"The Dream" Series - Starting August 23, 2013

History of Moab

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church

Today’s Focus: History of Moab

Scripture: Genesis 11:27; 19:30-38

Greetings Sons of God:

In as much as we see the importance of the restoration of the spirit of Father to the church we must understand that the devil has spirits and/or demons that come against the spirit of Father to destroy and/or defile the very thing that God is doing. For the next couple of messages we will look at the spirit of Moab and see how it comes against the church and the building of the House of God in the Earth.  Now we know that God hides wisdom in names so let’s examine what the meaning of Moab is:

Moab: What father?

Seems weird but let’s investigate.  Moab was not only the name of a place but the name of a person.  Moab was the firstborn son of Lot.  Understanding biblical principles of families we know that sons are a product of their ancestors.  

Genesis 11:27: Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran begat Lot

So we see that Lot is the nephew of Haran.  Now Haran died when Lot was a very young boy and so Lot became an orphan (critical point) at a very young age.  Lot then goes with his uncle Abram and they set off on their journey.  Eventually to make a long story short, Lot’s herdsmen and Abram’s herdsmen do not get along and for the sake of peace they go off in different directions (Genesis 14:8-18) Of course, Lot ends up in Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham intercedes for Lot’s safety and as the come out of Sodom and Gomorrah Lot and His two daughters go up into the mountains to stay.  Now right here I want to point out some critical points:

1.                          Lot was an orphan at a young age but even under the care of Abram, Lot never saw Abram as his father.  No where in scripture will you find that Lot sees Abram as his father.  This is critical.

2.                          Lot had no sons, just daughters.

With those two points it brings us to Genesis 19 and the meat of our story.  Genesis 19:30 starts with Lot’s daughter realizing that their father has no son to carry his name and so they devise a plan to get him drunk with wine, sleep with him and bare him a son.  They pull the plan off and the two daughter become pregnant and bore Lot a son each:

Genesis 19:37-38: And the firstborn bare a son and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.  And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day

Remember God hides wisdom in names:  Moab means “What Father?”  and Benammi means “Son of the people”.  These two people born of a incestuous relationship mock the role of a father and promote the rule of the people (democracy).  Of course the Scriptures state that they are the fathers of the Moabites and Ammonites which dwell in the wilderness.  It is the spirit of Moab we want to concentrate on over the next few messages because it is the Moabite spirit that comes to destroy God’s people and unless God’s people overcome this spirit, they will never inherit the promised land.

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Principle of Adoption

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church

Today’s Focus: Principle of Adoption

Scripture: Luke 3:23; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:4,5

Greetings Sons of God:

Galatians 4:4,5: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father

In making sure that we are modeling the Father’s model of His House in the earth we must not put people in the wrong place of our lives.  To understand the principle of adoption is crucial especially to the father over the household that God has set. Well let’s start with understanding adoption in the natural and bring it to the spiritual.

When we adopt a child, they become a son or daughter of our household even though “biologically” they are not ours.  Meaning, when we adopt a child that child was not birthed from our very loins but the loins of someone else. We are then entrusted to stand in the stead of the biological parents and raise that child like one of our very own biological children that were born of our loins.  Now going back to the Scripture and watch the careful use of words by our brother Paul, he says that because God sent forth His Son made of a woman under the law to redeem us who were under the law, THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS.  This does not say that the Lord will adopt.  That can’t be right because if we are born again we are born of the Father and He does not adopt us but gives life or birth to us.  Adoption points one who is already born being placed in a household under the care of someone else who stands in the place of the one who biologically births them.  Hence the we points to the sons of God receiving the adoption of sons of God.  Sounds weird huh? Let’s break it down and understand everything in this teaching series is to bring us up to this point so that we can understand the arrangement of God’s House:

God is our Father and Lord of all. 

1 Corinthians 8:6: But to us (sons) there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we by Him

No one else can have that place in your life.  If you are a son of God then you were born of God and He is your Father and Source.  Now as we studied in the previous message of the Antipas principal, God matures sons then graces them with the Spirit of Father and then stand in the Father’s stead, a representational son who is carrying the grace of Father, to watch over, defend, protect and help mature the sons of God.  Spiritual fathers are mature sons who is carrying the grace and Spirit of Father and is set over a household of faith to put on display the nature and character of the Father.  They bring the grace of God to you and dispense it as the Father directs them.  They are not the Father, this is why the Pope is out of place because people call him his holiness and the heavenly father.  That is not correct and nobody on earth is worthy of that title but God.  Hence the household of faith and the holy nation is a collection of households of faith with spiritual fathers set over them by the Father combined to make tribes and ultimately the entire holy nation.  Now let me leave you with the greatest picture of this Adoption Principal

Luke 3:23: And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph which was the son of Heli

Question how did Jesus come to Earth?  God the Father placed Jesus in the womb of a virgin named Mary.  Of course we know God united Mary and Joseph but understand Joseph was NOT the biological father of Jesus, BUT YET the Father gave His Son to them and told them to watch over Him and bring Him to maturity.  The Father would direct them in protecting Him until He came of age.  Joseph was not Jesus biological father but Jesus grew up receiving him as a father and would come to learn of His biological father, God the Father.  Joseph and Mary both knew this and loved him as their son even though He was not biologically theirs.  The sons of God belong to the Father but the Father places them in household of faith and matures son to carry the Spirit of Father to watch over, protect and mature the sons of God.  These mature sons or spiritual fathers carry the Antipas principle and by that order of fathers and sons the households are protected from the enemy and prevents Satan from establishing his throne amongst the sons. 

It is time for us to get back to the Heavenly model and receive the Spirit of Father over households of faith.  Satan has established his throne in a lot of churches but it is in households of faith governed and protected by the Spirit of Father that prevent this from happening.  If we remove Antipas or the spiritual father that carries the Spirit of Father we have just given Satan the legal right to establish his throne amongst the believers to rule over them.  When Antipas was killed, Satan established his throne.  It is time to receive the one who comes in the name of the Lord and is carrying the Spirit of Father.  God Bless you.

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Antipas Principle

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church

Today’s Focus: The Pergamos Church and the Spirit of Father Part 3: Antipas Principal

Scripture: Revelation 2:13

Greetings Sons of God:

Revelation 2:13: I know thy works, and where thy dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name , and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth

When we examine Antipas we see the Lord designate him as a faithful martyr.  Now we know God hides Himself in names so what does the name Antipas mean?  It comes two words Ante and Pas and of course this is in the Greek:

Ante – instead of, in place of

Pas – Father (from the word pater)

Antipas – In place of or like the father

Antipas was the presiding elder and spiritual father over the church at Pergamos.  Now his name means like the father or in place of the father and the reason is the Father, God expresses Himself in the one whom represents Him and that is the Son.  Antipas as the spiritual father over the House of God in Pergamos was the set-man and representative of the Father to watch over and be a defense against anything that comes against the family of God of Pergamos.  The Spirit of Father within Antipas prevented the enemy from coming in and destroying and defiling the church.  This is why his martyrdom was brought about by the Lord in writing this letter and this is why:

When the people allowed Antipas to be killed it allowed the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (Doctrine of lawlessness and taking the grace of God for an occasion to sin) to take hold and now Satan has a LEGAL RIGHT to set up His throne within that church because the Spirit of Father and grace of Father no longer is in place.  Satan can now sit comfortably amongst believers because the security system of the church, the Spirit of Father is not resident.  Antipas was a representative of the Father of the family in Heaven and Earth.  He is not the Father but the representative who is carrying the grace of the Father to watch over and protect the children of the Father. This is why we must shift from the pastor/congregational model to the model of fathers and sons because it is the Spirit of Father that will protect the children from the infiltration of the enemy amongst the believers. 

Now if we are saying that the Spirit of Father resides in a son set to oversee a household of faith and help protect and bring the sons of God to maturity.  We must now examine the principal of adoption.  We do not want to be neglectful and think that spiritual fathers carrying the Spirit of Father means they are the Father.  That is not what we are in anyway saying. What we are saying is that he that the Father sets over a household of faith is a mature son with the grace of Father who oversees, protects, nourishes and represents the Father over the household. 

In the next message we will examine the principal of adoption because this is how the Father sets His House in the earth and method by which He matures the sons.

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Pergamos Church Part 2: Seat of Satan

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church

Today’s Focus: The Pergamos Church and the Spirit of Father Part 2: Seat of Satan

Scripture: Revelation 2:12-17

Greetings Sons of God:

Let us continue discussing the significance of the Spirit of Father and the Pergamos church.

Revelation 2:13: I know thy works, and where thy dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name , and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth

Meaning of Dwelling, Holding Fast His Name and Not Denying the Faith

When the Lord was talking to the church at Pergamos He lets them know that He knows where they dwell. The Lord was not talking about a natural location but their position in the Spirit.  He also stated that they held fast to His name.  This means they have the name Father and Son in their heads and they are Father-centered.  Finally, he said they did not deny His faith meaning that they believed in the Word of God and walked in it.  Now this sounds like a church that anybody would like to be a part of but there is this glaring statement that Jesus makes that is the giant elephant in the room and that statement is: Satan’s seat is in Pergamos. 

Seat of Satan

Now what seems to be a great church is it possible for Satan to have a seat in that church?  Is it possible for Satan to have a throne in the church?  First let us state that this seat or throne is an elevated seat of government.  It is the seat of executive power and authority.  Now understand before we go any further that this situation happened in the Pergamos church but the Lord says at the end that those who have an ear to hear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  In other words, this situation was not just for the Pergamos church but for the entire Body of Christ.   What we must allow the Lord to illuminate is the eternal concept that He is presenting for us to learn and watch for.  Now we know that Pergamos was an elevated church that had a view that could see the enemy coming and did not allow the enemy to penetrate the church.  They kept the faith, held fast to the Lord’s name and stayed in position with the Lord.  So what was it that allowed Satan to have a throne in such a powerful church? 

The Lord speaks of this one person called Antipas and He states that he was the Lord’s faithful martyr.  The key to understanding how Satan got this throne is to examine who Antipas was and his significance to Pergamos and how Satan got his seat there.

In the next message we will examine the Antipas principal.

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Pergamos Church and the Spirit of Father

Restoring Spirit of Father to the Church

Today’s Focus: The Pergamos Church and the Spirit of Father Part 1

Scripture: Revelation 2:12-17

Greetings Sons of God:

Over the next couple of messages we will examine the Pergamos church and how the Spirit of Father functions within the church.  So let’s get right to it:

Revelation 2:12: And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

Meaning of Pergamos

Now we know that God hides himself in names so let’s dissect this from the beginning.  The word Pergamos means “Well fortified tower”.  We know that a tower represents an elevated position.  From this elevated position they have a aerial view and with that view they can see the enemy coming before they even get there.  For it to be a well fortified tower means it is such a stronghold against enemy penetration.  So this church is at an elevated position, it is well protected and can see the movement of the enemy before the enemy gets there and it is well protected from enemy penetration.

Sharp Sword with Two Edges

When many people see the passage of the sharp sword with two edges the majority points to the Word of God and they are right but let’s take a deeper look.  Look how the Lord phrases this: He says the sharp sword with two edges.  Now a sword with two edges we would assume is already sharp but why the emphasis on saying sharp.  Let’s examine the word sharp:

Sharp in the Greek is “Oxus” and it means: acidic

The reason the Lord uses the word acidic as it pertains to the Word of God (sword) is because the Word of God, when it comes into your life, everything not of God will be dissolved.  The Word of God will dissolve inaccurate positions and cut off anything that is not like God.  Hebrews 4:12 says it best:

Hebrews 4:12: For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

The Word of God divides the soul from the spirit because the purpose of the Word of God is to accomplish the Will of God and that can only happen in truth and in spirit.  It is our objective to silence the soul and get it to blindly follow the spirit in complete obedience and when we do this we can represent the Father.

In the next message we will look at verse 13 and get into the meat of this discussion and the significance of Pergamos.

Peace, Love and Grace,

Calvin Calhoun, Jr.