Authority Comes From God

Posted on April 17, 2013 by ted4leaders

Greetings;

All authority comes from God. Whether that authority is dealt with righteously or unrighteously is in the hands of those who exercise it. A true key in understanding authority is found in a proper understanding of submission. Authority doesn’t give any individual their value. Authority simply equates to the responsibility given to an individual. More responsibility given and received equals more authority, but it does not equal more value. The value of every person is the same. God the Father paid the price of each person’s value when He gave His only begotten Son as a ransom for each one. The value of every person is the value of being a one and only. Each person is unique and each person is equally valuable. Authority is simply a measure of life given to a person whereby they can give that life to others.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that they were to be subject to the governing authorities of their day. The governing authorities of their day were not by any means operating in true righteousness.

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

The Greek word for authority here is the word exousia. It is a word that means power or in essence it “is what it is”. An example of exousia would be that of the policeman having the authority to enforce the law. He does not have the authority to create new law. That would be the responsibly of a different governing body. He simply has the authority to enforce the law. A doctor has the authority to be a doctor, but he doesn’t have the authority to tell you where you take your vacation. He might be able to suggest a vacation, but he cannot tell you where to go. A pastor can give you godly principles for raising your children, but he cannot tell you how or what disciplines to put in place in your process as a parent. As long as a person stays within the boundaries of their God-given responsibilities we must submit to them.

We are not just to blindly submit to those who say they have authority. We are to recognize those who have authority in our lives and we are to submit to them as unto the Lord. We do not submit to them as being the Lord. We submit to them as unto the Lord. We put our submission to the lowest level as to the highest level. That highest level is God Himself. When we submit to authority as unto the Lord we open an effective door for God to intervene when authority crosses the lines to illegitimacy.

We must always relate to the lowest authority above us as though it is the highest authority. The lowest authority above us is our connecting authority, or the authority we directly relate to. In this is found a secret and a key to God’s kingdom life. When we relate to the lowest authority above us as the highest authority above us, we allow the highest authority above us (God) to see to it that the lowest authority above us is a righteous authority. If the lowest authority above us is not righteous, we give God the right and the ability to deal with that authority. God will either change or remove that authority. If we submit to the lowest authority above us as being itself, we get that authority and not the authority of God. The secret in this submission is a matter of faith. We must stay in the place of hearing God in the authorities of our lives. This type of obedience cannot just be blind obedience to the abuses of men. It must be a faith in our obedience to God. Faith is not something we fake or attempt to do as an obligation to control or to be controlled. Faith is the fruit of hearing God and it has a great power of life.

I will use a story in my own life to illustrate this principle. In my early years as a believer I became a part of a Christian organization that had many discipleship homes. I lived in such a home with many other young men. The man who oversaw the home was a lay pastor in the movement I was a part of. I saw God do many amazing things in the lives of many people. We went from being a small group of people to a huge number in a very short time. God was very present and there were many life-giving things that took place. I experienced God on a very personal level in many ways. I felt that God had led me to join this group of people and that I was there in His perfect will. I believe this to be true to this very day. Although the place where I found myself was a God-directed connection, there were abusive things at work that I was unaware of. The leader of the home that I lived in was battling issues of homosexuality and was in fact seeking to take advantage of the young men who lived in the home. I was naive to his agenda and submitted to him as my pastor as unto the Lord. The home that we lived in was on a piece of land that was several acres in size. There was about two acres of garden space and I was responsible to oversee the gardens. We supplied many needy people with produce from the various crops grown. One day the leader asked me to multiply the strawberries in the strawberry patch. I did as I had learned growing up, but when this leader came home he was furious as to how I had done the task. He exploded in anger and told me to leave. He said he never wanted to see my face again. I looked directly at him and I said, “Sir, I cannot leave! God told me to be here. What do you need me to do?” He gave me a task of raking pine needles on the land. I raked pine needles until the palms of my hands were both an entire blister. It was a huge abuse on his part towards me. I was young and naive. I would not have submitted knowing what I know today, but my act of faith toward God opened a door towards a miracle. I know there were other things in play as well, but I believe that God saw my submission that day as unto Him. It was just a short period of time after that the whole issue of the man’s homosexuality was exposed and everyone in the home was rescued from disaster. The church authorities stepped in and brought order, healing and redemption to the whole situation. I have even found out decades later that the pastor bound to the deception has walked a path of repentance and has a restored life in the kingdom of God. I am not for a moment condoning the behavior of that pastor in the situation, but I am saying that God can do miracles when submission is unto Him. The secret is in the faith toward God in the midst of the situation.

I am not advocating that anyone remain in an abusive situation. I am simply saying that when we have faith, God can do amazing things. When we submit to the lowest authority as unto the Lord we give God the access to change that authority. There are boundaries to authority. An abusive husband loses authority by violating the Holy Spirit, the conscience of his wife, and his own delegated responsibility as a husband. A wife is not required to submit to her husband outside of his true authority, but God can and will intervene when the heart of those in submission call upon Him in faith.

There was a time in my life when I was in the process of being called by God into the ministry. I was spending most of my days praying, reading God’s word, and even ministering to people on the street of our city. During this time I was still working a secular job putting in anywhere from forty to sixty hours per week. It had come to the point where I was spending about forty hours per week in ministry and up to sixty hours per week at my job. This took me away from home while my wife had to deal with our three children and all of the responsibilities of the house. We lived in a log house and had no electricity, only a generator that we ran every three days to run the washing machine and charge the batteries for our DC electrical system. This was not just a simple process. The generator had to be fueled and it was in a location outside of the house. It wasn’t just a matter of flipping on a switch or turning on a key. It was inconvenient and a lot of work. The house was heated by firewood and there were a lot of extra chores such as hauling in wood, cleaning up the mess, and making sure the fire was always lit. My wife was left to deal with these things in my absence. She never complained, but the added responsibilities were beginning to wear on her. One day she went to God and voiced that it was not fair that she had all of the added responsibilities due to my absence. When she did, God simply told her, “That’s right, you do have all those things”. Instead of despising me for my absence, she willingly accepted the responsibility even though it was not fair on her part. She submitted to me as unto the Lord and it was only a short time after that God presented me with a choice between my secular job and ministry. I chose ministry. My choice of one gave me more time to fulfill my responsibilities as a husband. My wife’s submission was a key to God’s intervention in the situation. She didn’t submit to me as being her lord, she submitted to me as unto the Lord and the Lord in turn spoke to my heart to change the situation. I believe her faith moved God and allowed me to hear what God was saying.

The story of Abigail in the Scriptures is a wonderful story. It is recorded in 1Samuel, Chapter 25. Abigail’s husband’s name was Nabal. He was a very wealthy man and had plenty of provisions to spare. Although he was blessed by considerable means, he was a harsh man and evil in his doings. One day King David sent his men to receive supplies and provisions from Nabal. When David’s men arrived at Nabal’s house Nabal sent them away and gave no provisions to King David. When the men returned to David and told him of the situation David rode to destroy Nabal for his rejection of those David had sent. While in route to Nabal’s home, Abigail the wife of Nabal met David and his men along the rode and gave them provisions, pleading for King David to spare her husband Nabal for his ignorance of honoring the King. King David received her gift and spared her husband’s life. Immediately after God struck Nabal with a heart attack and within a week he died. When King David heard of it he made room for Abigail in his own palace and she lived as David’s wife. Abigail did not despise her husband. She covered him by giving provisions to the King on his behalf. God in response removed the unrighteous authority of Nabal in Abigail’s life.

When we submit to authority we must submit as unto the Lord. No person is a lord in our lives, but the authority they represent comes from the Lord. When we submit to authority as unto the true source we receive the blessings, protection, and benefits that come from the true source. God is good and generous in His ways. He can come to our rescue and change the circumstances we find ourselves in when we have a right heart in our submission.

 

Food For Thought,

 

Ted J. Hanson

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Legitimate Authority

Posted on April 10, 2013 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

I have begun a series of teachings on the topic of authority. It is possible to have power without having authority, but it is not possible to have authority without having power. It is possible to default in laying hold of the power needed to fulfill authority, but legitimate authority comes from a life source and therefore the power to fulfill that authority is always given when legitimate authority is received. For a glass to have the authority of being a source of water it must be under a higher authority of water, such as a pitcher of water, a fountain, or a faucet. Because it is under a life source of water it can receive water and thus have the authority to give water to others. Illegitimate authority is really a grasping for power, because it is the taking hold of responsibility without being sent to receive that responsibility. Authority equals responsibility, or being responsible for what has been given to you. To take responsibility for what hasn’t been given is illegitimate and is merely a grasping for power.

Legitimate authority brings life to those that are under it. The mark of authority is release to others. If I am operating in true authority as a husband to my wife, my wife will become fully alive in who she is. To the degree that she flourishes in who she is as a wife is a testimony of who I am as her husband. To the degree that the members of a congregation flourish in who they are meant to be is a testament to the authority of their God-given leadership. When leadership operates in legitimate authority the members of the congregation will grow in liberty, maturity, and intimacy with God. Since the authority of God has been given to us through Jesus Christ, the testimony of that authority should be His increasing life.

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The discipline of authority is one of grace and not law. That grace is the power of God to bring life to those who receive it. The submersion of authority is one of the character, nature, way, power and authority of Christ. It is not a subjection to a power of control. The teaching of that authority is one of activation, facilitation, and release. It produces a power of transformation in the lives of those who receive it. The testimony of that authority is that of the manifest presence of Christ.

As leaders we must stand in the authority given to us by God. To grasp for power is totally different than standing in the authority given to us by God. True authority is standing in the measure of rule given to us by God. If the son of the morning (Lucifer) had stood in the measure of rule given him by God, he would have remained a magnificent testimony of the light of God in heaven. He traded his authority for a lie by grasping for power (Isa. 14:12-19; Ezek. 28:12-19). He grasped for something that was not his to take hold of. The result was, he became a perversion of what he was created to be. The worst thing anyone can get is someone else’s measure of rule. The result is a perversion of who they are meant to be and the testimony is that of the power of death. It is important that we all stand within the measure of rule given to us by God. This is our God-given authority and only our God-given authority will bear the fruit of life.

Let’s say you find the keys to a new BMW car and you see that car parked along the road. You get into the car and find that the keys fit and the car starts to run. You now have the power to drive the car down the road, but the problem is you don’t have the title deed to the car. The keys to the car are the power to start the car, but the deed to the car is the authority to take the car. If you don’t pay the price for the deed you are a thief with the keys. The result will be the pain of arrest and prosecution on your part. If you purchase a car valued at $500 you will have the authority to drive a $500 car. To drive a car the costs $50,000 requires the full price of $50,000 to secure the deed to own the car and drive it legitimately.

Our salvation is free, but there is a price to pay in order to stand in the authority given us by God. There is a process to the journey of authority in life. When a man or a woman is single they have the authority of being single. They can grasp for the power to produce children, but the result will be a dysfunctional family that will struggle in its attempt to find the freedom of true life. Their grasping is most often an attempt to reap the benefits of a marriage covenant without paying the price of that covenant. They are grasping for power. It is an attribute of taking and not receiving what is legitimately given them by paying the price of authority. The authority to produce children is the covenant of marriage. It is like the deed to the car. They have the power of the keys, but they lack the authority of the deed. This is why societies are so filled with the testimonies of death. Illegitimate authority will always produce dysfunctions in life. The authority of a single person is to live within the boundaries of a single life. The authority of a married person is to live within the boundaries of a married life. A married person cannot grasp for the sphere of singleness nor can a single person grasp for the sphere of married life. If either does they will produce a dysfunction of death in some measure. They will be bound to a sphere of taking and will not live in the true liberty of authority and life. Societies suffer for lack of understanding authority. Grasping for power will always produce dysfunction and death. Standing in God-given authority with God-directed function will always produce life. Ministries suffer for lack of understanding authority as well. When someone grasps for power to produce the benefits of a covenant without paying the price of that covenant they will create a measure of death and dysfunction in some way.

All life comes out of authority. Proper authority will always produce life. Improper authority will always produce death. Anything that is not birthed from authority will end in death. Authority is sent from a life source and is much different than a grasping for power. Illegitimate children are birthed from power, not authority. The end result is dysfunctional families. The authority to produce children is called the covenant of marriage. The power to produce children alone will produce a measure of death. God can work it out and can intervene with a supernatural grace to work things out, but if we pay the price to receive legitimate authority we will always produce the legitimacy of life. Our rights in life do not come because of power. They come from authority. God wants to release the sweet cane authority from heaven that brings the sweetness of His life in all things. The issues of authority are true in every arena of life, in spite of the ignorance of mankind toward the issue of authority. As leaders in God’s kingdom, we must seek the life that comes from authority and we must not seek power. We must accept and receive God-given responsibility, which is the testimony of true authority. God will anoint us for the place He appoints us.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

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An Introduction To Authority

Posted on April 3, 2013 by ted4leaders

Greetings,

Today I am going to begin to write on the topic of authority. Authority is a greatly misunderstood subject in the body of Christ and in the world. When we think of authority we often think of control, but true authority always produces life. Authority brings release and does not seek to control.

When we think of authority we often think of anointing and anointing is part of authority. It is not the main point when it comes to authority, but it is a part of the testimony of authority. If you examine the ingredients of the anointing oil in the Old Testament you will find that there were five ingredients in the oil (Ex. 30:23-25).  One ingredient was myrrh. Myrrh was burial oil and I believe that it speaks of the testimony of death and resurrection in Christ. A second ingredient was cinnamon and I believe that cinnamon speaks of intimacy, love, life and joy (Song. 4:13). It is a testimony of intimacy, love, and life found in Christ. A third ingredient was cassia. Cassia was a type of cinnamon that acted as an ex lax and held healing properties. I believe that this is the part of the anointing oil that removes the issues of the past and heals the wounded places of our lives. A fourth ingredient was olive oil and olive oil is significant to the prophetic testimony of the anointing oil. It is a symbol of the prophetic life of God as the one who speaks and life happens. It is what gives the oil its fatness. The final ingredient of the anointing oil was sweet cane. I believe that sweet cane is a testimony to authority. It is a cane and is thus a measuring rod and a testimony of rule. That cane was sweet and thus it testifies of a rule that brings life. Sugar brightens the eyes and gives life energy. Authority is like the sweet cane in the anointing oil. It brings life and release to those who receive its influence. There is an element in the anointing oil that testifies of authority, but authority is more than the anointing oil.

I have heard it said that the anointing breaks the yoke, but a closer look at Scripture reveals that it is the anointing oil and not merely the anointing that carries the power to break the strongholds in the earth. The anointing oil is the fatness or the grease of the anointing. When a piece of meat is placed upon a fire the oil that comes from within the meat becomes the oil that greases the pan.

Isaiah 10:26,27 The LORD of hosts will arouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the sea and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt.  It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

The anointing oil in this Scripture is connected to the story of Gideon and the 300 (Jdg. 6) and to Moses and the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:15,16). In the story of Gideon it was the testimony of the torches in the clay jars that revealed the authority for victory over the Midianites. In the story of Moses and the Red Sea it was the rod in the hand of Moses that revealed the authority to part the water of the Red Sea. The substance within was the testimony of the external oil of authority. It is not merely the light that comes from the burning lamp that reveals the authority of life. It is the oil that fuels the flame that reveals the authority of life.

The anointing oil speaks of the manifested presence of Jesus. There is an authority of life within the heart of each leader that reveals the manifested presence of Jesus. It is a testimony of sweet cane. It is an ingredient with a standard of life that does not change, but it is sweet and it brings life to those who receive it. The measure that a leader has is the amount of life that comes from within them. No one has the same measure, but each measure is a measure of life.

Anointing is not the true testimony of authority. Responsibility is! Authority makes you responsible, but it does not equate to your value. Each and every one has the same value. The value of every human soul is that of a one and only. God gave His only begotten Son for each and every human being; this is what gives each and every human soul their value. Authority is a testimony of responsibity, not value. It is the measure of responsibility given to each one by God and it is made known by the anointing of Christ within them. Anointing doesn’t equal authority, but responsible people will be anointed to carry out their God-given responsibilities. Each of us must be faithful with the measure that has been given to us by God. The measure of responsibility given to each one is a measurement of life they can give to others. Authority is meant to bring life to others.

A New Covenant testimony of authority is the power of Christ within us (Col. 1:27). It is not the power of Christ to us that makes us free, but the testimony of Christ within. A New Covenant reality is the testimony of light shining ‘out of darkness’ and not merely to darkness. The testimony of authority is within the life of each believer. The testimony is an authority of life and it brings a release of life to the world.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

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The Final Gates

Posted on March 27, 2013 by 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

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Three More Gates of the City

Posted on March 20, 2013 by ted4leaders

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

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A Further Look at the Gates

Posted on March 14, 2013 by ted4leaders

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

 

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Evaluating The Gates

Posted on March 6, 2013 by ted4leaders

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

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Living For The Team

Posted on February 27, 2013 by ted4leaders

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

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Leading For the Well Being of Others

Posted on February 20, 2013 by ted4leaders

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

 

 

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The Wisdom of God, Not The Wisdom of Self

Posted on February 14, 2013 by ted4leaders

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

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