Stewardship and Servanthood Part 2

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Stewardship and Servanthood Part 2
Scripture: Matthew 24:46-51; 23:11,12

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let’s wrap this series up with these scriptures:

Matthew 24:46,47: Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

So the benefit of being a servant and being a good watchman or father over God’s household the Lord will give him increased responsibility and this is represented by making him ruler over all the Lord’s goods. So we must learn how to be good steward over the Lord’s things, especially His children. On the other hand what happens when you have father or overseer abusing the flock and fleecing them for selfish gain? Let’s take a look.

Matthew 24:48-51: But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall BEGIN TO SMITE HIS FELLOWSERVANTS, AND TO EAT AND DRINK WITH THE DRUNKEN; THE LORD OF THAT SERVANT SHALL COME IN A DAY WHEN HE LOOKETH NOT FOR HIM AND IN AN HOUR THAT HE IS NOT AWARE OF, AND SHALL CUT HIM ASUNDER AND APPOINT HIM HIS PORTION WITH THE HYPOCRITES: THERE SHALL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.

The evil servant will begin to beat and smite their fellowservants. Weird isn’t it. The father or overseer of the house is still referred as a servant and they begin to abuse their fellow brothers and sisters. Now the Lord will not have that and He lays out the punishment for such a servant. They will be cut in two and be given the portion that the hypocrites would have gotten and nothing about weeping and gnashing of teeth say peaceful or heaven.


Matthew 23:11,12: But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoseoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

So if we desire to be great in the Kingdom we must go the opposite route of up and become the lowest of the low and serve all because this is what Jesus did. Whoseoever will exalt himself (self-exaltation) shall be brought down. So it is best to assume the low position of servanthood and allow the Lord to exalt you in due season.

In closing on this series, we see that servanthood should be the heart and principal of every son because it is the heart of the Father. We are called to represent, deputize and be an agent on behalf of God so that as we serve Him, those who see Him can say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. However this requires you to submit like the donkey and lose self-identity and be covered in the anointing and allow the King to ride upon you wherever He desires to go. Being a servant is the highest calling of being in creation and in serving Him we reflect the glory of God within the Earth.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Stewardship and Servanthood

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Stewardship and Servanthood
Scripture: Matthew 24:42-45

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now in the Kingdom of God there is ranking and authority levels even though everyone within the House of God is a servant and a son. This authority and ranking is in place to provide order to the House and to the Kingdom. Now with this ranking and authority comes the principal of stewardship and all of us are called to be stewards. The question then becomes, how much will the Lord give to us to steward. A great parable that explains this is the parable of the talents. Understand, not everyone is given the same amount of responsibility in the House of God even though everyone is still a servant and I want to show you this in scripture, Matthew 24:42-51. Now many people interpret this as an end-time prophecy but when we read it, it is not that at all. The scripture starts out by saying “Watch therefore” let us know that whatever is before this in scripture that is to come we prepare by doing this very thing. So let’s look at the scripture:

Matthew 24:42,43: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But KNOW THIS, that if the goodman (father) of the house had know in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Let’s start here. The Lord says to watch. Which gift of the anointing does this watching pertain to? How about pastor, shepherd, bishop or overseer. Now the Lord is saying if the father of the house had been effectively watching, then he would not have suffered his house to be broken into. Now understand this! How many local churches or households have been destroyed and marginalized due to the lack of effective oversight? Now that is a large number but a true spiritual father watches or gives oversight to the household and as a shepherd watches sheep, he watches for any wolves that might try to creep in amongst the flock to take a sheep or even scatter the flock. Now here we see that there is a clear head of the household and that is the father and even in the spiritual household the head is the Father, God and He has given grace to certain men to be spiritual fathers to represent Him in the Earth to help bring the lost sons of promise to maturity. But before we get ahead of ourselves let’s keep rolling

Matthew 24:44-45: Therefore be ye ready: for such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh. Who then is a FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT, WHOM THE LORD HATH MADE RULER OVER HIS HOUSEHOLD, TO GIVE THEM MEAT IN DUE SEASON?

Question? Who is the Lord calling the faithful and wise servant? He is calling the father of the house. So the father of the house is also himself a servant. Now notice it says the Lord had made him ruler of His Household. So you do not become a spiritual father just because you are a natural father or desire to be one. It is an appointment by the Lord and a grace given to operate in that capacity. Now look at the job of the father of the house. To give them meat in due season. The spiritual father of the household is to decode the seasons of God and bring the food or word that pertains to that season to the household.

In the next message we will look at the consequence of a wicked leader.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Donkey Principal Part 2

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Servanthood: The Donkey Principal Part 2
Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11; Malachi 4;5,6; Philippians 2:7

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now in the last message we saw that in Matthew 21:1-3 we see a picture of an apostolic community based upon the foundation of a father/son model and the loosing of this father/son model from the doorpost which represents the Kingdom of God is an apostolic commissioning so that they may now be used by the Lord. Now let’s began to put some meat on this unique principal.

Matthew 21:4,5: All of this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet (Zechariah 9:9), saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion (The Church), Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass and a colt the foal of an ass.

Now we said in the last message that the ass and the colt is representing the father/son model. How do we know this? First let’s start with the last Old Testament prophecy

Malachi 4:5,6: Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite earth with a curse

God in the New Testament to Zacharias speaks this same prophecy through an angel to began the New Testament. So God always intended to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the fathers to the children. Let me take it one step further:

Matthew 1:1: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham
The very first page in the New Testament starts by explaining the genealogy of Jesus Christ and when you look at it, it shows how a father begats a son and the son becomes a father and begats another son for 41 generations to Jesus and then we are the 42nd Generation which is Christ. So let’s understand something here, the House of God is based upon a patriarchal order of fathers overseeing sons and bringing them into maturity so that they may become fathers and at the appointed time they can disciple sons. This is called trans-generational building. This is what we as the church have been called to do. Not convert people to our denomination and doctrines.

Now Matthew 21:5 says that the King is coming meek (gentle) and riding upon the concept of the father/son model. Now watch this! When the ass and the colt got back, the apostles or disciples took their garments and covered the ass and colt and then put Jesus on them. What does this symbolize? This is the picture of the apostles, taking their mantles or anointing and covering the unclean beasts. Now that the beasts are covered in the anointing, the Christ can now ride into Jerusalem on them. Now please understand the colt and the ass have never been ridden on and are untrained beasts but they submit to the Will of the Lord and they are covered in the anointing to carry the gift of the Father, Jesus, into Jerusalem. The scriptures go on to say that people stripped themselves of their garments and branches of trees and laid them in the way. Everyone is stripping themselves of their anointing to make way for Christ. We are the donkeys that are covered in apostolic grace to carry the gift of Christ wherever He sends us. Now here is the kicker!

Matthew 21:9: And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried saying Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
I know we have heard and read this a thousand times but did we notice that is says Blessed is HE (JESUS) THAT COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. Jesus is simply representing the Father at this time because He, Jesus, comes in the name of the Lord. Remember in Philippians 2:7, Jesus made himself of NO REPUTATION and took upon the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.

Now notice the donkeys get no glory. All of the glory goes to the person they are carrying, Christ. This is why we must become like the donkey and be carriers of the gift of God in the Earth. We must submit and humble ourselves just like these donkeys and do the Will of God. When we do this then can people say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Donkey Principal

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Servanthood: The Donkey Principal
Scripture: Genesis 49:8-12; Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:2,4; Ephesians 5:26

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now many people say “I am a gift from God” and if said in the proper context, this is true. However let’s change that statement to be “I am carrying or a carrier of the gifts of God”. Now the reason I say this because we as servants should never say anything to bring attention to ourselves. We are called to be representatives, deputies and agents of the Lord. We are called to speak or do on behalf of Him and whatever we do or say, points back to Him. So we
do nothing of ourselves for our glory. Now that brings me to these next two to three messages and I want to talk about the donkey principal and how we should embrace being a donkey or the son of a donkey. Now this may seem degrading but as you know God uses types and shadows to illustrate eternal truths in the earth and the key is to get beyond the type and shadow and see the reality. The type and shadow is there to help you get to the reality. Let’s start:

Matthew 21:1-3: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied and a colt with her: loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them

Now right off the top we see Jesus sending two disciples to get the ass and the colt that tied up and bring them unto him. In Mark 11:2,4 say that the colt nor the ass that has never been sat on and they are tied to a doorpost. Now you may say, “ok” this is a loaded scripture and let me show you back in Genesis 49:8-12 we see Jacob addressing Judah and of course we know that this is the prophesy that speaks of Jesus being the Lion of Judah but let me show you this powerful set of scripture and tie this back to Matthew 21:1-3:

Genesis 49:11: Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes

The word foal in Hebrew pertains to a young ass and we see that both the ass and the colt are connected to the vine and choice vine. This entire scripture is a picture of an apostolic community. Jesus said “I am the vine”. The ass and the colt are pictures of a father/son model and notice they are tied to the vine who is symbolically, Jesus. Now let me finish this and then we will jump back to Matthew. We know that vines produce grapes and grapes produce wine. The end product which is the wine is a picture of all the grace and revelation given to the church. So when the scripture says they washed their garments in wine, it is symbolically referencing the washing of one by the word of God in the grace and revelation from Jesus (Ephesians 5:26). The washing of the clothes in the blood of grapes, the blood is symbolic of the selfless, sacrifice and giving of oneself. Now let’s take all of this to Matthew.

The scripture says that the ass and the colt are tied to a doorpost (Mark 11:2,4). The doorpost is a picture of the gateway to the house and a picture of the governmental order of God. In order to enter the House you must come under the rulership (Kingdom) that governs it. Now like we showed the disciples will see an ass and colt tied to a doorpost and if anyone says ought they were to tell them that the Lord has need of them. Now first we understand that the ass and the colt is a picture of the father/son model. They are tied to the doorpost, hence they are tied to the Kingdom of God. Now the fact that the disciples were to say, “The Lord has need of them” now puts the reference of ownership on those beasts.

The loosing of the ass and colt is symbolically the apostolic commissioning for the father/son model so the Lord may use them to do His Will.

For the sake of information and time we will continue this powerful study in the next message.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Agents of God

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Divine Design of Humankind: Agents of God, The Shaliah Principal
Scripture: Matthew 16:24; Acts 9:15,16; Isaiah 9:6

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The final purpose of the divine design of humankind is that all sons are agents of God. It is called the Shaliah principal. Shaliah is a rabbinical word and it means agent. This agent is the “sent one” or apostollos or apostle of the Lord that go in the stead of the Lord who sends them. In order to do this they must do this first:

Matthew 16:24: Then said Jesus unto His disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.

So the agent must lose their identity to bring the message from the one who sends them. So when the Master commissions someone to act on His behalf he is the agent or shaliah. A great example of this in scripture is Saul or Paul and Jesus speaking of his destiny:

Acts 9:15,16: But the Lord said unto him (Ananias), Go thy way, for he (Paul) IS A CHOSEN VESSEL (REPRESENTATIVE) UNTO ME, TO BEAR MY NAME (AGENT) BEFORE THE GENTILES, AND KINGS AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (DEPUTYSHIP): FOR I WILL SHEW HIM HOW GREAT THINGS HE MUST SUFFER FOR MY NAME

So when the agent goes, it is as if the Master is going in the agent and when the agent speaks, they hear the Master because the agent has lost his identity to serve and carry the message of his Master. So when we say that the agent is the sent one or apostle of the Lord I am not speaking of apostle as we see it in the religious church as one who hops on planes and plants a bunch of churches and control people with big words. No! The apostle or the agent of the Lord is simply the one who carries the message and burden of the vision of the Lord to whomever the Lord sends them. This is why Paul can speak about the “dispensation of grace” given to him TO GIVE TO THE GENTILES (Ephesians 3:2). He was simply a vessel or agent carrying the grace and dispensing it in the earth ON BEHALF OF THE LORD. When the true agent of the Lord comes, you can truly say “Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord”. They come bearing and carrying something on behalf of someone else. Here is another great example:

Isaiah 9:6 speaks about Jesus and Him carrying a government on His shoulders. We know the government is the Kingdom of God, but He was not carrying this for Himself, He was carrying on behalf of the Father who sent Him for the lost sons of promise. So if you do not receive the Word of the Lord from the “sent one”, agent or apostle, then you reject the sender and in this case it is God Himself. So it is important to understand that the agent of God is simply the one who carries the message of the Lord to whom he sends him to.

To be a true apostolic people we must adopt the principal fundamental of servanthood and understand that we are simply vessels sent into the earth to carry the vision and Will of the Lord into the Earth. Nothing about the servant can say self but everything should point back to the Lord.

Hence we are called to be exact representatives of the Lord and steward over the things he has given us and go on behalf of Him and carry His Word and grace to the nations. In the next message we will look at servanthood from a beautiful scripture to show this point.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Deputyship

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Divine Design of Humankind: Deputyship
Scripture: Genesis 2:1,2; Romans 1:20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The second purpose of humankind in the earth is to deputize. Now what does this mean? According to dictionary.com a deputy is a person appointed or authorized to act as a substitute for another. Now to understand this let’s look at this scripture:

Genesis 2:1,2: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished (complete), and all the host (servants) of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work (deputyship, ministry) which he had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

The first word I want to look at is finished. Meaning complete (kalah in Hebrew). Now if God said the heavens and the earth is complete then God has not worked on creation since that time. God has supplied and done everything in creation and for creation within those six days to a point that he no longer had to work or revise creation. Hence on the seventh day, He rested from His work and all He made. Amazing isn’t it. God has not worked on creation since the ending of the sixth day.

Now God included in that day in Genesis 2:1 that all of the hosts of them were completed. We see this word hosts throughout the Bible, but what does it mean. Hosts in Hebrew is the word, tsaba, and it means to mass an army or servants. So there are servants in heaven and there are servants on earth. Now these servants are called to deputize on behalf of God. Now even though this word “host” carries a militant meaning it still implies us to work from a position of a servant not force, war or command.

The third word I want to point out here is the word work. The word in Hebrew is melakah and it means deputyship, ministry or work. It comes from the root word malak meaning to dispatch as a deputy or messenger. So the deputy is an individual that is dispatched to deputize for another and in this case we as sons of God are dispatched to represent the Father in the earth. Understand this Romans 1:20 speaks of us understanding that the invisible things of God are clearly seen and understood by the things that He made. With that said, every level of creation represents something about God. So in finishing creation God perfectly put everything in creation that we need to understand the ways, character and nature of the Father. Now let’s put a puzzle together about Genesis 2:1,2. When the scripture speaks of God finishing His work it means that God ended works that he appointed to deputize on behalf of Him.

In the next message we will look at the final of the three purposes, agents.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Representation Part 3

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Divine Design of Humankind: Representation Part 3
Scripture: John 13:20; Isaiah 6:1-8

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let me lead this last message on representation as a part of the three-fold purpose of man with this scripture:

John 13:20: Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that recieveth whomsoever I send recieveth me; and he that recieveth me recieveth Him that sent me.

Now let’s examine this and understand what representation is. First it says he that receives whomsoever the Lord sends, receives the Lord. Now notice Jesus does not put an emphasize of the person He sends, all the emphasis is on who the receiver is receiving. The person by which the message comes is simply the mouthpiece of the one who sends them or the representative. So the representative is not the actual person but stands in the stead of the person and when they speak they do not hear the voice of the messenger but the voice of the sender. Great example of this is when the centurion was explaining to Jesus how he understood the authority the Jesus had in speaking the word (Matthew 8:5-13). Now the point I am making is in the centurion explaining he described that when he speaks people respond and do. Now it is not because he has the sole power and authority. It is because when he speaks, it is just like Caesar speaking. So the soldiers do not hear me they hear Caesar. The centurion understood that Jesus did not have to go physically to accomplish the request, he can just send His word and that was good enough. So Jesus, who sits at the right hand of the Father sends His Word through the Holy Spirit, through the representative or son to the intended receiver. So when the receiver receives the word, they do not receive the messenger but the sender and that be Christ.

Now the second half of that scripture says whomsoever receives Christ, receives the one who sends Him. Who sent Christ? The Father. So to reject the word of God sent to you is to reject God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now that is mind-blowing. You can reject the Godhead by rejecting the Word of God. So we should not take offense to those who reject the Word of God because it will be the same Word of God that will judge them and it is not us that they reject, but God.

Finally when we look at the relationship between God and His sons we know that when God comes face to face with man, man reflects the glory of God within him (Hebrews 1:1-3). Now in Isaiah 6:1-8 we see a picture of the Lord in His Throne and we see angels in unique positions. One of the positions we see are seraphims covering the face of God and the feet of God. Now if they are covering the face and feet of God, they cannot even look at God face to face. Now look at this scripture and it has always been here but let’s shed some light on it.

Isaiah 6:3: And one (an angel) cried unto another, and said Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.

Now we have heard this scripture in many songs but what is this telling us. It is showing us that since the angels themselves cannot look at God face to face, the only way to see the glory of God is to look in the earth. In the earth is the beauty and splendor of God in the vessels called man. But it is the beauty within the vessel, not the vessel itself. This is why we do not seek self-glorification because then the glory points to us. Ask Satan (Lucifer) about self glorification because his very creation being covered with stones to reflect the glory of God was not good enough for him and hence Lucifer seeked for worship because he believed in his self and his beauty (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28). Everything we do and say should point right back to God. This is the heart and essence of representation when we disappear and the only thing that people can see within us is the glory of God or His presence and goodness extended towards them.

In the next message we will look at the second purpose of man in the earth and that is to deputize.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Representation Part 2

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Divine Design of Humankind: Representation Part 2
Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:14

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
When we talk about representation and representing the Father in the earth we must deal with the issue of faith and obedience. Now I have talked about this in some of the previous messages but let’s dig a little and get some more bread for our spirits in understanding our representation. Look at this scripture:

Hebrews 1:1: God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Now I want to stop here even though I am in the middle of a sentence to point this out. Who did God speak to in divers manners? Some say it was the prophets but that is not true. The scripture says he spoke to the FATHERS BY THE PROPHETS. So it was via the prophets that God would speak to the fathers. So it would be by the voice of God that the children of Israel would obey. As ambassadors of Christ who are called to re-present Him in the Earth we are called to speak what we hear Him say. Upon hearing His voice we obey and as we obey our faith is made stronger. In the garden of Eden Adam and Eve did not need faith because they accurately represented the Father before the fall. Faith was no where needed because all they knew was the Father and they were lead by His voice and obeyed His voice. When the fall came, faith was needed because man obtained another viewpoint to life that he was never intended to obtain and that was the viewpoint from the soul.

Faith comes into play to change us from double-vision (soul and spirit) to single vision (spirit). How this happens is when the Spirit of God speaks we need to quiet our soul (voice of our emotions and reasoning) and upon the commands and directions of the Father we obey Him. When we obey Him, His Will is manifest before us and this strengthens our faith in Him. So obedience comes before faith. People will believe on Him if the ones who represent Him are obedient to Him and manifest His glory or His presence in the Earth. Now let’s look at this last part of the scripture:

Hebrews 1:3: Who being the brightness of His glory, THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON, and upholding all things BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER, when He had by Himself purged our sins, at down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Notice the capitalized words, the express image of his person and by the word of his power. We are called to be in His image and uphold things by His word He gives us and in His word there is power. In John 1:14 it says the Word of God is full of grace and truth. Grace is power and authority. So it is important to understand that the sons of God who are obedient to His word and mature, they will be given responsibility within the Kingdom of God. The governing graces within the Kingdom will not be given to the immature. So to be a representative of the Father, one must be obedient and have faith.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Representation

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Divine Design of Humankind: Representation
Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Why did God create humans and put them on earth? One of the major issues plaguing the Body of Christ is an identity crises and when you have an identity crises then you cannot understand your purpose. Now there are three elements to our identity and purpose in the earth. These are the three elements:
1. Exact Representation
2. Deputies
3. Agents of the Creator
We are called to be representatives, deputies and agents of the creator and over the next two to three messages we will examine each element and how it pertains to the principal of servanthood. Today we will start with representation.

To be a representative of the Lord one must void himself of self. We serve the Lord according to the Divine Will. We act and respond to His instructions. We are not architects of our own destiny. To represent someone is to make their Will your will. You are to act on God's behalf. Exact representation can only happen when we choose to be servants of God. We cannot be full of ourselves.

Another aspect of exact representation is a call to stewardship, not ownership. In the Dominion Mandate of Genesis 1:26-28 we are called to steward or manage the Earth, not own it. In many of the parables of Jesus he speaks of servants managing or stewarding over the Lord's things. We know there is the parable of the talents, the vineyard husbandmen and the unjust steward to name a few. God did not call us to own the Earth. The scripture says "The Earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof". So in being representatives of God we are called to manage, not own.

Another aspect of exact representation is image. Genesis 1:26 says that we are in the image of God. If we are in the image of God then we are duplicates of the original. God is a spirit and hence if we are born of God then we also are spirits. In the first man, Adam, God imparted His Spirit into man so that when creation would see him, creation would see the glory of God being reflected from him and obey. So much has been placed on taking care of our physical, which includes obtaining material things that we forget to understand that we are spirits and we need keep that in the forefront in understanding this is how we communicate with the Father and it is through our spirit that the Holy Spirit interacts with our spirits to give us revelation and direction.


Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Servanthood and Position within the Body of Christ Part 2

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Servanthood and Positions within the Body of Christ
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:27-28; Ephesians 4:19,20; Hebrews 3:1; John 13:5-17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Remember in a previous message we made the statement that there is no equality within creation but there is equality within the Godhead. Now I know somebody is going to use Galatians 3:27-29 to say that there is but the context in which that scripture is framed to show that believers in Christ are Abraham's seed and heirs of the promise despite what physical Israel was saying at the time and saying even today. But let me show you this scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:27-28: Now ye are the Body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Now it is clear to Paul and clear to myself that God is speaking of a ranking within the Body of Christ in this scripture. He is also very clear in Ephesians 4:19,20 that the foundation of the House of God is built upon the apostles and prophets with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. So even to the church at Corinth God states that the order within the Body of Christ is first apostles then prophets. Funny, some teach against this by saying there is no apostles and prophets but if that is the case, why would God speak through Paul saying the contrary. Now in this day and time we have a rash of people calling themselves apostles. If we allow Holy Spirit to discern the anointing on these people, He will tell us that many of these people are not because they way they operate is under a Gentile model and not under the model established by the Lord Jesus Christ. What do I mean by Gentile model? They rule over people to seek to control them and convert them to their doctrine or whatever the denomination's doctrine is. The true apostles of the Kingdom must become the least in the Kingdom and servant of all. In other words, they do not seek high places but seek to serve others just as the Chief Apostle did, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 3:1). Paul in many of his salutations to the churches spoke of himself as a servant first before stating he was an apostle. So even in the foundational gifting of the apostle, that very anointing makes one servant of all first. Let me go back to the washing of the feet of the disciples and show you this picture.

In John 13:5-17 we see Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Now his first one-on-one interaction is with Peter and Peter questioned the Lord washing His feet because if He is Lord then He should not be washing my feet. Jesus understands that Peter doesn't understand what He is doing and He tells Peter soon he will. Peter declare that the Lord will not wash his feet and Jesus responds that if I do not then you will not have any part with Him. Peter has a change of heart and desires that his hands and his head be washed also. Now watch how Jesus responds to this request because I understand what Peter was thinking:

John 13:10: Jesus saith to him, HE THAT IS WASHED NEEDETH NOT SAVE TO WASH HIS FEET, BUT IS CLEAN EVERY WHIT: AND YE ARE CLEAN, BUT NOT ALL.

Now Jesus does not wash the body of an individual because HE IS THE BODY! He cleans our feet so that we can serve the world. So to be great you must become a servant. We must learn how to serve.

In the next message we will look at the divine design of humankind.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Issues of Servanthood and Position within the House of God

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Issues of Servanthood and Position within the House of God
Scripture: Matthew 20:20-28

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
When we examine servanthood from the House of God perspective and after the past messages we see a call for us as believers to derobe ourselves of titles and false aspirations that are not in the mind of God. Instead of the anointing using us as He pleases and clothing us in His righteousness and OUR FELLOWSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT confirm who we are, we vest ourselves and cover ourselves in titles and try to justify the title. With the title comes a attitude to be someone high in a place of position and power. However, to become a servant of God you must become completely nothing. This is what Paul was speaking about in Philippians 2:1-11 about Jesus making Himself of no reputation and takes on the form of a servant. Now if Jesus can be found on the lowest round of the ladder or social status, where do you think we should be found. See, I understand more that we desire the high seen places and this is the complete opposite of what God wants you to desire and focus on. Let me show you in this story between Jesus and the disciples.

In Matthew 20:20-28 we the mother of Zebedee's children come to Jesus with a particular request. She desired that Jesus grant her sons to sit on the right and the left hand in His Kingdom. Now this granting of the mother is a metaphoric designation of us desiring for high places to be seen. Now Jesus tells her that special place shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of His Father. So Jesus basically tells her that those places are not for Him to give but it will be given to those for whom it is prepared by the Father. So Jesus stays in the role of the servant even though He is the King of kings. He understands that it is the Father's Will that will direct the Holy Spirit in placing people in the Body of Christ to prepare the Body for the return of the Lord. Now in Matthew 20:24 the ten disciples heard the request and became very upset. This is a picture of a church fight. People jealous of others trying to advance themselves in the Kingdom. Even though the request was unique and she did not understand what she was asking for, people get jealous when others are desiring to advance. Now Jesus sees this discourse about to go down and so He takes the time to explain to the disciples about servanthood and placement within the House of God.

Matthew 20:25-28: But Jesus called them unto Him and said, Ye know that the princes (rulers) of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. BUT IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU: BUT WHOSOEVER WILL BE GREAT AMONG YOU, LET HIM BE YOUR MINISTER (SERVANT); And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Jesus explains to the disciples that the rulers of the Gentiles exercise authority and rule over the people. This rule, many times was a oppressive rule. But Jesus tells the dsiciples that this SHALL NOT BE WITH THE DISCIPLES AND SONS OF GOD. If you desire to be great or to be cheif or leader, that person MUST BECOME A SERVANT OF ALL. So to be in the high governmental positions, it requires you to be in the lowest social position. He did not want the disciples taking the model of rule from the Gentiles because that becomes a oppressive rule and God did not come to oppress us. He wanted them to understand that the example that He has sent as Lord and Christ is that the sons of God are to serve. The heart of their very existance is servanthood. So we do not seek the high places but from the position of a servant does the Lord use us and mature us to place us in the governmental places while maintaining the position of a servant.

In the next message we will look at the positions within the Body of Christ and show that servanthood is still the heart of the anointed gifting.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Servanthood of Jesus Part 2

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: The Servanthood of Jesus Part 2
Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let us continue studying the servanthood of Jesus.

Philippians 2:6,7: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him THE FORM OF A SERVANT, and was made in the likeness of men:

Paul speaks that Jesus being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. This is a loaded statement so we must deconstruct this and put it back together. When we look at the portion of scripture that speaks of Jesus being in the form of God, the word form is the word “morphe” in the Greek and it means: shape or nature. Jesus was at the place of equality with God but made Himself of no reputation. Jesus emptied Himself of who He is even though He was equal to God to take on the form or nature of a servant. So Jesus shifted from equality to emptiness. Because Jesus does this, God the Father exalts Him above every other name. Now let’s go back to the issue of equality because even in the Body of Christ we face this problem.

There is equality in the Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), but there is not equality in creation. We were not created to be equal with God but we were created to be exact representatives of Him. Being an exact representative has nothing to do with equality. To be the exact representative of God is to empty ourselves of our ambitions, desires and will. Paul says that we must die daily. This dying daily is the death of self that can oppose God. We cannot look at our own interest but we must look at the interest of another. Jesus was the epitome of this by only doing what He saw the Father doing. Jesus gave up all the rule over Himself for the Father to rule over Him and fulfill His Will in the Earth. But it required Jesus to be obedient to the Father in all things.

So Jesus emptied Himself and became nothing (servant) so that the Father’s Will can be brought to the Earth and mankind can be reconciled back to the Father. Because of the obedience of Jesus to the Father we have the privilege to fellowship with the Father, Spirit to spirit. So there has to be a shift from faith to obedience. The reason I say this is because worship is obedience because you conform to the image of God abiding in you. Your faith simply takes you from relying or listening to your soul to hearing the Spirit. Faith comes by HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD. So your faith simply shifts you to the mind of Christ but it will be obedience that causes you to worship and serve Him.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Servanthood of Jesus

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Examining the Ministry of Jesus: The Servanthood of Jesus
Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Let’s us get right to it because this set of scripture is so powerful to understanding the servanthood of Jesus and how we are to be just like Him in this manner. Let’s start breaking it down:

Philippians 2:1,2: if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Paul starts this portion of the letter with understanding that servanthood begins with a fellowship with the Spirit of God. We tend to think of fellowship in the meaning of getting to together to play games and eat food but when we talk about fellowship of the Spirit it means to have a relationship with the Spirit of God and allow Him to place in the Body of Christ, teach you and guide you in the ways of Christ and empower you to serve the living God as the Father’s Will commands. Next, Paul exhorts us to be likeminded, having the same love and being of one accord and of one mind. This is a clear expression of the result of fellowship with the Spirit producing unity within the Body of Christ. Hence the same love that the Father displays through the Son and the same relationship that They have where there is one mind and one clear voice leading and guiding the way, this is the same way and character we as the sons of God are to put on display in the Earth. So with the fellowship of the Spirit there is a result of unity of knowledge and of character through relationship.

Philippians 2:3,4: Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Now we could do an entire message on these two scriptures but for the sake of time let’s swing through it and hit the major points. In Jesus ministry on Earth, He did absolutely nothing out of strife or confusion, nor did He do anything that brought glory to Himself. Everything that was done pointed back to the Father. Whenever people seeked to understand how He did things, He always gave the glory and reverence to the Father. This is a great example of being a servant because a servant is completely voided of their will and their personal ambitions. Jesus gave up the right to rule Himself and gave all of who He is to the Father so that His Will would be done but check this out: Because Jesus laid down His life, we all now have the opportunity to live and be in fellowship with the Father and serve Him as His children with honor and reverence to Him. Now this required Jesus not to look upon His own self. Jesus was always looking out for others before Himself. The greatest show of this was His own death where He died for us so that we may live. The heart of the servant is not one of strife, grumbling or self glorification but it is one of humility and love.

Philippians 2:5: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus!

Paul exhorts us to have the same mind as Christ Jesus! Is this possible? Yes because we have the Spirit of Christ abiding in us. The key is to suppress the mind, emotions and will of the soul for the mind, emotions and will of the Spirit. Jesus and the Father had one mind and this unity allowed the power of the Kingdom to shine forth in the earth through miracles, healings and other manifestations of the Spirit. But for it flow freely, it required the Father and the Son to be likeminded and on the same page. We are called to be on that same page and through faith we have the ability to be on that page.

We will continue examining this scripture and see the servanthood of Jesus,

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Definitions of the Son of God

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Examining the Ministry of Jesus: Definitions of the Son of God
Scripture: Philippians 2:5; Acts 10:36-38; Galatians 2:20; 3:27; Romans 3:23,24

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
When we look at the ministry of Jesus as a servant we can separate it into three parts but the basis of it all is servanthood. The three parts is the Kingly, Priestly and Prophetic. Now in the scriptures we see the name of Jesus used in various ways and forms and we should not bypass these without getting a clear understanding but how it is used. So let’s look at this scripture and we will be using the entire passage here but for this message we will start this discussion.

Philippians 2:5: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus

Now when we speak about the Spirit as it pertains to the Son or Jesus we see various titles given to Jesus and here they are:
1. Jesus Christ
2. Christ Jesus
3. Jesus
4. Christ
All four of these titles shows up in scripture. But let’s define what each one means because if you can understand what each one means then they can get the correct application to what is being said in the scripture.

Acts 10:36-38: The word which God sent unto the children of Israel; preaching peace by JESUS CHRIST: (He is Lord of all) That word I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH WITH THE HOLY GHOST and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.

In this scripture we see two for the four designated names of Jesus. We see Jesus Christ and Jesus (without the Christ). When the scripture speaks of Jesus Christ it is speaking of Jesus being the Anointed One or “the Christ”. Jesus Christ is the historical Christ because it refers to Jesus being anointed with the Spirit of God within the realm of time. Now we see that the scripture in verse 38 simply mentions the name Jesus without “Christ”. This speaks of the historical Jew walking within the realm of human time. If you look at verse 38 it says Jesus of Nazareth which speaks of his Jewish heritage or lineage but then the scripture goes on to speak of Him being anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power and this changes the reference from Jesus to Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 3:27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have on Christ

When we see the word Christ by itself it is referencing the timeless or eternal Christ. Galatians 3:27 speak of Christ in the sense that we are baptized by the Spirit into Christ. Hence we are a part of the Body of Christ. The scripture that speaks of one Lord, one faith, one baptism is speaking of being baptized into the timeless or eternal Christ. Hence when we are baptized into the eternal Christ we are enveloped in the Anointing. Galatians 3:27 says we have PUT ON CHRIST, hence Christ is our covering and clothing for our spirits.

Romans 3:23,24: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Notice the scripture is saying that the redemption is IN CHRIST JESUS. When the scripture speaks of Christ Jesus it is speaking of the resurrected or ascended Christ. For redemption even be possible, Jesus had to be resurrected from the dead and ascend back to the Father. So anytime we see Christ Jesus we are referring to the post-historical Christ that is eternal.

So this is what we have in a snapshot:
Jesus: The historical Jew that walked in the realm of time
Jesus Christ: Historical Christ that was Jesus the man who was Anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power.
Christ: The Timeless Anointing that embodies and houses the spirits of the sons (The Body of Christ)
Christ Jesus: The Ascended or Resurrected Christ

In the next message we will begin to examine the servanthood of Jesus.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Divine Example of Servanthood

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: The Divine Example of Servanthood
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; John 6:38; 15:13; John 16:13,14

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
We started this series with understanding that if we have been called to serve then the principal of servanthood is resident in God. We know that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So the principal of servanthood is resident in the Godhead. Well to say that God is servant at heart can be a stretch for most people because when we speak of God we speak of Him being Almighty and the Most High but has it ever entered into our spirit that God is also a servant at heart? Today we want to look at scripture and show you that even in the Godhead, the principal of servanthood was front and center and remember God would never require us to do something that He Himself had not already done. The principal of serving in the Godhead is called submission

Let’s start out with this scripture:
John 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Love is a non-counting, unconditional and selfless giving of oneself for another. God gave through His Son (John 3:16) which was everything that He had. Now let’s examine the relationships between Father, Son and Holy Spirit and show the principal of servanthood.

The Holy Spirit Submits to the Son:
John 16:13,14: Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit) is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF; BUT WHATSOEVER HE SHALL HEAR, THAT SHALL HE SPEAK: AND HE WILL SHEW YOU THINGS TO COME. HE SHALL GLORIFY ME: FOR HE SHALL RECEIVE OF MINE, AND SHALL SHE IT UNTO YOU
So the Holy Spirit comes to serves Christ by distributing what Christ has to the Body for the maturing of the saints and preparation for the return of the Lord. Even at creation in Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) was on Earth serving the Creator as He gave direction. Who is the Creator of the worlds? John 1:1-3 and Hebrews 1:2 says it is the Son.

Son submits to the Father
John 6:38: For I came down from Heaven, NOT TO DO MINE OWN WILL, BUT THE WILL OF HIM (FATHER) THAT SENT ME.
We could use so many scriptures from the Gospels for this but this is as straight as it gets.

Father submits to the Son
Now you may think this is weird but the Father submitted everything to the Son. How do we know this?
1 Corinthians 15:27: For He (Father) has put all things under His (Jesus) feet. But when He (Father) saith all things are put under Him (Jesus), it is manifest that He (Father) is excepted which did put all thing under Him (Jesus).
The Father has submitted all of Heaven and earth to the Son and in the end according to 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 the Son will render up the Kingdom and the House of God, including Himself to the Father so that God may be all in all.

So in the Godhead the principal of servanthood is evident we see that everyone is trying to serve the other. So if it is resident in the Godhead, being a servant is resident in us. It is a part of our spiritual DNA. You cannot do the Will of the Father without being a servant because it requires you to submit all your members, flesh, soul and spirit to God.

In the next few messages we want to look at Jesus and His Ministry and the Principal of Servanthood. I know we discussed it in the sacraments but there are some other places and things that need to be brought out about servanthood.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Character of a Servant Part 2: The Shunammite Woman

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Character of the Servant Part 2: The Shunammite Woman
Scripture: 2 Kings 4:8-17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
This story particularly is one that really captures the heart of a servant and this is why we cannot ignore or throw out the Old Testament because there are examples and truths still being revealed within it. Now this is a unique story but it will explain a lot of what we discussed in the previous message. Remember the servant does not serve in anticipation of reward or pay. Can you imagine not placing any demands on God nor expectations but just serving Him? Sounds weird. To do this or to be in this frame of mind it requires total submission and surrender of your life to God. Are we called to do that? Of course! Romans 12:1,2 says for us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. He does not say a part or a section but your entire body. Let’s get into this story and show the heart of the servant and how God responds to the servant.

Starting at 2 Kings 4:8 we see the prophet Elisha passing through Shunem and a woman would constrain him there to eat bread as often as he would pass by and Elisha would stop in and eat bread there. This woman was unique because she recognizes that Elisha is a holy man of God. Now this was not a one-time recognition because she said he passed through continually (2 Kings 4:9). Hence her spirit was sensitive to the Spirit of God to recognize this. Now in her heart she desires to make a chamber in the house with a bed, table, stool and candlestick so Elisha could rest comfortably (2 Kings 4:10). So far we have this Shunammite woman serving the prophet of God out of the kindness of her heart. Now Elisha calls his servant Gehazi to get the woman and bring her to him and watch how this plays out:

2 Kings 4:13: And he (Elisha) said unto him (Gehazi), Say now unto her, Behold thou hast been careful for us with all this care (serving); what is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? AND SHE ANSWERED, I DWELL AMONG MINE OWN PEOPLE. And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, VERILY SHE HATH NO CHILD AND HER HUSBAND IS OLD.

Now when asked what can they do for her, she replied that she simply dwelled amongst her people. She did not quantify this answer with a selfish desire. God seeing this woman’s heart gives her a child, EVEN THOUGH SHE NEVER ASKED FOR ONE. Notice, no where in her response is there a request for a child, but God saw fit that she needed a child. This woman served the people of God without seeking a reward or pay and out of her kindness, God gives her a child. The giving of a child to a person is one of the best blessings but is also a call to the highest form of responsibility and stewardship, the care of his people who are his children.

The Shunammite woman is a great example of servanthood and the character that we should display in serving others. When you do not seek anything, God can give you anything and whatever God gives you, He has called you to manage or steward over that thing or person and give a account for what was given unto you.

In the next message we will look at the Divine Example of Servanthood. We will look at the Godhead and how the principal of servanthood is resident.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Character of the Servant

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Character of the Servant
Scripture: John 4:23,24; John 14:15; Isaiah 56:5; Luke 15

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
What is the character of the servant? First the servant is someone who is completely subjected and submitted to the Master. They are consumed by the Will of the Master. The Will of God is revealed to those who seek Him and worship Him in truth and in spirit (John 4:23,24). However when we do not know or the revelation of Christ is absent in the lives of people then the proclamations that people make “in the name of Christ” is just like producing golden calves in the name of Jesus. Servants are solely dependent on the Master. The servants of God do not depend on human beings.

Dependence on human beings is an area of our lives that all of us have had to migrate from if we are to mature in Christ. If we are to be the servants of Christ, then we depend completely on Him. This is why Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek the rulership of God (Kingdom of God) over your life first and seek to be in right-position with Him (righteousness) and all these things that are needed and some desired are added unto us by God. One of the areas of life that we struggle with this is in relationships where the people depend on each other to fill the emotional voids in each other’s life. These voids can only be filled by the Spirit of God because it is the Spirit of God that makes you whole. Filling each other’s void is always a temporary fix and may times it leads to us carrying other’s burdens that we were never created nor meant to carry.

Next, a servant always responds to the command of the Master. The servants of God love the Father and in showing that love they respond to His commands. John 14:15: If you love me, keep my commandments. Servants have no expectations of pay or rewards for what they do. Their pleasure and desire is to serve the Master. I know this is messing with someone because in these times of the prosperity gospel, we are to pray for riches and people say if you are obedient then God will give you something. We are to serve because that is a part of the divine nature of God (2 Peter 1:4) and we lay down our lives, the rule over ourselves, so that others may live. This type of servanthood requires strict obedience.

Now let me show you the importance of obedience in the life of a servant. Before the fall in the Garden there was no need for faith. Huh? Yes, there was no need for faith. Adam simply obeyed the commands of God His Father. So obedience to the Father was the forefront principal in the maintaining the Earth. Faith did not come into play until after the fall. Why is this the case? Faith simply takes us from being double-minded and double-visioned (soul and spirit) to being single-minded and single-visioned (Lead by the Spirit). When we are obedient we come under the covering of the one who is speaking, namely the Spirit of Christ.

Isaiah 56:5: Even unto them (eunuchs or servants) will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah spoke of a name which is higher than that of sons or daughters to those servants of the Father’s house who carry the characteristics of being a servant and being in strict obedience to the Father. When you look back at the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) when he came to his senses he said in Luke 15:19: “And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.” The son simply wanted to be in the presence of his father. The wonderful thing about this story is that the father accepted him back as his son and clothed him and gave him all back what was rightfully his and all he has to do is stay in right positioning with his father and serve him in his house. Now in contrast the elder brother that was already in his father’s house becomes self righteous and speaks to his father about what he did and why he did not receive “the party” (Luke 15:29). When you become self-righteous you cannot appreciate the love of a father and this is why the father in the prodigal son story explained to his son that even though his son went astray he still loves him and he celebrates because this son was dead and now alive but as for you who already serve me in the house, everything the father has is already yours. So watch this:

You do not serve the Father for an inheritance because if you are in the House, everything that belongs to the Father is also yours because you are joint heirs with Christ and Christ has received everything from the Father and He is the mediator of the inheritance and He dispenses the inheritance to the sons as desired by the Father.

So we serve the Father out of love for the Father because it is our desire to please Him through our service, worship and praise. We do this from the position of a servant allowing Him to live freely and unconditionally through us to accomplish His Will in the Earth for our lives.

We will continue to look at the character of the servant and look at and example in scripture.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Objectives of Servanthood

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Objectives of Servanthood
Scripture: Luke 1:35-38; Isaiah 58:14; Mark 10:44; Hebrews 1:1-3

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
What is the objective of the principal of servanthood. The first objective is to provide and prepare the Body of Christ. A great example of this is the interaction between the Mary and the angel. In Luke 1:35-38 Mary speaks of herself being a handmaid of the Lord. She was the prepared vessel to bring the Son of God to the Earth. Mary had to be a servant to carry Jesus.

The second objective of servanthood is to bring the sons of God into their destined governmental and jurisdictional privilege. See we have sought the high places in the Earth and did not understand that in order to ride upon the high places of the earth which are the governmental positions one must become a servant first (Isaiah 58:14). Jesus said Himself that is one seeks to be chief, one must become the servant of all (Mark 10:44).

The third objective is to proclaim and carry the fame of God. Now this one is the doozy. The problem with this is we have people who proclaim the name of Jesus but seek their own personal fame and try to give the credit to Jesus. Great examples are television stations such as TBN and the Word Network who promotes secular people who simply mention the name of God to draw believers to the channel. In addition, many of the people who are on these channels are fleecing and raping the church through greed and false gospel doctrines (inclusion and prosperity). Other worldly shows that has “God” attached to it just for fun is Sunday Best which is a American Idol knock off where people judge gospel singers (sounds crazy) and Homosexuals and cross-dressers producing comedy and sitcoms that have “promote a Christian meaning” while still making fun at the church. These people seek their own fame but let me show you this. God did not create ANY OF US TO BE FAMOUS. Fame destroys people. When you become worldly famous you have just now left your position in the Kingdom. Jesus was far from famous and he did not seek His own glory but sought to be a reflection of His Father’s glory (Hebrews 1:1-3). It is not a part of our spiritual DNA to desire fame. We are not created to be glorified but to reflect the glory of God in the Earth. We are not called to own anything but we are called to manage or steward the Earth. We are called to serve the living God and carry HIS FAME in the Earth. We are here to point men to Him because we lay down our crowns at His feet.

Now in being a servant of God, we are all equal as it pertains to the Father but where we are not equal is in terms of functionality and ranking and this is determined by the Father according to the gifts given to man. Even though one may have authority they themselves are still servants and all positions in the Kingdom of God requires a servants attitude. We must surrender our rule and time to the Master and become bound to Him.

Do we see the type of dedication we should have to the Will of God and improving and maturing our relationship with the Father? Can we begin to see how far off we are from really doing the work that we are called to do. We cannot serve two masters! We will either serve the desires of our flesh/soul or the desires of God, our Father and Master.

In the next message we will begin to look at the character of the servant.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Household Gathering

Household Gathering tonight at 7pm EST. All are welcomed to join us. You can listen in via Conference Call: 712-432-3066 Code: 213301 or you can view live through Justin t.v. via this link: http://www.justin.tv/householdofcalhoun/videos . We will be discussing the prophetic word for 2012 (The Word becoming Flesh).

Defining the Servant

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Defining the Servant
Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30; 2 Peter 1;4; Acts 6:1-6;

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now we said that in 2 Peter 1:4 that we are to be partakers of the divine nature and part of the divine nature is servanthood. Every citizen of the Kingdom of God must adopt the principal of servanthood. No longer are you members of some organized club, religion or denomination, but you are sons of God (Ephesians 4:19,20). The desire of the sons of God is not to take over lands but to produce and mature sons and perpetuate the Will of God through the ages of time. When we look back at many of the parables Jesus spoke, He spoke of a servant managing a house. Just like in the sacraments we can see the heart and principal of servanthood that God has called us to be as His sons. Look at it from this perspective:

There was the Kingdom parable of the buried talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In verse 14 it makes a reference that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man travelling into a far country (Earth), who called HIS OWN SERVANTS (SONS OF GOD) AND DELIVERED UNTO THEM HIS GOODS. Now when God begins to make the servants give an account of what they did (stewardship or manage) to the servants that managed what was given to them well, the Lord said this:

Matthew 25:21: His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful SERVANT: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

Notice in the words the Lord uses. He refers the sons of God as servants and please do not try to theologically diminish this title of servant. You are called to be a son but in being a son you must become a servant because your Father is also a servant at heart. We must learn to labor in the dust and not be afraid to get dirty serving others. Some people call this the ministry of the deacon. The word deacon is first seen in scripture in 1 Timothy 3:10 where Paul is explaining the qualifications of a deacon but in Acts 6:1-6 we see the first appointment of deacons to ministry by the apostles. The word deacon in Greek is diakoneo and it means this:

Deacon: To be an attendant that is to wait upon or to serve.

Now in understanding the role of the deacon, if we study apostolic ministry we will also see that the apostles were deacons also. See, we have minimized and diminished the role of the deacon. However, all of us must labor by serving. Now we do not serve unto man, but unto God. None of us are called to be slaves to man. This is why the human spirit rebels against oppression by another human spirit. The only person the spirit will respond to from the position of slave or servant is the Spirit of God. We are all called to be slaves unto the living God.

In the next message we will look at the objective of servanthood.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Sacraments and Servanthood

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: The Sacraments and Servanthood
Scripture: Luke 22:15-20; Ephesians 5:21-33; John 13:5-17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Isn’t it amazing that when we look at the sacraments that we rarely think about them being about servanthood. Let’s name these sacraments and then discuss them separately.
1. Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper)
2. Marriage
3. Feet Washing

Holy Communion (Luke 22:15-20)
Jesus serves the disciples bread and wine and we know that the bread is symbolic of His body that is broken for us and the Word of God to nourish our souls. The wine is symbolic of the blood that is shed for the remission of sin so we may be cleansed from sin. The point is Jesus is serving the sons of God at the table of the Lord. So when we sit at the table and fellowship with the Lord, He serves us and this is the heart of a servant to think of others and serve them before themselves.

Marriage (Ephesians 5:21-33)
The concept of servanthood the heart of the sacrament of marriage. It is not about lustful emotions and feelings and satisfying one another’s fleshly desires. Marriage is about communicating grace to one another. This is why Ephesians 5:21 says submitting yourselves ONE TO ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD. How about this scripture:

Ephesians 5:24,25: Therefore as the church is subject (submission and service) unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;

So both the wife and husband serve one another and in serving one another there is a communication of grace between the both of them.

Washing Feet (John 13:5-17)
Now this sacrament has almost left the Body of Christ and rarely do we see people wash feet. Many people view feet washing as “messy” and many will not do it because they do not believe that they should get down and wash someone’s feet. However, the Lord, God in the flesh, girded himself with a towel and kneeled down and washed his disciple’s feet. This is probably the best example in the entire Bible of servanthood but yet it is the least practiced. Think about it, the Lord who is the greatest over all is in the most humble and servile state and serving the sons of God and if He, God Almighty will do it, then you better believe if we are partakers of his divine nature, we should do the same. Want to prove it?

John 13:14: If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. FOR I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN EXAMPLE, THAT YE SHOULD DO AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU. VERILY VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THE SERVANT IS NOT GREATER THAN HIS LORD; NEITHER HE THAT IS SENT GREATER THAN HE THAT SENT HIM.

Case closed on this issue! These are the words of the Lord and notice right after telling them that they are to do it, He explains the purpose to explain the relationship between a servant and his lord or master and how we must learn to be servants if we desire to lead.

So even in the sacraments there is the heart and concept of servanthood

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Teaching Series: Servanthood

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: Introduction to the Importance of Servanthood
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-4; Galatians 4:19

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
In this series we will discuss the most critical and foundational principal in the Kingdom and House of God which is servanthood. Now when we talk about servants there seems to be an overriding negative picture towards the term in the sense of how it has been interpreted and used through the age of man. When we lack understanding into true servanthood in the church there is a title culture that comes about where everyone is vested in having a title and there is a production of slaves who are sons. When we look at servanthood this will not and should not be presented from a humanistic point of view. From the human point of view servanthood is Apartheid, Segregation and Slavery. This is not the perspective we will look at this from. We will study this from the divine perspective and you will be shock to know and understand that the concept of servanthood is even resident in the Godhead.

Servanthood is a fundamental concept of the Divine nature of God. Hence God is a slave at heart. Now do not go jump off the deep end. As we study you will begin to understand more about the Father and how just like He is a slave at heart, so should we be. Here is a great example of this:

In 2 Peter 1:1-4 we see Peter writing his second letter unto the Body of Christ and he starts it like this: 2 Peter 1:1: Simon Peter, A SERVANT AND AN APOSTLE of Jesus Christ……
Peter recognized that he was a servant first, then an apostle. Now before I leave Peter let me show you this powerful scripture in Peter’s second letter.

2 Peter 1:4: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Now if we are to be partakers of the divine nature and Peter calls himself a servant first and he is a partaker of that nature then God who imparts this divine nature to us must also be a servant also. So the concept of servanthood is a must in the lives of every believer. If it is not then we will produce a Babylonian system (Remember we discussed that in our previous series “The Temple of God”) and call it an apostolic model.

The ultimate objective of our journey is for Christ to be formed in us (Galatians 4:19). We are all sons and daughters of God who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. We have liberty and freedom. Now through the spirit of servanthood there is an increased form of giving. Not giving in the materialistic aspect but in the spiritual manner. Understand this, in Christ all men are set free from slavery, but yet everyone who has received Christ become slaves of Christ who have been redeemed from the works of darkness. We pierce our ears so that the only thing we do is hear the word of our Master and we refuse to hear anything else other than the voice of our Master. Am I talking about physical piercing? No! God said do not do that. We are talking about sensitizing our hearing to one voice, who is our Master.

So as you can see, we have a little ways to go in understanding servanthood and I know many people who preach the message of the Kingdom might have a problem with this but they should not. Remember we must separate our human view of servant from God’s view of servant and we who are children of God are all called to be servants. Let me leave you with this analogy. In your parents house you are their child and inheritor of what they have. In addition in your parent’s house you are also a servant because you obey their commands and do as they instruct you. You are still your parent’s child and inheritor of what they have but you also serve them. Moreover, your parents serve you through provision and protection they give to you. Servanthood is the most important and crucial concept to the Body of Christ.

Let’s get ready to understand what it means to be a servant of the Father. In the next message we will look at some of the church sacraments that show the importance of servanthood.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Benefits of Building the Temple and Summary

The Temple of God
Today’s Focus: Benefits of Building the Temple and Summary
Scripture: Ezekiel 47:1,2; Hebrews 10:25; Ephesians 4:19,20

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The benefits of building the Temple within the city are numerous but today I would like to name a few of the major results of building the Lord’s habitation.

The first major benefit is the unifying of the Body of Christ. A house divided cannot stand but a house that is built upon a solid rock (Jesus Christ the corner stone) will stand. Too much emphasis has been placed on the local church and the denomination and all of this simply continues to produce division within the Body because many are turning disciples of Christ into disciples of the denomination or sect of Christianity that they follow. If we really, I mean really, go back and study the book of Acts and see the movement of the church and how effective they were in reaching the nations and establishing the Body of Christ in cities why have we gone so far away from that model. It is because we exalt the local church and place our priority on the local church and not the Temple or Body of Christ within the city. We all talk about unity but when we look at the majority of cities, the Temple still lies in waste while the people stay in the paneled luxury houses (Local church) and proclaim their way to be the way of Christ. There is so much being put into building bigger and better looking edifices or buildings that there is virtually no focus on building the Temple of God and unifying the Body of Christ.

The next benefit of building the Temple is the provisions for the Body of Christ is met. Ezekiel 47:1,2 speaks of water flowing from the foundation of the temple. We know that water is symbolic of the Word of God and we also know from scripture that the foundation of the house is built upon the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 4:19,20). So the fresh Word of God that comes from the cornerstone, Jesus Christ flows from Him to the Apostolic and Prophetic to the rest of the Body of Christ. We know that the Body of Christ is in desperate need of fresh bread and water in this season. For so long we have been living on old bread when fresh bread is available but it requires us to shift in mentality to the recognition of the Apostolic and Prophetic within the city. When we do that we see the foundation of the Temple being laid in the city.

Finally, we see the glory of God fill the Temple. I have not found anywhere in scripture where the glory of God fills anywhere else except the Temple. We have really got to migrate from the local church to the Temple to see this powerful move of God. It is in this place that the Lord hears the prayers of the collective body and responds. A great example of this is in Acts 4 when the Body of Christ came together in Jerusalem and prayed after the apostles had been let go after being questioned by the chief priest for the healing of a man. Acts 4:24-31 the Temple, the Body of Christ, came together and prayed on one accord and after praying on one accord in that place the place was shakened and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word of God with boldness. The scripture says this:

Hebrews 10:25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

So many people speak of this scripture relating to the local church coming together but remember the writer is writing to the church at Jerusalem not to a local synagogue or household but to the entire Body of Christ within the city. We must build according to the Lord’s plan and building the Temple requires a people who exhibit the mind of Christ and display the culture of Heaven in the Earth. They exhibit the same desires, ambitions and will of their Father whom they serve with all their heart, soul and mind. Let’s us transfer from the local mentality to the Temple mentality and recognize the authority within the Kingdom and begin to build the Temple within our cities.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.