Earthen Vessels (receiving The Ministry Of Men) by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Consistency Produces Champions

I was glad when they said, let us go to the house of the Lord Psalm 122:1

Consistency in the spirit produces champions, not just intention. You can intend to grow but it takes consistency Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 10:38. Be consistent week in week out, day in day out. The Holy Ghost is doing something through your life. Allow him to complete it.

Keep submitting your mind and spirit and a true champion will evolve out of you. It does not matter how you start. Submit to the refining process.

Gold, oil and raw materials in crude form do not always look like it. Refining may change the state, the color, reduce the size as debris and impurity are taken out. At the end it becomes more valuable and the price increases by far. This is what God is making out of your life

3 Dimensions of Building Believers

Koinonia is not just an assembling of God's people, it is a school of the spirit where you are taught the ways of the kingdom line upon line Isaiah 28:10

1. The way of the altar, the way of intimacy

   Dynamics of prayer, intimacy with the Holy Spirit, consecration and walk with God

2. The way of victory and dominion

   Use the word of God and the resources of the kingdom to produce dominion and victory in experience

3. The way of purpose, kingdom relevance

   It does not stop at personal victory. Be relevant in God's program

The real profit of the believer to the kingdom is not just being saved. It is your transformation and your becoming a witness. Your salvation benefits you alone but your becoming a witness profits the program of God.

Saved but remaining a babe in the spirit, you can become a burden to God's program. The assignment allocated for you has to be given to someone else so there is no gap. Contend for growth. Desire the sincere milk of the word 1 Peter 2:2, 2 Timothy 3:15. Meditate on these things, give yourself wholly to them that your profit may appear unto all 1 Timothy 4:15

4 Areas of Leadership

There is a gross leadership deficiency across the body of Christ. Many preachers, very few leaders. Men will listen to you if you are a preacher but will only follow you when you are a leader.

Being sincere and doctrinally sound does not mean you will command followership. Leadership is a skill, not something you assume. Learn these four areas and your influence becomes sustainable and stable.

1. Self or image management

   Managing yourself is the greatest expression of leadership: knowing what to say and how to say it, self discipline James 3:2. The worst way to manage your image is to defend falsehood. The greatest way to market yourself is to be truthful. Padding things so you look good and presentable will not last

2. Vision or project management

   Receiving a vision from God is one thing, managing it so it is actualized is another. Hearing God accurately does not mean the vision is actualized

3. People management

   Understand the psychological needs of people, team building, inclusiveness, how to grow people. Many visionary people are left alone because those ordained to walk with them do not know how to carry people along. Vision creates blindness. If I am looking ahead I cannot see what is behind me. What will stop you from going ahead may be behind you or beside you. Beside you are contemporaries, behind you are prodigies who learn from you. They are resources and an advantage to you. Know how to feed, culture and nurture those relationships

4. Resource management

   You are a good manager when you turn five loaves and two fish into food for 5,000 with abundance left. Complaining that your bread and fish is small is most times a leadership issue. Requires financial intelligence and knowing how to prioritize. Resources are also time, giftings and intellectual resources. Time management is resource management. Know how to allocate people so they produce the best effect

Capacity

It is not enough to say God use me. Availability is the starting point but you must have capacity. He gave to one five talents, to another two, to another one, according to their several ability, not according to his love for them Matthew 25:15

A crown and scepter on a baby: the scepter is too heavy, not because it is fake but because the holder is a baby. When the baby grows it fits the head and the hand. Putting a sword, armor and shield on a baby is wickedness.

The greatest need of believers is to grow. Many things we pray for were designed to be answered in our growth. The answer was programmed in our growth. As we grow, prayer points reduce and prayer life increases. A time comes when you are left with worship and ministering to the Lord, with capacity spiritually, intellectually, financially. Nothing left but gratitude and worship.

The wisdom that flows in the house of God is the evidence of the presence of God

Earthen Vessels: How to Receive the Ministry of Men

2 Corinthians 4:7

In as much as we are valuable, the treasure is not really us. The treasure is what he has deposited in us. That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us

Ananias and Saul

Acts 9:10-19

Ananias objected: I have heard by many how much evil this man has done to your saints. The Lord said: go your way, he is a chosen vessel unto me. When was he chosen? Not at the encounter on the road to Damascus.

Ananias called him Brother Saul. When did it change? Those days, brother meant I receive you. Ananias laid hands on him, he received his sight and the Holy Ghost, was baptized, was strengthened and stayed with the disciples

Send for Simon Peter

Acts 10:5-6

God spoke to a man with prophetic precision: go to Joppa and call for one Simon whose surname is Peter. Many Simons, one Peter. No matter the price, insist that he comes.

He will tell you what you ought to do. Not I will tell you. I inspired him but he will tell you. Even though you hear me, if you cannot get Simon to your house you will not hear what to do. It will not be a hearing problem. It will be that you do not understand the way I teach men what to do.

Did you hear God? Yes. Did you move forward? No. God was on your side but Peter was far from you

4 Major Encounters for Maturity

1. Encounter with Jesus, the Son of the living God

   The first and greatest of all encounters. It gives access to:

   • Forgiveness of sin Ephesians 1:7
   • Righteousness, the quality of God's nature at work in you, the very standing of Jesus before the Father. It is not just what we have, it is who we are by oneness with Christ
   • Zoe, the life of God that upgrades the believer to the God class 1 John 5:11-12, John 3:16

2. Encounter with the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit

   A unique and distinct encounter. It has brought confusion in the body of Christ. Believers who had met Jesus but whose lives were stunted because they had not encountered the Holy Spirit. Samaria: Philip preached Christ, people were saved, healed, great joy. He sent for Peter and John who got them filled with the Holy Spirit, for as yet the Holy Ghost had not fallen on them Acts 8:5-17. How God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost. Even though he was the word of God he needed to be anointed Acts 10:38. Paul asked: have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? Not before you believed, since. They knew only the baptism of John. He explained, got them filled, they prayed in other tongues and prophesied, 12 in number Acts 19:1-6

   • Benefits of encountering the Holy Spirit:

     • Quickening: power to revitalize our mortal body, a consciousness of godliness, activating our spirit unto righteousness Romans 8:11
     • Guidance and direction: he will guide you into all truth, take that which is mine and teach you, show you things to come John 16:13-14
     • Empowerment: God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and with power Acts 10:38. Tarry in Jerusalem until you are filled Luke 24:49, Acts 2:1. Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, the wilderness becomes a fruitful field Isaiah 32:15

3. Encounter with the word of God

   The logos of God, not the Word as Savior but the Word as a compendium of the wisdom of God. Commend means I hand you over to God and to the word of his grace, which builds you up and gives an inheritance Acts 20:32. Not knowing scripture, you are an heir who is bankrupt of the scripture. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly Colossians 3:16. Eyes of your understanding flooded with light, that you may know the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory of his inheritance, the exceeding greatness of his power Ephesians 1:17-19

   • The word exposes you to the modus operandi of the kingdom and gives spiritual intelligence: capacity to understand the ways of God, doctrine and the systems of the kingdom

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   • Danger: yielded to spirits through prayer but not sound in the word, you will get into divination and extra biblical practices. Yieldedness opens you up, you have malleability of spirit to connect to any influence
   • Understanding of doctrine helps you culture and edit the influences of spirits so you do not open your heart to just any voice 1 Corinthians 14:10. The word of God is the basis for judging spirits and intentions

4. Encounter with the ministry of men, broadly the body of Christ

   Jesus for your salvation. The Holy Ghost for direction, empowerment and quickening of your spirit. The word for intelligence and stability in understanding. You need the ministry of men for your excelling within the cosmos

Men in God's System

Men are part of God's system for the maturity of other men, destiny actualization and driving his prophetic program. We have not learned to receive of the ministry of men. This has affected the pace of advancement of God's program.

With respect to service, contribution and kingdom partnership, the Bible calls men vessels. Believers are classified two fold:

• By identity: joint heirs with Christ, seated with Christ, one with Christ, the vine and the branches
• By function: light and salt, kings and priests, witnesses, ambassadors, vessels

Vessels differ in spiritual quality by individual passion for God, level of consecration, level of enlightenment and transformation, level of grace and empowerment at work.

Vessels of gold, silver, wood and earth. Honor or dishonor is not by pre-ordination but by state. If a man purges himself he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the master's use 2 Timothy 2:20-21. Gold, silver, clay and wood all come from the earth. All are earthen vessels.

The conflict between the humanity of men as it spills out alongside their divine callings is what leaves people disappointed and unable to receive. People are genuinely anointed and called, yet their humanity slips out through their function

Facts about Men and God's Program

We are laborers together with God, God's husbandry and God's building 1 Corinthians 3:9. We are partakers of the heavenly calling, not just beneficiaries Hebrews 3:1

1. Humans are the highest of God's creation

   The zenith of God's creation. Not the biggest or widest, but the noblest in the level of spiritual investment put in us. Made in his image and likeness Genesis 1:26. Image is his spiritual quality embodied in Christ. Likeness is functionality: to function like him in reasoning, use of hands, communication

2. Every activity upon the earth is man dependent

   Whether life giving or destructive

3. Both God and Satan require men to execute their program

   Both spiritual kingdoms depend on physical infrastructures: men, ideologies or belief systems, and institutions Sound of Revival. Chiefest of the three are men, because men spread ideas and men build institutions

   • God seeks men: I have found David Psalm 89:20. Whom shall I send? Here am I, send me Isaiah 6:8. I sought for a man to stand in the gap Ezekiel 22:30. He can do without men but he incorporated man into his kingdom come program
   • Satan is desperately in search of men. Deliver us from unreasonable and wicked men, for not all men have faith 2 Thessalonians 3:2. You are of your father the devil John 8:44
   • Kinds of men the devil recruits Proverbs 6:16-19: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imagination, feet swift to mischief, a false witness, one who sows discord among brethren. May you not meet these kinds of men. May you not be one of them

4. Every man has a role in God's grand program

   Provided you appeared on earth there is a role for you. Whether you fulfill it is a different thing. Take heed to the ministry you have received in the Lord that you fulfill it Colossians 4:17. Receiving it does not guarantee you will fulfill it. It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful 1 Corinthians 4:2

5. God's program does not depend on availability alone, it depends on alignment and growth

   No matter how available you are, if you are not aligned to God's purposes and do not build capacity through growth, you will not be useful to the program of God. It does not mean you will be useless, you will not be useful. The first and last are the most important: we are co-laborers and nothing happens on earth outside the participation of men. It takes alignment and maturity, which come through growth

Facts about Men and Human Nature

If you do not know this about man, it will affect your receiving from men

1. The best of every man is still a man

   No matter how transformed and yielded, as long as you wear this body and are this side of God's kingdom, you are still a man. This gives you emotional immunity against many things

2. The reality and effect of feelings and emotions will always live with men

   Joy, sadness, anger, happiness. I feel happy today, I feel sad today. A man who is ever joyful has not stopped being a man. He has allowed the law of the spirit of life to superimpose his humanity Romans 8:2. Someone who gives thanks in pain, his humanity did not die

   • Jesus wept John 11:35. Jesus was hungry. He came to the fig tree not to test it, he was really hungry Matthew 21:18. Elijah asked the widow for water, then bread too. I am anointed but I am hungry, let me eat first 1 Kings 17:10-13
   • Jesus was on his way to a crusade and he was sleeping. Not because of faith, he was tired. Water was entering the boat and he did not wake up Mark 4:38. He slept every once in a while. Other times he prayed through the night or rose early to a solitary place to pray Mark 1:35-37
   • Jesus ate. He went to weddings, where the first miracle happened. When the wine finished they looked for him John 2:1-3. Jesus went to church, stood near as they gave offerings and watched Mark 12:41
   • The Bible says he was without sin but never said he was not human. If you were born in the same family with Jesus you would be angry at him one day
   • The disciples saw Lazarus come back to life and shared the multiplied bread, yet they left. Will you also leave? To whom shall we go? But did they later leave? John 6:66-68. Do not feel bad when people leave. They are human and you are human

3. It takes discipline, maturity and the grace of God to remain consistent in character in the presence of growth and opportunities

   Men are subject to change when things start going well, when people increase. Prayer lives can die, attitudes change, convictions altered for the worse. If you doubt me ask Solomon, ask David, ask Peter, ask yourself

Tired of Men

Someone comes for counseling: apostle, I am tired of men. Ask: what is your definition of a good man? Many mean Jesus in glory, not in the flesh.

Someone I trusted stole my money. My own husband spoke against me. My pastor stole my car in the name of prophetic action. My own son was part of the robbery. What is wrong with men? Many mean: the man who will never offend me, who gives me joy all the days of my life without possibility of sadness. Next question: are you such a person?

Many are angry and cannot define it. They do not understand human nature and are on a forever journey looking for flawless people. Pastors, members, spouses, parents, business people, political allies are disappointed.

The moment man is introduced into any equation, human nature and its vulnerabilities are introduced. Part of the equation to victory still has man. If you do not understand human nature your heart will be broken into many pieces every day

The Baby

Nobody is angry with a baby. Everyone holds the baby and calls it an angel. Fast forward 15 years: stupid boy, useless boy. Maybe he evolves into an armed robber. Destinies diverge.

Every terrorist was once a baby. Every world changer was once a baby. The savior was a baby. Pontius Pilate was once a baby.

If you do not understand human nature you will drive good people away out of ignorance. Their humanity does not mean they are evil. Throw one away and you find the same version in another scenario. The driver who is noisy, then the one who is not noisy but gets angry, then the one who does not care about a dirty car or coming late, then the hardworking one who has another flaw. Which do you prefer?

The prayerful gentleman who embarrasses you at a restaurant, so you leave him for the one who treats you well in a restaurant but is a thief. Someone with one hand on each door, not serious with God nor detached from the world. Someone very loving who will not give you one naira. The prayer warrior, the emotionally engaging man going nowhere spiritually, the philosopher quoting Aristotle and Socrates

Wounded by the Humanity of Men

People leave churches, businesses and allies, and what they explain is what they will find everywhere. What they run from is both in them and in others. They become frustrated and angry, then say Jesus I want to relate with only you. Then it seems he is not hearing them. They conclude: I don't believe in anything or anybody. I called on God, he did not answer. I called on men, they were too tired.

Elderly people wounded by men look at you rejoicing in a man of God and say I pity you. They tell you negative stories and you become afraid of men.

Questions this teaching answers: can men be trusted? Is it a risk to open my heart to receive from men? Should I depend on a pastor as the voice of God over my life, seeing men are so vulnerable?

8 Keys to Receiving from Men

1. Realize vessels at their best are still earthen, frail and human

   Pastor, husband, wife, parents, siblings, CEO, politician, business executive. You must demand a high standard of spiritual, moral, intellectual and emotional excellence from men, particularly leaders, but not godlike flawlessness and perfection. Anyone who does not want to keep to these standards should get out of leadership. When the Bible talks about perfection it does not talk about blamelessness, it talks about maturity

   • Our idea of someone worthy of our loyalty is someone godlike. This is one of the chiefest sponsors of falsehood among leaders. We have mastered how to hide inadequacies and limitations
   • A man acts like he never gets hungry or angry. The number of preachers seeking therapy is alarming because of decades of lying to themselves and managing falsehood for those they lead
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   • Frailty is not an excuse. I am not endorsing lack of growth or laxity. There is no one who is godlike and flawless

2. God will always need and use human channels in spite of their limitations

   He knows we are dust Psalm 103:14. He knows we are worm Jacob Isaiah 41:14. Paul, learned, intellectually and emotionally strong, spiritually vibrant, a man of character, still said: not that we are sufficient of ourselves, our sufficiency is of God 2 Corinthians 3:5. Our celebrity driven generation is indoctrinated by Superman and Spider-Man and has lifted the bar to a level God did not ask us to lift it to

   • Where is pastor? He went home to eat. We say he left the sheep, and Jesus said a good shepherd will come back for the one Luke 15:4
   • Many men of God cannot take breaks for medical trips. If they are not seen on Sunday, rumors say he has lost his power. He keeps up appearances while dying, and the wife is crying at home. Then they say he overworked himself. Who caused it? How can he lead a great ministry and still live in a rented apartment? Should he steal from church money?
   • God restrained me from buying vehicles when I had the resources. A bike dropped me for miracle services while the crowd filled everywhere. Even then my suit could buy that bike. It was not poverty. A man's worth does not constitute in abundance. God gave me purity of heart to serve without the pressure of trying to look godlike. It is the excellency of power when it comes on you and they see the contrast between the man and the results. They know this one is God 2 Corinthians 4:7
   • Pressure makes leaders spend 200 to 300 million on a car, and after two weeks it needs 5 million to fix and is parked forever. As frail as we are, we are still God's most effective tool. God will always use human channels to achieve his program on earth

3. Never exalt any man above Jesus Christ and above the authority of the word of God

   Immunity against disappointment. Your receiving becomes corrupted the moment you exalt a man above the place of Jesus in your heart and above the integrity and authority of the word

4. Focus on their love for Jesus and the purity and sincerity of their heart as the ultimate test of authenticity

   Any other factor you use, you will eventually be found wanting. Do they love Jesus genuinely and sincerely? Are their hearts sincere and pure towards God, towards you and towards the work?

   • You can find a man of God with anger problems, pride, insensitivity. These are not endorsed. Growth was designed to manage them eventually. Using pride and such things to conclude he is not a man of God is an error in judgment
   • Some men of God look rascal, unkempt, aggressive, prone to exorcism. Under the lens of scripture they are deep lovers of Jesus with a sincere and pure heart. Some are very calculated, intentional and reputation conscious, but their heart against the word of God is like a dumpsite. They can give up Jesus to maintain their reputation. Verify their love for Jesus. Verify the purity of their heart

5. Only align with and submit to men whose lifestyle, convictions, leadership philosophies and approach to life resonate with your spirit

   I am not saying fight or throw curses. There is no reason to be part of a church whose lifestyle, convictions, leadership philosophy and approach to life you are not comfortable with. You will be a danger to yourself and a cost to that assembly because you will not submit. You will be neither here nor there

   • Those who do not believe in communion, fasting, or prophetic words yet are in the ministry. If they make you a leader you will sell your philosophies and destroy that system. Your proximity to align with and submit to should not be just emotional. There must be a vetting of lifestyle, convictions, leadership philosophies and approach to life
   • There are wonderful people I love sincerely but cannot become closely knitted to. Proximity means you have made up your mind to be vulnerable to their philosophies. You never find me invested in any vision or person I don't believe in. I will never criticize, but you do not find a certain threshold of commitment
   • A pastor under a man who gossips about his man of God. A choir member who hates all the songs. A staff member who hates the vision, mission and goals but wants promotion. Why are you there?
   • If you do not believe in Koinonia and what we stand for, there is nothing wrong with that. It does not mean you are bad or we are bad. It is a disparity in understanding. If I don't like rice I cannot work in a restaurant that cooks rice. I will not truly contribute to its growth
   • Many cannot receive because they force themselves into proximity with churches and platforms. I am talking about aligning with and submitting to, not receiving

6. Where leadership style and maturity level are consistently found wanting, receive their unique value from afar, without relationship or proximity

   If you do not like Joshua Selman as a person or ministry, stand from afar and extract the unique spiritual value. Receive online rather than wanting proximity

   • The disciples asked if they should call down fire on those performing miracles. Jesus said you do not know what spirit you are of. He never called them to join. Whoever is not against us is with us Luke 9:49-55, Mark 9:40. Whether they preach Jesus out of envy or sincerely, Jesus is being preached. When we come we will correct what is wrong Philippians 1:15-18
   • Politicians who are exceptional but whose lifestyle, character and philosophy are bad. Joining that chariot will destroy you but you can learn from afar
   • If a man of God's lifestyle makes you uncomfortable you can still extract the profitable part of his message. If he calls you into proximity you are looking for danger. Proximity reveals flaws

7. Do not blindly defend or participate in matters beyond your understanding just to show solidarity or loyalty

   Sometimes the best way to encourage any person or system is to watch and pray. A poor definition of fatherhood and mentorship is destroying the body of Christ in the African space. Politicians enter battles that are not their business. Young people enter conversations because those involved are their fathers, brothers or church members. A generation of blind loyalty is rising and will sabotage its own destiny. Your father's enemy may not be your friend, but he does not have to be your enemy

   • Wives who defend a husband fired for stealing: may God punish the one who fired my husband. You married him, you did not marry folly
   • A husband asks why do people hate my wife? She is a wife to you but a troublemaker to others. Jezebel taking care of Ahab did not make her good, she was dangerous to the program of God
   • A political godfather doing wrong does not make it right because you are involved. Your husband may be a good man in family life and a terrorist to society. Double standards: a politician or businessman says you are stupid, it is evil. A man of God says it, he was angry
   • I love my friends but do not endorse everything they do. A wife can say I love you with all my heart but I think this needs to be looked at. That is genuine love. A campaign of flattery and falsehood propagates error. If Joshua Selman does it it is right, if another man of God does it it is wrong. If I stand on stage and say I hate Jesus, there is no explanation. Pray for me. Wrong is wrong

8. Where spiritual convictions, character, lifestyle, values and leadership are all found wanting, avoid all contact completely, not out of hatred but as responsibility to your own growth

   If I mislead you into witchcraft or idolatry that interrupts the purity of the gospel, and given ample time it is clear I am doing it intentionally, it is unprofitable to remain in contact. You do not have to hate me but for your growth you cut away. Cutting away does not mean you hate. It is a security measure for your own growth

   • Follow men as they follow Christ 1 Corinthians 11:1. Two laws of followership: looking unto Jesus Hebrews 12:2, and following men as they follow Christ. Check who they are following. If there is a detour, do not begin to fight. Pray and intercede. Where it is evident this is a decision of will, not an attack, you have a right under God to step back, not from hatred but for the security of your life
   • People stay in occultic practices because of a poor definition of loyalty and solidarity. Where it is a willful decision to walk in defiance to God's principles, it is foolish to stay
   • A company whose profit comes from terrorism, killing and stealing, and it is not a rumor. What are you doing there? A man of God who collects money he knows is proceeds of terrorism or corruption has participated in that killing too. A politician drops stolen money, says kneel down let me pray for you. If you pray, you are also a thief

3 Levels of Engagement with Men

1. Alignment and submission

   The person need not be perfect but his character, lifestyle and leadership philosophy resonate with you. This is your man of God, your ministry, your vision. Whatever battles happen there are also your battle

2. Receiving from afar without proximity

   The person is not demonic or false but maintains a disposition and philosophy poisonous to where you are going. Keep a distance while receiving and honor the person from afar

3. Cutting away

   Your spiritual life, eternal destiny and character come under attack. Even at a distance that philosophy will poison you. Some have no business being covenant friends: classmates, same tribe, coworkers. Keep enough proximity to be humane without corrupting yourself. Where the relationship is intrinsically not of God and will destroy you, detach completely

Learn these three principles and there is nobody you cannot receive from.

There are people and religious systems I may never listen to. It has nothing to do with hatred. I studied the lifestyle, philosophies and spiritual convictions and found them wanting based on my walk with God. I respect them from afar. There are people I listen to from afar. Friendship with them is not an advantage to me. There are people you can lock hands with: friends indeed, allies indeed. You say it without being derogatory to others. The Lord gave the word, great was the company of them that published it Psalm 68:11

Honor Redefined

The Bible mandates that we honor all men, kings, elders and those who labor in word and doctrine 1 Peter 2:17, 1 Timothy 5:17. All men generally. Kings: those in power at any level, superiors. Elders: by age, experience and track record. Within the faith, those who labor in word and doctrine.

Honor also involves the maturity to disagree respectfully without hatred and ill wishing. Honor recognizes, appreciates and celebrates men for their distinctive difference. It also disagrees, spiritually, philosophically, sociologically, without hatred. If I have to hate you because I disagree, I am not an honorable man. Do not equate disagreement to hatred.

I have met preachers, businessmen, politicians at airports and in aircraft. I do not agree with them but some are old enough to be my parents. I walk up and greet them: good afternoon sir. And stop there. You can disagree with everybody in a boardroom and shake hands at the end. That is emotional maturity.

The campaign in the body of Christ and politics is hate whoever you don't agree with, and we call it spirituality. It is dangerous programming. Christians with poor advocacy: hate any Muslim, any non-Christian. There is extremism and fanaticism but there are responsible Muslims and responsible non-Christians. Hate any church you are not part of, any man of God you are not part of, any program you are not part of. Believers meet and look at your handbag and car sticker: Jesus is Lord, by who?

Once you are not us, you are wrong. Where did we learn that from? It is okay to disagree respectfully. You do not like this politician or his philosophies, but why insult him? If we do not train ourselves, this danger is most evident in our campuses. The young ones coming will be worse than us in behavior if we do not help them.

Where the Holy Ghost says drop 10,000 for an outreach and you know souls will be saved, do it. For decades I have kept a list of evangelical outreaches. I send something small, I don't know them, they don't need to know me. Provided souls will be saved. Hatred has never been a strategy for transformation or salvation

Some people God can never use at a global level. It is not an anointing problem, it is a love problem. What is missing is love. Some leaders God will not promote to certain quotas. They will cause the whole world to burn with fire because of the careless speaking of their mouths.

I learned from Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke and Peter Youngren: they identify with the people, not with evil. I will never get into a nation and tear that nation down, tear the governments and politicians down. Jesus did not come as a giant saying where are all these idiots. He became a man, walked among us, felt what we felt and died for us sinners.

To politicians: campaign with responsibility, talk about ideas, differ there. Insulting one another misrepresents our nation. Some of us travel as ambassadors to correct the image of Nigeria. Do not make it worse

To pastors: we do not have to hate ourselves because we do not agree. Younger ministers turning away from a man of God to protect your reputation, who told you you are clean?

The immaturity we sell is stopping the advancement of God's program. Some men do not deserve to be hated but do not deserve to be related with either. They have been given ample time and are comfortable living in apostasy. The Bible teaches how to deal with such. Do not insult another man of God. His wife and children are innocent. His members are innocent. Manage your vendetta and do not spill it over the work

Loyalty and Followership Redefined

Our idea of loyalty in Africa, politically, religiously, sociologically, is an almost cultlike allegiance based on faulty indoctrinations. We fight for and over things we have no knowledge of simply because of our sentiments over those involved. Loyalty and followership must be with passion but not fanaticism and extremism. Be passionate about who you follow but not to the point of killing.

Koinonia trains ministers never to tear down any ministry or man of God, online or offline. In any conflict between churches, politicians or businesses, watch and pray. Speak only where God gives you moral credence and jurisdictional allowance. Authority is jurisdictional. A young pastor starting ministry has no right talking to an overseer. These are ethics in ministry.

I write to you young men, children and fathers 1 John 2:12-14. There are letters and matters for fathers, for young men and for children. Do not open the letters of fathers before children. One day they will become fathers. Fathers are not flawless. But the level of disrespect toward fathers of faith is bringing a curse on a generation. It has become fashionable to sell rebellion.

A woman told me of a group that received from a father in the Lord. They saw issues and limitations but connected with the sincerity of that man. All of them became mighty. Nobody was small. A man who insults his pastor and then lifts his hands and says amen, it will not work. The anointing is honor dependent, not just hearing dependent

Followership must not take away our capacity to reason intelligently and make personal judgments for our good when the need arises. Disagreeing with a superior does not always translate to disloyalty, rebellion and open confrontation. The opposite of disagreeing is not rebellion.

Be careful with inconsistent people whose loyalties change like a clock. Five churches in two months. They leave because they were not given a leadership position, then say pastor you are the only one I trust. You give them a platform, they sell their ego and tear you down. Their lifespan in a church is five months. They always weave themselves to authority. In the picture of your enemy, they are there. Jesus, Satan, they are there. No convictions. The same with politicians. Carrying the flag of a company producing biscuits, then fired, and say may God forbid you eat biscuits.

You know you are a man of honor by the consistency of your values and honor even in pain. If a man who loved you and took care of you becomes a demon because of a disappointed expectation or lost favor, you are not a good person and should not be trusted. When people report superiors to me I am concerned about what motivates what they are saying. Those who still honor their former superiors in the midst of pain, I say you are a noble man, a noble woman. Do not give attention to everyone just because they are in pain. The same way they betrayed others, they are coming to you. The problem is not where they are coming from, the problem is who they are.

Leaders must decipher between flattery and truthfulness. Some will sing anything to your ears provided it leads to an interest. I have seen rebellion in my visions. Yes sir, yes papa, yes apostle, while there is corruption in the heart. Faithful people are rare. They tear down pastors overnight then say yes daddy, yes mommy

• The person to sell you out, may that person not eat dinner with you Matthew 26:23
• May the one who dips hands with you, leveraging your credibility while planning to give a kiss as a sign to the enemy, be exposed Matthew 26:48
• May God deliver you from all evil

To Receive from Men: Recap

• Be mindful of the humanity of men
• Assess your level of engagement: intimacy, loyalty and submission where their lifestyle, character, disposition and philosophy are consistent with your values and understanding of God
• Where their message is powerful but their philosophy is not consistent with you, create a distance and gain what God gave them without being corrupted or bitter
• For the third group you have nothing to receive, but let your respect remain even from afar
• Do not turn disagreement into hatred or rebellion. It is satanic and does not produce victory at any level

To the Wise Everything Is a Teacher

Solomon said even from the ants and the sluggard you can learn Proverbs 6:6. From a fake man of God you do not learn doctrine but you learn how to avoid what destroys men. See a man not treating his wife well, learn to be a better man. See one treating her well, adopt the value. A lazy man shows the consequences of laziness. A man doing ministry wrongly is a life that personifies error and rebellion, a warning to avoid, not just to criticize. Wise men learn from everything, even conflicts.

Satan runs to and fro, a lesson on diligence Job 1:7. Terrorists show the power of convictions. Convictions make people respect you even without believing you. God is not a man that he should lie Numbers 23:19. Even among men some mean what they say, how much more the God of heaven. I converted a disappointment into strengthening my faith.

Watching an irresponsible man mistreat his family, the wise give thanks: it is not because I am better than that person. Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall 1 Corinthians 10:12.

The riddle of Samson: out of the strong came something sweet. Even in the carcass honey can be found. It depends on who has the stamina to endure the smell Judges 14:14. The man of God can be an angry man but there is a grace on him. Can you endure the emotional tantrums and receive that grace? The man of God may be arrogant but the spirit of wisdom is on him. Edit the arrogance out. That is not for your receiving but you can receive the grace upon him.

Proximity, receive from there. Distance, receive from there. Cutting away, even from afar that life can be a lesson

Product of Many Anointings

I am a product of many anointings, not from perfect men or perfect ministries. In a ministry with a lot of jumping that looks like drama, you know somewhere in the display of flesh there is sincerity. A worship minister comes and you see purity and power you have not experienced. That becomes worth your stay.

An arrogant but professional businessman calls you stupid. Neglect the insult, listen to the wisdom, receive the knowledge and become a better version of him. A businessman may use a vulgar word for 10 minutes. Edit the vulgar word, listen to the wisdom. Out of the strong has come the sweet.

My prayer is that the generation that learns from us will edit our errors and become a better version. We looked at our fathers with honor and also saw things to be corrected. Because we honor the fathers we do not expect rebellion from our children. A generation will listen to my message and say wow, great man, but this and this I wish he saw better. They will still honor us because they were cultured into a life of honor. Greet and honor any man of God serving the grace of God, and any father of faith.

If you hear a preacher say something you disagree with, edit that part nicely and listen to what blesses you. Do not push everything out because of five minutes of error. The ministry was not built by luck.

In an Orthodox church you are tempted to laugh at the old reverend because you have higher light. Can Joshua Selman stay 40 years with a stainless record like that man? Learn character from him. 40 years in ministry, no scandal, never stolen church money. You are four years in ministry. Keep your revelation and learn 40 years old character.

Do not stop listening to what will bless you because you could not see me. You may close 10 years of your life over a petty issue. Kept outside the crusade and not recognized as a prophet? Swallow it. Just sit outside and receive so that even when you fall under the anointing nobody knows. It is amazing the silly reasons why we do not receive

• I receive grace to receive the ministry of men
• I receive grace to learn from all men
• I receive grace to manage offense
• I receive grace to conquer anger

To Those Under Men of God and Superiors

Do not follow just because you have to. Looking for godlike perfection will frustrate you forever. Look for genuineness of love for God, sincerity, and a conviction that God wants you there. If those boxes are checked, serve with all your heart.

I can never call a man of God my friend and then tear him down. I will not entertain an environment that does that. Where God provides a platform you can correct in love. That is what the Bible teaches.

When I started ministry I was vocal about ministers I thought did not do things correctly. An old woman said: my son, you are going far. Do not create the habit of talking about people ahead of you, it will affect you. I cried to God and vowed never to open my mouth to mention the name of a man of God or ministry to tear them down. It would have affected my ability to serve the program of God at this rate. If you are my former self, that path may not be profitable. It may look like zeal but there will be severe consequences.

If you do not agree with your superiors, pray sincerely for them. When they walk in defiance of your values, live in peace. Do not become a tool Satan uses to bring someone down. Even if they go down because of you, your generation marks you as an instrument of destruction. You will never enter the shoes you tore down. Whoever is not against us is with us. God who builds the church has a way of correcting their anomalies. Nobody is more zealous than God.

My accelerated growth came with balance: openheartedness to a variety of perspectives through the lens of scripture, managing whatever is not of God, never allowing hatred to be planted in my heart. A man who cannot speak English well but is anointed and has built a global ministry. Humble yourself and receive.

Traveling the nations I met fathers in those lands. God says get a seed and sow into their lives. I say I am not stupid, I have discerned a grace upon your life. Some who prayed for me have died but the grace they imparted is alive. If I were waiting for perfect leaders, Koinonia would still be at the beginning. If you wait for perfect friends or perfect ministerial allies you will never have one

The Call

Search for sincerity and purity of heart and define your level of participation with men:

• Those deserving alignment, intimacy, relationship as allies and company
• Those deserving distance because of disparity in lifestyle, values or philosophy, yet with spiritual or intellectual content that can serve you. Receive the content without the personality
• Those it is not healthy to listen to at all. Even from afar you can see through their lives what not to do

You become a magnet that attracts wisdom daily. Practice this for one month and you will carry the wisdom of 10 years.

You become a student of life. Learn from children as they fight and say sorry. Learn from elders. Learn from God's silence, it is not hatred, he is allowing you to grow. Learn from those doing exploits and those faithful in small groups. Learn when you see a woman give birth to a bouncing baby boy. Learn when you see a dead body. Every dead body is a preacher, it reveals the brevity of time. Watch a millionaire and learn. Watch a poor man who is happy and grateful and learn comfort in any situation.

Even if you encounter Jesus, the Holy Ghost and the word of God, if you do not know how to receive the ministry of men there are heights you will not get to. Go down to Joppa, ask for one Simon, bring him here. Even though he doubted Jesus and may not be the kind of man you want, overlook it. He will show you what you ought to do

Prayer

• Lord, cause my neighbor to receive maximally. Remove whatever stops receiving the ministry of men: hurt, disappointments past or present, awareness of the humanity and limitations of men
• The anger of the pastor, the anger of the businessman, anointed on stage but not the best in family life, shouting at his wife: give the wisdom to look beyond the limitations of Simon because there is a word from God through his lips
• Elijah may be temperamental but carries the grace that can part your Jordan 2 Kings 2:8
• Moses, called the meekest man, had limitations, but look beyond them Numbers 12:3
• Even though Abraham had Ishmael with Hagar, the promise did not leave his head. Look unto Abraham your father Isaiah 51:2
• Give the courage, because God has endorsed him, to call him Brother Saul. Not enemy Saul, Brother Saul. Sister Rahab. Sister Mary

3 End Time Ministries the Church Must Not Fight

1. The madman of Gadara

   Discern when the spirits have left and Jesus has trained him. 10 cities are destined to be won through that man. Reject him because you knew him as a madman and you lose 10 cities Mark 5:1-20

2. The woman at the well

   Five husbands and the sixth not her husband. Do not hate Jesus for leaving the crusade ground to sit with one woman. A whole city can come to Jesus through the efficiency of her witness John 4

3. Saul of Tarsus

   You knew him as one who killed people, but a light came down on him. Nineteen years he did not disappear for nothing. He was in the wilderness of Arabia being walked upon by the Spirit Galatians 1:17. Do not confuse the Saul you saw. He became Brother Paul, Apostle Paul. Fighting him is fighting two thirds of the New Testament

Zacchaeus ate your money yesterday, but when he is on a tree trying to see Jesus do not be quick to criticize. Jesus will lose a crusade to go to his house Luke 19:1-10. The woman with the alabaster box breaking it before Jesus and using her hair: do not say she was a prostitute before. Her past, tears, hair and wealth are now worshippers. She is needed for the ministry of Jesus Luke 7:37-38.

We will never endorse the works of darkness but I pray our hearts are flexible, that the church matures to not kill Abraham, Saul of Tarsus, or the madmen delivered from Gadara. For God so loved men, you must also love men John 3:16

• Lord, plant the spirit of love in my heart, love for the body of Christ
• Let the spirit of self righteousness and a judgmental spirit be far from my life
• Grant me maturity to respect the body of Christ while preserving my own spiritual values, not corrupted by everything and everyone, looking at the body of Christ with compassion and grace
• Grant me grace to know those to connect to, those to receive from afar, and those to cut away from in love to protect the sanctity of what you have placed on my life
• May I not be the reason for the pain of any church, man of God or ministry
• May I not be the reason for the decline of any nation, family or anybody's destiny

Final Prayer

• Father, every dimension you deposited in men that I should have entered but lack of discernment kept me away from, from today I open my heart to receive without being corrupted by the excesses
• Give me the wisdom to receive the ministry of men intellectually, spiritually and leadership wise while preserving my core values, editing the excesses that come with them
• Let me grow over the disappointment of recognizing the humanity of man, learning that the best of every man is a man

Double Honor

When you find men whose lives model spiritual, intellectual, moral and emotional excellence in spite of all limitation, give them double honor. That state of excellence demonstrates the extra work of alignment, discipline and maximization of grace from God. Consistency of character through the years: do not downplay their contribution. The Bible calls them men that rule well, counted worthy of double honor 1 Timothy 5:17

Praying for the Church in Nigeria and Africa

• Those who need a work upon their life, do a work upon their lives
• Those who have been standing strong, grant them grace to keep standing and last
• Those who have entered the way of apostasy, by mercy show them the truth
• Those who are downcast and discouraged, bring them to receive the consolations that come from walking with God
• Let the church grow. Let the church mature
• Help us learn how to receive from one another and from the brilliant minds you have placed around us
• Take away the sentiments that have stunted our growth and kept us down
• Give us grace to receive from any and all kinds of people without being corrupted

Receive from the Man Jesus

I taught you about receiving from men. Receive from the man Jesus, God who became a man and died for you. He is the propitiation for your sin 1 John 2:2. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Romans 3:23. Him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out John 6:37

• Lord Jesus, I have heard your word. I love you with all my heart
• Jesus is my Savior, my Lord and my King
• The power of sin, Satan, hell and the grave is broken over my life
• From today I am a child of God. I go forward ever and backward never

Your sins are forgiven. The grace to live the victorious Christian life is imparted upon you. You go forward ever and backward never

Blessing

• This week you will receive from men, every man ordained by God to release the treasures locked up within them for your growth and edification
• I pray for you the wisdom to receive from them
• You will receive from children, from the elderly, from successful people, from those coming up
• The wisdom to learn from everything and everyone I release upon you
• The stamina to be patient with the limitations of men I release upon you
• Blessed on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. The lines fall for you in pleasant places, you have a goodly heritage Psalm 16:6
• Good news after good news
• Anyone you have spoken against who secured a cause upon your life, let it be lifted from you forever
• The blessings of the body of Christ, the fathers, young men and children rest upon you
• I impart upon you the spirit of wisdom
• The Lord will lead you to the right people this week and to your testimony
• What you are looking for that is consistent with God's will, let this be the week it arrives
• I rebuke sadness and bad news from your life. It will be joy, gladness and rejoicing
• God will raise men to honor you and favor you

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with us now and forever 2 Corinthians 13:14

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives as we dwell in the house of the Lord forever Psalm 23:6