or be anything we want to be in life. We must discover who God says we are. This will fulfill our destiny in this world. Anything less is missing the mark.

Romans 12:4-8 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

We have each been given a combination of motivational giftings from our heavenly Father that serves the uniqueness of our ability to bring life to others. Those internal motivations determine our ability to function in various realms of responsibility. Those realms of responsibility are the place of our destined authority. Those who are motivated to perceive are not greater than those who are motivated to serve. Those who teach are not greater than those who are motivated to exhort others. Those that exhort are not better or less than those who are motivated towards mercy. Those who lead are not greater than those who join to their leadership for the purpose of God’s life in this world. We are each motivated to fulfill a measure of authority. That authority will bring life to others.

We must be true to whom God has made us to be. When we embrace who we are in life, we can bring life to others. We were created to bring life to this world!

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders, we aren’t called to merely lead Christian ministry. We aren’t merely called to lead Christian works. We are called to lead the family of God in relationships. First, and foremost, we are called to lead people in knowing God. We cannot teach them to know God, but we can inspire them to know God through the example of our own lives. Our intimacy with God, and our reliance upon Him in all things, will inspire those we lead to live their lives in the same way. I believe that this is most important.

As leaders, we are also called to lead others in relationships with one another. We are not merely believers in Christ. We are believers of Christ and our believing Him inspires us to live together as His family. He is our Father, and we are His sons and daughters who live for His glory in all things.

Our commission is not to do Christian works. Our commission is to make disciples of nations. Jesus made disciples by living with a few, revealing a life of connection to God His Father. That connection was demonstrated with works of ministry and supernatural testimonies of God’s power, but His goal was not ministry or power. His goal was to reconnect us all to God as our Father. When we are connected to God our Father, we will manifest His works of love. We will manifest His supernatural power of life. That power of life is not life that can die, but resurrection life that cannot be killed. It is a testimony of triumphant love made known by our Father’s supernatural abilities.

I believe that we fall short of who we are meant to be when we make ministry or works our goal. When we make ministry or works our goal, it is easy to become offended in our relationships. I believe our goal must be intimacy with God and with one another. This will be demonstrated though our willingness to minister to one another. We will do works of ministry, but those works will demonstrate that we live for the well-being of others.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

Leaders present their bodies for the testimony of the body of Christ. They give their all as an example to be followed. Leaders inspire body members to do the same. God’s mercy has justified us to be joined to God and to one another in Christ, for His glory in our world.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

We are being changed in our thinking. We don’t live for ourselves. We live for God and for one another. Each of us are perfect in who we are and who we are is only found in Christ for the purpose of Christ in all things. We never need to be jealous of someone else. We don’t seek to be competitive, but submissive one to another for God’s purposes.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

We each do our share, not to demonstrate ministry, but to be a witness of connection to God and to one another by the life of God’s Spirit. Love is the bond, but that love is God’s love and not love that is connected to our own self-seeking desires.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

There are many styles of churches and ministries. The style of church we lead, or the style of ministry we lead, is simply a vehicle to carry the presence of God for the purposes of God. I liken the expressions of churches and ministries to boats that contain the presence of Jesus.

We sometimes make the miracles of God our focus and we miss seeing the presence and purpose of God in our lives. Sometimes we make ministry structure and style our focus and we miss seeing the presence and purpose of God. The presence of Jesus in our lives empowers us in supernatural ways, but those supernatural experiences only testify of our need for Jesus to fulfill God’s purposes in our ministries.

In the gospels, there is a story of Jesus walking on water. Jesus walked on water to the disciples in the boat in the midst of a storm (Mt. 14:22–33; Mk. 6:45-52; Jn. 6:15–21). I believe that this story depicts our need for Jesus in all that we are and do. Peter could step out of the boat because Jesus bid him to come. When Peter was distracted by the waves of the sea, he began to sink, but Jesus took his hand and led him back to the boat. The storm was tossing the boat but Jesus in the boat calmed the sea and boat was able to continue to its destination, where many people were healed and touched by the supernatural love of God.

God used a boat with Noah in the days of world change (Gen. 6:13-15). God shut Noah in the boat (Gen. 7:16). I don’t believe that God merely sealed the boat tightly. I believe that God’s presence was with Noah and his family while they were in the boat and that God’s presence sealed the boat from the flood waters of destruction. God’s presence surrounded the boat and empowered it to move forward into the purposes of God for the earth. This was Old Covenant testimony but in the New Covenant God’s presence is in the boat.

There is one story of Jesus walking on water, but there are numerous times where Jesus needed a boat. The boat was not a boat of human purpose. It was always a boat for the presence of Jesus and the purposes of God in the earth. Peter, James, and John had to leave a boat to follow Jesus because the presence of Jesus was more important than merely a boat (Mt. 4:21-22).

Jesus was asleep in a boat when a storm arose because God always rests in what carries His purpose in the earth (Mt. 8:23-27; Mk. 4:35-39). When Jesus awoke, He demonstrated that His presence in the boat is stronger than any storm that resists the purpose of the boat. The boat then carried Jesus to the other side to bring freedom to the Gadarenian demoniac (Mk. 5:1-4).

Jesus used a boat to cross over to the other side to heal a paralytic (Mt. 9:1-2). He used a boat to cross over and heal a woman with an issue of blood and to raise the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Mk. 5:21-23). Jesus used a boat so the crowd could see Him and hear Him speak (Mt. 13:1-2; Mk. 4:1; Mk. 6:34-45). He used a boat to get to a secluded place a to pray (Mt. 14:13; Mk. 6:30-33). Jesus used a boat to minister to the sick (Mk. 6:53-54) and He used a boat to get to the region of Magdala (Mt. 15:39). Jesus used a small boat to escape from being crushed by the crowd (Mk. 3:9-10). Jesus used a boat to demonstrate God’s supernatural provision for Peter (Lk. 5:3-7) and He also used a boat to demonstrate who He was to Peter after His resurrection (Jn. 21:6-8).

I think the story of Jesus walking on water illustrates our need for Jesus in our boat. We need a boat to fulfill the purposes of God, but any boat that God instructs us to get, or build, must be for the presence of Jesus and the will of God. Without the presence of Jesus we cannot fulfill His purpose, but we also need a boat. We must never dispute with other ministries over the structure of their boat and the structure of ours. We must only look to see the presence of Jesus in the boat.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

Leaders are not representatives of the people of God, they are examples to people of God in being sons and daughters of God. They demonstrate a lifestyle of living for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Leaders don’t lead for their own purposes, but for the will of God in the lives of those God has sent them to serve. For this reason, leaders must lead for God’s presence and for God’s purpose.

Revelation 1:12-13 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.

John’s revelation of Jesus began with seeing Jesus standing in the midst of the church. He is the voice behind us that motivates our lives to move forward by an empowerment of faith. That faith comes from a personal encounter with Jesus when we turn to see Him in our hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Leaders live their lives as examples to those they lead by turning to the Lord for a continual process of change that testifies of the glory of God. Leaders lead others to turn to the Lord, even as they turn to the Lord. The presence of Jesus in our lives is essential for all that we are and all that we do. Jesus must be seen standing in the midst of His church for it to be an expression of His church.

We cannot create ministries that take people by the hand and lead them. We must create spiritual spaces that enable people to have spiritual encounters with God that transform their lives to fulfill His purpose and will. The Spirit of the Lord empowers God’s children to live, move, and have their being in Christ.

Leaders are not called to merely lead Christian expressions. We are called to lead Christ expressions of the body of Christ. Christ in each one is the hope of glory. That glory is not just for going to heaven when we die. That glory is to live to bring the life of God to our world. Each season of our lives is for the calling of Christ, the testimony of Christ, and the purpose of Christ.

Colossians 2:6-7 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

We don’t lead others to merely fulfill Christian ministry. We lead others to walk in Christ as a testimony of the glory of God. That glory brings life to our world. We lead by being an example to others in being a part of the body of Christ that reveals the testimony of Christ and fulfills the purpose of Christ by the power of His resurrection life. God’s grace empowers us to reign in life for the glory of God’s name.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

What does it mean to be a leader for the sake of the body of Christ? Is it about providing Christian programs or expressions of Christian ministry? Is it about providing teachings concerning the Scriptures? Or is it for the fruit of knowing God that is testified in Scripture? The apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son Timothy regarding the important things for leadership. Those things were about the substance of Timothy’s character and the testimony of his life, not the style of his ministry or the skill of his administration.

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

To be an example in the word is not about being an example in Scripture memory. It is being an example in the substance of the word. It is about setting an example that others can see that is true to the word of God. It is true to being an expression of God. All believers in Christ are to be an example to their world as expressions of God. They are to be true to God’s word. Leaders simply lead others in becoming true to God’s word.

Leaders are to be an example that can inspire others by their conduct in life. Leaders are not examples in conduct while believers are not. All believers in Christ are to be an example to the world as to the conduct of sons and daughters of God. How do we handle the challenges of life? How do we live our lives? How do we respond to others? How do we react to others? How do we live our lives as dads, moms, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, and neighbors? Leaders lead for this testimony in the family of God.

What about love? How do we exhibit the character of love in our attitudes and actions in life? All believers in Christ are to exhibit the love of God to their world and leaders lead in this testimony. They demonstrate the character, nature, and way of God in their love for God and for others. Leaders lead others in this testimony.

What about living lives that exhibit a supernatural connection to the Spirit? Do we manifest being spiritual people that inspire others to be the same? This is not about being religious with religious actions and the keeping of religious ceremonies. It is about being people of the spirit. This includes a discerning of spirits and a spiritual example to others in being connected to the Spirit of God at all times. For this reason, I stir up my spirit all day long in praying in the spirit. I don’t make it a religious task; I simply pray without ceasing throughout my day. I choose to have a face-to-face relationship with God all day long.

A leader is to be an example in faith. Faith is a supernatural testimony of responding to the voice of God in our hearts. It is about hearing God and responding to what He says in all things. Like the story of the man who built his house upon the rock, believers are to practice hearing God and responding to what He says in the actions of their lives. Leaders set an example for those they lead in living lives of faith. This is living lives not easily shaken by natural sight. What things look like in the world or in the natural circumstances of our lives don’t determine the footsteps of our lives. What God is speaking to our hearts determines the paths that we choose to take and the actions we choose to make.

Leaders are to be an example in purity. This is to live an innocent and sinless live. To do this requires a connection to God that inspires a change in our hearts and minds to live to be givers of life and not takers of life from others. We live for the wellbeing of others through an intimate connection with God in or hearts. We live lives empowered by God’s grace. The manifest presence of God in our hearts enables us to live lives that exhibit the holy life-giving nature of our heavenly Father in all things. Leaders give themselves to being pure to inspire those they lead to do the same.

All sons and daughters of God give their lives to be known and seen as children of God. It is evidenced in their lives by being a testimony of God’s word, a conduct that is true to being children of God, love that is true to the nature of God’s heart, spirit that is revealed as the life of God even in natural ways, faith that is seen in the works of their lives, and in purity that is true to the heart of God in all things. Leaders set an example in these things that others can see and be inspired to embrace as their way in life.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

True freedom and liberty come from an encounter with Christ in our hearts. We cannot give freedom to others; we can only aid them in finding the power of Christ within them. Christ in each believer is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). Every move of God’s grace is a testimony of the internal kingdom of God manifesting in external ways.

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The life of God’s kingdom comes from within us and spills out of our lives to reveal the testimony of true transformation. We don’t just have the hope of one day seeing Jesus face-to-face, we also have the hope of a constant coming of Christ in our lives as we look to Him each day. From glory to glory we are changed by the power of His grace. This is the testimony of turning to Christ within us. I believe we are in another measure of God’s grace and as leaders, we must receive, experience, and inspire others to embrace the testimony of the anointing oil of Christ in every new season of life.

It is the anointing oil that breaks the yoke. It is not merely the anointing, but the anointing oil. The anointing oil is the testimony of the fatness of Christ within us. It is the grease that comes out from within. It is not the anointing that we see on someone’s life, but the anointing oil of Christ from inside of us. We can see His light, but His presence in us makes us become testimonies of that light. It is not the illumination of Christ that makes us free. It is the manifestation of His presence within our lives.

Isaiah 10:26, 27 And the LORD of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt. It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

The things that keep us in bondage can only be broken off of our lives by an internal manifestation of freedom found in Christ. One can experience the anointing oil or the light that comes from the anointing oil. As New Covenant leaders we must lead to activate the anointing oil in those we lead. It is like the testimony of the torch within the clay vessels of Gideon (Jdg. 7) and the sound of the Spirit within that blows through the prophetic shofar. When Moses told the people to stand still and see the salvation of their God, God told Moses to trust what was within him. He told Moses to lift up his rod and move forward (Ex. 14:13-16). These were shadows of the testimony of Christ within us.

I believe that present grace of the anointing oil of Christ is a testimony of the cassia oil. The cassia oil is a testimony of intimacy with God that brings healing and deliverance. It is a type of cinnamon, so it prophetically depicts being loved by God and loving God. It awakens our hearts to God’s love in a deep way and it inspires us to love Him, both in heaven and in the many members of His body upon the earth.  

God wants to give us the identity of being sons and daughters of God. We are the people of God. We are the family of God. As sons and daughters of God we are being freed from things that have been lodged within us from the past. Those things can be past experiences in our own life or even things that we have inherited in our family line. The anointing oil of Christ in us works like a laxative to allow us to let the things that could not be digested to leave our lives. What did not produce life cannot produce life in our bodies today. Those things only poison us and prevent us from knowing our true identity as sons and daughters of God. To be blunt, those things only create a testimony that stinks and doesn’t serve the testimony of family, community, and friends.

As leaders, we must lead by letting the things of our past be removed by the power of Christ with us. We lead others to do the same. There is an anointing in this hour to let go of the things that do not define who we really are and to be healed in our ability to receive life, digest life, reproduce life, and be flexible to become all that God intends for us to be in life.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728