Can a Woman Be a Spiritual Father? Introduction

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Can a Woman Be a Spiritual Father? – Introduction

Scripture: Romans 1:20; Genesis 2:21,22; John 3; John 11:26; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

It is amazing when you start talking about gender and the Body of Christ, it is like stirring up a hornet’s nest and people get mad and say things like “Paul is sexist against women”, but Jesus chose him (Paul) personally to be the face of the grace to the Gentiles. Now if we ask this question to the body of Christ, you will get yes and no answers. But for many Christians the answer would be yes and they would use Galatians 4:28 where it states there is neither male nor female. But what has happen is we have imposed our current worldly culture and its ways and tried to impose it on the Kingdom of God. Now after all we have taught you ought to know worldly ways are not Kingdom-transferrable. But let’s look at this spiritually and biblically and this will be a 3-message answer. Now if you understand creation then you can work your way to the answer. But let’s look at this scripture and get a foundation. Romans 1:20:

“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”.

God speaks to us in a certain way to inform the inhabitants of the earth about the invisible God. Now, God puts things in Heaven and things in Earth to signify to man things that are true about God. These things are to teach us about God so that when God is known through these things, no one has an excuse. Hence everything in creation has a purpose. Its purpose is to explain God to the creation. But let’s look at one of the things God created to help us understand this crucial concept.

When we look at the creation of male and female is more than two created beings with different genders. It is much more than that. Now to create woman, God took a rib out of man to create woman (Genesis 2:21,22). Why would God do that? God was putting something in creation about God, to signify to man so he would understand, that when mankind observed woman and man and the way they were made would teach us certain things about God. Moreover it also teaches us the fact that the result is one is a male and the other is a female. Let us look at the creation of female because in our natural world man comes out of woman but in the beginning God took woman out of man. What was God trying to tell us about Himself? Well if a woman can be taken out of a man so can a woman be put back in a man. Is that physically possible? No and let me show you. There was a man in the New Testament who side was opened up on the cross and the Bible in Hebrews 10:20:”By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His (Jesus) flesh.” Well what does this mean? Remember God uses natural things to explain the eternal. So now that this veil in Christ has been open, now the Bride, the woman, can be inserted and the two become one. Hmm! John 11:26 says “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Jesus said, whosoever liveth in me! Where is all of this pointing to? It is pointing to the Body of Christ. Not the physical body of Jesus Christ because this is where Nicodemus in John 3 had a problem understanding. We are talking about the full anointing of “the Christ”. The Body of Christ is made up of the Head, Jesus and the members of the rest of the body (The Church). But how do we get “In Christ”?

1 Corinthians 12:12,13:”For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” The Spirit of God, Holy Spirit assembles us in the Body of Christ, this is also called the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, knowing where you are and your position and role in the Body of Christ.

When God was creating a male and female, God was not just creating a male and female, He was creating some figure in creation to represent a certain particular thing about God. But when you understand the thing that God made you (male or female) to represent then they are transformed from just physical beings, into representations of spiritual realities. This is the purpose of why God made one a male and the other female.

Because this is an in-depth study I want to continue this in the next message where we will talk about spiritual realities and walk to the answer of whether “A Woman can be a spiritual father?”

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Resolving Disputes

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Spiritual Families: Resolving Disputes and the Role of the Spiritual Father

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21; 1 Corinthians 1; Galatians 3; Colossians 2:14-18; Ephesians 6:10-18; Philippians 3; 2 Thessalonians 2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Resolving disputes in the Kingdom was one of the great attributes Paul had and one of the obvious reasons God chose him to be the grace to the Gentiles. Paul did not resolve issues by himself, He was counseled and led by Holy Spirit in resolving the issues in the various churches Paul wrote to. Let me show you!

The Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1)

The church at Corinth had a problem with divisions amongst them. There were spiritual households established (1 Corinthians 1:12) but the people missed that even though they belonged to different households they were still one because Christ is not divided (1 Corinthians 1:13).

The Galatians and the Colossians (Galatians 3 and Colossians 2:14-18)

The Galatians had a problem with living by the Law and not by grace and faith in Jesus Christ. They struggled with trying to keep the Law but also trying to live by faith. Paul was the chosen vessel to show them that the Law was a provision until faith would come by Jesus Christ and the Law will not and cannot save you. To the Colossians, Paul warns the Colossians not to let men judge you based on dietary practices, holy days, new moons and Sabbath days (The Law). Paul tells them that those things are a shadow, not the reality. Paul then says but the body is Christ.

The Ephesians (Ephesians 6:10-18)

The Ephesians had a problem with false god worship because they worshipped the goddess, Diana of the Ephesians. Hence Paul was sent to teach them about spiritual warfare and the armor of God. Paul taught them that you can combat this spiritual wickedness by putting on spiritual armor that will protect you and discern for you spiritual wickedness.

The Philippians (Philippians 3)

The people at Philippi had an issue of self righteousness and Paul wrote to them in chapter 3 of how He was self righteous in the Law but He counted everything a loss for the knowledge of Christ because Paul understood that after His encounter with Jesus everything He thought He knew was nothing compared to what He was learning. So He was teaching the Philippians to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. It is Christ that knows you destiny and knows how to disciple you to see it’s fulfillment.

The Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2)

The people of Thessalonica were having issues about what they were hearing about the return of the Lord and the gathering of the saints unto Him. Paul is sent to help them resolve this dispute between what they have heard and what is truth.

Now I went through all of that to show you that the spiritual father is the one who is to help resolve disputes between the sons of God. For example, my wife and I have a spiritual father. Now a spiritual father can either be a natural father or someone completely different. But if we have a dispute that spiritual father is treat us as children of God and resolve the issue as God would resolve him to resolve it. The spiritual father looks beyond the gender and the ethnicity and deals with the spirit of the individual. The spiritual father judges the matter on the basis of spiritual equality which is greater than natural family. This is why Paul understood the family of God and when the people of these nations had problems, the sent for Paul and Paul wrote to them how to resolve the problem but the words He spoke were not of Himself but of Holy Spirit. What I find to be unique about Paul is God chose Him to give advice on marriage and the order of the household, but Paul was never married. Hmm! Can we say, you do not have to have experience in an issue for God to speak through you to someone in that very situation? Nathan the prophet was not a king, but the Word of the Lord came through him to convict King David of what He did to Urriah and with Bathsheba. Do not put God in a box to think that only married people can talk to married people. Paul was not married but yet it is he that Jesus chose to teach us about marriage and the order of the home and what is expected. Spiritual fathers are to resolve disputes between the sons of God with love, correction and most of all the Word of God, spoken and/or written. The spoken Word of God is to help develop and mature our faith. The written Word of God is for our learning.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Kingdom Rights of the Fathers

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Spiritual Families: Kingdom Rights of the Fathers

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21; Acts 9:15; Ephesians 3:2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we talk about rights, we are talking about the authority to do something. Now what or better yet who gives Paul the right to say what he said to the Corinthians? First we must understand that Paul was a chosen vessel unto Jesus Christ by the Lord’s own words in Acts 9:15. Now if the Lord says that Paul is His chosen vessel to bear His name to the Gentiles then Paul has to be given something to do this. Paul was given authority and power from the Lord Jesus Christ to do what He did in that time. How do we know? In the letter to the Ephesians Paul says this in Ephesians 3:2: “If ye have heard of the DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD which is given me to you-ward.” So God gives Paul authority and power (Grace) to give to the Gentiles. Hmm! So if Paul is the face of the grace to the Gentiles then Paul has the authority to make the statement to the church at Corinth that He was their spiritual father in the gospel. Now let’s bring it full circle.

Spiritual fatherhood is a God-given right. When you become fathered you set yourself up to become more mature in the things of Christ so that you can also disciple others and handle the affairs of the Kingdom. Once again the result of unfathered people is a nation of orphans. These orphans hoard because their understanding of their supply is that they are the only basis of their own well being. On the other hand, a son (offspring) with a father who has a household that is at his disposal understands that all of the assets of the household are available to that child in the pursuit of maturity. Another result of a son who is fathered is maturity to being a ruler.

A mature son becomes a ruler to have the authority to administrate the affairs of the Kingdom for the good of the people under his rule. Now if they are unfathered (orphan), the only thing they know is loneliness, insecurity and insufficiency. Insufficiency one of the most problematic situations for the orphan, because even when they have, they hoard and this is not a Kingdom principal or a part of Kingdom culture. God cannot entrust the Kingdom to hoarders because they will view the Kingdom as a gift personally given to them not as a gift for distribution. As a result the unfathered orphan will only know God’s supply of his daily bread and will never know the joy of distributing the grace of God as a mature son. Now based upon all of this, and we take stock and inventory of the church, is the majority of the church (believers) fathered or unfathered? Do we have more sons or orphans?

The mature sons of God will be given authority to disciple others in the ways and character of Christ to help bring the body of Christ into maturity. Now there will be a generation that will be purely mature at the end of the age so that tells me that there is always going to be spiritual fathers available to disciple sons of God to maturity. It may look bleak now because the majority are still unfathered but God is rearing more spiritual fathers in this time because as time progresses to the end, fatherlessness will continue to worsen but God will have His sons on the Earth displaying the matured power of the Kingdom of God during that troublesome time on the Earth. You should know who your spiritual father is.

In the next message we will look at how spiritual fathers deal with conflict amongst the sons of God and how this is to aid in the maturation of the saints.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Orphans and the Church

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Fellowship: Spiritual Families: Orphans and the Church

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Paul says to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 4:21: “What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?” Now Paul can say this because He told them that he is their spiritual father in Christ Jesus through the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15). But if we look at today’s current church culture are we producing spiritual fathers who watch over the souls of a group of individuals and disciple them in the ways of the Christ or are we producing orphans?

Based upon what we see the current church system produces and maintains orphans which makes the people fatherless. Now you may say that is harsh but let’s look at the character of an orphan and correlate it with today’s church culture. First, you cannot discipline an orphan because an orphan is someone who already knows the rejection of a father. Now most of what we hear from people in the church is come join our church and become a member or “my bishop is so-and-so and we have all these programs but you have to become a member”. Rarely do we hear I have a spiritual father who shows me the ways of Christ and has assisted me in growing spiritually and if you have a problem, I would like to introduce you to him if you would like to meet him?” The church membership is largely based upon the entertainment and popularity of the preacher. But if we look at the scripture, Paul is clear when he tells the church at Corinth, you need fathers (1 Corinthians 4:15). Now being a spiritual father means you disciple the sons and daughters to maturity.

If you cannot disciple a person, you cannot bring them into maturity. I do not care if you been in the church for 65 years and your parents attended the church and bought the land for it, if you cannot be discipled then spiritually you will stay an orphan and many times they are the ones that keep up the most confusion in the church because they choose not to submit and be taught. Many times if you put weight or pressure on any of these orphans they will shift to some place where they are comfortable or even leave the church to go to a place where they “feel” comfortable. The biggest problem in the church as it pertains to discipleship is people accepting correction and this is what Paul was speaking about in 1 Corinthians 4:21. Boy, I tell you, people in the church today will slice your head off if you try to correct them but if they cannot accept correction then they will remain immature and orphans. Now the sad part of that is God WILL NOT entrust the responsibilities of the Kingdom to any immature person.

Now God corrects us on two levels and these levels vary in consequence and severity. The first way God tries to correct us in through a spiritual father or another person in general. He speaks through a human to give us correction. Now at this level you have a chance to change and repent and most times punishment is minor. Now if you are an orphan or someone who is unfathered can never have an appropriate vision of who God the Father is. Why? Because God will correct you. He tries to give you a chance to correct the behavior through the spiritual father but if that is not possible correction moves to the next level, God Himself. Now let me make this clear, you do not want this type of correction because if God has to do it Himself it is because your problems are fully matured and there is no other alternatives but to suspend your behavior by confrontation. One of the situations that God did not put up with, especially from the children of Israel was false god worship. After showing all that power and showing He is the One True Living God and the God of their Fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when they were delivered and Moses met with God in the mount, the children of Israel built the false god of Egypt, Apis, the golden calf at the foot of the mount where God came to speak to them. God did not come through Moses to deal with this, He dealt with it directly and 3,000 souls lost their lives to sin. Direct confrontation with God is not the way. Many people have left this Earth because they chose not to be corrected or repent from destructive behavior. You rather God whisper correction to you through a spiritual father than confront you directly and correct you Himself. Direct correction from God is not good and I have personally felt it from the previous worldly ways I was living. I felt like I was at the bottom of life and nothing seemed to want to go right. But when I repented and changed my ways to His ways, I could understand the love God had for me because instead of taking me out, He loved me enough to know that I truly had repented and knew that I would walk in my destiny and do His Will.

In the next message we will continue discussing spiritual families.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Fellowship: Spiritual Fatherhood

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Fellowship: Patriarchal Order Part 2: Spiritual Fatherhood

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21; Matthew 28:17-19;

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

God appoints spiritual fathers in the lives of the children of God to mature them, and instruct them in righteousness, correct them, to approve them, to encourage them. Now these aspects of the spiritual father are accomplished and done by humans who God appoints. This is why Paul can say to the Corinthians: “I write these things to you as my beloved sons and I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:14,15). Now pastoring has taken on a unique shape and form in the church that is not helping to promote the culture of the Kingdom. Scripturally, pastoring is one of the descriptive functions of the spiritual father. It is what a father does. Let me give you a small example. The first pastor in your life or should be, is your biological father. Now of course if you did not know who or were not able by the hand of God to be reared by your biological father, then it is that man God sends in his place to serve as a father figure in the home. Now where did we get this concept of youth pastors and youth ministers? Well when fathers stop teaching at home and the mindset in the home is that we go to church to learn about God, the man then tries to outsource his responsibility given to him by God in Ephesians 6:4, to the church and make it the church’s responsibility to teach Christ to the child. This mentality has given rise to the development of the youth pastor when in actuality the youth pastor should be the father in the home. Now I am not downing youth pastors because even in my local church where I serve and work with youth from another 40+ churches, I have been given grace to teach the Kingdom of God and establish order in the lives of these youth. So thank God that He has provided men in the Body of Christ to be in place and serve as these spiritual fathers. However, and this is a big however, just because God does that and provides that on a local level, it does not take the responsibility away from the father and fathers will be held responsible for the upbringing of their household. Just like Adam was held responsible, so shall the fathers of the home be held responsible. So how does spiritual fatherhood work?

Spiritual fatherhood is steeped in the concept of discipling people. Discipling people begins with receiving those who God sends you. So far we should be okay. But here is where it begins to go wrong for the church, the first step or element of spiritual fatherhood is God assigning who the father is and who the sons are. Now if you do not establish or know that we can stop the message here. I had the privilege to work with over 40 youth (High school, middle school and college) students over one week and I asked the question: “Do you know who your spiritual father on Earth is?” Seems like a heavy question but as born again believers under the pastors they should know or have been taught about who their spiritual fathers are. Whether it be their biological or non-biological fathers, they should have been taught or know who it is. So if you do not know who your spiritual father is, forget about maturing in the Kingdom because that is exactly how God matures you.

When Adam sinned in the Garden it produced a condition on the Earth that is the most devastating condition to man and it is Fatherlessness. Now we talked about this once before. But I want to revisit it because when it created Fatherlessness, it also created orphans. The worst thing that can happen to a nation is that it be lead by an orphan. Let me show you this and we will talk about orphans in the next message.

Isaiah 3:4,5,12: “And I will give children to be their princes (rulers) and babes (immature) shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, everyone by another, and everyone by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly (arrogance) against the ancient (elder), and the base against the honorable. 12: As for my people, children (orphans) are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths”

Do we see the devastating effects of the orphan on the land? It is time for the spiritual fathers to be revealed and for the sons of God to come into the knowledge of who their spiritual father is.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Fellowship: Patriarchal Order

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Fellowship: Patriarchal Order

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now we already know that the Kingdom of God is a household made up of a Father, God Almighty and His sons. So it is a family but it is not a regular family. It is a spiritual family. Now many people talk about being a child of the King or I’m a King’s kid and all of this but do they really know what it means to be in the Household of God. Do they “understand” how the family of God is ordered in the Earth? In the next couple of messages we will look at the household of God and seek understanding to this mystery in the church. Why is this a mystery? If we look at current church culture then we can clearly see we lack order and when you lack order and culture, then you lack identity and purpose. In our last series, The New Season we talked about the Patriarchal Order and the foundation of the Household of God. Today we will build on that foundation and bring it today and what it should look like.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:15 stated” “For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel.” Now Paul was not the biological father of the people at Corinth. That is silly to think that. But he said he is a father in Christ Jesus. So he is the spiritual father who has been given grace (power and authority) to oversee this group of believers and serve as their spiritual father. Now where does this spiritual fatherhood come from? Real quickly, Adam from birth was a son of God. He was made in the image and taught to be in the likeness of His Father, God. When Adam sinned, sin separated the family of God. It separated man from God. To bring it into a simple form. It separated man from Holy Spirit. From that point on God instituted a fleshly order in the Earth to continue to show man the ways of God. This order is called the Patriarchal Order. This lineage of “sons” would be the ones to bring us to Jesus Christ. This order would also and most of all bring reconciliation back so that man can be reconciled to the Father. So when Jesus came, He taught the Kingdom of God. He preached the Kingdom of God but He also came to show the Father. This is why one of His titles in Isaiah 9:6 is the Everlasting Father because it is by He that we have access to the Father. Now this earthly, fleshly, type and shadow lineage is now done away with to bring to reality the spiritual household of God in the Earth just like before in the Garden. Man now has the opportunity to be reconciled back to the Father. Now, so that we do not loose the concept of God household, God institutes the Household of Faith with a touchable concept. That touchable concept is spiritual fathers. These spiritual fathers are God raised and appointed men to oversee the Body of Christ in various areas or even in a city area. These spiritual fathers are to correct, encourage, rebuke and approve the things that are happening within the Household of God. So God gives us earthly men who are “sent” to show us the nature and character of God and disciple us so that we can come into the likeness of God. What this does is starts a growth pattern where mature sons of God are discipling the newborns of Christ to bring them to maturity.

Now without, and let me make this clear, understanding or knowing who God has appointed to be your spiritual father then you WILL NOT mature to be able to handle the affairs of the Kingdom. Now I know that is a bold statement but in the next messages we will see why this is the case. The authority of the Kingdom is based on understanding position and identity. God is not going to give the affairs of the Kingdom to some orphans and undisciplined children. They may be able to mask and hide behind the money and the gimmicks and the marketing schemes to draw people in but God is revealing by His Word the true children of God and those people who have put themselves over people without authority from the Lord Jesus will have the blood of the people on their hands because they have lead the people in err and never taught them or brought them to the understanding of the Kingdom of God and the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Fellowship: Understanding True Kingdom Fellowship

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Fellowship: Understanding True Kingdom Fellowship

Scripture: John 17:22,23; 1 Corinthians 11:29-31

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Jesus prayed to the Father for the disciples and requested that the disciples receive the glory that was given to Him by the Father. John 17:22 tells us about this glory. Jesus said and the glory that you (The Father) has given me, I (Jesus) will have given them. What is the glory?

Jesus continues, “That they may be one, even as we are one”. Who is the we as one? The Father and the Son. So who are we to be one with? Jesus continues in John 17:23: I (Jesus) in them (saints), and thou (The Father) in me (Jesus) that they may be made perfect in one. How was Jesus in the Father?

Jesus submitted all, body, soul and spirit to the Father. He gave up the right to rule His own body and do His Will to do the Father’s Will. He was completely under the authority of the Father. But how did this come to be? Well we already know that from the age of 12 to 30 Jesus was being disciple about His Father’s, not Joseph, business. Now at the age of thirty He is baptized and Matthew 3:16 states: “And Jesus when He was baptized, went straightway out of the water: and lo the heavens were opened unto Him and he saw the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) descending like a dove, and lightening upon him”. Immediately after this Holy Spirit leads Him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. It is when the Spirit of God comes and dwells within Jesus, that He is hidden in the Father. Now we receive Holy Spirit we are in Christ! We have heard that before. Our life is hidden in Christ and we are to be led by the Spirit of God into a fulfilled destiny. The fellowship of Holy Spirit is a critical element that explains the relationships within the Body of Christ and explains how God communicates among these relationships so that the Head, who is Christ, is served by the Body that is responsive to Him who is the Head. This is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.

The arrangement, by Holy Spirit of the parts of the Body of Christ is OUR TRUE FELLOWSHIP. It is the fellowship that we should not forsake. Fellowship is the intertwining of lives together with purposeful intent under the headship of Christ. In the Kingdom of God we define ourselves by the relationship with Holy Spirit to each other. See if we are truly the children of God then we should be lead by the Spirit. Romans 8:14:”For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

We should allow the Spirit of God to lead us, motivate us and empower us. All of that He does so we should most of all trust in Holy Spirit because remember, He is the one who knows your destiny and has been sent to you, by the Lord Jesus Christ as His delegate to disciple you and lead you into maturity in Christ. Now we know there are many people in the Body of Christ. Some are living the true life which God has called them to and there are others who deny Him even though they are in Him by their actions and lifestyle. So the sons of God have been given a spirit to discern the Body of Christ. Let’s look at this and wrap this up.

1 Corinthians 11:29-31:”For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s Body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

When we as the saints do not discern the Lord’s body (members) then people who are sick remain sick, weak and die. Now the reason we should is so that we can care for our brothers and sisters in Christ and be able to see also the movements of the enemy so that we will not get entrapped by one of his many devices. We, as the universal church, are the Body of Christ and we must have fellowship with Holy Spirit to know our place and lane so that the Will of God will be done in that space and time through our submission to the authority of God.

Now we know that God is all about order so the way Holy Spirit arranges the Body is in a particular order. This order is called the patriarchal order and we will look at this in the next message. Forsake not the fellowship you are to have with Holy Spirit because it is this relationship that leads to a fulfilled life.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Fellowship: The Body of Christ

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Fellowship: The Body of Christ

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Corinthians 1:11-13; John 17:22

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

We left off discussing the Body of Christ and how it is Holy Spirit’s mandate to arrange and order the various parts or members of the Body of Christ until the arranging is complete for the return of the Lord Jesus. Let’s look at the scripture for confirmation.

1 Corinthians 12:13:”For by one Spirit are we baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

The Spirit that baptizes us into the one body, who is the Body of Christ is Holy Spirit. Now the way Holy Spirit arranges the members of the Body of Christ is not determined by the members preference, it is quite the opposite. The members are arranged based upon the Will of the One who sent Holy Spirit, who is Jesus Christ. The way Holy Spirit does this is by searching the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10). Now the fellowship between the members of the Body of Christ and Holy Spirit is to guide each member, no matter the gifting into the fulfillment of the Will of God for that member and for the glory of God to be be shown in the Earth.

The way Holy Spirit assembles us in the Body of Christ is to place us in relationships that are best suited to support who we are and what we are to become. In 1 Corinthians 12:27: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” So even though we are many members in the body of Christ, there is still one Body! We are meant to function together as the body of Christ. Division is one of the most devastating conditions in the Body of Christ and Paul dealt with this with the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 1:11-13:”For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions (divisions) among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

See Paul understood His position in the Body of Christ and it is clear that the people at Corinth had a misunderstanding. The people at Corinth were viewing the people who brought the gospel to them as the access point of God and so they divided among themselves on that line. Paul comes in to correct this and asks them is Christ divided? See the family they belong to is the House of God and they are in the Body of Christ and even though the body of made up of many members, it is still one Body. Jesus spoke about this in very crucial issue John 17:22.

John 17:22:”And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

In the next message we will look at this and examine how Jesus and the Father were one and how we and Christ are to be one. What does this all mean? Stay tuned and continue to study with us.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Culture of the Kingdom: Fellowship

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Fellowship

Scripture: Acts 2:42; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13; Philippians 2:1; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

The four imperatives of Kingdom Culture are found in Acts 2:42: “And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Fellowship is the second of the four imperatives but also one that as a general concept, has been misunderstood and because of that we do not see it in its true form and understand its function in the culture of the Kingdom of God. But what is fellowship? According to Dictionary.com fellowship is companionship. Simple definition but let’s see what the church sees fellowship as.

The modern day church sees fellowship as a group of people coming together to eat a meal, play games or some various activities geared to bring youth together. One thing in my time growing up I heard of these “fellowship events” called potlucks. Basically everyone would bring a dish to the party and share. Now that is what fellowship has become to be known in the church. Is that fellowship? Based upon the definition it can be but we must look to the scriptures because it is in the scriptures where we see this word “fellowship” as it pertains and it is a part of the spiritual culture of the Kingdom. Now when we conclude this part of fellowship, there we will be no doubt that you will not look at fellowship merely as “eating a meal together”.

Now let’s look at some scriptures pertaining to fellowship to get a spiritual understanding.

2 Corinthians 13:14:”The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen”. The word communion can be substituted for fellowship in the scripture. So fellowship has to do with something Holy Spirit does.

Philippians 2:1:”If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,”

So based on these scriptures, fellowship of Holy Spirit is further defined as the resulting relationship between the people and Holy Spirit who dwells within them. Fellowship of Holy Spirit is about how Holy Spirit arranges the Body of Christ. Let’s look at how this is done.

1 Corinthians 12:12,13:”For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews and Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” So Holy Spirit arranges us in the Body of Christ by baptizing us into the Body of Christ. We as individuals are parts of the corporate body. The fellowship of believers together is to recognize how Holy Spirit has assembled you with another. But why does Holy Spirit baptize us into the Body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 2:10-12: “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

So it is fellowship with Holy Spirit and the spirit man that we receive revelation and instruction to our role as a part of the Body of Christ.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Apostles' Doctrine: Summary

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Apostles’ Doctrine: Summary

Scripture: Acts 2:42; Matthew 23:34; 1 Samuel 2:27-36; 1 Samuel 3:1-14; Romans 8:30

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

In the past few messages we have looked at the Apostle’s doctrine and now we are going to wrap this portion up and summarize what we have said. After the sermon Peter preached and the 3,000 souls were saved. It states in Acts 2:42 that they continued in the apostles’ doctrine. Now the apostles’ doctrine is not some written messages in the New Testament or some interpreted writings of church fathers, reformers or teachings from those we look to for leadership. The traditions of man and today’s church says that is what the apostles’ doctrine is. The Apostolic is more involved than that and it is has to do with relationships, order, foundation and revelation of mysteries to the Body of Christ.

The apostles are the mail men who deliver the Word of God (Bread from Heaven) for that day and their function is to establish order and the government of God upon the Earth as delegates (ambassadors) of the King. Their authority is a foundational authority meant to order, empower and release the sons of God to function in their destinies. These destinies have been appointed to them from the foundations of the earth (Romans 8:30).

As we look at the church today we see a lack of foundational order as it relates to the culture of the Kingdom. The apostles’ function in the lives of believers is to establish order to your life and order in your thinking so that you can clearly see who God has called you to be. It is amazing how much we do not understand about what God wants to do through us and how He does it. God wants us to understand how to rely on His power He has delegated to us through gifting. He wants us to receive insight, understand the creativity and uniqueness God has put in you by which He intends to function through you.

Now if you do not recognize or believe in the apostolic then church is meaningless. It is meaningless in the sense that we are now not up-to-date in the reality and thing that God is doing in the current season. So then we sink down into the ritualistic aspect of church or Christianity and then take on the mindset that if I do these ritualistic things then I will go to heaven when I die. This mindset robs you of living in your destiny. It keeps people in the post-fall mindset that Adam and Eve experienced by working by the sweat of their own brow and their own abilities. But where did it switch or go wrong for the church? The culture of the Kingdom was lost when the monarchs gave authority to bishops in the hope that the bishops would keep the people in line and support the monarchy and their claims. This made the church and state become one and now the church adopts the culture of the state. Hence all the people born into that nation is defined by the current culture that exists. So in the case of a national church, children born unto members of that church are predisposed and only know what the current church culture is and if it is the culture of the state then the culture of the Kingdom is not present. The original culture of the church, at its foundation, relied upon the doctrine of the apostles. Now remember there is always a type and shadow before the reality and let me show you this because even the gifting of the apostolic was in type and shadow.

When we look at the story of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1 it states: “And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (scarce) in those days; there was no open vision”. So if you read on it is the story of how the word of the Lord came to the young Samuel as a child but the key to seeing the apostles’ doctrine is in 1 Samuel 3:11-14 where the Lord told Samuel exactly what He was going to do and then Samuel would go on to tell Eli what the Lord said. Now understand that a prophetic voice was spoken to Eli before the reality came and the prophetic voice is found in 1 Samuel 2:27-36. Now in those days no one called Samuel an apostle but He functioned among Israel in that fashion. He was the voice of the Lord for Israel in that day and reminded Israel of the word of the Lord. Samuel was “sent” to give the word of the Lord to Israel. He is “sent” to bring back in order the children of Israel with the Lord. When the New Testament comes then we come into a better understanding and reality of the function of the apostolic to restore order to the people of God and ways of God.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Apostles' Doctrine: The Kingdom of God

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Apostles’ Doctrine: The Kingdom of God

Scripture: Matthew 28:18; Matthew 10:7; John 15:26

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we look at the Kingdom of God and the structure of it we can see that there is authority given by God to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18). Then the Lord Jesus Christ sends Holy Spirit to us who believe on His name (John 15:26). Now Holy Spirit imparts the delegated power to the sons of God and sends them out among humans to establish the rule of Christ in the earth. These ones that are sent are the “sent-ones” or the apostles. The Apostles are given a particular grace and have a particular commission or assignment that is different from others. Their commission is foundational and bring the order of the Kingdom and demonstrate the power of the King, Jesus Christ, whose name they come in. The Apostles reveal the mysteries of God and the Kingdom to the Earth. So if you look around at all the people who claim to be apostles, how many of them are fulfilling the foundational commission and revelation of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven? Well in the past 20 years we can say we have a problem.

See the role of the apostle to today’s church if you question the average believer they would say the role of the apostle is to plant churches and that is about all there is. If that is the mentality no wonder there is a lack of Kingdom culture and foundational Kingdom principals in the church. Now I am not coming down only on the apostles. We have prophets who have to be pastors. Teachers and evangelist who believe they qualify to be pastors. I mean do we see this? Many of these types of people cannot just operate in the gift God gave them, it is all about being seen and in power and to the carnal church-minded person the pastor is the role that has the power because they control the people. Every gift has it’s place but when you come outside of that gift, the grace of God does not flow to what you choose to do, the grace of God is only for the thing God is doing through you and His Will.

The church has become so prideful in the things that they do and what they say God is doing and in these days the veil is being taken off. I have spoken the words of the Lord in this season and many churches and even some denominations will become obsolete because they refuse to embrace the gifting of the apostolic who brings order and foundation to the church. Now do not take what is being said out of context, do apostles start churches, yes. But their gifting is more than just planting churches. It is about restoring relationships, establishing Kingdom principals, foundations and order. But what has happened is because we did not understand the eternal and the things God is doing then we go with what we feel is comfortable and scriptural and leave out the things we do not understand. Hence some denominations do not recognize the apostles and prophets. Some believe the apostles ended after the original 12. Well we already shown that is not scripturally right. Next, they believe the prophets were done after Jesus showed up on the scene and we have shown by the Lord’s own words that He was sending wise men and prophets. Was the Lord wrong in what He said? Of course not, Jesus knows what He is doing but because we lack Kingdom insight then it is hard to believe that the King ordained something and that is what He exactly meant. We try to look so deep and Jesus meant what He said.

So, the purpose of the Kingdom of God is to represent the Living God and we who are the Body of Christ is a community that defies all reason, history and society by presenting the very picture of love. It is a love that defies ethnicity and promotes, living in harmony, peace, sharing and most of all sacrificing our will and our lives for one another. See how completely different and almost unheard of this culture of the Kingdom is. The Kingdom of God is the solution to all of man’s problems. The Kingdom of God is the light (knowledge) of the world. It is the knowledge that all of mankind needs. The Kingdom of God is founded upon the authority given from God the Father to the Son, Jesus Christ, who through Holy Spirit establishes the authority in the earth on apostles and prophets and let me show you this and do not let anyone tell you that there are not or there is no need for apostles and prophets:

Ephesians 2:18-20: “For through Him (Jesus Christ) we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens (Kingdom of God) with the saints, and of the Household of God (Family); And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.”

So Jesus Christ is the cornerstone who the House of God and the Kingdom of God is built upon. Now the foundation is built upon the apostles and prophets. Why? It is the prophets who see the reality or the new season before it arrives and it is the apostles who herald and announce the reality of the new season so that no longer are we to deal in type and shadow but now we walk in the reality of what God is doing at that current time. Do not do away with the only thing that announces the reality of what God is currently doing and the foundation and order of the Kingdom.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Danger in Reasoning

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Apostles’ Doctrine: The Danger in Reasoning

Scripture: Romans 8:5-10; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we reason about these things that pertain to the Kingdom of God we run into complications in understanding but I want to take these two set of scriptures to show you the dangers in reasoning amongst yourself. The ways of the world are completely different from the ways of God. Let me give you a small example. Reason will say that the same object cannot occupy two different spaces at the same time. Now in the physical world that is true, but in the eternal that is not true. Now everyone who believes in Jesus Christ knows at the same time that each of us can be possessed by Holy Spirit in all completeness at the same time on Earth. But people who are not spiritually minded or for the most part unregenerated people will question how Holy Spirit can be in millions of people at the same time. Now if you are a Kingdom citizen and son of God then your mindset and decision-making influence comes from the eternal and not time. Now let me show you these two powerful scriptures to bring this home.

1 Corinthians 2:9-14 Revelation:

1 Corinthians 2:9-14: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

So the things that pertain to God can only be revealed by His Spirit. Revelation only comes by the Spirit of God. Now before you were born again the only knowledge or remote reference to God you had was a type and shadow and primarily what you see from your parents, who should be displaying the character of the Father. Now the reason you need Holy Spirit abiding in you is so that Holy Spirit can teach you the things you need to know about God and his nature. The scripture here ends making the point that spiritual things to the carnal mind are foolish to the carnal person. They are foolish because understanding only comes through Holy Spirit because spiritual things must be spiritually discerned.

Romans 8:5-10 Revelation:

Romans 8:5-10: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Now in this scripture we see that the carnal mind does not like God. Much like your soul can act independent to God. It does not really want to do the things of the Spirit , that is why you must bring it under subjection. The carnal mind does not know the laws of God because they are spiritual. Now I like how the scripture shifts. It says those who are believers are not IN THE FLESH BUT IN THE SPIRIT. So we are not governed by the flesh, we should be governed by the Spirit of God and bring our flesh and soul under the rulership of Christ. Well you may ask how do I do that? By hearing the Spirit of God and following His direction. When you make a conscious decision to be obedient and do the exact thing He is telling you to do then your soul and flesh come under the rulership of Christ. See when you think carnally and not spiritually then your thought can lead to death. Let me give you an example and allow Holy Spirit to give you direction.

I once was child whose parents took me to Disney World and Universal Studios. As a child I thought it was all fun and games and so I did not think nothing more than that. But now that I have come to have a relationship with Christ and Holy Spirit, now Holy Spirit shows me the things such as the witchcraft and the promotion of homosexuality that the Disney Company and Universal Studios does. Now to the carnal mind, I am a radical but through the Spirit I am given an eternal view to what is going on and this view shows you the spiritual side which is affecting and infecting youth. Can you imagine a children’s theme park promoting homosexuality and then your 4 year old sees this and ask you, why are two men or women kissing? Or do you ever wonder what are those chants and words they use in these movies (Harry Potter, Cinderella, Snow White, etc.) are or where they come from. Do not think that just because they are geared to children that they are innocent. The devil will not want more than to infect the children at a young age and desensitize them to the evil. But you have to choose which mind you will be lead by, your own or the mind of God.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.