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DISCIPLESHIP || APOSTLE JOSHUA SELMAN
Episode 8.

The Cost of Becoming Like Christ

To become like Christ, you must embrace the responsibility of obedience and alignment. Transformation requires active engagement, beginning with prayer. There is no special gift of prayer; it simply requires your time. Likewise, there is no spiritual gift that automatically allows you to sit with your Bible and study for hours. True discipleship teaches believers to take responsibility for their growth. Without this foundation, we produce a lazy, entitled people who abuse the grace of God and turn it into an instrument of licentiousness.

1. Walking in Love

The third essential element of discipleship is learning to walk in love—specifically, love for God and love for people, as outlined in Ephesians 5:1–2. If you love God but hate people, you are not a true disciple. The scripture commands us to be followers of God as dear children, and to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us.

The law of love is a fundamental law for every believer. This love includes discipline and correction; rebuking in love is part of love. It expresses itself through giving, and its highest demonstration is forgiveness. Many believers fail to walk in love, often making careless, unyielding statements.

However, walking in love does not mean being foolish or unwise, nor does it mean allowing evil to prevail around you. The ultimate proof of a disciple is not power or wisdom, but love. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another." It is not demonstrated by speaking in tongues, preaching well, attending Koinonia, or hosting global programs, but by how you love others.

2. Living by the Word

Disciples must also be taught the value of living by the Word of God. No true disciple can mature without developing an unquenchable passion for Scripture. The operational principle of the Kingdom is found in Matthew 4:4: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

You must love the Word more than your necessary food. True intimacy with Scripture means meditating on it continuously. You can stay on a single verse for days, not merely to prepare a sermon, but to draw deep from its well of wisdom.

A lack of desire for the Word is a spiritual attack that corrupts your potential to become like Christ. Even at age twelve, Jesus was found in the temple studying the scriptures, though He Himself was the Word incarnate. If you find yourself unable to read your Bible, despite owning shelves of Christian literature, recognize that resistance for what it is. Receive the fresh grace right now to break that stagnation and restore your passion for Scripture.

3. Living by Faith

A believer who desires to be like Christ must be mentored on how to live by faith. Life offers no earthly guarantees, which is why Ephesians 6:16 instructs us to take up the shield of faith to quench every fiery dart of the wicked one. Scripture states repeatedly that the just shall live by faith. Believers must learn how to act upon the Word of God, thereby committing Him to perform His promises in their lives. Without faith, victory is impossible, for "this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

4. Productivity and Economic Emancipation

Finally, discipleship must teach productivity as a key to societal impact and economic emancipation. It is not enough to teach holiness, prayer, and love; believers must also understand the principles of productivity.

Without financial dignity and productivity, people are driven to desperation, theft, or beggary. Homes fracture under financial strain when responsibilities are neglected. A man cannot excuse financial irresponsibility by pointing to his church commitment; serving as an usher does not justify neglecting your household.

The late Dr. Myles Munroe shared a story illustrating this balance. A man was on the verge of ending his marriage because he felt his wife’s constant church attendance caused her to neglect their home. Distressed, the woman informed Dr. Munroe that she could no longer attend services.

To her surprise, Dr. Munroe told her, "Go back home. Your husband is right. Take care of your family."

When she returned home, her husband was surprised to see her and asked why she was not at church. She replied, "My pastor sent me home because my primary responsibility is to take care of you and our home."

This response disarmed the husband. Intrigued by a ministry that prioritized the health of his family, he later attended a service to meet the pastor. Dr. Munroe assured him that the church was pro-family and aimed to transform his wife and children for the betterment of their entire household. Touched by this balanced approach to the Christian life, the husband eventually became a dedicated worker in that very church.
𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒅...
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HOW TO DEAL WITH LUSTFUL THOUGHTS ||PASTOR DOLAPO LAWAL
Episode 1.

Lustful thoughts can be both uninvited and invited. They become invited when we open our eye and ear gates to the wrong information, exposing ourselves to explicit or inappropriate content and naively expecting that nothing will happen.

Ultimately, lustful thoughts are either uninvited or invited thoughts that use our desires to create distractions. They often manifest as distorted images, fantasies, or urges that demand your agreement, not just your attention. It begins by capturing your attention, but the ultimate goal is to win your agreement.

These thoughts come through images, memories, imaginations, and desires that refuse to submit to the Spirit. They usually sound like this:
You are already thinking it, so you might as well do it.
You are married, but your spouse is no longer attractive. You deserve this.
God understands my weakness, so maybe this is just something I have to live with for the rest of my life.
Just this one time, or this will be the last time.

Much like a thief who promises himself that the next heist will be his last, people repeat this lie to themselves and never stop.

Why are these thoughts so dangerous?

1. They do not stop in your mind; they search for agreement in your body. Even if you do not want to give in, consistently exposing yourself to the wrong environment or indulging these thoughts creates relentless pressure. It is like kicking a locked door repeatedly; eventually, the door breaks, and the thoughts force their way into actions.

2. They carry shame. Shame causes you to hide from the one person who can help you. The moment you give in, your fellowship with God is distorted. Salvation means God knows us, but fellowship is about us knowing Him. True fellowship requires boldness, which is why scripture instructs us to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy. When we disobey, we lose that boldness and begin to hesitate. The consequence of sin does not change God; it changes you by eroding your confidence and causing you to hide. Once the enemy traps you in shame, he condemns you and convinces you that you will always be this way.

3. It destroys your confidence in prayer, in devotion, and in the manifestation of God's power.
𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒅...
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Invite your friends to follow this sermon, sexual sins normally starts from an unstopped negative thought. Be careful of what you think.
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