Church And State Part 1 (Impact Beyond Church Walls) by Apostle Selman
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psalm 119:130 (KJV)
As the Word comes forth, open your heart to receive light, wisdom, and direction. God’s Word brings transformation and clarity to every situation when applied.
Lift your hands to heaven and give God praise. Honour Him because He is God all by Himself. He is the God of all flesh, and there is nothing too hard for Him to do.
Ask The Lord for a mighty encounter tonight.
Pray: Father, let my eyes be open to see, my ears open to hear, and my heart inclined to understand. Change me, build me, realign me, and refine me by the power of Your Word, tonight. Let tonight’s service be my service, in the name of Jesus Christ!
Welcome to Koinonia – a place where faith replaces haziness in your spirit.
If this is your first time with us, you are especially welcome. God has brought you here with the intention to change you, to transform you, and to align you with His purpose.
Building a thoroughly furnished Believer who is mature, enlightened, and empowered requires that you focus on these four areas in your teaching ministry:
1. Doctrine: This refers to the fundamental belief of the Christian faith. The faith walk has foundational truths that if you do not believe, you cannot be called a Christian.
2. The teaching of the principles of the Kingdom: The Believer must know how to operate with the principles and the system of the Kingdom.
3. Wisdom for living that guarantees victory and efficiency within the cosmos: This is the level of wisdom required to operate in the world.
4. A Word-complaint worldview: This generally talks about the lens and vista with which you interpret life.
Sadly, many Believers have exposure to one or more of these areas, but because they are not wholesome, we have people who are knowledgeable in parts, yet still ignorant in others.
A deficiency in any of these areas results in a lopsided Believer.
There are individuals who are doctrinally sound, yet lack the wisdom required for practical living. In many cases, such individuals struggle when placed in positions of leadership or responsibility, especially in dispensing duties.
Every nation, including Nigeria, has its own laws and constitution that guide its citizenry in their way of life. However, while learning to function effectively as a Nigerian is important, it is not enough on a global scale.
Most Believers don’t know what it is to have a world-compliant worldview. By worldview, it refers to the lens and vista with which a person sees life and interprets it.
Many Believers are both knowledgeable and ignorant at the same time: this paradox exists in the Church.
These are individuals who have a strong understanding of the realities of the Godhead, salvation, and even the operation of spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues.
Yet, the same individuals who could be entrusted with managerial responsibility in a corporate setting may pray fervently in tongues and still mismanage or run down an organization.
This reveals a critical gap: spiritual knowledge without corresponding practical wisdom for life and leadership.
It is the responsibility of the teaching priest to bring the people placed under him to maturity.
You cannot train people to be a better version of your understanding, because out of your growth will come the growth of the people who are connected to you. The greatest way to be a blessing is to grow.
Not following the requisite roadmap will inevitably produce a generation of believers who become irrelevant within their world and context of influence.
We live in a time marked by increasing relativism: everything is being redefined through shifting and divergent perspectives.
The writing of the Gospel continues today by the Spirit of God. By His mercy, we are made righteous, and through that righteousness, we are granted access to walk in fellowship with Him and express His life on the earth.
13. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)
Things to note about “Salt”:
• Salt can lose its savour.
• It is never too late to add salt.
• Salt is also used to add taste.
• Salt preserves.
There is a level of relevance the Church is called to maintain, and it must never be in decline. This is because the Church Jesus Christ entrusted to us is not a declining Church.
Anything that fights your influence and relevance is demonic. As light, your influence should transcend cultures, races, and territories.
Declare: I am salt.
I am light!
The beautiful thing about light is that it does not need to be placed everywhere to illuminate it. This means that you don’t need to be everywhere for people to feel your impact.
The Believer can be classified in two ways from a theological standpoint.:
1. Classification based on identity
This speaks to your oneness with Christ. Scripture describes this union with expressions such as joint heirs with Christ, raised with Christ, and seated with Christ. These reveal our position and connection in Him.
2. Classification based on function
This reveals purpose and assignment. Scripture refers to us as light, salt, ambassadors, kings, priests, and witnesses. These are not mere titles, but responsibilities and expressions of divine mandate.
They are a call to duty. They don’t only show who you are connected to; they reveal what you are ordained to do.
Several scriptures from the Bible talk about the Church:
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:13-18 (KJV)
“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Micah 4:1-2 (KJV)
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” Ephesians 2:19-20 (KJV)
The Concept Of The Church
There are three definitions of the Church:
1. The Church is a Spiritual Strategy (Jeremiah 51:20)
• The Church is God’s most potent strategy for birthing, advancing, and sustaining His agenda in the earth.
2. The Church as the Body of Believers in Christ (1 Peter 2:5, Romans 12:4-5).
The Church refers to the collective identity of all who are in Christ, many members, yet one body.
3. The Church is an Institution (1 Timothy 3:15, Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:42-47)
• The Church is an institution that is relevant to society. The Church is the pillar and the ground for the Truth. It is the institution mandated the preservation and application of truth in the world.
Three (3) definitions of The Church according to the Bible.
1. The church is a spiritual strategy (Jeremiah 51:20-23)
– The Church is the New Covenant expression of God’s strategy. The most potent force for building and advancing His program is the Church.
– The Church is God’s strategy for delivering healing to the nations, bringing reformation, salvation, transformation, hope, advancement, and nation-building.
2. The Church represents the collective body of believers in Christ, not just individuals, but believers joined together, regardless of location. (1 Peter 2:5; Romans 12:4–5)
3. The Church is an Institution.
– It means the Church is designed to be relevant, relevant to society and to the happenings within our world. The Church is not detached from life; it is meant to engage, influence, and shape it.
– 1 Timothy 3:15 – The Bible describes the Church as the house of God, the church of the living God, and the pillar and ground of truth.
This reveals the institutional mandate of the Church. The Church has the responsibility of communicating and preserving the highest expression of truth in society. No matter where truth is sought, its final reference point is meant to be the Church.
There are three (3) definitions of The Church:
1. The church is a spiritual strategy – It is God’s own invention, the brainchild of God’s own wisdom. It is not man-made.
(Jeremiah 51:21-23)
2. The Church is a generic name for Believers in Christ. An individual cannot be called a Church; a collection of Believers can, regardless of whether they’re gathered outside or inside or in parliament, as long as there is a collection of Believers that gathers, they’re called The Church.
(1 Peter 2:5, Romans 12:5)
3. The Church is an institution, which implies that it is relevant to society, relevant to happenings within our world. (1 Timothy 3:15)
This means the church has a mandate to trap truths in any civilization. When everything fails, people can come to the church as a system of preserving truths generationally (Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:44)
The sickness in the land can often be traced to a distortion or weakness in the expression of the Church.
The Church remains God’s most potent strategy for birthing and advancing His program in the earth.
You are God’s strategy for healing, revival, reconciliation, deliverance, hope, joy, and the manifestation of a better world.
This is not fanaticism, it is truth. The Church is the final bus stop for truth, entrusted with its preservation and faithful transmission across generations. It is responsible for upholding truth and expressing it accurately in every sphere of life.
There has never been a time in history when the Church has had more programs and events than it has now. However, there seems to be a generation that is currently accepting that the Church is an obsolete platform.
I decree in the name of Jesus Christ that in our lifetime, the Church will never go down!
One of the ways to draw a generation to you is to become someone they can trust. Until a generation trusts you, they cannot truly follow you.
The way to command the attention of a generation is not only to be a person of integrity, but to become consistently trustworthy. The loyalty of your generation is a report card of your character.
People won’t lend you their attention until they trust you. There’s an intention you consistently embody that renders you trustworthy.
The real power of transformation is in the quality of the teachings that come from our pulpits.
When the content of our teaching is right, the Church will produce wholesome Believers, and when it isn’t right, sadly, we will produce inefficient Believers.
It is dangerous when doctrine becomes the only dimension of teaching. This often produces a consecrated people who are lopsided in their growth and irrelevant to society.
You cannot raise a people greater than your enlightenment, Word-compliance, and your transformation.
Reasons for The Decline of The Church’s Relevance in Society:
1. The character disposition of the ministers of the Gospel.
2. The low or poor quality of the sermons and the teachings that come from the pulpit.
3. The inefficiency of the witnesses/congregants that are produced by our faulty teachings, as a result of our exaggerations, and poor communication of truth, reflecting fanaticism, imbalance, inaccurate understanding, reflecting a poor world-view, and defeat.
The result of these is that the Church will produce Believers who are knowledgeable in some areas, yet ignorant in others. Ultimately, this leads to a generation of lopsided Believers.
The real value of wisdom is in its ability to influence your thoughts and enhance decision-making capacity, so that you will make superior pro-destiny choices. Wisdom functions as a lens through which life is interpreted, guiding you to make wise choices that lead to victory.
The quality of transformation is in the quality of teaching. The current gap in the church is predicated on the battle for supremacy. The real pursuit should be for completion, so that believers can grow through methodical mentorship.
You can never raise people greater than your level of enlightenment and transformation. Transformation is not being more Western but instead being more Word-compliant.
There are key institutions that shape society.
Every time society is in decadence, these are the institutions to consult:
1. The Family
2. The education system (schools)
3. The Church
4. The Government (through policies)
When these systems weaken, especially the Church, the entire society feels the impact.
The first revelation of God, especially as it pertains to revealing His love, is meant to be from the family. It is when the family fails that God depends on the schools.
I declare: The resources that will enable you to send your children to good schools, may God place them in your hands, in the name of Jesus Christ!
The Church is more potent because it is an aggregate of people drawn from diverse families and educational backgrounds. Its reach is therefore wider than many other institutions. This makes it necessary that the message being taught is delivered with balance, for the purpose of growth and edification.
The Bible is a prophetic book; it can speak many languages. It can amplify flesh in the vessel, bringing the message, and can communicate across cultures and contexts. However, when mishandled, it can also amplify the limitations of the vessel carrying the message.
It takes resources to produce quality. Educational institutions, for example, are not primarily viewed as profit-driven entities, but as value-adding systems committed to shaping people and advancing society.
For any meaningful change to occur, there must be:
1. Sound doctrine (in terms of values and truth)
2. Strong policy frameworks
3. Unity of vision
4. Commitment to long-term nation-building
Without these pillars, society can drift into confusion, mistrust, and disorder.
When we speak about revival or transformation, it must not remain a vague spiritual concept. It must translate into tangible impact across every sphere of life; academically, socially, economically, and even politically.
True transformation touches every sphere of human existence. It is not enough to talk about change; we must deliberately build systems, structures, and values that sustain and preserve that change.
The Different Hybrids of Christians:
1. Those who are doctrinally sound but possess a small and unexposed worldview
– While grounded in doctrine, their limited perspective makes it difficult for God to fully entrust them with influence because of how narrow their minds are.
2. Those who are exposed and enlightened, but at the expense of consecration.
– Though knowledgeable and culturally aware, inconsistencies in character make them unstable, making it difficult for God to commit a generation to their leadership.
The danger with these hybrid expressions of Christianity is that individuals begin to build “walls” around their limited mindset, reinforcing imbalance instead of growth.
I declare: God is breaking down walls!
The aim of the walls being broken is to allow a mixing of truth. Not to permeate compromise, but to allow a healthy integration of truth, producing balance, depth, and holistic growth across all areas for the Believers’ equipping.
Until you understand God’s program, you will not see the problem that the imbalance in the Church is causing to God’s program. Bringing balance to the Church is a real miracle.
God is raising not just spiritual people, but balanced Believers.
– Believers who can pray and also think.
– Those who carry power and also demonstrate character.
– Those who understand Scripture and can apply it effectively to real-life systems.
This is the kind of generation that will bring true transformation.
One of the greatest miracles that can happen to our society today is the humility of pastors.
One of the most needed miracles in our time is not merely the display of power or influence, but the restoration of humility among ministers of the Gospel.
Authenticity and transparency attract loyalty and respect.
One of the greatest miracles needed in our time is the humility of pastors. This change can potentially account for 70% of the reformation and transformation of members.
This is not intended to point out faults within the body, but to address the collective limitations that have, in some ways, limited the growth and advancement of Believers. Authenticity and simplicity attract loyalty and respect.
Pray for Pastors: that God, by the act of His mercy, will help us.
Many people enter ministry as a form of emotional healing for unresolved childhood trauma. Unfortunately, when left unaddressed, this can become harmful both to the individual and to those they are called to serve.
The real miracle for revival and reformation starts with the humility of preachers.
The fact that you gave birth to a child does not mean the child cannot teach you. If your child can feed you, then he can also instruct you.
Beware of who mentors you and beware of what you are taught.
Beware of who mentors you and beware of what you’re taught.
To restore the relevance of The Church, we need the following:
1. A three-fold restoration within the priesthood (pastors/ministers): a restoration of character or moral excellence, broadness of knowledge, and a restoration of supernatural power.
2. There needs to be an upgrade in the quality and the method of the teachings from pulpits, to reflect doctrine, principles of the Kingdom, wisdom for living, and to capture a word-compliant worldview.
3. Believers must be trained to not only comment on and pray about but to actively engage in matters and activities that concern the state and society.
14. Do all things without murmurings and disputing:
15. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16. Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Philippians 2:14-16 (KJV)
With respect to the upgrade in both the quality and method of teaching, for some ministers it requires a subtraction, while for others it requires an addition.
There is a science to the transfer of knowledge; it goes beyond mere utterance or oratory.
We must learn how to communicate knowledge in a way that moves people beyond simply nodding in agreement to genuine understanding, transformation, and application.
Because teaching is not just about speaking, it is about forming people.
Wisdom is not just knowledge.
Wisdom is the ability to communicate truth in a way that shapes lives and influences systems
A Roadmap To The Impact, Influence, And Relevance Of The Church:
To restore the glory of the Church, we need the following:
1. A three-fold restoration within the priesthood; a restoration of character, broadness of knowledge, and a restoration of supernatural power
(Philippians 2: 14-15).
2. There needs to be an upgrade in the quality of the teachings and the methods of the teachings from our pulpits and Churches to capture and reflect doctrine, the principles of the Kingdom, wisdom for living, and a Word-compliant world-view.
3. Believers must be trained to not only comment and pray about, but to actively engage in matters and activities that concern the state and society.
Anything you see that is wrong in your society should become your mission, not just a topic of complaint.
While it is good to acknowledge and speak against the ills in society, Believers must learn to add action to their words and do it with responsibility. In addition to prayer and talking, we must get up and act.
Talk is cheap; Believers must become solution-driven in their approach to any failure observed in society. Anything we see that is wrong should become our mission, not an avenue for complaining.
The least we can do is pray, but this should not be the final solution. The goal of praying is to midwife solutions to solve emerging challenges in society.
Every place God has allotted for you in destiny, in the name of Jesus Christ, may He move you there now!
Word of Caution: If you’re engaged in fraud, stop it!
If you’re involved in prostitution, stop it!
Whilst your plight is understood, it is not endorsed.
Not everyone is called to the pulpit.
Preaching is not the only way to build the Kingdom.
• Giving is a way to advance the Kingdom.
• Career excellence is a way to advance the Kingdom.
• Scientific and professional expertise is a way to advance the Kingdom.
• Administration and leadership are ways to advance the Kingdom.
• Governance and diplomacy are ways to advance the Kingdom.
Every sphere is an opportunity for impact. Unfortunately, a limited mindset, often shaped by spiritual authority, has led many to mistakenly or erroneously believe their destination is the pulpit.
I pray for you:
As this army of people begins to rise strategically, may you find your place.
For those called into ministry, receive the grace to remain faithful.
For those in business who will finance Kingdom purposes, receive grace.
For parents raising the next generation of leaders, prophets, and apostles, receive wisdom and strength.
For educators and thought leaders shaping minds, receive grace to teach with excellence.
For those in media, arts, and entertainment, may God use you to influence culture with truth.
Wherever you are positioned, may your life become an instrument of impact.
God is raising a generation of Believers who will not only be spiritual, but also innovative and solution-driven.
Some Believers will: build applications, create technological solutions, and design systems that solve real problems.
It is not limited to one sphere.
Some of you will experience this tangibly:
You will go to bed at night, and the Spirit of God will rest upon you.
Ideas will come.
Direction will come.
Strategies will come.
Because God is not only raising praying people, He is raising thinking, creating, and executing people.
This is the balance:
• Spiritual depth
• Intellectual capacity
• Practical impact
All rooted in Christ Jesus.
Stop insulting the Government, and become part of the solution.
Yes, speak in tongues, receive prophecies, but translate those divine virtues and spiritual realities into earthly solutions.
Birth solutions. Translate divine intelligence into policy formulation and nation-building.
Address real needs: housing, food security, and the pressing challenges of society, with wisdom, responsibility, and action.
Corruption is sustained by a system.
Discipline is sustained by a system.
Excellence is sustained by a system.
And systems are built by people who think, act, and live intentionally.
Raise better people and you will build a better society.
If someone offers you money to compromise your values, the real question is not the amount; the question is your character.
Because the only way to change a system is to change the people within it.
You don’t fix a nation from the outside in; you fix it from the inside out.
Hate can be preached from the pulpit, and so can love.
Let there be a deliberate campaign for Balance, Love, and Unity.
Make contact with someone and lift your voice in prayer for the nations of Africa. Pray for the leadership of the nations in Africa and for the Churches represented across the nations.
Declare that this is a new season for Africa, and that the continent rises from the ashes, in the name of Jesus Christ!
Pray for the other continents of the world. Pray for Europe, Antarctica, Australia, South America, North America, and Asia.
Declare that it is a new season across the nations of the earth, in the name of Jesus Christ!
Lift your voice and pray for Nigeria, its 36 states, and 774 Local Government Areas.
Declare that only the counsel of The Lord will prevail and reign over Nigeria, in the name of Jesus Christ!
Pray for the person you’re holding, that there will be a fresh supply of the Holy Spirit’s power, and that they will become custodians of spiritual realities.
Declare that all that it takes for the Church to function as salt and light in the earth will indeed be supplied to us, in the name of Jesus Christ!
Declare: The advancement of the Church, the advancement of Nigeria, the advancement of my family, the advancement of my destiny, the advancement of my spouse, the advancement of my children, the advancement of Africa, the advancement of the world depends on me. I have a role to play, and I obtain grace to play my role.
I speak the blessing over you this week:
The Lord bless you.
The Lord bless your children.
The Lord bless your spouse.
The Lord bless the work of your hands.
The Lord bless your mind.
The Lord bless your going out and your coming in, in the name of Jesus Christ.
I declare: May you have a reason to rejoice this week, may you have a reason to celebrate this week. Go forward, advance, and make progress this week, in the name of Jesus Christ.
In the place of prayer, may you receive ideas.
In the place of prayer, may you receive strategies.
You will not only walk in power, but you will also become a solution provider.
A combination of wisdom and power will find expression in your life.
You are a blessing everywhere you go. The lines are falling for you in pleasant places. Go and succeed, in the name of Jesus Christ.
I declare: Nigeria, you are blessed.
Abuja, you are blessed.
United Kingdom, you are blessed.
Canada, you are blessed.
United States, you are blessed.
Zambia, you are blessed.
Ghana, you are blessed.
South Africa, you are blessed.
Kenya, you are blessed.
Uganda, you are blessed.
And all other nations of the earth, you are blessed
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 (KJV)
Jesus is calling you into a new life of purpose and peace. If you desire a fresh start, respond in faith and receive Him as your Lord and Saviour today.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
Congratulations on your decision to receive Jesus Christ! Your new life in Christ has begun.
Kindly reach out to us:
https://bit.ly/JESUSINMYHEART
or email: [email protected]
We are here to support you in your walk with God.
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee.” Numbers 6:24 (KJV)
Thank you for worshipping with us today. We pray that the Word you received will produce lasting results in your life. May your week be filled with testimonies and divine encounters.
We look forward to seeing you next Sunday. God bless you!
