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T ABLE OF CONTENTS

CLASS 1 - THE NEW CREATION

CLASS 2 - THE HOLY SPIRIT

CLASS 3 - CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

CLASS 4 - EVANGELISM AND CELL MINISTRY

CLASS 5 - CHRISTIAN CHARACTER

CLASS 6 - THE LOCAL ASSEMBLY AND


BELIEVERS’ LOVEWORLD
INCORPORATED

CLASS 7 - THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA


NETWORKING AS A TECHNOLOGICAL
PLATFORM IN ADVANCING THE GOSPEL.

INTRODUCTION

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It’s with pleasure that we welcome you to the Foundation School of Christ Embassy (a.k.a. BLW Inc.).
Knowledge is vital and makes the difference between success and failure. It is our expectation that you
will be impacted with the basic knowledge of God’s Word which will afford you the privilege of having
a successful Christian Life built on a right foundation.

AIM OF THE FOUNDATION SCHOOL


The aim of the Foundation School is to educate members concerning new creation realities, the Person
of the Holy Spirit, Christian doctrines / Character which will help to lay a good foundation, upon which
a successful and fulfilling Christian life can be built.

The Foundation School will;


 Through the manifestation of the Word and by the Holy Spirit, work to present every man perfect
in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28).
 Correct any erroneous ideas that you might have had prior to this time (Ephesians 4:11-14).
 Enable you to grow, by increasing in the knowledge of God’s Word (1 Peter 2:2).
 Prepare you for the Ministry of Reconciliation.

EXAMINATION AND TESTS


Students will be expected to take tests during the duration of the program and a final examination will
be conducted to assess the understanding of students.

GRADUATION
Upon the successful completion of the Foundation School requirements, students will graduate at a
lovely and colorful ceremony.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU?

1. Punctuality
 You are expected to come early for your classes in order to benefit maximally from each
module.
 You are required to be time conscious, disciplined, studious and involved.

2. Cell System
 Every student should be committed to a cell group by attending the cell meetings regularly
which will further enhance your spiritual growth.
3. Ministry Materials
 During the course of the Foundation School, each student is expected to get (study, listen to and
watch) the ministry books, Audio messages, DVDs, and other materials recommended by the
teachers.

On behalf of the Our Regional Pastor, the Pastorate and the wonderful Staff of the Foundation School, I
say a big WELCOME and CONGRATULATIONS!

The Principal
Christ Embassy Foundation School
CHRIST EMBASSY TEXAS REGION

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Foundation School Curriculum
CLASS 1: THE NEW CREATION
Timing Guide: 1hr
INTRODUCTION 1hr.15mins

New Creation seeks to explain by divine revelation, the nature and life of the new man in Christ and the
effect of the regenerative power of Christ in his spirit, soul and body.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this class, participants should:
 Know of their salvation and be confident of it.
 Know about the origin of Sin – The Adamic origin. Sin is the nature of the unbeliever,
regardless of if he does good or bad.
 Know that forgiveness is available to a Christian if he sins
 Understand that their parentage is of God and he gave them freely because they believed
 Understand the reality of Spirit , Soul and Body
1. The New Creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2: 10 [Amplified]; Galatians 6:15
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"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION, old things are passed away
and all things are become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17
 This is the cardinal point. The Christian is a NEW CREATION. He is one who never
existed or pre-existed, altogether a new man, with a new kind of life and this life
comes directly from God.
 This birth is a rebirth in the real sense of the word, because to God this man never had
a past, nor existed. He is a brand new person with a new life. Talk about the encounter
of Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3:3-4. The term Born Again was given by Jesus, and
he said being born again is a MUST and not an option. IT IS ONLY BY BEING
BORN AGAIN THAT YOU BECOME A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST JESUS.
 The new creation is God's workmanship created, made, brought to life by God,
created in Christ to do good works - Ephesians 2:10. The new creation is not remade
or refurbished. He is not just endowed with a new character. He is created with the
nature of God in his spirit. He hails from God. The Bible says:
For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth much but a
new creation. Galatians 6:15.
 The new creation may look the same outside – no change in skin color, size and
shape, but the truth is that he is completely new inside, in his spirit. This is so because
being born again is of the spirit Therefore, the new creation now lives his life from
the inside. He has the divine nature of God in his spirit. He is as holy and righteous as
God is. What we receive when we get born again is a NEW NATURE.
 What makes a Man a Man is the Human Nature.

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 What makes a Tree a tree is the Plant Nature.
 What makes a Dog a Dog is the Animal Nature.
 What makes a Man BORN AGAIN is the NATURE and LIFE of GOD he receives.
 To be born again is a MIRACLE. God’s Miracle.
ANALOGY:
 A fairly used engine in a car with a New Body is a fairly used Car. This is because the
ENGINE is the Car. When a Man is born again, he has received a NEW Engine. Even though
the body may have a dent or a scratch, because the ENGINE (his Spirit is NEW). He is NEW.
 Now that you are born again, you are born into the family of God.
 The family of God includes all who believed in Him in the past, those who believe in Him
now, and those who will in future. God is the father of every believer: this makes all
Christians, brethren (brothers and sisters). You therefore are a part of God’s family.
o Ephesians 3:15: “From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named"
 Before we got born again, we were not in the kingdom of God's Son i.e. His family; we were
alienated from it. Now as children of God, we have been translated into the kingdom of His
Son. By virtue of our salvation, we are born into God's family.
Colossians 1:13: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us
into the kingdom of His dear Son”.
o Eph 2:19 ‘Now therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens
with the saints and of the household of God’

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1) Born of God: John 1:12-13; Romans 10:9-10, Titus 3:5, John 3:3-6
 This new creation in Christ Jesus is born of God.
A son is the child of his father, born of his father's seed.
o John 1:12-13 - But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the
sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Which were born not of blood nor
of the will of flesh nor of the will of man, but of God’
The Bible says to all that believe in His Name, God gave right to become His sons. In John 1:12-
13, God calls the one who believes in His son, born of His seed and God's seed is His WORD.
That is why we cry, 'Abba Father' because the very life of God in us makes us His beloved sons,
just as much as Jesus is.
 He is not born of man or of the flesh. He is born of God because he received the nature of God in
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his spirit (John 3:3-6). He first believes in his heart that the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead
and then confesses what he believes with his mouth. (Rom. 10:9-10). As soon as this is done, he
is automatically birthed of God.
2) The Origin of Sin Rom5:14-16, 21, 18-19; Rom3:23-28, 1John2:2.

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 Sin came into this world through Adam, when he disobeyed God and committed high treason
against God in the Garden of Eden. The consequence of that action caused the death nature of
Satan to pass upon all men and it’s because of that nature that all men sinned. Gen2:17
 Since then, sin became the nature of every man that is born of Man. You do not have to do
anything to sin but rather you sin because you have the nature of Sin in you. Rom5:14-16, 21,
18-19
 This is the reason why the birth of Jesus could not have been through the agency of Man
otherwise Jesus too would have been born a sinner. But Jesus was born of a virgin without a man
and so without the sin nature. He also lived above the temptations of sin, (Hebs4:15) so his blood
was pure enough to be the price (propitiation –atoning sacrifice) for our justification. He was our
substitute. Jesus’ death paid for the sin that came by Adam and so Righteousness nature come by
Jesus as a free gift to all Men! Rom3:23-28, 1John2:2.
 This is the gospel (good news) to all men, to the sinners. This is why we preach!

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3) Salvation by Grace: Ephesians 2:2-10; Roman 5:9-13
 Salvation is by grace. You do not have to do anything to attain it. It is a gift from God. All we
have to do is receive it by faith. Christ miraculously destroyed the penalty of sin and its power
over us on the cross. Through faith in Christ, we stand acquitted or not guilty before God. This is
the grace of God at work.
o “For by grace you were saved through faith, and nor of yourselves; it is the gift of
God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
 We became Christians through God’s unmerited grace, not as a result of any effort, ability,
intelligent choice or act of service on our part. It is therefore evident that no action or work we
did could have helped us obtain or qualify for salvation. It was by God’s grace. All that is
required is to believe the lordship of Jesus and confess it with our mouths.
 Romans 5:17. Those who receive abundance of grace and of the free gift of righteousness will
reign in life, though Jesus. This is God’s word to all Christians, we can reign over all the vices
and evil in this world.
4) Assurance of Salvation
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Sometimes, the devil likes to deceive God’s children by making us feel that we are not saved.
 Our assurance of salvation is that thing that lets us know of a certainty that without any doubt,
we are born again. Our assurance of salvation is not through our feelings. Two key ways we are
assured of our salvation are:
a. The Word: Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 5:9-10
We know that we are saved by what the word of God says concerning our salvation.
In Rom 10: 9-10 we see that you believe with your heart and with your mouth confess
what you believe, then you are saved. No matter how doubtful we may feel
sometimes, this scripture gives us assurance.

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From the word of God, we know that ‘the witness of God is better’ – 1 John 5:9-10.
God Himself witnesses that our salvation is assured by the belief in our hearts and the
confessions that our mouths made.
b. The Witness of the Holy Spirit: Romans 8:16
“The Spirit Himself beareth witness that we are the sons of God”.
We may not always feel as though we belong to God, but the Holy Spirit always bears
witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. He does this through the inward
witness. He lets us know by this witness who we are. The Holy Spirit witnesses with our
spirit that is alive to God, that we are born and saved of God. We hear him
communicating with us (our spirit) that we are born again.
By the above two means, we are continually assured of the fact that we are saved despite our
feelings. It does not matter what our senses tell us. The only important testimony is the one God
gives concerning us!
5) Remission for the Unregenerate: Acts 2:38; Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7 5mins
 An unregenerate being is someone who is not yet born again (an unbeliever, a sinner). When a
sinner comes to Christ, he does not receive forgiveness. An unbeliever needs to get his sins
remitted to be born again - he gets remission of his sins when he believes that Jesus is Lord and
confesses this with his mouth. Remission is the actual washing away of sins in such a way that
the sin never even existed before. This is being born again.
 Jesus Christ, when He died on the cross of Calvary, died for the whole world, both the regenerate
(Christians) and the unregenerate (non-Christians). “For this is my blood of the New Testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sin” (Matthew 26:28).
 This is why the bible says that if any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. Old things have
passed away, and all things have become new. It is wrong, therefore, for an unbeliever to ask
God to forgive him of his sins. Forgiveness belongs to those who are already in a relationship
with God, but remission is for the sinner. Our redemption came through His blood.
o Ephesians 1:8: “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of His grace”.
ANALOGY: Use Remission of Money (Western Union Money transfer): Once money is remitted
it no longer belongs to the remitter. The remitter can no longer claim that money. The recipient
who receives the money becomes the New Owner of the money. In the case of a sinner, his sins are
once and for all remitted to Calvary.
6) Forgiveness for the Christians: 1 John 1:9-10; 1 John 2:1-3 5mins
 It is possible for a child of God (a Christian) to sin, although this ought not to be. When a
Christian does what is wrong or makes a mistake, he does not need to confess the Lordship of
Jesus Christ any longer as he did this to get born again. All he needs to do is to be truly sorry and
ask God to forgive him as the scripture says and receive forgiveness
o “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

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 If we confess our sins, God forgives us. He is not counting our mistakes against us. God sees us
as righteous children always. He sees His son Jesus Christ in us, and sees us through His son,
even when we make mistakes. If we make a mistake or sin, all we have to do is confess to Him
and He forgives us. We must always believe that He has forgiven us, and not brood over our past
mistakes.
o “…If anyone (born again child of God) sins, we have an advocate with the father,
Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1)
 Jesus Christ is our advocate. He has already suffered your penalty in your place. All you need to
do is confess and believe that you are forgiven, because He has indeed forgiven you.

7) Man is a Spirit. He has Soul and lives in a Body: 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12;
Job 4:19; Job 10:11. 10 Mins
A) The Spirit
The Spirit is the “REAL MAN”, that being that communicates with and responds to God by the
agency of the Holy Spirit. Spirit gives life to the body and can be allowed to have dominion over
the soul and body.

i. The Spirit Man got saved 2 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Corinthians 6:17


 It is the spirit of man that got saved. This is the man mentioned in 2 Cor. 5:17. His
body remains the same. His physical / external appearances remain unchanged,
because HE IS SPIRIT.
 The human body that houses a man is not the person. The real per son is the spirit, the
one who got born again. That is the one alive to God and it cannot be seen with the
optical eye.
 God is Spirit. “But He who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him” (2 Cor.
6:17). That tells us that the spirit man is the one that is alive with God.
ii. He lives In the Word of God 1 Peter 2:2; Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 5:12-14
 We all need to eat food to grow. Just as the human being (our physical bodies) must
eat to stay alive and be healthy, so also the Spirit of man must feed to be healthy. The
food for the spirit is the word of God. The Christian cannot live on bread alone as
Jesus said, but on every one of God's Word (Matthew 4:4). When we are born again,
we are spiritual babies and we have to feed to grow . Just as a human being who does
not eat well will easily fall ill, so will the human spirit that does not feed on the word
of God be susceptible to attack. If we are healthy, we will grow, that's the only way.
Every Christian should be desirous of God's Word, to grow and be nourished by it (I
Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:14).
 As we live by the Word and feed on it our appetite for it increases, hence the
development of our spirit is enhanced. Christians cannot live without the word.

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iii. The fruit of the recreated human spirit: Galatians 5:22-23
 Fruits are the character that we exhibit externally that tells people who we really are.
– By their fruits you shall know them.
 Just as a tree produces fruits and is recognized by these fruits, so also the spirit (man's
spirit) produces character traits that are Christ's nature. These traits that the believer
exhibits are used to identify that he is a Christian.
 For these fruits to grow in us depends on how much of Him we know by feeding on
His word and how much we love Him. Jesus Christ is the vine; we are the branches -
the fruit bearing part of same vine.
 These fruits are different from the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit
are spiritual gifts given to believers by the Holy Spirit as He wills. At every point in
time the Christian has the fruits of the spirit because they are in his nature
B) The Soul (Mind)
The soul is the processing centre of man; it houses his emotions, will, feelings and intellect
(sensory perception) and is the window between the Spirit and the Body. The mind is the thinking
faculty of man. A man’s thought is as powerful as his action and word and therefore can control
the body and affect its discipline. The will is the part of the soul that makes decision. The
emotion of man has to do with his feeling. The soul is the doorway of the spirit; as such if the
mind (soul) of a man is blocked, his spirit becomes inaccessible. The soul has control over the
body. It is where a man carries out his reasoning and his recording system.

i) The renewal of the mind: Romans 12:1-3; Ephesians 4:21-22


Before we became Christians our minds and thoughts were filled with things and
values of the world, obviously not of God. Therefore, our minds have to be renewed
and our thoughts aligned with and consistent with godly living. The mind is the seat
of the will, the intellect and the emotion. The information in the mind therefore is
what determines what the man will become. Paul said that transformation of our lives
comes as we renew our minds. In other words as we take off the old information we
had before we got saved and put new ones from the word of God, our lives will be
transformed. Old habits that were there before one got born again are stopped as our
mind is renewed through the word of God
ii) It is renewed by the word of God: James 1:13-15; 2corinthians3:18
Paul, in his second epistle to the Corinthian Church, said that as we behold the glory
of God, we are transformed into the same image that we see in the word, from one
level of glory to another. Our mind is renewed by the word of God. The word of God
is the glory of God. As we behold it, our mind is being renewed and our body is being
transformed. The glory of God is revealed in our lives. James said that our life could
only produce the right fruit when we consistently behold the word
C) The Body
The body is the covering of the spirit man (Job 10:11). It’s with his body that a man attends to
daily life issues. The body also gives man the legal right to exist and function here on earth.

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i) Bringing the body under subjection: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Colossians 3:5;
The body has no will of its own. It is either a slave to the senses or a slave to the spirit. Paul
lets us know that it is our responsibility to keep our bodies under the rulership of our spirit.
The body wants to do what it feels like doing, but many times the feelings in the body may
be contrary to the word of God. At such times, we put the body under subjection to our spirit.
In other words, we tell it what to do. Paul says the reason for putting the body under is so that
we do not get disqualified after preaching to others. It is possible to be disqualified for the
prize. Anyone who walks by the flesh will definitely be disqualified for the prize, that is why
Jesus said that God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth.
We do not worship God in the flesh, but in the spirit.
8) New Creation Realities.
The New Creation is the man born anew in Christ. He is transformed by the renewal of his mind
through the word of God. And he is required to mortify and bring under control his body by the doing of
the word of God.

The new creation……. 20mins


a. is complete in Him: Colossians 2:9-10; 1 John 2:3
There is nothing else that the believer needs that he does not already have in Jesus Christ. All
of God’s goodness dwells in Jesus and the Believer is complete in him
b. has eternal life: John 3:16; John 5:24; 2 timothy 1:9-10; 1 John 5:11-12
Eternal life is more than life that will not end. Eternal life is the very life of God that makes
God, God. This life is in Jesus and if we have Jesus we have this life. We have God in Us!
c. now lives in Zion: Hebrews 12:22-24; Colossians 1:13; john 17:14
Believers are not of this world, they are from Zion. Zion is where God is, a place of rest, a
place of all possibilities!
d. Sits in the place of power: Ephesians 1:19-21; Ephesians 2:6,10: Matthew 28:18-19
Mark 16:16-18.
As believers we sit in the place of power with God. Because of this, when we decree a thing
it comes to pass. Our words are powerful and they cause changes in situations
e. Is God’s address: Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 2:21-22; Corinthians 6:19
Every believer carries God in him because His nature is in us. So when people are looking
for God, they should see Him in us. We reflect his glory and personality.
f. is God’s extension: Jeremiah 51:20-22; acts 1:8
We are God’s outstretched arm. We represent Him to the world. Where they need healing
from God, we lay the hands, where salvation is needed, we preach the word

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REVISION QUESTIONS:

 The bible says you are born of God; this means you have the exact kind of relationship Jesus
has with God. How true is that?
 Who are those that belong to the family of God?
 How will I be continually assured of my salvation despite what my senses tell me?
 Fidelis is feeling condemned and guilty because he committed a sin. What should he do as a
child of God?
 How is Remission of Sin different from Forgiveness of Sin?
 Write short notes on 1.) Spirit, ( 2.) Soul and (3)Body.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT

1. How will the study of the Word of God affect a man’s:


a) Spirit
b) Soul
c) Body

TODAY’S CONFESSIONS:

“I am a NEW CREATION. I never existed or pre-existed. I am not refurbished. I am altogether a


brand new person, with a new kind of life. My new life comes directly from God. I have everlasting,
indestructible and eternal life of God at work in me. The life of God is in every cell of my body. It’s in
my soul. It’s all over me. I am God's workmanship, created in Christ to do good works. I do good
works because I am righteous. I am created with the nature of God in my spirit. I hail from God”

“I am a new creation. I may look the same outside but the truth is that I am completely new inside, in
my spirit. Therefore, I now live my life from the inside. I have the divine nature of God in my spirit. I
am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”

SCRIPTURE FOR MEDITATION

"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION, old things are passed away and all things
are become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17
REFERENCE MATERIALS:

 ROR Topical Compendium Vols.1 & vol 2


 Understanding Righteousness (Series)
 Now That You are Born Again
 The Concept of Sin (DVD)
 The Essence of Christianity.

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CLASS 2: THE HOLY SPIRIT
Timing Guide: 1hr

INTRODUCTION

The person of the Holy Spirit is vital to the existence of the Christian. It would have been impossible for
Jesus to accomplish his earthly ministry without the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus would not have been born
without the Holy Spirit. Today, what differentiates Christianity from all the religions of the world is the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit that resides in the church (the body of Christ).

Learning Objective

Theme Scripture: John 14: 16 -20

 To introduce the Holy Spirit to the believer


 To get the new believer filled with the Holy Spirit
 To acquaint the new believer with the ministry of the Holy Spirit
 To create a passionate hunger in the heart of the new believer for a close walk with the Holy
Spirit.

1) WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT

 The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He is the 3 rd person of the trinity. He is the one that puts to
work God’s instruction. He is a member of the Godhead. Gen 1:26

 E.g in Genesis 1:26, when God said Let “us” make man in our own image, after our
likeliness……., it was the Holy Spirit that went to work.

 Also we see the Holy Spirit at work in Genesis 1:2 ….. and the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters. It was the Holy Spirit that created the earth when God spoke.

 He is the angel of God’s presence (Isaiah 63:9). He is the person that brings to us on earth the
presence of the God the Father. Jesus is in heaven, but His presence can be felt here on earth
through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God dwells between the cherubim of glory, but His
presence can be felt in this world through the Holy Ghost.

 Being a Spirit, we cannot see Him with the optical eyes, but we can see His manifestation. He
is as real as the person sitting next to you (John 14:17). He has a personality, just as every
human being has a personality. He can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30), and can talk (Acts 13:2).

 God is too big to dwell in us but He is able to dwell in us by the Holy Spirit. Any time it was
recorded that God appeared to men, it was the Holy Ghost that brought to them the presence
of God. He is the angel of God's presence. He is one of the same kind with Jesus (John 14:16
20).

 The Holy Spirit is also known as Allos Parakletos, meaning another Comforter of the same
kind, called alongside to help. He is not of a different kind but of the same kind with the Lord
Jesus Christ. He talks, heals, saves and does everything like Jesus. Jesus is just like the
Father; it then means that the Holy Ghost is just like the father. This implies that the Father,
Jesus and the Holy Ghost are one and the same. The Father says the same things as Jesus, just

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as the Holy Ghost speaks the very words of Jesus (John 16:13).

 God and Jesus cannot be everywhere at the same time (God is in Heaven and Jesus it seated
at the right hand of God), but the Holy Spirit is the one who takes the presence of God every
at the same time.

2) THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN

It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be effective witnesses of the death, burial and
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a man receives the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gives him the
dynamic ability to live the Christian life successfully Jesus Christ said to his disciples that they would
receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon them (Acts 1:8). This power is to enable us fulfil
the ministry that he has called us into. All Christians have been called into this ministry (Ephesians
4:12); Luke 4:17-18 records our function or responsibilities in this ministry. The Holy Spirit empowers
all Christians to do the following:

a) Preach the Gospel to the poor.


b) Heal the broken hearted
c) Preach deliverance to the captives
d) Recovery of sight to the blind
e) Set at liberty them that are bruised

3) SEVEN SYNONYMS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Apart from being known as the Holy Spirit, there are 7 other ways or revelations a believer can have
of the Holy Spirit that will help Him in his walk and relationship with the Holy Spirit.

 He is our Comforter John 14:16-17 , 2nd Corinthians 1:3


The Holy Spirit comforts Christians. There are times when the Christian may be discouraged, or
goes through some challenges that may want to discourage him but the Holy Spirit encourages
the Christian to move ahead and overcome those challenges.

 He is our Counsellor Psalm 16:7 Isaiah 11:2


It is the Holy Spirit who instructs you in your inward man. He gives you instructions by which
he guides your life. For example things that concern daily living such as decision making.

 He is our Helper Psalm 46:1 Romans 8:16

The Holy Spirit is our Helper. When you receive Him into your life, you should never say
again ‘I don’t have anybody to help me’. This is because God has the right people in the right
place to help you at the right time. God orchestrates help to us whenever we need it via the
ministration of the Holy Spirit. There are times that a Christian may be confused about something
but the Holy Spirit helps us by witnessing to our Spirit. There are times when you are faced with
a great task and you are wondering how you would succeed. Be sure of this, you are not walking
alone. With His help, there is no telling what we can do and where we can go. Glory to God!

 He is our Intercessor Romans 8:26

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An intercessor is one who stands in the gap for another .There are times that we have an urge to
pray for but we really may not know what to pray about or the exact words to use. The Holy
Spirit helps us to pray in words that cannot be articulated. The prayer sometimes may not be
about that concerns us specifically but we find our self interceding for someone.

 Our Teacher 1st Corinthians 2; 9-11, John 16:13


The Holy Spirit teaches us deep truth to our understanding. There are times that we may not have
full understanding of a matter but the Holy Spirit makes it easy for us to understands by teaching
us through our Spirit

 Our Strengthener Philippian 4:13 Isaiah 11:2


There are times that we feel limited to do some things, maybe physically or mentally. With the
Holy Spirit in us, we know that we are strengthened on every side. We can actually receive
strength by the Holy Spirit for whatever we need it for.

E.g, some people sometimes pass out because they have high blood pressure - they black out all
of a sudden. Such things are not supposed to happen to you can stop them by applying the power
of the Holy Spirit.

 Our Standby Roman 8:11


When you run out of everything strength, information, ideas, and opinion. There is a standby, the
Holy Spirit. He will give life to your body, he will energies your Spirit and supply you with the
necessary knowledge, wisdom and understanding.
The Holy Spirit is our standby, to take over and carry on when we have reached our limits.

4) HOW TO RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT - ACT 1: 8 , Acts 19:6


Every Christian can receive the Holy Spirit as this is not restricted to a selected few but to all
believers. The Christian can receive by:
 Through the laying of hands
 We can also confess it

5) SPEAKING IN TONGUES AND ITS PURPOSES


When a Christian has received the Holy Spirit, this must manifest by the ability to speak in other
tongues. Speaking in tongues is one of the signs of a believer. Mark 16: 17

The reasons for speaking in tongues are as follows:

 To build our faith. Jude 20


As we pray in the Holy Ghost (speaking in tongues), we see ourselves having received
answers to our prayers / petitions and we begin to act as those that have received - this is
faith. The more we spend time to speak in other tongues, the more our faith is built up! At a
point, we know that nothing is impossible to us!

 It is one of the SIGNS of a believer. Mark 16: 17


Speaking in tongues is one of the ways to recognize a believer. When you say you are born
again, people look out to see if you speak in tongues as this sets you apart as truly born again.

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 To edify yourself. 1Corinthians 14:4
Example: when you need to make a decision or to know the direction to go in any area of
your life (school, job, business, family and finances). As you speak in tongues, your mind
becomes quiet then you can pick the information from your spirit.

 To glorify God, Acts 10: 46, 1Corinthians 14:17


True praise and worship can only be by speaking in other tongues. This is because there is not
enough words in any of the vocabulary to glorify.

 To Speak Mysteries to God. 1Corinthians 4:2a


Mysteries are hidden truths only revealed to the initiated, mostly verbalized in esoteric
language. It is the language of God and Angels.

6. THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD.

The number Seven (7) is regarded by the Hebrew people as a sacred number, and throughout the Bible it
is used to symbolize perfection, fullness, abundance, rest, and completion. The “Seven Spirits of God’’
therefore implies a “completeness” or “fullness” of the Holy Spirit, and this fullness of the Spirit is what
every Christian ought to have, for it is our birth right

A. Spirit of God : Isaiah 11: 2


The spirit of the Lord – 2 chronicles 15:1 – 2 is known as the spirit of Lordship or Spirit of
Dominion He is the one who always “rest upon” or “comes upon”. He’s the one who anoints you
with power for service. He gives you boldness and the sense of dominion. He puts you in charge
of situations.

B. Spirit of Might Isaiah 11: 1 – 2


Samson had the spirit of might that’s why he was able to destroy or tear the lion apart, he also
pulled a whole building by holding just the pillars. For us Christians the Spirit of Might makes
us bold, we can pray to be strengthened with might in your inner man.

C. The Spirit of Fear of The Lord 2 Corinth 14:4


This means reverence when it comes into a place, things change. He disciplines people and sets
things in order. When Ananias and Sapphire misbehaved, he struck them dead and great fear
came upon the people. (Isaiah 11:2)

D. The Spirit of Wisdom 1 Corinth 1:30


Is the one who brings you the wisdom of God. Paul prayed for the Ephesians Christian that the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of Glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him – Ephesians 1:17-18. The spirit of wisdom is the one who
helps you understand the hope to which you have been called. Ephesians 3:18-19.

E. The Spirit of Knowledge


Knowledge according to Webster dictionary is the fact or condition of being aware of something
or knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. According to
the word of God, knowledge is exact, specific, specialized and absolute. Revelation knowledge is
knowledge from the spirit of God that is imparted to the human spirit with any material medium.
Most times, the difference between a successful, victorious Christian and the one who is not is
the knowledge they have.

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F. The Spirit of Counsel Acts 16:6
The spirit of counsel spoke to Paul where to go to preach. The (Holy Spirit) is also the
extraordinary strategist. Example Sister Joy’s car stopped on the train rail, while she was trying
to start the car a train was approaching, suddenly the spirit of God counsel her on how to start the
car immediately she did what God asked her to do, the car engine came alive and she was able to
save the car from being destroyed by a train.

7. THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE MINISTRY GIFTS.

These gifts bear testimony of the truth of God’s Word and God’s calling upon a man’s life.
They are like tools God has given to us for our work as believers. The gifts of the Holy Spirit 1
Cor 12: 7 – 10 are gifts given to believers by the Holy Spirit as he wills for the common good
and the edification of the Church’

They can further be classified into 3 categories.

 POWER GIFTS

These are action gifts that cause someone to do or accomplish something and they include:

a) Gift of Healings
b) Faith
c) Working of miracles

 UTTERANCE OR VOCAL GIFTS

These gifts make use of the vocals and they include:

a) Prophecy
b) Interpretation of tongues
c) Speaking in diverse kinds of tongues

 REVELATION AND INSPIRATIONAL GIFTS

These make one to know or see a truth about another situation. These are:

a) Word of Wisdom
b) Word of Knowledge
c) Discerning of Spirits
These gifts of the Spirit are what God uses to equip the church.

MINISTRY GIFTS (Heb 5:4, Eph 4:11-13) God gives the Ministry gifts to individuals for their
Calling into an Office in the Body of Christ. The offices are namely Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist,
Pastor and Teacher. Those Called into these offices are given the responsibility to PERFECT THE
SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY. In other words, to prepare and build up the saints,
so they can fulfil God's purpose for their lives on earth. However, It is not everybody that occupies
these offices. It is a calling.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND MINISTRY GIFTS.

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The Ministry gifts are God’s calling into an office and cannot be desired (Hebrews 5:4; Ephesians
4:11). It is God Himself who calls the individual into the five-fold ministry and no man can take it
upon himself. The ministry must be evident in the individual’s life because God who has called him
will surely equip him with the divine enablement, credentials or endowment to stand in that office.

On the other hand, the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be desired (1 Cor 12:31; Rom 1:11), though it is
the Holy Spirit who gives out as He wills or chooses (1 Cor 12:11).

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FRUIT OF THE
RECREATED HUMAN SPIRIT

 The gifts of the Spirit are by the impartation into man’s spirit and they are abilities God gives to
every believer to fulfil God’s call upon his life.
 The Fruit of the recreated human spirit is the product of our recreated nature. We have all of the
fruit of the Spirit inside us as they come with our righteous nature
Gal5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness,
Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance”. ANALOGY: Just like we can only tell a tree by
its fruit, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are the identifying attributes of the New Creation.

c. EVERY CHRISTIAN CAN WALK IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 2:38 – 39)

 The Holy Spirit is received after salvation. It is the Holy Spirit coming upon man to
enable him do the supernatural. It is man receiving God's ability, becoming identified
with the omnipotence of God by the enablement of the Holy Spirit.

 Acts 1:8 says: "But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you...”

 The power here means dunamis. It is the dynamic ability to cause changes. God's
ability is received after the Holy Ghost comes upon ones life. The Holy Ghost is
received by faith and He's mostly received by the laying on of hands (Acts 9:17, Acts
8:17, Acts 8:6).

 Receiving the Holy Ghost means receiving the anointing for Christian Service (1John
2:20, 27; 2 Corinthians 1:21). It is God equipping you with the ability to do what He
would have done if physically present on earth. You receive the power to preach the
gospel, heal the sick and raise the dead. The Holy Ghost is for every child of God and
is received by faith (Gal. 3:2). This is a gift (Acts 2.38). Since it is a gift you don't
have to work it - you only receive it when you hear that God desires to fill you with
His Spirit. Once you believe and act on the word, the Holy Ghost comes upon you
immediately.

QUESTION:

1. How can you define and describe speaking in tongues. In other words, what does it

mean to speak in tongues?

2. What is the purpose of speaking in tongues?

3. Mention and explain all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and categorize them as you have

been taught.

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4. Give examples of the operation of each of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

5. What are ministry gifts? List and explain them.

6. What is the difference between ministry gifts and gifts of the spirit?

7. What are the conditions for receiving the gifts of the spirit?

8. What are the fruits of the Spirit?

9. What is the difference between the fruit of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit?

10. What is the fundamental difference between Mark 16:17 and 1 Corinthians 12:7?

11. What is the significance of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life?

12. Outline the fruits of the recreated human spirit.

13. State the revelation, the inspirational and power gifts.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT

1. Every Christian can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. How, when and at what
point?

2. List 5 evidences of the power of the Holy Spirit.

CONFESSION
I’m full of the Holy Ghost, in Him I live, move and have my being and I declare that in
whatever I do I do by the Power of The Holy Spirit that causes me to triumph daily.

I can never be defeated discouraged or helpless because the Holy Ghost lives in me and I
manifest his character.

CLASS 3: CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

INTRODUCTION

T he purpose of this class is to establish the students firmly on the principles of the word of God,
so that they will be no more children tossed to and fro and carried by every wind of doctrine and
to disabuse their minds of some misconceptions of the basic tenets of the gospel. This class is
very important as it forms the cradle of their understanding of ministry. More so a good understanding of
this class would make their Christian lives joyous and struggle–free in the Holy Spirit.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

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 That participants would understand the fundamental doctrines of the things that are most surely
believed in the new Christian-dom on Righteousness, Laying on of hands, Sanctification and
Holiness, baptism and what their role is in fulfilling the doctrines in their life
Timing Guide

1. “We are in a new Kingdom, operating by a different set of rules”

In Hebrews 12: 22-23, the Bible says,

“Ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem;
and to an innumerable company of angels.
To the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God
the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect…”

 When we received Christ into our lives, He made us new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17)
 We are now in a New Kingdom (Col. 1:12-13).
 In this New Kingdom, we have a lifestyle which is based entirely on the faith of God’s word
(Romans 12:3, Hebrews 11:6).
 When we were in the world, there are certain mannerisms, lifestyles or ethics that we learnt,
either consciously or unconsciously- we now evaluate them in the light of God’s word and also
take on the God-kind of lifestyle in the New Testament.
 This class deals with these lifestyles which have become doctrines in the church of God, and
especially this local assembly Christ Embassy.

2. Meaning of doctrine: 5 minutes

 A doctrine is a recognizable principle of beliefs, teaching, values or instructions that are adhere
to, believed, taught and practiced by a given set of people.
 Most doctrines are transferable concept, which have been handed down to us formally or
informally; for example in the new testament, we have these major doctrines – righteousness,
Baptism, Sanctification, Prosperity etc. each of them is important in ensuring that we live a
sound Christian life.
a. It means teaching or learning: 1Timothy 4:13; Acts 2:42
 Learning can be conscious (e.g school, Ministry Materials) and unconsciously (TV,
News)
 Learning can be through culture or society and similarly the churvh is a place of
learning
b. Being established upon the truth: Ephesians 4:14; Act 20:28-32

20 minutes
3. Doctrine of righteousness : Heb 5:17;
a. We are God’s Righteousness Romans 5:17; 2 Corinthians5:21:Romans 10:1-40;
2 Corinthians 4:13.
 It is the very nature of God that we received in that moment you gave your
heart to Christ. Just as a baby can’t be more human than it, you also cannot
be more righteous than you are from the day you got saved.

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 Righteousness is the nature of God that gives us a right standing in His
presence. It is righteousness that gives the ability to reign in life, living in
God’s presence without feeling (or any sense) of guilt, inferiority or
condemnation
 It is a gift bestowed upon us by God irrespective of whatever good we have
done. This gift is received by faith, not of walks.
 Your Righteousness is the same as Jesus Christ irrespective of what you do.
For example “Tarzan” was raised by monkeys but he is still a Man. You are
the righteousness of God irrespective of who you move with or what you do

 It is our tool of dominion. It is received by faith because it is a gift and not by


observing the works of the law. Romans 5:17
 We submit to God’s righteousness by ceasing to trust in our own works (Romans
10:1-5). (Philippians 3:9).

b. Access to God’s presence:Ephesians 2:18 ;Ephesians 3:12

 It gives us the ability to stand before God without a sense of guilt, inferiority or
condemnation.

c. Gives you boldness:Proverbs 28:1; Hebrews 10:19

d. Gives you peace :Isaiah 32:17;Romans 5:1


 We are now called Saints, Just, Righteous. That is who you are today. Answer your
name!

4. The Foundational Doctrines of Christ : Hebrews 6:1-2

 Certain truths contained in the Word are referred to as foundational principles of the doctrines
of Christ. They are fundamental to faith and form the foundation off a sound Christian
experience.
 Heb 6:1-2. Therefore living the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go unto perfection;
not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God, of
the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands and of the resurrection of the dead, and of
eternal judgment”.
 Any doctrine that in any way disagrees with these fundamental doctrines is according to the
standard of God’s Word a false doctrine. They therefore form a good reference point for
judging any doctrine.
i. Repentance from dead works :Hebrews 9:12-14; Gal. 2:16.
 It is essential for a Christian to realize that he is justified by the faith and not by any
thing that he did or does. That is all that is required for salvation.
 In Heb 9:11-14, the writer let’s us know that through the blood of Christ, we have our
consciences purged from dead works to serve the living God.
 What are these dead works? Studying for verses 11-13 of the same chapter, we can see
that the apostle Paul was talking about the ritual by which people of the Old Testament
came to God. He is letting them know that no act of sacrifices on our part to please God
is acceptable. Rather God sees them as dead work, or all that is required for us is to
believe and be justified.

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ii. Faith towards God: Hebrews 11:1-6 Romans 1:17;2 Corinthians 5:7.
 The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report”.
 The life of the believer is a life of faith, and God has called us to live in the realm of
faith. As God’s children, we walk by faith and not by sight. ‘Sight’ here means sensory
perceptions. (2 Cor. 5:7).
 Before we got born again, we were led by our sensory perceptions, but now God wants
us to change. He wants us to live in His realm, the realm of faith.
 To some people, the life of faith is a struggle, but it shouldn’t be like that for a
Christian, because we are born in faith. The Bible says in Romans 12:3, That is all we
require we have received the measure of faith.
 This is the measure of faith that brought us to Christ by our responding to the word of
God (Romans 10:9-10).
 It is every believer’s responsibility to develop his faith. “Now faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the Word of god” (Romans 10:17). As we hear the word of God, we are
building up our faith; so every believer must make conscious efforts of continually
hearing the word of God not just by attending church gatherings or being in meetings
where the word of God is taught, but also by buying relevant audio and video tapes and
other faith-building materials.

iii. Baptism
 The word ‘baptise’ is derived from the Greek word ‘baptizo’, which means to ‘immerse
completely into’.
a. Baptism of the Holy Spirit (New Birth): 1 Cor 12:13; Eph 4:4-5

 This is Baptism into Christ: This is what happens when a man is born again, by the Holy
Ghost. He is buried into Christ in identification. He thus partakes of His death, burial and,
consequently, resurrection into a new life.

b. Water Baptism: Rom 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:21

 Baptism by immersion in water: This is one of the sacraments of the church of Christ. It is
the immersion of one completely into water, and is an outward manifestation of what happens
to a man when he is born again, and baptised into Christ. It was commanded by the Lord
Himself as a sign of faith, showing the world that we have believed and identify with the
redemption of God for mankind.
iv. Laying on of hands:
 The main reason for the laying on of hands is for the impartation of grace upon an individual
either for healing or empowerment or to impart a gift. During the laying on of hands that has
to do with imparting a spiritual blessing, it often goes along with a prophecy. For example in
Numbers 27:18-23, where Moses laid hands on Joshua to impart his authority, we find that,
by the Spirit, Moses gave him charge. Deuteronomy 34:9 later records that Joshua was full of
the spirit of wisdom because Moses laid hands on him.

a. Healing:(Mark 16:18);
 The example of Pastor in healing School
b. the infilling of the Holy spirit:(Acts 19:6);
 For those that are yet to receive the Holy Ghost
c. impartation of spiritual gifts:(1Timothy 4:14);
d. ordination into the ministry:(Acts 13:1-3)
e. for anointing: Hands could be laid upon someone to receive anointing. The receiving of
this anointing is vital for the greater and special works of the ministry

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v. Resurrection from the dead : John5:28-29;1 Thes 4:13-16;1 Cor 15:19

 The scriptures records that it is appointed for a man to die once and after that, judgment. Heb
9:27. but form the understanding of God’s word, we know that death is an enemy.
 God never means for a man to die but through the disobedient of man death came into the
earth.
 The bible says in Rom 5:1. “For if by one man’s offence death reign by one much more they
which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ”.
 Death reigned until the obedience of Christ. Now Christ has abolished death 2 Tim 1:2-10 and
has given us the power to choose life.
 In Christ Jesus, death is a choice for the believer. Death cannot reign over us, but those who
died in Christ has hope in the resurrection.
 The Bible says in 1 Thess. 4:13-16.
 We believe in the resurrection of the dead because the word of God teaches us so. Man is a
Spirit being and does not go to extinct when he dies. His spirit goes to his master – either God
or the devil Rom. 6:16 but his body is buried and returns to dust.
 Example of those with near-death experiences
 Scriptural References: Jn 5:28-29, 1 Thess. 4:13-16, Heb. 9:27

vi. Eternal judgment

The scriptures record that it is appointed for a man to die once and after that the judgment (Hebrews
9:27). We have two types of judgment, one for believers and the other for unbelievers:

a. Christian judgment for reward: Romans 14:10;1 Corinthians 3:11-16

Judgment Seat of Christ: The judgment seat of Christ is where Christians receive rewards for the
deeds they performed while on earth (1 Cor. 3:13-15). Note that the Christian will not face the
judgment seat to be condemned or judged. There is absolutely no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1, 14:10).

b. Judgment of the unbelievers for condemnation: Revelations 20:11-15

The Great White Throne Judgment: This is when the non-Christian will be judged or condemned
for not accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Here the church also will be present
together with God to pass judgment on the non-Christian (1 Cor. 6:2-3).
5. Doctrine on Sanctification: Hebrews 10:10;1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:23,
1Corinthians 1:30
This means ‘consecration’ or separation from others for a special use . It is two-fold:

 The first fold is the separation of the believer from the world when he gets born-again.
This is instantaneous upon receiving Christ.

In this first fold, God takes you from the world. It’s like taking you out from the mud. “But ye
are washed, but ye are sanctified in the name of the lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God”. 1 Cor.
6:11 see also Heb. 10:10 Jude 1.

This first fold of Sanctification is done by God and God alone through Jesus Christ our Lord

 The second fold is the ultimate separation of the believer unto God.

This is by the word of God affecting his whole being – (Spirit, Soul & Body). This is gradual. It
is not progressive or procedural, but it is and should be continuous.

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In this second fold, the world is taken out of the believer. Remember that in this first fold he
took the sinner out of the mud, now in this second fold, the mud is taken out of the believer. It’s
like taking a bath of water and soap. “Sanctify them through thy word, thy word is truth” Jn.
17:17.

It is your personal responsibility to receive the word into you through meditation, study and
listening to the word of God diligently e.g. buying and actually using our ministry materials

Scriptural references: Heb. 10:10. 1 Cor. 6:11, 1 Cor. 1:2, 1 Thess. 4:4, 2 Tim 2:22

6. Doctrine on Holiness: 1Corinthians 6:19; Hebrews 3:1


 Holiness is our positioning - where we are in Christ.
 The example of when we give our offering. While it is still with us, it is ours but once we drop
it on the altar it is no longer ours. That’s why you don’t collect change when you give offering.
 Your Holiness has nothing to do with what you do, it is who you are.
 What makes you holy is the fact that your body is now the temple of the HolyGhost who dwells
in you. 1Corinthians 6:19
 You are no longer your own. You are bought with a price.

7. Doctrine on the law: Romans 8:1-3;Ephesians 2:15;Hebrews 7:18-19


A law functions and it is effective whether or not you are aware of it existence.

The Bible talks about 3 important laws:


i. The Law of Moses –
 Was never for the gentiles but even so,
 Christ has abolished the law Ephesians 2:15;
 For the Love of God that is shed abroad in our heart (Rom8:5) is the fulfillment of
the law (Rom13:10)
 You therefore no longer have to keep the letters of the ten commandments and all
the other laws of Moses, yet these laws are fulfilled in us as we do the word and
walk in love

ii. The law of Sin and death –


 Is the nature at work in the natural unregenerate man that causes man to tend to do
wrong always, that brings death, sickness, failure and everything evil upon the
natural man.
 Like the law of gravity (all that goes up must come down) man is helplessly subject
to this law.
 But in Christ we are more than mere men because we have received inherent power
by the HolyGhost.

iii. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus


 This is the law of God that is at work in every born-again child of God
 Illustration: Like the law of Lift (that enables a plane to fly and remain up there
for as long as it wants to despite the existence of the law of gravity), so are we (the
new creature in Christ) able to rise above the elements of this world and every fiery
dart of the wicked.
 You have to aware and live in the consciousness of this law so that you will
constantly activate it, by faith through your faith proclamations
 You can rise above the common flu or plague, sickness, fear, failure, lack etc by the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
8. Doctrine on Deliverance: Colossians 1:12-13; Mark16:17 5mins

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 The word deliver means ‘to take out’ ‘to save’ ‘rescue from’ for example from danger. Salvation
is the central theme of the gospel, and one of its benefits to the new creation is deliverance.
 God had delivered us out of the control and the dominion of the darkness. We are free from the
power, hold, dominion or authority of darkness – Col. 1:13.
 This is a present tense reality; Jesus came to redeem man not just by paying a price (ransom)
but by force Exod. 6:6.
 Jesus made a public display of Satan’s defeat. He conquered and disarmed the power of
darkness and spoiled them, that is, he took everything they had that was of value from them –
Col. 2:15.
 This victory secured our deliverance. What’s more? He translated us into the kingdom of his
dear son. He brought us out” to “take us in”.
 We “have been” delivered (past tense) out the domain of failure, fear, poverty, sickness, … Not
“will be” delivered. It has happened already. It is our present-tense possession. God did not
stop here, he also gave us authority over Satan and all his cohorts in the name of Jesus – Eph.
1:22, Phil. 2:9-11.
 We have been given the power of attorney to use his name and in that name, we cast out devils
Mk 16:17.
 The power of darkness that we used to be afraid of is now like you knowing someone that used
to scare you with a toy gun, but now that you have a real gun (AKA 47) in your hand, you are
now the terror to him. Now think how silly it will be for you to with a live gun to be scared or
hiding from a bully with a toy gun!

REVISION QUESTIONS

1. List the ___ Foundational Doctrines of Christ. Discuss briefly on each one.
a. Repentance from dead works
b. Faith towards God
c. Baptism
d. Laying on of hands
e. Resurrection of the dead
f. Eternal judgment

2. Analyze the other Doctrines of Christ


a. Righteousness
b. Deliverance
c. Holiness
d. The three important Laws
3. What is Baptism? List the types of Baptism?
4. Why do we lay hands on people?

TODAY’S CONFESSIONS

I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Love is my nature

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SCRIPTURE FOR MEDITATION

“But ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem; and
to an innumerable company of angels. To the general assembly and church of the first born, which
are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect”
Hebrews 12: 22-23

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

 ROR Topical compendium vol 1 & vol 2


 Changing hopeless situations: Understanding Righteousness(series)
 Power for Change (DVD)
 3 Kinds of Wisdom
 How to Make Your Faith Work
 Praying the Right Way
 The Priestly Ministry of the Believer (DVD series)

CLASS 4: EVANGELISM AND CELL MINISTRY


INTRODUCTION

The objective of this class is to teach the student about:


 The Great commission
 The Cell Ministry

These are very integral aspects of our Christian walk particularly as members of our ministry. At the end
of the class the students should know in clear terms why he needs to be involved in the great commission
and the cell system.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this class, participants should:
1. Know about the importance of Soul winning.

2. Be able to identify their chariots

3. Be inspired to cultivate a lifestyle of winning souls

4. Know the importance of joining a cell (as a place to learn and grow in the word by asking questions a
member cannot ask during church services)

5. Understand the cell structure as a support system for Christian living and for winning souls.

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A. EVANGELISM AND SOUL WINNING

1. The Great Commission: Matthew 28: 18-20

 God has given every Christian the responsibility of soul winning-The Ministry of Reconciliation: 2
Corinthians 5; 18-21. The reason God does not take us to heaven after we are born again is that He
expects to win others to Christ. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

 We are to be witnesses of Christ in our world. Witnessing Christ helps us grow spiritually. The
gospel of Christ is God’s power for salvation for man (Romans 1:16). Carrying out this
commission is equally rendering service in the body. The vision of our ministry is to take the
divine presence of God to the peoples and nations of the world while demonstrating the
Character of God’s Spirit. This vision promotes the great commission; therefore every member of
our ministry must be about the great commission in his/her sphere of contact

 We are God’s ambassadors here on earth. It is a divine assignment given to us Christians. It is such an
important task for which God counts on us very much as even angels cannot preach the Gospel.

 It is God’s No 1 Job. It is indeed a privilege and honour for us as Christians.

2. Soul Winning is a command , not a suggestion: Mark 16:15-20

 This is a mandate given to every believer.

 He said go ye therefore, and teach all nations. (A nation is any group of individuals that share a common
interest, like a vocation, or a geographical)

 He also said to baptize those that believe.

3. Importance of soul winning: Romans 10:13-15, Mark 16: 15-16.

 The Holy Spirit was given to us majorly for the purpose of witnessing-Acts1 :8

 The gospel is the saving power of God.

 It is the way by which men are reconciled to God.

Illustration
We are his legs, his hands. We are Gods extension here on earth. If you are presently not engaged in a job, do not
say you don’t have a job because you indeed have a job. When give quality time for soul winning your other job
will come sooner than you think. If you are an accountant, you are first of all a soul winner before you are an
accountant. If you are a medical Doctor, the same thing applies.
B. Join this Chariot: Acts 8:26-35

1. What is your chariot?

 Your chariot is your vehicle or platform through which you reach your world with the Gospel.

 Where you live, work, school, do business is your chariot.

 Chariots are different areas of life where we have contact with peoples of the world and influence them
with the Gospel of Christ

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You must recognize that God put you in these Chariots primarily to be able to reach people with
the gospel of Christ. It must be your priority in your daily dealings with people. You cannot
afford to be quiet. Recognize you have a message to preach and voice that must be heard.

2. Who is qualified to win souls? Acts 1: 8, Acts4: 18-20

 The primary reason why the Holy Ghost was sent to us was for soul winning.

 Everyone who has received Christ has the ability and is qualified to win souls.

 Immediately you get born again, you are enrolled into the league of soul winners

3. Rewards of soul winning: Daniel 12:3, 1 Corinthians 9:16-18, 25

 He that wins soul is wise. He walks in high level of wisdom

 He shines as stars

 He is God’s partner.

 God is unable to abandon or do without a soul winner.

Illustration

If Jesus can leave the glory and splendor of heaven to come and die for mankind, we whom he paid this price for
should be ready to go about his work. That is the least we can do for him.

C. What does it mean to teach all nations? Mark 16: 15

Teaching all nations means preaching the gospel to every creature and making them observe all that we have been
taught by Jesus Christ.

Making disciples of all nations (group of people)

 Disciples are disciplined followers of Christ i.e. people who have come to know Christ and follow him
in nature, character and in lifestyle.

 Nations are refers to different groupings i.e. group of Bankers, Nurses, Lawyers, Engineers etc.

Our Lord Jesus asked us to carry the gospel to the various groups we are part of or that we interact with in the
course of our everyday life. Christianity delivers a better life. We are called to offer to people that higher and more
excellent life.

As believers, we have superior intelligence and higher knowledge and information which we must make others to
benefit from.

D. Praying for souls: Psalm 2 :8, 2Corinthians 4 :3,4 , Ephesians 6: 10-12, James 5: 16

 Prayer is a very important aspect of soul winning.

 Soul winning is spiritual and as such for it to be effective ,prayer is the winning tool.

 Prayer helps to loosen men from the hold of the devil so that receive Jesus Christ.

 Prayer creates the appetite of the new creation in a young Christian.

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E. The need for Training :Ephesians 4: 11-16

 To be an effective soul winner, training is important.

 God trains his children. An example is David who was trained through tending his father’s flock. He was
later to become the greatest king of Israel. Moses also underwent training for 40 years to be able to lead
God’s people.

 The basic tool of training is the word of God- 2 Timothy 3 :16, 17

THE CELL MINISTRY

The cell system

a. What is a cell, PCU and PCF?

 The cell is the smallest unit of the church that multiplies and reproduces its kind while contributing
to the numerical growth of the church and spiritual maturity of its members through their
involvement in soul winning activities, prayer chains and a couple of other activities that are
designed to aid their growth. The cell system is our insurance and gives every member an identity
in the church. The cell grants every member an opportunity to identify and explore his/her God
given abilities and talents. Every member of our ministry is expected to be part of the cell
system.

 Reasons a member must belong to a cell (A member belongs to a support group and not alone. He has
someone looking out for his well-being, nurturing and praying with him when necessary) Acts 4: 32-35

Illustration:
If a member of a cell were getting married or is planning a similar occasion, the member can rely on
members of his cell to be there for them. There have been occasions when member have made
material contributions towards such events. Cell members are often present, making such occasions
grand. Best of all is that members pray for their brethren.

The cell is a member’s address in church. Members of the cell can become a member’s social support
group.
In a church as large as Christ Embassy, it is easy for a person to be lost in the crowd. A person who
joins a cell and is active in his cell, locates himself and can easily be located.

The structure of the cell: Every cell is supposed to have the following offices to be occupied by its
members and any person who has attended the cell meeting thrice is deemed a member, however there
are certain positions in the cell that can be occupied only by individuals who have demonstrated a sense
of responsibility and faithfulness (See: The cell ministry manual):

 A cell leader
 Assistant Cell Leader
 Bible study class teachers – must have won at least 3 souls
 Cell Secretary
 Financial Secretary/ Treasurer – must have demonstrated a sense of commitment & faithfulness
 Venue Manager

Our Cell System Policy for leadership development starting from cell membership is outlined below

Cell member

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Bible Study Class Teacher

Assistant Cell Leader (By Appointment)

Cell Leader

PCF Leader

Deaconry

Pastor

Sub-Group Pastor

Group Pastor

Virtual Zonal Pastor

Zonal Pastor

The cell meetings are expected to hold once every week each month in the following orders:

 Week 1 – Prayer and planning meeting: this meeting affords the members of the cell an
opportunity to pray and plan for the new month.
 Week 2 – Bible Study meeting: in this meeting the cell is divided into smaller groups/ bible study
classes while the bible study class teachers are allowed to teach each group from a common
outline given by the church
 Week 3 – Outreach meeting: this meeting is evangelical and meant to reach out to lost souls. It’s a
major program of the church that every member of the cell must adequately participate in.
 Week 4 – Fellowship meeting: this meetings affords the cell members an opportunity to share
testimonies on what God has done in their lives during the month, celebrate birthdays, meet other
members in the PCU etc

The Cell is a missionary unit:


A Christian is a missionary on a mission. We are called out and built for the work of the ministry.
We are the sent ones. The cell is a missionary unit meant to train members in soul winning and
other spiritual development activities. Every member must recognize their place as soul winners
in the cell because the cell is a soul winning factory where we win souls, build them and send
them. Psalm 67:2, Ephesians 4:12
A missionary Christian is available and eager to preach the gospel to his world. He is also ready to invest
his resources in the gospel. Ephesians 4:15-16

It is often said that you put your money and other resources where your heart is. The Missionary Christian
sets his eyes on soul winning and does not allow any distractions. He invests in soul winning. He also
does not lack because the Lord takes over his cares.

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Importance of Corporate Evangelism: Every cell is expected to have corporate evangelism where its
members are given an opportunity to be involved in the art of soul winning. It is important that all the
members in a cell take advantage of such opportunities.

a. Corporate evangelism in the cell (cell outreach)

b. Corporate evangelism in the church (church outreaches)

c. Corporate evangelism in the ministry (ministry outreaches e.g. Higher Life Conferences, National
Youth Conference and Night of Bliss)

Pastoral Care in the cell: Acts 2:44-47: Hebrew 13: 7


The cell member has access to the pastoral counsel and care through the leadership hierarchy in the cell which are
as follows:
 PCF: The Pastoral Care Fellowship is composed of all the cell members that report to a
PCF leader who is the president of the PCF and oversees the overall activities of the PCF
as a body

 PCD: The Pastoral Care Department, a department in church that caters for all the
departments in Church such as the Ushers, Venue Managers, First Timers Ministry,
Children’s Church etc. And apart from being in a cell every member of the cell is
expected to be a committed member in a church department

All these are structures that are put in place to take care of and provide for the spiritual needs of every
member of the cell. It is expected that all members of the cell subject themselves to the leadership of this
structure and take advantage of the benefits that comes with being part of the system as they are Pastor’s
representatives to us.

Principles of Prayer James 5:16-18, Acts6:4-7

 Men ought always to pray and not to faint.

 When we pray we change situation like Elijah prayed. Because I prayed about a situation in the office
a whole department was shaken because one person decided to pray and not take a no for an answer.

 Prayer is a fellowship with God, and when we pray we use God’s word in prayer because he can only
respond to his word so we don’t use human words.

 We pray in the name of Jesus, we don’t pray through the name of Jesus.

CONCLUSION
Christianity is a life service to God. A Christian can render his service through his active involvement in
the body of Christ. Every Christian has been commissioned by our Lord Jesus Christ to preach the
gospel. In other words, he has been called into the ministry of reconciliation. So any Christian who is not
involved in reconciling men back to God is not functioning well. A Christian must maintain the right
attitude in courtship by keeping himself pure and getting the Church involved. A Christian should not be
in courtship or engagement with a non-Christian.

CLASS REVIEW
At the end of this class, the following question should be reviewed to test the students’ comprehension:
1. What are the objectives of this class?

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2. Why should I preach the gospel, labor to win souls and develop the soul?
3. Who are the ones called into the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-21; Dan 12:3)?
4. How do we grow in the church?
5. Name the different kinds of meetings we have in the cell.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT


Discuss different ways through which a member can participate in soul winning and the class should go
out and carry out what they have learnt as an assignment. Each member of the class’ soul must be
presented at a special bringing in the sheaves program in church.
REFERENCE MATEIALS

Tapes

 Master soul winner


 This Gospel/The Missionary Christian
 Singles Seminar, Tape1&2
 Understanding 5 levels of Relationship
 Growing unto Maturity
Books

 Join this chariot


 The Cell Manuals
 Praying the Right Way

CLASS 5: CHRISTIAN CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

T his course focuses on the life of a Christian, which is for service to God. According to Romans 12:1,
believers must possess a single-minded passion to please God in Love, devotion, praise and to offer the
members of their bodies for His service. He must live for God, worship Him, obey Him and imbibe
Christ. This he does by conducting himself in a manner befitting to the Kingdom of God. This means his
behaviour; manner of life must align with what God says he is.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this class, participants should:


 Have learnt how to study God’s word
 Know the importance of the Christian growth
 Understand the purpose of prosperity
The new creation man has a new lifestyle (new way of living) that needs to be developed. This class addresses this
new faith lifestyle.

1. The importance of growth for a Christian (Galatians 4:1-2)

“[1] Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
[2] But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father”. (Galatians 4:1-2)

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 Growth will enable the Christian (heir) to walk in his inheritance and demonstrate the difference
between the Christian and the non-Christian (servant)
 God designed us for growth
God designed for us to grow. Growth thus means “change” having the ability to discern that rights you
have as a child of God. It also implies that you no longer operate from your human senses and reasoning
but from the word of God. This is a change that evolves through the study and understanding of the word
of God. When there’s a comprehension of the word of God in our heart, it is manifested on the outside. It
thus brings about tangible/visible change that is seen by everyone who takes a look on your life as a
Christian. Your level of growth is determined based on the words that come out from your mouth. The
bible thus references that we…

“[15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
[16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love.”(Ephes. 4:15-16)

 The illustration of the growth of a baby that depicts that of the new born Christian; The incorruptible,
majestic, durable, lofty, expansive growth of a cedar of Lebanon is the way the Christian should grow

2. Studying the word


“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.”(2 Tim. 2:15)

 The Christian is a student for life, pastor says you may have a ‘D’ in school but you cannot afford to have
a ‘D’ in life - life is spiritual therefore the need for serious spiritual education
 The Berean Christians were more noble because of their checking up the scriptures always.
 The Christian is a worker and must be rightly educated for the work. Rightly dividing the word of truth
will help us pray the right way and confess the right way.
A. Reason for study
 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby”
(1 Peter 2:2)

o Study is essential for our growth and development as Christians the word is our necessary food.
 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive” Ephes. 4:14
o Study will help us to be stable Christians and protect us from the deception of wrong teachings.
When we understand the word we will no more be like children who pick up one thing today and
drop it tomorrow we will be stable in the faith.

B. Necessity of daily study


 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”.(Acts
17:11)
 Man is a spirit and must feed his spirit man daily just like a man who feeds his body daily. Imagine
a soldier who has not eaten for days going to war. Similarly, the Christian is continually fighting the
fight of faith and must be spiritually fit. A plant needs constant water to flourish and do well, so is
the life of a Christian.

 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46)

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 The daily (day by day) walk of faith of the early Christians is of note. Even as a tree grows 24hours
a day 7 days a week and is constantly connected to its source; the Christian is typified as a tree in
Psalm 1 that grows by the river. You must stay connected to the source of your life. (Deut 32:46-47)

C. Rhapsody of realities: an effective study guide


 We have a daily devotional developed to help our study of God’s word.
 We should not speed read our rhapsody devotional like a news paper but study and underline striking
facts to your spirit it.
 Follow the bible reading plan.
 There are people who read the newspaper daily but we as Christian people should develop the habit
for investing our time in things that edify us and nourish us.

3. Fellowship (Service, Cell)


 The Bible talks about the togetherness and participation of each of us with one another in the body of
Christ. In Christianity, no man is an Island just like the eye needs the ear etc
o “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers. [43] And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs
were done by the apostles. [44] And all that believed were together, and had all things
common; [45] And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every
man had need. [46] And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, [47]
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily
such as should be saved”. (Acts 2:42-47)

 The early Christians are examples of believers walking together in fellowship. Their testimony caused
increase in the body of Christ as the Lord added more to the church daily as should be saved.

 The Cell System of Christ Embassy is a fellowship group where Christians gather together in more
intimate groups and are involved in each other’s lives.
o “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of
the body unto the edifying of itself in love”. (Ephes. 4:16)
 We all need each other to grow and develop fully.

 Illustration: How the human body works that all the members are dependent on each other.

Consistency in Service.
o “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24)
o
 We must develop the habit of going to church whether we feel like it or not. The Bible teaches that
some have a manner of neglecting Christian gatherings. We must have the right attitude in attending
church services not just to fulfil righteousness but to learn, it is like going to a spiritual school. If you
can go to work daily why can’t you attend church services which is just once a week, remember that
the money you seek wisdom can give.

 God expects you to be in service and will minister to you as if you are present. Some have missed
their ministration by being absent.

4. LOVE Greek word- AGAPE


 Agape is the God kind of love and is different from the world’s kind of love.
 Agape is love that is unconditional, it gives in spite of the recipient.

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 Love is the emblem of the Christian the Lord said that is how people will know we are his disciples when
we love one another. 1cor14:1 says we should hotly pursue Love (make it our great quest).
 If you are going to live the faith life you will have to work in love for faith works by love.
 Love is the key to spiritual gifts 1Cor14:1 says follow after love and desire spiritual gifts
Note:

1) 1 Cor 13 is the chapter that explains love (for a good rendering check the amplified version).
2) Note that in Gal5:22. We read that the Fruit (singular) of the spirit (the recreated human spirit not the
HolyGhost) is (singular) Love. This connotes that all the other listed fruits are in the first one -Love fruits.
A Christian does not need to ask God for the ability to love, he has love like he has faith, the Bible says
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom8:5). We are born of Love. We are
born with it so we can only grow in the manifestation of the fruits
“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another. [35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one to another”
(John 13:34-35)
3) The 10 commandments have been abolished and do not apply to the new creation. The new
commandment for the new creation is to love as Christ loved us.
“And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God should love his brother
also”. (1 John 4:21)

Your prove of your love for God is your love for your brother

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; [2] And walk in love, as Christ also hath
loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savour”.( Ephes. 5:1-2)

Illustration

Just like children copy their father we should imitate God by walking in love. Imagine a child who wears
his father’s shoes and tie acting like his father.

5. OUR CONFESSION/MANNER OF LIFE


 CHRISTIANITY is called the great confession there is a connection between our confession and the
way we live.
“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken;
we also believe, and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13).

 Christianity is a life of confession. Confession comes from the Greek word 'Homolodia'
which means, speaking the same things with God in consent. The Bible says that what we
speak is not what we see, think or feel. We speak what we believe.
 In the book of Hebrews, the Bible says,
“Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have:
for he has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may BOLDLY SAY, the
Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me”
(Hebrews 13:5-6).
 God has spoken so that we may boldly say what He has said concerning us in agreement with
Him. This is the Christian life.
 It is our confessions that put our faith to work. Salvation is sealed by confession. Merely
believing in the mind does not do anything until we declare who we are, what we have

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become etc. Confession puts the power of God to work. The Bible says, “That if thou shall
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus….” and also, “…With the mouth confession is made
unto salvation”.
 Our confession sets our lives on course.
 Our life goes in the direction of our confession. Bible says, “For by faith we understand that
the world was formed by the word of God...” (Hebrews 11:3).

“Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, [5] For your fellowship in the
gospel from the first day until now; [6] Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a
good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”
(Philip. 1:4-6)
“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: [21]
who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”.
(Philip. 3:20-21)
 Our citizenship is in heaven we come from a higher kingdom and live by a different set of rules.
The bible is our constitution and that is how we know our rights and privileges. We are like
ambassadors in a foreign land who have diplomatic immunity

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth
on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved”. (Romans 10:9-13)

 We start out the Christian life with confessing the lordship of Jesus Christ and continue the
Christian life by this same process of confessing the things we believe.

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not
be brought under the power of any”. (1 Cor. 6:12)

 You must learn to leave the good for the best

A. Life and Death is in The Power of the Tongue


This is an extension of the last point we made concerning confession. The last point deals
with saying the same things with God. In other words agreeing with what God has said with
our words, but this one deals with the power of our tongue. The tongue has the power to kill
or make alive. The reason why we have to agree with God and say what He says is because
His words are spirit and they are life (John 6:63). Therefore, His words will produce life for
us. Any other word will produce negative things because there is power in the tongue.

The Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat
the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18: 21). This is very strong. The power to control life lies in the
tongue even though the tongue is one of the smallest members of the body. The Bible
declares:

“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able
also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and

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we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven
of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire
kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it
defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell”
(James 3:2-6).

The Bible shows that the tongue controls everything about life. Jesus said in Mark 11:22, that
we shall have whatsoever we say. We must keep speaking the word of God. The Bible says
we should hold fast our confession.

Questions
1) Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Discuss this exhaustively with scriptures.
2) You shall have whatsoever you say. Explain.

B. Faith Walk
The Christian walk is a walk of faith. The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to
please God because he that “…cometh unto God must believe that He is and that He is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

We do not walk by what we see but by what the word says. Our sight should be focused on
nothing else but on the word. The Bible says, "While we look not at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen: For the things which are seen are temporal; but
the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Everything the senses can perceive is temporal. They are subject to change but the word of
God abides forever. So the Bible says we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Our walk of faith is based on the law of faith The Bible declares in 2 Corinthians 4:13, "We
having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I
spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak". This is why God said, 'let the weak say, l am
strong'.

Question
(1) Explain, "For we walk by faith and not by sight”.
(2) Explain the law of faith.

C. Christianity is a Life of Submission


The Christian life is a life of submission - submission to the word of God. When we submit
ourselves to one another or to authority (both spiritually and earthly) we are submitting to the
word, because it is the word that admonishes us to live in submission. There are three levels
of authority that the Bible asks the Christian to recognize and submit to. They are:

i. Authority in the home


This basically makes reference to the relationship between the husband and the wife and
between the children and the parents. For the husband and the wife, the Bible says, "Wives
submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body”
(Ephesians 5:22-23).

Notice that it did not say "Wives submit yourselves to all husbands". It says “to your own
husbands". While the wife is submitted to her own husband, her husband is asked to love her:
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself to it”

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(Ephesians 5:25).

Authority is given the husband to be the head over his wife and so God commands the wife to
submit herself to the husband's authority. The authority that the husband exercises over his
wife is likened to the one Christ exercises over the church, and the wife is to submit herself to
her husband the way the church submits to Christ. On the other hand, children are asked to
obey their parents while the fathers were asked to bring up their children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-3).

ii. Civil authority


In relating with the state, the Bible instructs also that we should submit to the authority of the
state or sovereign as long as he/she does not by his authority violate the authority of the word
of God. Bible says, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power
resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation”
(Romans 13:1-2)

The reason why we should submit to the leaders is because, God is the one who establishes
them and so any rebellion against the sovereign is directed towards God. The Bible says, “For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?
Do that which is good, and thou shall have praise of the same. For he is a minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid..." (Romans 13:4). Paul admonishes
us further to pray for those in authority so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and honesty.
(I Timothy 2:1-2)

iii. Authority in the Church


God has set up government in His church. He lets us know how to relate with those in
positions of authority in the body of Christ. Bible says, “Obey them that have the rule over
you and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that
they may do it with joy and not with grief, for this is unprofitable for you". (Hebrews 13:17)

Every Christian is admonished to submit to the authority in his/her local assembly because
those in authority are not ruling with their own abilities. It is the power of God that
established them where they are. Whoever resists them is resisting the anointing and this is
very dangerous. The Bible says it will not be profitable to do this.

6. SETTLING DISAGREEMENTS
“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him
alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. [16] But if he will not hear thee, then take
with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
[17] And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church,
let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican”
(Matthew 18:15-17)

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There is a way Christians should settle disputes amongst themselves that is different from the way of the people of
the world settles them. You call the party involved talk with him if he doesn’t listen to you invite another
Christian, yet still if there is no change tell it to the church that is to the pastor of the church. If this does not work
you can treat the person the way you would treat a stranger.

7. SANCTIFYING YOUR THOUGHTS


“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth he any man: [14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust,
and enticed. [15] Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death”.
(James 1:13-15)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.
(Philip. 4:8)

 As Christians we have to take charge of our thoughts


 Thoughts can come to you from God, from your mind based on the information you receive and from the
devil
 As Christian you should not allow your mind to dwell on just anything
 The Bible gives us a list of things we should dwell on in Phi 4:8
 Be careful on what you dwell on because your mind is the doorway to your spirit.
 Be careful about the things you watch, read and hear like movies, books, magazines because they could
influence your thoughts positively or negatively.

PRINCIPLES OF PROSPERITY
1. WHAT IS PROSPERITY?
The Dictionary defines prosperity to mean, “The state of being prosperous; advance or gain in anything
good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; attainment of the object desired; good
fortune; success; as, commercial prosperity; national prosperity”.

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. [10] And herein I give my advice: for this is
expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago”
(2 Cor. 8:9-10)
“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law,
which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou
mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. [8] This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is
written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success”.
( Joshua 1:7-8)
2. PURPOSE OF PROSPERITY
 God is a wise investor and he expects results. The purpose of Gods prosperity in the life of a
Christian is specific and he never minced words about this. Many have boasted about their
ability to accumulate wealth but in Deuteronomy 8:17-18, God says; “And thou say in thine

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heart, my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt
remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that he may
establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day”.

 Enjoying and having a great life is good but the purpose whereby God brings wealth into
your hands as a Christian is for the purpose of the Gospel. He wants to use your wealth to
spread this gospel. His desire is that all may come to the knowledge of truth and be saved.
When God prospers you, you must understand the reason and the more you invest in the
kingdom, the more he opens new frontiers for you. Zech 1:17

 The Purpose of Prosperity for a Christian is to be a blessing to other people especially to fellow
Christians.
There are several blessing associated with giving offering to God, some of these offerings are explained below
with various supporting scriptures:

A. TITHES
 This is one of the principles that a Christian has to follow if he must expect to work in prosperity. Here we
are talking about durable prosperity and not the one that goes up to come down. A Tithe God says belongs
to him and there is no negotiation about this as a Christian. When you pay your tithe it is to God and not
to a man. He says give it to me - that is one tenth of the value of your income. You may have said but I
don’t earn much and am expected to pay tithe out of that which is not enough already. A Christian must
pay tithes irrespective of the size.
 Malachi 3: 10 says; “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and
prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”. (ref. Genesis 14: 20, Matthew 23:
23, Luke 11: 42, Genesis 15: 18-20)

“And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him
tithes of all”. (Genesis 14:20)

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and
have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone”. (Matthew 23:23)

“But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment
and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone”.( Luke 11:42)

“In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land,
from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: [19] The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and
the Kadmonites, [20] And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims”. (Genesis 15:18-20)

B FIRST FRUITS

This is another type of giving that is revealed to the Christian in the bible. First fruit means the first and
the best of your increase. This God also says belongs to Him. In Exodus 22 : 29, God says; ’’Thou shalt
not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give
unto me”. God is laying claim that this belongs to him. When you make a release of your first fruits to

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God you are declaring that the rest of the fruits are sanctified. The bible declares f or if the firstfruit be
holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches - Romans 11:16.

“The first fruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt
thou give him”. (Deut. 18:4)

C FREEWILL OFFERING
The freewill offering just as the name implies is what you make up in your mind to give to God of your
own free will. These pertains to such offerings we give during the services and meetings. When you give
expect harvests. Also know that harvests come with multiplication. Luke6 :38 says ; ‘’Give, and it shall
be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again”.

D SEED OFFERING
This is a special kind of offering. It is given in expectation for something and most times it comes as a
sacrifice. A Christian, who expects a change in the affairs of his life, family, business, work and others,
may decide to pick up something that is of value to him and offer it to God with expectation for God to
intervene on his behalf.

o God will never owe any man who gives to him. “…as it is written, He hath dispersed
abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that
ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed
sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness ;)

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth
bountifully shall reap also bountifully. [7] Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so
let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able
to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may
abound to every good work: [9] (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the
poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. [10] Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both
minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your
righteousness ;) [11] Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us
thanksgiving to God”. (2 Cor. 9:6-11)

E PARTNERSHIP
Partnership is another type of giving made by a Christian. It is a relationship between individuals or
groups that is characterized by mutual cooperation and responsibility, as for the achievement of a
specified goal. Here the specified goal is reaching the world with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It
speaks volume of the Christian. This is because the christian by his giving is saying for the purpose of
achieving the cause he has joined forces together with the pastor or ministry to make sure the gospel is
taken to the whole world. The partner may not be everywhere present, but through his giving, anywhere
the gospel is taken to, he is ably represented by his money which he has staked for the purpose. When a
christian does this, God is unwilling to do without him.

“And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with
Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life”.
(Philip. 4:3)
“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye
were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity”.
(Philip. 4:10)

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“Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no
church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. [16] For even in
Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. [17] Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit
that may abound to your account. [18] But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of
Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well
pleasing to God. [19] But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus”. (Philip. 4:15-19)

CONCLUSION

This class teaches on Christian character and the responsibility of the Christian, the life that has been given to him
– (Love). Our confession and manner of lives must be consistent with the Word of God. There is power in our
tongues, so we must speak the right words. A Christian must work by faith, because without faith he cannot please
God. Christianity is a life of submission and therefore Christians must respect and submit to the authority at home,
church, office and government. Anything contrary to this is rebellious, which is as the sin of witchcraft. Finally, a
Christian must not speak against his leader.

REVISION QUESTIONS

1. What is the whole class all about?


2. What does the life of a Christian consist. Relate with bible references.
3. What is confession and what should be the manner of our (Christian’s) confession?
4. What does it mean to say, “Life and death is in the power of tongue?
5. What is the significance of this statement to the life of a Christian?
6. Why should a Christian be submissive?
7. What are the three level of authority as taught in this class.
8. How can you describe the ideal or recommended relationship with your spiritual leader?
9. What should be your relationship with constituted authorities; both those who hate and maltreat you and
those who love you.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT

1. What is the relationship between the tongue and life? (James 3:4-6, Mark11:22-23)
2. “The Just shall live by faith” Rom1:17, we walk by faith not by sight 2 Cor 5:7. Discuss.

Self-Evaluation and Assessment

I love the Lord with all of my heart, soul and might and I love my neighbours as myself. The love of God is shared
abroad in my heart. There is power in my tongue so with my tongue I cause the desired changes. I impact lives
with my tongue and also give life.

TODAY’S CONFESSIONS:

I am love. Love is my nature. I am patient and I am kind

SCRIPTURE FOR MEDITATION

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ampl

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REFERENCE MATERIALS

Tapes

a. Christ in You
b. Striving for the Faith of the Gospel
c. Serving the Lord,
d. One thing needful,
e. 3 important things
f. Walking in God,
g. Living according to the Spirit.
h. Understanding Righteousness (Series)
i. The Life of Christ in You
j. Maintaining a Perfect Heart
k. The Concept of Sin (DVD)
l. The Concept of Sin (DVD)
m. The Essence of Christianity

Books

a. The Power of Tongues.


b. ROR Topical Compendium Vols.1 & vol 2
c. Now That You are Born Again

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CLASS 5
CHRISTIAN CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION
This course focuses on the life of a Christian, which is for service to God. According to Romans 12:1, believers
must possess a single-minded passion to please God in Love, devotion, praise and to offer the members of their
bodies for His service. He must live for God, worship Him, obey Him and imbibe Christ. This he does by
conducting himself in a manner befitting to the Kingdom of God. This means his behaviour; manner of life must
align with what God says he is.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this class, participants should:


 Have learnt how to study God’s word
 Know the importance of the Christian growth
 Understand the purpose of prosperity
The new creation man has a new lifestyle (new way of living) that needs to be developed. This class addresses this
new faith lifestyle.

A The importance of growth for a Christian (Galatians 4:1-2)

“[1] Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant,
though he be lord of all; [2] But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed
of the father”. (Galatians 4:1-2)

 Growth will enable the Christian (heir) to walk in his inheritance and demonstrate the difference
between the Christian and the non-Christian (servant)

 God designed us for growth


God designed for us to grow. Growth thus means “change” having the ability to discern that rights
you have as a child of God. It also implies that you no longer operate from your human senses and
reasoning but from the word of God. This is a change that evolves through the study and
understanding of the word of God. When there’s a comprehension of the word of God in our heart, it
is manifested on the outside. It thus brings about tangible/visible change that is seen by everyone who
takes a look on your life as a Christian. Your level of growth is determined based on the words that
come out from your mouth. The bible thus references that we…..

“[15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ: [16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the
body unto the edifying of itself in love.”(Ephes. 4:15-16)

 The illustration of the growth of a baby that depicts that of the new born Christian; The incorruptible,
majestic, durable, lofty, expansive growth of a cedar of Lebanon is the way the Christian should grow

B Studying the word


“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.”(2 Tim. 2:15)

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 The Christian is a student for life, pastor says you may have a D in school but you cannot afford to
have a D in life - life is spiritual therefore the need for serious spiritual education
 The Berean Christians were more noble because of their checking up the scriptures.
 The Christian is a worker and must be rightly educated for the work. Rightly dividing the word of
truth will help us pray the right way and confess the right way.

D. Reason for study

 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby”
(1 Peter 2:2)
o Study is essential for our growth and development as Christians the word is our necessary food.

 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive”
Ephes. 4:14

o Study will help us to be stable Christians and protect us from the deception of wrong teachings.
When we understand the word we will no more be like children who pick up one thing today and
drop it tomorrow we will be stable in the faith.

E. Necessity of daily study

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”.
(Acts 17:11)
 Man is a spirit and must feed his spirit man daily just like a man who feeds his body daily. Imagine
a soldier who has not eaten for days going to war. Similarly, the Christian is continually fighting the
fight of faith and must be spiritually fit. A plant needs constant water to flourish and do well, so is
the life of a Christian.
“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart”
(Acts 2:46)
 The daily (day by day) walk of faith of the early Christians is of note. Even as a tree grows 24hours
a day 7 days a week and is constantly connected to its source; the Christian is typified as a tree in
Psalm 1 that grows by the river. You must stay connected to the source of your life. (Deut 32:46-47)

F. Rhapsody of realities: an effective study guide

 We have a daily devotional developed to help our study of God’s word.


 We should not speed read our rhapsody devotional like a news paper but study and underline striking
facts to your spirit it.
 Follow the bible reading plan.
 There are people who read the newspaper daily but we as Christian people should develop the habit
for investing our time in things that edify us and nourish us.

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G. Fellowship (Service, Cell)
 The Bible talks about the togetherness and participation of each of us with one another in the body of
Christ. In Christianity, no man is an Island just like the eye needs the ear etc

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers. [43] And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs
were done by the apostles. [44] And all that believed were together, and had all things
common; [45] And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every
man had need. [46] And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, [47]
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily
such as should be saved”. (Acts 2:42-47)

 The early Christians are examples of believers walking together in fellowship. Their testimony caused
increase in the body of Christ as the Lord added more to the church daily as should be saved.

 The Cell System of Christ Embassy is a fellowship group where Christians gather together in more
intimate groups and are involved in each other’s lives.
“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of
the body unto the edifying of itself in love”.
(Ephes. 4:16)
 We all need each other to grow and develop fully.

Illustration: How the human body works that all the members are dependent on each other.

Consistency in Service.
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”
(Hebrews 10:24)

 We must develop the habit of going to church whether we feel like it or not. The Bible teaches that
some have a manner of neglecting Christian gatherings. We must have the right attitude in attending
church services not just to fulfil righteousness but to learn, it is like going to a spiritual school. If you
can go to work daily why can’t you attend church services which is just once a week, remember that
the money you seek wisdom can give.

 God expects you to be in service and will minister to you as if you are present.Some have missed their
ministration by being absent.

H. LOVE Greek word- AGAPE


 Agape is the God kind of love and is different from the world’s kind of love.
 Agape is love that is unconditional, it gives in spite of the recipient.
 Love is the emblem of the Christian the Lord said that is how people will know we are his disciples when
we love one another. 1cor14:1 says we should hotly pursue Love (make it our great quest).
 If you are going to live the faith life you will have to work in love for faith works by love.
 Love is the key to spiritual gifts 1Cor14:1 says follow after love and desire spiritual gifts
Note:

1. 1 Cor 13 is the chapter that explains love (for a good rendering check the amplified version).
Note that in Gal 5:22. We read that the Fruit (singular) of the spirit (the recreated human spirit not the
Holy Ghost) is (singular) Love. This connotes that all the other listed fruits are in the first one -Love
fruits. A Christian does not need to ask God for the ability to love, he has love like he has faith, the Bible

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says the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom8:5). We are born of Love. We
are born with it so we can only grow in the manifestation of the fruits

“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another. [35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one to another”.
(John 13:34-35)

The 10 commandments have been abolished and do not apply to the new creation. The new
commandment for the new creation is to love as Christ loved us.

“And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God should love his brother
also”. (1 John 4:21)

Your prove for your love for God is your love for your brother

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

[2] And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour”.( Ephes. 5:1-2)

Illustration

Just like children copy their father we should imitate God by walking in love. Imagine a child who wears
his father’s shoes and tie acting like his father.

I. OUR CONFESSION/MANNER OF LIFE

 CHRISTIANITY is called the great confession there is a connection between our confession and the
way we live.

“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken;
we also believe, and therefore speak”
(2 Corinthians 4:13).
 Christianity is a life of confession. Confession comes from the Greek word 'Homolodia'
which means, “Speaking the same things with God in consent”. The Bible says that what we
speak is not what we see, think or feel. We speak what we believe.

 In the book of Hebrews, the Bible says,


“Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have:
for he has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may BOLDLY SAY, the
Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me”
(Hebrews 13:5-6).

 God has spoken so that we may boldly say what He has said concerning us in agreement with
Him. This is the Christian life.

 It is our confessions that put our faith to work. Salvation is sealed by confession. Merely
believing in the mind does not do anything until we declare who we are, what we have
become etc. Confession puts the power of God to work. The Bible says, “That if thou shall
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus….” and also, “…With the mouth confession is made
unto salvation”.

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 Our confession sets our lives on course.
 Our life goes in the direction of our confession. Bible says, “For by faith we understand that
the world was formed by the word of God...” (Hebrews 11:3).

“Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
[5] For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
[6] Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ”
(Philip. 1:4-6)

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: [21]
who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”.
(Philip. 3:20-21)

 Our citizenship is in heaven we come from a higher kingdom and live by a different set of rules. The
bible is our constitution and that is how we know our rights and privileges. We are like ambassadors
in a foreign land who have diplomatic immunity

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
[11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
[12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all
that call upon him.
[13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”.
(Romans 10:9-13)

 We start out the Christian life with confessing the lordship of Jesus Christ and continue the Christian
life by this same process of confessing the things we believe.

“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not
be brought under the power of any”.
(1 Cor. 6:12)

 You must learn to leave the good for the best

J. Life and Death is in The Power of the Tongue


This is an extension of the last point we made concerning confession. The last point deals with
saying the same things with God. In other words agreeing with what God has said with our
words, but this one deals with the power of our tongue. The tongue has the power to kill or make
alive. The reason why we have to agree with God and say what He says is because His words are
spirit and they are life (John 6:63). Therefore, His words will produce life for us. Any other word
will produce negative things because there is power in the tongue.

The Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the
fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18: 21). This is very strong. The power to control life lies in the tongue
even though the tongue is one of the smallest members of the body. The Bible declares:

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“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able
also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and
we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven
of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire
kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it
defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell”

(James 3:2-6).

The Bible shows that the tongue controls everything about life. Jesus said in Mark 11:22, that
we shall have whatsoever we say. We must keep speaking the word of God. The Bible says
we should hold fast our confession.

Questions
1) Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Discuss this exhaustively with scriptures.
2) You shall have whatsoever you say. Explain.

K. Faith Walk
The Christian walk is a walk of faith. The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to
please God because he that “…cometh unto God must believe that He is and that He is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

We do not walk by what we see but by what the word says. Our sight should be focused
on nothing else but on the word. The Bible says, "While we look not at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen: For the things which are seen are temporal; but the
things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Everything the senses can perceive is temporal. They are subject to change but the word of
God abides forever. So the Bible says we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Our walk of faith is based on the law of faith The Bible declares in 2 Corinthians 4:13, "We
having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I
spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak".

This is why God said, 'let the weak say, l am strong'.

Question
(1) Explain, "For we walk by faith and not by sight”.
(2) Explain the law of faith.

L. Christianity is a Life of Submission


The Christian life is a life of submission - submission to the word of God. When we submit
ourselves to one another or to authority (both spiritually and earthly) we are submitting to the
word, because it is the word that admonishes us to live in submission. There are three levels
of authority that the Bible asks the Christian to recognize and submit to. They are:

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i. Authority in the home
This basically makes reference to the relationship between the husband and the wife and
between the children and the parents. For the husband and the wife, the Bible says, "Wives
submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body”
(Ephesians 5:22-23).

Notice that it did not say "Wives submit yourselves to all husbands". It says “to your own
husbands". While the wife is submitted to her own husband, her husband is asked to love her:
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself to it”
(Ephesians 5:25).

Authority is given the husband to be the head over his wife and so God commands the wife to
submit herself to the husband's authority. The authority that the husband exercises over his
wife is likened to the one Christ exercises over the church, and the wife is to submit herself to
her husband the way the church submits to Christ. On the other hand, children are asked to
obey their parents while the fathers were asked to bring up their children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-3).

ii. Civil Authority


In relating with the state, the Bible instructs also that we should submit to the authority of the
state or sovereign as long as he/she does not by his authority violate the authority of the word
of God. Bible says, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power
resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation”
(Romans 13:1-2)

The reason why we should submit to the leaders is because, God is the one who establishes
them and so any rebellion against the sovereign is directed towards God. The Bible says, “For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?
Do that which is good, and thou shall have praise of the same. For he is a minister of God to
thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid..." (Romans 13:4). Paul admonishes
us further to pray for those in authority so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and honesty.
(I Timothy 2:1-2)

iii. Authority in the Church


God has set up government in His church. He lets us know how to relate with those in
positions of authority in the body of Christ. Bible says, “Obey them that have the rule over
you and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that
they may do it with joy and not with grief, for this is unprofitable for you". (Hebrews 13:17)

Every Christian is admonished to submit to the authority in his/her local assembly because
those in authority are not ruling with their own abilities. It is the power of God that
established them where they are. Whoever resists them is resisting the anointing and this is
very dangerous. The Bible says it will not be profitable to do this.

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M. SETTLING DISAGREEMENTS

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone:
if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. [16] But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee
one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. [17] And if
he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto
thee as an heathen man and a publican”
(Matthew 18:15-17)

There is a way Christians should settle disputes amongst themselves that is different from the way of the
people of the world settles them. You call the party involved talk with him if he doesn’t listen to you invite
another Christian, yet still if there is no change tell it to the church that is to the pastor of the church. If
this does not work you can treat the person the way you would treat a stranger.

N. SANCTIFYING YOUR THOUGHTS

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man: [14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
[15] Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth
death”. (James 1:13-15)

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.
(Philip. 4:8)

 As Christians we have to take charge of our thoughts


 Thoughts can come to you from God, from your mind based on the information you receive and from
the devil
 As Christian you should not allow your mind to dwell on just anything
 The Bible gives us a list of things we should dwell on in Phi 4:8
 Be careful on what you dwell on because your mind is the doorway to your spirit.
 Be careful about the things you watch, read and hear like movies, books, magazines because they
could influence your thoughts positively or negatively.

PRINCIPLES OF PROSPERITY
1. WHAT IS PROSPERITY?
The Dictionary defines prosperity to mean, “The state of being prosperous; advance or gain in anything good
or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; attainment of the object desired; good
fortune; success; as, commercial prosperity; national prosperity”.

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
that ye through his poverty might be rich. [10] And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who
have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago”
(2 Cor. 8:9-10)

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which
Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper
whithersoever thou goest. [8] This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate

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therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou
shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success”
( Joshua 1:7-8)

2. PURPOSE OF PROSPERITY
 God is a wise investor and he expects results. The purpose of Gods prosperity in the life of a
Christian is specific and he never minced words about this. Many have boasted about their ability
to accumulate wealth but in Deuteronomy 8:17-18, God says; “And thou say in thine heart, my
power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the
LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that he may establish his
covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day”.

 Enjoying and having a great life is good but the purpose whereby God brings wealth into your
hands as a Christian is for the purpose of the Gospel. He wants to use your wealth to spread this
gospel. His desire is that all may come to the knowledge of truth and be saved. When God
prospers you, you must understand the reason and the more you invest in the kingdom, the more
he opens new frontiers for you. Zech 1:17

 The Purpose of Prosperity for a Christian is to be a blessing to other people especially to fellow
Christians.

There are several blessing associated with giving offering to God, some of these offerings are explained below
with various supporting scriptures:

A. TITHES
 This is one of the principles that a Christian has to follow if he must expect to work in prosperity. Here we
are talking about durable prosperity and not the one that goes up to come down. A Tithe God says belongs
to him and there is no negotiation about this as a Christian. When you pay your tithe it is to God and not
to a man. He says give it to me - that is one tenth of the value of your income. You may have said but I
don’t earn much and am expected to pay tithe out of that which is not enough already. A Christian must
pay tithes irrespective of the size.
 Malachi 3: 10 says; “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and
prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”. (ref. Genesis 14: 20, Matthew 23:
23, Luke 11: 42, Genesis 15: 18-20)
“And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him
tithes of all”. (Genesis 14:20)

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and
have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone”.
(Matthew 23:23)

“But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment
and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone”.
( Luke 11:42)

“In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land,
from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: [19] The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and
the Kadmonites, [20] And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims”.
(Genesis 15:18-20)

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B. FIRST FRUITS
This is another type of giving that is revealed to the Christian in the bible. First fruit means the first and
the best of your increase. This God also says belongs to Him. In Exodus 22 : 29, God says; ’’Thou shalt
not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give
unto me”. God is laying claim that this belongs to him. When you make a release of your first fruits to
God you are declaring that the rest of the fruits are sanctified. The bible declares f or if the firstfruit be
holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches - Romans 11:16.

“The first fruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep,
shalt thou give him”. (Deut. 18:4)

C. FREEWILL OFFERING
The freewill offering just as the name implies is what you make up in your mind to give to God of your
own free will. These pertains to such offerings we give during the services and meetings. When you give
expect harvests. Also know that harvests come with multiplication. Luke6 :38 says ; ‘’Give, and it shall
be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again”.

D. SEED OFFERING
This is a special kind of offering. It is given in expectation for something and most times it comes as a
sacrifice. A Christian, who expects a change in the affairs of his life, family, business, work and others,
may decide to pick up something that is of value to him and offer it to God with expectation for God to
intervene on his behalf.

God will never owe any man who gives to him. “…as it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he
hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the
sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of
your righteousness ;)

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully
shall reap also bountifully. [7] Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to make all grace abound
toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: [9] (As it
is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
[10] Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed
sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness ;) [11] Being enriched in everything to all
bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God”. (2 Cor. 9:6-11)

E. PARTNERSHIP
Partnership is another type of giving made by a Christian. It is a relationship between individuals or
groups that is characterized by mutual cooperation and responsibility, as for the achievement of a
specified goal. Here the specified goal is reaching the world with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It
speaks volume of the Christian. This is because the christian by his giving is saying for the purpose of
achieving the cause he has joined forces together with the pastor or ministry to make sure the gospel is
taken to the whole world. The partner may not be everywhere present, but through his giving, anywhere
the gospel is taken to, he is ably represented by his money which he has staked for the purpose. When a
christian does this, God is unwilling to do without him.

“And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with
Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life”.

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(Philippians. 4:3)
“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye
were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity”.
(Philippians 4:10)

“Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no
church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. [16] For even in
Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. [17] Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit
that may abound to your account. [18] But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of
Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well
pleasing to God. [19] But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus”. (Philip. 4:15-19)

CONCLUSION

This class teaches on Christian character and the responsibility of the Christian, the life that has been given to him
– (Love). Our confession and manner of lives must be consistent with the Word of God. There is power in our
tongues, so we must speak the right words. A Christian must work by faith, because without faith he cannot please
God. Christianity is a life of submission and therefore Christians must respect and submit to the authority at home,
church, office and government. Anything contrary to this is rebellious, which is as the sin of witchcraft. Finally, a
Christian must not speak against his leader.

REVISION QUESTIONS

1. What is the whole class all about?


2. What does the life of a Christian consist. Relate with bible references.
3. What is confession and what should be the manner of our (Christian’s) confession?
4. What does it mean to say, “Life and death is in the power of tongue?
5. What is the significance of this statement to the life of a Christian?
6. Why should a Christian be submissive?
7. What are the three level of authority as taught in this class.
8. How can you describe the ideal or recommended relationship with your spiritual leader?
9. What should be your relationship with constituted authorities; both those who hate and maltreat
you and those who love you.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT

1. What is the relationship between the tongue and life? (James 3:4-6, Mark11:22-23)
2. “The Just shall live by faith” Rom1:17, we walk by faith not by sight 2 Cor 5:7. Discuss.

Self-Evaluation and Assessment

I love the Lord with all of my heart, soul and might and I love my neighbours as myself. The love of God is shared
abroad in my heart. There is power in my tongue so with my tongue I cause the desired changes. I impact lives
with my tongue and also give life.

TODAY’S CONFESSIONS:

I am love. Love is my nature. I am patient and I am kind

SCRIPTURE FOR MEDITATION


1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ampl

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REFERENCE MATERIALS

Tapes

a. Christ in You
b. Striving for the Faith of the Gospel
c. Serving the Lord,
d. One thing needful,
e. 3 important things
f. Walking in God,
g. Living according to the Spirit.
h. Understanding Righteousness (Series)
i. The Life of Christ in You
j. Maintaining a Perfect Heart
k. The Concept of Sin (DVD)
l. The Concept of Sin (DVD)
m. The Essence of Christianity

Books

1. The Power of Tongues.


2. ROR Topical Compendium Vols.1 & vol 2
3. Now That You are Born Again

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CLASS 6: THE LOCAL ASSEMBLY AND BELIEVERS LOVEWORLD

INTRODUCTION

The Church has been God’s plan from the beginning to establish His kingdom here on earth. In the Old
Testament, God set the children of Israel free from the land of Egypt for them to worship Him. This is
the first time we hear about the “Church in the wilderness”. God called the children of Israel out of
Egypt, which is why the church can be referred to as “the called out ones”.

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the
fullness of him that filleth all in all” Ephesians 1:22-23. The scripture let us know that the church is the body of
Christ. He is the head, while the church is his body. “And he gave some apostles, and some evangelists and some
pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the body of
Christ” Ephesians 4:11-12.

Learning Objectives:

 That the student would understand the Universal Church – the purpose and functions of the Church through its
individual members
 That the student is well informed about the ministry and the leadership structure of the ministry
 that the student has a better understanding of the Cell System as it integrates with the universal church
 The student should understand his/her role and what it means to give one’s life a meaning- understanding of
the vision of the ministry their role in outreach programs and our emphasis on training at all levels. And lastly,
 that the student is at home with what we believe and preach in this ministry as summarized in our statement of
faith.

1. WHAT IS THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH AND THE BODY OF CHRIST

The Greek word translated Church is ECCLESIA, which means a gathering of people called out
from among other people. It is very important that you get to understand what the universal church is and
also know how one becomes a member. It must be understood that the church is one. The universal church
therefore comprises every member of the body of Christ in the whole world round. This is the whole family of
God that meets in every part of the world from Christ to date. Ephesians 3:21

We find that Christ himself being the head of the church, appointed (or gave) the five ministry gifts. (i.e.
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) for the perfection, building up (edifying) of the church.
The church is God’s peculiar treasure. Colossians 1:18,24

The church is the God’s peculiar treasure. The word of God declares in Psalms 16:3 “but saints that are in
the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight” The church is God’s delight. The NKJV reads “and to
the excellent ones”. It’s great to belong to the church (i.e. the body of Christ).

ICorinthians 12:18 God himself sets his children into the particular local assembly they should belong. You
are not here by chance. God positioned you in this particular local assembly inline with his predestined
purpose for you and I. The Universal body of Christ needs you. Romans 12:4-5

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2. HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?

To become a member of the universal church (or the church precisely), one has to be born again. This is the only
pre-requisite for becoming a member of the church. To be born again is to appreciate for yourself the salvation
that Jesus brings. All you have to do is to act on the word of God as it is in Romans 10:9-10

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation”

By reason of this proclamation or declaration one is baptized into the body of Christ through the instrumentality of
the Holy Spirit. This is being born again (i.e. Holy Ghost baptism).

3. EVERYONE SHOULD BELONG TO A CHURCH


It is very important that every Christian belongs to a church (i.e. local assembly). We had seen in Hebrews 10:25
that the apostle Paul admonishes that we should not forsake the gathering of ourselves together as the bad manner
of some is. We should not make ourselves church supervisors, going from one church to another under the pretext
that God spoke to us, for there is no such thing as that. We should be committed to a local assembly. The only time
God will speak to you to leave a church for another according to the scriptures is when his word is not taught
there. He would now (by the Holy Spirit) direct you to a proper place. See Acts 2:42; Hebrews 2:13. Also, going
from church to church would not allow you to be built up. It rather helps to raise questions and doubt and
suspicion.

It was the custom of Jesus to go the temple, same also with the disciples. They are our examples. We should
follow after them; also it is important that we go to church to be built up too. Finally, we go to church to worship
God, to pour out our heart to him, to praise and glorify him. Luk4:16

That is why we need local assemblies; it enhances fellowship and causes every member to contribute his or her
own part in the work of the ministry. Also the unity of the brethren is adequately enhanced. ICorinthians
12:12-,18-27; Ephesian4:16 The whole body is fitly joined together and compacted as each one of us supplies
our own expected (ordained) quota to the work of the ministry.

Secondly, local assembly enables brethren to identify what office or role they can perform. Romans 12:4-5 The
Universal body of Christ needs you. We depend on one another just as God depends on us. That is why we must
care for one another and honor one another.

4. PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH


Primarily the purpose of the church can be seen to be three-fold

a. To glorify God, Ephesians 1:9-12, Ephesians 3:20-21


The true purpose of the Church is to be a light, (Isaiah 60:1) and to glorify God in all our works
and deeds, mindful of the fact that He is the Lord of our lives, our source and strength (Ephesians
3:21).
“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath
purposed in himself. That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. In whom also we have
obtained and inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his will. That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ”

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God’s purpose is for the church to glorify Him and to show forth His glory, (i. e. His Excellency, His
perfection)

b. To witness to the world


Apart from glorifying God, the church should also be involved in witnessing to the world our Lord Jesus
Christ. This talks of soul winning and it is God’s number one job. It is God’s heartthrob. Every Christian
should make soul winning a priority/ involvement with witnessing is not negotiable both singularly and
corporately, the church should evangelize and disciple the world for Jesus. See Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8,
2nd Corinthians 5:17-19, and Mark 16:15-16.

c. To build up the saints


Every member of the church is called to be saints (1Cor1:2) and we all have the responsibility of contributing
to the building or edification of the body of Christ. The things that we , as we are taught by the ministry gifts
(i. e. pastors, prophets, evangelists, teachers, and apostles) and the Holy Spirit, we should use also to teach
others and bring them up in the faith. As Christians, we should take up our appropriate responsibilities viz;
soul winning and soul development. It is not enough to witness to somebody of Jesus but adequate follow up
should be mounted to win and develop him to the level that he becomes involved too in winning and
developing others. See Ephesians 4:11-16

5. WHY DO WE NEED LOCAL ASSEMBLY?

The local assembly actually is a gathering of believers in a given locality.

a.) The local assembly positions the individual believer in the body of Christ and enables him or her
function properly in the body of Christ. (1 Cor 12:26)
b.) The local assembly also builds up the individual member thereby nourishing him or her onto
maturity. (Eph 4:11-14)
c.) The local assembly also enables the believer discover the different gifts bestowed on him by the
Holy Spirit. (1 Cor.12:28-31)

6. IS IT IMPORTANT TO BELONG TO A CHURCH?

It is important to belong to a Church because the bible instructs us not to neglect the coming together of
God’s people i.e. in fellowship (Hebrews 10:25). We also belong to a Church so as to grow spiritually
onto maturity, it makes us consistent and committed members of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-
14).

7. WHO BUILDS THE CHURCH?


a. ‘UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURH’
In Matthew 16:13-19, you will discover that many people have erroneously interpreted Jesus’ statement or
words to mean that Peter is the rock. We must get it right and this can only come as we take this in context.
You see after Peter answered that “thou art the Christ the son of the Living God” and Jesus acknowledged his
answer by saying flesh and blood hath not revealed it to you but his father which is in heaven”

He went further to tell Peter that upon this rock I will build my church. The rock Jesus referred to there is “the
revelation that Peter received, that Jesus is the Christ” So we find that Jesus Christ is the rock upon which the
church is built. Other scriptures reveal this clearly; 1 st Corinthians 3:11. “for other foundation can no man lay
than is laid, which is Jesus Christ”. See Ephesians 5:23-25, Ephesians 2:18-20. 1st Peter 2:4-7

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When the Lord would have built up Zion, then He will come in His glory. We have seen that Jesus is the rock
which the church is built on Matthew 16:18. Jesus therefore is the builder of the church. He is the head of the
church, Ephesians 5:23. He is the author and the finisher (or perfecter) of our faith, Hebrews 12:2.

b. Also, every member of the church is equally building the church. In Ephesians 4:12-16, you will find that the
reason for which Jesus gave the ministry gifts for equipping and perfecting of the saints for the work of the
ministry, for the building up (edifying) of the body of Christ (i. e. the church). This therefore makes us
partners with deity. God is building his church through us. The word of God declares that we are God’s
workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Ephesians 2:10, importantly also we find in 1st
Corinthians 3:9-10 “For we are laborers together with God: we are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s
buildings.” According to the grace of God, which is given unto me, as a wise master builder. I have laid the
foundation and another buildeth, thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth there upon”.
There is a reward waiting for us for how we build on the foundation, for our work in the ministry, when we
stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we shall receive our eternal reward. 1st Corinthians 9:25,
2Timothy4:8

8. YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LEADERS


a. Christianity is a Life of Submission- submission to the word of God. When we submit
ourselves to one another or to authority (both spiritually and earthly) we are submitting to the
word, because it is the word that admonishes us to live in submission. There are three levels
of authority that the Bible asks the Christian to recognize and submit to. They are:

 Authority in the home


 This basically makes reference to the relationship between the husband and the wife
and between the children and the parents. For the husband and the wife, the Bible
says, "Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the
husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is
the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:22-23).
 Notice that it did not say "Wives submit yourselves to all husbands". It says “to your
own husbands". While the wife is submitted to her own husband, her husband is asked
to love her: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and
gave Himself to it” (Ephesians 5:25).
 Authority is given the husband to be the head over his wife and so God commands the
wife to submit herself to the husband's authority. The authority that the husband
exercises over his wife is likened to the one Christ exercises over the church, and the
wife is to submit herself to her husband the way the church submits to Christ. On the
other hand, children are asked to obey their parents while the fathers were asked to
bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-3).

 Civil authority
 In relating with the state, the Bible instructs also that we should submit to the
authority of the state or sovereign as long as he/she does not by his authority violate
the authority of the word of God. Bible says, "Let every soul be subject unto the
higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of
God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God: and
they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation” (Romans 13:1-2)

 The reason why we should submit to the leaders is because, God is the one who
establishes them and so any rebellion against the sovereign is directed towards God.
The Bible says, “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Wilt thou then

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not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shall have praise of the
same. For he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be
afraid..." (Romans 13:4). Paul admonishes us further to pray for those in authority so
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (I Timothy
2:1-2)

 Authority in the Church


 God has set up government in His church. He lets us know how to relate with those in
positions of authority in the body of Christ. Bible says, “Obey them that have the rule
over you and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give
account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for this is unprofitable for
you". (Hebrews 13:17)

 Every Christian is admonished to submit to the authority in his/her local assembly


because those in authority are not ruling with their own abilities. It is the power of
God that established them where they are. Whoever resists them is resisting the
anointing and this is very dangerous. The Bible says it will not be profitable to do this.

 The Bible says we should obey our spiritual leaders and submit to them (Hebrews
13:17)
 Loyalty: 1Cor16:15-16: We all like the house of Stephanas should be addicted to the ministry of
the saints. It is a decision that has eternal rewards in this world and the world to come. This
loyalty is demonstrated in our obedience to our leaders 1Chron20:20

 Submission: Your spiritual leader has been given the charge by God to watch over your welfare.
The leaders in the church have the responsibility of training people who are under them, to full
maturity. This responsibility could be a lot easier when the followers humble themselves in
obedience to their leaders. Your attitude should be such that your leaders would give your report
with joy and not with grief.
 In 1st Samuel 15:22-23, this scripture like many other places clearly explains that “obedience is
better than sacrifice”. This is one of the very important required characters of a Christian in his
relationship to his leader. In other words, rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. Scripture
equates them to WITCHCRAFT and IDOL WORSHIP, sins worthy of death. Refer to Exodus
22:18, Leviticus 20:6.
 Also Numbers 16, we read how Korah who was a Levite, and already one of the leaders rebelled
against Moses and was punished. God does not take insurrection lightly

 Can You Speak Against Your Leaders Even If He Does Something Wrong? (Number 12:1-6)
 As Christians, it is not in our position to speak against our leaders even if they do something
wrong. This is because they are ordained by God and are answerable to him or their leader, and
not to you who is under him. (Romans 13: 12) says “let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers. For there is no power that be but God’s; the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resists the power resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist the
powers shall receive to themselves damnation. Just like the example of Miriam and Aaron in
Numbers 12:1-6.
 Another example of bad leadership are the Pharisee, whom Jesus still admonished the people to
still obey what they say and not what they do. Matthew23:2-3

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What Do You Do?
o Pray for him. 1st Timothy 2:1-2
o Paul urges us to pray for people, particularly for our leaders. This is not when they have
been good to us but even at times when things are not well.
o Speak to someone senior to him in love, not complaining.
o Forgive him in love

9. WHY SHOULD I GO TO CHURCH?

 God said so
The Word of God is unambiguous in letting us know that He desires His children to attend
Church. In Hebrews 10:25, the admonition is clear not to forsake the assembly of the brethren,
and even goes on to indicate that some were erroneously doing so.

 Jesus did, showing us a pattern to follow


Our Lord showed us a pattern to follow. The scriptures tell us He attended Church as was His
custom, in Luke 4:16. As our Lord, and having been called into fellowship with Him we should
follow His example and live as He did.

 It is the vehicle by which you function in the body of Christ


A Christian is not a committed Christian until he demonstrates his commitment in the local
assembly, because the local assembly is a microcosm of the mystical body of Christ, which is
God’s representative on earth. You can’t function in that body until you function in the local
assembly. The scriptures are clear that the early church was made up of local assemblies and
several were mentioned in the epistles, for example Rom 16:5 and Rev 3.

 The Church is the Pillar and Ground of Truth – 1 Tim 3:15


God wants His children to know the truth about life, because the truth makes you free from
bondage and sets you at liberty. In the Church you are taught the truth. In the absence of the truth,
a man will believe a lie and be a victim of it. For example the scriptures tell us that Jesus has
abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. In the Church,
these truths are not only taught, but explained. The teaching of God’s Word is crucial for
victorious living, and the Church is a primary avenue for this.

 The Church is a place of fellowship with other Christians

Fellowship with other Christians is so important in the growth of a Believer. The scriptures tell us
in Hebrews 10:24-25 that we should provoke one another to love, and to good works, and further
says we should encourage one another. In Proverbs 27:17, the scriptures indicate that we
sharpen ourselves, as we fellowship. The company a man keeps will affect his life and growth, as
the scriptures tell us in 1 Cor 15:33. So keeping and being found in the right company is
desirable and going to Church facilitates this.

 The Church is a place where Christian Growth and Character are enhanced
In Eph 4:11-16, the scriptures clearly state that God ordains certain offices for the benefit of the
Christian, for growth and to sharpen his spiritual development. These offices are found in the
Church, and men are ordained into them for the local assembly, for the benefit of those in that
local assembly.

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 The Church is a place where you hear the word of God required for faith
& lifeGod requires us to live by faith, without it you can’t please God – Heb 11:6. The Church is
a place where the Word of God is preached and taught. The preaching of the word imparts faith
and the teaching of the word helps that faith to grow as you understand and put to work what you
learn.

 The Church is a place of training In 1 Tim 3:16, the bible lets us know that the Word of
God is given to train and instruct you. In the Church, God sets instructors who are able to
instruct you in the truth and help you to culture your life. The Church is a place where
discipline and proper conduct are imparted. These are required for your spiritual growth and
for you to be used of God. 1 Cor 14: 40.
 The Church is a place of solution to life’s questions In the Epistles we see the pattern
where the Apostles sent letters to the Churches to address life’s questions that the brethren
had. It hasn’t changed. The Church is uniquely equipped by the Holy Spirit to communicate
wisdom from God for questions a Christian might have. Getting answers from the world is a
dead end since the wisdom of the world is destined to come to nought. 1 Cor 2:6. The
Church is places where you can experience the corporate anointing As brethren dwell
together in unity, the scriptures tell us in Ps 133 that it provokes a corporate anointing that
blesses everyone. The anointing is contagious in the Church, by association a Christian can
sometimes do more with other believers than he could by himself.
 The Church is a place of refuge, comfort and refreshing
A Christian is guaranteed to receive encouragement and words of refreshing in Church. This
is often needed after the travails of the market-place of life. The Church is a place where you
can receive the undiluted truth, and learn new things that are progressively to your benefit.
The Church is a place of upliftment, encouragement and refuge. No wonder David was
always delighted to go to Church and remain there – Ps 122:1 and Ps 27:4.

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BELIEVERS’ LOVEWORLD INCOPORATED

1. CHRIST EMBASSY AND YOU


The book of 2nd Corinthians 5:20 says that we are ambassadors for Christ. Like any other ambassador here on
earth posted to another country, we are also ambassadors (representatives) of Christ to reconcile the world back to
Him. We are posted into the World though we are not of the world. We are to win the world to Christ. Zion is our
home country because we are on an official assignment. In doing this, we give people’s lives a meaning i. e.
salvation, healing, prosperity, peace etc

The Vision of the Ministry

“To take the divine presence of God to the people and the nations of the World and to demonstrate the character

of the Spirit”

We are to win souls, build then and send them. Our vision is translated in the message we preach and how we

preach it

QUESTION: What are my responsibilities as an Ambassador of Christ?

2. THE CELL SYSTEM


This is a set of fellowships and outreach units working together as a whole for the growth or development of
the Mother church.

a. It serves as a basis of identification of our members as everybody must belong to a cell.


b. It serves as a place for the exploitation of leadership potentials. To win souls and take responsibility
over them, he can rise from being a bible study teacher who is responsible for at least two souls he
won into the cell, to becoming a PCF leader. A PCF leader is responsible for about ten cells or more.
c. It is a unit of outreach
d. It is a unit of fellowship.
e. It is a unit to cater for the immediate need of brethren as they arise. The philosophy of the Cell system
is: win souls, build souls, and send them.

PCUs (Pastoral Care Unit) are made up of at least 3 cells and PCFs (Pastoral Care Fellowship) are made up of
at least 3 PCUs. The PFCC (Pastoral Fellowship Coordinating Center) supervises the running of the Cell
system. We have cells for teenagers, singles and the married. The single PCFs are in Zones (geographically
located) while the youths and married PCFs are not.

QUESTIONS: find out all the locations where we have Cells and which covers each area. Get names of all
the leaders in the various cells and know them.

3. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MINISTRY


The Ministry started as a fellowship at the then Bendel State University Ekpoma, Nigeria. It was known as the
“Youth for Christ”. The name later changed to “Believers’ Love World Campus Fellowship”. On
graduating from campus, Pastor Chris started Christ Embassy (the first church) in Benin and later handed it
over to Rev Tom and came over to Lagos. In Lagos, Christ Embassy began at Adeniyi Jones in Ikeja, from

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where the church moved to Alausa and finally moved to Oregun Road. Today, we are in various continents of
the globe.

4. THE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE


At the helm of affairs of the ministry is Pastor Chris Oyakhilome. He is the President and head of the CEC

(Central Executive Council), which is the highest decision making body of the ministry. In the CEC, ee have as

the Secretary-General Pastor Kayode Adesena, Assistant Secretary-General are Pastor Biodun Lawal, Pastor

Karen, Pastor Afolabi Oketunji, other members of the CEC are Rev. Tom Amenkhienan, Rev Ray Okocha,

Evangelist Eddy Owase, Rev. Ken Oyakhilome, Pastor Tom Obiazi, Pastor Tuoyo Edun, and Pastor Ambrose

Isesele.

The GEC (General Executive Council) is made up of all the Pastors in the ministry. This comprises of the Pastors
of C.E.C (Christ Embassy Churches) satellite church pastors, campus pastors and other ordained pastors in the
ministry. They meet at the pastoral conference, which holds in November annually.

QUESTION: Identify and know your CEC members facially, know the chapter of Christ Embassy they pastor.

The Central
Executive Council

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5. THE VARIOUS ARMS OF THE MINISTRY

We all jointly ensure that the gospel is made available to all men (around the world) as much as possible.
Our partnership seeds and pledges to the various arms make this possible.

a. Church Ministry (and Missions)


The name of the church is Christ Embassy. All the churches in this ministry are addressed as Christ
Embassy. These comprise of the chapter churches headed by the CEC members, other Christ Embassy
churches headed by non-CEC members and the satellite churches. Each church has satellite churches
operation under them. They are offshoots of the main CEC churches.

b. Media Ministry
The term media refers to the mode of transmitting information of news. This is done either by print or
electronically. For the ministry, we transmit the good news through our CDs, tapes, TV programmes and
the Internet.

c. Publishing Ministry
Our vision is translated in the message we preach and how we preach it. The Rhapsody of Realities daily
devotional is going around the world, giving simplicity to the gospel. Our tapes and books also portray
the vision. A standard is set for these materials because of the quality we place on the gospel.

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Our individual involvement in the distribution or marketing of our Rhapsody, Bibles, and Books also help
to achieve our desired end of spreading the gospel.

d. Healing Ministry
Our Healing school programmes also tell the vision; no two of our programmes are like. The Healing
School is taking the divine presence of God, bringing healing to the peoples of all nations.

e. Inner-city Missions
Our ministry to the destitute children in the inner cities of the world; where we provide them shelter, food
and education as we build them for the Lord.

f. Campus Ministry
The ministry as stated earlier on started from the campus. Pastor Chris has a unique ministry for the
youth, which is why, we have the results we get from our campuses. It is in line with the vision of the
ministry. Today, we have our fellowship in virtually all the Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of
Education and Schools of Administration. The name of the Campus Fellowship is Believers’ LoveWorld
(BLW) Campus Fellowship. The fellowship is divided into zones. Training programmes are held from
time to time for their leaders to empower them for the work of the ministry.

QUESTION: Why do you think God told Pastor Chris to start from the Campus?

g. Love-world Ministerial College


The growth rate of this ministry is very fast and thus the need for trained hands to handle the
responsibility of nurturing new converts in the various ministries and the doctrine of Christ. LMC is not a
bible school but a training ground for leaders. Every member of the ministry is a potential leader. LMC
affords us the opportunity to being trained on the Word, the vision of the ministry, for the work of the
ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ. This is done in our own unique way. This is the highest
level of training in the ministry. It offers courses from GS (General Studies), church administration, Lay
Pastoring and pastoral courses.

h. Love-world Correspondence Bible Course


This is also a training course open to all. It is done by correspondence i.e. without a classroom
environment. It comprises of daily study guides and questions, which enable us to cultivate a disciplined
and steady study life. Monthly packs for this course are prepared for us and on completion of the course
for each month, another month course is sent and thus you can continually take the course conveniently
every morning or at night. A token fee is paid for each pack consisting of an audiocassette by Pastor
Chris, a course manual and an exercise book for the answers.

6. MINISTRY PROGRAMMES
These are programmes that are held either annually or quarterly or at the discretion of our Pastorate.

a. International Pastors and Partners conference (IPPC)


This is the most significant of all the programmes we hold. Everyone who identifies with this ministry
comes for this program irrespective of whether they reside in Nigeria or not. It is a time to hear from God.
We also hear of the great strides taken in the past years and the plan for the coming year. The various
churches and campus fellowships tender reports, and prizes are awarded. At IPPC, you as an individual
can take advantage of the period to hear from God by yourself on your way forward.

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b. Total Experience or Higher Life conferences
This is purely a meeting with the Holy Spirit in total control. Its aim is to create an avenue for the Holy
Ghost to move mightily in the lives of people, especially for salvation of their souls and healing of their
bodies.

c. Word Mission
This is Pastor Chris itinerary (schedule) on how he visits the various Christ Embassy churches within and
outside the country with God’s word on a mission. For instance, in August every year, he goes to England
for Word Convention.

d. Prosperity Convention
This program is a Holy Spirit inspired program in which the brethren are taught on the prosperity of the
spirit, soul, and body of the new creation. One very peculiar aspect of this meeting is that the brethren are
inspired by the Holy Spirit to give of their substance to the lord for the work of the ministry as a lifestyle
and not as a once in a while thing.

e. Night Of Bliss
This is Pastor Chris itinerary (schedule) for all members of the Believers Loveworld Nation aka Christ
Embassy, It is our monthly End of Month Prayer meeting all across our churches within and outside the
country

7. THE BELIEVER’S LOVEWORLD STATEMENT OF FAITH


This is the statement of Bible doctrine as believed and taught by the Believers’ LoveWorld inc. AKA Christ
Embassy. This statement of faith has its source in the Bible and is in total agreement with the foundational
principle of the doctrines of Christ.

1. We believe that the Bible contains the inspired and infallible Word of God. (2Tim 3:16; 2Pet 1:20-
21)
2. We believe that there is only one God eternally existent in three (3) persons; God the father, God the
Son and God the Holy Spirit. (Eph 4:5-6, 2 Cor 8:16; Gen 1:26; Matt 3:16-17)
3. We believe in the deity of Christ: (Jn 1:1-4; Jn 10:30; Heb 1:1-5)
(a) He was born of a virgin; (Matt 1:18-25; Lk 1:30-35)
(b) He was conceived of the Holy Spirit; (Matt 1:18-25; Lk 1:30-35)
(c) He died; (Jn 19:30-35)
(d) He rose again from the dead bodily; (Jn 20:25-29; Lk 24:36-40)
(e) He ascended into heaven bodily; (Act 1:9-11; 1 Thess 4:16)
4. We believe in the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ. (1 Thess4: 16- 17; Matt
24:29-30)
5. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is repentance and faith in the precious
blood of Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19; Lk 24:47; Eph 1:7)
6. We believe that regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God is essential for
personal salvation. (Titus 2:5; Jn 3:3-5; Eph 5:25-27)
7. We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides divine healing for the body and
salvation for the soul of everyone that believes. (1Pet 2:24; Acts 3:16; Acts 9:32-35)
8. We believe that when an individual receives the Holy Spirit, he receives divine enablement for
Christian service and witness. (Acts 1:8; 2:4; 3:1-26; 4:5-12)

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9. We believe in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:16; 1 Cor 6:11)
10. We believe in the final resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the former to eternal life and the
latter to eternal judgement. (Rev 20:11-15; 1 Cor 15:12-23)

REVISION QUESTIONS

1. With reference to the eight (8 th) statement of faith of the ministry: Differentiate between the baptism
of the Holy Spirit and receiving the Holy Spirit.
2. What is the church?
3. What do you understand by the universal church?
4. How can one become a member of the church?
a. What is the purpose of the church?
b. Briefly discuss on how you are involved in achieving two of these
5. i. Is Apostle Peter the Rock?

ii.Who is the rock and give two scriptures to back your answer up

GROUP DISCUSSION AND ASSIGNMENT

1. Jesus is the builder of the church. Matthew 16:18; 1 Peter 2:6. Discuss.
2. Why do we need a local assembly?

REFERENCE MATERIALS

TAPES

How to pray for God’s People.

The harvest is Plenteous

You are my Witness

Christ builds His Church

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CLASS 7: THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING AS A TECHNOLOGICAL
PLATFORM IN ADVANCING THE GOSPEL

INTRODUCTION

Technology has become an indispensable medium through which more and more people are connected
and communicate through both low and high-end tech means. Communicating and staying connected
with dispersed relationships today are enabled and enhanced through technology. Therefore, it goes
without saying that technology has made the world a global village where the barriers of distance,
language, culture, tradition, ethnicity and interest have been eliminated.

The use of technology in reaching our respective spheres of influences and constantly being abreast of
relevant information from our great ministry (The BLW Nation) has become imperative and must be
fully utilized.

Today, media technologies such as the Internet and the social media are increasingly shaping every
sphere of our professional, social and cultural life, creating new and interconnected media arenas and
relationships. This phenomenon called technology also provides a platform for us Christians to “hold
forth the word of life”. Our desire as Christians should be to make wise use of technology to propagate
the gospel and expand the kingdom of God wherever it can best help.

Just as the subject of ‘technology’ is wide, so also are its applications, dimensions and benefits but for
the purpose of this class, we would be focusing on the use of SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING as a
technological platform in advancing the gospel.

The Psalmist prayed to God in Psalms 67 verse 2 (TLB) saying…

“Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind”.

The Lord also instructed every believer in the great commission in Matt. 28 vs 10-20 (KJV) to…

”Go ye therefore, and teach 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…” .

The concern of previous years of how we are to go around the world with God’s saving power, teaching
the nations the principles of the kingdom has been taken away by technology. The world and indeed
nations have been delivered into our hands, and with the tap of the finger, God’s saving power is
available to millions from one location.

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Overview Of Social Media and Social Media Networking
SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is best understood as a group of new kinds of online media, which share most or all of the
following characteristics:

Participation: social media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is interested.

Openness: most social media services are open to feedback and participation. They encourage voting,
comments and the sharing of information

Conversation: whereas traditional media is about “broadcast”, social media is better seen as a two-way
conversation.

Community: social media allows communities to form quickly and communicate effectively.
Communities share common interests, such as a love for photography, a political issue, fashion, sports,
culture, etc.

Connectedness: Most kinds of social media thrive on their connectedness, making use of links to other
sites, resources and people.

SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING

These sites allow people to build personal web pages and then connect with friends to share content and
communication. Social media networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small
rural communities or a neighborhood subdivision, if you will. Social media networking is filled with
millions of individuals who are looking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information
and experiences about life events.

Many of these online community members share common interests in hobbies, religion, politics and
alternative lifestyles. Once you are granted access to a social networking website you can begin to
socialize. This socialization may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even
contacting them. The friends that one can make are just one of the many benefits to social networking
online. Another one of those benefits includes diversity because the social media networking gives
individuals from all around the world access to information. This means that although someone can be
in Africa, but could develop an online friendship with another person in Denmark or India.

Examples are:

Blogs

Perhaps the best known form of social media, blogs are online journals, with entries appearing with the
most recent first.

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Wikis

These websites allow people to add content to or edit the information on them, acting as a communal
document or database. The best-known wiki is Wikipedia

Podcasts

Audio and video files that are available by subscription, through services like Apple iTunes.

Forums

Areas for online discussion, is often around specific topics and interests. Forums came about before the
term “social media” and are a powerful and popular element of online communities.

Content communities

Communities are social media platforms that organize and share particular kinds of content. The most
popular content communities tend to form around photos (Flickr), bookmarked links (delicious) and
videos (YouTube).

Microblogging

Social networking combined with bite-sized blogging, where small amounts of content (‘updates’) are
distributed online and through the mobile phone network. Twitter is the clear leader in this field.

Mobile social media

When social media is used in combination with mobile devices it is called mobile social media. This is a
group of mobile communication applications that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated
content. Due to the fact that mobile social media runs on mobile devices, it differentiates from
traditional social media as it incorporates new factors such as the current location of the user (location-
sensitivity) or the time delay between sending and receiving messages (time-sensitivity).

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The Importance Of Social Media in Today's world

Its is estimated that 2.08 Billion of the world’s population are active in the virtual community - the
internet, and 5.2 Billion use mobile phones. This figure is projected to double by 2015.

• It provides us with a whole new way to stay connected and communicate with a global audience
at a moment’s notice;

• Now we can reach and influence hundreds of thousands of people with a single post;

• Nowadays Social Media (SM) has succeeded in quickly breaking down personal, cultural and
proximity barriers;

• It has helped open up a whole new world of conversational opportunities;

• It helps expand our social circles and explore new horizons through our online connections;

• Through SM news/information spread and are accessed faster;

• Through SM, we can bring about the change we want in our society and even in the larger world
faster.

The Christian And Social Media

Some are of the opinion that as Christians we should not use SM. But because the control lies in our
hands as Christians, it can be used for good.

Just as our Lord Jesus Christ used the power of social networks to build the Church from twelve
disciples in a small community to hundreds of millions around the world today. We also, as Christians
are to carry on the tradition like social networks in our own culture through opportunities in cyberspace
with social networking sites like Yookos, Facebook, blogs, You Tube and Twitter, among others.

Now through SM (from our home/city/nation) we can evangelize and make disciples in another country
without the need of physical appearance. As Christians, we must adopt the SM as a new way of reaching

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people. Technology has helped tear down the geographical borders that once divided us, making it easier
to reach out to many people at once through SM. Whereas in years back missionaries traveled for days
on end to get to their destination to spread the gospel, the interconnectedness that SM sites create makes
it easier to access many people with the gospel at once in our generation.

Many can be saved, healed, strengthened and transformed just by being exposed to the transforming
power of the gospel of Christ that we share/publish through SM sites. Always share:

 Testimonies of your personal Christian life/salvation;

 Pictures from our inspiring church programs/services where the power of Christ was
demonstrated;

 Recaps of our Pastor’s messages (from ROR) that has blessed you.

BIBLE REF.: Titus 1:5; 1 Cor. 9:22; Psm. 68:11 (TLB)

How To Use Social Media

Our conducts, practices and use of language in communicating on SM platform as Christians should be
different.

 Post no wrong/unedifying communication

 Have a purpose – to influence and impact with your SM community with our message.

 Make an impact with your communication

 Don’t just have a presence, be active on the SM platform

 Create and share contents

 Get people to join your SM platform regularly

BIBLE REF.: Phill. 2:15, 16b; Eph. 4:29

Using Smart Phones, Tablets and Other Mobile Devices To Spread The Gospel

Interconnect and rebroadcast messages, upload pictures and share testimonies of impact from our church
or cell programs on social media by using these devices

 Practical demonstration by the teacher

 Encourage the students to come to class with internet enabled phones/mobile devices

 Let everyone participate

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Use of Yookos In Social Media Networking And Evangelism

Introduction to Yookos

 Practical demonstration by the teacher;

 The teacher takes the students through the navigation and features of the site;

 Students are instructed to sign on;

 Students are instructed to invite friends, create blogs, and groups, and also post comments on the
site to gain points for the class;

 As part of the class, the students are directed to have 'Live chats' with the pastor of the local
church just to interact with him and share their experience in the seven week period they were in
Foundation.

Introduction to BLW ministry Apps, usage, benefits, etc.

 Practical demonstration by the teacher;

 The teacher shows the students various ministry Apps and their benefits, how to download;

 Students are instructed to download the Apps;

 Students are instructed to send Apps link to their friends

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