Five days from now…
I and the rest of the world will be celebrating Apostle Joshua Selman. You may be curious as to why.
Guess what! I am here to tell you just a bit.
Before I do, permit me to share some of my struggles I had as a Christian. I was once a victim of church hurt. I practiced religiosity and did so many things out of obligation as a result — I became church sensitive.
It did not start like that — I started as a young minister in the choir who loved to sing, but as time moved, I found myself stuck in routines within the church; if you could measure my growth process, you would notice that I wasn’t growing in the word.
I struggled with balance; each time I had exams, I would struggle because I did not want God to be a second option. That’s how the religiosity part crept in.
I found myself moving from church to church, very frustrated because my heart was searching for something, and it wasn’t like the sermons from the churches I attended were bad, but I still found myself searching. My friend told me about Apostle Joshua Selman in the past, and I passed it.
But fast forward to about three years now, I got reintroduced to Apostle Selman; I call Him Daddy, so moving on in this article- I will refer to Him as Daddy interchangeably.
When I found Koinonia, and the lessons; I stopped searching. Why? I will share my top five.
- Apostle Selman is a Chemical Engineer — He started ministry in ABU Zaria, and I never went to any Koinonia service while I was there. The Lord was in this place, and I knew it not. What’s the importance of telling you daddy was an engineer? Some people, like myself in the past, feel like a professionals cannot relate to the things of God, but I am glad God used Apostle to show it was possible. In addition, I mentioned he was in Zaria for a reason because many times, people in ministry or life, in general, may seek visibility in places like Abuja or Lagos, but he remained in Zaria for a long time, people only had access to his audio tapes, no face.. until the time was right for him to move.
This act taught me to learn to wait for God’s timing. Many times, you will hear daddy say, do not allow people pray you out of seasons. Waiting and cry if you must; but do it.
2. Apostle Selman has integrity: He leads ministry with absolute reverence for God. It does not matter where he finds himself. You would always see this reflected in His life.
3. He is humble. I intentionally won’t say much here. When you see him, you will know. When you hear him speak, you will know. When you see the results and testimony of others, you will know.
4. He speaks the truth in Love — Apostle corrects us, teaches us the precepts of the bible, and tells us how we have been applying it right or wrong. Even to the body of Christ. Often Daddy would start by saying- ‘respectfully speaking to the body of Christ….’ He would tell us the importance of not being lazy and how we need to be hardworking. I mean, I see him do what he says. For example, this week — Daddy was in the USA — arrived and gave a sermon at the redemption camp; on Sunday was in Washington, DC, for another service, and he ended with another RCCG meeting in the evening. In my mind, I was like, isn’t he jet lagged? Btw — you can listen to the sermons on YouTube.
5. He is relatable — I find it hard to connect with abstract knowledge; Daddy would share with us the struggles He had in His past and how he would be oppressed even after shouting the name of Jesus. He will share moments of his upbringing in ministry, how he would be welcomed with an entourage, and when He gets to Zaria, would climb a bike home because God said it was not time for Him to have a car yet.
I am in the building phase of my career and am truly grateful to have Apostle Selman. I no longer feel guilty studying and growing, I see Christ in everything I do.
You see, I genuinely do not just listen to the sermons alone, but by the grace of God, I try to apply them and I have seen result. Supernatural — God given results.
Daddy has taught us to value relationships -before now, I treated those close to me with them- they will understand the mentality. But not anymore. I pay the price to make time for them and make them know how much I love them.
I study my bible with intentionality. You would be surprised when Daddy is preaching; he would quote the bible verse before the media puts it up, and I am likewise….. Why am I here battling with John 3:16 -17? He gives no exemption to laziness, and I have learned that. Our services are 4 hours long, and day after day, and we come back thirsty for more you know why — Daddy says, ‘no one leaves what works.’ I am a witness.
Daddy teaches me to be well rounded — you would hear him say in sermons, and I paraphrase — that I vowed never to build a set of people who only know the bible. In Koinonia, we talk about deliverance, thanksgiving, financial advancement, and kingdom truth. I have always desired a Christocentric life, and I am so glad Apostle is teaching me that.
In His humility, Daddy recommends we listen to other preachers. Can I be honest? This was a bit strange to me like ah ah wasn’t he afraid the church size would reduce? But nope, there is no insecurity in his words; it’s giving — there is no fear in love because perfect love casts out all fears.
Oh, my goodness…. I can’t seem to stop typing. But I will end it here.
I love my father, Apostle. I have seen the teachings change my life. I am a product of prophecy.
When I saw Daddy in January, I waited for him -this was like midnight, after a four hour service, many people were still waiting, yet his attitude did not change. You know how tiredness can bring agitation. He spoke to everyone peacefully. Daddy said to a lady who had just flown in — she had her international passport and had slept off on the chair; he looked at her with compassion and said — she must be tired, take her to get some rest. Let her go and sleep.
After our conversation, I said — I love you, Daddy and he replied, I love you too. My chest!
I share this because, really and truly, on a global and local lens, in 5 days time we would be celebrating Apostle Joshua Selman because of this thing called love that we all have felt, lived, and experienced. I write this line blushing, and if you could see it underneath my sweet melanin.
I love it when I am not scared to say; I love someone. No insecurity… It’s Abba’s love felt through His son just for us.
Again, I love my daddy very much.
Nope! The intention of this post was not to force you into joining our fellowship but to share with you a little on what we experience.
You’ll find our resources here.
Beware of scammers.. No one will ask you for money from this ministry, all resources are free.
Extraaaaa- once I met a lady in Jamaica listening to Apostle, I asked her — how did you find him. She said she was looking for her problem and a season she was going through and found him. This was one out of many..
Happy- soon to be birthday, Daddy.
I love you.
Opps.. bye for real.
