London is facing an epidemic of youth murder at the moment. There have been many murders since last December.
In the last week the following young people have been tragically cut down in their prime:
19 June - Sian Simpson, 18, stabbed in Croydon
22 June - Carlos Eduardo Segove, 23, shot in Acton
23 June - Mikey Brown, 23, stabbed in Kingston (he lived in the same block of flats I used to live in)
23 June - Annaka Keniesha Pinto, 17, shot in Tottenham
23 June - Ben Hitchcock, 16, stabbed in Beckenham
26 June - Martin Dinnegan, 14, stabbed in Islington
27 June - unidentified 18-year-old, stabbed in Ilford
So what has this got to do with exegesis?
Well I believe that the gospel can save the youth of London.
Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes," ESV
The problem today is that many Churches do not know what the gospel is, and do not preach the gospel because of a lack of exegesis.
Churches are teaching a prosperity gospel, a social gospel, a self-help gospel, and even yoga! - instead of the true gospel.
These false gospels are often justified through eisegesis, which is very different to exegesis. Exegesis draws out what is meant by the text. Eisegesis on the other hand, puts in what someone wants to be in the text.
Some church leaders are performing eiesgesis to justify their false gospels, and because exegesis is not taught to the congregations, they are unaware that they are being taught a false gospel. They then tell this false gospel to their friends, and no-one's life is affected, no-one is born again, no-one is regenerated.
When Calvin who was a master of exegesis preached in Geneva, it changed the morality of the whole town. The same could be said for Jonathan Edwards, and for George Whitfield.
Today, if we Christians make an effort to study the scriptures, and to understand the true gospel, and to proclaim it to others - we might see people born again, and less people destroyed by Satan.
Peace
D
