House of Prayer

The Good News (Gospel) According to Matthew
Today’s Focus: A House of Prayer
Scripture: Matthew 21:12-13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now this message is going to get somebody upset but hey it is the Word of God and when we accepted Christ and the Holy Spirit, we accepted to follow the truth so when we read these scriptures, I pray that pastors and leaders, we start making changes and setting the example that the church is not a business! Many pastors have made it that and Jesus HATES that. Let’s look at verse 12 first!

Look at what Jesus does when he enters the temple! He cast out all them who:
1. Sold and bought in the temple
2. Were moneychangers and sold doves

Now if we just look at this scripture alone, based off of the actions of Jesus, it is clear that we are not to sell or purchase ANYTHING in the House of God! Regardless if it is fundraising and or selling cd’s and recordings of the service (Why sell the Word of God when it is free?), selling dinners and all these things we do to raise money for the church. This is a religious concept that we need to stop. Question: Does God Need Our Help Raising Money for His Church? Hmm! Ok, the only thing that God requires of us is our tithes and offerings. Can we agree on that. So, if every member of their respective House of God pay their tithes and offerings AS THEY SHOULD then naturally the church should be able to do whatever it needs to provide ministerial services to the community. But on the spiritual side – Matthew 6:33 states “But seek ye first, the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you.” So based off of God’s law if the church seeks God’s Kingdom first and stay in right-positioning with God, then God will supply all the needs of the church. Now that is a different concept. Whatever God ordains, He sustains. So if God ordained His church then the church if it is in righteousness with God will have all of it’s needs met. How about this let’s go back to biblical times and do what Jesus called us to do and see if that works and that is:

Preach the Word and the Gospel of the Kingdom!!

Pastors if you just do this one thing and show people how to live in the Kingdom, the church will be taken care of by God. All of the money the church needs will come from just everywhere but we have to put our faith in who we cannot see and not who we can see. Yes we should encourage members to pay their tithes but it should not be an every Sunday sermon because then you are searching for money and all you need is the Word of God and the Gospel of the Kingdom. This ministry is a witness to how God sustains what He ordains. We have not spent a dime nor solicited a dime for anyone yet the Lord has pricked the hearts of nearly 700 people to hear the Kingdom of God message daily in their emails and on facebook. He has blessed us to reach the World through internet radio and Itunes. And all I had to do was preach the Word of God and the Kingdom of God to whom God has sent to me. When I did not do as instructed the growth slowed but when I did as God instructed the growth has been continuous and large. So Pastors and Bishops, change today how we get money for the church. Do as Jesus instructed and have faith and watch the power of God be made manifest in your ministry.

Finally, verse 13, Jesus states that His house shall be a house of prayer; but you (Pharisees, Sadducees, Religious Leaders: Pastors and Bishops) have made it a den of thieves. Now I am not calling you a thief, but Jesus is! You have now been warned by Jesus himself if you have read this message. Stop all of the selling and buying in the house of God! The Holy Spirit just revealed this to me! If we sell, buy and fundraise in the church then we as the people can state this claim “If it were not for me and my contributions then the church would not be able to function.” See this is the attitude that happens when we search for the money from the congregation instead of from God himself. Let me show you this scripture and I pray it seeps into your soul:

Genesis 14:21-23
And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.

My, my, my! The underlined portion is the key. Instead of Abram seeking the riches of the king of Sodom, he sought the Almighty God, the possessor of heaven and earth. See God wants the credit because man will take the credit if given the chance. So when it comes to God’s House, because He is the possessor of heaven and earth, then He controls the money and all the things you need for the ministry. So, seek the Kingdom and allow the things (money) to seek you and not you seek the things and give man credit for what God has ordained and sustained.

At Our Father’s Service,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.