Calvary Temple

Prayers of supplication are prayers that are not typical, not wishy-washy, shot-in-the-dark kinds of prayers, but are so targeted, heart-felt, sobbing kinds of prayers. The kind where we groan in our spirit and plead with God with open hands, desperately needing to receive from Him.

This is how Solomon prayed in I Kings 8 when he prayed over the newly built Temple at Jerusalem, asking God to dedicate it to His name and His presence forever, and to forgive the people’s sins who would worship there. This is how Hannah prayed when she was petitioning God for a child. No words would come from mouth; only groanings deep from within her pleading her case for a child.

And sometimes, we must care enough to pray this way over our loved ones who are walking in rebellion and need to seek God for forgiveness. God gave two men, Isaiah and Ezekiel the job of being spiritual watchmen on the wall of Jerusalem; but he also gave us charge to pray, to pray important prayers of supplication, over the walls of the hearts of those loved ones for whom we are spiritual watchmen, and to plead the case for their souls before God.

Deception in the church is something that we may not be as prepared for as we would like to think we are.

The Apostle Paul warned the church in Rome about this in Romans 16:17-20, advising Christians to avoid such people that would preach a different gospel than what they were taught.

Jesus warned in Matthew 7:15 that false prophets and teachers will come in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are ravenous wolves. Jesus assured us that we would recognize them by their fruits—and, to also be assured that good and bad fruit cannot come from the same tree. Either they are good and pure inside, or they are ravenous wolves, even if they speak in Jesus’ name!

This message includes a true, personal experience of how such a cult of ravenous wolves tried to infiltrate our church, just a few weeks ago. This is serious business and we must be diligent to know the Word of God so that we recognize their fruits of deception.

Join us for this excellent podcast by Pastor Tiff Shuttlesworth and YouTuber Kap Chatfield on the end times eschatology.

Jeremiah, a faithful prophet of God had a very heavy message to deliver from God to the people.  In Jeremiah 20:7 he prayed,

V7 O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.

Sometimes, the Lord calls upon us to carry a heavy burden of prayer, love and concern, and maybe even to deliver a difficult message to others.  

And even though, like Jeremiah, we may be met with great opposition because of the content of the message, we cannot keep silent.  Jeremiah said in Verse 9, even when I say, I will not so much as even mention His name again, the message is so strong within me that it feels like fire shut up in my bones.

The point of this message must be clear; our weaknesses--though very real to us, are no excuse for not doing God's work, nor are they in any, a deterrent, to God using us in great power and with great results. God did strengthen Jeremiah, with words of personal encouragement, visions, dreams, and God will surely do the same for you, for all of us, if we remain faithful in the calling.

Are you walking in the light of God? Even when the world surrounds us with so much darkness, we can be sure of where the light is. I John 1:5-7 tells us how to do that. I John 1:5-7 in the Amplified Bible:

V5 This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].

V6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth;

V7 but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

Join us for this study of Genesis 1:6-10 which recounts both the reasons why, and the benefits to us, when God separated the “waters from below from the waters that are above,” and, when he created the expanse, or firmament, in between them. Six times in creation God commanded his created matter to obey him, and they did so, without resistance! Thankfully, we can praise him because we love him, not because we were commanded to do so!

Ever wonder about what was “before the beginning?”  The Bible says a lot about what was before the beginning as we know it from Genesis 1!  

God’s creation was carried out by His spoken word—that word was the very cause of all that was created, and Jesus, as John 1:1-3 says, is the Word of God. 

Colossians 1:15-20 says that Jesus, the Word of God, and the image of the invisible God, created all things that were created, both in heaven and on the earth.

Join us for this interesting study of “Before the Beginning,” based on Proverbs 8:22-31.

In Isaiah 53:10-12, Isaiah the prophet wrote about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, 700 years before Jesus came to the earth! That tells us that the plan of God for a redeemer, God’s will, always was!

It was also God’s will that, even in death, it did not end the plan and will of God, because through resurrection, God’s will and testament, Jesus, would live on eternally. And Jesus gave us that promise, too.

That plan, the will and testament of God, was and is inclusive for all who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, God Himself, and that He came to save us from our sins. Even one of the two thieves who died on the cross with Jesus believed and was saved! He believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and he believed that he was a sinner and that Jesus could save him from his sins,

even though he deserved death. Jesus gave him such a glorious hope and promise that, today, that very day of what seemed to be the worst day of that man’s life, would end in Paradise with Jesus—eternally. Even the thief on the cross believed and was saved! And again, that same promise is given for us, today. Do you believe?

The book of Deuteronomy 16:13-17 describes one of the feasts that God established for the Israelites as part of his Covenant with them. The Feast of Booths was to occur every seven years, and last for 7 days, after the summer’s harvest and gathering-in of crops. They were to remember God’s prior provision for them and rejoice over God’s current abundance. The Bible specifically says they were to be “altogether joyful.”

Later, after the Israelites rejected God and were taken into Babylonian captivity, in Nehemiah 8:13 the Feast of Booths was once again established for them to celebrate with great joy.

But after this, the solemn assembly was to be called; they repented, fasted and prayed! America can’t afford any more spiritual lethargy, in essence, “sitting on the dock of the bay wasting time!” America needs to remember God’s provision and freedom in this country; America needs to rejoice and worship Jesus! And, most importantly, America needs to call a solemn assembly and repent!

We see such a dichotomy of values in this present time. In I Corinthians 1:26-30 the Bible says that God chose His own definition of what’s wise, powerful, and wealthy, namely, those who ascribe to and receive the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto salvation.

What God chose as valuable is foolishness to the world, but to those who believe, it is eternal salvation. That flies in the face of modern thinkers, who place such reverence on collecting material things and exuding power over others.

But, Jeremiah 9:24 tells us exactly what delights God, and it isn’t what the world values. God delights in those who practice lovingkindness, good judgment, and righteousness in the earth, because that’s what He, Himself, practices.