ted4leaders

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Greetings,

What should our focus be as we lead others in being the body of Christ. When things start shaking in our world, we often put our focus on a shaking world. Our focus should never be upon the things that shake in our world. Our focus should be upon heavenly things. It should be upon the kingdom of God that cannot be shaken by the kingdoms of our world. That kingdom is not just a kingdom coming in the future. It is a constantly coming kingdom working in our hearts (Lk. 17:20, 21). God speaks to us internally. He speaks to us from the realm of the kingdom of heaven, a kingdom within us that empowers our natural kingdoms to increasingly become kingdoms of our Lord and Christ.

Hebrews 12:25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

God’s voice in our lives is not a voice of information. It is a voice of transformation! God’s voice reveals a testimony of His refining fire. His fire doesn’t destroy us, it destroys the things that cannot give us life. We are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken. That kingdom is within us and Christ in us empowers us to experience internal and external realities in supernatural ways that cause the natural expressions of our lives to reveal a testimony of God’s glory to our world.

Leaders in the body of Christ lead members of the body of Christ to not be shaken when the world around them shakes. This is only possible by knowing God’s mercy and grace. We must know the power of the cross and the power of Christ in His resurrection. These are two events. They are two comings of the Lord for all men. His first coming was a coming for the judgment of sin. This was His death upon our cross that gave mercy to us all.

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

It is appointed for all men to die once for the judgment of the flesh. Jesus died once for us all and has reconciled us to God as our Father, even while we were still sinners. All people are called to live as members of the living body of Christ because Jesus has made a way to free us all from our bodies of sin and death.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Jesus died once for us all and His death justified all people to live. Since we have been justified to live, we must seek His manifest presence in our lives to be empowered to live. We are justified to live by His death, but we can only be saved by the reality of His life in us. His coming to us in our world has enabled us to come to Him in the reality of His eternal kingdom. His first coming enables us to embrace His second coming by the resurrection power and life of His Spirit. He has sent His Spirit into our lives in His name – the name that is above all other names (Jn. 14:26; 15:26).

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,

Jesus appeared once for the end of every age only to give us eternal life in every age. To save our life, we must be willing to lose our old life. To find our life in Christ, we must lay down our old lives of self. The sacrifice of Jesus upon our cross put away the power of sin for us all. He bore our sins to invite us into His eternal body of life. The body of Christ is a body of increasing glory in every generation of men. The second coming of Jesus is not just an event to come but an increasing glory of God in the lives of all who eagerly call upon His presence each day. Leaders set an example to those they lead in embracing both the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins and His manifest presence that reveals His increasing glory in our lives.

As sons and daughters of God we are called to be expressions of Christ in every aspect of our lives. We find our identity, testimony, and purpose in Christ. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us to reconcile us to our heavenly Father. He was a last and eternal Adam to make a way for us to enter into His body as new creations in Christ. His mercy has triumphed over the judgment of sin and death. We are now seated with Christ in a place of authority to bring life to our world. This is part of our salvation in Christ. We have a destiny in Christ by the power of His resurrection life.

Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Reigning in Christ was for the first century church of Christ and it is true for every generation in Him. The beginning and increase of the New Covenant was the end of the Old Covenant in the first century (Mt. 24:3) and is the end of every Old Covenant administration in every season of humankind. We lose our lives only to find them eternally in Christ. Jesus First Coming and Second Coming in the First Century was the end of the Old Covenant generation for Israel first to then go to all nations – First a man of flesh (living soul) – Second a life-giving Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Matthew 24:34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

To know the salvation of God we must know Jesus in both His first coming and the eternally increasing testimony of His second coming in our lives. We must embrace His sacrifice for us upon our cross so that we can find His presence in our lives that empowers us to reign in life. We must live from the throne room of grace. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3) We are to live as sons of God.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

As members of the body of Christ we are empowered by Christ in us to live in the destiny of a purpose-filled salvation in Christ. We are part of the calling of Christ in Him. We are a testimony of His inheritance in the generations of mankind. The resurrection power of Christ gives us the authority of life to exercise dominion over every power of darkness.

Ephesians 1:18 …the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Leaders lead others to know and live in the salvation of God in Christ. This includes living in the calling, the testimony, and the purpose of Christ in all things. Life is more powerful than death! Light is more powerful than every form of darkness! Leaders are light that they might lead others to be the light of God in Christ.

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,

Jesus is our salvation through His death for us upon our cross and His present life for us as we find His presence in our lives through our access to Him in the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). Our salvation is not just a salvation when we physically die. It is a salvation for our lives in every situation of our lives. Jesus came so that we could find our death in Him and therefore find our life in Him. Leaders lead others to know eternal life in Christ.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Eternal life is not just a place we are going, it is the fruit and testimony of knowing the One who gives life in all things. It is through personally knowing God that we have eternal life today, tomorrow, and in all times.

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Our life in Old Adam was destined to die, but Jesus was the Son of Man in flesh to free us from the life of the flesh. He came to liberate us to live our lives empowered by the life of His Spirit. This is a life of faith – a life of hearing God within our hearts that empowers us to live. Through Jesus we experience the end of our old life to live a new life by His resurrection power.

John 5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

Jesus has judged sin that we might live our lives empowered by the life-giving desires of His Holy Spirit. His sacrifice for our sins was merely the entrance for us to know Him in His salvation. Jesus told His disciples that He would come to them again after His resurrection. This was not merely a future event of a second coming of Jesus, but a coming that is increasingly experienced by all who receive His death upon the cross that they might find His presence in the throne of grace.

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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 there is a place in heaven prepared for us all, but I also believe that Jesus was referring to much more in these verses. He was making a way for the disciples to be where He would go and for Him to be with them in the world in which they would still live. He was making it possible for each of them to become a spacious place of God’s presence.

Hebrews 9:24  For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;   25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

The end of the ages is the end of Old Adam and an administration of the knowledge of good and evil for those who receive His gift of love. The end of the Old Covenant at the birth of the New Covenant bride of Christ was only the beginning of His increasing grace for every age of men to come. He has put away sin and He empowers us to live free from the power of sin through a relationship with Him as the body of Christ. Leaders lead others to know this grace.

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 challenging us as leaders to set an example in living our lives with the mark of God on the back of our hands and upon our foreheads. What do these two terms imply? Is it an actual mark on the back of our hands? Is it an actual mark on our foreheads? Those who focus on events as being the testimony of the end, or simply those who focus on the end of times, often become concerned with what Revelation chapter thirteen talks about as the mark of the beast. The Scripture only talks about the mark of the beast in one chapter of our bible, but the mark of God is talked about in many places of the Scripture. Wherever the mark of God is revealed it is a testimony of living to know the life that God gives us to give His life to our world. Let me present three key places where the mark of God is mentioned.

The children of Israel were to keep the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles and they were to teach their children to observe these feasts. The keeping of these feasts was to be as a ‘mark on the back of their hands’, and a ‘mark on their foreheads’. To understand these idioms of speech we must understand what God says to anyone who rules in the kingdom of God.

A king in Israel was not to be like the kings of the world. A king in Israel was to be dependent upon God and they were to live for His kingdom to come and His will to be done in and through their lives, even as it is in heaven. God was to be their source, their strength, and their purpose in life.

Deuteronomy 17:14 “When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, you shall not return that way again.’ 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.

God desires all of us to be kings and priests to our God. As kings we cannot count our treasuries, our horses and chariots, or our means of posterity according to the flesh. He wants us to know that we live, move, and have our being in God. He gives us life, He gives us breath, and He gives us all things.

The mark of God is not some physical mark upon our hands or upon our foreheads. It is a way of thinking and a way of doing things. The mark of God is the testimony of faith, hope, and love. It is a mark of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is knowing that our identity, testimony, and purpose comes from God in heaven, and it causes our kingdom to be a testimony of Jesus as our Lord and Christ. In each description of the feasts they were told to teach it to their children, and it was to be a ‘sign on their hand’ and a ‘memorial between their eyes’.

The feast of Passover signifies a way of life that knows it is in God that we live. He gives us life! We are loved by Him! He is our righteousness in all things. This is to be in our thinking and in our way of doing things (Ex. 13:8, 9).

We are sons and daughters of God and as His children we manifest a testimony of being one with Him. Peace with Him in the Holy Spirit gives us a testimony in our world that reveals that we move in Him. He gives us breath and we are an expression of Him. This is the testimony of His overcoming Spirit working in and through us to reveal His strength within us. This is a way of life that reveals a feast of Pentecost that testifies of God (Deut. 6:4-8).

Our future is in God. We live for His purpose and will in all things. This is a partnership with Him where we know Him abiding in us and us abiding in Him. This is an experience of Tabernacles with God as our Father for the glory of His name as He is the one who gives us all things (Deut. 11:18, 19).

As leaders we lead others to be givers of life to their world. It is in our way of doing things and in our way of thinking. We live, move, and have our beings in God for the glory of His name in all things! By this, we will give life to our 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,

Today I want to address the topic of the Antichrist. What or who is the Antichrist? What is an antichrist spirit? This term is used by the apostle John is addressing the church in the first century. This was the church in it’s firstfruit form for the fruit of harvest to every generation that would follow. Christ had not only manifested in the form of Jesus Christ, the word of God in flesh to put an end to sin; Christ had also manifested in the form of the body of Christ of the first century that proved to be the substance of Christ in the face of all that opposed Christ. Just as Jesus had suffered persecution unto death, the first century Church had to manifest the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ in the midst of great tribulation. What was born of God would prove to overcome the world. The fruit and harvest of a first-century New Covenant Church would demand a reaping of the full harvest of the Old Covenant Torah/Temple system. Grace proved to be more powerful than law and law was destroyed by the testimony of grace. The first-century church overcame by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and loving not their own lives – even unto death. John addressed this testimony in writing to the church as little children, young men, and spiritual fathers. This is knowing the love of God, His power to give us an overcoming testimony in our world, and His heart to live for His children and His children’s children in our world.

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

The anointing within these New Covenant believers was the anointing of Christ within them. John’s word to the church was concerning the hour of their time in the first century. Those of the Old Covenant of Law had refused to embrace the testimony of Christ in them and the empowerment of grace. Their refusal of Christ to them and in them caused them to prove they were not of the faith. The last hour of the Old Covenant was being concluded in the first century so that the last hour of every time outside of Christ could go to the nations. That last hour would progressively go to the nations of the world as the kingdoms of the world, the peoples of the world, would be invited and welcomed into the power of God’s grace and the reality of the internal kingdom of God. For the believer, it was not about the last hour but about the triumphant glory of Christ in them! Christ is always more powerful than anything or anyone who is Antichrist. There were many deceivers in the first century that opposed Jesus Christ while He lived His life in the flesh and in the days of His body being revealed as the dwelling place of His Spirit after His Spirit had been poured out upon His body.

2 John 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The confession of Christ is not just the confession that Jesus was the incarnate word of God in the flesh as the Son of Man who died for the sins of the world. It is also the confession of the Spirit of Christ in us. Christ in our flesh is the true testimony of the resurrection life of Christ in us. Christ in us is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). It is the spirit that confesses that Christ has come in the flesh that is of God. That is the spirit that confesses Christ in each of us. This is the anointing within us that teaches us all things!

1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

It is the anointing of Christ in us that is the proof of Christ in His resurrection. He has come in our flesh, and this is the empowerment of our love for Him and for one another.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

It is the Spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come into your flesh, that is of God. This is the internal witness of life, and this is what separates us from the world. Everyone in the world is welcome to come, but each one must come to God in Christ. Only Christ in you is the greater power. It is the power of the resurrection life of God working within us that gives us the testimony of His eternal life. It is not merely the spirit that says Jesus came in the form of flesh two thousand years ago, but the spirit that acknowledges Christ in humanity. Christ in humanity is the testimony of Jesus, the Lord, coming into our own personal lives. Any voice of God to us will be witnessed by the life-giving Spirit of Christ within us. We must willingly receive Him to be internally empowered to confess our believing Him. The internal motivator is the Holy Spirit who has been sent in Jesus’ name to bear witness to the One whose name is above all other names in every age.

The Antichrist, an antichrist, or anything that opposes Christ is an opposition to who Christ is or a distraction from who He is in our world. There were many false christs that opposed the testimony of Christ in the first century as the true body of Christ was growing in power, testimony, and authority of Christ in them (Mt. 24:24; Mk. 13:22). There are many antichrists today, but He who is in us is greater than anything in 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,

What should our focus be concerning the last days, or what is often referred to as the ‘end times’. I have written on these things in my book, For His Glory – You Have Been Left Behind. For this blog, I am posting the summary of my findings concerning these terms in the synthesis of Scripture.

The term for “last days” in the Scripture is written in two ways. It is referred to as the “last days” or the “latter days”. These are particular days or periods of time. They are the “last” or “latter” days. The NKJV uses the term “last days” six times and the term “latter days” is used sixteen times. There are a total of twenty-two mentions in the NKJV. The Hebrew word for “last”, as it is used in the context of “days”, is “HSRN 319 – אַחֲרִית ’aḥărîyṯ; from HSRN 310; the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity.” This word for “last” or “latter” is found in its Aramaic form in the book of Daniel “HSRN 320 – אַחֲרִית ’aḥărîyṯ (Aramaic); from HSRN 311; the same as HSRN 319; later.” This word does not just imply an end to something, but rather an end that continues with an “afterwards”. Another Hebrew word that is akin to this word is “HSRN 310 – אַחַר ’aḥar; from HSRN 309; properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses).” This word is used as the word “afterward” in the prophet Joel’s description of the “last days”.

In its first mention, the term “last days” is used by the patriarch Jacob to deliver a word to his twelve sons of their “last days” in the earth (Gen. 49:1). It was used to describe an end of the nation of Israel and the beginning of the increasing reign of Christ to the nations of the world (Num. 24:14-19). It was to be a time of judgment for apostasy (Jer. 23:20; 30:24; 48:47; 49:39; Ezek 38:16; Dan. 10:14). The false image of man would be dealt a crushing blow by the true image of Life (Dan. 2:28-45; 8:19, 21, 22). The “last days” or “latter days” was to be a time to turn to the Lord as a new beginning of increasing eternity (Deut. 31:29; 4:23-40). These would be the days to make way for the increasing Body of Christ in the earth (Isa. 2:1-3; Mic. 4:1-7). The “last days” would open the door for many to return to God in Christ (Hos. 3:4, 5). This term was used to reference a prophetic word by the prophet Joel that means “afterward” (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28). This prophecy revealed an ‘after something happened’, not an informing of what was ‘yet going to happen.’ The Apostle Paul used this term as an exhortation to Timothy in a time when many people were abandoning the faith (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1). It is used to describe a time in history for the Hebrew people (Heb. 1:2). The Apostle James used this term to refer to the persecutors of the Church in his day (Jam. 5:3). The final time it is used is in the context of scoffers of Peter’s day who were walking according to their own lusts (2 Pet. 3:3).

There is not one case where this term is used to imply a complete cessation with nothing to follow in the world. It was used as a term of conclusion for the government of the past in the earth, but it implied the entrance to the government of increasing grace and peace in Christ. This term was exegetically true in the first century. This term establishes a principle of conclusion to man’s way and an entrance to God’s way in the synthesis of Scripture. This term can also be applied in our own lives. My “last day” was May 12, 1973. The natural light of king Ted’s kingdom went dark on that day and the Light of Christ shown in my heart (2 Cor. 4:6)! The life of Ted’s kingdom was in the flesh. Jesus shed His blood so that through the pouring out of His blood (life), Ted could receive the life of the Holy Spirit. Ted’s moon (the reflection of his natural light) turned to blood. Ted’s time ended, but the eternal life of Christ began. Ted’s day ended, but he forever lives in the eternal day of the Lord!

My “last days” did not bring hopelessness and despair. They made way for hope and destiny! The “last days” of the nation of Israel as the way to God’s covenant did not bring hopelessness and despair. They brought hope and destiny to the Greek and the Jew! The book of Job gives us a syntactical principle for this truth. This word for “last” or “latter” is used in the book of Job to describe the latter days of his life, after God restored to him what the enemy had destroyed. Since Job is the oldest book of the Old Testament, we should perhaps extract a principle that the blessings of Job’s “afterwards” exceeded the glory of his former life. Isn’t it true that the glory of the latter house will exceed the glory of the former house (Hag. 2:9)?

Job 42:12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.

Solomon used this word to describe the aging years of a man. Hasn’t the wisdom of God come to the nations in Christ? As we grow into the latter days of our own lives, shouldn’t we grow in the wisdom of God? Shouldn’t our love for Him grow? Shouldn’t our lives exhibit obvious works that our faith toward God is exhibited in sacrifices of love?

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.

Perhaps one of the most powerful principals of synthesis is found in the book of Deuteronomy. This Scripture refers to the entrance of the children of Israel into the Promised Land. This was a type and shadow for our entrance into the Body of Christ. The Old Covenant Law had given the earth the “early rain”, serving as a tutor to lead us to Christ (Gal. 3:24), and the need for His GRACE. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) was a testimony to God’s giving of the “latter rain”. The earth is now destined to produce the testimony of “grain, new wine, and oil.” The bread of God’s living word, the life of His Spirit, and the power of His authority is now destined to fill the earth! God’s increasing specific graces will increase His common grace in the earth. There will be “grass in our fields,” There will be life in the earth because of the increasing influence of God’s kingdom grace in the Church!

Deuteronomy 11:13 “And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. 15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.”

We can conclude the “last days” of Scripture are not a conclusion to the world, but an open door to the increasing influence of Christ’s Kingdom power upon the world! We should not fear an imminent judgment to come, but rather anticipate a testimony of increasing grace as God’s mercy triumphs over judgment (Jam. 2:13)!

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,

Last week I presented the need for leaders to inspire those they lead to find their life in Christ. Our focus should not be upon a day that is yet to come. Our focus should be on each, and every day to come. We live in the light of Day found in Christ. We have eternal life, and we are no longer children of darkness, but children of light.  

Jesus came as a man to free us from the life of the flesh and empower us to live as a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. Our freedom from the life of the flesh is given to us by Jesus in His judgment of sin upon our cross at Calvary.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We are justified to live. This was the gift of God’s mercy through the man Jesus, the Christ. His gift of mercy justified us to live, even though we were bound to death in our sin. This was the power of the first coming of Jesus as the word in flesh. His death upon the cross grants us mercy and that mercy justifies us to live, but it is His grace that empowers us to reign in life.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

We are justified to live because of His blood, but we are saved by His grace. This is not just a salvation of heaven, but an increasing glory of a heavenly influence of salvation in our lives. We shall overcome all wickedness through Him. Our thoughts, reasoning, desire, imagination, and emotions are being empowered by God’s grace working in our hearts and minds. Holy Spirit in our lives gives us the salvation of Jesus to our spirits, souls, and bodies in this world and all that is to come. This is the power of God’s grace working in and through us. It is the power of God’s manifest presence in or lives. It is the proof that there is no gap, no separation, between us and God when we boldly come to the place of His presence because of His mercy, we find the power of His love towards us as a giver of grace.

Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

God’s mercy reconciled us to God as our Father, but God’s grace empowers us to live as sons and daughters of God who have been reconciled to God. Grace is the evidence that God is in our lives. We must choose to receive God’s mercy and embrace His grace to live with a culture of grace among the kingdoms of the world.

To experience God’s justice system, we must first acknowledge the old one. The way to God’s grace is through God’s mercy. Mercy is found in the testimony of the cross of Calvary. Each of us must receive the first coming of Jesus to receive the salvation that comes by His presence abiding in us in our world. Mercy ends our old life of the flesh and without mercy we are still bound to an administration of death. We must come boldly to the throne of Christ to receive the end of our old life of flesh and discover our new life empowered by God’s grace.  

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Mercy is obtained by an acknowledgement of mercy given. God loves us, but we don’t deserve His love. To think we deserve His love is an injustice in the covenant of law and conscience. The justice system of grace is available for all, but we must first receive the end of the justice system of law and conscience. That requires God’s mercy, and it can only be obtained through a revelation of the cross. We must receive His first coming into our lives as a judgment for sin to receive His full coming of eternal life in every measure of our lives.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

We are justified to find our life in Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus put away our sin. His death is our death, and His life is our life unto salvation in all things. As leaders we lead others in joining their lives to Christ in all things. This is our salvation to the generations to come for the glory of 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,

As leaders in the body of Christ, we don’t lead people to discover a place of the temple of God in their lives. We lead them to be the place of God’s presence. Finding the correct geographical location is not the fulness of this, but the fullness of God’s dwelling place can be found in many geographical locations of the earth. God intends for the knowledge of His glory to cover the earth as the waters presently cover the sea (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14). God’s glory is a place of His abundant life! This is not just a place of being alive, but a place of becoming someone who gives life to the world even as our Father gives life. This is being a temple of Holy Spirit whereby our world in influenced by God’s mercy and grace.

Being a dwelling place of God by His Spirit is true for individuals and for individuals together in community expressions of God’s life. The path of becoming a dwelling place is a path of faith, hope, and love. In Christ there is the calling of Christ, the testimony of Christ, and the purpose of Christ. Our life is in Him. We lose our lives to save our lives in Him. We lay our lives down to find our lives in Christ.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

The objective is not to lose our life, but to finally find it. We don’t lose our life to die, we simply acknowledge that life without Christ is not eternal. Only in Christ can we know life that cannot die. Only in Christ can we know the life that gives life to our world. It is in Christ that we become a place of God’s dwelling presence, and this is eternal life – a place of knowing God the Father and Jesus His Son by the fellowship of Holy Spirit.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

The Day of the Lord is an eternal Day. It is a Day of light that knows no darkness. It is a day beyond the ages of men. It is the place of eternal life that invites all men to end their age and embrace the calling, testimony, and purpose of God for His glory. As leaders we must lead people to let go of their age for the sake of God’s eternal purpose and plan. It is a path of greater glory. It is a path of unexpected glory!

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

The death of Jesus upon our cross was a death, once for us all. This was the judgment of sin. In Christ we recognize our death so that we can find our life in Him. We end our age so that we can have a life influenced by and for God’s eternal plan of life. The cross of Jesus was His coming into our lives the first time. He died once for all so that all can see the end of their age and the beginning of His glory. This is the place of knowing His government and peace that has no end. God’s glory is seen in, by, and through His appearing in our lives a second time. We are no longer sinners, but sons and daughters of God in Christ. His appearance the first time was in the flesh to pronounce a judgment once for all upon the flesh of men. His judgment was one of mercy whereby all can believe in Him and be justified to live by that belief. His appearance a second time is by His Spirit within us. Holy Spirit has come in Jesus’ name to give us His salvation in every measure of our lives, including that which is beyond our world. This the place of His constant coming and His constant abiding in our lives. It will one day lead to a greater glory, but His glory is in our lives as sons and daughters of God. We are a dwelling place of God by His Spirit.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

As we conclude the year of 2023, please consider making a contribution to House of Bread Ministry. We have increased our input to many parts of the world and your contribution will help us equip, train, equip, and send many for the purpose of God’s New Covenant Life and Grace in the nations. Thank You – 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,

Our purpose as a community of Christ is to bring life to our world. It is not merely to meet our own needs. It is to be a source of life to our world. It is to fulfill the purpose of God in our lives to be as our Heavenly Father is, a giver of life to others in our world.

To transform a community of escape and refuge to a community of life-giving purpose we must create a love for the community that is manifested in the environment of the community. To do this, faith will have to overcome natural sight. Natural sight will keep us bound to the conditions of our present and our past. Only faith can give us what we have not seen, heard, or thought before. Transformation only exists in an environment of faith. This environment can only be found in a culture of hope and love.

Each member of the community needs to experience an internal revelation of faith that can change every condition of escape and refuge to a world of purpose and destiny. Leaders lead to activate an internal environment of faith that frames a new city – a new world. To do this, leaders must see the change and lead others into that change. They must hear God in their hearts for what needs to change and then inspire those they lead to hear that vision from God within their own hearts.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

The word for world in this verse is the GSRN165, αἰών aiōn; an age. The worlds that were framed in Hebrews chapter 11 were not the worlds that God created. They were the worlds of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and many other men and women of God. Their futures were resisted by the natural realities of their lives, but they were empowered to overcome all things by hearing and responding to God’s voice. Their present and their futures were framed by hearing God in their hearts. A vision for the future must become stronger than any fear of the past or present. For this reason, the culture of our community must value what God desires above just meeting our daily needs.

In this process of change there must be an embracing of change for the whole community. Each member is inspired to fulfill their role in the change, but the change is for everyone together. Hope can be seen in the testimonies of change. For this reason, we must celebrate accomplishments. Don’t just celebrate alone – celebrate together! As change happens let it be a testimony that inspires everyone to move from what was into what is being established by God today. In this we value the community by seeking to bring everyone to the change.

We must recognize individual strengths for the corporate value. Our individual strengths make us stronger together. Living for the well-being of one another will manifest individual strengths and those strengths will envision a greater value for community. This will reveal an unfolding testimony of life-giving and life-inspiring change.

Leaders facilitate the writing of the story. The story is revealed through a connection to the foundation with an envisioning for the future. We value the successes of the past, the present testimonies, and we inspire a desire for all that God desires for His glory. In this we will draw from our treasure things that are new and old.

Matthew 13:52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

We must be willing to root out and to pull down, to destroy and throw down, to build and to plant to be able to embrace what is new. We cannot pant and build if we are not willing to let go of what was in the past. To become a community of life-giving purpose we must be willing to let go of every stronghold of escape and refuge.  

Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

As we conclude the year of 2023, please consider making a contribution to House of Bread Ministry. We have increased our input to many parts of the world and your contribution will help us equip, train, equip, and send many for the purpose of God’s New Covenant Life and Grace in the nations. Thank You – 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,

I have been addressing transforming a community of escape and refuge to a community of purpose and destiny. To do this we must first recognize that we have all come from a bondage of some sort and are therefore people of escape who are vulnerable to seek a place of personal safety and refuge. It’s ok to come from a place of captivity and find the freedom of refuge in Christ, but Holy Spirit wants to empower us to become a community of purpose and destiny.

God wants us to see what He sees, embrace His testimony, and live for His purpose in life. We must become a community of clear identity, unique testimony, and common purpose, that always lives for a 100-year plan. This involves generational connections, congregational connections, and tribal connections that give us a solid foundation in the past, an active embracing of all that is true today, and a vision for the generations that goes beyond where we have been before.

The culture of our community must become purpose focused. To do this we work together to know God’s general will for our community. When we know the general will we can find freedom in our specific role in our God-sent community. To make this happen, we must actively educate, train, equip, and send individuals to fulfill their role in the destiny of the God-birthed community. 

In order to encourage each community member to find their role in destiny, leaders must envision individual ownership for the greater corporate purpose. This involves igniting a fire in the heart and mind of each community member to desire to become all they are meant to be for the sake of their part in the community. This is an igniting of passion and desire for the calling of Christ, the testimony of Christ, and the power of Christ to bring life to the world through the corporate expression of God’s family. This means that every community member is responsible before God to be obedient to the faith. That faith comes by specifically hearing God in their hearts even as those who lead them lead by hearing God for the corporate direction of the family.

I believe that the apostle Paul captured this well when He addressed the need to engage in being spiritual people. People in the world are inspired to be people of the world. That inspiration comes from an external focus that motivates them to seek the fulfillment of their personal needs and desires. They are led by life-less things that distract them from the true destiny of life. We must be inspired to be life-giving people of God’s Spirit. This comes from an internal connection to God in the Spirit and it motivates us to seek God’s kingdom and will to be done in our lives as sons and daughters of God. It inspires us to live our lives for something greater than anything we can find alone. It is a testimony only discovered in community life.

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

The word ‘gifts’ in this text is not found in the original Greek language. It is added in an attempt to give us understanding of the chapter, but the chapter is not merely about gifts. It is about gifts, ministry, and works. These are the ingredients of being spiritual people. We must embrace the diversity of the power of the Spirit, find our own place in the ministry of Christ, and find our corporate connection of purpose for the work of God in all that we are and do. Every God-birthed community must be spiritual in its calling, testimony, and purpose.

1 Corinthians 12:4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.

These things are all a matter of individual responsibility and connection to God to become all that they are intended to be for the corporate purpose of the body of Christ, the family, and any expression of Christ’s community. Every community member must seek the power of God’s Spirit to enable them to be sons and daughters of God. They must willfully live to discover how they bring life to one another in becoming a corporate testimony of God’s life. As leaders we must seek to empower people to overcome in their individual struggles to give their lives for the testimony of God’s inheritance and the glory of His name. Our true product of life is our ability to expand the life of God into our world.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

As we conclude the year of 2023, please consider making a contribution to House of Bread Ministry. We have increased our input to many parts of the world and your contribution will help us equip, train, equip, and send many for the purpose of God’s New Covenant Life and Grace in the nations. Thank You – 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