ted4leaders

Greetings,

As leaders in Christ’s Church we must seek to activate, facilitate, and release the culture of God’s kingdom of among His people. There should be a grace of pastoral care that enables the people to hear God and care for one another. There should be a reaching into the world to gather increase into a growing expression of God’s kingdom. Works that demonstrate faith should be an earmark of God’s community. There should be a value of inherited truth and testimony among the people. Solid foundations should make building the future a stable work. The attitude of God’s people should be one of brokenness before Him. Their wills should be inspired by the greater will of God in all things. This is not a testimony of depression or pain, but one of life and joy before Him as His Spirit leads them. The atmosphere of a kingdom culture should inspire others to choose God’s will over their own.  Healing and deliverance should be testimonies of he day. The freedom of God’s kingdom should be a hallmark of any community expression of Christ. Things of the past are released and the things of God are embraced in fullness and legitimacy. An expression of God’s kingdom is filled with the fresh life of God’s Spirit. There must be a strong focus on God’s word as the source of life-giving water among His people. There should be a healthy prayer perspective that doesn’t make prayer a work, but sees prayer as a daily and continual face-to-face reality with God and His children. These are the testimonies of the ‘Sheep Gate’, ‘Fish Gate’, ‘Old Gate’, ‘Valley Gate’, ‘Dung Gate’, ‘Fountain Gate’, ‘Water Gate’, and the ‘Horse Gate’.

Now we will continue with the final two gates revealed in Nehemiah. The next gate is the ‘East Gate’ (Neh. 3:29). Throughout the Scripture the east relates to the place of birthing new things and bringing new things. The beginning of each day is in the east. The birth of Christ was seen as a star in the east (Mt. 2:2). I believe that this gate relates to the birthing of new things and the Spirit of revelation in our lives. God wants to give us things we haven’t seen, we haven’t heard, and we haven’t even thought before (1 Cor. 2:9,10). Resurrection life comes from the ‘east gate’. It was at the rising of the sun and the beginning of a new day that the rising of the Son of God made way for a new beginning for mankind (Lk. 24:1). It is the revelation that comes at the beginning of the day that perfects us at the end of the day. God is faithful to complete everything He begins (Phil. 1:6). Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev. 1:8). If we always do what we’ve always done we will always get what we have always gotten. The Spirit of revelation among us causes us to do new things, thus receiving new results. The ‘east gate’ is essential to every ministry and the life of every believer. We cannot be stuck in the past or bound to the traditions of men. We must be willing to embrace the things that come by revelation from God.

The final gate is the ‘Miphkad Gate’ (Neh. 3:31). This gate in some translations is called the ‘muster gate’ (RSV) or the ‘mustering gate’ (NEB) or even the ‘inspection gate’(NASB). This gate implies the ability to place people in the correct place for the work of the kingdom. This is an apostolic anointing that helps people find their place in the city of God. I believe that this gate is under restoration even at this time in the Body of Christ. It is important that we help people find the grace that is on their lives (Rom. 12:4-8). Each saint must find their purpose and place in the community of God (1 Cor. 12:28-31). The Body of Christ is one Body, but it is made of many members (2 Cor. 12:18-20). Healthy leadership knows the responsibility of ministry identification. They know how to ‘inspect’ and ‘muster’ the people to find their place of function and ministry in the Body of Christ. The place of fit for each member is the place where they bring life to others. This gate has to do with assisting people in finding the place of God’s favor in their lives. This gate could be called a ‘Placement Gate’ that is determined by the grace of God upon each member. That grace is their ability to bring life to others.

As leaders we must seek to allow God to make these gates of His community strong in any expression of His kingdom. We cannot develop these things through programs or naturally minded proposals. We must seek the leading of the Holy Spirit in developing a healthy expression of God’s kingdom upon the earth. We will no doubt find seasons of some expressions being stronger than others, but our aim must be a healthy expression of a community of God. These are the testimonies of the ‘Sheep Gate’, ‘Fish Gate’, ‘Old Gate’, ‘Valley Gate’, ‘Dung Gate’, ‘Fountain Gate’, ‘Water Gate’, ‘Horse Gate’, ‘East Gate’, and the ‘Placement Gate’.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

  Leader12 – Audio Teaching

   Leader12 – PDF outline

Greetings,

In my past two blogs I have looked at several gates in the reconstruction of the city under the direction of Nehemiah. I have likened those gates to different aspects of health and ministry in a community expression of the body of Christ. As leaders we have a responsibility to develop and maintain healthy kingdom culture of life with those we lead.

The culture of God’s kingdom releases a pastoral grace of hearing God and the ability for people to present their lives as living sacrifices to God. It is an environment that induces the transformation of people’s minds through hearing God and living in His way. God’s kingdom culture includes outreach and connection to those who are being drawn into the net of the kingdom. God’s people must be empowered to do works of faith that exhibit a testimony of God’s life to the world around them. Leaders must seek to develop a culture that facilitates the inherited truths of God and the inheritances of former father’s in the faith, whereby the foundations of the growing community of God are established upon the inheritances of the past. As leaders in the body of Christ we must serve to facilitate a culture among God’s people whereby they know how to live in brokenness before Him. Members of God’s community must be mentored in making decisions that are led by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We must seek to have active ministries of healing and deliverance. Believers need to know how to get rid of things in their lives that are the lifeless things of the past and embrace the things of God in Christ. These are the testimonies of the ‘Sheep Gate’, ‘Fish Gate’, ‘Old Gate’, ‘Valley Gate’, and ‘Dung Gate’.

Another essential area of ministry is that of the ‘Fountain Gate’ (Neh. 3:15). I believe that this gate testifies of the Holy Spirit’s ability build the living walls of the community of God that reveal the life of God in the Church to the world (Neh. 3:1-32). This gate was near the Pool of Siloam also known as the King’s Pool within the city that led directly to the “stairs of the city of David” (Neh. 12:37). The fountain gate reveals the ability to see the refreshing and fresh life of God Spirit in the house. Surely the presence of the Holy Spirit and the testimony of the living water within are essential for every believer and ministry (Jn. 7:37-39). Equipping the saints to flow in the life of the Spirit is essential for the health and the testimony of the Christian community (Eph. 5:17-21). In being spiritual, full of the Spirit life and power, we must not be ignorant (1 Cor. 12:1). A community expression of the kingdom of God must contain an element of the fresh life of the Holy Spirit.

The ‘Water Gate’ is next in the wall (Neh. 3:26). This gate symbolically speaks of the living word. Leaders must seek to connect the people to the word of God and the grace of His word. From this gate a path descended to the spring Gihon at the foot of the hill. Water was brought to the city through this gate. We must train and activate all believers to be seekers of truth and to know the life that comes from God’s word. A face-to-face encounter with the word of God is essential to draw the life of God’s refreshing spirit into the heart of every believer (Heb. 4:14). We live on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Mt. 4:4). We must study to show ourselves approved workmen who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing God’s word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). It is the water of God’s word that washes the believer (Eph. 5:25-27). Every local church must have a strong focus on God’s word and know how to connect the people to the source of the water of God’s word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Leaders cannot just present the word to those they lead. They must exhort those they lead to become students of God’s word.

The ‘Horse Gate’ (Neh. 3:28), relates to joy, strength and the joy of the Lord (Neh. 8:10). I believe that this gate depicts the strength found in prayer and carrying the burden of the Lord. The horse is seen in Scripture as the strength of men and the power for battle. It is prayer and the presence of the Lord that gives us the strength for the battle and in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). How is the ministry of prayer in the church? We must train and equip God’s people to know the presence of the Lord. It is the effective, fervent prayer of the righteous that avails much (Jam. 5:16). We must carry the burden of the Spirit, but not the heavy yoke of the flesh. Prayer and praise must be a part of the culture of the Church. Keeping steadfast in prayer is an essential part of every ministry and every believer (Acts 2:42; Rom. 12:12). Prayer brings us to the presence of the Lord where we find joy and strength (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 1:4). Prayer and thanksgiving go hand-in-hand and should be a part of the life of every believer (Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2). We must pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17). Prayer is an essential part of any expression of the community of God.

As leaders we must seek to develop and maintain healthy ministries filled with the fresh life of God Spirit. We must seek a strong focus on God’s word and know how to connect the people to the source of the water of God’s word. A healthy community of God knows the power of kingdom prayer. Leaders must seek an active prayer life among those they lead.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings;

Last week I began to address the topic of the gates of the City of God. Those gates are a testimony to the places of influence in the community of God, which is any expression of the Church or ministry of the Body of Christ. I began with presenting the three gates known as the ‘Sheep Gate’, the ‘Fish Gate’, and the ‘Old Gate’. The ‘Sheep Gate’ reveals how the culture of God’s kingdom releases a pastoral grace of hearing God and the ability for people to present their lives as living sacrifices to God. It is an environment that induces the transformation of people’s minds through hearing God and living in His way. The ‘Fish Gate’ activates a spirit of outreach and connection to those who are being drawn into the net of the kingdom. God’s people become empowered to do works of faith that exhibit a testimony of God’s life to the world around them. The ‘Old Gate’ facilitates the inherited truths of God and the inheritances of former father’s in the faith, whereby the foundations of the growing community of God are established upon the inheritances of the past.

Today I am going to present two more gates to consider when evaluating the health of any expression of the kingdom of heaven. In the reconstruction of the city by Nehemiah the gate that followed the ‘Old Gate’ was the gate known as the ‘Valley Gate’ (Neh. 3:13). I believe that the ‘Valley Gate’ was also known as the ‘Potsherd Gate’, where broken pottery from the potters’ shops was thrown out into the Valley of Hinnom on the refuse heaps (Jer.19:2). In the synthesis of Scripture, clay jars speak of the fragile nature of the flesh. Clay jars are made of hardened clay that creates a ridged shape that can no longer be molded, but presents a recognizable shape of use. Human lives are likened unto clay jars (Lam. 4:2, Jer. 18:4, Rom. 9:21, 2Tim. 2:20). Potsherd is broken pieces of clay vessels. Those broken pieces of clay represent the broken lives of men. God is the potter and we are the clay of His hand (Isa. 45:9; Isa. 29:16; 64:8; Jer. 18:16). I believe that the ‘Potsherd’ or ‘Valley Gate’ represents a place of human brokenness. Broken vessels are jars that no longer maintain their ridged shape of the past. I believe that this speaks of our ability to come to decisions end the will of the flesh and lead to the comfort and purpose of the Lord. Without brokenness there can be no empowerment of change. Decisions made from brokenness are decisions that lead to God’s resurrection life. This gate is where we find a broken and a contrite heart before God (Ps. 34:18; 52:17; Isa. 57:15; 66:2). It is in that place that we make decisions for life. This gate is the place of decision. It is the place of yielding our will to His (Elk. 22:42). Every local church should have a functioning ‘Valley Gate’ ministry that activates a culture and an environment of brokenness before God and a willingness to yield the will of self for the will of God. The community of God is a place for humility and grace. God gives grace to the humble, but He resists the proud (Jam. 4:6, 10). We need counseling ministries to function among us that inspire a spirit of humility by bringing healing to the brokenness of men. The ‘Valley Gate’ is the place of a decision to be led by the Spirit and not by the flesh (Rom. 8:1-14). This gate of influence creates a culture where people no longer judge one another according to the flesh (2 Cor. 14:17). This gate of influence inspires a dependency upon the life that is only found in Christ.

The next gate is the ‘Dung Gate’ (Neh. 3:14). This gate was named because the refuse of the city was taken through it to be burned in the Valley of Hinnon. The ‘Dung Gate’ speaks of the ability to discard the things of the past though healing and deliverance. Every local ministry needs to have active ministries of healing and deliverance. We need to activate and facilitate the power ministries of faith, healing, and deliverance in any expression of the community of God. There should be an environment that trains and equips the community members to properly deal with the issues of their hearts. Each believer needs to know how to leave the things of the past behind and  press on toward the mark of the upward call of God in Christ (Phil. 3:12-14). Each believer needs to know how to ‘put off’ the things of the world and to ‘put on’ Christ (Col. 3:9,10). The ‘Dung Gate’ deals with the putting off of the old man (Eph 4:22). This gate can manifest though a culture of sanctification, worship, praise, and cleansing of the temple as seen in Ezra 3:4. The cleansing of the temple is not the washing of a religious organization through religious activities. It is the washing of the lives of men and women that empowers them to know that they are the place where God lives. Our church has had a strong ministry that seeks to create an environment where judgments, vows, generational curses, and other influences of the past can be broken and washed away though the anointing of the ‘Dung Gate’. Believers need to know how to get rid of things in their lives that are the lifeless things of the past. They are things of no more use and even things that contaminate the body if there is not a healthy environment of removing the issues of the past.

As leaders in the body of Christ we must serve to culture a community that knows how to live in brokenness before God. They must know how to make decisions for life. Members of God’s community must be mentored in making decisions that are led by the Spirit and not by the flesh. There must be a cultural influence that inspires a dependency upon the life that is only found in Christ. The will of the flesh will be transformed by the will of the Spirit.

As leaders in the body of Christ we must seek to have active ministries of healing and deliverance. We need to activate and facilitate the power ministries of faith, healing, and deliverance in our areas of responsibility in leading God’s community. There should be an environment that trains and equips the community members to properly deal with the issues of their hearts. Believers need to know how to get rid of things in their lives that are the lifeless things of the past and embrace the things of God in Christ.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings,

As a leader of a church I have learned that there are various places of influence that are the responsibility of any community expression of God’s kingdom. The community of God is like a city. In this month’s leadership blogs I am going to look at some gates of the city as found in the book of Nehemiah. The city of God exhibits various gates of influence to the city and because of the city. I am talking about an influence of God upon the community of God and the communities of the world. I believe that these gates of influence can be understood by looking at the reconstruction of the city of God by Nehemiah. The construction of the city of Jerusalem was a type and shadow of the true city of God that comes from above for us all. I am going to look at ten gates described in Nehemiah that portray a spiritual truth of influence to and through the church. In my many years of leading a local church I used these principles as a means of evaluating the health of the church that I was responsible to lead. In our evaluation, the leaders of our church and I would look at the areas of our strength and at our areas of need. We used those annual evaluations to help position us to hear God in leading His church. I believe that any leader of a community expression of God can use these tools to help them hear God in bringing health to their areas of responsibility.

The ‘Sheep Gate’ is the first gate of construction in Nehemiah (Neh. 3:1,32; Neh. 12:39). The sheep gate (Neh. 3:1), can be likened unto the altar built by Israel as recorded in Ezra 3:1-7.

Ezra 3:1-7 And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.  Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.  They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day.  Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD.  From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.  They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

The burnt offering is a testimony to the death of Jesus that we might be reconciled to God. It is the basis for our commitment to God and the work of God in and through our lives. All men can come and present their lives to God without condemnation or shame. Jesus came as the Good Shepherd to find the lost sheep of Israel (Lk. 15:16). He came to bring a salvaging to mankind that would wash off their shame and reconnect men and women to a personal relationship with God in Christ. The sheep gate is the entrance to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is not just a one-time entrance, but also a testimony to the continual entrance of God’s voice to the human hearts of men. It is that place of hearing God’s voice (Jn. 10:27). I believe the sheep gate is also revealed as the Shepherd’s care for the flock on a daily basis. The ability of the people to be cared for by the presence of the Good Shepherd among them is depicted in the sheep gate’ (Jn. 10:14). Every local church needs to evaluate their ‘sheep gate’. Are people being connected to the voice of God? Is the care of the Good Shepherd known among them? I believe we can strengthen the ‘sheep gate’ by looking for those who have an anointing in a pastoral way to help the people connect to the voice of the Good Shepherd. The true voice of the Shepherd is not heard through the voice of a man or a woman. It is heard through the voice of the Holy Spirit to the human heart and it even inspires members of His community to express a care for one another. The Sheep Gate is the place where people willingly come and present their bodies as living sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1). It is a place where they are transformed to the thinking of the community of God and are no longer bound to being conformed to the thinking of the world (Rom. 12:2). The Sheep Gate is the entrance of purpose for the life of the believer. It is not just a place of fulfilling their needs as individuals, but a place of discovering what it means to be a sheep born for the purpose of others. The Sheep Gate empowers men and women to hear the voice of God whereby they are empowered to give their lives to God and His purposes in the earth.

The ‘Fish Gate’ is the next mentioned in Nehemiah (Neh. 3:3; 12:39). I believe that this gate implies our ability to become ‘fishers of men’ (Mt. 4:19; Mk. 1:17). I believe this gate has to do with ‘adding to the church’ as is ‘water baptism’ we see new souls identify in being members of the Body of Christ through an act of faith. I believe it has to do with our ability to reach out with the arm of the Lord. It has to do with our ability to cast the net of the kingdom of God (Mt. 13:47) and gather in the peoples of the world to God’s kingdom. The working of this gate can be seen through acts of faith that draw others to the good news of the kingdom. It is the evangelistic hand of the Lord that gathers in the fish of His kingdom (Isa. 59:1). I believe that every local church needs to evaluate their ‘fish gate’. Are they reaching out into the community with the salvation of the kingdom? Are people being gathered in and added to the body of Christ? We need to find those who have an evangelistic anointing upon their lives and seek to facilitate them among us that the ‘fish gate’ might be restored to the community of God. The fish gate was likely named for the fish that were brought through it from the Sea of Galilee. The fish market was likely located at this gate. The way of “Galilee” is the way of salvation to the nations. Jesus came to be a Light unto the Gentiles and a hope unto the way of Galilee (Isa. 9:1).

The next gate of restoration in Nehemiah is the ‘Old Gate” (Neh. 3:6). I believe that this gate can be likened to the preservation of truth, foundations laid, and teaching given as a foundation in the community of God. I believe that the ‘old gate’ also represents a place of sustaining and increasing the inheritances that come from our past. I see the ‘old gate’ as the foundation truths of the Christian faith (Heb. 6:1,2). The old gate exists in the reality of the foundation graces of the Body of Christ. There is a need to keep in those things established as foundational truths, such as water baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, principles of giving, and other foundational truths and skills to the body as God adds new members. Paul told the Thessalonians’ church to stay true to the traditions given to them by the apostles (2 These. 3:6). The ‘old gate’ sets an anchor for a foundation of repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, keeping in the apostolic teaching, continuing steadfastly in fellowship, continuing in communion, and remaining faithful in prayer (Acts 2:37, 42). Every local church needs to evaluate the condition of the ‘old gate’ in the house. Are people being established in the basic teachings of the Christian faith? We need to activate and facilitate those with teaching graces among the congregation to make the ‘old gate’ strong and functioning in the local community. We need to facilitate a culture that puts to use those things set in the foundation of the faith.

I will continue presenting the gates of the city in this month’s blogs. If you are a leader in the community of God do an evaluation this week of the ‘sheep gate’, the ‘fish gate’, and the ‘old gate’ in your area of influence. How is God directing you to connect people in the pastoral grace of hearing God and presenting their lives as living sacrifices to God with a transformation of their minds that comes through hearing God and living in His way? How are you in your area of community leadership activating a spirit of outreach and connection to those who are being drawn into the net of the kingdom? Are men becoming fishers of men? Are there acts of faith that exhibit a testimony of God’s life to the world around you? How are you as a leader in the community of God facilitating the inherited truths of God and the inheritances of our father’s in the faith? The foundations of the growing community of God are established upon the inheritances of the past.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings,

In this past month I have been writing in regard to the corporate connection of a leadership team. I have used the example of the fall of Lucifer as a caution to the flaw of self within a leadership team. Today I want to summarize the issues that make for a united and purpose filled leadership team.

Every leadership team must know that the purpose of the team is dependent upon the connection of each of the team members to their God-ordained commission as a team. Each member of the team is essential to the destiny of the whole. It takes humility on the part of each member to embrace the corporate purpose of the team above any individual agendas of any team member. Each member of the team must give his or her heart to the corporate purpose of the team in bringing glory to God. There is no room for the pride of self within the life of any team member.

In order to fulfill the purpose of the team each member must be a giver of life to the other members of the team and to the function and responsibilities of the team. Team members don’t live for themselves or for their own personal agendas. They live for the team and for the will of God for the team. The product of the team must be to give life to others within and through their role as a team.

A leadership team flourishes and thrives through the testimony of its unity. Unity is a result of diversity working together as one. It is through the diversity of each team member that a team can take on the full dynamic of being a team for the full purpose of its destiny. Team members are dependent upon God and interdependent upon one another. There is no room for an independent spirit in any team member.

Every team has various levels of responsibility within the members of the team. Not all team members carry the same level of responsibility individually, but they carry the same corporate responsibility as a team. Responsibility equals authority, but authority doesn’t equal value. Every team member has an equal value, but not every team member has equal authority. Each team member must carry the load of his or her own authority for the purpose of the team. All team members working together will produce the full authority of the team. Although there are various levels of authority in a team there are not various levels of hierarchy. No team member is allowed to seek to ascend above the other team members as a means of establishing a hierarchy within the team. A point leader of the team is not above the other team members in value. He or she is simply carries the responsibility of leading the team as each member brings their individual contributions to the team for the full corporate purpose of the team. Each individual member contributes their service of ministry to and through the team, but no team member seeks their own ministry. Although the team is made of several individuals, each individual sees himself or herself as someone who makes a valuable contribution to the team and the corporate purpose of the team. They don’t get their value from their contribution. They see themselves as valuable by God’s grace so they willingly contribute their value to the team. Each member recognizes that their individual strength is also their weakness. As long as they recognize the weakness of their strength they can contribute the strength of who they are to one another. Each member’s strength is a potential stronghold of individual pride. Each member must submit their strength to the team and they must receive the strength of each of the others in order to receive the fullness of a team expression.

Team members get their identity from God and from their relational connection with the team. They don’t get their identity from their ministry. The glue of the team is relationship and thus the team and its members are dependent upon their connection with one another. There can be no individual domination of other team members by an individual team member. A team member can never isolate from the other members of the team. A covenant team knows that the life of the team and its members are dependent upon their connection with one another through relationship and not the mere function of their abilities.

A God-chosen team is destined to reveal God in who they are and in everything they do. They exist to reveal God’s will and God’s presence as a team. The team is gifted to reveal who God is and each team member is gifted to reveal a portion of that testimony. Together they reveal the full testimony of who God is in the purpose of the team. It is through the working together of the members of the team that the will of God is sensed and determined. Together they will discover the wisdom of God for each day. They will prove to be a place of God’s habitation. They will discover the favor of God that brings life to others as they work together as a team. The heartbeat of God will be understood, as the team grows in maturity together in living and working as a team. Together they will magnify God. They will know His passion, His presence, and His purpose. They will come to know more as a team then they could ever know as mere individuals. This will be a testimony and an inspiration to those they lead. Every member of the team is perfect as they are and if they embrace who they are for the purpose of one another there will an atmosphere of life in the team and there will be no need for jealousy, envy, or covetousness among any of the team members.

Covenant team members lead others in corporate purposes. Individuals draw others unto themselves, but team members inspire a testimony of community among those they lead. There is a great glory in living for the corporate plan of God. God loves the influence of Zion more than He loves the dwellings of Jacob. Zion is the corporate place of God’s presence and purpose. Jacob’s dwelling is a place of individual seeking.

Psalms 87:2,3 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah

Let’s all embrace the corporate purpose and testimony of being members of God-ordained leadership teams for His glory.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

  Leader11  Monthly Audio Teaching

  Leader11 PDF Outline

Greetings,

In these past blogs I have been looking at the failure of Lucifer and how he now schemes as a fallen creation to destroy the uniqueness of who we are in our creation in God. He hates the authority of life and God designed submission is something he seeks to destroy. The failure of Lucifer was made manifest when he became self-seeking in his heart and began to boast and lie against the truth. He became focused on natural understanding and sensual in his practices. It was than that his life-giving attributes transformed to death-producing activity. He was no longer pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, or good fruits. He became partial in his decision-making abilities and demonstrated acts of hypocrisy. He was no longer a peacemaker, but became a propagator of division to the purposes of God. God cast him to the ground, evidence that he had become bound to natural understanding and could no longer live in the destiny of his original creation. Lucifer become unwise, though he was anointed to be wise. He didn’t understand what the will of God was.

Ephesians 5:17-21:Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Lucifer became self-gratifying rather than life giving to others (Eph 5:18). He was a taker and not a giver. His psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs became tunes for his own purpose, not for the life of others (Eph. 5:19). He did not see thankfulness to God as the essence of his purpose (Eph. 5:20). The fruit of it all was the inability to submit to others and the absence of the fear of God (Eph. 5:21). He defiled the sanctuaries of his responsibility before God (Ezek. 28:18). He ended up consumed by his own self-seeking fire and thus became ashes upon the earth (Ezek. 28:18). He became a disgrace to God’s purposes in his life and could no longer bring honor to God’s name. The only thing that he can produce now is self-seeking and death to any environment he finds himself in. He is absent the glory of God (Isa. 14:15). Now, he is Satan – a false accuser. He is the Devil – a destroyer of the souls of men through the perversion of their soul’s identity. He only brings death and destruction and is thus doomed to that same judgment (Isa. 14:19,20).

What lessons can those involved in team ministry learn from Lucifer’s fall? God reveals His wisdom to the Church by His Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10). Any ministry team called by God must release a sound and expression that enables others to sense what God is desiring to bring to pass in their midst by the power of His Spirit. Leadership team members are not those who know all things. They simply release an expression that helps all come to understand what God is bringing to pass. Leadership teams are not mere teachers of God’s way. They are activators, facilitators, and releasors of the expressions of God in a corporate community. Any expression of God must be one of God’s light to a new day. It will be filled with life, hope, and a testimony of His overcoming grace.

Individual members of a community of God must never get their identity from their position or their function within the community. They must get their identity from God their Father and then express who they are in Him through submission one to another. Leaders must set the example for others in this and create an atmosphere and a culture where submission can flow. Only a corporate expression together will reveal who God really is. Neither leaders nor congregation members can ever grasp for the place of another.

Leaders must set an example that others can follow. They cannot do this by rules of law or command. They must do this by becoming the substance of God’s true life in a way that activates, facilitates, and releases others to become the same, Jealousy and bitter envy must never be found in a leadership team. They are to seek God intensely and never be seekers of themselves. Carnality, sensuality, and self-seeking agendas have no place in a leadership team. Team members must never be wise in their own understanding, but must exhibit meekness to God and to one-another.

Every expression of the community of God is anointed to reveal God’s beauty. Every expression should reveal some attribute of who God is. Who someone is must never be used to perform or express who they are as individual members. Each must know that they live for the well being of another. Whether it is a leadership team or an expression of the community, the rhythm and sound that comes from them together as a team is meant to magnify God and announce His holiness from the place of His manifested presence. The essence of that which is released through their ministry is thankfulness to God in every way.

Leadership team members must live to be pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, and good fruits before God and men. They must never be partial in their decision-making abilities, or hypocrites in their actions before God and men. They will no doubt fail at times in this process, but their hearts must be in pursuit of these qualities. They must be givers of life to others. Their lives must be filled with the sound of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that bring life to others and magnify God’s purpose in the earth. These are the testimony of their attitudes, their expressions, their focus, and their agendas in life. The sound and expression of their lives must exhibit a submission to others and an awe of who God is. In this they will bring honor to the name of God in the earth and life to every environment they find themselves in.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings;

Last week I began to address Satan’s plan to destroy leadership teams from within. He will tempt leadership members to think with individual plans rather than corporate ones. He tempts team members to live for their own personal causes rather than the corporate cause of Christ. He seeks to cause leadership members to separate from one another rather than live for the corporate cause, plan, and purpose of Christ. Today we will look further into the failure of the morning star known in the Latin as Lucifer.

I believe that everything in life is a matter of authority. Authority is revealed through one’s ability to give life to another. Authority is not marked with manipulation and control. It is the ability to be in submission one to another in order to produce something greater than self. The human race was created to reveal the likeness and the image of God in this world. This cannot be done by any individual alone, but by many individuals submitting one to another to reveal a fuller picture of who God is. Every collective order is dependent upon the submission of its members to reveal the full purpose of the whole. I believe that Satan was originally created as a covering cherub that magnified the expressive nature of God. The Latin language refers to him as Lucifer in his original creation, a name that is indicative of someone who refracts or reflects light. Like all created things, he was created to be joined to other created things in order to fulfill a fuller purpose as God’s creation. God never created anything to be independent of other created things. He created all things to reveal a testimony of His glory through their connection one to another. I believe that even Lucifer was created for God’s glory. Perhaps that glory was meant to be revealed through his failure as much as through his original created being, this is just a thought and not intended to be taken as solid truth.

I believe that Lucifer revealed his character flaw when he lifted his heart and looked through the eyes of his own understanding (Ezek. 28:17). He didn’t look through the eyes of submission, which would have been the eyes of authority. He looked through the eyes of his own understanding, which revealed an independence from others and a grasping for a power of self. It was then that he found his identity in the ministry he was performing. He valued what he was able to do more than his service to God in revealing Him to others. Lucifer committed the sin of self-seeking wisdom as found in the book of James.

James 3:13-18 – Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self- seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

True wisdom from God is meek and it seeks the welfare of others. It does not contain bitter envy of others nor does it seek personal agendas. Those exercising the wisdom of God don’t boast concerning themselves, but they seek to live in a way that honors the uniqueness of others. Those who exercise godly wisdom acknowledge their own dependance upon others in order to be who they truly are. Godly wisdom is all about relationship with others. It is all about being dependent upon others in order to fulfill the destiny of their own identity. True wisdom is exercised in purity, peace, gentleness, a willingness to yield, mercy, and all manner of good fruits.  Those who live with godly wisdom recognize the value of others as being as valuable as themselves. They seek to live in a way that reveals their connectedness to others and they live to make others shine. There is a testimony of true peace in their relationship with God and others in life.

God ordained and anointed leadership teams must manifest the wisdom of God in who they are and what they do. They are a team for the glory of God, for one another, and for those they lead. The life of authority must reside in their existence and not a grasping for power.

Lucifer became wise in his own understanding. He began to reject the meekness of heavenly wisdom and began to draw other angels in heaven to his own cause (Ezek. 28:16). His wisdom became corrupted for the sake of his own splendor (Ezek. 28:17). He wanted his way more the way that glorified God in heaven. His heart became filled with bitter envy of that which he could hear, see, and think – in regard to things not given to his charge, but the charge of others (Isa. 14:12-14).

There is no room for self-seeking wisdom in a leadership team. The way of God and the way of the team must be more important than the way of self to any member of the team. When we are part of a team we experience the testimony of others in connection with the testimony of ourselves. We must see the testimony of others as just as important as the role we play in the team. The full testimony of who a team member is is seen in their ability to contribute to the whole team functioning together. The fruit of the team will reveal the testimony of its members. Every team member will hear, see, and think things that are conducive to their role in the team. Every member will also hear, see, and come to know the expressions of others on the team. No member can understand the role of another member without submitting who they are to the glory of another. Each member will hear, see, and think in a way unique to their function in the team. It is through submission one to another that the authority of life will be revealed in God’s ordained way.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Greetings;

A created being known as the star of the morning (the Latin word Lucifer), was created to bring light for every new day. His attributes and characteristics were depicted as the root of the testimony of the King of Babylon and the King of Tyre through the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:12-19). This created being was a covering cherub that revealed the expressions magnifying the light, sound, and the rhythm of God. It was a daily process (morning star) and it was connected to his ability to refract or reflect the light of God in various expressions of the frequency of light. He was an excellent creation of God and he had a great purpose before Him. He failed in his purpose through pride. Instead of being humble, he was humbled by God for his failure to be who God created him to be. He became a taker rather than live a fulfilled life as a giver of glory to God within the measure of his being before God. He didn’t give his heart to the corporate purpose of God. He exhibited an independent spirit, rather than a dependent spirit upon God and those he was joined to in his creation.

His plan for failure was walked out in a three-fold measure. His plan was to ascend, exalt his own throne, and to sit above others. His confession was one of having his own power, his own throne, and his own authority. His testimony was a testimony of “self”.

We are all called to lead in a way that inspires others to confess that God is their God, but the flaw of Lucifer was to be his own ministry and to get others to confess the glory of his name. We are called to lead others in a way that causes them to find their identity in God and thus they become an obvious testimony of God. A flaw in Lucifer was to be his own person and thus he found his identity in what he did. We are called to lead in a way that causes men to tabernacle with God and for God to tabernacle with them. Our leadership should inspire relational connection of men to God and to one another. A third flaw in Lucifer was his desire to sit above others. He sought an importance through a domination of others and isolation from others. Lucifer’s desire of “self” ultimately revealed him as that which is as far from God as you can get.

We can never find our identity from the ministry we carry or the gifts that we contain. We get our identity from God as our Father and our being defines our true identity. It is not our doing that defines who we are. As leaders in the body of Christ we must set an example that others can clearly see in regard to the true identity as human beings. We must live with secure identities as sons and daughters of God. We must be secure in who we are as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. We must be secure in who we are as dads and moms, as grandfathers and grandmothers. Our security doesn’t come from our abilities, gifts, or talents. Our security comes from being people who reveal the character, nature, way, power, and authority of God as our Father. We need God and we need one another in order to fully be who we are.

In a team of ministry there is no such thing as “my ministry”. There is the corporate ministry of the team, but each member of the team fulfills a specific part of that call of ministry. The purpose is the team and not the individual agendas of the individual team members. In any corporate expression of the church there is no such thing as ‘individual ministries’. There is the corporate expression of the whole and then there are unique ministries within that corporate body that make up the entire equation of ministry. When we make any ministry a confession of ourselves we make people dependant upon us. This was the flaw found in the identity of Lucifer, the fallen angel known to us as Satan or the Devil. If we plan to fail we will do so by exalting our own thrones. Lucifer sought ministry for identification rather than finding his identity in God and then ministering to lead others to God.

Satan targets to destroy leadership teams from within. He will tempt leadership members to think with individual plans rather than corporate plans. He tempts team members to live for their own personal causes rather than the corporate cause of Christ. He seeks to cause leadership members to separate from one another rather than live for the corporate cause, plan, and purpose of Christ. God wants congregations in His family to live for the corporate causes, plans, and purposes of the Father’s name. As leaders we must lead in a way that sets an example for us to become expressions of the Father’s name.

Our enemy is a deceiver, a devourer, and a causer of conflict. As a deceiver he draws others to his own personal causes, as a devourer he detested the corporate plan of another, and as one who causes conflict with others he separated from the place of corporate purpose. No one wakes up in the morning and decides to be a deceiver, a devourer, or a causer of conflict among men; but the weapons of Satan often become the weapons of destruction within our own measures of rule.

As I present this month’s topic of leadership inspiration, let’s consider who God created each of us to be and how who we are brings glory to God and to others. If you are part of a leadership team consider the make up of that team and what it is that defines that team in bringing glory to God in the earth. As this month progresses we will examine the failure of Lucifer and how he schemes to tempt us to trade our true identities in Christ for a lie of disconnection and the limitation of self.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson