Transcript: Christians or Converts Part 1 - Understanding the Kingdom Standard

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The experience is a meeting organized by the Disciples Christian Network. Be a man encounter God, his presence and his power in an atmosphere of worship and the word. Join apostle Emmanuel as he leads us into an experience with God. It is what I've titled Christians or converts. Question mark. Understanding the kingdom standard. Christians converts. Question mark, understanding the kingdom standard. Because there is a very serious problem right now that is rampant in the body of Christ, specifically in this generation. And if left unaddressed, will spill into the next generation until you can no longer find genuine Christianity again on the earth.

A lot people are born again, but they are not Christians. And I'm gonna show you why I say this with such certainty because that might strike some people as hard. Why is it possible for a person to be born again but not be a Christian? Then you will find out that the word Christian was not used in scripture to describe people who were merely born again. It was used to describe people who had gone through a process, a sustained intentional process of discipleship. Discipleship. In so much that they had become like Christ in word and in deed. I hope you know that between the formation of the church in Jerusalem in Acts chapter two on the day of Pentecost and the formation of the church in Antioch in Acts chapter 11, roughly ten to fifteen years had passed between acts chapter two when the Jerusalem church was established and acts chapter 11 when the Antioch church was established. Because the Jerusalem church was established on the day of Pentecost, and that was about a d thirty three. Thereabout, The conversion of Paul also happened around that same period, a d thirty three.

And we know from bible history that Paul flees to Tarsus, and he was there from AD thirty three to around AD forty five to AD forty six thereabout. So approximately ten years. And Barnabas travels to find Saul whilst he was in Tassos. Brings Saul from Tassos and establishes the church in Antioch at around AD forty five to forty six. So there was a distance of about ten to fifteen years between establishment of the church in Jerusalem and the church in Antioch. Are you with me? Yes, sir. It would interest you therefore to know that in those ten to fifteen years, people had been saved, people had received the life of Christ, people were converting, people were becoming born again. The bible records that a great number of people were being handed to the church. Is that not so?

But they were never called Christians. So conversions was happening. People were being born again, but they were never called Christians. Do you understand what I'm saying? Yes, sir. People got saved. In Jerusalem, more than 3,000 people were saved. In Acts chapter five, when Peter's shadow healed the sick, a lot of people were saved. On one account, over 3,000 people were saved. So thousands of people were being saved, but they were never called Christians.

Are you with me? When you begin to study from Act of Apostles chapter 11, when the Antioch church was formed when the disciples scattered from Jerusalem and some believers got into Antioch and started preaching the gospel. People were being saved, but they still were not called Christians despite the fact that they were being saved. It was until act 11 and verse 26 that we read. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year, they assembled with the church and taught a great many people for how many years? And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. So look at the sequence. They assembled with the church. They were taught for a whole year.

Then and only then, were they called Christians. Only after this period of extended discipleship were they called Christians. For for a whole year, Barnabas and Saul poured doctrine, poured correction, poured instruction, formation into them. For a whole year, they sat on the apostolic teaching. For a whole year, they were being shaped. They were being pruned. They were being built. They were being aligned, they were being corrected. And the result of that one year of intensive discipleship was that observing cities looked at them and said, these ones are Christians. In other words, the word Christian was a verdict that was passed by society after beholding discipleship, not a title that we assume after reciting a prayer.

The name was not given at the altar call. The name was not awarded at the moment of salvation. The name was something that they earned through transformation, through the molding of character, through the alignment of of their conduct with the nature of Christ. And the world looked at these believers in handbook and said, these people are like Christ. That is what a Christian is. It is the one who bears the image of Christ, the character of Christ, the conduct of Christ, the speech, the priorities, and the power of Christ. And this is not formed solely because a person recited a prayer. It is formed through discipleship. That's the reason why I said many people are born again, but they are not Christians. Because according to scriptures, being born again is the beginning of life.

But being a Christian is the result of formation. So in the book of John chapter one verse 12, the bible says, but as many as received it, he gave them the right to become children of God. Are you with me? Yes, sir. Gave them the right to be called children of God. So receiving him gives you the right. He gives you the authority. He gives you the power to become, but you must still become because there is a difference between having the right to become and becoming. Are you with me? Yes, sir.

There's a journey between receiving Christ and reflecting Christ. There's a journey between being saved and being formed, and that journey is called discipleship. When that journey is neglected, when that journey is aborted, then we end up with what we are seeing around today in the body of Christ. A generation that called itself Christians, but doesn't even know the first thing about being like Christ. Jesus did not tell us to go and make converts. In Matthew 28 verse 19, the instruction and the man that Jesus gave was go into the world and make disciples of all the nations. And in Acts 11 and verse 26 that we read, they were called Christians because they were first disciples. So if discipleship fails, the word Christian becomes empty. It becomes a labor without life. Are you with me?

They live there without life. And when I look at the way many people live their lives today, when I observe the choices being made, the conversations being hard, the standards being abandoned, the compromises being celebrated all around on social media. It is obvious that we're not Christians, and it shows that we have not been discipled. And so we have believers who talk like the world, who think like the world, who spend like the world, who relate like the world, who pursue the same things as the world. The only difference is that he has a bible app on his phone. The only difference is that he has a few worship songs on his phone. The only difference is that he has a few messages on YouTube he has listened to. Other than that, there's no difference between that believer and the world. Are you with me? That's not what God intended.

That's not the vision that God had when he sent his only begotten begotten son to die for your sins and to redeem us back to himself. And to understand what God truly intended, we must go all the way back to Genesis, all the way back to the beginning, to the moment when he created man and declared the purpose that he intended over man. In Genesis chapter one from verse 26 to verse 28, the bible says, then God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the capsules, over all the earth, over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. This is the original intention of God in creation. Fruitfulness, multiplication, replenishment, subjugation, dominion.

God made man to be fruitful, to produce, to generate, to bring forth increase in every area of his life. Then God commanded man to multiply, to expand, to grow in influence, to grow in impact. God told man to replenish, to fill the earth, to occupy the earth, to leave no territory untouched, to go to the nook and cranny of the earth. He gave man the mandate to subdue the earth, to bring it under control, to exercise mastery over it, to rule with wisdom and strength. Then God gave man dominion, authority, the governance, and the ownership over the works of his hands. God's intention from that moment onward was that man would function as his representative on the earth, Extending the influence of heaven into every sphere of existence in in this earthly realm. That whole idea was what Jesus summarized in Matthew chapter six and verse 10 when Jesus said, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It's a prayer, but it's also a mission. It's also revealing the purpose of God from the foundation of the world, from the beginning of the creation of the earth and the heavens. That the establishment of God's kingdom, God's rule, God's will, God's ways upon the earth.

And it is through the agency of the redeemed, of empowered and discipled believers that this would happen. That is the intention of God since the creation of the earth. And when you read scriptures, you will see this idea built in many places around scriptures. In Isaiah chapter two from verse two to verse three, the bible declares, now it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it. The mountain of the Lord's house, the place where the authority of God dwells, where his government is seated shall be established upon the top of the mountains. What does that mean? It means the rule of God will be exalted above every other system. The rule of God will be exalted above every other authority, every other voice in the earth. The kingdoms of commerce, of education, entertainment, government, family, religion, media, all these mountains of influence will be brought under the dominion of the Lord's house. That's what the bible is saying.

Abacook chapter two and verse 14 declared the same intention. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters covers the sea. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord will fill the earth, not just the church. It didn't say the church will be filled. It says the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. It didn't say prayer meetings will be filled. It is a worship experience or worship conferences will be filled. The earth, the market places, the universities, the hospitals, the courtrooms, the boardrooms, the studio, the laboratory, the secondary schools, the primary schools. Everywhere the earth will be filled. The legislature, the government, politics, entertainment, the media houses, social media, the earth will be filled.

Everywhere human beings are. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord is meant to be present there, influencing them, shaping them, transforming them, bringing them into alignment with heaven's standard. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. When you read Revelations chapter 11 verse 15, it then shows you the ultimate fulfillment of this vision. Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign forever. The kingdoms of this world, every system, every structure, every sphere of human activity will become the kingdoms of our Lord. And it shall reign forever. All of these things is telling you God's big idea that from the very beginning all through to the end, the idea that God had was to use man as a conduit for extending the influence of his kingdom all over the earth until the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of God so that you step into every mountain of influence. And what reigns on this mountain is God. What reigns on this mountain is not culture.

What reigns on this mountain is not tradition. It's not public opinion. It's not the spirit of this age. It is God. The wisdom of God. The ways of God. The value system of God. The will of God. That's what reigns on the systems of this earth. That's the general idea and the purpose that God has for man.

And man would be the agency through which this will find expression. That's the reason why discipleship cannot be optional because the kind of men that God needs for his dominion agenda cannot be casual men. It can be affirmed men, affirmed men, opinion driven believers. God needs men and women whose lives, whose minds, whose values have been brought under the government of his word. He wants you to step into the mountain of influence, education, media, politics, business, arts, family, sciences, government. When you get there, the system does not swallow you up. Instead, you bring the reign of God's kingdom there. That was always the design. And the kind of believer that will do this is not a casual believer. The kind of believer that will do this is not a convert.

That's why when you read through scriptures, the model that Jesus preached was kingdom. All through scriptures, what Jesus kept on preaching was kingdom. That's why the message that he gave to the apostles was also kingdom. When he began his ministry in Matthew chapter four verse 17, the bible says, from that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The very first message out of the mouth of Jesus in his public ministry was about the kingdom. Not about going to heaven when you die. It was kingdom. Do you know that all through the three years that Jesus preached ministry? There was only one time that Jesus directly directly taught salvation. That was in John chapter three directly.

All through the years of his ministry, what he kept on teaching was kingdom. Kingdom. Kingdom. Kingdom. Kingdom. In verse 23 of the same Matthew chapter four, bible says that Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching what? Preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Somebody said the gospel of the kingdom. And when Jesus sent out his disciples, what did he tell them to preach?

In Matthew 10 verse seven, Jesus told them, and as you go, preach saying what? And after his resurrection, what did Jesus spend forty days teaching the disciples? Acts chapter one verse three. The bible says, to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs. One, two, three, go everybody. He is in my name. Now you go read what Paul preached. You go read what Peter preached, and you would find it is the same message all through scriptures, kingdom. The administration is kingdom. The model is kingdom.

The message is kingdom. It means if kingdom receives this kind of emphasis in scripture, should a man not study what this kingdom is? What God operates is a kingdom. What God has is a kingdom. What God is instituting upon the earth is a kingdom. And that's why you need to study the kingdom to understand how that kingdom operates, what it requires, how it functions, and what it demands of the believer. It is critical to your Christian experience to know kingdom. Because if you don't know kingdom, you wouldn't understand why discipleship is important. You wouldn't understand why it is important to God that believers are discipled, that believers are taught, that believers are trained, that believers are equipped equipped to do the work of ministry because the general idea that God has is what? Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And how he will enforce this is through men. So when the bible says the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the lord as as the waters covers the sea. It would not be that a glory cloud would come down. It is men that will be sent forth. That has always been the system God uses. When God answered the prayer of the children of Israel in Exodus chapter three and verse seven, God told Moses that I have heard the prayer. I've heard the cry. It wasn't even a prayer. It was a cry. I've seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters for I know their sorrows.

Next verse. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians. It is important to always see in the scripture that God uses the word high. I have come down to deliver them. I have seen their cry. I know their sorrows. I... Next verse. Now therefore, behold. Now God has been saying, I I I.

Now God tells Moses, a man, behold. In other words, it's not enough that I have seen the oppression. It's not enough that I have seen their cry. I have heard their cry. Now Moses, behold. In other words, see the exact thing I'm seeing. It is important that you see that problem as well. It's important that you see that problem as well because if you don't see it, nothing can be done about it because that... Go to the next verse. Next verse 10.

One, two, three. Go. But a few verses before, God said, I have come down. It means how God comes down is to send a man. That is the system that God uses. So when we pray to God in church about the state of things in Nigeria, what does he do? He sends men in politics. He sends men in government. He sends men in military. He sends men in business.

He sends men in economy. He sends men in all struggle of influence. And what is the mandate? Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth. In other words, going to those places, you would see that things are not how they should be. Go there and behold the corruption. Because God said, I have heard it. Now behold. It means you must see it.

You know, a lot of believers are arguing right now whether there is genocide in Nigeria or there's no genocide in Nigeria. You need to go and hear what God is saying. Because it's a question of whether you can see it. If you cannot even see, how do we position ourselves to even begin to solve it? Because you cannot be a solution of the problem we have not even seen. That's why the theme begins with beyond. The first thing God does is to open your eyes to the problem. And when God begins to open your eyes to the problem, it's not so you can complain about it. That's the purpose of discipleship. Discipleship now makes you into the person that can...

That's why if you don't know kingdom, you wouldn't know why discipleship is important. If your knowledge peaks at salvation, you wouldn't know why discipleship is important. Are you with me? Yes, sir. The model is kingdom. The administration is kingdom. And even if we don't know much about the kingdom, there is one foundational truth, one nonnegotiable truth that you must understand immediately about kingdom. Let it be your introduction into the kingdom class. What is this truth? God is king.

Write it down. Simple as this thing is, you wouldn't believe how many believers have no understanding of what I've just said. Simple as this thing is. Don't sit down and believe that you know what I wanna teach. Just calm down. Don't have an exalted soul or an exalted mind in yourself and think, oh, I know this thing, and sit down so proud. No. No. No. Let your heart be open to receive because there will be correction and there will be instruction.

Write it down. God is king. Let that be the foundation of your introduction into the teaching of the kingdom. God is king. It is called a kingdom. It means he must have a king, and God is king. Very soon you will see the importance of this. Psalm 47 verse seven. What does the bible says? The bible says, for God is the king of all the earth.

First Timothy chapter one verse 17, what does Paul call Jesus? Now to the king eternal. In Revelations nineteen sixteen, what was Jesus called? King of kings, lord of lords. So when we say god is king, it is clear throughout scriptures that god is king. When we say god is king, we are speaking of absolute, uncontested sovereign authority. A king is not a president who can be voted out. A king is not a prime minister who must negotiate with parliament. A king is not a chairman who must seek consensus from a board. A king rules by right of position.

A king rules by right of birth. You are not elected a king. You are born one. That's why in natural kingship, kingship is passed by birth. So there are families that are called nobles. Is that not so? Yes, sir. But God is not king because anybody brethren him. God is king because he founded the entire universe. He created the entire universe.

The whole earth and the multiple galaxies that exist, that eyes have not seen, that people have not discovered. Scientists have not even found out the barest knowledge of. He founded it by the words of his mouth. That's what makes him king. He's king of the heavens and the earth. He owns the heavens and the earth. And you must understand that God is king. Are you with me? When you read verse eight of Sam 47, says, reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne.

He reigns over the nations. He's not trying to be king. He's not campaigning for the throne. He's king over all the earth. He reigns over the nations, over all powers. He's seated on the throne with all authority in his hand. It's not a symbolic language. This is the reality of who God is. The unchallenged, unrivaled, absolute monarch of the universe. Master of the saints.

Emperor of the universe, master of the saints. Understand the revelation of what you're saying. What does it mean practically? Is that God does not submit his decisions to human review. What it means is that he does not ask for your approval before he acts. What it means that he does not negotiate his standards to accommodate your preferences. He does not seek your opinion when he acts. He does as he pleases, and no one can challenge him. That is what it means for God to be king. The bible says for God is king of all the earth.

Sing him praise with the of of name Jesus. Jesus. And you must understand that as king, he has the fullness of his authority to act as he wants, to do what he pleases without seeking for your opinion. And you must be comfortable with this. Psalm one one five verse three. The bible says, but our God is in heaven. Can you read the next line together? Whatever he pleases, not what ever we suggest, nor whatever we vote on, nor whatever feels fair to us, he does whatever he pleases and is not accountable to anybody. Daniel chapter four verse 35 confirms this. In Daniel four thirty five, the bible says, all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.

He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, no one can restrain his hand or say to him, what have you done? No one can stop him. No one can question him. No one can demand that he explains himself. Himself. No No one one can can demand demand that that he he justifies justifies the the satisfaction. No one can say to him, what have you done? That's why rebellion against God is not a small thing. Rebellion against God is not a matter of difference in opinion. Rebellion against God is treason.

It is insurrection. It is a created being rising up against the creator and saying, I will have rule over myself. When you choose to live by your own understanding rather than the word of the king, you are not simply making a mistake. You are stating a coup. You are declaring independence from the throne. And first Samuel 15 verse 23 tells us exactly how God views this. The bible says for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he also has rejected you from being king. Now when you reject the word of the Lord, you are placing yourself on the throne.

You are making yourself a king in your own life and worshiping your own will as final authority, worshiping your own logic as final authority. The question now is that seeing as God is king, seeing as he says final, seeing as he rules however way he pleases, seeing as no one can question him, no one can hold him accountable. The question is, how then is it safe to put your life in his hands? How is it safe to trust his words? What if he changes his mind tomorrow and tries to make you poor? What if he changes his mind tomorrow and tries to make you fail and bring bad luck upon you? After all, nobody can question him. Isn't that what people say? When they go through circumstances that defy the norm and they come with narrative like, well, it's your law only. Who can question him?

What then becomes the safety of the believer in trusting your hand before a God who cannot be questioned? But you are not certain of his character. How do you know that your life is safe? The reason we are so confident in his rulership, enough to entrust our lives in his hands, is because the bible does not only reveal his nature as a king, the bible also reveal his character as God. And the bible shows us that he's not a tyrant. But inasmuch as he's king, he is love. Inasmuch as king is faithful. Inasmuch as king is just. Inasmuch as king is righteous. The bible shows us his nature.

That the righteous king. He's a just king. He's a merciful king. He's a good king. He's a loving king. His rule is perfect, and his ways are just. Psalm one forty five and verse 13. The bible says, your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

Are you with me? Yes, sir. The bible then says, the Lord is righteous in how many ways? All his ways. Gracious in all his works. That's the reason why we can trust him because he's merciful in all his ways. He's gracious in all his ways, not in some of his ways. That's the confidence that we have because we know he's faithful. Even though he's king. So when he tells you that this is the way, work in it.

It's not restricting your freedom. It's showing you the path of life. When he tells you, don't go that way. He's not lifting your joy. He's protecting you from destruction. The Bible calls him an all wise God. An all knowing God. So how do you think that in your wisdom, you can contend with him? Can you even see what will happen tomorrow? You don't even know what will happen when you leave this place.

But it stands at the end of time. And he's watching you. Doubt his instructions. And wonder whether or not this is the best way to go when he tells you go. You are considering based on what you can see. You can't even see tomorrow. In all you can see, you can't see tomorrow. Not only can he see tomorrow is at the end. And he's saying, young man, that path you are trying to walk. That thing where emotion is struggling to obey.

I'm telling you, God, you are wondering, should I go? Should I not go? Is it not dangerous? I'm at the end of that life. The one who is speaking to you, the one who is instructing you is at the end of that life. Listen, when you know that he's king, you will know that his word is not subject to debate. That knowing is because his king. His word is not subject to debate. Are you with me? Isaiah 48 verse 17 puts it this way.

It says, thus says the Lord your redeemer, the holy one of Israel. I am the Lord your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go. All that you had heeded my commandments, then your peace could have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. It teaches you to profit. It leads you in the way that you should go. And if you would simply yield to his commandments, then your peace would flow like a river, and your righteousness will rise like the waves. So this is what it means to know God as a king. Stay with me. That his authority is absolute. His word is law.

His rule is perfect. And the only rational, reasonable, life giving response is an unwavering submission to everything that he has said. Not because he forces you to submit, but because you have come to understand there is no better place to be than under the rule of a king whose throne is established in righteousness, whose scepter is the scepter of justice. So relate to God as a king. And because he's king, his word is rule. His word is law. His word is not to be contested. His word is not to be debated, not to be adjusted to fit our preferences or our cultural monuments. Ecclesiastes chapter eight verse four says, where the word of a king is, there is power. And who may say to him, A king does not make suggestions.

A king makes law. A king does not offer opinions for you to consider. A king decrees, and the decree of a king carries authority. It carries enforcement. It carries consequences. And no one, absolutely no one has the right to question him, to challenge him, to say, but what about my own perspective? What about my feelings? I think what I'm thinking as well makes sense. Bible says, who may say to him, what are you doing? And the answer is no one.

You have to understand that when you are dealing with a king, only with humility, accept very early that your opinion does not count. Your preferences does not overrule his commands. Your comfort does not erite his status. That is the gravity we're facing judge today. Because we live in an age where everybody has an opinion about everything. Social media has given a platform to broadcast your perspective on any issue, and we have become a generation who is now addicted to having a sin. Everybody must have a sin. Whether on their WhatsApp status, on their Facebook profile, on their Snapchat, whatever, on their Insta, everybody has a sin. Everybody has an opinion. Have you guys heard what is going on?

Well, this is my own small view about it. Let me just drop my own little bit. Let me just drop my own opinion because Facebook, Instagram, all these guys have given everybody platform. So you no longer have to be on the pulpit to influence people. Gone are the days where the sources of knowledge were limited. Now knowledge is so rampant, you can get it anywhere. Everybody has their opinion. Everybody is not addicted to having something to say. The politically correct has their own say, and they have their own take as well. The humanists have their own take.

The diplomats have their own take. The feminists have their own take. Oh, when you see them talking about marriage, they have their opinion about everything. The place of a woman, the place of the man, the role of a woman, the role of the man. I saw something, and I had to make a screenshot of it. Young lady said that, see, unsolicited opinion. If nobody solicited it, why do you feel so much pressure to give it? Watch the stupidity that followed. I believe that if you are age 30 and you are still a virgin, something is wrong with you. It's either you are not beautiful or you lack character or you don't have what it takes to have a suitable mating partner because you have become a dog.

Now that over 5,000 plus comments on it. What were people saying? I also share the same opinion too. How will a person be dirty and you are still a virgin? Something is wrong with you. How should you still be a virgin at dirty? It must mean that... And all kind of things. And guess what? I called a believer to my house, and I showed the believer.

I said, what's your take on this? The first... Almost spontaneously, the lady said, now. Almost spontaneous. Without thinking about... Caught somebody else, showed the person. He said, now only is that. Why are you not married at 30? I said, leave that one, you know. That's not what they're talking about here.

It's not wrong. It's not wrong. And you can see the absence of conviction in what the believer was saying because an opinion by someone has just been read. Are you with me? Everybody has an opinion. Everybody has their own take. The philosopher have their own take. The psychologist have their own take. The influencers, the activists, everybody has their own take on sex, on marriage, on gender, on identity, on relationships, on money, on success, on morality, on truth itself, on God, on life, on everything. Everything.

Will this person show me something? A dangerous mystery that I will show you very soon. One of these days, maybe next year, I will show you. Very powerful. And you will see foolishness of the masses. I saw it in scriptures. The masses. Large number of people just gravitating towards an opinion like fools. And how to manipulate the masses. And how it is so easy to control a narrative that the masses believe.

And everybody has something to say about everything. And young people are consuming everything. They are scrolling. They are reading. They are watching. They are listening. And what happens as they begin to consume? What happens as they begin to scroll? As they begin to read all these diverse opinions is that they now tend to pitch their tent around whichever voice resonates the most with their flesh. Whichever perspective makes them feel the most comfortable.

Whichever perspective makes them feel the most validated, the most affirmed in the direction they already wanted to go. So they might not be confident enough to air their own view. So what they do is they listen to the multitude of opinions, and the moment they find someone that is appealing to their flesh, they pick their tent around it and said, yes. This is it. On marriage, someone has probably gone through a type of family where he probably saw kind of maltreatment in the home, and they already have an opinion on marriage, on men, on women, sitting somewhere deep inside. Based on what he has seen, based on what she saw growing up, Barap with the father or the mother. Then she finds someone on social media who is saying, women, listen to me. No man harms you. No man does this. Your opinion is yours.

Your body is yours. When you start marrying and you make your money, your money is yours. Your... My husband is in. My husband is in. Listen to me. You can make your own decision. Just be free to do you. If you give a man the right of access to start knowing about how much you make, he will not provide for you again. Oh, so you must keep your money.

You must control all this. You must that and that. And the guy would say, yes. This is exactly what I'm putting my father and my mother. I saw it growing up. My father did not have enough money, and he would always encroach on the labor of my mother. My mother would be the one to go out to fend for the family, and the man would just sit down and... All the money until my mother could not even afford to buy food for the house, and it's not as though the man is buying food for the house. He will take the money and go and spend it anyhow, and then we will be looking for food to eat at home. This person is saying my mind.

And they pitch their things around it and make it their own opinion. When you begin to understand kingdom, you will now find out that this is not allowed in the kingdom. You know why it's not allowed? Because we are not in a democracy. Because we are not in a republic. We are not in a system where the majority vote, Tamil, right. We are in a kingdom. And in a kingdom, God is king. And only the opinion of the king matters. Only the opinion of the king matters.

So it's not a question of what you think. It's not a question of what makes sense to you. It's not a question of what feels right, what aligns with your personal experiences. It's a question of what has the king said. Because whatever the king said is your opinion. Whatever the king has said is your opinion. This is discipleship one zero one. Whatever the king has said has to be your position on a subject. That has to be your standard. Where I'm standing is what the king has said.

Women, submit. They will just manipulate your life. They will just control your life. You have not seen anything. You have... It's because you've talking like that. You have not married a wicked man. That's why you're talking like that. Nobody will tell you to before you wake up. For what?

So what? Then you hear somebody come and disciple men, and he's bringing his own model of discipleship. And he's saying, listen to me. As a man, never allow your wife have a higher qualification, a higher social standard, a higher economic value more than you. Because if your wife ever has that, she will be difficult to control. You will be shocked how many people under my voice has that opinion. Ensure your wife does not do better than you. Whatever you do, ensure she doesn't do better than you. She mustn't be making more money than you. She mustn't be...

And if peradventure, you'll find out that she's doing that, find a way to cope it instantly. Either she stops that job, you can make her pregnant, to stop the child, to stop the job so that she can take care of the babies. But find your way around it. Just ensure that your wife never does better than you. If you want her to submit to you, and you know what they they say? Women don't... Women. And they begin to stereotype as though they have gained the master class in understanding women. A young man, he said if you are going out on a date with a guy, ensure that you bill him. And listen.

Ensure that the kind of billing that you do... Listen. The kind of billing that you do is not micro, is not mini. Because how you start the billing will determine the kind of flow of income that the guy will be given to you sustainably. So if what you're asking for is just money for food, it will just assume that that's where you are. And the only thing that will be given to you is just money for food, like 10,000, 15,000. But if you want him to be giving you big money, you have to start high. So to ensure the first thing you are asking him is money for rent. Listen. Listen.

Listen. This is not a joke. Listen. This is a serious conversation that somebody was having seriously to a audience of thousands who listen to her. And there are people who are listening and say, hey. No. That's the first mistake I made with that guy. No wonder he was stingy. No wonder he was stingy. I knew he had money.

I knew it. I knew it. And I'm now asking for small small things he won't be able to give me. Can you imagine that? That's the first mistake I made with that guy. I've learned. I'm telling you where believers get their mentorship from is a painful thing. And if it continues, a generation will lose what it means to be Christians. We would only have converts left, and there will be no difference between a convert and an unbeliever. In a kingdom, your opinion does not sit side by side with the king's opinion, and you begin to ration it.

No. Your opinion is either bowing or rebelling. That's why Psalms chapter two from verse one to verse three paints a very prophetic picture of what we are saying. It is why the nation rage and the people plot a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. Against who? The Lord. Saying, let us break their bonds in pieces, and let us cast away their cords from us. They are speaking against the Lord saying there are bonds that the Lord has used to guard us, and there are cords around our neck. We are no longer comfortable with these bonds.

We are no longer comfortable with these cords. Let us break their cords in pieces. Are you with me? Yes, sir. Because the word despises anything that places a demand on them. The courts and the bonds are the decrees of the lord. The values, the principles of the kingdom. The bonds and the courts are husband, love, wife, submit. That's a bond. It's a cord.

It means if you enter that marriage, you no longer have a say on whether you would submit or not. There's a cord that the Lord has placed around your neck, and that cord says submit. Love. How do you love? Not as you want to love, not as your father taught you to love, as Christ loved the church. It means you will sit down and understand the bond. You would sit down and understand the cords. But because these people have been influenced by whatever, they said, you know what? We are tired of all these principles. We are tired of all these things.

I mean, we are a woke generation. In this world that we live in, we cannot still be living by all of these things. Let's break their courts. Let's break their bonds. And the bible says he that sits in heaven shall laugh. Because God will not adjust his word just because culture has changed. Isaiah 55 from verse eight to verse nine says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. God is telling you plainly that your way of thinking is not mine. Your reasoning is not mine.

The conclusions you draw from your limited perspective and your falling nature are not the conclusion that I draw. And the gap between your thought and mind is as the vast difference between the heavens and the earth. So the question is, whose thoughts will govern your life? Whose ways will you follow? Will you submit to the mind of a king of the king? Or will you continue to live as if you have the right to determine for yourself what is true, what is good, what is acceptable. That is the reason why kingdom demands discipleship. This is why being born again is not the end. It's only the beginning. Salvation brings you into the kingdom, but discipleship trains you to function in the kingdom.

It teaches you the language of the kingdom, the value of the kingdom, the priorities of the kingdom, the power of the kingdom, the purpose of the kingdom. And without discipleship, you will remain a spiritual infant who is just toast to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by every trending ideology, by every perspective, every argument that appeals to your flesh, you are moved by it. Ephesians chapter four and verse 14, the bible says that we should no longer be tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine. How do you know that? Doctrine does not only come from the church. Because the word doctrine means a belief or a set of beliefs taught by the church, by a political party, or by any group. It's just a set of belief. It means you can get your doctrine from social media. It's a set of belief that somebody begins to teach you based on a particular narrative. Are you with me?

That's the reason why there's no disciples until believers are taught the ways of the king. And this is what happens when there is no discipleship. Believers become children, unstable, vulnerable, easily deceived, easily blown in whatever direction that culture is moving, easily blown by every wave. Listen to me, brothers and sisters. To be a Christian is to let the word of the king overrule your feelings, to let the word of the king overrule your upbringing, to let the word of the king overrule your culture, to let the word of the king overrule your social media feeds. It means that when Christ speaks, whatever he speaks about becomes the final say on that matter. What has Christ said about sex? What has Christ said about purity? What has Christ said about forgiveness? What has Christ said about submission?

What does the word of God says about generosity, about giving, about success, about wealth, about destiny? And when you find out every other voice that has spoken contrary in that area must go silent instantly. The only excuse if you have not heard what God has said. But the moment the truth of God's word confronts you, your understanding of the fact that God is king already lays a foundation that this matter cannot be argued about. What did God say about divorce? You know why? Because that's a very important subject. The mountain of family is now a mess. You can literally meet somebody who has been in five marriages, four marriages. And majority of those you know on social media who are your role models, influencers, actors, and actresses, they are very terrible examples of what marriage is.

You'll find out if being influential means is equivalent to having failed marriages. You rarely ever find one person who has married successfully and stayed married. Maybe out of 10, you will find two. And these are the people who are examples to the young generation. And you get your belief systems from what they say. Now this person is interviewed. And you who is probably a mentee based on the fact that you love what the person is doing, maybe because you're the same mountain of influence. And the person is asked about their marriage. And the and the first thing the person said is, see, the first mistake I made is that I married young. Listen to me young people.

Don't marry young. Get your life together. That was literally the first mistake that I made. If only I had known. Oh my god. Nobody told me. I was just miserable. I just threw my plans away, threw my life away. I just followed a man like a fool because you were a fool. It's not it's not...

It has nothing. I'm not speaking against anybody. This is an instance. I've not heard anybody say this. So in case your mind is picturing one person, you're wrong. This is only an example. I've not heard anybody actually say this. And it it comes around everything, not just marriage. How about business? How about business?

You would see lots of ideologies that have so entered into the minds of many people right now. There's a guy who is 30 and is comfortable. He's not married. He's somewhere living his life. He's not even under any... Nothing. And guess what? There are five girls who comes to his house every three to three months and is able to find his way around it, serve each of them, not committed to any of them and is in the media department in church. The ushering department in church, The prayer unit in church. And he goes home, working, doing a good job, gets paid maybe 600,000 naira, 1 to 1,200,000 naira.

But doesn't just feel, hey, what is marriage thing? What is marriage thing? No. No. No. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not to commit to one person. You don't... Yeah.

I don't think I have it all together yet. But you have it all together to manage five women. And to buy bags for each of them, and to buy phones for each of them, and to buy all kind of things for each of them. But you don't have it altogether to marry and settle down. What ideology have you listened to? That's the question. What ideology have you listened to? And parents have done a bad job at this. Parents have done an evil job at this. As God gives us influence, there's a lot of correction we need to correct parents for.

You can't imagine. Because it is politically correct does not mean it is true. Because it is socially correct does not mean it is true. Because if you follow that, there are many things you will never do in your lifetime because you are following what is politically correct. There's a politically correct time for you to make money. To be a Christian is to let the word of the king overrule your feelings. Go into the bible and go and see when people manifest destiny. Go and check when people were manifesting destiny. Maybe if somebody... Maybe the holy ghost will now show you that you are too old.

Go and check when people started manifesting destiny. Go and check when people... When God started speaking. The bible says, Jesus Christ is the express image of God. He is the author and the finisher. He is the perfect example. At age 12, the perfect example was inside the temple discussing matters of doctrine with the scribes and the pharisees. The parents were looking for him here and there, and they did not find him. And then they they literally find him after the third day. And look at what he told them.

He said, don't you know that I must be about my father's business? Imagine you told your mother that. Do you know that that's the last day you would think about your father's business? Guess what? At the wedding of Canaan, it was the mother who came and said, whatever he tells you to do. Because what the Bible says about that woman that really gets these things in her heart. So that there is something I don't know yet about this person. Let me go and study. What did the angel said to me when I gave birth to this child? Ah, okay.

Is still a baby because everybody around him is telling him, why are you in a rush? As though manifesting destiny is a rush. Do you realize that anything great in life is built? Do you realize that wealth is built? Yes, sir. Do you realize that there is nothing beautiful that finishes in one day? As long as it is built, it takes a profit of time. Except the Lord builds a house, the Lord will invent and build it. Every relevant business is built. Every illustrious career is built.

Every. If it is built, it suggests to you that it's not immediately you start building, you will start seeing results. You didn't hear the young man who shared a testimony that he began an academy, and for the first two months, had no sales whatsoever. That's the process. It's normal. It is the natural process of building. There will be foundation where there will be no result at all. Every of your investment is going into the ground. And as you are investing into the ground, people around will think you are stupid because there is nothing they are seeing on the surface. That's the point of building.

The foundation alone can take one year depending on how large the building is. Foundation alone, it means what people have not even seen at all. Yet you are investing deep into, be... Digging the wells, digging the floor, digging every day before you now begin to lay the block after the following year. Even as you are laying the block, you have laid to limped level, and people still don't know what you are building because it's deformed. Have you passed a structure before, and you couldn't tell what the building was? You were wondering, is this for market? Is it an hotel? Is it? Because you couldn't tell what the form was.

Still makes no sense. Because it's a building. And eventually, the building is finished. After many years, sometimes after three years, four years, the building is finished. Depend on your favor. Depend on your favor. Not even your favor alone. The the magnitude of the construction. Also, it time is how fast it will it will take. So if your destiny is that big and you say, I'm...

It's too early to start building. Do you realize that whenever you finish school, you will still build it? Do you realize that that building you could have started since? At least by the time you are finishing, you have already reached somewhere. It's to it's to put back in now. So by the time you are finishing, it's now when you are laying foundation. Do you know that that will not execute the law of process? You will still build. Yes, The amount of time it will still take is what it will still take. So what is the point of delay?

What is the absolute point of delay? I want to have... I believe God has given me a message on social media. Ah, but I don't have. What is the point of delay? You know how many time it will take you to build a thousand followers? Then 10,000, then 20,000. You will build it. So what's the... Why why can't you start now?

But there are opinions that makes a man who is building young feel so stupid. And that is how culture and tradition... The African tradition is like that. It is like... It is heavy in the heart of elderly people. The African tradition is like that. And there's a way you'll be so influenced that how it will manifest in your own life is liturgy, unexplainable liturgy. You are just not motivated to do anything. You will hear a message like this. You are not fired up.

You are not... There's nothing moving in your heart because what you have seen has so influenced your opinion that when the bible says the king's business requires haste, that thing cannot eat into your soul. Oh, somebody not getting this now, sir. That you can send to international bodies. And they will say, but how old are you? You have gathered this much experience. And they say, oh, I was not a fool. I was not a fool. I wasn't a fool. One of my guys, while was here in school, is now in about three different fellowships.

I'm not speaking about church fellowship. International fellowships. While was here in school. And because of the influence that he has in those international bodies, even his own lecturers, respect him. He's a student. He's a student. He told me... He said, was to be... When I appeared for the first one. So it take...

In two years, I was rejected. It was in the... It's the third year or so that I was accepted. It's the product of building. It means... Let the rejection come now. Is it not better for the rejection to come now than when you have finished school and you have to depend on your own self? Now listen. Somebody is still giving you allowance. Somebody is still giving you money.

So why not build a skill? Why not build your heart to be familiar with rejections? Because the the way to greatness will have several rejections there. Why not build your spirit to hear no and not shake? When you have heard about the 100 no's, you will now know how to turn no's to yes's. Somebody went to an apply for a job, The guy just bowed his head and went. And he was the most qualified. When they were asking him, why did you send him away? He said, was expecting him to fight. I'm not working with you.

Before, without the experience, would have just gone and say, well, another one again. But now because of the multitude of experience you have gained, you know, they're sorry. What is the issue? Is the issue with the proposal? Is it with the pricing that I gave you? Is it with the deliverables we are offering you? Can I understand what your expectations are so they can know how to Why am I saying this? Because opinions have come from everywhere, and people have thrown the word of the king away. That you you hold on to your feelings more than you do the king. This is not my teaching.

This is... I'm only introducing. On Tuesday, we teach this. Listen. This is not my I'm just trying to introduce this thing. I spend a lot of time introducing my teacher intentionally. So even if it is thirty minutes I have to strike the court, I've still watered the ground. But I will not need to do much for you to enter into that. Many believers are too emotionally driven. They respond emotionally everything.

Everything. And the thing about the emotions is that it will justify that feeling. You will feel anxious and weary and just depressed and frustrated, and you will go and find one place to break down and break out and cry all the tears and look for people to bity you and tell your story and tell your calamity too. When they tell you that, you know, is that why you're crying? You can almost get offended and say, what do you mean? Is that why I'm crying? Don't you understand the weight of what I'm saying? I'm telling you all these mountains are surrounding me. I'm telling you all these problems are surrounding me. I'm telling you all this.

Maybe. The reason why you are like that is because your eyes are still blind. Because you don't know what the king says. And when you are like that, the last thing you want to hear is what the king says. What your soul wants is sympathy. What your soul wants is is empathy. Somebody that will say, ah. I understand what you're saying. But don't don't listen. Listen.

Even me myself. I remember when I was going through this this exact same thing, Kai, I suffered. I said, I knew it. Because that's what your soul wants to hear. But when you come to somebody who tells you, ah, this is the wrong response. This is not how you should respond. Immediately, your emotions starts to fight the person. It's like, is that why I came? Is that what? Don't I know?

If you know, why you're not acting it? If you know why you're not doing it? Don't I know? You don't know. You don't know. And you are too proud to admit you don't know. That's the problem. It's in the Bible. Those who think they know and yet did not know. Do you know that it is possible for what I'm saying to be bonding in your heart, but you have not seen anything?

That's why you would leave this place and the same emotional reaction is to the same emotional reaction. The same way you react to opinions. And then that life thrown at you still the same way. The extent... I remember those days, one of my parents was telling me when that electorate many years ago, electorate came to and the class said, see, all of you failed. All of you. And used over forty five minutes to show them how thorough they were. Lombasted them and told them what kind of... He said this is the worst set we have ever had. Dollars, this, that.

And the person came to tell me, how do you came to them and said, I think I'll show you the result you failed. See, I'm not seeing it. Are you afraid already? No, no. I don't do this like that. If you feel, let me show you how you feel. What's the point of using this mouth to come and tell you you feel? See the result. In other words, you don't have any reason to accept that you have failed because you don't even see anything. Go and rejoice.

When result came, she passed. And guess what? Majority of the people passed. So what was the purpose of that thing? What was the purpose of that thing? What was his opinion? So if the word of the king does not rule your heart, but anything that you hear on any subject whatsoever, on any subject whatsoever, will so dominate and control and hold your next three years. He said, I'm gonna slap you. Tell me what you don't have. You have a job that pays you in multiple 6 figures?

Question. Give me all the answers. Tell your man, go deliver yourself in destiny and get married. I'm talking to you. This lady just jump and pass. They're not talking to me. Not talking to you. This is not for you. Praise the God. And I'll show you this in scriptures.

Don't know how time for it. The reason why a lot of people build their lives in that manner is because. Everything other than the word of the king rules their heart. Everything. Because they don't know that in this kingdom, we are a God is king. Where the word of the king is, there is power. So the question should not be, what are people saying? What will people say? The question should always be, what has the king said? In other words, don't join any discussion where they are arguing on matters.

If you don't know what the king says, just shut up. Your opinion does not count. So what do you think about this thing? You know what these things are? And you think, think, you will try to remember a scripture. One is coming to you. Don't shut up. Say, don't know. When you leave, now go and study. Find out what is the king's opinion on this thing.

When you are found out, then you have an opinion. Otherwise, you have nothing. Otherwise, everybody will paint life based on the canvases of their experiences. That's all. And everybody will be writing their own eyes. Because the picture of life you will paint is how you grew up. And all of us will come together with how we grew up, how we grew up, how we grew up. And if I'm right and she's right, how then do we become one? The mystery of oneness is that there is a unified rulership that we are under. That when I'm coming into this union, I don't bring my own methodologies.

I don't bring my own ideologies. We are coming together submitted to the rulership of one. And what he says is long. What do I feel? What he says what? Is law. Follow peace with all men. A contentious woman is worse than rain beating on a clanging roof. One says, you would rather live in the desert than live in the house with a contentious woman. You read your bible, you say he, the word of the king that says I must not be contentious.

What does it mean to be contentious? Argumentative, quarrelsome, always looking for fight, looking for trouble, allowing yourself to be led by your emotions. And things that can easily die down, a contentious woman will... No. No. Okay. I'm sorry. No. I don't believe that you are sorry. What else do you want?

What else do you want? They should summon for you? Are you the gods that should bring sacrifice to you? What is that? A contentious person. Because the word of the king does not rule in our life. Obey your parents in the Lord. Honor your father. That's the word of the king. Give them double honor those that labor over you.

That's the word of the king. Give shall be given unto you. You don't have opinion on that matter. So somebody come and says, oh, these are pastors. The question is, what has the king said? It's as simple as... It clears all arguments. It clears all arguments. Doesn't matter how logical the argument you are bringing is. Mhmm.

Why? Because it's not in the bible. I've seen what is scriptures. I lived my life by what is in scriptures. This is what discipleship does. This is the difference between a Christian and a convert. Rest up on your feet. I'll do a part two of this on Tuesday. We are barely barely scratched the surface of this teacher. Listen to me.

Belly. Barely. Barely. Barely. Have you been blessed? Ask your neighbor, what does the king say? That's what matters. So have you believed what everybody has said except the king? Why has idols been raised in your heart? Contrary to what the king has said.

What does the king said? Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long. They don't argue when things like that come. It's as simple as that. It does not matter how you feel when your father speaks to you, when your mother speaks to you. You can be hungry, but the bible says honor. That's the instruction. Honor. You don't speak back rudely. You don't speak back with arrogance.

The bible says, honor is what the king has said, that your days may be long. That your days may be long. Thank God for what you have received. And we will never settle for Thank you for listening to this message. We trust you have been blessed. You can get more life transforming messages from apostle Emmanuel Boluatife on our Telegram page at DCN media channel. You can also stream the messages on Spotify, AudioMac, and Apple Podcast. Connect with us via our social media platforms on Instagram at d c n underscore nations, on Facebook at disciples christian network, on x at d c m central, and on TikTok at disciples christian network. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel at disciples television. If you have a testimony from this message, you can mail us at disciplescn@gmail.com.

God bless you.