10 WAYS TO HONOUR GOD AND DWELL IN HONOUR ,RICHES AND WEALTH

There is a power which when released upon an individual will make him or her rich and prosperous( body and soul). Deut8.18
1Chronicles 29:12" Both riches and honour  come of thee, and thou reignest  over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand  it is to make great, and to give  strength unto all. "

#1. Seek God 's kingdom and His way of living through Christ .   Mathew 6.34
#2. Make a commitment to be God's servant by sharing the gospel . Mk 16.20
#3. Be under prophetic authority and humble yourself through fasting .Psalm35.13  Gen. 24.40. 2 Chronicles 20.20
#4. Dissociate yourself from people that mock God's servants  Psalm1.1-3
#5. Leave in obedience and humility  Job36.11, Isaiah1.19 , James4.6-8
#6. Honor your parents (Spiritual , foster or biological) Ephesians6.1-3
#7. Give to God's servants and to charity . Galatians 6.6-8
Philippians 4.17-19
#8.Prove that you can be trusted with more riches , power and honour  by making a covenant or vow to give tithes (one-tenth of the Net value of your income  )according to Abrahamic principles to an anointed prophetic teacher of God's word that He will lead you to . Gen14.20, Psalm 50:14-15 , 1Cor.16.1-2 .
#9. Be active in church building projects and other church missionary projects . Haggai 1.2-11 . 1Chronicles 22.14., 2Corinthians 8.1-5
#10. Back-up every prayer with an offering , the fire for properity is attracted to our offerings. 2chronicles 7.1 Acts10.31
THE REWARD
[AMP] Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility and the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.
As you read this now receive the anointing  for supernatural financial enrichment that will cause many to marvel at your testimony in Jesus name.

MID -YEAR PRAYER AND FASTING POWER POINTS

Day #1. ASK FOR AN UNQUENCHABLE HUNGER FOR THE SPIRIT LIKE CORNELIUS . ACTS 10:1-42
he was a man of immense wealth and societal influence and yet brought in many souls in to the kingdom.
Ask to be filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues (mysterious prayer language by the Holy Ghost) Acts 1. 8, Acts 2.4 , Luke 11.13

Day #2. PRAY FOR CONSECRATION /DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL ADDICTIONS AND CYCLES BUILDING STRONG MARRIAGES /RELATIONSHIPS. Acts13.2   Colossians 1.12 -13, Gen.28.6-8 , 2Cor.6.14( will you marry a non-believer in Christ if he or she was poor and ugly?)
Let the anointing of the Holy Ghost consume me as I occupy my office  . Mk.16. 20,  Acts14.3
[AMP] Acts 14:22" Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

Day # 3 .ASK FOR THE  MANIFESTATION OF  SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR EXPLOITS , SIGNS AND WONDERS 1 kings 41-45 , Isaiah 8.18
ACTS [AMP] Acts 4:30 "While You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs and wonders through the authority and by the power of the name of Your holy Child and Servant Jesus"
.
DAY #4 . PRAY FOR RESTORATION , LIBERATION OF LOVED ONES.HOUSEHOLD FOES ,EVIL SOUL- TIES ( Degrading emotional ties with the ungodly )  Joshua24.15 , Matthew 10.36,  [AMP] Acts 16:31" And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him,  take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well."
[AMP] 1 Corinthians 6:18 "Shun immorality and all sexual looseness [flee from impurity in thought, word, or deed]. " IT INCLUDES PORNOGRAPHY

DAY #5 PROTECTION AGAINST SEXUAL LOOSENESS AND SOUL IMPRISONMENT ( witchcraft sex ) .
destroy Satan's strategy to imprison you by sex addiction like he did to Solomon and Sampson.
1 kings11.8-9, Ezra10.11-44 , Prov 2.16 ,prov. 22.14 prov23.27 , Judges16.4-18 , Pro.7.5-27 , 1 cor 3.16-19
[AMP] 1 Corinthians 6:18 "Shun immorality and all sexual looseness [flee from impurity in thought, word, or deed]. Any other sin which a man commits is one outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body."
It destroys faith and our protective shield against witchcraft.
SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH A GOD-HATER WILL LEAD TO YOU HATING  GOD AND YOUR PASTOR AND YOU MAY BE WASTED AND INFECTED WITH DISEASES AND ABANDONED ( STD'S ARE BEHIND MOST CASES OF BARENESS AND BIRTH COMPLICATIONS )  . REJECT THE TEMPTATION . 1cor6.12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
1cor6. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
Addiction to Prostitution leads to poverty and failure in ministry.

DAY #6 ACTIVATE THE LAWS OF SUPERNATURAL PROPERITY . DESTROY THE CYCLE OF POVERTY , SICKNESS AND BARRENESS . FAVOUR FOR ABUNDANCE, CONTROL OVER KINGDOM RICHES AND WEALTH. WEALTH TRANSFER.

Psalm107. 20 "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."
Psalm30. 2 "O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me."
[AMP] Psalms 112:3" Prosperity and welfare are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever."
[AMP] Psalms 112:2 "His [spiritual] offspring shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed."
[AMP] Job 36:11" If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness and joy."
Ex23.26 "There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil."
[AMP] Proverbs 22:4 "The reward of humility and the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life."
[AMP] Leviticus 26:10 "And you shall eat the [abundant] old store of produce long kept, and clear out the old [to make room] for the new." #NEVERBROKE

Day # 7 . WARFARE AGAINST MY OPPRESSORS. PROTECTION FROM EVIL ATTACKS.
Isaiah49.25 "But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children."
Pray for the release of all captives mention them by name including the Chibok girls.
Micah 6. 1 "Hear ye now what the Lord saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice."
Gen14.20" And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."
Exo.23. 27 "I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee."
Gen22. 17 "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;"
Lev, 26. 7 "And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword."

10 HINDRANCES TO PRAYERS

Hindrances to prayers being heard or answered.

a)We fight for what we want instead of asking Jas. 4:2
b)We ask with selfish motives Jas. 11:3
c)We ask while making a practice of sin Ps, 66:18, Isa. 59:1-2
d)We are deaf to the cry of the poor Pr. 21:13
e)We oppose the saints of God Mica 3:2-4
f)We are disobedient to known commands of God Prov. 28:9
g)We have an unforgiving spirit Mark11. 22-24, 6:12-15
h)We lack faith Heb. 11:6, Jam. 1:6
i)We keep idols in our heart. Eze. 8:5-18,14:1-3
j)We have turmoil in our homes. I Pet.3:7

For accelerated manifestation embrace God's word in prayer, it also requires an attitudinal change towards life , be accountable to an anointed servant of God with a vision that requires help spiritually and materially . This is very important to those who desire to have a successful marriage relationship in a fast changing world. covenant relationship principles teaches that partners automatically share in the grace that is at work in the life of the servant of God [AMP] Galatians 6:6 Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support].
Psalm 50. 5" Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
2corinthians 8. 5" And   this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. " The Colossians gave to God And Apostle Paul and prospered .
The Philippians church enjoyed divine favour because they partnered with Apostle Paul.Philippians 1.5  AMP:[I thank my God] for your fellowship (your sympathetic cooperation and contributions and partnership) in advancing the good news (the Gospel) from the first day [you heard it] until now........Vs 7 (kjv ).ye all are partakers of my grace." The church in Macedonia experienced freedom from financial lack by the same principle. 2Corinthians8.1-5 .  Prayerfully consider to partner with this ministry that is changing lives and raising an army for the kingdom of God. For partnership considerations Text . +234 (0)  98035536911 ,+234 (0) 8098536911

WHY DOES GOD APPEAR HIDDEN

2 Corinthians4.4 :For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

Matt.5. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

YOU ARE TOO BLESSED TO BE POOR .

YOU ARE TOO BLESSED TO BE POOR
[NIV] James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil."
Do not put your safety on your job or business , that is poverty mentality , it leads to constant fear and stress, but rather live with a consciousness that you are blessed and it is God's will for you to be rich 2Cor.8.9 . Seek God's counsel through prayer or through a mature spiritual authority before taking major decisions in your life. It will save you from disaster Jer.3:15 . Play active roles in the place where you are nourished spiritually by supporting the work of the minister [AMP] Gal 6:6 "Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support]" this is God's formula to be rich  .  Heb13.17 . The world's anti-God economy is failIng because of its anti-people policies and only a commmitment to your divine assignment on earth can guarantee true safety and prosperity. You shall not fail nor be poor in Jesus name.

ARGUMENTS AND LOGICAL PROOF OF THE RESSURECTION OF JESUS CHRIST part 2

Part 2
Refutation of the Hallucination Theory: Seven  Arguments to consider .
If you thought you saw a dead man walking and talking, wouldn’t you think it more likely that you were hallucinating than that you were seeing correctly? Why then not think the same thing about Christ’s resurrection?   1. There were too many witnesses. Hallucinations are private, individual, subjective. Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the disciples minus Thomas, to the disciples including Thomas, to the disciples at Emmaus, to the fishermen on the shore, to James (his “brother” or cousin), and even to five hundred people at once (1 Cor. 15:3-8). Even three different witnesses are enough for a kind of psychological trigonometry; over five hundred is about as public as you can wish. And Paul says in this passage (v. 6) that most of the five hundred are still alive, inviting any reader to check the truth of the story by questioning the eyewitnesses – he could never have done this and gotten away with it, given the power, resources and numbers of his enemies, if it were not true. 2. The witnesses were qualified. They were simple, honest, moral people who had firsthand knowledge of the facts. 3. The five hundred saw Christ together, at the same time and place. This is even more remarkable than five hundred private “hallucinations” at different times and places of the same Jesus. Five hundred separate Elvis sightings may be dismissed, but if five hundred simple fishermen in Maine saw, touched and talked with him at once, in the same town, that would be a different matter. (The only dead person we know of who is reported to have appeared to hundreds of qualified and skeptical eyewitnesses at once is Mary the mother of Jesus [Fatima, to 70,000]. And that was not a claim of physical resurrection but a vision.) 4. Hallucinations usually last a few seconds or minutes; rarely hours. This one hung around for forty days (Acts 1:3). 5. Hallucinations usually happen only once, except to the insane. This one returned many times, to ordinary people (Jn. 20:19 – 21:14: Acts 1:3). 6. Hallucinations come from within, from what we already know, at least unconsciously. This one said and did surprising and unexpected things (Acts 1:4,9) – like a real person and unlike a dream. 7. Not only did the disciples not expect this, they didn’t even believe it at first – neither Peter, nor the women, nor Thomas, nor the eleven. They thought he was a ghost; he had to eat something to prove he was not (Lk 24:36-43).

Refutation of the Myth Theory:
The style of the Gospel is radically and clearly different from the style of all the myths. Any literary scholar who knows and appreciates myths can verify this. There are no overblown, spectacular, childishly exaggerated events, nothing is arbitrary. Everything fits in. everything is meaningful. The hand of a master is at work here.   Psychological depth is at a maximum. In myth it is at a minimum. In myth such spectacular external events happen that it would be distracting to add much internal depth of character. That is why it is ordinary people like Alice who are protagonists of extraordinary adventures like Wonderland. The character depth and development of everyone in the Gospels – especially, of course, Jesus himself – is remarkable. It is also done with an incredible economy of works. Myths are verbose; the Gospels are laconic.   There are also tell tale marks of eyewitness description, like the little detail of Jesus writing in the sand when asked whether to stone the adulteress or not (Jn 8:6). No one knows why this is put in: nothing comes of it. The only explanation is that the writer saw it. If this detail and others like it throughout all four Gospels were invented, then a first-century tax collector (Matthew), a “young man” (Mark), a doctor (Luke), and a fisherman (John) all independently invented the new genre of realistic fantasy nineteen centuries before it was reinvented in the twentieth.   A second problem is that there was not enough time for myth to develop. The original demythologizers pinned their case onto a late second-century date for the writing of the Gospels; several generations have to pass before the added mythological elements can be mistakenly believed to be facts.   Eyewitnesses would be around before that to discredit the new, mythic versions. We know of other cases where myths and legends of miracles developed around a religious founder – for example, Buddha, Lao-tzu and Muhammad. In each case, many generations passed before the myth surfaced.
A little detail, seldom noticed, is significant in distinguishing the Gospels from myth: the first witness of the resurrection were women. In first-century Judaism, women had low social status and no legal right to serve as witnesses. If the empty tomb were an invented legend, its inventors surely would not have had it discovered by women, whose testimony was considered worthless. If, on the other hand, the writers were simply reporting what they saw, they would have to tell the truth, however socially and legally inconvenient. With the elimination of swoon, conspiracy , myth, hallucination, we are left with only one standing.Christianity. The choice of Christianity is only safe and is ever open to logical analysis.

ARGUMENST AND LOGICAL PROOFS OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST part 1

10 CONFUSIONS ABOUT THE RESURRECTION
1. The resurrected Christ isn't a ghost. Lk24.36-43 He ate food.
2. The resurrection is not a resuscitation like Lazarus Jn11.44, the grave clothes where neately kept aside Jn20.6-7 , Lazarus died again, Jesus never died again. Rom6.9
3. Resurrection is not reincarnation . Jesus's body was more old and more new than what you supposedly get in reincarnation . It was recognizable by his friends and new in that it was immortal.
4. it is distinguished from simple immortality as the Gnostic or platonist who think it's just a freeing of the soul from the bodily prison. It is the immortality of the soul.
5. It is distinct from enlightenment or Nirvana : a loss of personal individuality and a reabsorption into the One, the All. The risen Jesus was very distinct individual , an embodied one .
6. It is distinct from translation or assumption into heaven . That's a Jewish notion, e.g Elijah and Enoch and Moses. Catholics believe that's what happened to Mary. Jesus came from death back to earthen land of the living.
7. it's distinct from a vision . Jesus was touched, he ate.
8. it is distinct from legend fictions deviced by mortal minds .
9. Ressurection isn't a myth. myths are symbolically true. Christ's resurrection is pinned down to a real, specific, concrete time and place in history, and certified by eyewitnesses . 2pet 1.16
10.It is a ressurection of the" Easter faith". Easter without a real Easter is a faith in faith. Question now would be if it is a faith in faith , then faith in faith in what?
5 possible Theories to the arguments on the Ressurection of Christ

           Jesus died.        \---Jesus rose----------------------------------------------------------1. Christianity
       /                                   \                
     /                                        \Jesus didn't rise. a-The apostles were deceived --------------------2 Hallucination
  /                                                                               b.  the apostles were myth-makers ---------------3Myth
  \                                                                               c-The apostles were decievers--------------------4. conspiracy
      \
          Jesus didn't die----------------------------------------------------------------------------5 Swoon
From the above , either1) the resurrection really happened 2) the apostles were deceived by hallucination 3) the apostles created a myth, not meaning it 4) the apostles were deceivers with the plan to deceived the world with the most famous lie ever told.   5) Jesus only swooned and was resuscitated, not resurrected. These are the 5 possibilites .
If we can refute all other theories (2-5 ), we will have proved the truth of the resurrection (1)
REFUTING THE SWOON THEORY
1. Jesus could not have survived crucifixion. A soldier could die for letting  a condemned prisoner go.
2.The fact that Jesus' legs were not broken confirmed  they were sure he was really dead. Jn19.31-33   
3. John witnessed blood and water come from the pierced body signifying collapse of the lungs meaning medically proving Jesus died of asphysiation
4. The body was totally encased in winding sheets and entombed In 19.38-42
  5. The postresurrection appearance convinced the disciples even a doubting Thomas with Atheistic or agnostic inclinations.  Jn20.19-29 a half dead man does not have the ability to instil such awe on the disciples as recorded by witnesses.
6. How were the Fiercely armed Roman soldiers overpowered by the half dead man or an unarmed disciple ?
7 . How could a half dead swoon move the stone to the tomb?  If the story of Matthew28.11-15 is anything to go by then, it was impossible for the soldiers to sleep for they would have been woken upmby the noise from those who moved the stone.
8.If Jesus woke up from a swoon where would he had gone to? it was impossible to hide such a personality either by a friend or foe.
REFUTING THE CONSPIRACY THEORY
1. The human heart is susceptible to frickleness, to change, to promises, to bribery but non of the disciples could change the story of the reseurection because of the difficulty in following such a story through no one In human history has stepped up to disprove this fact despite the advancement in technology and criminal investigation . People rather denied Christ under toture but never the resurrection. No bribe was large enough to induce anyone especially the disciples to embark on such a conspiracy
2. If the disciples made up the story then they would have been adjudged the. ost clever fantasists that ever walked the earth .
3. There was no economic reason which would have been the. motivating element for such a conspiracy by the disciples since they were all sustained by Jesus.  The easiest way out would have been to go back to their businesses , a conspiracy would have been of no benefit whatsoever . 
4. The disciples' character argues strongly against such a conspiracy. They were not even lawyers but mostly peasants. The change in their lives from fear to faith, despair to confidence , Confusion to certitude, runaway cowardice to steadfast boldness under great affliction not proved their sincerity but confirmed they were under a divine influence. Martyrdom is the ultimate proof of sincerity, these men died for their belief in the resurrection .

HOW TO ARGUE WITH AN ATHEIST ON THE APPARENT CONTRADICTIONS IN BIBLE

Contradictions in the Bible? The most obvious and straightforward apologetical question about the Bible is this: Can we prove any parts of it false by showing either (1) that it contradicts itself or (2) that it contradicts some other known facts outside itself? Pro- and anti-biblical controversialists have argues about thousands of examples for hundreds of years. Here are a few samples and summaries of this debate here. Internal Contradictions? Here are five diverse but typical examples of supposed self-contradictions or internal contradictions, in the Bible. 1. In the Old Testament, the populations of the peoples and armies are often estimated differently in different account of the same events. 2. One passage in Exodus says God parted the waters of the Red Sea, but another passage says a strong east wind did it by blowing all night. 3. The chronological order of events in the life of Jesus is not the same in any two of the four Gospels. 4. One account of the first Easter morning says the women who went to Jesus’ empty tomb saw two angels, while another account says they saw one. 5. One account of Judas’s death says he hanged himself; another says he fell down and his guts burst asunder. Two things can be in response to questions like these. First, a sense of perspective is needed. These are not contradictions in substance. The Bible could well be infallible in all its teaching, its message, even while being fallible in incidental details like these. Second, even these minor contradictions can all be explained as only apparent. For instance: 1. Ancient histories rarely claimed exact numbers. Inexact estimates were common and expected. So were the use of symbolic numbers instead of literal numbers to describe real events. 2. First and second causes do not exclude each other: God parted the Red Sea by using a wind. 3. Only Luke, who was a Greek scientist (a doctor) claimed anything like exact chronological order (1:3). 4. Perhaps one woman saw one angel and the other saw two. “I saw two angels” is not contradicted by “I saw only one.” 5. Perhaps Judas’ hung himself with a rope was not strong enough to carry his body for long and it broke and he fell head long given that he hung himself on a tree by the edge of a hill. Hundreds of other minor details like these can all be made to fit a consistent and trustworthy pattern. But we must not impose our modern standards of accuracy on materials that was never intended to have it, it is bad literary criticism to exaggerate the importance of details for which the ancient author was in all likelihood unwilling to vouch

BAD THEOLOGY AND ATHEISM . EISEGESIS VS EXEGESIS

EXEGESIS VS EISEGESIS
Bad theology does more harm to the propagation of the glorious gospel of grace than anything else. Very often Christians  and non Christians are given the picture of an inconsistent God and atheist capitalize on this misrepresentation of the gospel to justify the non existence of a creator even when the human conscience says the contrary. It is against this backdrop that a sound knowledge of apologetics is a prerequisite before anyone is ordained a minister of the gospel. God is hated because of how he is represented by inequipped preachers especially in this day and age of internet technology .
Question: "What is the difference between exegesis and eisegesis?"
Answer: Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or
explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out
of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.
The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a
subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the
interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.Obviously, only exegesis does justice to the text. Eisegesis is a mishandling of the text and often leads to a misinterpretation. Exegesis is concerned with discovering the true meaning of the text, respecting its grammar, syntax, and setting. Eisegesis is concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words.
Second Timothy 2:15 commands us to use exegetical methods: “Present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” An honest student of the Bible will be an exegete, allowing the text to speak for itself.
Eisegesis easily lends itself to error, as the would-be interpreter attempts to align the text with his own preconceived notions.                Exegesis allows us to agree with the Bible; eisegesis seeks to force the Bible to agree with us.
The process of exegesis involves
1) observation: what does the passage say?
2) interpretation: what does the passage mean?
3) correlation: how does the passage relate to the rest of the Bible? and
4) application:how should this passage affect my life?

Eisegesis, on the other hand, involves
1) imagination: what idea do I want to present?
2) exploration: whatScripture passage seems to fit with my idea? and
3) application: what does my idea mean? Notice that, in eisegesis, there is no examination of the words of the text or their relationship to each other, no cross-referencing with related passages, and no real desire to understand the actual meaning. Scripture serves only as a prop to the interpreter’s idea.
          bTo illustrate, let’s use both approaches in the treatment of one passage:2 Chronicles 27:1-2
“Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. . . .
He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not
enter the temple of the LORD.”
EISEGESIS
First, the interpreter decides on a topic. Today, it’s “The Importance of Church Attendance.” The interpreter
reads 2 Chronicles 27:1-2 and sees that King Jotham was a good king, just like his father Uzziah had been,except for one thing: he didn’t go to the temple! This passage seems to fit his idea, so he uses it. The resulting sermon deals with the need for passing on godly values from one generation to the next.  Certainly, there is nothing wrong with preaching about church attendance or the transmission of values.
And a cursory reading of 2 Chronicles 27:1-2 seems to support that passage as an apt illustration. However, the
above interpretation is totally wrong. For Jotham not to go to the temple was not wrong; in fact, it was very
good, as the proper approach to the passage will show.Just because King Uzziah went to the temple every week didn’t mean that his son would continue the practice.
In the same way, many young people today tragically turn from their parents’ training, and church
attendance drops off. The sermon ends with a question: “How many blessings did Jotham fail to receive,
simply because he neglected church?”Certainly, there is nothing wrong with preaching about church attendance or the transmission of values. And
a cursory reading of 2 Chronicles 27:1-2 seems to support that passage as an apt illustration. However, the
above interpretation is totally wrong. For Jotham not to go to the temple was not wrong; in fact, it was very
good, as the proper approach to the passage will show.
EXEGESIS
First, the interpreter reads the passage and, to fully understand the context, he reads the histories of both
Uzziah and Jotham ( 2 Chronicles 26-27 ; 2 Kings 15:1-6 , 32-38 ). In his observation, he discovers that King
Uzziah was a good king who nevertheless disobeyed the Lord when he went to the temple and offered
incense on the altar—something only a priest had the right to do ( 2 Chronicles 26:16-20 ). Uzziah’s pride
and his contamination of the temple resulted in his having “leprosy until the day he died” ( 2 Chronicles
26:21 ).Needing to know why Uzziah spent the rest of his life in isolation, the interpreter studies Leviticus 13:46 and
does some research on leprosy. Then he compares the use of illness as a punishment in other passages,
such as 2 Kings 5:27 ; 2 Chronicles 16:12 ; and 21:12-15 .
By this time, the exegete understands something important: when the passage says Jotham “did not enter
the temple of the LORD,” it means he did not did not repeat his father’s mistake. Uzziah had proudly
usurped the priest’s office; Jotham was more obedient.The resulting sermon might deal with the Lord’s discipline of His children, with the blessing of total
obedience, or with our need to learn from the mistakes of the past rather than repeat them.
Of course, exegesis takes more time than eisegesis. But if we are to be those unashamed workmen “who
correctly handle the word of truth,” then we must take the time to truly understand the text. Exegesis is the
only way. May God give you a personal exegetic insight into the wisdom of His word as you read this in Jesus name. Ask Jesus Christ into your life now .