The Creator and the Creation

The House of God

Today’s Topic: The Creator and the Creation

Scripture: Romans 1:18-20; 2 Peter 1:4

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

One of the beautiful ways of God is that in creation, the things of creation are to show something about God. Now if everything in the earth is supposed to do that then there should be no question that God exists. So there is no excuse for anyone to even believe that there is no God. If we just look at creation, the creativity of God shows His majesty and a small snippet of the creative mind of God. With that said let’s look at Romans 1:18-20:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest to them; for For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse; Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

When Paul was writing this in its context he clearly was speaking about man’s wickedness and God’s response to his wickedness. So based on Romans 1:18,19 we see that the result of man’s wickedness is the wrath of God poured out on them because they suppress the truth with unrighteousness. For example, wicked and unrighteous men only see the truth through the prisms of their own eyes. If they are wicked and unrighteous then the truth within them is wicked and unrighteous. Now some may say, how can God hold mankind responsible for knowing someone they cannot see. God takes that argument away through the creation. Romans 1:20 says The invisible things of Him (God) are clearly seen and understood by the things that are MADE. So what that means is that there are certain people in creation that must behave a certain way that models the divine nature, holiness, goodness, mercy, compassion, loving kindness, understanding, wisdom and counsel of God. So the children of God are to be the sign to the world that God is real. Hence we have 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.

The divine nature of God is evident in the children who submit themselves to the rulership of Christ and allow the Will of God to be done through them, for them and for the Earth. This divine nature shows in the attitude and ways of the children. However this starts with the proper mindset of the individual. If all we know is we are Christians and sinners saved by grace, then to realize you are a son of God who has citizenship and rights within the Kingdom of God is going to be foreign to you. God will pour out His wrath on the wicked and unrighteous because just looking at the creation and the sons of God there is NO EXCUSE for them not to believe in this truth that “God is real and He is the Creator of the World”.

Do not let the Big Bang theory or Darwinism fool you. Evolution is a funny thought and I want to leave you with this thought: If we came from monkeys and we evolved to humans, then what are we to evolve to now? Are we going to be some weird creature? This is how absurd these theories are. God created the world, that includes mankind, and set everything in a particular order so that the things of God are clearly seen AND UNDERSTOOD by the things that are made. If the animals and plants believe in God, why are we having such a hard time?

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Design of the Children of God

House of God

Today’s Topic: The Design of the Children of God

Scripture: Genesis 1:26; Genesis 2:7; John 20:22

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

The question is how does a Heavenly family come to the earth? The way God did this is He created a being called man and formed Him from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). The most important thing in the creation of man is the part that gives man his being and life and that is when God breathed the Breath of Life and then man became a living soul or being. The Breath of Life is Holy Spirit. After Jesus was ressurected from the dead in John 20:22 it says Jesus breathed on them (disciples) and said "Receive ye the Holy Spirit."

Now by God giving man His Spirit, mankind was very unique in contrast to the rest of creation. Mankind would be the offspring, sons of God and when creation sees them they will also see the Creator. Now besides creation from dust, mankind was uniquely designed for two purposes.

1. To be His children

2. To extend His Heavenly Kingdom to the Earth.

Our base scripture for this discussion is Genesis 1:26:"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth

To be His Children

This is such a vast subject but for this message we will lay the foundation. When God created man He created Him with the intent to be His children or sons. So if God is going to create children then in the same hand the children should look like Him. Hence in Genesis 1:26 says God made us in His image. God's image is Spirit. So the image God gives His children is that of Himself so when creation sees the children, they will also see the Creator. Finally, the children will be discipled by the Father, through their spiritual fathers to have the nature, character and ways of the Father. Now this is a snippet of what we will discuss in this series.

To Extend the Heavenly Kingdom to the Earth

This is a powerful concept to grasp but once again just a snippet of discussions to come. The way the Kingdom comes to Earth is through the children of God. How do we know? In Genesis 1:26 it also says that "dominion" was given to mankind also. Dominion is royal power that comes from the Throne of God to the children on Earth. Why would God give the children power? Power is the evidence of the unseen Kingdom and God. In addition it gives us the ability to do the work of the Father in the Earth. Adam could not command the animals and tend to the needs of the Garden without the royal power from Heaven. It was Heaven that established earth so it is Heaven that understands the ways the creation works and how they even show something specific about God. This is why we have to be children and be willing to submit to the rulership of the King so we can be empowered to do the Will of the One who sends us whose name we are called by.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

New Series: The House of God - Introduction

The House of God

Today’s Topic: House of God: Introduction

Scripture: Acts 17:24; 1 Corinthians 3:16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

What is the House of God? For many people they believe the cathedrals, temples, and buildings we construct and where we meet to worship is the House of God. Where did that thought come from? Well we can look back to ancient times where people would construct special buildings and dedicate them to their particular god and claim their god lived in that building. So that building would be the house of that god. The Scriptures say something completely different about the House of God and His residence.

Acts 17:24: “God made the world and all the things therein, seeing that He is Lord of Heaven and Earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”

So if the temples, cathedrals and all of these buildings are not the House of God, then what is? Before we answer that let’s look at another example of what people say the House of God is.

Some say that the House of God is God dwelling in us. Now this is correct in statement but it limits the scope of what the House actually is. Now let’s explain. 1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us, in a question, that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth within us. That is correct. This fleshly housing gives God a place in the realm of time to come to a particular place and impact that place with His Will. Now they use that scripture because their understanding of the House of God is that it is not made of brick and mortar but of people. Now the reason it falls short or limits the scope of the full definition of the House of God because God dwelling in us is an aspect of the House of God and not what the House of God is in its entirety. So what is the House of God?

The word “house” is an ancient family. For example in London we have the House of Windsor and in Germany you have the House of Hanover. Now one aspect of these “houses” is that they are multi-generational. These “houses” exist today and if you are a member of that house then you were considered to be very prominent in that culture. But we are discussing the House of God. The House of God is the most ancient of all the houses. The House of God is the family of God in time and space. It is the original family or the original house on Earth. Now if the House of God is a family then there is a minimum requirement or standard. The standard is the family has to have a father and children of that father.

In the next message we will look at how the House of God comes to the Earth.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Prayer of Faith and Summary of the Culture of the Kingdom

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Prayer: The Prayer of Faith and Summary of the Culture of the Kingdom

Scripture: James 5:13-18

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now so what is the prayer of faith? It is faith in the operation of God. We are to have faith in the fact that the elders are the representatives of God in the Earth and have been given authority in the Earth and they have been empowered against the demonic to render judgments in the earth that God will honor in Heaven and demons must obey and the conditions resulting from the demonic activity will also stop. Now I want to make a specific point here that some healing will take place over time. It may take the body time to adjust to functioning normally after years of demonic oppression. But the key is to cut the root of the sickness and its authority then the body will experience healing. We need to understand the importance of doing things the way God commands us and not changing because we think or society says we should. Now let’s wrap this entire mini-series on prayer up.

We have seen, in Revelation 5 and 8, prayer as incense coming up to God and that is the kind of prayer that aligns the individual on earth with the realities of Heaven. When that prayer comes to the Lord Jesus, because it is already the will of God, God mixes the prayer request with the authority of God. This is symbolized as fire in Revelation 8:5. God then hurls the answered prayer with the authority and power for the prayer to be answered to the earth.

Now we also learned that these prayers must be in the name of Jesus because He is the Holy One who made the perfect atonement for our sins as represented by the sacrifice in Exodus 30:10. It is the blood of the sin offering of atonements. We know that this is the type and shadow of Jesus because it was His blood that made the atonement for our sin. We know that for these prayers to be answered they should line up with the Will of God for that particular time. So saying in the name of Jesus does not automatically get the prayer answered. Hence in the model prayer our first request is “Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done”. Well how will we know the Will of God for that particular time? That will come from the apostolic and the doctrine they preach. It is through the apostolic that the CURRENT direction of the church comes through. The Word they speak is the thing that God is doing in that particular season and our prayer should line up with the Will of God and the thing He is doing in that season.

Our prayer life should model the prayer life of Jesus. When Jesus prayed He prayed for the Will of God to be done for that particular time and for the thing God wanted in the Earth. I remember a particular time when Jesus was praying in Matthew 26:42, He prayed to the Father and His soul was sorrowful but the spirit is willing. What is it willing to do? It is willing to do the Will of God. Matthew 26:42: …O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, THY WILL BE DONE.

We need to re-evaluate prayer and allow the Scriptures to show us how we should pray. As we mature in the Kingdom our prayer should mature from things to the Will of God and for His Kingdom to come.

Summary of the 4 Elements of the Culture of the Kingdom

Apostles’ Doctrine: It is the current Word and direction for the Body of Christ in a particular season. The apostolic gives foundation and order to the lives of believers in the Kingdom. The Word of God comes from the mouth of God to the apostolic and the apostles give that word to the Body of Christ. It is that word that comes from the apostolic to the ears of the citizens of the Kingdom and feeds the spirits of the believers. So we need the apostolic so we can know the current direction of the Body of Christ.

Fellowship: Fellowship is all about understanding how Holy Spirit arranges us in the Body of Christ. We understand also that the House of God is arranged in a Patriarchal order where there are human spiritual fathers that show the nature, character and ways of Christ to the sons of God to help mature the sons of God so they can disciple the nations.

Breaking of Bread: The breaking of bread is more than just communion or the Lord’s supper. The breaking of bread is the feeding of the spirit of man of the Word of God. This typically is done in fellowship. We looked at a example that at the Table of the Lord, the bread from Heaven is broken and shared but also there is the discerning of the hearts of those at the table of the Lord. In addition the people who come to the table of the Lord to fellowship and be fed can also find peace, joy and safety at the Lord’s table.

Prayer: As we mature in Christ our prayers should turn from asking God for things for us to asking for His Kingdom to come and His Will to be done in the Earth as it is in Heaven. In addition we looked at the prayer of faith and saw that the elders are to discern sickness within the body of Christ and determine the proper process and protocol to deal with the illness, especially if it is sickness due to sin. We also saw that the Elders are empowered, as God representatives to forgive sins in the process of healing someone who is sin sick.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Protocol for Dealing with Sickness

Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: Prayer of Faith: Protocol for Dealing with Sickness
Scripture: James 5:13-18; Luke 13:11,12; Luke 9:38-42

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
So what should we do when someone is sick? The first thing you should do is discern whether:
1. Sickness is based upon attack by the enemy by reason of sin
2. Sickness is based on Generational Curse
3. Sickness is based on deterioration of the physical body.
Now who is to discern this? The scriptures tell us in James 5:14: “Is any among you? Let him call for the ELDERS of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” So the elders are to discern the basis of the illness. The scripture says also that the elders are to pray over them and anoint them with oil. The Elders are empowered to forgive sin in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ because they are His representatives in the earth. The declaration of the forgiveness of sin should be done BEFORE praying. Why?

The forgiveness of the sin will cancel the authority of the enemy to oppress the person. The legal basis upon which the enemy could attack the person with the sickness is now cancelled. Now, James also speaks of anointing with oil. The anointing with oil is representative of Holy Spirit. When you anoint them with oil you place them under the protection that is in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is not sick. The use of oil is not some magical or medicinal remedy but it is, symbolically, to put the person under the authority and protection of Christ for His healing. Two things will happen if the sickness is by demonic oppression:
1. Sin will be forgiven
2. Illness will leave

What a powerful thought! When the elders come, they should inquire into the condition of the person to determine if the sickness is the result of sin. Once that is done, the elders judge the matter and are empowered to forgive that person of that sin. Now I must say this here:
“The person must renounce the sin and the person must renounce the error they made first”
Now the elders can express to the person the forgiveness of Christ. Now once that happens the spirit that cause the illness to stay in place must depart and with it the illness. Let’s look at some examples:

Luke 13:11,12: “And, behold , there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to Him and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid His hands on her and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

Luke 9:38-42:”And behold a man of the company cried out saying Master I beseech thee, look upon my son, for he is mine only child. And lo a spirit taketh him and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. And I besought thy disciples to cast him out and they could not. And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming the devil threw him down and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

As we can see in both of these situations we see a spiritual cleansing resulting in a physical healing. Both situations dealt with people who had evil spirits in them and those spirits cause physical illness. The elders are to exercise judgment and discernment and based upon what Holy Spirit shows you then He will through the spirit of Counsel and Power will instruct the elders to declare the forgiveness of sins and the healing of the person.

In the next message we will look directly at what the prayer of faith is and how it functions for the benefit of the believers but for the glory of God.

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

Prayer of Faith

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Prayer: Prayer of Faith

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-33; James 3:13-16

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

We have been studying prayer as an element of the culture of the Kingdom of God and what we do know is that as we mature, our prayer life should mature. We should move from praying for things to praying for the Kingdom to come and the Will of God be done in earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus tells us to not pray or say to the Father what shall we eat, drink or how are we to be clothed. But seek the Kingdom of God first and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). As we look at current church culture we see people praying for all types of things but the Kingdom and His Will. See many believers have seen the Kingdom but have not entered the Kingdom and let me explain. When you accept Jesus as Lord you are translated from Satan's Kingdom to the Kingdom of God. You are now able to see the Kingdom but to enter or experience the Kingdom that requires submission the the rulership of Christ over your spirit, soul and flesh. So based on the type of prayers we hear we can safely say that we have some immature believers, regardless of age, not understanding the importance of the prayer that lines up with the Will of God for that season.

When we pray for the Kingdom and His Will we in some instances put our very own lives on the line. However to the believer, he or she does not worry about, or should not worry, about their life because they live knowing death is simply a transition from time to the eternal. It is that maturity and prayer for the Kingdom and His Will that aligns the request from Earth with the Will of God in Heaven. When that happens the prayer is answered. Now you may ask what is the prayer of faith? Now I want to introduce this briefly and go in depth in the next message. The prayer of faith is found in James 3:13-16:

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual and fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Look at verse 15 in the above scripture. It says the prayer of faith shall save the sick. In the next message we will look at this scripture and dissect it and see this powerful revelation and anyone who receives understanding will look at prayer and sickness in the light of Christ and be forever changed.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Prayer in the Early Church

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Prayer. Prayer in the Early Church

Scripture: Acts 4:24-31; Psalms 2:1,2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Prayer is an element of the culture of the Kingdom. Today we will look at the early church and how they prayed and brought the Will of God to the Earth. Now for the sake of time we will summarize this story and bring it to our focus of prayer. In Acts 3 we see Peter and John at the gate of Beautiful and this man was healed in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Now the coucil of elders and priests arrest John and Peter and a multitude of people because of the teachings of Jesus. Well the council met privately and could not find really any wrong with what they did because the evidence of what they claim is standing in the flesh in the form of the lame man healed. The only thing that the council said and really their reason for their decision was selfish because Jesus threatened the current religous establishment. Jesus came to give power and government to the people. The religious organization tries to keep the power in the leadership to control the people. So the council in Acts 4:18: and they called them, and commanded them not to speak at nor teach in the name of Jesus. Now I love the the disciples in their response in Acts 4:20-21 and they would not hearken to their decree because they believe in what and who they eyewitnessed in Jesus. Now the council and high priest continued to threaten them but had to let them go because they knew that the people glorified God for what was done and feared retribution by the people. Now after Peter and John were let go and got back in the company of the other believers and informed them of what the chief elders and priest said (Acts 4:22,23).

Acts 4:24: “And when they (the people) heard that, they lifted up their voice to God (prayer) with one accord, and said Lord thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is:” Now what is unique about Acts 4:25 is that the people recite Psalm 2:1,2: “Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed (His Christ).” Now after that they speak of these kings and rulers who came against the Holy One, Jesus Christ. Acts 4:27:”For a truth against thy Holy Child, Jesus, whom thou has anointed , BOTH HEROD AND PONTIUS PILATE WITH THE GENTILES AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WERE GATHERED TOGETHER. So we see a fulfillment of Psalms 2 and the people speak this unto the Lord. Now in Acts 2:28 they speak of the fact that the Lord knew they would do this. Acts 4:28:”For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined BEFORE TO BE DONE”. The people understood that this was also prophecy and the Lord’s Word and prophecy would be fulfilled. Now they begin to make their request to the Lord in this prayer and I pray that you pay attention to what they ask for from the Lord.

Acts 4:29,30: And now Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy Word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy Holy Child, Jesus.

The people asked the Lord for boldness to speak His Word and that signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus for the glory of God and not themselves. Now the question is, did God receive and answer their prayer? Absolutely because look at this

Acts 4:31: “And why they had prayed, the place was shaken where they assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

Remember in Revelation 8:5 that after the prayers of the saints came unto the Lord and the angel holding the censer filled it with fire and cast it to the Earth and there was voices and thundering and lightings and an earthquake. Hmm! Remember Paul and Silas in jail and when they prayed and sung unto the Lord what happened? An earthquake. Now I am simply showing you the correlation to the reality and the result of the righteous prayers of the people. The key is that the people prayed for exactly what was in the Will of God and because they did that their prayers were answered. Another key is that they prayed for the exact thing that was in the Will of God.

The church should always pray for the Kingdom (rulership and power of God) to come and His Will be done in the earth. Now God tells us in each season what He is doing currently. Well who does He tell this to? He tells it to the apostolic first. Well image if you prayed for the Kingdom to come and the Will of God be done pertaining that thing God tells the apostolic? Now we are aligning with the Will of God in the earth and desiring for the thing He is doing to come into the Earth. When you align properly then you will get results and I promise you alignment with God is all about Him getting glory. It is not about our own private ministries getting glory but for God to be glorified.

In the next message we will continue to look at prayer as the fourth and final element to the culture of the Kingdom.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The King and the Kingdom

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Prayer: The King and the Kingdom

Scripture: Matthew 6:9,10,33; Isaiah 55:8,9; Proverbs 14:2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

We left off discussing Jesus preparing to teach His disciples about prayer and He tells then not to use vain repetition because your Father already knows what you have need of. So if God the Father already knows what you need then what can you ask for? Let's look at the model prayer in Matthew 6:9,10.

Now it is royal protocol that when you come into the presence of the King you acknowledge Him first then make your request. So in Matthew 6:9 we have the salutation: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. So now you acknowledge His Majesty and you have His attention, now make your request and I pray every person reads this until it seeps through every part of your being. The first request you make to the Lord is in Maathew 6:10:

"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven"

Why would you make that the first request? The Kingdom of God is the governing rule and power over a domain impacting it with His Will and purpose. The domain God wants to rule and impact is the hearts of man. So when you make that request you are inviting the power and governing rule of God to come into your life and you submit that rulership so that the Will of God come come into the earth. See you must understand it is already done in Heaven. We want it manifested down in the earth. God gave authority to man in earth. It is only through prayer and the willingness of man can God come in and impact the Earth. Weird? Not really, ask Noah, Abraham, Moses and even better look at the life of Jesus. But that request should not surprise the Kingdom citizens because later in the same chapter Jesus says this:

" But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

So even in prayer we need to seek the Kingdom first and His righteousness. What is His righteousness? Let's look at these two scriptures for an answer.

Proverbs 14:12: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death

Isaiah 55:8,9: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Righteousness is about being in proper alignment with God. That means following His decrees and directions He gives us to follow through on. So we are to seek the Kingdom and God's way of doing things. So even in prayer our first request is the Kingdom and His Will, the Heart of God.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Prayer: The King and His Disciples

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Prayer: The King and His Disciples

Scripture: Luke 11:1; Matthew 6:7

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now in the last message we talked about how the wise men brought the King and Living God the gift of frankincense and this is symbolic of them bringing their prayers to the Lord. Now let's look at how Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. Now this may sound simple but for many in the Kingdom, it is completely misunderstood.

Luke 11:1: And it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

So in reading this Jesus had to teach prayer to the disciples. How many of us have been taught how to pray? Well what we see today is a far cry from what Jesus taught. Now before He goes into the prayer He tells them what not to do. Matthew 6:7: "But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before you ask Him." Now the first thing here is not the use of vain repetitions. In Exodus 30 the incense would burn from morning to evening and be burned again in the evening so the prayer was continuously renewed. What is known as the Lord's prayer is simply an example of how we should pray. Jesus did not want us to use that prayer in the sense of vain repetition. He wanted to teach us what we should ask for. Now in the Matthew 6 scripture we see Jesus tell the disciples that the Father already knows what you need.

The Lord's Prayer and many call it The Model Prayer is an example. Now it is obvious to us that the disciple desprately wanted to know how to pray in Luke 11:1. So Jesus teaches them. It amazes me that for years I recited and I know many other have and did not ever really be taught what it meant and what am I asking God for. The key is Jesus taught and we as Kingdom citizens need to do more teaching on prayer so that we can understand exactly what to pray for. The prayers of the saints for the most part is about getting something from God for themselves and not asking God for what is best for us and what we can do for Him.

See the disciples began to understand that in the Old Testament prayer was not actually a thing that was regularly offered up by the individual to God in a fashion that reflected the heart of the individual. Prayer back then was through the high priest of the Temple. Today we still see people going to a priest and confessing their sins for forgiveness and asking the priest to pray for them. But why would you have to go to another man for forgiveness and prayer when you have been given the right to go behind the veil yourself and to the throne and make you request known yourself? Religion has made some in the church think that the only person who has a true connection to God is the pastor or priest when in actuality everyone in the church (Body of Christ) has the same access to the throne.

In the next message we will look at the great request in prayer and how it impacts the culture of the Kingdom.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The King and Prayer

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Prayer: The King and Prayer

Scripture: Matthew 2:2,10,11; Haggai 2:7

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

In the last message we left off with looking at the type and shadow of prayer in the Old Testament and understanding this important revelation that in Exodus 30 we have these types and realities represented:

The Holy of Holies in the Temple: Heaven and the Throne of God

The rest of the Temple structure. The Earth

Incense Altar (located outside the Holy of Holies): Prayers of the saints from the Earth

Blood of the Sin Offering of Atonement: Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God

Do we see this? Now let's fast forward this to the New Testament and the King, Jesus. I want to start at His birth because we read this all the time at Christmas but the element of prayer is seen here.

When the wise men saw HIS star (Matt. 2:2) it says they came to worship the newborn King. How did the wise men know His star from the millions in the sky? The wise men were astronomers and studied the stars and in a Constellation called Coma Berenices appeared another star that shined so bright. Now this constellation's name is the hint to knowing the star. The word Comah in Hebrew means the The Desired One or the Desired of the Ages. The prophet Haggai said this in Haggai 2:7: "And I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations shall come..". So the Desire of the Nations is Jesus Christ. The Egyptians call this star Shes-nu and that means the The Desired Son. So this is how the wise men knew His star.

Now when the wise men get to the infant or toddler Jesus, the scriptures say this in Matthew 2:10,11:

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Now we know the gold was for His royalty but we want to look at frankincense. Of course frankincense is a incense and what does the burning of incense symbolize? The prayers of the Saints to the Lord. So the wise men in bringing frankincense was symbolically bringing their prayers to the King and Living God. What a picture.

In the next message we will advance this picture to mature Jesus (post-baptism) and look at how Jesus teaches prayer to the disciples.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Prayer in the Old Testament

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Prayer: Type and Shadow in the Old Testament

Scripture: Exodus 30:1-10

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now we left off looking at the reality of what prayer is in the eternal. Now let’s take a step back and look at it in type and shadow so we can walk to the reality. In Exodus 30 we see God giving instructions to build a special altar. From Exodus 30:1 to Exodus 30:5 we see the makeup and how the altar was supposed to be constructed. Notice this altar is made of much gold and this would make sense if we remember back in Revelation 8:2-4 it speaks of a golden altar. Now God gave specific instructions to where to put this altar in the Temple.

Exodus 30:6: “And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of testimony (Ark of the Covenant), before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.” Now this is unique but let’s break it down so we can get the eternal picture of this type and shadow. Now the altar is outside the veil which separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. Inside the Holy of Holies is the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat where God would meet with the high priest of the Temple. What does all of this symbolize? Well the Holy of Holies represent the Heavenly and where the Throne of God is. The veil separated that room from the rest of the Temple. The rest of the Temple represented Earth. Now they are to place this special Golden Altar outside of the Holy of Holies before the veil. Now that we have that let’s continue in scripture to get an even better picture.

Exodus 30:7,8: “And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.” Now remember in our scriptures of Revelation 5 and Revelation 8, the incense that was burned on the golden altar was the prayers of the saints. Hence we have this instruction to burn the incense on the altar before the Lord. Now in as much as God tells the children of Israel to do something He tells them also what not to do because God knows the eternal meaning of what he is trying to tell them and that order must be maintained.

Exodus 30:9:”Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.” Now God is very clear on the Incense Altar not to offer any strange incense, burnt sacrifices, meat offering nor drinks on this altar. But why? Because all of those things symbolize things that man can offer to God for himself as provided by the Law. These are things also are things that man can produce. God is clear that on the Incense altar none of this is to be sacrificed or placed on it. So besides the incense what can go on the altar?

Exodus 30:10:”And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord”. What an offering! But look at this closely. This offering is represented by the blood of the sin offering of atonement. In other words it is the blood required that is offered for the sins of Israel. Now to understand the reality of this type and shadow is the fact that the Lord said the sacrifice is the most holy unto the Lord. The blood of the sin offering for atonement is Jesus Christ.

In the next message we will look at Jesus and show this correlation and continue our discussion on prayer as an element of the culture of the Kingdom.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Prayer: Foundation

Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: Prayer: Foundation
Scripture: Revelation 5:6-8; Revelation 8:2-4

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Prayer is the fourth and final element of the culture of the Kingdom. Prayer seems to be simple to understand but there is a lack of understanding to the purpose and practice of prayer amongst the saints. Normally I would describe the type and shadow first but with this topic I will start with the reality of what happens in the Heavenly and then we will show the type and shadow. It will be a little easier to understand so let's look at these two scriptures for a foundation:

Revelation 5:6-8: And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the Earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours (incense), which are the prayers of the saints.

Revelation 8:2-5: And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer and filled it with fire of the altar and cast it into the Earth: And there were voices, and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake.

Now, what is the common theme about prayer in both of these scriptures? Prayer is consistently linked to incense being burned up to God. In both scriptures we see that the incense is the prayers of the saints. However in the Revelation 8 scripture we see a little bit more and I want you to see this. As the incense burns to God the angel takes the censer filled with fire from the altar (from where the incense is burning) and cast it to the Earth were it resulted in voices, thunderings, and lightnings and an earthquake. What does this symbolize? Here is a hint and we will later reveal it. Here you have the prayers of the saints going to God as incense then the angel is commanded to throw something in the Earth. Think about it. In the next message we will look at the type and shadow of this to understand how prayer was understood and performed by the Patriarchs and Priests of the Old Testament.

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

Fellowship Around the Table: The First Century Church

Today’s Topic: Fellowship Around the Table: First Century Church
Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now we left off asking the question where did the first century church fellowship around the table? Now we know Acts 2:42 is the four elements of Kingdom culture but let's examine this entire passage because it is loaded and gives us our answer and glimpse into how different we are and have become from the first century church.

Acts 2:42-47: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, and fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things in common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking of bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."

Now the first thing about fellowshipping around the table is the church should be on one accord (Acts 2:46). This should be no surprise at all because in Acts 2:1 on the day of Pentecost it says they were all with one accord when the church was birthed. Now it says in Acts 2:46 that there were with one accord in the temple. So we need to be in one accord in the temple first. How can the church show the world the Body of Christ and the nature of Christ if the Body is not on one accord. The body is dysfunctional in that sense. Now the next part of verse 46 is they broke bread from house to house and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

Now here is the breaking point. The church has become so large and so busy that this aspect of Kingdom culture of breaking bread house to house is rarely visible. I will admit I have not done it because my understanding of fellowship and breaking bread has been boxed to the church (preaching the word only) and having a meal at the church (fellowship). Now that the Lord has revealed the eternal side to this I understand more now than ever the importance of house to house fellowship. Now it is not only the pastor that should do this, everyone in the church should fellowship with each other. If we did that we would likely eliminate some of the problems such as gossip and stereotyping amongst citizens because the fellowship at one's house sets a personal atmosphere and allows Holy Spirit to reveal truths between the children of God. Now in the age of the mega-church to do this would either be too expensive or too time consuming but look at the spiritual costs we are paying for not understandng. Moreover because of the focus being membership size and money, we sacrifice Kingdom culture for personal prosperity and imaged-based growth.

However it stuns me that because the first century church was doing exactly the things instructed of them by Jesus THE LORD ADDED to the church (Acts 2:47). Exemplfying Kingdom culture has a powerful affect because it allows Christ to draw people through the sons of God.

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

Fellowship Around the Table Part 4

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Breaking of Bread: Fellowship around the Table Part 4

Scripture: Luke 24:13-48

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Since this is such a large section of scripture we will utilize the scriptures to show the concept of fellowship around the table. In this last example we are seeing Simon and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. Now as they talked about the events of the previous days, the Lord Jesus drew near and went with them. Now their eyes could not see him to know who He is. Jesus speaks to them (vs.17) and ask why are they sad and what type of discussion were they having. Now because they could see Him to know who He is, Cleopas asked if He was a stranger because these events were so obvious and you could only be a stranger to not hear about what happened to Jesus. Now it is obvious and disappointed because here it is the third day and Israel has not been redeemed (vs. 21). They go on and tell Jesus how the women and others did not find His body there at the tomb.

Now after all of this Jesus is upset and mad and the words in verse 25 describes it best: "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" Jesus then explains and expounds on scriptures about Moses and the prophets to the concerning Himself. Now all of them were drawing near to Emmaus but stop to rest for the evening. They constrained Jesus to stay with them for the evening.

Now the good part verses 30,31: "And it came to pass, as He sat at meat (table) with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight." Now it was at the table that they were then able to know who Jesus truly is. This entire time walking they did not know, but once they came to the table and broke the bread their spiritual eyes were opened to see the Lord and to know Him face to face.

Now Cleopas and Simon said something unique in verse 32 when they said: "did not our hearts burn when He talked with us by the way and while He opened to us the Scriptures? So they were being fed spiritually. They were being fed bread from Heaven because the words Jesus was speaking to them is bread for the spirit. But the key thing here is when the bread was broke at the table of the Lord, the disciples can then now come to know the Lord and receive revelation to who He is.

The church needs to spend more time at the Table of the Lord. It is time for us to put away our denominational titles and come together to commune and discern the Lord's Body and know Jesus a little bit better. Based on the state of the church, we do not truly understand fellowship in its appropriate context and how it is a part of the culture of the Kingdom. In the next message we will look at the first century church and how they fellowshipped around the table because and here is a hint. When the church was born, there was not any churches or church houses as we say. So where did communion and fellowship around the table happen? Please continue to study as we examine this powerful revelation.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Fellowship Around the Table Part 3

Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: Breaking of Bread: Fellowship Around the Table Part 3
Scripture: Matthew 26:19-22; 1 Corinthians 11:28,29

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
In this next example we are going to look at the Lord's Supper. Now for many seasoned citizens of the Kingdom we celebrate that as communion and along with communion some of us wash feet. Now in keeping with the focus of fellowship around the table we already know that at the Lord's Table there is peace, safety, fellowship and of course breaking of bread. Today we will look at another element that happens at the Lord's Table.

Matthew 26:19-22: And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, He said, "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I?

What is going on here? Here at the Lord's Table we have a discerning of hearts at the table. Now Jesus could have said this long before but it was at the table, during a meal, the passover to be exact, that Jesus lays out these truths of what is about to happen. Now for the disciples they were obviously sad but also worried about whether they or which one of them will betray the Lord. Now I want to show you that communion is more than just bread and wine and the death, burial and resurrrection of Jesus. Here at the table there should be a discerning or the Lord's body.

1 Corinthians 11:28,29: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eath and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the Lord's body

Who or what is the Lord's body? It is the church! So during communion when the church comes together there should be a discerning of the Body of Christ. So the Lord's Supper is designed for the Body of Christ to come together and to discern that, no matter how different we are. To sit at the table of the Lord is to remind you that you are the Body of Christ. Now when you come together, if you do not discern the Lord's body then you eat and drink condemnation to yourself. Jesus was clear that at the Table of the Lord there is discernment of hearts and this why Paul said for every man to examine himself because if there is true discernment then what you think you can hide, the Lord will bring out. Ask Judas and even Peter. So now communion for the church should take on a more discerning atmosphere and meaning to the church.

In the next message we will look at the final example of Fellowship around the table.

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

Fellowship Around the Table Part 3

Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: Breaking of Bread: Fellowship Around the Table Part 3
Scripture: Matthew 26:19-22; 1 Corinthians 11:28,29

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
In this next example we are going to look at the Lord's Supper. Now for many seasoned citizens of the Kingdom we celebrate that as communion and along with communion some of us wash feet. Now in keeping with the focus of fellowship around the table we already know that at the Lord's Table there is peace, safety, fellowship and of course breaking of bread. Today we will look at another element that happens at the Lord's Table.

Matthew 26:19-22: And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, He said, "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I?

What is going on here? Here at the Lord's Table we have a discerning of hearts at the table. Now Jesus could have said this long before but it was at the table, during a meal, the passover to be exact, that Jesus lays out these truths of what is about to happen. Now for the disciples they were obviously sad but also worried about whether they or which one of them will betray the Lord. Now I want to show you that communion is more than just bread and wine and the death, burial and resurrrection of Jesus. Here at the table there should be a discerning or the Lord's body.

1 Corinthians 11:28,29: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eath and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the Lord's body

Who or what is the Lord's body? It is the church! So during communion when the church comes together there should be a discerning of the Body of Christ. So the Lord's Supper is designed for the Body of Christ to come together and to discern that, no matter how different we are. To sit at the table of the Lord is to remind you that you are the Body of Christ. Now when you come together, if you do not discern the Lord's body then you eat and drink condemnation to yourself. Jesus was clear that at the Table of the Lord there is discernment of hearts and this why Paul said for every man to examine himself because if there is true discernment then what you think you can hide, the Lord will bring out. Ask Judas and even Peter. So now communion for the church should take on a more discerning atmosphere and meaning to the church.

In the next message we will look at the final example of Fellowship around the table.

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

Fellowship Around the Table Part 2

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Breaking of Bread: Fellowship Around the Table Part 2

Scripture: Psalm 23:4,5, Psalm 51:11

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

In our previous message we talked about the 74 leaders of Israel that had the privilege of going into the presence of God and fellowshipping there. Now I would like to show you another example in scripture. We quote this scripture back and forwards but little did we see or know that one of the elements of the culture of the Kingdom is here. We know Psalm 23 and I am sure we have heard hundreds of sermons on it but we are talking about the culture of the Kingdom and the breaking of bread so let's look at this scripture and expound on it.

Psalm 23:4,5: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

What is fascinating about this is in addition to fellowship at the Table of the Lord, there is peace and safety in the midst of your enemies being a hand touch away. When you are in trouble or find yourself in tribulation, The Lord, not us, but the Lord prepares a table for you to fellowship right then and there in the midst. At that table you eat the bread from Heaven and receive counsel (one of the seven spirits of God) in what steps to take in this situation. So before we make an improptu decision, allow the Lord to prepare a table for you to relax and allow Him to guide you through this situation.

When the Lord prepares the table before you it is intended to show the nature, goodness, kindness, security, wellbeing and peace that comes from His presence. The natural analogy is when the presence of a father is there, there should be those types of atmospheres in the family when the father or head of household is there. David was a warrior King and when he called on the Lord, the presence of God gave David that sense of security and peace. This is also why David in Psalm 51:11 says "Cast me not away from thy presence.." because He understood the security and peace that the Lord's presence brought. In addition we know sin separates us from the Father and David understood when He sinned it put a division between Him and God and it is that place where you are most vulnerable. So far now at the Table of the Lord we have fellowship, breaking bread, security, peace, wellbeing and the nature and goodness of God.

In the next message we will move this along to another example of Fellowship around the Table and how it is used to exemplify Kingdom culture.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.