Household Gatherings and Teachings

The Kingdom Perspective | Blog Talk Radio Feed

The Kingdom Perspective Blogtalkradio Show

Listen to internet radio with Kingdom Citizens on Blog Talk Radio

Household of Calhoun

Monday, January 31, 2011

Understanding Ministry and the Effects of the Orphan

House of God
Today’s Topic: Concept of Salvation: Understanding Ministry and the Effects of the Orphan
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:18; Romans 8:29,30; Romans 12:1,2; Acts 9

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
2 Corinthians 5:18 says that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Now the word ministry has been so misconstrued and misunderstood. Many people do not walk in their true destiny because they do not believe that they have a ministry. Now let’s talk about the misconception and then deal with the reality.

Religion has made everyone’s ministry into a “church” model. This model is where everyone’s ministry has to be cleared by what you can put under the roof of a church house on Saturday or Sunday morning. This is a perverse mentality because it suppresses people. Churches who use this mindset see you as an opportunity to expand THEIR base of operation. In other words, it is not about discipling nor sonship, but about making their church name bigger. In other words you are the marketing ploy for the church. Now as much as that may cut people, in this model you are the resource to the leader to ensure that their provision and protection is met. Now I pray that your church is not like this, but God has shown me and many others that there are many that are. These people who lead these types of ministries are orphans. They are unfathered individuals and many of them are not accountable to anyone. If they were fathered or understood the culture of the son then they would understand they are accountable to the Father. Now that we know the misconception of ministry, what is the reality.

The reality is everyone has a ministry. Yes! Every person within the Body of Christ has a ministry. Now, not to confuse you. Your ministry is what you have been predestined and called to do before the foundation of the world. Ministry is simply serving.
Romans 8:29,30:”For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image (worship) of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
So the key to ministry is you must first be conformed to the image of the Son. You are to be the exact representation. Well how can you represent a Spirit? By doing the works of the Spirit as He commands and through obedience is the power of God shown through your ministry. What is your ministry? 2 Corinthians 5:18 says the saints ministry is reconciliation. Through our submission to Christ we are able to show and perform the Will of God in the Earth. Romans 12:1,2 tells us that by being a living sacrifice. The reason reconciliation is everyone’s ministry because it is your first identity to who you are in Christ, a son. Everyone outside of the Body of Christ is just like the prodigal son (Luke 15) who is living the stressful and unfruitful life and they are all looking for the House of God, the House of their Father so they can come in and be reconciled back to the Father and restored back into sonship and rulership.

The church has made our ministry, winning souls, but Holy Spirit through Paul says our ministry is reconciliation. Now, God administers various gifts throughout the Body of Christ to perform certain functions to further the Kingdom of God in the Earth. Your gift is a part of your ministry but it is not your entire ministry and let me explain. You maybe gifted in being an apostle or prophet but that gifting is not known to you until you first understand what it means to be a son of God. Once you learn how to be a child of God, you then can be discipled and once you come into maturity, then can you handle the true riches of the Kingdom, your gifting. There are various examples throughout the entire Bible of this but let’s look at two in particular in the New Testament, Jesus and Paul.

Jesus’ ministry did not begin until He was 30 years of age and even after He received Holy Spirit the spirit lead Him in the wilderness and He fasted for 40 days and was tempted of the devil. Jesus learned about self control and submitting all of Him to the Father. This was a discipling process to bring Him into full maturity before He goes before the people and ministers. He always called God, Father, He understood who He was first and that was a Son and all of the giftings Jesus demonstrated was a result of Him being the Son first!

Paul on the road to Demascus (Acts 9) had an encounter with the Lord and at the House of Ananias Paul received Holy Spirit he dwelt with the disciples and was not confirmed to be an apostle for over 14 years. But in that time Paul was being disicpled and when the fullness of time came, he was given grace to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.

The point we are driving is everyone has a ministry and our first ministry is that we can be reconciled back to the Father we left in the Garden through Jesus Christ. We show the glory of God, Christ in us and us in Christ, through submission to Christ and doing the works of the Father who sends us where He chooses. This is the heart of ministry, sonship.

In the next message we will look at how we lost this mentality and how God brings us back to it.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Concept of Salvation

House of God
Today’s Topic: The Concept of Salvation
Scripture: Matthew 6:33; Ephesians 3:8-11;

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
The intention of God, through His family in the earth, is to demonstrate the wisdom of God to the principalities and powers in the Heavenly realms (Ephesians 3:8-11). These principalities and powers are the fallen angels who challenged God in His decision to make humans the heirs of the Kingdom. Now to redeem fallen man from the sin in the Garden, God sends His Son in the fullness of time to redeem the first son (Adam) and his descendents from the deception that had taken man off the track of God’s purpose for the very creation of the world.

Now when we talk about the gospel that we hear being preached, the gospel we typically hear is one that is based out of the Roman church. That gospel and message of salvation is focused on people being saved from the fall so they can go to Heaven. Is that why we are saved? Is that the reason Jesus came and died, so we can go to Heaven? Going to Heaven is a natural occurrence of being saved but that is not what you are saved from? Some say the reason we should get saved is from eternal damnation? Is that the reason? So why are you saved and what are you saved from?

You are saved from the deception and the control that follows the deception of the enemy’s devices. In addition, you are saved from the mindset that is dominated by Satan. That mindset is the culture of the orphan which focuses on self-provision and protection as your purpose for being on earth. If that is what you are not saved from, then your viewpoint of life is to survive and get your supply until you die. Now this present an entirely new set of circumstances that we need to deal with.

When we look at work or the jobs we have there are two mindsets that determine your view of the very occupation you have. You can have the mindset of the orphan and view the job as a means of getting your supply, manipulating relationships to get your supply, means by meeting your supply by your own abilities and competence, to manipulate situations for your own protection and these things become the focus of life for the orphan or unfathered person. Now what is sad religion perpetrates this same mindset and lifestyle on the followers of it. Religion seeks only to know what it must do to go to heaven. Hence we have all the rituals and processes. So religion makes salvation all about going to Heaven when the truth is salvation is all about being delivered from the control of the lie from Satan and your pre-occupation with self-provision and protection.

Now the other mindset toward work is that your occupation is a venue where God puts you. Through you and the place you work, He is free to show His glory and His presence. His presence heals, reconciles and restores those around you who choose to repent, deny themselves and follow Christ. So your talent puts you in a venue in life and through that venue, God uses the gifts He has given you to show His glory, you and Christ are one, and through you people who are in darkness are enlightened by the Spirit of God. This is a Kingdom concept called colonization. One of the parables Jesus uses is of the leaven. Now I am not talking about the specific parable but the concept of the parable is what I am pointing to. When you add leaven (yeast) to dough, the leaven spreads throughout and the whole dough is affected by the little about of leaven. Now, when we look at colonization, God plants His son in a venue in life (occupation). Through His son, He infects that venue with the Kingdom of God and those who repent and choose God are changed and discipled to the ways of God. So in actuality, you do not have to be in a church building to be saved. The Kingdom of God is always in the concept of colonization. So to the son of God, a job is simply a venue where God appears through your face and people will repent from their own false impressions about God when they see the son of God, the Father’s representative, all around them doing extraordinary things. These sons of God do things from a higher order, with greater creativity, greater insightfulness, morality from the Heavenly perspective. So the culture of Heaven is to be exhibited through you. Whether they accept it or not, they can never say to God on judgment day that they did not have or was given the opportunity to be reconciled back to the Father.

In the next message we will continue to examine salvation and the concept of ministry.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Friday, January 28, 2011

The Heirs and the Heavenly Rebellion

House of God
Today’s Topic: The Heirs and The Heavenly Rebellion
Scripture: Ephesians 3:8-10; Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; Hebrews 1:5; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19;

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
Now I want to lead off with this question: Why does Satan hate you? Why does he want to steal, kill and destroy you? For many people they do not know. For some they have the notion that it is because you are a child of God. Part of the reason is because you are a son of God but if we leave it at that then we are limiting the scope of the reason. But let’s look at this because if you understand why he hates you then you will understand the mindset you need to possess to overcome him and his devices.

Now we know in the fall of man, man separated himself from the Father and our culture of sonship and rule changed to the culture of the orphan, which solely looks at provision and protection as it’s sole purpose. Now Jesus came to restore and reconcile us back to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:18,19). Now all of this was done to show not only mankind but the fallen angels, including satan the wisdom of God. The wisdom about what? Let me draw you the picture and then show you the scripture and then we will have our answer.

In Heaven, we know that Satan, who was Lucifer first, was the worshipping angel. He was the one who would usher in the presence of the Lord. He had musical pipes, built into him (Isaiah 14:11, Ezekiel 28:13), so he was also a musician. Now, when God decided to make this being called man the heirs of the Kingdom, this instantly did not ring well with Lucifer. Lucifer believed that they, the angels should be the rightful heirs of the Kingdom and God was making a mistake making an untried and untested being to be the heirs. So this thought not only did not sit well with Lucifer it spread to over one-third of Heaven’s original angels. Now to add to this Lucifer saw how the angels would look at him when he would come before them reflecting the light of God from the stones that were built into him (Ezekiel 28:13). He took their worship and admiration as that being given to him and he understood that he could manipulate the angels with his music. This mindset that Lucifer developed earned him and one-third of Heaven’s original angels a one-way ticket out of the highest heavens but notice in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 there is no recording that satan nor the fallen angels lost any of their power that they had in Heaven. Now when God created man, He gave man his Spirit which made man His son. Hebrews 1:5 speaks to none of the angels did God call them His son. So Lucifer, now Satan because of his fallen state, seeks to prove to God that this untried and untested creature is not worthy and God made a mistake in choosing man as the heirs of the Kingdom. What a story! Now God could have EASILY destroyed Satan and just went about his business but what would that prove. We already know God is superior to Satan. But God goes on to show the WISDOM He has in choosing man as His heirs. Now look at this scripture of Paul speaking to the church at Ephesus:

Ephesians 3:8-11:”Unto me, who am less that the least of all the saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. And to make ALL men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: TO THE INTENT THAT NOW UNTO THE PRINCIPALITIES (RULERS) AND POWERS IN HEAVENLY PLACES (2ND HEAVEN, SEAT OF THE DEMONIC) MIGHT BE KNOWN BY THE CHURCH THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD, ACCORDING TO THE ETERNAL PURPOSE WHICH HE PURPOSED IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.”

Do we see this! The fellowship of the mystery is about the Father and the sons being one. This is the eternal fellowship all mankind truly seeks. Now it is by this fellowship between man and God that the demonic will see and the saints will know the wisdom of God. The wisdom that the saints are the heirs of the Kingdom and not the angels. Moreover, that the decision that God made in choosing man to be the heirs is the right one and shows the wisdom of God. What a thought. So we need to truly cherish and understand the fellowship we have with Christ.

In the next message we will look at understanding salvation and what it truly means to the House of God and its sons.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Culture of the Son: Summary

House of God

Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: Summary

Scripture: Matthew 6:33; John 17:22; Genesis 1:26

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

The culture of the son hosts the presence of the Father. The presence of the Father in the son is the glory of the son (John 17:22). The indwelling of that glory is the faithfulness of the father to never leave the son nor forsake the son. As a result, by this glory we have a guarantee of our well-being.

The culture of the son does not look at provision and protection. The culture of the son is to rule in the Earth under the divine authority and power given from Christ, to Holy Spirit, to the sons. Culture of the Son is to bring the rulership of God who is in Heaven to Earth. I like to use this analogy:

A 12-inch ruler is simply a standard of measurement. Now if someone wants a 10 inch by 12 inch piece of wood for a project, then we need to know what this will look like. So at first the 10 by 12 piece of wood is invisible. Now the ruler which is a visible instrument takes the dimensions of the invisible wood and draws it out on a visible piece of wood to cut. Once the wood is cut, now, what was once invisible is now visible.

The sons of God are called to be rulers, much like the measuring stick. We are to be the standard for the world. We are to be the instruments of God which takes His invisible eternal realities and bring them to the earth so that it is visible by the creation. The sons of God know that the Father will provide all that is needed for them to complete their calling. They do not worry about provision or protection, just representation and ruling. Genesis 1:26 says we are after their (Godhead) image (representation) and after their likeness (rulership).

Now on the other hand if we think and act like and orphan, even though we are in the Body of Christ, we will always be in search of provision and protection. Their “ministry” is geared to making sure their needs are met and they are taken care of. Their care is not about discipling nor rulership it is all about provision and protection. They are not concerned about properly deploying disciples and maturing the Body of Christ. The worse place to have an orphan is in leadership because everything is about them. Regardless if it is the nation or the church, if your local church is run by an orphan then you cannot possibly mature in the culture of the son.

The culture of the son lives by this mandate:

Matthew 6:33:”But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you”. So if the culture of the son is based in rulership, then it is clear what the sons of God are to seek first. The Kingdom of God is the government and rulership of God over a territory. The sons seek the Kingdom and the Father’s way of doing things and everything, including provision and protection is added by the Father to them. The orphan seeks provision and protection and in our church today we have those orphans who use people to get their provision and protection met. They do not disciple the sons of God into maturity nor promote the growth of those sons of God to walk in their destiny. They use the generic gospel of salvation and never understood themselves that the gospel was all about the reconciliation of the sons to the Father and re-establishment of the culture of rule in the Earth.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Ministry of Reconciliation

House of God

Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: Ministry of Reconciliation

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:18,19

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

When talked about reconciliation in our past series “The New Season”, today I want to bring reconciliation to the forefront and show you how reconciliation is important to the culture of the son. Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 5:18,19:

“And all things are of God WHO HATH RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF BY JESUS CHRIST, and hath given to us the MINISTRY of reconciliation; To wit, that God WAS IN CHRIST, RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the WORD of reconciliation.”

Now there are some words in this that draws a picture for us. Let’s break them down.

The first set of words is “God who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus”. So it was the Father in the Son who was reconciling us (the sons) to The Father by the venue of Christ Jesus. So this scripture starts by telling us that it is The Father in the Son who reconciles us to Himself. So there is nothing there about us in the sense of us perpetrating or causing anything.

Second set of words “given us the ministry of reconciliation”. So we are to serve the Father so that in our works that we do (which is that of the Father), those who are out of the House of God can see the glory of God in the works we do. We also know as sons that we do nothing of ourselves, but only that which we see our Father do. So in our submission to the King, Jesus and in our rulership in the Earth, our ministry shows our relationship that we have with the Father.

Third set of words is “committed unto us the word of reconciliation”. Now it is evident to me that our ministry is our serving the Father and now the word of reconciliation means we are to be the mouthpiece of God in the Earth. Now do not get it wrong. Now everybody who claims to speak for God has been given grace to do so. Satan has his ministers too. But the words we speak should line up with the works we do. Second, in forgiving sins, you are simply the mouthpiece to declare what God is doing or has done. The sons have no power of our own to declare any man’s sins forgiven. Only the Father, through Christ who gives that power and authority to Holy Spirit to you to declare what God has done.

So the ministry and word of reconciliation that was given to the sons of God is that service through submission to the King to show forth the relationship between the Father and the sons of God in their rulership in the Earth. Through their rulership and culture, God will reconciled the called and predestined ones to Himself through Christ who abides in the sons.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Humility and Greatness of the Father

House of God
Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: The Humility and Greatness of the Father
Scripture: John 17:22; Romans 8:16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
Where can you begin to speak about the humility and greatness of our Father? In this message we will touch a small tip of the iceberg and I pray that you will began to appreciate the love, humility and greatness of our Father towards us. In addition, I pray that after reading this whether it be through repentance or even fasting and prayer you seek our Father in your everyday walk because He wants to do great things through you. If we look at the church today, is God truly being appreciated for who He is or what He does? For many people, they thank Him solely for what He does for them. However let’s take a look at our Father and I pray this touches your spirit and refine your thinking towards our Father.

Humility
Imagine the humility that is required of God to come and live in our house of flesh made of clay. Hmm! The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who holds the universe in His hands, framed the worlds with His words, loves pure light and is the perfection of love Himself desires to live and inhabit your body. Now too really stretch your thinking. In our flesh is where our most corrupt and evil thoughts can happen. There are times when we desire God and in the push of a button we can entertain cruel and oppressive thoughts. Now, beyond all of that, to those who have chosen to be the children of God, God still confines Himself to such a place and bring His glory to that place. Now think about it, The Holy God who nature is holy, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, want to be one with you. Even though we do rebellious acts against him, some in ignorance, He yet still abides in His children. Imagine the humility God has to do such a thing and live in such a place.

Greatness
Now I cannot possibly in one message, nor attempt to talk in completeness about the greatness of God. But I can tell you what the scriptures say and my own testimony. Now God wants to bring His rulership and glory to the creation. However He does it through His sons who are in the Earth. Now the Father guaranteed Jesus that He would live in Jesus as Himself. Now the beautiful picture that is being drawn here is that, Jesus did not take that right back to Heaven when He ascended. Can we prove that? John 17:22: And the glory which thou (The Father) gavest me (Jesus) I have given them (Saints) THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, EVEN AS WE (FATHER AND SON) ARE ONE. I (JESUS) IN THEM (SAINTS) AND THOU (FATHER) IN ME (SON). The glory is a confirmation of your very identity. Romans 8:16: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, THAT WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD.

Now we as the children of God have a reality that all of the unbelievers are truly desiring, Christ living in them. We are to be the standard for the world. One of the things God has shown me personally is that if we teach the uncompromising Word of God and do things as God commands us, then HE WILL REACH THE YOUTH. We will not truly win them with gimmicks and compromising because then we are making them a two-fold child of hell with our religious practice. Every opportunity I get to preach the Word whether it be in a church house or on the street, the glory of God shows up not in word only but also in power. The youth are looking at the church and turning away because of the foolishness in the church. If we demonstrated the Father’s glory through submission and obedience then they will see the light and glory of God in us and want to know more and be drawn into the House of God by the Spirit of Christ. What I am saying is we as the children of God are the vessel for God to reach the unbelievers. God’s humility and greatness was clearly shown through His Son, Jesus by the way He suffered unto death to show the love He had for us to die a brutal death that we can behold and be partakers of this eternal glory, Christ in us as the Father in the Son.


At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Reflection of the Glory of God

House of God

Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: Reflection of the Glory of God

Scripture: Matthew 26:42; Matthew 5:14,16; Matthew 26:38-42; John 17:22; Romans 12:1,2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

We left off our previous message revealing that the glory of God given to the sons of God is the sons being in Christ and Christ in the sons. Now how can the world know or see this? This is obviously an eternal and invisible reality but God tells us how. Let’s look at Matthew 5:14,16: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 16-Let your light so shine before men, that they may see YOUR GOOD WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.” So the reflection of God’s glory is seen in your good works. Do not think for one second that it is about you! Jesus said in John 5:19:”…The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do.” So it is the spirit of Counsel (Isaiah 11:2) that orders our steps to do what the Father instructs us to do. But let’s go back to these “good works”. What are they?

The good works is the result of the rulership demonstrated by the son of God in the Earth. Remember the mandate God gave to man in Genesis 1:26. He gave man the mandate to rule as His son in the Earth. How man ruled would be the reflection of the glory of God. What a beautiful picture. See the key is for the Will of God to be done, not our will. The rulership God gives us is restricted to accomplish the Will of God. Our rulership which we have seen unrestricted has lead to abuse and oppression. Jesus is our perfect example of the glory of God being reflected in the rulership He brought to the earth. Now one of the most unique but most important displays of rulership is the dominion over His own body. Please, I urge you to pay attention to why this particular situation was so important for Jesus to be perfectly submitted to the Father.

In Matthew 26:38-42 we see Jesus praying before he is arrested and taken away in the Garden of Gethsemane. Now in verse 38, Jesus says that His soul is sorrowful. Now we have discussed that the soul is the emotional and self-rational center of man. So in Jesus soul he was sorrowful. Why? It says he was sorrowful unto death. Now we know the soul can act independent of God and in many cases will rebel against God. Jesus being sad was an opportunity for the enemy to creep in and try to sway Jesus from making it to the cross. Now Jesus goes in prayer and in verse 39, He prays “IF IT IS POSSIBLE, LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME:. Do we see this, Jesus is asking the Father if it is possible not to go through what He was about to endure but watch what Jesus says: “NEVERTHELESS, NOT AS I WILL BUT AS THOU WILT.” Jesus understood even though his soul was sorrowful, he understood whose hands His life was in and His purpose for being on Earth. Jesus repeats this in Matthew 26:42. Now, if you missed it, Jesus showed that even the body needs to be brought under the rulership of God so that His Will be done and the glory of the Father will be seen in the earth through the rulership of the son. This is exactly what God says is our reasonable service.

Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, WHICH IS YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE”

See God does not accept dead sacrifices, that is what Satan requires. God wants you to be a living sacrifice because by doing that and submitting to the Will of the Father you can prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect, will of God. The proof is in the way the son of God rules in the earth. So the culture of the son is the reflection of the glory of God in the Earth. The key to this is what Jesus said in John 17:22: “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one, even as we are one:” The only way you can bring the rulership of God to the Earth is you must first be in Christ and Christ in you.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Two Glories

House of God
Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: Two Glories
Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-3; John 17:1,4,5,22; 1 Corinthians 12:10; John 1:1

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
Now when we look at the Father’s glory we can safely state that it is available to the son. Hebrews 1:3 and John 1:14 prove this. But I want to further explore this powerful revelation because Jesus spoke or better yet, prayed extensively on this issue. Let’s look at John 17. We are going to walk through this carefully and if we need to we will break this up into multiple messages. Now in John 17 we see Jesus praying to the Father and we will start here.

John 17:1,4,5
Jesus starts the prayer by telling the Father that the hour has come; glorify the Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. So right off the bat we see there is a correlation between the Father and the Son and glory. Now let’s shift to verses 4 and 5. Jesus says that He has glorified the Father on the Earth: and has finished the work which the Father gave to Him to do. And NOW, O FATHER GLORIFY THOU ME WITH THINE OWN SELF WITH THE GLORY WHICH I HAD WITH THEE BEFORE THE WORLD WAS! Now stop you cannot possibly pass this by. There is obviously a glory that was native to Christ before He came to the Earth. Now when He came to the Earth, He left that glory and entered into another. Look at verse 4 and 5 again Jesus is saying I have finished the work you have asked me to do and now I am asking you to restore me back to the glory I had with you BEFORE THE WORLD WAS. That glory before the world was formed was the native glory to Christ. He took that glory off to come to earth and entered into another glory to give us an example to how the glory of God comes to the Earth.

John 17:22:”And the glory which thou gavest to me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” Now look at this and it ought to make you shout. The glory that the Father gave to Jesus while in Earth, Jesus is giving to us? What is that glory? He tells you that same scripture: That they may be one with the Father even as Jesus and the Father were one. Do we see this? So now we understand that there are two glories.

The first glory is the glory that Christ speaks of in John 17:5. That glory is understood in John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. That glory is Jesus being God before he left and came to the Earth. By leaving that glory He entered into another and that is understood in Hebrews 1:3 that the Son is the brightness or radiance of the Father’s glory. This is the Father being glorified in the Son, but not just the Son, Jesus because Jesus said He gave us the same glory. The Father is being glorifed in the sons of God in the Earth. In other words and this is a doozy for most people:
“You as a son of God are to be the brightness of the Father’s Glory”
Yes that is correct, you, the one that only knows yourself as a sinner saved by grace. Yes, you who only knows yourself as a Christian. Yes, you, the one who has been told after being saved now you can go to Heaven so wait until Jesus comes. Yes, there is much more to your life on Earth than waiting for Jesus to return. You are to be the light of brightness of God’s glory to the creation. Let me show you this mind-blowing picture of this very thing I have told you.

Romans 8:19: “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” Now you may think that this manifestation is some sweet by-and-by time and in the end it will but let me show you the manifestation in 1 John 3:2: “Beloved NOW ARE WE THE SONS OF GOD, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” We are the sons of God and God has given the Spirit of Lordship and to some the spirit to work miracles 1 Corinthians 12:10. But it is through the sons of God that the glory of the Father comes to the Earth.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Father's Glory and a Viewpoint of Sonship

House of God
Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: The Father’s Glory and a Viewpoint of Sonship
Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:14

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
Now when we look at sonship and the culture of the son depending upon the depth of the knowledge we have then how we respond to our sonship determines our outcome. Now this is not to be confusing. God know that I am an analytical person and he knows that I like to know how things operate and what makes what tick. In turn God shows me that sometimes only God knows and that revelation for that thing on how it works is not for me to see at that time. But we can have a broad angle view or a close up view of our sonship.

Now if you have a broad angle view then you see the big picture. Is it good to see the big picture? Absolutely but when you do not have insight to how things are or how it works the chance of being misled and deceived increases. The perfect example is how Christianity views sonship and God. Now for many people they have the broad view of sonship which leads to people using the mindset of an orphan as the basis of understanding how it works. The broad view of sonship that is incorporated with the mindset of an orphan produces this view:

“God is Father but their view of the actual relationship is poor and for many their might not be any understanding of the relationship between Father and son. This mental arrangement is understood to be one that the father supplies what the son needs and the son is obedient to what he or she believes the father needs.”

In this mindset religion begins to be the dominant mindset. The role of religion is to supply what God needs. These needs, as perceived by religion, are things like money and time and this determines you faithfulness to God. The reality is money, time and human talent are things that religion needs in order to survive. Can we see the mindset of the orphan and religion which is to seek provision and they will use people to ensure that provision is met. This is why religion is so dangerous to the son of God and Kingdom citizen because the mindset of a religion is that of the orphan. So when we have a broad view of sonship which sees God as Father and that’s it then we lend our view point to that of the orphan.

Now when we think in the close-up view then we begin to see how things work or better yet we see how the relationship between the Father and the sons functions and operate. Let me use an example. Your television, for most people know how to turn it on and change the channels. Now how that actually happens, most people do not know. However if something breaks we call a television specialist or if we know, we look inside and look at the operation of the television and it’s various parts to find the problem and fix it. Most people are orphans to the inner-workings of the television but for those who specialize or have a relationship and know how it works then they are able to understand how it works and if it breaks how to fix it. Knowing and understanding your relationship to God and how the Father and the son works in creation helps you to fully understand your role in creation.

I use this example all the time, there are two types of people in the Body of Christ and the House of God. There are the orphans and the sons. The orphans within the House of God are in the house but do not have a relationship with the Father. The sons within the House of God are in the house and have a relationship with God, the Father. This relationship allows the sons to be disciple and in being discipled the Father instruct the sons in what is expected of them and how to bring the rulership and glory of God to the Earth.

In the next message we will look closer at the culture of the son and it’s relationship to the Father’s glory.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Father's Glory

House of God

Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: The Father’s Glory

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:14; John 5:19

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

Now we talked about the glory of God in terms of it being His goodness from the book of Exodus. Now we want to look at the context of the Father’s glory as it relates to the sons of God. This crucial because how we view the glory of God really determines our understanding to how we function in the Earth. Let’s look at Hebrews 1;1-3:

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto our fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son (Jesus), whom He (Father) hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he (Jesus) made the worlds; Who being the brightness (radiance) of His (Father’s) glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He (Jesus) had Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty (Father) on high.”

Now in this scripture it says in Hebrews 1:3, that Jesus is the brightness or radiance of the Father’s glory. This is not the first time we see Jesus associated with the Father’s Glory. Let’s look at John 1:14

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Now we know that this scripture is speaking of Jesus because we know He is the Word of God and when He was on Earth, He is the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. What this should tell us is that it is a habit of God to clothe Himself with human flesh to come to be with us and be among us. So when we look at Jesus, The Son of God, He is the radiance of the Father’s glory and the exact representation of His Father’s Being (Hebrews 1:3).

Now when we look at the word radiance we need to understand the concept so we can understand how the sons of God are the radiance of the Father’s glory. When you see the word radiance we typically think of radiators. Radiators disperse heat from a source into the environment. So the concept is that radiation is always about that thing which goes outward and moves away from the source into the environment. So the Father’s glory is His goodness extended from Him to the environment where He is. Now let’s bring that concept to life for you. Let’s look at John 5:19:

“Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise”

Please do not miss this because we will for the next few messages revisit this scripture. The Source for Jesus was the Father in Heaven. He was His source. Jesus understood AS A SON, that He is to do exactly what the Father tells Him. By Jesus doing that, the earth (environment) can see the glory of the Father IN THE SON! So the source is the Father and Jesus gives the Father a place (through his body) in the realm of time to bring His rulership and glory to the Earth so that men and the creation will see the glory or goodness of God!

In the next message we will look at how our viewpoint of this powerful revelation can either hinder us or advance us in the knowledge of the culture of the son and the House of God.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Kingdom Message: Fellowship 1 John 1:5-7

The Seven Spirits of God and the Sons

House of God
Today’s Topic: The Culture of the Son: The Seven Spirits of God and The Sons
Scripture: Isaiah 11;1,2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
In the last message we left off with the difference between the culture of the son ruling and the culture of the orphan ruling. But I want to show this beautiful picture and correlation with the Seven Spirits of God and how it correlates to the culture of the Son. Now in Genesis 1:26 the purpose of the son of God is revealed to rule in the Earth. Now when we look at the seven Spirits of God in Isaiah 11:1,2 the first spirit that is mentioned is the Spirit of the Lord. This is also known as the Spirit of Lordship or the Spirit of Rule. Of course we have the other six spirits which are wisdom, knowledge, understanding, power, counsel and fear of the Lord. However it all begins with rulership or the Spirit of Lordship. Having dominion or rulership is to have the spirit of Lordship. Now in as much as it begins with rulership or the Spirit of the Lord, it ends with the fear of the Lord. Now the spirit of the fear of the Lord is all about accountability to God, it is not being afraid of God per say because we should fear the wrath of God if we are disobedient.

The son of God in the Earth knows they are rulers and are place to bring the standard of rule from Heaven to Earth. This is why they are given the spirit of the Lord so creation responds to their rule. The son of God understands that he or she does not have power of themselves and the power they do have is to do the Will of their Father so that Earth will know what Heaven is thinking through the sons of God. This is a completely different mentality than what we see. Now as for the other six characteristics we can apply them to the son of God and see how they function and for an in depth look at these seven characteristics, I urge you to download the entire series on the seven spirits of God.

Wisdom – the sons will know what needs to be done or what to do
Knowledge – the sons of God know the truth about a certain situation or circumstance
Understanding – the sons know the concept and are able to apply wisdom and knowledge
Power – the sons are given the ability to do the things that are asked of them from the Father
Counsel – the sons receive the steps to take in order to see the fulfillment of a goal
Fear of the Lord – respect and reverence for God and to fear His wrath for disobedience
Now the son of God always keeps in mind that he will be held accountable for the way he conducts him or herself in creation and how they manage the planet. See this is why the creation and man are not on the same playing field. The purpose of the son in the Earth is to be the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his Father’s being. See this is why we as the sons of God give glory honor and reverence to God first because He is our priority and our reason for even being here.

It is an honor to be a son of God and to the do the work as a vice king to the King of Kings. If we allow the culture of Heaven to impact and change our individual lives can you image the culture shock and change that would happen in the nation? No longer would people see each other as a way to get over. No longer would people use and oppress people to get needs met and security established. But they will rule like their Father in Heaven and show His glory (goodness) to the Earth.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The First Dominion Impact on Today's Knowledge

House of God
Today’s Topic: The Culture of the Son: The First Dominion Impact on Today’s Knowledge
Scripture: Genesis 2:19,20;

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
We left off the last message talking about how the sons of God are spirits clothed in flesh and our purpose in the Earth is to rule. Now Adam did not know anything about the Earth when he was born of God. He only knew what God discipled Him in. So, God His Father taught Adam how to rule. Now this portion of scripture may seem minor but it is major to understanding how even what happened over 6,000 years ago still has an impact today in how we do thing and classify certain things. So let’s look at this unique passage of scripture of discipleship.

Genesis 2:19,20: And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air: and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

Now this naming of animals can be seen today. Adam was in the Kingdom of God before the fall. So if the culture of Heaven is a Kingdom model then the same model will be brought to the Earth. God showed Adam a Kingdom order. Now the way Adam arranged these animals was of a Kingdom order. We have the Animal Kingdom and the Plant Kingdom that we still teach and talk about today. So Adam’s job was to establish a Kingdom order in the Earth. Adam was not here to consume and hoard the resources of the earth but better establish an order in the Earth so that His children and their children will understand how order should be maintained in the Earth based upon the instruction from the Creator who is also their Father. This order and instruction given to Adam for himself and his descendents was to order and establish civilization on the earth based on a Heavenly model. This Heavenly culture will govern human behavior and families in the Earth. That is the role of a King who was a son of God put into the earth.

But because of the fall and the rise of the orphan the rule of many Kings in the Earth was based in the mindset of being a orphan. This is why kingdoms would rise and fall and be brutal to all those who oppose or even seem to threaten their rule. Many times the dominant kingdom would murder everyone to prevent any type of revolution or uprising against them. They would hoard the resources of that nation they would dominate and even indiscriminately kill those who provide them. Can we see how devastating the mindset of the orphan was to the age of man? Even today we have orphans running nations and when there is a perceived uprising, those people who perceived to be a threat we killed. This is what happens when orphans rule the nations. Orphans ruling the nations is a curse against the nation because they cannot effectively rule in the manner of a son as God would want them to. Ruling is necessary if rights are to be preserved and order maintained but the key is which mindset is ruling. Is it the mindset of the orphan or the mindset of the son?

In the next message we will look at the correlation between the Culture of the Son and the Seven Spirits of God.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Concept of Rule

House of God

Today’s Topic: Culture of Son: Concept of Rule

Scripture: Hebrews 1:3-6

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

Now in order to rule you must have an identity. Remember in our look at the Parable of the Prodigal Son we saw that the first thing the Father did when He saw His son again was to re-cloth him. We saw that this re-clothing was symbolic giving the son His identity back. The identity Adam lost in the Garden was not only being a son but also understanding that he is spirit clothed in flesh. This is not some arbitrary issue because this is the exact lie that Adam and Eve believed because Adam hid from God because he believed he was naked. When they believed the lie, the soul began to be the dominant viewpoint for mankind. Now if our viewpoint is soul/flesh dominated then the way we view rulership is a form of brutality because we are willing to do anything and step on anyone to make sure provision and protection are met. This is what dominion is to the orphan, but to the spirit dominion takes on an entirely different meaning. With this different meaning, then the purpose of a spirit-lead individual is utterly different from the orphan. Let’s look at the purpose of the spirit in creation through scripture:

Hebrews 1:1-6: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days (days began with Jesus) spoken unto us by His Son (Jesus), whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He (Jesus) made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON (SPIRIT), and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said He at any time, THOU ART MY SON, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him.

So the image of God is Spirit and so man’s image must be spirit because Genesis 1:26 tells us we are created in His image. Moreover when God created man in the earth, he created him to be His sons. Now this is the identity of the sons of God, spirit clothed in flesh. Now the rulership in creation was the same as the Father in Heaven. Much of what we know today about the Earth is a direct result of what God taught Adam. Adam’s view of the world was the same as His Father. This is crucial if we are to understand the correct concept and purpose of rulership in the Earth.

In the next message we will look the result of Adam’s rulership before the fall and it’s impact on what we know today.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Culture of the Son: Introduction

House of God

Today’s Topic: Culture of the Son: Introduction

Scripture: Genesis 1:26

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

Now in the past few messages we looked at the culture of the orphan and how it has impacted the age of man up unto this present age. We also saw the predominate mindset of the orphan is one occupied with provision and protection. Now the thing is we want to transition to the mindset of the son. This requires repentance and submission to Christ. Submission puts you under authority and that authority is Christ who gives you access to the Father. Now in the next few messages we will discuss the culture of the son and how we as Kingdom citizens and children of the House of God are to conduct ourselves and walk in our purpose for this age.

Why are we here on earth? What is our purpose? God tells us that in Genesis 1:26 where He says “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion..”. So our purpose in the earth, AS SONS OF GOD, is to rule. The reason I made the emphasis on sons of God is because unless you are a son of God, that means you have been born again of His Spirit and made the Romans 10:9 confession and belief then you are not a son of God. So I urge you, if you want to be in the image and after the likeness of our Lord then repent today and choose Christ by confessing He is Lord and Savior and believing the God raised Him, Jesus, from the dead. True rulership, through Christ is only given to the sons of God. How do we know? Adam was the first son of God on Earth but after the fall man could not administer this rulership until Christ came, died and was resurrected and by choice be restored back into the House of God and function as a vice King to the King in the earth.

Now we talked extensively about the mindset of the orphan in a believer and the devastating consequences of such mindset. One of the thought patterns that comes about from orphans about Genesis 1:26 is the concept of unrestricted rulership. Now I want to explain this because many of the problems we have in the earth is because people misuse and do not understand the concept of Genesis 1:26 and use it to fit whatever mindset they have toward the earth. Now a son of God, who thinks as an orphan, has the mentality that because God gave man the “dominion” over the earth, then we can do what we please in it. This has lead to the depletion of resources for hoarding and greed from nations and even people. This has also lead to the suppression of the advancement of cures because the orphan believes that man and the creation are one in the same and I will explain this. Remember the orphan only sees their protection and provision as primary so the orphan will hoard natural resources in the attempt to ensure their provision and protection are met. Hence those who hoard resources, blackmail and charge astronomical amounts of money to other people and nations for those goods. Now on the other hand those radical environmentalist will say that we must protect the environment with all costs because man and the creation are the same. This mindset takes man as the ruler in the Earth completely out of the equation and puts him on the same playing field as an animal or plant. Is that what God designed for man? No. These environmentalist will prevent, with fury, the use of various plants that God has put on the earth for us to use to help cure diseases. Everything God made was good, it is how it is being used is what makes the difference. Now I said all of this because the rulership that comes through the son of God is restricted!

This restriction of rulership that comes by the son of God is because the son of God understands that they are to do the things that they see the Father do. So the authority and power they receive is not for their consumption and benefit but for the Will of God. The sons of God understand that they represent the Creator in the Earth and if they are after His likeness then they understand that they are put here to rule.

In the next message we will look at the concepts of rule.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Monday, January 10, 2011

From Orphan to Son

House of God
Today’s Topic: From Orphan to Son
Scripture: Luke 15:11-24

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
Jesus gave us a parable to show us the difference between the orphan and the son and I want to get right into it and show you how an orphan is changed to a son.

This is the parable of the prodigal son and of course we know, or should know that this is a story about a young man who left his father’s house and ventured on his own but let’s look at this carefully and watch Holy Spirit show us the orphan being changed to a son.

Luke 15:13-16 – Culture of the Orphan
Now this younger son took his inheritance and went to a far country away from his father’s house and wasted his substance on riotous living. Of course this is talking about Adam and how when he sinned against God he left the Father’s (God) House and went to a far country. This far country is represented by the Kingdom of Darkness or Satan. Any time you are not at home, you are in a far country. Now this young man did what he wanted and was without his Father and when an economic crisis hit (famine) he looked for provision and protection (orphan). On his own now he joins himself to a citizen of that country (Kingdom of Darkness) and he was sent to feed the swine. Now in Jewish culture, Jews did not deal with swine but this young man was even eating the food the swine was eating. This was the lowest of the low style of living for this young man who left his Father’s House where he had all he could eat and did not have to worry about provision and protection.

Luke 15:17-21 – Breaking Down of the Strongholds (Repentance)
Now this young man came to himself and thought about His Father’s house and the hired servants and bread they had to spare. So he decides to go back to His Father’s House (Repentance). He realized he could starve in the culture that he was living in, which was one of an orphan. Now he understands that He left His Father’s House on not such good terms on the fact that he will confess that he sinned against his Father. Now one of the things I want to show you is that he still has the mentality of the orphan even though he is heading back to his Father’s house because he thinks he is not worthy to be a son and rather be one of the hired servants. Now, the Father sees his son and runs and greets him. The Father NEVER was going to make His son a servant because that was His son. So the Father does something to let the son know that He is his son and not a servant

Luke 15:22-24: Rebirth of the Son
Now the first thing the Father does is bring forth the robe and put it on him. The first thing an orphan needs to know when he comes back to God is that he is a spirit CLOTHED in flesh. So the orphan is clothed with his identity of being a spirit being. Next, the Father puts a ring on his finger. This is symbolic of the son receiving authority. A son of God must have authority. Finally, the Father tells them to put the shoes on his feet. This is symbolic of the son now being able to walk in his or her destiny. This story is about an orphan being returned to the status of a son and restoring his identity, authority and destiny.

As long as you think like an orphan then you lack identity, authority and destiny. This is why when we speak to the unbeliever they should see the culture of the son when they ask us how are we able to do or how can you be so confident about… In the next message we will start looking at the culture of the son.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Weapons of Our Warfare

House of God
Today’s Topic: The Culture of the Orphan: Weapons of Our Warfare
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
Now when we talk about the strongholds of the mind of the orphan, how can we destroy or tear that down? When you look at 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, we have heard this scripture, preached, quoted and sung. Now what does it mean. Let’s see.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we walk IN THE FLESH, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations and every thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

Now look at this! Paul states that though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. Hmm! Paul understands that our flesh is simply our housing and as spirits inside that house, our flesh is how we are able to function in the earth. Now we do not war after it meaning we do not war flesh against flesh. Ephesians 6:12 states that we do not fight flesh and blood. This is a spiritual war that we are entangled in between Satan and God. Satan knowing that he cannot defeat God will defile the children and try to prevent as many as he can from walking in the knowledge of their destiny. I framed the wording “knowledge of their destiny” for a specific purpose. Now Paul continues by telling us the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. To the orphan this is a huge problem because their viewpoint of life is from the soul and their thoughts are carnal and concerned about self preservation and provision. So the weapons of this spiritual war are not carnal.

Paul continues to say our weapons are mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. Now we talked about these strongholds of the orphan and where they are located. The strongholds of the orphan are located in the mind. The person see’s life as a purpose to survive, provide and preserve for self. The culture of the son completely destroys that mentality to representing the Father and not worrying about self. So what the demonic does is make you think that you need to meet your needs and only you can depend on you. But the weapons through God are mighty to bring down that mental stronghold of the orphan to bring you into the knowledge of being a son. Can we prove this?

Look at 2 Corinthians 10:5: Casting down IMAGINATIONS and every high thing that exalts itself against the KNOWLEDGE of God, and bringing into captivity EVERY THOUGHT to the obedience of Christ. Do we see the capitalized words. All of them have to do with the state of mind. Cast down imaginations or self reasonings on how and why things must happen. Your thoughts are not His thoughts. Cast down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. When you believe you can do things for yourself and do not need no help you need to cast that thought down. Be careful of false doctrines or religions that make you think that you can be more than who God called you to be or even be God Himself. Satan tried that and got kicked out of Heaven for that “imagination and thought”. We need to surrender every thought to the obedience of Christ. It is in being obedient to Christ that we will be disciple as a son and enter into the culture of the son and leave the culture of the orphan.

One of the strongholds that persist in the church is the gospel of going to heaven. In other words we preach heaven and going to heaven as a reason to get saved. The orphan delights in this thought process because it gives them a way to escape the tragedy of a worn out and bruising system that is on earth. The Gospel of the Kingdom is all about the restoration of God’s heart as Father to His sons and restoring His house and His children in rulership on the Earth. Did God not give man dominion (Genesis 1:26)? Did not God tell His son, Adam, to rule over the earth. Adam understood himself to be spirit clothed in flesh until the fall. Jesus comes, the Last Adam, to restore us into the House of God and gives us knowledge that we are spirit first housed in flesh. Too many of us look at our flesh first and spirit second and that is what caused Adam and Eve to fall. The demonic plays on your soul, your emotional and rational center of your being and tries to get you to think about self when the spirit, the person you really are does not think of self first. The orphan living in creation is without authority, identity and worst of all, without a destiny.

In the next message we will wrap up this mini-series on the culture of the orphan.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Concept of Principalities

House of God
Today’s Topic: Concept of Principalities
Scripture: Ephesians 6:12; Isaiah 9:6

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:
In last message we talked about the mindset of the orphan and the problems it presents and sustains in the mind of the person living in that culture. Now we should know that we are spirits clothed with flesh. In being a spirit clothed in flesh, God is the Father of our spirits and that makes us sons of God. Now in the mindset of the son of God, we understand that we have the resources of our Father’s House at our disposal to fulfill our destiny in the Earth. So we as sons of God do not look at provision and protection as our goal. The center of our culture as sons is to represent the Father in the Earth. However in the mindset of the orphan the center of that culture is provision and protection. So there is a battle that happens in the minds of humans that depending on the view point or who we listen to, that determines the culture we live in and the destiny we pursue.

This battlefield has a name and it is called a principality. Now typically when we think of principalities we think of the demonic. Ephesians 6:12:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
We look at this scripture and because it talks about the demonic then we associate principalities solely with the demonic and that is not correct. Now when we look at Ephesians 6:12 the demonic can take cause a stronghold in the mind of the orphan. The mindset of the orphan predisposes the person to demonic infiltration and influence. One aspect that is evident in the life of an orphan is fear. They fear their needs will not be met unless they are the one making sure it is. They fear the unknown because their vision of their life is temporal and carnal so all they can do is take the past, apply it to the present and guess what the future is. The guessing of the future is what unsettles the orphan and drives up the aspect of fear in their lives. This is all because of a mindset so what is principality?

Principality is simply an area of rule. What is the area of rule the demons want to affect? The mind! The mindset or principality of rule governs the way you see the world and your viewpoint of the world. To the orphan the world is a scary place and they are alone in it. This is a stronghold in the mind of the orphan.

The culture of the orphan is the predominate culture of the earth. Sad to say it is considered to be normal in today’s society because it is the most familiar because it defines what most people see as the reality. We are still talking about the mindset or the principality of the orphan. This mindset can or cannot be occupied by the demonic. But regardless if it is or is not, the fact that there is a principality invites the presence of a prince. What is a prince? A prince is a ruler or one who governs. So the question I pose to you, is who is governing your mind? Is it the demonic or is it Christ, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)? If it is Christ who governs your mind then you can only exist in the culture of the son, not the orphan because the ways of Christ are also the ways of the Father.

In the next message we will look how we break down the stronghold of the minds of the orphans. This is critical because you cannot bring someone into the knowledge of sonship until they are willing to lay down the culture of the orphan.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Mental Strongholds

House of God

Today’s Topic: The Culture of the Orphan: Mental Strongholds

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-33; Matthew 4:17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

The mentality of the orphan is his or her stronghold and what really prevents them from transitioning from orphan to son if they are a Kingdom Citizen. Now if they are an unbeliever then of course they will be a part of the orphan culture. But in order to effectively deal and show a remedy to the solution we must deal with their mentality and the strongholds that prevent them from migrating.

If we look at orphans in the Body of Christ, I know that is an oxymoron, but it is a reality, we see orphans talking about being sons. So what we have are orphans trying to teach and tell sons how to act but yet they do not even understand how to be a son themselves. The mental stronghold of the orphan must be torn down and built back with the culture of sonship.

One of the mental strongholds of an orphan is that orphans lacks and resents discipline. Discipline to a child usually comes from the authoritative figures, namely the parents in that child’s life. But what does an orphan know about a father? Orphans see discipline as punishment and abuse because their mentality is solely stuck on surviving.

Survival to the orphan is paramount in his or her life. All they are concerned about is making it out of the situation alive and better now than later because they want their security and provisions when they want it. The mindset of the orphan is that they are alone and all they have is themselves to depend on. So the orphan hoards because they can never relax because what they see can be taken away or consumed and so there is a constant panic to keep getting more and more. But the problem with that mentality is that they are getting more and more by the sweat of their own brow and it cause severe stress and in turn that leads to the physical body being under stress and disease-prone. When a person exists in this culture it also makes them susceptible to demonic influence. These people then began to live in fear for their lives and if prolonged will result in criminal activity just to try to meet their needs.

The culture of the orphan always lives in the anticipation of lacking. As a result they are ever searching for resources and protection. Once again resources can be people. They will use people, not minister to them, but use them to keep getting their needs met. This is why Jesus said “Repent” because the life they were living was one of a orphan and Jesus has come to restore us back to the House of God and the culture of a son. The orphan cannot think like a son because he or she lack knowledge of a father. But the goal of the son is to be all that the Father has called him or her to be and not worry about provision or protection.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Orphan Leaders of the Church Part 2

House of God

Today’s Topic: The Culture of the Orphan: Orphan Leaders in the Church Part 2

Scripture: Matthew 23:13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens:

Now when we look at Jesus, He encountered the spirit and culture of the orphan continuously. Moreover, the people who He had the most contentious encounter was with the religious leaders, the Pharisees, scribes and chief priests. Now, because Jesus was fully submitted to the Father, God continued to stress the importance and priorities through Jesus to the multitudes. When Jesus encountered the Pharisees in this part of the scripture, Jesus “woes” the Pharisees. When we see the word woe, it is much like cursing them for the things that they did and I want to bring this to our vision to show you what the first woe was to the Pharisees and I pray after reading this message, we repent and really start seeking the Kingdom.

Matthew 23:13: “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men: For ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in”

I pray you let that scripture seep into the soul and disturb the religious mindset many have. Jesus first woe was the first thing Jesus told the multitude to seek and it is the Kingdom of Heaven. Now to show you just how important this is. The Pharisees and scribes used the Law of Moses and religious practices to oppress the people to keep them under control as well as exalt themselves for their own personal glory. How do I know? Read Matthew 23:5-7! It is in the Kingdom of God and the House of God that the orphan is transformed and converted to a son and his mentality is changed from seeking provision and protection to being all that God called them to be for the glory of God and the advancing of His Kingdom and Household. These religious leaders seeked to keep the power to themselves. Sounds like an orphan. What is more damaging and rather amazing is that these religious leaders are supposed to know or have knowledge of the scriptures and have a relationship with God, but yet because they act like orphans they have neither and Jesus “woes” them for being such and oppressing the people from entering and experiencing the Kingdom.

Look at today’s church! Are people being used and oppressed? Yes they are. Now I am not talking universally because there are great pastors and bishops that are preaching and teaching Kingdom principals. Religious orphan leaders will use the scriptures and rituals to mentally keep you hostage because you, to them, are a resource that keeps their provision and protection met. It was recent when the economy fell, that the Catholic church and many other churches had the spotlight put on them because they we claiming that the money flow was falling due to the failing economy. Furthermore we had churches closing and we even had a mega church go 900,000 dollars in debt. Now what that resulted in was an increase in the preaching on tithes and offerings and in some cases pastors urging the people to give a dollar or two to help get the church out of debt. God asked me a question when all of this was going down. He asked “If I ordained the church, from the standpoint of a local body of believers, then surely can I not provide and sustain it?” The thing He is pointing out is that all those who live in the culture of the Kingdom and of His Household, will be exalted and be used by the Most High to show the world who the sons of God are and the nature and character of their Father, the Almighty God. However in the same hand all those who are being led by the culture of the orphan, they are being led by someone who truly does not understand what it means to be a son of God, so how can they disciple you or teach you about being a son of God and living in the Kingdom and the House of God. Orphans do not have the same mindset of a son.

In the next message we will look at the mindset and deficiencies that the culture of the orphan perpetrates on a person, believers and unbelievers.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.