ted4leaders

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Greetings,

As leaders, we don’t just lead people to live life. We don’t just lead people to know the hope of heaven when they die. As leaders, we lead people to become manifested sons and daughters of God that bring the life of heaven’s grace to their world. The true counsel of our world is the manifestation of Christ in our world. The hope of glory is Christ in each of us!

At the fall of mankind, the earth was subjected to futility in the hope of the manifestation of the sons of God. That hope is that people would know the liberty of being sons and daughters of God. They would know the love of God in their lives, and they would know the power of God’s love working in their world. When the children of God become a testimony of the likeness and image of their heavenly Father, they bring liberty their world. This was God’s plan from the beginning. He knows that when the sons and daughters of God manifest, it brings the liberty of life to an otherwise naturally impossible world.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because “who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 And not only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

God is the One who subjected the earth to futility as a consequence of man’s disconnection at the fall. Man chose an outside/in administration when he choses knowledge over intimacy and trust with God. God’s desire was to restore the intimacy and trust that was lost by man at the fall. His subjection of the earth to futility put a demand for a supernatural transformation in the hearts of men and women to become sons and daughters of God. Man was created to live by the Spirit and not the flesh. God’s plan was to restore the truth of the Spirit to mankind. It is for this that we live and it for this that we lead others.

Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

We don’t put the deeds of the flesh to death by a discipline of our flesh. That is the testimony of law and law can never transform us, it only conforms us. Law alone contains us, retrains us, and puts us in the bondage of fear. Only the life of the Spirit can give us true liberty! As leaders we must set an example to those we lead in walking in the Spirit. It is our connection to God in the Spirit that gives us true liberty over the flesh and the effects of the flesh. It is our connection to God in the Spirit that frees us from all bondage that promotes a fear of death. When we go through difficult circumstances in life, it is only an opportunity to manifest who we really are. We are new creations in Christ! We are sons and daughters of God who are led by God’s Spirit in every circumstance of our lives.

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,

God is always ready and willing to work in our world for a testimony of hope and life. As leaders our perspective should be that of a future and a hope in Christ. We are to lead others to keep their focus upon who God is. Our daily communion is with Him, and we lead others to make Him the focus of our lives. When we live with our focus on God, we live with an assurance of all that God can do and not upon the despair of a corrupt world. Heaven is not just a destined location; it is a destined reality in every situation of our lives. Even what the enemy intends for evil in our lives can be turned for good. The Spirit of God is always preparing our world for a future filled with the glory of God. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. What was the Holy Spirit doing in Gen. 1:2?

Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.   

In the beginning of our world as we know it, the Holy Spirit was hovering over what needed the life of God. There was a need for order, fullness, and light. These are all attributes of life. God is the One who gives life, breath, and all things. Holy Spirit was there in the beginning to give life, breath, and all things. Holy Spirit is ready to do the same in our lives and Holy Spirit is the source of every beginning in our lives. Life is filled with transitions from what was to what is and those transitions lead to what will be. The transitions of our lives need the presence of God’s Spirit in order for us to experience the life that God desires to give us.

What in your life needs form or order today? Holy Spirit is God and He is ready to bring the form and the order of life to your situation of need. What in your life needs filling? Holy Spirit is ready to fill what is empty with the fullness of life. What in your life is dark? Holy Spirit is ready to bring light to every area of darkness. The order of life, the fullness of life, and the brightness of the light of life is in the heart of God and Holy Spirit is ready to hover over our areas of need. Holy Spirit cares for us and we need to welcome the Holy Spirit in every new day of our lives. It is not just a matter of partnering with Him. It is a matter of intimacy, fellowship, and connection. Holy Spirit is God. He is the Lord. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God made real in our lives.

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

God’s Spirit is the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t merely desire to visit us in life. Jesus made it possible for us to become the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are an abiding place for the Spirit of God. Christ in us is the testimony of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit was with Moses and with those delegated to lead, but in the New Covenant the Holy Spirit abides in and with leaders and in and with every person they lead. We are a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. Holy Spirit gives us the ability to bear the burdens of our lives.

Numbers 11:17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.

Holy Spirit is our Helper in the exact same way the Jesus in the flesh was a Helper to His disciples. He should not be our second, third, fourth or last ‘go to’ in our lives. Holy Spirit should be the first ‘go to’ in every area and every decision of our lives. But even more than this, simply fellowship, communion, and intimacy should be with Holy Spirit in every day of our lives. Just as the disciples lived with and walked with Jesus in His journey, we should live and walk with Holy Spirit in His journey in our lives.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

A priority of every day of our lives is to embrace the presence of Holy Spirit. He is hope to even the formless, void, and dark places before us. We are truly blessed to be children of God with the Spirit of God in, upon, and with us in life. This is the foundation, infilling, and destiny of our lives as leaders and as children of God in Christ. Just as Jesus helped His disciples by leading them, teaching them, and empowering them in life, Holy Spirit desires to do the same for us.

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 must embrace the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in all that we are and do. We must embrace the Holy Spirit daily, and we must lead others to do the same. Who is the Holy Spirit? We often think of God in heaven, but the truth is that God is in heaven and on earth. Holy Spirit is the manifest person of God in our lives. We not only have an anointing in us, we have the presence of the anointed One in, with, and upon our lives. It is important for us to welcome His presence and to welcome His life in all that we are and do. It is not His charisma that we seek. It is the Holy Spirit that we welcome, knowing that He has all the charisma and fruit of life that we need to become who we are meant to be as sons and daughters of God who give life to our world.

The work of the Holy Spirit is a work of life. The Father has sent the Spirit and the Spirit invites the Son. Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings in all the earth and the Holy Spirit has come in His name. The name of Jesus is not a title, it is a substance. His name is His character, nature, way, power, and authority. Holy Spirit forms and manifests the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ in our lives as the joined testimony to Jesus as our head in all things.

Holy Spirit partners with us as the bride of Christ and calls for the manifest presence of Jesus to come in increasing measures in the ages of men. This is not merely a call to a future reality of the return of Jesus. It is a foundational call in our lives for the continual coming of Jesus. We are to increasingly manifest as the bride of Christ by the presence of Jesus in our lives that is revealed through the life-giving waters that He said would flow from all who come to Him and drink.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The Holy Spirit is God with us and He comes in the name of Jesus. The water that we freely drink of is the water of the Holy Spirit. It is the life of the Holy Spirit flowing in and through our lives to bring life to us and to the world we live in. That life is eternal life. That life is resurrection life!

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

When we receive Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit. It is by believing Jesus that receive the Holy Spirit and when we receive the Holy Spirit we become testimonies of the life that comes by Jesus name. Our greatest need as leaders is not the skill of ministry. It is not the diligence of our efforts to lead. It is not a knowing of what to do or how to lead. Our greatest need is the Holy Spirit in, upon, and with us in all things. This is the greatest need of every dad, mom, son, daughter, brother, sister, friend, neighbor, or member of the community of God. To be a life giver, we must have the giver of life in our lives.

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 must set an example to those we lead in being human beings filled with compassion, passion, and the testimony of life. Our example is not just an example of the spirit, but an example of being human. People see the natural expressions of our lives, but what is the key to living as people who give life to their world?

Every person is three-part in his or her human design and in his or her purpose in life. Every person is made of a spirit, soul, and body. We don’t lead people to be religious, we lead people to be authentic people. The human spirit is the source of human power. The human soul is the throne of a person’s life, and it is the vehicle by which the administration of one’s life is facilitated. The soul is the bridge between the spirit and the physical. If the human spirit is not empowered by the human spirit made alive by the Holy Spirit within them, it can be susceptible to outside spiritual influences that attempt to attach to the soul in a controlling or manipulating way. The physical life of every person is how human authority is manifested to the world. The human spirit was created to be one with God’s Holy Spirit. When God’s Spirit makes the human spirit alive it is prosperous, and it floods the human soul with life. A prosperous spirit produces a prosperous soul. When the human soul is made alive by the life of God within the human spirit, the physical expression of one’s life is that of true prosperity. True prosperity is not measured by the things we possess in life, but by our ability to bring life to our world. It is in our ability to be the authentic us that brings life to the journey given to us in life.

3 John 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

The apostle Paul addresses the three parts of human purpose in connection with being people who are led by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:1, 2). The subject of his writing was that of power, ministry, and the work of God. More specifically, it is the power, ministry, and work of a person with the life of Christ within them. I don’t believe that these things are meant to be for merely some religious ceremony in some religious church activity. These are the elements of being human to bring the life of God to our world.

We must be spiritual people who exhibit the power of God’s Spirit in who we are, to be the member of the body of Christ God has divinely empowered us to be. It is measured by our ability to give life to others in the same way that members of our physical bodies give life to our physical beings. We are also joined to others in life to accomplish purposes of our heavenly Father’s will. We accomplish the works of God to fulfill corporate expressions of the family of God in this world.

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

To be spiritual people we must stir our internal spirit by the life of God’s Holy Spirit. We have the mind of Christ within us, and this is why praying in the Spirit is so important. We need to activate the mysteries of God within us that give us right thoughts, reasonings, imaginations, emotions, and desires. This is more important than the understanding in our minds that comes from some external influence. Our souls manifest our thoughts, reasoning, imagination, emotions, and desires. These things are what inspire our physical actions in life. These affect our attitudes and our actions in life. Spiritual people allow the mind of Christ within them to be stronger than the natural mind of self. God’s mysteries are better than our understanding and only by unlocking the mysteries of God in our hearts can we find truth in our understanding.

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 set an example in being spiritual people and we lead others in living their lives the same. To be spiritual, is to be led by the Spirit of God in our spirit that inspires the thoughts, reasonings, imaginations, emotions, and desires of our soul from within to empower us to demonstrate the life of Christ in our world in natural and supernatural ways. We cannot be truly spiritual without being responsible in the natural areas of our lives. We cannot be truly spiritual without being responsible in supernatural ways in our lives. Some are not meant to be natural, while others are supernatural. Christ in each of us empowers each of us to be natural and supernatural as a testimony of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 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.

As I wrote last week, the word ‘gifts’ in this text is not in the original Greek. It is an added word to explain the context of the letter. I believe that the translators have missed the point of this chapter by adding the word ‘gifts’. The chapter is about being spiritual in our identity, testimony, and purpose in life. It addresses the power of the Holy Spirit that empowers our human spirits, the expression of the ministry of Christ that reveals who we each are in Christ, and our corporate purpose in God our Father for His purpose filled will in our lives as His family in this world. The true subject of Paul’s writing is found in next verses of this chapter.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 

There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 

And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 

Paul was dealing with the subject of gifts of the Spirit, ministries of Christ, and effects or workings of God in life. To be spiritual people we must have the power of the Spirit, know the uniqueness of who we are in being humans expressing the power of Christ, and we must know our divine connections for our purpose in life. All humans must be empowered by God’s Spirit in their spirits, led by their spirit to their souls, and reveal a spiritual testimony in life. Paul was not merely talking about how gifts of the Spirit function in an institution called the church. He was talking about how the life of the Spirit works to make human beings spiritual in their expression as the Church of Christ in life.

True authority is a testimony of life. God has called us all to be a part of a living body known as the body of Christ. That body is not a place we go to so we can escape from the world. That body is the corporate place of our abiding so we can become fruitful and effective in bringing life to one another and to our world. We must be spiritual people in all things. We must not be ignorant of being spiritual beings of authority. We do this by the power of the Spirit, the ministry of Christ, and as a part of a work of God in this world. This is the power, throne, and authority of our lives.

This chapter of 1 Corinthians reveals nine charismas that express the power of the Holy Spirit. Those charismas are expressions of the power of God’s Spirit to our own human spirit in order for us to be those who give life to others through the authority of our lives. In order to be spiritual, we must first be empowered in our spirits by the charisma of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

How much attention to we give to the Holy Spirit and His charisma in our lives? We are each invited, and even required, to manifest expressions of the power of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives. Supernatural words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues should be normal manifestations in our lives. I believe that each of us receives the Holy Spirit in our lives in order that we might have the power of Christ’s life to administrate Christ’s life to others through the uniqueness of each of our being and for the fullness of our authority of life to others. Any of the charisma of the Holy Spirit can manifest through us, but the Holy Spirit will work with each of us according to the uniqueness of our motivational gifting and our membership ministry in the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:6-8, 1 Cor. 12:12-26). I believe that the charisma of the Spirit is meant to empower us as human beings, not as workers of religious activities. We need the supernatural realities of the Holy Spirit within us so we can live with the power of Christ’s life in all that we are and do. Many who say they are Christians have decided that these things are optional, but I believe they are essential to the spiritual makeup of our lives as redeemed humanity with the power of Christ within us. Without them we lack the power for the full administration of Christ in our lives. Paul continues to address ministries and works in this chapter, but the first ingredient to being spiritual people fulfilling the authority of our lives is to embrace the power of Christ within us.

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 New Covenant leaders in Christ, we are called to be empowered from within as sons and daughters of God and then to inspire those we lead to be the same. In the Old Covenant the responsibility of a leader was to take people by the hand and lead them (Jer. 31:32). We cannot take people by the hand and lead them in life. That will never empower people to become who they are meant to be in life. We must lead to empower people to know who they are and to be who they are destined to be in the everyday world of their daily lives. We are not to make decisions for those we lead or tell them what to do. We are to serve them by activating, facilitating, and releasing the life of Christ within them to become human beings who live lives filled with the testimony of God in their world. They must be spiritual people empowered, anointed, and led in life. They must know the power and life of the Spirit of God within them, discover their unique roles in life, and join with others to produce the effects of God’s life in their world and to others in their successive generations for the glory of God in the inheritance of Christ.  

Many times, we think that the things of the Spirit are spiritual and the things of the natural are natural. Religious cultures have left us a bankrupt mentality of life. We have somehow bought a lie that God’s world is separate from our world and that our world is separate from His. This has left us bound to realities of poverty, depravity, and meaningless activities in life. I believe that human beings were born to be spiritual beings in life. All people are natural and spirit, and both of these realities are what make us spiritual in everything we are and do in life. It is not more spiritual to pray for the sick than for a mother to care for her children. It is not less spiritual for a man to drive a truck than to cast out a demon. It is not more holy to sing worship songs than for men and women to lay their lives down for one another out of a preference of love. It is not more holy to wait on tables than to sit at Jesus’ feet and it is not less holy to wait on tables than to sit at His feet. It is all a matter of responsibility and what is important in the moment. Mary was not more spiritual than Martha; she simply knew what was important at the moment. When it comes to being natural or being of the spirit, it is not a matter of either/or; it is a matter of both in the life of each and every one of us.

As leaders we must lead to empower others to be spiritual in life. We must be spiritual and empower others to be spiritual also. We must be sons and daughters of God who serve to empower others to be sons and daughters of God in life. Paul wrote some words in regard to being spiritual people.

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 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 in the original Greek. It is an added word to explain the context of the letter. I believe that the translators have missed the point of this chapter by adding the word ‘gifts’. The chapter is not about spiritual ‘gifts’. It is about being spiritual people. It includes gifts of the Spirit, the ministry of Christ’s body, and the effects or workings of the body in the world. This chapter is describing the empowerment of humanity from within, the diversity of humanity in revealing Christ to the world, and the purpose of humanity in effecting the world through relationships and functions of destiny. In all of these, human beings are to be spiritual.

Paul starts by saying that when we were not in covenant with God, lifeless, voiceless things were the drive and passion of our purpose. We were motivated by fleshly passions and desires, but at least we were motivated. Things such as parties, business, education, sports, adventure, vacations, shopping, music, science, discovery, and many other things that by themselves do not reveal or release the true destiny of human beings, led us. Things are not the true issue. They are not necessarily bad, but when they become the controllers and motivators of our lives, they bind us to being natural people. They become the idols and lords of our lives. The real issue Paul was dealing with was one of being spiritual. Paul was challenging believers to be the most passionate and purpose focused human beings on earth. They looked like people with destiny when they were dead, but now they should really reveal the true destiny of human beings in the earth. They must be spiritual people. They were born to reveal the Lordship of Jesus in life! This can only happen by the power, testimony, and purpose of the Holy Spirit manifested in their lives.

We must not be ignorant in being spiritual. We must not ignore, have little use for, have little value for, be uneducated to, or slack in any way in being spiritual people in life. Our role as leaders is to set an example to others in being spiritual people and to help others discover this mystery of 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

Greetings,

Another Portion of The Now Covenant:

The elements of the New Covenant communion table are revealed in verses 19 and 20 of Luke chapter 22. He told them to do this in remembrance of Him. It was not the cup of verse 17 that he told them to drink. It was the cup of verse 20. The cup of verse 17 was the cup of Redemption that Jesus drank for all men when He shed His blood. The fourth cup of verse 19, was the cup of Praise. It represents the life of the Spirit! It is the cup of Resurrection. It is not the death of Jesus Christ that guarantees our resurrection. It is the resurrection of Christ that guarantees our resurrection! It is the partaking of life that guarantees the fullness of life! The death of Jesus gave all men the right to drink of the cup of resurrection through faith in Him. When we receive the life of the Holy Spirit, we are guaranteed the full resurrection! It is the cup that Jesus drinks new with us in the kingdom of His Father. It is not a cup to be drunk in heaven. The fourth cup was the cup of Praise, a cup to be drunk upon the earth. It is the testimony of His resurrection life that guarantees the fullness of the resurrection to come. It guarantees the resurrection of heaven, because the members of the living body of Christ are drinking the cup of the resurrection of heaven on the earth.

Luke 22:17-20 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

The cup of Christ’s blood for the New Covenant believer is not the third cup. It is the fourth cup! By drinking of the cup of Praise (Resurrection) with God by His Spirit, we proclaim that Jesus Christ has drunk the third cup of Redemption for all of mankind! The communion table of the New Covenant is not set with the third cup of Redemption. It is set with the cup of Praise. When we drink of His resurrection life together as living members of the body of Christ, we truly experience the communion table of the New Covenant. We do this in remembrance of Him! Communion is not coming together to drink the third cup of the Passover again. It is coming to drink the cup that followed the supper. It is not the shadow cup of Praise, but the real cup of Praise! We are called to receive one another as living members of the body of Christ and then drink the cup of His resurrection life together as the body of Christ!

I want to propose that the ‘breaking of bread’ of the early church was not meant to be a ritual of bread and wine. It was meant to be the daily celebration of the gathering together of the body of Christ. It can include the elements of food, but in its greater reality it reveals the food of the body of Christ and the life of His resurrection Spirit. It is a celebration of human brethren living together according to the Spirit of Christ. It is void of judgments according to the flesh. It is a testimony of a love for God as their Father and a love for one another as members of God’s city, His community of sons and daughters in His kingdom.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 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. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

There is one body and one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:4). True ‘communion’ is ‘an intimate relationship with God through His Holy Spirit, with deep understanding.’  It is also ‘an intimate relationship with one another with deep understanding.’ How is this possible? Jesus is the Living Bread that makes us all ‘living bread’ (Jn. 6:33). He came as a fulfillment of all that was revealed as a shadow in the Old Testament. The Passover meal, with the bread and wine, was a symbol of the true Bread of Christ and the Life of His Spirit. Jesus fulfilled the ‘word picture’ on the very night He was betrayed. He took the bread and blessed it. The bread that he took was a ‘word picture’ of the true Bread that He was. He was about to be broken for the sins of the old Adam, that all might enter into a Living Last Adam. He was opening the door for all to become a part of the body of Christ. That true bread is His body TODAY! He broke the bread so it could be shared. He was broken, as the law had been broken, so that all who had broken the law could be made one in Him as the living body of Christ. His broken body is united as we share Christ in one another. We must eat of His flesh, and to eat His flesh is to judge no one according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16-17). We must recognize that we are members of the body of Christ. We must also recognize that others are members to be received as contributing elements of the life of Christ together. A proper examination is to recognize that Christ lives in each of us (2 Cor. 13:5).

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Audiobooks at Kobo, Nook, Chirp, Apple, Google Play, Scribd, Authors Direct – & more forthcoming

Buy Print or E-book and Audiobook on Amazon:

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

Greetings,

In light of the present season of Easter and the resurrection life that we enjoy in Christ, I felt to post another excerpt from by book, The Now Covenant. This book is available in print, e-book, and audiobook. As New Covenant leaders and New Covenant believers in Christ, we need to walk in the fullness of the life that we have in Christ.

Audio Excerpt:

True communion was initiated in the fulfillment of Passover. Jesus became the true Passover Lamb, who took away the sins of the world. In preparation of that sacrifice, Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples. He had eaten that meal with them in previous times. He had most likely eaten the bread of Passover and drank the cup at least twice before with his men. He had experienced the physical elements of bread and wine at numerous settings of his 33^1/2 years of human life. As the Word of God, He had observed the Passover meal hundreds and hundreds of times from the realm of heaven. However, this meal was different. This is the one Passover meal that He had longed to see. This was the one that would fulfill all of the previous meals leading up to that moment. This is why Jesus said, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Lk. 22:15). This was the one that would reveal the truth of the Passover meal.

The first cup of the Passover meal was a cup of Thanksgiving (Kiddush), a testimony of becoming the people of God through God’s covenant and transformation in the life of Abraham. The second cup of the Passover meal was a cup of Telling, or Testimony (Hagadah), for stories of deliverance from Egyptian slavery. The third cup was the cup of Redemption, or Blessing, to demonstrate God’s redemption power for all who believe in Him. It testified of the death of the flesh of Egyptian inheritance and the protection unto new life for the believer in Israel. The fourth cup was the cup of Praise (Hallel), to testify that God had acquired His people as a holy nation unto Himself (Ex. 6:6-7). Jesus had come to the world as the Word made flesh. He Himself had fled to Egypt to free all who were bound to the bondage of sin. He was born as the cup of Thanksgiving to God. He lived his life as the cup of Telling. His life in the flesh would set precedence for all who would follow Him to become the living testimonies of God’s story in the earth. The time had finally come for Jesus to take the unleavened bread of the Passover and the third cup of Passover wine (the cup of Blessing or the cup of Redemption). Jesus finished its symbolism in the presence of His disciples. He proclaimed to them that He was about to give His life as a ransom for all men. The cup to follow the cup of Redemption would be the cup of Praise. He revealed this truth when He took the cup after supper and called it the cup of the New Covenant in His blood shed for mankind. The cup before supper was the cup of blood, the blood of the Old Covenant. The cup after supper was the cup of Hallel (Praise), the cup of resurrection life in Christ. In this act Jesus proclaimed that the blood of the New Covenant is the life of the Spirit in Christ.

Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Jesus has become the resurrection life within the body of Christ that we might drink the cup of Praise anew with Him (Mt. 26:29). That cup is not a cup of earthly wine. It is a cup of heavenly wine! It is the cup of resurrection life given to all who believe in Jesus Christ. It is the cup that testifies that the cup of Redemption and Blessing has been drunk once for all men through the shedding of the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. To drink that cup of resurrection life one must first be a partaker of the Bread of Life. By drinking the cup of Praise, we proclaim the fulfillment of the cup of Redemption for all mankind. In sharing the cup of the Spirit, we experience the intimacy of the body of Christ. In experiencing the intimacy of the body of Christ we proclaim the death of Jesus Christ for all men.

The hour had come for the life of the flesh to be exchanged for the life of the Spirit for all of mankind. Jesus had come to complete the death of the old Adam and initiate the birth of a new human race through the seed of His flesh as the Last Adam. His life would be sown in corruption but raised to incorruption (1 Cor. 15:42). He would endure the cross once for all, but for the sake of the joy set before Him (Heb. 12:2). He would prove to be the beginning of the true bread and cup of life for all men (Jn. 6:35, 48). The Body of Christ would become a new creation in the earth (2 Cor. 5:17). The elements of the Passover meal would be revealed in the flesh of the body of Christ and the cup of the Holy Spirit that flows within her being. The Bible teaches that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). It does not teach that the life is in the blood. The life of humanity is in the Spirit of God, but the life of the flesh had to be given once for all in order for all to receive the life of the Spirit. Without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins (Mt. 26:28; Heb. 9:22), thus Jesus shed His blood once for all. The cup of Blessing for the believer was drunk once for all by Jesus Christ. It was His willingness and obedience to love that empowered Him to shed His blood once for us all. We need not drink that cup ever again. He has given to us the cup of Praise. He has given to us the cup of the Spirit. In drinking the cup of the Spirit, we proclaim the death of Jesus Christ. For unless One drank the cup of Blessing, we could not drink the cup of Praise. God has not called us to drink the cup of Blessing. He has made a way for us to drink the cup of Praise! He has the authority to bring all men out of sin as the cup of Thanksgiving. He set precedence for the testimony of all men as the cup of Telling. He has fulfilled the death of the flesh for all men as the cup of Redemption and Blessing. He is now calling all men to drink of the cup of Praise, proclaiming we are a holy nation unto God our Father. Is this not the cup of the New Covenant table?

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Audiobooks at Kobo, Nook, Chirp, Apple, Google Play, Scribd, Authors Direct – & more forthcoming

Buy Print or E-book and Audiobook on Amazon:

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