Examples In Issues of the Heart

Posted on March 16, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

Leaders do not just set an example for others in their actions. They set an example for those they lead in matters of the heart. Therefore, leaders must be vulnerable, transparent, and willing to constantly be transformed in their character. Leaders must depart from iniquity and teach those they lead to do the same. Iniquity is not sin. Iniquity is an issue of the heart. It is a weakness within that is vulnerable to transgression and thus it leads us to be disconnected from our true life source, which is God. Iniquity leads to transgression, transgression leads to sin, and the result of sin is death. The root of it all is in the iniquities of our hearts. Iniquities are not places of shame within us; they are the inner marks of weakness that reveal to us a need for and our dependency upon God in who we are. When God visits iniquities they become healed by His grace. An iniquity will leave a tattoo within our lives that reminds us of the amazing grace of God at work within us. God does want us to flee from sin, but being willing to depart from the inner weaknesses that lead to sin is the real issue of change in our lives. How we were born is not necessarily how we were meant to be. We have all been born with inherited strengths and weaknesses. A kingdom of God scribe, who allows the Holy Spirit to write within their hearts and minds, unlocks new things never seen and redeems antique and lost things within their family line. God visiting the inner core of who we are makes us become who we were meant to be. Leaders must willingly embrace this process and seek to lead others into the same.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

We must all recognize that in the church there will be both vessels of honor and dishonor. Those that are vessels of dishonor only prove those who are vessels of honor. We must all seek to be vessels of honor and leaders are to set an example for others to follow in this pursuit. A vessel of love is proved to be a vessel of love when faced with a vessel of hate. A vessel of forgiveness is proved to be a vessel of forgiveness when faced with a vessel of unforgiveness. Leaders must be examples in seeking to be vessels of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. The testimony of being children of God is to make decisions for others based upon who we are in Christ, not what others deserve outside of Christ. This is not merely a matter of our actions, but a matter of our hearts.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Leaders set an example and teach others to flee youthful lusts, and to pursue righteous, faith, love, and peace. True righteousness is a dependency upon God, not a focus of mere self-discipline to do right things. Faith is a supernatural testimony of intimacy with God and hearing His voice within our hearts. It defies natural sight and empowers us to be faithful to God in all things. Love is measured by a willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of others. Peace is the testimony of no gap between God and us. These are attributes of true life and leaders are more concerned with these characteristics in their lives more than works, events, projects, or any kind of gifts in ministry.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Leaders must know how to avoid foolish and stupid disputes. These things do not produce life but only create strife. Our words must give life to others, not destroy them. Foolish debates only destroy. This is the way of the world, not the way of the community of God. It is ok for us to disagree with others, but is not ok to be disagreeable in our hearts towards them.

2 Timothy 2:23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.

Leaders must not quarrel but be gentle, able to teach, be patient, and in humility correct those who oppose them and what God is giving through them to the church. These are a responsibility carried by those appointed by God to lead in His church. This is not just true for leaders, but leaders must lead in this testimony. The community of God is different then the communities of the world and leaders in God’s community must set an example of the character, nature, way, power, and authority of God.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

The goal of a leader’s correction to those they lead is that God might grant repentance to those who oppose the truth. A leader is willing to bring correction that those in opposition will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil of which they have been taken captive to do the devil’s will. Correction is not a punishment for being bad. It is a correction to keep someone in the path of life. Leaders must know that correction is an act of love and they must never shy away from the responsibility of correcting those they are responsible for. That correction must be in agreement with the Holy Spirit in the life of each believer so each one receives the true transformation than can only come by God working in the human heart. Correction is never merely about our actions, it is about our hearts.

Correction is a blessing and not a curse. God corrects us because He loves us. His correction is not a thing of shame, but a willingness on God’s part to keep us in the path of life. Leadership has a responsibility of bringing correction to those they lead when it is necessary.

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in #leadershipinthechurch, #newcovenantleaders, Leadership Development | Comments Off on Examples In Issues of the Heart

Living For the Sake of Others

Posted on March 9, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings;

If you have ever made the statement, “It’s not fair”, you have made a statement of truth. Life is not fair. It is life! Everyone is given a measure, a boundary, and an opportunity to affect this world with the life they live. Life is not meant to be fair, every life is an opportunity for the testimony of God’s love to shine through that life to the world around them. Leaders have been given a responsibility for the sake of others. They must set an example of how the love of God and the testimony of God prevail in all things. Their measure, their boundary, and their opportunity to affect this world is for the sake of those they lead. A leader will suffer trouble as though they are an evildoer, this is part of pressing through for the sake of others as a leader. The apostle Paul suffered even to imprisonment.

2 Timothy 3:8-10 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

A leader endures things for the sake of those they lead. Being a leader means you have been given a grace and an anointing to take people where they have never been before. Leaders must press through things that resist what God wants to do in than through them so that those they lead can break through to the things of God in their lives. I believe that the number one testimony of sent authority is endurance. To live for Christ is to endure for Christ, thus leaders must be the first to endure for the testimony of Christ in their lives. How can we say we are the character of Christ without facing things that oppose His character in our lives? God gives a special grace to leaders to endure things for the sake of those He has given them to lead. When we receive God-sent authority in our lives we also become inheritors of the heavenly harvests obtained through the endurance of their lives. Endurance is the strength of faithfulness and faithfulness is the inspiration of one’s ability to endure.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

To remain faithful to Him is to reign with Him, thus faithfulness is the path to authority in all of our lives. Leaders must set an example in this and lead others into the same. Jesus gave His life for us, thus our testimony is to give life to others. This is to live for Him. Leaders set an example in the character, nature, way, power, and authority of giving life as Jesus gave His life for us. This is the true testimony of reigning in life. Our victory over all things is found in the empowerment of God’s life within us in all things. Our confession of Jesus is the testimony of His life within us. He does not seek to deny anyone, but the only testimony of His life within us is a testimony of His life-giving nature through us. This is the testimony of our faith – a response to His life within us that is seen as life for others. We are the body of Christ and leaders set an example to follow in this. They activate, facilitate, and release those within their measure of rule to become true to the nature of the family of God. Timothy was to remind his appointed leaders of these things and to set this example to the flock.

2 Timothy 2:14-18 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

A leader is not to strive about words that have no prophet but only ruin those who become bound by those meaningless teachings. The focus of every leader must be God and the family of God. It is not about disputes and arguments that lead to destructive testimonies in the family of God. Foolish theological debates and wrangling about religious views and perceptions do not serve to give life. They only prove to produce divisive debates that propagate foolish heresies. These are things found in the kingdoms of the world, but not attributes of those who are motivated by the internal kingdom of God’s love.

A leader is to set an example of being someone who is approved by God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed. It is not about Scripture knowledge, but of family character. A Leader opens the door for all to come into the growing dynamic of becoming a testimony of Spirit and Truth. Leaders must shun profane and idle babblings, for they only increase to more ungodliness. The apostle Paul was even bold enough to name some by name who had caused division in the family of God. Hymenaeus and Philetus were these kinds of people and their babblings spread like cancer in the body of Christ. Cancer cells are cells that seek to consume other cells in the body to sustain their own personal propagation. They destroy the life of the body for their own appetites and desires. Leaders have a responsibility in the body of Christ to protect the healthy cells from destructive individuals or heresies that rob the body of true life. Self-seeking agendas have no place in the body of Christ. We do not judge the world for their selfish ways, but those same selfish ways must not be a part of the community of God.

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in #leadershipinthechurch, #newcovenantleaders, Leadership Development | Comments Off on Living For the Sake of Others

Living For The Harvest

Posted on March 5, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

I want to continue today with some further thoughts on the law of harvest. Every leader must understand the principle of harvest and they must commit their leadership to the harvest set before them in the task of their leading. I believe the law of harvest to be the highest law, the fullest boundary, and the greatest liberty of the kingdom. It is the place where the end determines a beginning. It is where life mandates relationship. Harvest is the place where hope beckons life-giving decisions. A vision of the harvest mandates the actions of the process to that harvest. It is essential that we understand the character, nature, way, power, and authority of the Author of the harvest if we are going to walk out the daily steps of the process of that harvest. God is the one who gives the harvest for He is the Creator, the Supplier, and the Finisher of all things. To attempt to walk out the steps to the harvest by any other way than the way of God will produce results that are less than and perverted from the destiny of true harvest. The law of harvest requires the service of the law of sowing and reaping. The law of harvest must be approached by accessing the divine laws of order. We are not under laws; laws are under us. They serve us as we walk in the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ. Those laws can be seen as principals, patterns, or values in our lives. They are the testimony of the right path to culmination and harvest. The path to harvest includes sowing, cultivating, watering, managing, inventing, creating, and many other aspects of empowering the harvest determined in our lives. False things must be removed and true things must be cultivated in order to attain the goal of the completed fruit. The end result of God’s harvest is always food for others and seed for future generations. God wants our lives to be like trees. We must branch out to become sources of fruit to be eaten by others and places that offer a touch of healing for the hope of the generations to come. I believe this is true for every harvest. Even when working a simple job or accomplishing menial tasks, the harvest must be within the environment of our endeavors in order to produce life beyond ourselves. The harvest can never be simply to pay our bills. That kind of harvest is only eaten with a bitter stomach and carries the forever disappointing news of never having enough. The harvest that God has for us involves the vision that God has for the world because of us.

We often think of harvest in terms of thousands and abundance beyond our wildest dreams, but what if our harvest is to cause just a few to think as thousands and to see themselves beyond their wildest dreams. To cause one life to become the fullest life that lives to give life to others would propagate a harvest that would ultimately change the world. Blessing produces blessing, multiplying propagates multiplying, possessing secures possessing, and the influence of life fills life with life.

The harvest of my marriage is a ripe old age with my wife that has treasures of memories, discoveries, and values attained together. But more than these the harvest of Bonnie and I together is for our children and our children’s children to have the inherited substance of family life and abundance that becomes a treasure that multiplies to the generations to come. How many dreams came to pass because of us? That is a true question of harvest. How did the character, nature, way, power, and authority of God expand in the lives of those who came out from us? That is a question of harvest.

King David understood the principles of the law of harvest. His sights were always set upon the harvest. He did not live for himself, but for the generations to come. When he was faced with trouble, he could pray a righteous prayer of rescue.

Psalms 144: 10 The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant from the deadly sword. 11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks lying words, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—

Why did David pray the prayer of rescue? He didn’t pray for his own needs to be met or for his own comfort. It was for that which was beyond and because of his life that he prayed.

Psalms 144: 12  That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style; 13 That our barns may be full, supplying all kinds of produce; that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; 14 That our oxen may be well laden; that there be no breaking in or going out; that there be no outcry in our streets. 15 Happy are the people who are in such a state; happy are the people whose God is the LORD!

True sons and daughters of God live to produce sons and daughters. The harvest is sons and daughters; therefore we must live to be fathers and mothers. True kingdom influencers live to export produce from barns and provisions from abundant flocks. The harvest is for barns and flocks to provide supply for the world in which we live; therefore we must live to be producers and farmers of life. True harvest is to create a better world behind us than was before us; therefore we must live to change the world in which we live.

I pray that you each get a vision for harvest and live your life to the fullest that even the harvest of pleasure would reveal the goodness and the kindness of God to the world you live in. May God inspire your dreams and your visions to be according to the law of harvest and may you be committed to the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ in completing the joy of life. Only being true to who He is will produce the harvest that He has for your life. May God inspire your thoughts to be thoughts of harvest for the sake of others around you and for the generations that follow you in this life.

2 Timothy 2:3-7 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in #leadershipinthechurch, #newcovenantleaders, Leadership Development | Comments Off on Living For The Harvest

Leaders Lead For The Law of Harvest

Posted on February 24, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

Being a leader means standing fast when others want to quit. A leader takes people into territories of faith and the opposite of faith is natural sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Since sight is the opposite of faith, someone who walks a path of faith will likely encounter things that intimidate him or her on the journey. A leader must know how to press through in faith when natural experiences seem to threaten them. In Paul’s instructions to Timothy, Timothy was to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, compete as an athlete in a competition, and be as a hard working farmer in the field of purpose.

2 Timothy 2:3-7 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Being a leader is to be a soldier in a war. At times a leader will feel threatened in their spiritual, emotional, and even physical life, but they must fight the battle to win. Being a leader is to be in an athletic race of competition and the race must be run according to the rules. This includes the training process, the physical fitness plan, and all the rules of engagement in the race. We do not just lead to lead; we lead to accomplish our task. We lead to be successful in our endeavors. We lead to win! Being leader is like being a farmer and one must work hard, but also be the first to eat the fruit of their labors. A farmer lives with the law of harvest and submits the lesser laws of sowing, tilling, watering, weeding, etc. to the greater law of vision of harvest. Like a farmer, a leader sees, believes, labors, reaps, and experiences the taste and benefits of the crops desired before the harvest goes to market.

In light of these things, every leader must understand what I call the law of harvest. I believe this is a spiritual law and it is determined in heaven and its benefits are seen in the earth. The lesser laws of first fruits, first things, sowing and reaping, gravity, density, and numerous laws of physics all serve this law of harvest. When we pray, “Let Your kingdom come, Let Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, we are praying according to the law of harvest. Harvest is how it is in heaven. Leaders must see things as they are in heaven in order to lead earthly people into heavenly realities. God wants for us to live our lives by the law of harvest, but most people choose to live their lives by the lesser laws. Most Christians think that living their lives by the law of sowing and reaping is the way to go. No true farmer lives by the law of sowing and reaping. A true farmer lives by the law of harvest and knows that he will have to also choose the law of sowing and reaping to serve the greater law of harvest. No farmer simply scatters seeds and hopes to get a crop. He determines what crop he wants long before he sows the seed. Leaders must do likewise in their role of leadership in the fields of Christ’s harvest. A farmer makes a determination in his heart and mind as to what the market demands, how many acres are needed, how much seed is needed, what soil conditions are required, what growing care must be provided, and many other things before he even puts a seed in the ground. The law of harvest demands the service of the lesser laws of nature. The law of sowing and reaping might mathematically say that 1+1=2, but the law of harvest says that if you want 2 you must get 1+ another 1. The law of harvest sees 2 before it demands 1. That is a bit simple, but it is a way of describing the law of harvest in mathematics.

Leaders must think thoughts of harvest, not merely ones of sowing. God has purposed for everything to end in harvest (Mt. 13:39). The end of every age is culminated in harvest. Everything about every age must serve the purpose of the culmination of that age. It must serve harvest. Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. He didn’t just blindly hope everything would work out. He saw a harvest and then did everything to accomplish that end. He was willing to embrace the suffering of the cross for the great harvest that would follow. It is a kingdom principle and a spiritual law of heaven.

Let’s think about Biblical meditation a minute. Meditation in the world is a process of emptying our minds of everything to receive some form of serenity. Biblical meditation is to fill our thoughts with all this is of God in order to see the character, nature, way, power, and authority of God birthed within our hearts and souls. We choose to look at what God says and what He is like in order to receive a transformation by the metamorphosis of our minds. It is a principle of the law of harvest. We choose to see how it is in heaven and then we submit the lesser laws of our thoughts and lives in order to reap that heavenly harvest in our lives. Leaders must understand this principle well.

God determines the harvest before He determines the sowing. Our eyes have not seen, our ears haven’t heard, and our thoughts haven’t thought of the things He has prepared for us; but He has revealed it all to us by the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:9, 10). This is the law of harvest. We know the end in our spirits before we can even know the beginning in our minds. We must choose to submit to this greater law of harvest in everything we do. I hope that I am challenging your thoughts. I am not attempting to answer all the questions or explain all of the details of the law of harvest today. I am simply seeking to provoke you to think according to a greater calling, purpose, and destiny as a leader.

God has determined an end, but we must start with a beginning. We must never despise the day of small beginnings, because great destiny requires many small beginnings. When we think small beginnings, God thinks harvest.

Isaiah 46:9, 10 Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’

The law of harvest demands that we sow seed in order to reap a crop, but we must see the crop in a spiritual realty before we can choose to labor in the natural. Leaders must see where they are going in the Spirit before they see it in the natural harvest fields of life. The labor of every leader must be towards a spiritual goal seen in heaven. Not everything that we sow is purposed by God for us to reap, but everything that God has purposed for us to reap requires us to sow. We don’t sow to reap. We sow because we see the harvest. Ishmael was a result of the law of sowing and reaping while Isaac was the result of the law of harvest. We don’t sow seed because we want to see a harvest. We see a harvest, so we sow seed. Leaders lead people to live their lives by the vision of a heavenly harvest. What God says, we can do. What God makes known in heaven, we can receive here on earth. Leaders must be men and women of faith who lead others to become the same. We see the harvest so we sow seed. Blindly sowing seed is seed sown from unbelief. As leaders we must live for the harvest!

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in #newcovenantleaders, Leadership Development | 1 Comment

Leadership – A Grace of Inheritance

Posted on February 17, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

As leaders we have a responsibility of both a heritage and an inheritance for the sake of those we lead. Leadership is not simply a skill learned and then a task we do to simply perform some role of ministry. I believe that leadership is more like taking your spot in a relay race. A leader receives the baton given them from those who have run the race thus far. Paul told Timothy to hold fast in presenting a pattern of sound words that he had received from Paul. He was to embrace those things with the faith and love given to his own life through Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:13-14 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

The role of leadership is one of being responsible for what has been given to you through the heritage of leaders before and the substance of the Holy Spirit, Who was the author in the lives of those who led before and the author of the role of leadership in the present. A leader must depend upon and seek to be intimate with the Holy Spirit in keeping to the task given to them by God in Christ. Paul commended Timothy for his faithfulness to these things and gave examples of others who had abandoned the responsibility given to them by God. When Paul named those who had failed, he was not attempting to pass a judgment upon them, but to warn, protect, and guide others to stay fast in the call of God in their lives.

2 Timothy1:15 This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

Authority represents authority and when a leader rejects those who have been sent to them as spiritual fathers they themselves become spiritual renegades. They can hardly set an example of the faith to others since faith includes faithfulness to those that God sends and to the task that God sends them to do. I believe that the number one mark of authority is endurance. It is not just endurance for the sake of enduring, but endurance in all that God has given them to do. It is endurance in love, hope, and faith for the sake of the community of God that they have been joined to.

Paul was redemptive in his attitude towards those who had disconnected from him and were caught up in some deception of life. Paul also commended the faithful, for the sake of others who would follow in the example of the same. He understood that those who served him in love were also examples of the love of Christ for others to follow in life. Oneesiphorus was such a man, who perhaps was caught up in some of the same desception as Phygellus and Hermogenes.

2 Timothy 1:16-18 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

Paul’s prayer was that the Lord would grant Onesiphorus mercy, surely implying that he needed mercy for challenges that perhaps came to him through the lives of Phygellus and Hermogenes or maybe even some error in his own life. It appears that shaking in the present moment didn’t negate Paul’s recognition of this man’s love for him. Whatever the situation was, Paul was stirred in his love for him. Leaders must know that even in the difficult times of betrayal, abandonment, or some opposition inspired by deception, that an attitude of love and the substance of love was to be in the heart of those who lead. Love is the true substance of leadership and it is the bond of any expression of the community of God.

Paul presented to Timothy that many had turned away from him, but Timothy was to be strong in the grace that is Christ Jesus. Leaders cannot allow the wounding in their hears caused by others to affect their attitude towards them or towards anyone as they continue in their responsibility of leading in the community of God. No matter what human conflicts a leader faces, they must never allow the actions of others to affect their attitude and willingness to give life to others. This is a supernatural testimony of the work of God’s grace in the human heart. Enduring the challenges of others and continuing strong in the grace of Christ is a part of leadership. This is more important than the tasks of ministry. It is about maintaining the character of Christ in all things.

2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Leaders must not just lead tasks of ministry. They must lead people. They must seek to multiply the life given to them by God in the lives of others. Discipleship is not about teaching others what to do in life. It is about increasing the inheritance of life given by God in the generations that follow. The increase of God’s government and peace is a grace to be multiplied in the generations of the family of God. There should always be a multigenerational focus. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel. God is the God of Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others also. This is what I call a one hundred year plan.

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Every leader should seek to live in this standard of inheritance in the community of Christ. Timothy was to take the things he had heard from Paul and to commit them to faithful men who would be able to teach others also.

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in Leadership Development | Comments Off on Leadership – A Grace of Inheritance

The Endurance of Leaders

Posted on February 10, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

As we read the letters written by Paul to Timothy we must notice the depth of relationship expressed from Paul’s heart to Timothy. It was not just the writing of a leader to another leader who was accountable to them for some task of ministry. It was a heart-felt expression of a spiritual father to a spiritual son. I believe that it is important for every church leader to identify those who are spiritual fathers in their lives. Some are no doubt spiritual teachers, or spiritual mentors, but only a few are spiritual fathers. Paul understood this very well in that he wrote that there are many teachers, but only a few spiritual fathers.

1 Corinthians 4:15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Paul’s words to Timothy were words of relationship, not denominational or non-denominational structure of organization or accountability. This is the testimony of true life in the family of God.

2 Timothy 1:1, 2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul’s expression to Timothy was one of love and affection. He recognized that his own role as a leader was one of spiritual inheritance and that Timothy must be aware that his role was also one of the same. Being a leader is not a matter of merely being qualified to lead or supervise in tasks of ministry. It is a role of spiritual inheritance and responsibility. Paul was a testimony to his forefathers in the faith and Timothy was a testimony to the faith of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. Notice, Paul knew Timothy’s family, their character, their love, and their spiritual testimony. If we consider Jesus, He had a role of being a spiritual father to twelve guys. He was not over hundreds of churches and hundreds of ministries. I have often heard so-called apostolic leaders cite how hundreds of churches are in relationship with them. My question to them would be for them to tell me the name of family members, family history, and spiritual heritage of those they claim to be in relationship with. Being a leader involves being in an intimate relationship with God-sent authority in their lives. It is a matter of relationship, not ministry task or gifting. It is a matter of Divine connection and destiny.

2 Timothy 1:3-5 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

Timothy was to remember his spiritual heritage and to stir up the gift of God that was in him through the laying on of the hands of Paul. Every leader must be able to recognize their spiritual heritage and to recognize that what God has given them is a gift from heaven. It is not a matter of qualification by human strength or skill. It is a matter of gift and grace give by God from heaven. Every leader is responsible before God to stir up what God has put within them for the sake of those they lead.

2 Timothy 1:6, 7 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Every leader must understand and embrace the love that God has for them, the power of His purpose and presence in their lives, and the strategy of thinking given to them by God’s grace. God’s love for them is not merely a love for them, but a love to be shown and given to those they lead. Perfect love casts out all fear, and when a leader knows the love of God they can walk in the power that God has given them. When they walk with confidence in the power that God has given them their thinking becomes clear and the strategy of leading rises up from within them.

Timothy was to share in the suffering of Paul. Suffering is part of the process of revealing the true testimony of Christ’s life to those we lead. The testimony of the Lord in our lives can only be revealed through the testing of our faith. A willingness to endure for the sake of our responsibly in Christ is a mark of the character of Christ. Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. We must also endure the cup given to us in life for the joy that is set before us. That joy is that the future generations of men and women in Christ will know a greater fullness of Christ because of what we do today.

2 Timothy 1:8-12   Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

The true mark of sent authority is endurance. That endurance leads to a testimony of life for the sake of others. It is through endurance that the purpose of God in our lives is revealed and the testimony of His grace is empowered. This is when the light and life of Christ is us is truly made known.

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in Leadership Development | Tagged | Comments Off on The Endurance of Leaders

Trusted To Lead

Posted on February 3, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

Paul instructed Timothy to consider his role of leadership to be an awesome responsibility before God. Leaders must understand that their role of leading others is a testimony of God in leading others to become a testimony of God’s family in the earth. This is not a matter of personal gain, but of personal sacrifice for the glory of God’s will and kingdom in the earth. It is an eternal responsibility before the highest authority in heaven and earth. Timothy was to give his life to the purpose of leading God’s people in his time. Leaders must give their lives to the purpose of leading God’s people in their time in the earth. It is an honor and a great privilege to be chosen by God for such a task.

1 Timothy 6:13-16 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

It is an awesome thing to be entrusted with a responsibility before the One who is the Potentate, King of kings, and Lord of lords! God is the only ruler of all things and to Him all things belong. The One who is the source of all beginnings and endings, the One who made all things and sustains all things, and the One to whom all things belong has chosen to use men. To think that God trusts and entrusts people to represent Him to and for the sake of others is an honor with amazing ramifications. Leaders must realize the gravity of their role in God’s church.

Leaders must be bold for Christ and bold for the sake of leading others into places they may not desire to go. This is not merely leading them into earthly tasks, duties, or responsibilities. It is leading them into the character of the family of God upon the earth. Timothy was to command the rich to not be proud nor trust in their riches but to be generous and to be rich in good works and a willingness to share with others. This was not about their money, but about the character of their hearts.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Paul didn’t tell Timothy to ‘suggest’ that the rich give to others. He instructed Timothy to ‘command’ them to do good and to use their financial blessings as a means of revealing who they were in the character of Christ with the material things entrusted to them in this life. For a leader to do this means that they must see the character of Christ as more valuable than the riches possessed by men. In order for leaders to be bold in the matters required to lead others into the will of God, a leader must realize that the attributes of Christ’s character, nature, way, power, and authority outweigh the value of personal opinions, possessions, intentions, attitudes, and any other individual quality in life. We must never seek to control or manipulate others to the agendas of our will, but leaders must willingly accept the responsibility of leading people to respond to God’s desires in their lives. It is not that leaders decide what others should do, but they must lead others in responding to what God is requiring of them in their personal lives.

Timothy was to guard what was given to him by God and avoid entering into disputes with those who contradicted and were concerned with things that did not pertain to the faith in God.

1 Timothy 6:20-21 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge — by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.

God’s grace is with leaders to lead. What has been entrusted to them by God is a testimony of God’s trust in them and His willingness to anoint them for the responsibility of leading others. Leaders must lead! Foolish things that are not the issues of Christ and Christ-like character should not distract them. Disputes over laws, preferences, prideful knowledge, judgmental arguments, feasts, festivals, and various opinions and superstitions are not to be the diet of leaders or of those they lead. A leader must focus on what God has given to them and they must not be distracted by the agendas of foolish people who want to make issues out of matters that do not concern the faith. Faith is towards God and it is a matter of responding to the voice of God in the human heart. It is an action inspired by God’s voice in an atmosphere of a revelation of His love. This must be the focus of leaders, and this is to be the focus of those that leaders lead. Leaders set an example in this, lead others to embrace this, and guard to protect this purpose in the community of Christ.

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in Leadership Development | Comments Off on Trusted To Lead

Leaders For Godly Lifestyles

Posted on January 27, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

Paul charged Timothy to take care of those who where under his care. Good Leadership must guard the community of God from the disputes and arguments that come over words because of envy, strife, evil speaking, evil suspicions, or useless words that hurt people because of corrupt thinking and not understanding the truth. People enter into such things for their own gain. Paul’s instructions to Timothy reveal that leadership was to separate from such people and teach the believers to do the same. This is not the way Christ-like humans act and to associate with such people is a waste of time and a blemish in the community of God. We can expect sinners to act such and we seek to reach out to them in love, but we do not condone these character attributes in a covenant community of God. The best thing to do when people seek to act in divisive ways is to avoid entering into their divisiveness with them. It is a waste of time to get into disputes that don’t lead to life. We are the community of God and we must seek the things that make us be known as people of God.

1 Timothy 6:3-5 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

Leaders don’t lead ministry, they lead people who are the ministry of Christ in the earth. Leaders help those they lead to become a community that expresses Christ’s character, nature, way, power, and authority to the world. Leadership must set the example of being a Christ community person and they must accept the responsibility of leading those in their care to become a testimony of the same. We are not to be expressions of worldly communities doing Christian things. We must desire for and allow the Holy Spirit to make us become expressions of Christ-like communities doing the things required of us in an everyday world.

Paul told Timothy to set an example of a godly and content life and to teach others to live godly and content lives. God-sent leaders teach godliness with contentment in the community of their planting. They must guard against the love of things by promoting the more important things before, to, and in the lives of those they lead.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Money or things are not the roots of evil. It is the love of money and things that reveals an evil root in our hearts. People who do not know God are looking to find love in the world. In their confusion they often turn to the things the world provides to find their contentment. The result is the manifestation of a worldly, greedy character. These things do not produce true life. The community of God is to be a life-giving community in and to the world they live in. Leaders must set an example that others can follow in the midst of everyday world realities. Timothy was to set an example that others could follow in pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:11But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

True righteousness involves a love relationship with God and with others. True godliness requires sacrificial acts of love towards others. Faith comes by hearing someone and it is made manifest through works of love towards them. Love is not merely an emotion or a personal gratification of some kind. It is a will, a mind, an emotion, an imagination, and an action towards another for their wellbeing. It is covenant in nature and it seeks to give life to others and never takes it. Patience is a willingness to endure, suffer, and wait upon another. Gentleness is a gift of love to another in a kind and tender way. None of these attributes are for personal gain, but for the benefit and life of another. Leaders must be an example in these things and lead others to live their lives in the same way.

Timothy was to set an example in fighting the fight of faith and embracing the eternal life of God. True eternal life is a knowing of God the Father and an intimate knowledge of the Jesus the Son (Jn. 17:3). Eternal life is not just the promotion to glory when we die; it is living in a personal relationship with God throughout our lives for the glory of His name. Leaders must set an example that others can follow in living their everyday lives with an intimate relationship with God in all things.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Relationship with God was to be first and foremost in all things. Leaders must know that the foundation of their leadership grace is in a personal relationship with God. This is the kind of people we are to be! This is the kind of community we are in the earth for the communities of men to see! We must inspire others to see, experience, and walk in the life that God has for all men!

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in Leadership Development | Comments Off on Leaders For Godly Lifestyles

Leaders – Take Care!

Posted on January 20, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings;

The role of leadership is a gift to those they lead and it is a responsibility entrusted to a leader of great importance. Every leader must know that being a leader is not a position of hierarchy, but one of service. It is an honor to serve those you lead. For a leader to lead well, a leader must stay well. It is important for a leader to take care of his or her life – spirit, soul, and body. Paul told Timothy to take care of himself physically. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy he wrote to him in regard to drinking a little wine for the sake of his stomach. I don’t believe that Paul was merely giving Timothy instructions about wine. It was not meant to be a license for drinking or a law against it. These were the words of a spiritual father to a spiritual son as a matter of love and concern for his wellbeing.

1 Timothy 5:23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

This verse of Scripture implies that Paul was aware of a digestive problem that Timothy struggled with. Paul was concerned for the health of his spiritual son Timothy. Paul was telling Timothy to be sure to take care of himself physically. Let’s consider an even greater scope of possibility here. In Scripture wine is also a metaphor for a happy and prosperous soul.

Psalms 104:15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart.

Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answers everything.

I believe that it is important for a leader to take care of themselves. Life is not about ministry, it is about relationship and when we are not healthy in spirit, soul, or body we are often hindered in our ability to lead. Being unhealthy in any aspect does not disqualify us from leading; it merely creates a personal challenge in our ability to lead. Surely there are many times in life where the circumstance and situation causes us to have to press through hard times, but we should not seek to religiously inflict pain upon ourselves. If we seek to live godly lives we will suffer persecution, but we must not be lazy, negligent, or irresponsible in taking care of our own spirit, soul, or body in our walk in life. When we experience the consequences of not taking care of ourselves we can hardly blame the devil or some sort of tribulation when things go awry. In such cases we can only blame our own foolishness.

In my first years of ministry I was very serious about my responsibility of leadership. I put my whole energy into ministry and leading others. I had virtually no time to do anything that was of a personal pleasure nature. I didn’t have time for such things! In truth, I was overweight, overtired, overworked, and unbalanced in my personal humanity. When I turned 50 a friend of mine encouraged me to take some personal time to bless my own soul. When I was young I used to hunt and I enjoyed it very much, but a life of ministry focus gave me no time for such personal pleasure. My friend gave me a hunting rifle and encouraged me to go hunting again. He also gave me an archery bow and encouraged me even more! When I was young I used to hunt with an archery bow and the thought of being able to easily go to the woods and use a silent weapon for practice enticed me enough to take the challenge. For the past ten years I have taken personal time to hunt and it has enriched my soul and empowered me to have a more healthy perspective on life and ministry. It has also provided some great grocery supplies of an organic nature! I have had many God experiences in the woods, but just the health that has come to my soul has enriched my abilities as a leader. About the same time in my life I began to do a morning run and do some physical exercise. In previous years I always gave the excuse of being too busy to do such a thing, but I discovered that waking a bit earlier in the morning gave me all the time I needed. At age 50 I began to become considerably healthier spiritually, emotionally, and physically than I was at age 40. At age 60 it is even better! I continue with my daily exercise, I eat to be healthy, and I enjoy some time in the woods now and then. For me, these things are the same as ‘drinking a little wine’. These are physical things I do that empower me to be a healthy leader and thus I can continue in my responsibilities of life in a healthy way for the sake of those who look to me as a leader. As a spiritual father in the lives of others, I say to them, take care of your life. A ‘little wine’ is good for the stomach!

In addition to taking care of himself, Timothy was to be aware of the condition of the lives of those in his charge. He was to even be aware of men’s sins. He was to be aware that some sins are easily seen ahead of time while others are revealed later. Leaders lead a community of people to be a testimony of the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ. This means they must inspire, challenge, and lead those in the care to embrace the testimony of Christ in their personal lives.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.

Timothy was to teach those in his care how to be good servants. In modern terms this would be to teach people how to be good employers and employees in the everyday world. People who are part of the community of Christ must represent the family well in the communities of the world. It is part of the responsibility of leadership to instruct those in their care in the way to live as family members in Christ. These include teaching them to be good, honest, diligent, and hard workers in their jobs and responsibilities of service in life.

1 Timothy 6:1-2 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.

The role of leadership is very practical. It is not about leading others in church programs, church ministry, or church projects. It is about leading others in a way of life. It is about leading others in being a testimony of Christ’s community in the communities of the world. For a leader to be concerned about the personal lives of those they lead is part of a leader’s business! They must set an example to follow and also take charge to lead those in their care into the testimony of Christ in all things!

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in Leadership Development | Comments Off on Leaders – Take Care!

Honor and Love

Posted on January 13, 2016 by ted4leaders

Greetings;

When Paul wrote his letters to Timothy he was dealing with Timothy’s responsibility as a leader and the responsibility of leaders that would follow in the footsteps of the sending grace for leadership in the body of Christ. The letters to Timothy are Scripture to be read by every member of the church, but they are letters written specifically to leaders. Members reading these letters receive a perspective of what the responsibility their leaders hold and what type of culture they are required to cultivate in the church. Ruling elders were to be considered worthy of both the honor of submission to who they were as authorities and also by way of provision in their lives. Leadership is not to demand these things, but a culture of honor in the church must be developed that considers honor to leaders an important and even essential element in kingdom life. This is was not to be a license for leaders to take advantage of church members in the name of honor. It was simply meant to be a guideline for the character of the family of God. Leaders honor those they lead by freely giving them the word and helping them walk a Christ led life. Members honor leaders by making sure they are provided for in practical ways.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

These words of Paul to Timothy were not meant to create laws concerning required wages by clergy, but they did set a principle, pattern, and even a value for the generations of the church of the centuries to embrace in the function of the church. Those who are called by God to give their lives to develop and lead the church in a spiritual way are worthy to be taken care of in practical ways. The ministry of the word, leadership in helping others to embrace the character and way of Christ in their path of life, and the financial care of those who give their lives to lead are all aspects of spiritual ministry in the church. A healthy Christ life community fulfills the spiritual and practical aspects of life for those in the community.

Accusations against leadership were to be at the mouth of two or three witnesses. These would not be false accusations but ones proven in regard legitimate issues of sin. It is common for people to misunderstand authority and to even bring false accusations against them when they choose to be offended in some way towards leaders. Any accusations against a leader must prove to be valid if they are to be accepted. If there is a valid cause of accusation against a leader the responsibility for that flaw must be accepted for the sake of setting an example in the true character of leadership. A leader in sin was to accept the responsibility of their failures before others so the character and responsibly of godly leadership can be maintained in the generations of the church. A team of leaders must never seek to cover up issues of sin, but they must also protect one another from false accusations that simply serve to falsely legitimize a resistance to the authority given by God to leadership for the sake of leading in the church. The accusation against an elder was not to be an accusation spoken about them as a malicious act of gossip to other members of the church, but an accusation that was believed to be a legitimate one and brought to the other leaders in the church. The issue, even in accusation, is a culture of honor and love for the sake of Christ’s name.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

Timothy was to lead without prejudice. He was to accept his responsibility of leadership, not merely for those he liked, but for every person given to his charge. All leaders must understand that their role of leading is not something they have chosen, but a role assigned to them by God for the sake of those they lead. Their responsibilities of leadership must be carried out in a manner that shows God’s love and care for each and every person in the community under their care.

1 Timothy 5:21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.

Timothy was to give authority to others in a careful manner. Authority is not something taken lightly or given away quickly. Leaders must understand that the authority they walk in is a substance given to them by God. To give that substance to another is a decision led by God and it must be given to those who qualify for such responsibility. It is a serious thing to represent God in some way before others. When a leader lays hands upon someone for leadership the authority given to that person authorizes them to be a representation of the authorizing leader. If they are found to be lacking in character that testimony becomes one that affects the delegating authority as well. A leader must be aware of the gravity of giving authority to others. They must never shy away from giving authority to others, but they must also not be hasty in giving authority to them. The need for gifts of ministry can never out weigh the need for properly discerning who is qualified to receive authority and who is not.

1 Timothy 5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

Posted in Leadership Development | Comments Off on Honor and Love