Four Elements of the Kingdom Culture

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Four Elements of Kingdom Culture: Introduction

Scripture: Acts 2:41,42

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we talk about Kingdom culture we need to know or examine the elements that make it up because without knowing what it is made up of or how we are to conduct ourselves, this leads to what we have today, which is chaos and man’s doctrines calling it God’s. But let’s go back to Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 because these four elements are given and they are vital for us to examine. In Acts 2:41 we see that the 3,000 souls were just saved at Jerusalem now verse 42 tells you immediately what they did. Now when you come into the Kingdom how do you know what to do? How do you know how to conduct yourself? Well someone must instruct you who has been there. Now the first century apostles had the privilege to walk with the Lord but He instructed them in the way they should go but also the things they need to know so they can disciple others. Let’s look at the four elements to the culture of the Kingdom in Acts 2:42:

“And they (3,000 saved souls) continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

So the four cultural imperatives of the Kingdom is:

1. The Apostles’ Doctrine

2. Fellowship

3. Breaking of Bread

4. Prayers

Now notice in order for them to do this, they did not have to go to various conferences or conventions. They did not need a prominent and famous speaker to entice them. The major problem we have in the church is the church has become a business. Now of course we should be stewards over the tithes and offerings of God but what I am saying is the people of the church have become consumers and the preachers have become the marketers. Instead of preaching and teaching the concepts of the Kingdom and exemplifying Kingdom culture many preachers today look for a marketing scheme to draw people in. They survey the market and see what the people like so they can do it and draw people in. The people in turn then are enticed by this and become the consumer. So as long as the church is offering this thing that they like, they will continue to attend and be members. Now if you have taken a business class then you know once you got them in, you have to keep them. Well how do you keep someone who you brought in a certain way? You either keep offering the thing or you play to the emotions of people and make them indebted to you. What do you mean? If you want to make someone indebted to you someone would say, “If you donate to this then when we build it, you will be able to….” So in the persons mind they give in the hope or expectation of seeing the thing come to reality and they stick around to see it. So the preachers play to the market to make the people consumers. This is not what the culture of the Kingdom is about. But if this is the case then we have many people who really are unpastored. See we think that people are coming to the church for information and that is far from the truth. They can stay at home and click a mouse and browse millions of websites for information. What people come to church for is for relational fellowship. Now is information important? Of course it is!

In the early church information was a critical function but it was just not anybody’s point of view. It was the apostle’s doctrine and we will start talking about that in the next set of messages. But this generation is on a constant quest for truth. Now we know in the Kingdom, Jesus is the very essence of truth. Our truth comes from Jesus. Jesus sends Holy Spirit to us. Now Holy Spirit sends this information and brings it to the Body of Christ through what is called the Apostolic.

In the next few messages we will look at the first of the four imperatives of the Kingdom, the Apostles’ Doctrine.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Early Church

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Early Church

Scripture: Acts 2:41-42; Acts 10; Galatians 4:28; Matthew 28:19

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now what I love about this topic, Culture of the Kingdom, is that it challenges the status quo and our societies thought patterns and myths that we currently have. Now these prejudices that we have may not be written in the laws of the land, but they are in our minds and our soul takes those thoughts and tries to make you believe in what is said. But did anyone think about the magnitude and the significance the Kingdom of God makes in the Earth. The Kingdom has its own culture and society that every believer, citizen and son of God should exhibit and exemplify. One of the prejudices we see currently is racism. Now I am not just talking about the color of one’s skin, but also the nation one comes from. For example, just an example, I maybe American but I do not like Germans. Also, there is the traditional, I am white and I do not like blacks. But if we look at the Culture of the Kingdom, the Kingdom takes all of this away and makes all these various people, one people and one nation. Now when the culture of the Kingdom is absent then this concept of one people one nation is hard to fathom. Let me show you an example of how prejudices have even invaded the church.

For example, once again this is just an example, you can have a Baptist church on one street and 2 blocks down have a Pentecostal church. Now if that Pentecostal church is having problems do you think that the Baptist church, knowing the problem, will lend a hand to help? In most cases absolutely not! Why? Because their Baptist and we are Pentecostal? If that is the reason then that is completely foolish and not of the Father. Another example is you can have a predominately white Baptist church on one street and 2 blocks away have a predominately black Baptist church. If that white Baptist church starts having problems and the black Baptist church is aware of it, do you think that the black church will help the white church? In most cases, no! Is that what the culture of the Kingdom teaches us? No. So in one situation we have predjudices on a denominational level and on the other we have the same denomination but racism as a probable driving force that is preventing the one church from helping the other. Let’s look at the early church.

The first century church was birthed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-6). Now we know that Peter and the other disciples were Jews. Now Peter being a devout Jew, really in his mind, believed that only the Jews could have Holy Spirit fall on them until God had to correct him. God sent Peter to Cornelius house (Acts 10) and at the house of Cornelius Peter witnessed Holy Spirit be poured out upon the Gentiles (Acts 10:44,45). See to Peter the gift of Holy Spirit was to him a Jewish phenomena but God showed him that God is not a respector of persons (Acts 10:34). Now we know it was Peter who introduced, or gave a snippet, Holy Spirit to the Gentiles but it was another Jew who was given the full grace to give to the Gentiles and His name was Paul. Now Paul is the perfect example for us to show that we should not allow our physical ethnic differences to separate what God has joined together in the Kingdom. Paul (A Jew) assisted the people of Rome, Galatia, Philippi, Ephesus, Corinth, Colosse and Thessolonica. All of these were Gentiles. So what can we see and learn.

The Kingdom of God brings people from various nations and ethnicities and makes them one people with the same culture. Now when you come into the Kingdom does a Jew stop being a Jew. Of course not, but being a Jew is not that person’s primary concern anymore. The concern of that person is pleasing God, dispensing God’s grace to the Earth and exemplifying Kingdom culture. The first century apostles had it right and the Great Commission from the Lord before He ascended back to the Father was for them to disciple (teach) ALL NATIONS (Matthew 28:19). Not just the Jews, or the Corinthians, but all nations. So this means, we cannot pick and choose who we want to spread the gospel to. That is not our choice. Wherever the Lord sends us we should be willing to go, even if it means being the only person of that particular nation or ethnicity in that country. Let me allow the Scriptures to bring it home, Galatians 4:28:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”

So in the Kingdom of God, there is no ethnicity, social status nor gender because spirits have no gender, but we are all one in Christ Jesus and it is love that binds us together.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Good Samaritan

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Revelation of Mysteries Part 4: The Good Samaritan

Scripture: Luke 10:30-37; Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; Luke 4:18; Matthew 25:45

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now what I want to show you is a parable depending upon whose interpreting, the soul or the spirit, it determines the truth you receive. Let’s get started.

Luke 10:30: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell amongst thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. This certain man was Adam and when he journeyed from Heaven (Jerusalem) to Earth (Jericho) and fell in the hands of the thief (Satan) who stripped him of his authority (clothing) and departed leaving him half-dead. He was half dead because spiritually he was dead because of the recall of the Holy Spirit but yet he was still alive walking on earth.

Luke 10:31: And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Now this priest that first came represented the Law. Now when the Law saw man in his fallen state from grace, the Law realized he could not help him. Why not? Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin. In addition, the latter part of Galatians 2:16: “For by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified”. So the Law could not redeem this man.

Luke 10:32: And likewise a Levite when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. Now the Levite is representative of the religion and religious functions. These functions have shown themselves incapable of helping the man that has fallen from grace (power and authority) in the earth. Religion cannot help a spiritually fallen man.

Luke 10:33-35: But a certain Samaritan as he journeyed came where he was. This Samaritan is a Jew and a Gentile and the representation of God and man as one. So the person speaking to this young lawyer is the Samaritan, Jesus. Now when the Samaritan saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine and set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him. First, the Samaritan bound up the man’s wounds. Now Jesus made this declaration in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; HE HATH SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED, TO PREACH DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES…” Next the Samaritan poured oil and wine on the man. Oil, historically, is a representation of the Spirit and wine is a representation of the blood. Now the man is separated from God and wounded and what is needed is Holy Spirit and the blood of Christ, which pays the price for redemption of man and the Spirit restores his authority to function in a governmental way (The Kingdom of God). Now after sitting this man on his own beast the Samaritan brought the man to an inn and took care of him. Now where can this newly regenerated man be kept and taken care of? In Himself! The inn is a representation of the Body of Christ. Now the scriptures continue at verse 35: And on the morrow when he departed (Jesus ascension back to the Father), he took out two pence, and gave them to the host and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Now two pence is two denaris which he pays the innkeeper IN ADVANCE. One silver coin is representative of one days wage, but the Samaritan gave the innkeeper two silver coins which is 2 days wages. How about this, the Samaritan (Jesus) pays for the man’s keep for two thousand years and says He will return again and says whatsoever you have done to one of these the least of my brothers, you have done it unto me or this in Matthew 25:45: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these (brothers), ye did it not to me”

Do we see it now? When you do not allow Holy Spirit to give understanding, interpretation and revelation to mysteries, especially parables, then at best you are left with a story that appeals to the soul and that is at best a type and shadow. You never come into the reality of what God is trying to show you in the mystery or parable. The story Jesus told was very plain but with Holy Spirit the lawyer could not discern what the whole story was. God always proceeds the revelation with a type and shadow of it. At the appointed time God will bring the fullness and completeness of what was previously intended. When the truth comes it sets aside the types and shadows so that the receiver can receive that which is the perfect manifestation of the truth and walk in the new grace of God. Allow Holy Spirit to reveal to you the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven because it has been given to us, His sons and Kingdom citizens to know.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Ignorance vs. Truth

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Revelation of Mysteries Part 3: Ignorance vs. the Truth

Scripture: Luke 10:25-29

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Now this is the encounter Jesus had with the lawyer and I want to show you that Jesus does not accept ignorance as an excuse. In the next message we will look at the second half of this interaction to reveal a mystery (Luke 10:30-37). Now a lawyer stands up and asks Jesus, of course in the company of a few of his friends to try to trap Jesus, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life”. Now the question is, is this man being sincere and really wants to know how or is He trying to trap Jesus? Well if you read Luke 10:25 it says he is tempting Jesus. Now remember Jesus is fully submitted to the Father so the words coming from Jesus are those of the Father. In verse 26, Jesus answers the question with a question, “What is written in the law? How readest thou? Now was Jesus ducking the question? No, but because the man really did not want to know Jesus sent Him to what they already had which was the Law. The lawyer then states what the law says: “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself”. Now Jesus tells him that you have answered right, now go do this and thou shall live (Luke 10:28). What was Jesus saying? This man knew the Law but whatever he knew, in the eyes of the Lord, Jesus, he was not doing it. This is evident by Jesus giving him the command to go do this. Now in this first part was to see a lawyer trying to trap Jesus. There are people as Kingdom citizens that just want to entrap us in a silly philosophical discussion, better yet, argument and try to make us look silly. Jesus did not have to worry about that because He allowed Holy Spirit to show Him the truth about this man and his motives. We need to take more time out to discern motives and allow Holy Spirit to give you the words to say. For example:

I was reading my Bible at work outside and a man walked up to me and said what are you reading and I told him and he asked where do I attend church and I told him. Then he asked me the question: “What happens when you die?” I proceeded to answer and before I can even get to the scriptures He cuts me off and and goes on a tangent talking about how wrong I am and how I have no clue about the scriptures and he is a biblical scholar and all of this other stuff. Now as he was sounding off, Holy Spirit said be quiet and let him talk. After his sound session, I said to him in a calm and quiet way, “you asked me a question, so allow me to answer without interrupting, if you want to interrupt then I will be quiet and not say anything else.” The guy agreed to hear me out and before I could get started he started cutting me off again, so I went quiet and Holy Spirit, said say no more. So I let him talk and after he finished I told him that I have nothing else to say because you do not want to hear or listen but to argue. He apologized and at that my wife pulled up to pick me up and I left. The point of the story is that the devil loves to get you to waste breath and energy on things that do not matter. Do not get trapped but let Holy Spirit guide you to be the change and make a difference in someone’s life so that they can see Christ in you. Now how does God not accept excuses and I want to use the same situation to show you that ignorance will not be accepted. Now Jesus has already told him that he should love the Lord with all his heart, soul and mind and love his neighbor as himself. Now the lawyer tries to kind of plead ignorance and Jesus takes the rug from under him and let’s get a small glimpse of it. After Jesus commanded the lawyer to do what he requested in Luke 10:27,28. The lawyer comes with another question in Luke 10:29: “Who is my neighbor?” Now this is crazy but think about it. If he does not know who his neighbor is then he can plead he could not fulfill the law because he did not know out of ignorance. Jesus tells him the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-36. Now we will look back at this parable in the next message but let’s jump to verse 36. Jesus asked the lawyer “Which now of these three thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?” The lawyer being placed in a unique position with an obvious answer. The lawyer said in Luke 10:37: “He that showed mercy on him”. So now the young lawyer is clear about who his neighbor is and Jesus gives him the same command “Go and do thou likewise”. So Jesus left the lawyer with no question what it meant and made him aware that he (the young lawyer) was not doing none of that.

Jesus does not allow us to make excuses about what we know about Him and the Kingdom. He has placed ample teachers and Kingdom citizens around you to teach and instruct you. He in turn has also placed spiritual fathers in your lives to teach you the ways and character of Christ. Now the question is whether you choose to follow. It is a choice that you have to make for yourself just like when you made your confession to come into the Kingdom and Household of God. Ignorance is not an excuse. God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Hosea 4:6).

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Parables and Revelations

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Revelation of Mysteries Part 2: Parables and Revelations

Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17; Isaiah 6:9

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

All revelation has things that have preceded it. Those things that precede the revelation is a type and a shadow. Now once the revelation comes when God brings the new season that draws it forward. Now the thing that was before that was a type and shadow now is manifested to a reality. One of the great examples of this is when Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes. But, Jesus being the Son of God, why didn’t He just tell them the exact thing He wanted them to know? Why did Jesus speak in parables? How about this? What is a parable? To answer the last question first. A parable is a story that hides the truth from an individual that is not looking for it and guides an individual who is looking for truth to the reality. Now why did Jesus speak in parables? Matthew 13 gives us the answer to this so let’s take our time and examine this.

The disciples in Matthew 13:10 asked Jesus why did He speak to them, the multitudes, in parables? Here is the answer and it is a multi-part answer so let’s go through it.

Matthew 13:11: “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but unto them it is not given.” Let’s look at this. Jesus tells His disciples and He is making it clear to us that there are mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. If there are mysteries then there are revelations that are to be given out about the mysteries. So we at least know that there are mysteries, now part 2 of Jesus answer.

Matthew 13:13: “Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” Jesus then explains this because He want to make sure the disciples understood why He was doing it. For one it had to be this way for the prophecy to be fulfilled of Isaiah 6:9. Jesus goes on in Matthew 13:15 to speak about the condition of the people’s heart. Matthew 13:15: “For this people’s heart is waxed gross (hardened) and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at anytime they shall see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Now why would the people’s heart be hardened? Well think about, mankind had by this time been without Holy Spirit abiding in them for about 4,000 years. In addition after the fall of man, this began the decline of man. It got so bad that God wanted to wipe mankind off of the face of the earth because His heart had been continuously thinking on evil. Now here we are 2010 A.D. and the decline of man is still continuing. Look at the condition and the thoughts of mankind today. There is corruption at the highest levels of government leading to poverty, theft from the people that put them in office. We have people indiscriminately killing people for no reason and some just based on their ethnicity. But man’s heart has become so hard and needed to be healed. Only the restoration of the Holy Spirit and reconciliation with the Father can heal the hardened heart of man. Since at that time when Jesus was speaking the people did not have the Holy Spirit abiding in them and Jesus knowing their hearts, knowing that they really did not want to know the truth, He spoke to them in parables. Now, Jesus explained the parables to the disciples. Why? Because they whole heartedly wanted to know and this leads me to this very important point:

“Because Holy Spirit is Holy and cannot lie then if you truly do not want to know the truth, then Holy Spirit will not reveal to you the mystery. However, if you truly want to know and you seek God’s face and His heart then at the appointed time, God will show you the truth to the mystery.”

Now I also want to say that even if you are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit if you are not seeking the truth whole-heartedly then Holy Spirit is not going to reveal anything to you. This is why so many people slip into religion because they try to get the truth to satisfy their carnal desires or to correct someone just to prove them wrong and that is not how Holy Spirit operates. Correction is done in love.

In closing, Jesus said blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear (Matthew 13:16). If you notice in Matthew 13:13,14 you see the word understand. We know from a previous series “Seven Spirits of God”, one of the seven spirits is understanding. Understanding is applying wisdom and knowledge. So you can know something but do not know how to apply it. This is why Holy Spirit’s role in the lives of believer’s is so vital because He is the one who gives us understanding and revelation to the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. However this revelation only is given to those who have a relationship with Holy Spirit and whole-heartedly seeks the Kingdom and the truth from the Father.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Revelation of Mysteries

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Revelation of Mysteries

Scripture: Matthew 3:16; Luke 23:39-43; Romans 6:3; Colossians 1:13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

We know that there is a natural world and eternal. So in the Scriptures there are also two levels, the natural and the eternal. Now we know that God uses the natural to bring us to the eternal. So in the scriptures that are things that we are to take naturally but also there are things that are natural to bring us to the eternal. Now if you do not understand this then understanding how God brings us into the New Season and changes the various seasons in your own life will be extremely difficult. Now the reason why so many people have not come into the reality of the New Season is because religion does not allow you to and let me explain.

All religion keeps that, which is meant to be the fulfillment of what is first presented naturally, a mystery because it has no ability to decode the mystery. A great example is the song “Jacob’s Ladder”. Religion let’s you sing the song and keep you thinking that we are climbing Jacob’s ladder to Heaven. But later on you will see that the thing that God presents naturally first, has an eternal truth attached to it to bring you into the reality of what God is doing.

When we talk about revealing mysteries, revelation consists of Holy Spirit showing humans the true meaning (Heavenly meaning) of that natural thing (type and shadow) that appeals to the soul. The unspiritual mind, whether it be an unconverted person or a carnal converted person, is not interested in things that can only be discerned by the spirit because the soul has no control over the meaning and the application of spiritual things. This is where religion has a problem with revelations. Revelation always encounters resistance when there is existing traditions. The way religion is setup, it keeps emphasizing and holding for the traditions. These traditions often are the natural things that is meant to give way to the things of the Spirit but because of the traditions then natural thing is exalted and they never get to the eternal reality of the thing. A great example of this is the Baptist (Southern, Primitive, Missionary etc.) Denomination. Now I am not broad stroking the entire denomination but I want to give an example. A big part of the Baptist denomination is Baptism. Now in many of their doctrines it states a requirement of baptism to join their church with of course the Romans 10:9 concept and confession. Now, we know baptism according to the scriptures means submersion. Matthew 3:16 says when Jesus was baptized, He went straightway out of the water. So the true definition of baptism is submersion, not sprinkling over the head. Now some in those denominations believe you must be baptized because Jesus was baptized. Now in some of these churches and the people who are members, and I am talking about the specific not the entire denomination as a whole, exalt the natural and not the reality. So is water baptism a requirement. Now let’s use this because it is all about whether you believe Christ or not. While on the Cross there were two thieves (Luke 23:39-43) and one of the thieves repented and asked the Lord to remember him when in His Kingdom. Jesus did not take the man off the cross and then baptize him then put him back on the cross! How do I know? Luke 23:43: “Verily I say unto thee (The thief), Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”. So if baptism is not required what is the meaning and why do it. Water baptism is symbolic of death. Romans 6:3: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life.” So water baptism is symbolic of death of the old creature. It is a symbol to the Heavens that this person has made a decision to leave the Kingdom of Darkness and be adopted into the family of God. That is the reality and when the Ephesians 4:5 speaks of one baptism, it is speaking of being translated from the Kingdom of Darkness and being put into (baptized) the Body of Christ and in the Kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13). So water baptism is symbolic but it is not a requirement for being saved. Jesus proved that with His interaction with the thief on the cross and of course if someone is on their death bed or for medical reasons cannot participate in baptism, that does not disqualify them from being saved and it surely should not disqualify them from fellowshipping with that body of believers.

This is just one example of how religion can exalt the natural and miss the eternal truth. We will continue this message on the Revelation of Mysteries in the next message.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Origin of the Culture of the Kingdom

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Origin of the Culture of the Kingdom

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

One mistake that many Kingdom citizens make is believing that all of this Kingdom talk and culture did not come on the scene until the New Testament but I want to show you that Kingdom culture is nothing new since the time in the Garden. From the time of Adam God setup a heavenly culture to function among human beings. Now the full understanding of this what God did would not be revealed until the Holy Spirit returned and abided in man. But when God made the Garden and then made mankind, God discipled Adam in the ways and character of the Father so that the impact and power of the Heavenly Kingdom can come from Heaven to Earth. Now when Adam sinned in the Garden, He lost Holy Spirit and was then sentenced to die just as God promised he would do if mankind sinned against God. Now God did not immediately wipe-put Adam, He actually kept him around for the purpose that a culture of God the Father and humans as His sons would predominate the culture of mankind for more than one thousand years. Now what God established as the Kingdom culture in the Garden was the norm. The culture of the Kingdom was the way God set up human society. Now when did mankind depart from this norm? When he sinned in the Garden and from that point we saw a decline in man, even to this day.

However, God in all of His infinite wisdom in knowing the end from the beginning already had a program designed to reconcile us and gives us full revelation into the original culture of the Earth, the Kingdom of God. Jesus comes, dies and was resurrected and on the day of Pentecost we see the birth of the church, the return of the Kingdom of God and the return of the culture of the Kingdom. Now that the Holy Spirit is once again abiding in man, now the revelation of the culture of the Kingdom can be revealed to mankind by Holy Spirit.

If you continue to let religion and the doctrines of man determine your interpretation of Scripture, at best you will only see and shadow of the truth. The only person that can accurately reveal the shadows and types and make the truths know to you is Holy Spirit. This is why you have to submit all of yourself to the will of the Father. If you look back over your life when in all of your church-going have you heard of the Kingdom culture. I, myself am just hearing about it in the past 2 years. So we have a lot of work to do with a little time. It is time to be about the Kingdom of God and exemplifying the original culture for mankind.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Culture of the Kingdom: Revelatory Glimpse

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Culture of the Kingdom: A Revelatory Glimpse

Scripture: Romans 8:14-17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When we talk about entering into the culture of the Kingdom we must understand the mindset that is required to enter and experience. There are many people in the Kingdom of God but do not have a clue to the culture that the Kingdom is to exemplify. Now the first requirement we talked about when we spoke about entering the New Season of God was that the person had to repent. Repentance is a change of mindset from one direction to the opposite direction. So whatever culture you belonged to prior to the Kingdom of God cannot influence or be brought into the Kingdom because the Kingdom of God alone has its own culture. The early apostles understood that they had to give up whatever culture conflicted with the Kingdom of God. They understood that this is a requirement to enter and possess the realities of the Kingdom. Let me give you a great example and I pray you search your own selves to make sure you are not contributing to this problem. It was American Culture around the times of slavery and the early 1900’s to the mid 1900s that people should date within their race. This cultural attitude found itself into the church and for the most part it still is in the church. How do we know? Because the most segregated day in America is Sunday mornings. A day in which we should be united we are divided. The old attitude that whites worship over here and blacks worship over here and Hispanics over here has divided us on so many levels that we find it hard to fellowship with our brothers and sisters because of their skin color and the way they celebrate the Lord. But the culture of the Kingdom is so unique because it takes different people from different cultures and submerge them into one people and one culture. Now this works when the ones who have been translated into the Kingdom become lead by the Holy Spirit.

It is our job to present the culture of the Kingdom and because it is so different from all of man’s various cultures various racial, ethnic and historical groups will be offended by the Kingdom doctrine. Why? Their perspectives are shaped and determined by these cultural norms. As ambassadors of Christ we are not here to persuade but allow God to speak the truth through us. Our goal is the represent the One, Jesus Christ who sends us.

Now Jesus sends Holy Spirit as the Heavenly Messenger to inform the human spirit and give the human spirit being and relevance that is defined from a heavenly perspective. Let’s look at a scripture to show this. Romans 8:15-17: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. The Spirit (Holy Spirit) itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” Do not get caught up with the doctrine of going to Heaven. If you die in Christ then the natural result is to go to Heaven. But the reason you are saved is that you become a son of God and then mature from an immature son to a mature son where you fully represent the interests of God and Christ in the earth. The person who empowers us is Holy Spirit. God also gives us spiritual fathers to disciple us by showing in his mature life what it looks like to become the thing you are moving to. The spiritual fathers are to bring instruction and correction so that you will stay on track. But remember the goal of God is have you walk step-by-step and moment to moment in the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” So you must have your mind renewed by Holy Spirit so that Holy Spirit can show you the things of earth from a Heavenly perspective.

In the next message we will take a look back at when the culture of the Kingdom was first established.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Holy Spirit and the Coming of the Kingdom

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Holy Spirit and the Coming of the Kingdom

Scripture: Romans 14:17; Matthew 3:2; Matthew 10:7; Mark 9:1; Colossians 1:13; John 3:5; Ephesians 5:26; Acts 2:1,2

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

Romans 14:17 states: “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” Now how does the Holy Spirit correlate with the coming of the Kingdom of God? Well let’s take some time and examine this because after this message every born again believer should know whether the Kingdom has come and is presently operating in the Earth or not. John the Baptist preached in Matthew 3:2: “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. Jesus preached in Matthew 4:17 “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. He told the disciples in Matthew 10:7: “Go, preach saying, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. Now the question we should ask but may have not is what does it mean to be “at hand”? “At hand” means it is within my reach or within the view of where you are. Now there is a scriptural definition of this. In Mark 9:1 Jesus says this: “Verily I say unto you, That there be some that stand here, which shall not taste death, till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power.” This is Jesus’ definition of “at hand”. In other words, the Kingdom will come within the lifetime of many of the people standing there. The at hand has now become the reality because the Kingdom has come. How do we know? Colossians 1:13: “ Who hath delivered us from the powers of darkness, and translated us INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON.” So how did the Kingdom come and how is it related to Holy Spirit? Here is a hint, The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. So let’s look at Luke 17:20 this is the big revelation:

“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or lo, there! For behold the Kingdom of God is within you.”

Do we see this! Jesus said you cannot see it with the natural senses. When Jesus interacted with Nicodemus he answered why we cannot see the Kingdom with our natural senses. John 3:3: “Verily , verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Jesus then says in John 3:5: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.” Hmm water and the Spirit?

Now when we look at water and the Spirit the Bible explains this to us in the letter to the Ephesians 5:26: “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the word”. What is meant by being born of water is having your mind renewed by the word of God and by the Spirit of God. So it is the word and the Spirit that produces a person in the earth who is able to be born of both the word and the Spirit. This person now sees the Kingdom that cannot be seen by an unbeliever or un-regenerated person.

In closing, the Kingdom has come and it came in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. From that day the Kingdom has been advancing in the Holy Spirit and by the Holy Spirit. This is why we need to be lead by the Spirit of God because it is Holy Spirit that leads us in experiencing the culture of the Kingdom. Now the end result is a family living in perfect harmony with God as their Father. The Kingdom of God solves all of man’s problems because it puts man back in relationship with God and allows God to order every aspect of their life. In the next message we will look at the four elements of the Culture of the Kingdom.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Discipleship of Jesus Christ

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Work of Holy Spirit: The Discipleship of Jesus Christ

Scripture: Matthew 28:18,19

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

When Jesus met back with His disciples after His resurrection He said to them “All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18). Now we understand that Jesus is the source of the power and authority of the Kingdom of God. Now Jesus then gives the Great Commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:19,20: “Go ye therefore and teach (disciple) all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Now did the disciples know exactly what to do? Of course, Jesus told them exactly what to do? But, How did Jesus know what to do while He was on Earth? Jesus was discipled. Now I have already talked about this so I will not dwell on it. From age 12 to 30, Jesus was learning and being discipled in the ways and character of His Father, God. He submitted His entire being to be the full exact representation of the Father in the Earth. This required Jesus to sacrifice His right to rule His life and submit, soul, spirit and flesh to the Father’s Will. Jesus, before the baptism, was not mature to handle the Father’s business. So the ministry of Jesus Christ did not start or begin on earth until the age of 30. So if Jesus gave up His right to rule then He was being lead by someone. Let me show you who? Matthew 3:17-Matthew 4:1:

“And lo a voice from Heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

Now if you see what the scripture says, it says that Jesus was lead by the Spirit. Holy Spirit is the one who led Jesus to the wilderness. So because Jesus submitted everything to the Father, He was led by the Spirit of God in every decision, word and action. This is how Jesus knew exactly what to do and what to say because He was led. Jesus said it best Himself to His disciples in John 5:19: “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Jesus showed the disciples, including us, what it meant to be lead by Holy Spirit. It is the role of Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in experiencing and living the Kingdom culture and fulfillment of our destiny. Now notice in the Great Commission Jesus did not send the disciples to teach the nations how to obey the Old Testament or the New Testament, He is sending the disciples to teach the people how to obey Holy Spirit moment by moment. Jesus is the one that sends the Holy Spirit to us to bring His power and authority to the earth. John 15:26: “But when the Comforter (Holy Spirit) is come, whom I (Jesus) will send unto you from the Father, He (Holy Spirit) shall testify of me (Jesus).” Does Jesus have the power to send Holy Spirit to us? Of course He does even if He told you because we know His words are truth. But in case you may doubt what gives Him the authority is the declaration after the resurrection in Matthew 28:18. Now we have discussed the fact that we are to be lead by Holy Spirit and He will guide us and disciple us in Kingdom culture. But what is the correlation between the coming of Holy Spirit and the coming of the Kingdom. We will take a look at that in the next message.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

The Work of Holy Spirit

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: The Work of Holy Spirit

Scripture: Romans 14:17,18

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

In the next one to two messages we will look at this most important topic. How does the work of Holy Spirit correspond to the culture of the Kingdom? We understand that it is Holy Spirit’s power and authority to interpret Scriptures and give us revelation. Now the central work of the Holy Spirit is found here in Romans 14:17,18:

“For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.”

So the result and evidence of the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the citizens of the Kingdom. Now if we look at what we call today “the church”. It is evident that culture and in some places the knowledge of Kingdom of God is absent. Let me show you. The present church does not represent a heavenly culture. It either represents a historic culture (such as the Roman church and all it’s offspring) or an ad-hoc culture which includes the Charismatic and some evangelical churches, especially the mega church. As it pertains to the ad-hoc culture it is the culture of the guy in charge and he makes it up as he goes along. It becomes a mixture of tradition and marketing. For example, if he came out of the baptist church then his core doctrine is baptist but the way he applies those doctrines will be based upon the market he is targeting. This is why we see so many churches using gimmicks and cultural entertainment to draw people into their church for membership. Forget about trying to disciple them because they were drawn by your methods and gimmicks and not be the Spirit of God. Now what further complicates the issue is when the church will cry out against the decline of society but on the same hand they are also contributing to its downfall. So what is the answer to this problem? The answer is the Culture of the Kingdom.

It is time for us to repent and focus on the Kingdom and living in the culture of the Kingdom. Now you must be aware of the current situation in the church. Many people have not heard of the Gospel of the Kingdom let alone the present day operation of the Kingdom of God on Earth. Now you have to allow Holy Spirit to show you this in your own respective churches.

1. Is the Gospel of the Kingdom being taught?

2. Is the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached?

3. Does your church believe in the Kingdom of God being present now and functioning in the Earth?

4. Does your church believe that the Kingdom of God has not come but still is to come?

Now the answer to #1 and #2 “should” be yes because it is the central message of Jesus Christ but depending upon how you answer #3 and #4 determines the culture within your church. If you answer yes to #3 then if the leadership is teaching, preaching and living in the Kingdom of God then your church should exemplify Kingdom culture. However if you answer yes to #4 then your church’s doctrine and purpose for saving people is for them to go to Heaven. Now we do have churches and denominations that believe that the Kingdom of God has not come yet but will come with the Return of the Lord. Now if this is the case then the gospel that is being preached emphasizes gong to Heaven and not living in the Kingdom of God on earth. The entire ministry of Jesus Christ was to show us the Father and the culture of the Kingdom. This required Jesus to be discipled. Huh? Jesus, the Son of God, had to be discipled?

In the next message we will look at that last question and show you the work of Holy Spirit with Jesus. Very interesting, but a scripturally sound concept that we must know if we are to live in the culture of the Kingdom.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.

Tradition vs. Kingdom

Culture of the Kingdom

Today’s Topic: Interpretation of Scriptures Part 2: Tradition vs. Kingdom

Scripture: Matthew 16:18; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 6:33; Luke 4:43;

Greetings Kingdom Citizens

In the last message we took a tiny glimpse into the traditional way the Scriptures are interpreted and realized that when you base the scriptures off of your traditions then you are being lead by the tradition and not the Spirit of God. Let me give you an example. People who take the historical (traditional) interpretation of the Scriptures tend to use phrases such as “We are the keepers of the traditions…” or “We are the real church of Christ because..” For example some people say that the Catholic church is the real church that Christ established because their church is a direct lineage from Peter. They tend to use Matthew 16:18 as the reason how Peter is the one who first received authority to rule over the church by His confession. I have ran into people who state (so if it is not true please find those people and correct them) that the “Church of Christ (which is a denomination)” is the true church of Christ and I have been given literature and all of this stuff but what it shows is where the foundation of their faith is. When you make statements like the one above or similar your mindset is a traditional, institutional mindset that has been influenced by the doctrines of men. They do not talk about the Kingdom of God in the sense of it being present currently and can relatively even talk about it at all. So what culture are they promoting? Many of those institutional models say they have a lineage such as the Roman church who state that their historical lineage is from Peter and then after Peter is this person and after that person there is this person. So it makes the church have a physical lineage for its existence and relevance. The Kingdom of God, the central message of Jesus Christ, is not physical and our lineage as born again believers, Kingdom citizens and sons of God is NOT PHYSICAL. It is spiritual. The Kingdom is spiritual, it cannot be seen with the natural eye.

Can we stick with Jesus please? Is He not the Lord and the Christ? Jesus is the pattern Son and has been given to us to bring us to the Father, in Himself (The Body of Christ). So our understanding of the scripture needs to come from the source of the power and authority to give the interpretation and that is the Lord. Now where am I going with this? Without Kingdom culture you cannot properly understand the scriptures. There is no coincidence that Jesus comes with a message to repent for Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). There is no coincidence that Jesus was sent to preach the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). There is no coincidence that Jesus would tell the multitudes to “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God…” (Matthew 6:33). It is all about the Kingdom. This Kingdom not only has citizens but it is also a family of sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. So it is the uttermost of importance that the church you belong to foster the Kingdom culture and the central message of that church should be the Kingdom of God. It is not about who succeeds who. Being a son of God is about being born from above. Now once you are born from above and received Holy Spirit then your understanding of the scriptures should change in the sense that you are to be lead by Holy Spirit in everything you do, including receiving revelation and interpretation of Scriptures. See many of those traditional religious institutions have derived their own interpretation and called it God and when confronted with the real truth, they cannot support it with the Scripture, just with what they have heard. Hence we still see a decline in the spiritual growth of people because they have been lead to believe in the doctrine of the institution and not the Gospel of the Kingdom. To understand the heart of the Kingdom, you must understand the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the next message we will look at the work of the Holy Spirit in understanding the Kingdom and discipling sons in its culture.

At the Father’s Service,

Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.