Class 5/: CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND
PROSPERITY
CLASS FIVE /
INTRODUCTION
The new Creature has a new life, which makes it possible to develop a new character and lifestyle that is consistent with his calling in Christ. While your salvation is instantaneous, your growth is progressive, and is from glory to glory. Growth can be seen in the quality of your Character, which as a Christian is expected to be Christ like.
This is not only possible, it is necessary.
In this Class we will look at some fundamentals from the scriptures to set you on a course of irreversible and progressive growth!

GOD’s DESIRE FOR YOUR GROWTH
The Vision of our Ministry contains the phrase “.....and demonstrating the Character of the Spirit” which is so instructive. This means there is a Character of the Spirit and we can demonstrate it.

1Cor 6:17 gives us a stunning revelation - “But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit”. Our Man of God further explained that when the Holy Spirit takes up His abode in us, He seeks to mingle with our spirit to the extent that there is one expression of character from us. And that’s why we are instructed in Eph 5:18-21 to be filled with the Spirit, so that we are under His continuous influence and sway at all times and in all things. His personality is seen through us.

2Cor 3:18 gives us another amazing insight “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (kjv, ampc). Here we see some important truths:
- Beholding or looking into a glass i.e. a mirror. What mirror? The mirror of God, which is the Word of God because it reveals.
- A progressive but irreversible change occurs, a metamorphosis
- Into the same image not another image, the same image you see...wow!
- It’s from glory to glory, ever increasing glory, one direction only
- It is the work of the Spirit.
Eph 4:13 is climatic “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”. This is possible not when we get to Heaven but here on earth! No wonder 1Jn 4:17 says “as He is, so are we in this world” and 1Pet 2:9 ( amp) says “....and display the virtues and perfections of Him....”. Alleluia!
So from the foregoing, we can see God’s desire for us, and what He has prepared for us. God didn’t save us so we can be inferior or less. He wants us grow to be the expression of Christ. Our Man of God stated that the highest form of Christianity is the expression of Christ.

YOUR ROLE
You have a role in your growth. Just like the food you eat, though it has all the nutrients for your body to develop, until and unless you eat it in sufficient quantities and consistently, your body will not grow. One of the most important things to understand about life in Christ, is that you have a role. When you study scriptures or hear about God’s plan for you, ask yourself what is my role because therein is wisdom.
So let’s us look at some important things you must do, to grow as God planned for you to.
1. Renew your Mind
When you received salvation, you received eternal life into your spirit. But your mind was still same, and that’s why you could still remember, talk or process thoughts as you did before. And if nothing changes, even though you are born again, your mind will remain same and you will behave and demonstrate same character as before.


That’s why Rom 12:2 gives us an instruction not to be conformed to this world (because we now belong to another Kingdom) but be transformed i.e. metamorphosed. The biggest thing here is he tells you how - “by the renewing of your mind”! This is the secret! If your mind is renewed, you will be transformed! Because your mind is where thoughts are processed, actions are decided, which lead to habits and which produce character. And the agent for renewing your mind is the Word of God. So you literally feed on God’s Words and exchange your old information with the new divine information. In the classic Book “Power of Your Mind”, our Man of God deals extensively with this and uses a phrase in the Introduction called the “character of your mind”. Your mind can have a character, which will determine and show in your outward character. A Study of the “Power of Your Mind” is Assignment #1 for this Class.

2. Let the Word dwell in you richly
To grow and develop, you must study the Word. There is no option. 1 Pet2:2 says “...desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby...”. But an even more important instruction is that you are taking in the word voraciously i.e. a lot until it dwells in you richly as Col 3:16 says. And it is your responsibility. No one can do this for you. So, give attention to the daily study of the Word. Prioritize this, and you can. Don’t become too busy that you can’t find time to study the Word. Just like you can’t be too busy such that you don’t eat, or else something will happen to your body. Now, the word is food for your spirit, so don’t do to your spirit what you won’t do to your body.
A good way to begin training yourself to be consistent with the Word is our Daily Devotional, Rhapsody of Realities. As you study it daily, and follow the 1 or 2yr Bible Study Plan, you will become addicted to the Word and your profiting will appear to all!

3a. Cultivate a Culture of Prayer
Some have asked, how much prayer is enough? When you understand that prayer is a fellowship with God, you will seek to have it always. Our Lord Jesus said in Luke 18:1 that men ought always to pray. 1Thess 5:17 says “pray without ceasing”. So we see the mind of God about this. And a powerful benefit of Prayer is that more than the situation it may change, it’s the change it produces in you that is even more valuable. Because of this fellowship, you become more God like in character. People who pray often are never discouraged, are usually patient with others, always hopeful and always confident.
Now, for the sake of structure in your prayer pattern, you can adopt these guidances:
- Select your personal and definite times of the day and duration for daily prayer
- In addition to the above, pray as instructed by Church or your Cell, for example, our Ministry Prayer Times with Pastor, special Church or Cell corporate prayer programs

In addition to all of the above, you can set special prayer times to address a specific situation or specially worship the Lord
- In addition to all of the above, always respond to the special prompting of the Spirit to pray

3b. A Foundational Instruction on Prayer
Our Man of God has brought to us the emphasis of the Spirit revealed in 1 Tim 2:1-4 on the priority in Prayer. The Church seems not to have given the due attention this clear pattern, and the resultant blessings have eluded Nations of Men. Many have desired the results of a “quiet and peaceable, in all godliness and honesty” without following the pattern or praying in the manner that would produce the results!
Verses 1-2 instructs that “first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all that in authority…”
This is the priority….”first of all”, so this comes before any personal or selfish request or ambitions in prayer! Take care of this first!
And Verse 2 continues “….that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”. This would be the necessary results! It is cause and effect. You don’t pray for the effect, you enable the cause, the effect is the result.
So as a Christian, this is your priority in prayer, and you will be functioning in accuracy as desired by the Holy Spirit.





Here are 4 straightforward prayers you can use as a guide to praying with this pattern
a. Pray for all men, declaring that this is the day of salvation and grace, so we break the hold of satan from their lives. Acts 26.18; 2 Corinthians 6.2 declares that we’re in God’s acceptable time and day of Salvation.
b. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send forth laborers into the harvest fields of leaders of nations. Luke 10.1-3
c. Pray that God will change the hearts of leaders from foolishness and deception to wisdom and truth. He’s able to do it, and will when we pray. Proverbs 21.1
d. Pray to overthrow the work of ungodly men who fill the world with poverty, violence and death, keeping men from experiencing the goodness of the Lord that fills the earth. Psalm 33.5; 2 Corinthians 10.4

4. Walk in the Spirit
To grow in godly character, there are habits from the old life that must be discontinued. And this is not difficult at all. Our Man of God once said, to stop a bad habit, replace it with a good one. There is no void in nature. You can’t just stop doing some things but stay idle. Gal 5:16 gives a direct and straightforward instruction. “...walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. You can’t walk in the Spirit and in the flesh at the same time. Rom 13:15 adds another guidance saying “....and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lust thereof” i.e. don’t create for yourself opportunity for wrong doing.

5. Avoid wrong associations
Your associations and relationships will affect your growth and character. You may not think so but the scriptures, God’s wisdom, says it will. 1Cor 15:33 says “ Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners”. Also, we see in Prov 13:20 “He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed”. So what you must do, is carefully choose your associations in the direction of your growth desire. And this is one of the reasons you shouldn’t neglect the assembly of the saints, church services, cell meetings, and other fellowship opportunities arranged for you. They are part of God’s plan for you to grow and develop.

6. Consistent in Church Services and Cell Meetings
Heb 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.....”. This is part of the security and advantage for the Christian. The corporate blessing in our gatherings together provide for you what you can’t get in any other way. This is the wisdom of God for you.
As a Christian, attending Church Services regularly is not negotiable. The Church Service is not like another activity, like going to work or to the market, it is a divine convocation and special divine time of appointment. In Class 6, we will also see that the proper way to express and render Christian Service as a Christian is by membership in a local Church. This is how you are an active member of the Universal Church. This is God’s pattern.

7. Be Available for Service
Growth is for responsibility. The way you know you are growing in character and maturity is when you take up, or are trusted with more responsibilities. In any house, that’s how adults are distinguished from the children. When you start becoming responsible in the House of God, rendering Service, taking up Tasks, then maturity is in progress. Maturity is not by how long you have been in the Church, it is by how much responsibility you have taken up, and Service you are rendering. Eph 4:16 says the Body grows “...by that which every joint supplies..” Every member of the Church has a definite role to fulfill. No one was called to be idle.








8. Your Communication
An outward evidence of your growth and character development is the character of your communication. Your words locate you. It is impossible to, pretend. What you have on the inside will reflect in your words. Recall in Points 1&2 above, we talked about the importance of renewing your mind and letting the word dwell in you richly. These are connected to your talking. In Luke 6:45, our Lord Jesus said “....for of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaketh”. What you have in your heart in abundance will come out in your talking. They are connected!
In James 3:2 “ For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man....”. This is instructive.
Your communication is vital. Life or death depends on it (Prov 18:21). You must speak in line with God’s truth. This is what confession i.e. homologia means, saying the same thing in consent with God, so what God says about anything is the truth you accept and you respond to, in word and deed (Heb 13:5-6).
Another aspect of communication is not to allow corrupt communication come out of your mouth (Eph 4:29). As a Christian, some words are not befitting. The same mouth used for prayer cannot be used for dirty language (James 3:10-11). Instead you speak only gracious words that edify and bless the bearer (Col 4:6)

9. Be filled with the Spirit
This is the ultimate advantage of the Christian and the enabler of unstoppable growth and character development. Eph 5:18 says “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”. The proper rendering is “to be being filled” with Spirit. Don’t come out of the over flowing influence of the Spirit! So it a conscious exercise you do. No one can do it for you. And verse 19-21 tells you how to start.
If you are always under the influence of the Holy Spirit, then demonstrating the character of the Spirit and expressing the Christ life becomes your lifestyle.

PRINCIPLES OF PROSPERITY
We will introduce this Topic and like all aspects of our Christian life, the learning is progressive and lifelong. But it must be emphasized here, and again like every other aspect, the blessing is not in the hearing but in the doing.
As a Christian, you have become a joint-heir with Christ (Rom 8:17). This alone makes it impossible for a Christian to genuinely be in lack.
We also see in Eph 3:8 (amp) “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints (God’s consecrated people), this grace (favor, privilege) was granted and graciously entrusted: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending (boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless) riches of Christ [wealth which no human being could have searched out]”
2 Cor 8:9 says “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich”.
Then Is 1:19 (TLB) “If you will only let me help you, if you will only obey, then I will make you rich!”
If any of God’s children is in lack, the challenge is not the lack of provisions by God but of insufficient knowledge or ignorance of God’s word and His provision. There is no substitute to knowledge. In Hos 6:4, God through the Prophet said “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” .
So it is possible for a Christian to be in lack but that is not what God planned. Instead God planned that you should have over and beyond what you need, so that you can be a blessing to your world! As the seed of Abraham, you are not to just be blessed but to be a blessing.
That’s why as a Christian, you shouldn’t expect to just have for you and your family, you should have enough to bless others and join forces with other Christians to bless the whole world.
This is what we do when we give into the sponsorship of the Gospel through our various organized structures such as Partnerships and Programs.
The Kingdom of God has principles, and these include principles for consistent and ever increasing financial prosperity. A fundamental principle is “giving”. Our Lord Jesus said in Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again”
We also see in Acts 20:35 “...it is more blessed to give than to receive”. This is clear because there is no promise to the receiver. It is the giver that has a promise of harvest and increase!
So prosperity starts with giving. And listed below are some fundamental givings to get you started.



I I. TITHE: This refers to the one tenth of the value of your income. It is unto God and not man. We must pay it irrespective of the size. Mal 3:10

I II. FIRST FRUITS: This refers to the first and the best of all your increase. By releasing your first fruit to God, you are declaring that the rest of the fruits are sanctified. Rom 11:16

I III. FREEWILL OFFERING: As its name implies, you give as you desire to give as you make up your mind 2Cor 9:7

I IV. SEED OFFERING: This is given with expectation of a specific outcome or just to sow into a special grace. 2Cor 9:10

I V. SERVICE OFFERINGS: When we come to Church, a very special moment is when we have the opportunity to give our Offerings. God expects us to, and it’s our privilege to do so. And it is a strong testimony of the presence of God, because we give offerings to God not to man.

I VI. PARTNERSHIP SEEDS: These are givings through our Ministry Partnership Arms, for the furtherance of our work, reach and impact through that specific Partnership Arm. One important characteristic of Partnership Seeds is they must be definite and consistent. Because as the name implies, the seed is a partnership commitment. And based on the expectation of it, commitments are made in the execution of the partnership. It must not default. Once there is willingness, there should then be a corresponding determination to carry it out. And there is always grace. Phil 1:5-7


TAKE HOME ASSIGNMENT FOR CLASS 5:
1. Get Your Personal Copy of the Book “Power of Your Mind” and read it. Discuss 2 striking thoughts you received as you studied the Book and submit. It should be at least 1 page long.
2. Download from PCDL and listen to “Topical Teaching Highlights on Christian Growth and Maturity”
3. Listen to the Message “Tithes and Offerings”. Sign up for at least one Partnership Arm.