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.
