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ByCitizen (Dr) Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Apostle and Nation Builder
I Come in Peace.
Over the years I have had several engagements with the Christian community on the subject of biblical interpretation. My passion to see the Word of God remain the supreme institution of interpretation gave birth to Voice of His Word Ministry — Ohùn Ọ̀rọ̀ Rẹ̀, as it came to me in Yoruba.
Such engagements have, understandably, pitched me against many preachers to date, including Apostle Johnson Suleman. A spiritual protégé once observed that I hardly quote preachers. My response was simple: perhaps I would begin to do so when I find no Scripture speaking directly to my concern.
That background is necessary so that readers understand that this reflection is not born out of hostility.
I truly come in peace.
The miracle money saga was one of my public engagements with Apostle Johnson Suleman. It therefore behoves me to acknowledge his recent public response explaining the scripture he quoted in defence of the idea — John 4:38.
The Scripture says:
“I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
— John 4:38 (KJV)
This verse has recently been cited in defence of the idea popularly called “miracle money” — the claim that believers may suddenly receive unexplained financial deposits or supernatural cash manifestations as a routine expression of divine provision.
But the concern here is not merely about one teaching or one preacher.
It touches something deeper:
how Scripture itself is interpreted in the modern church.
When the Bible is interpreted carelessly, sincere believers may begin to build expectations that Scripture itself never promised.
This reflection therefore uses Apostle Johnson Suleman as a case study, not as a personal attack, but as an opportunity to examine a wider issue confronting contemporary Christianity.
Again, I come in peace.
*The Crisis of Biblical Interpretation*
Throughout church history, faithful interpretation of Scripture has rested on one foundational principle:
Scripture must interpret Scripture.
The Bible is not a collection of disconnected inspirational statements. It is a coherent narrative spanning centuries of divine revelation. Individual verses gain meaning from their immediate context, their book, and the wider testimony of Scripture
When a verse is isolated from that structure, it can easily be made to say what it never intended.
This danger appears today in two opposite directions.
One extreme stretches Scripture into sensational promises that excite audiences but lack textual support.
The other extreme — represented by some modern teachers such as Abel Damina — leans toward a liberal reinterpretation of Scripture that places human reasoning, philosophy, or selective historical claims above the internal authority of the Bible itself.
Both approaches create confusion.
Orthodox Christianity has historically rejected these extremes.
It insists that the Bible must be understood within the framework of its own history, theology, and narrative continuity.
*The Context of John Chapter 4*
John 4 records the famous encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.
After encountering Christ, the woman returned to her town and began telling people about Him. Her testimony stirred curiosity across the community, and many Samaritans began coming out to see Jesus for themselves.
Before they arrived, Jesus spoke to His disciples using agricultural imagery — sowing and reaping.
The broader passage reads:
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”
— John 4:35
The harvest Jesus referred to was not financial.
It was spiritual.
People were about to encounter the Messiah.
*What “Other Men Laboured” Actually Means*
When Jesus said,
“Other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours,”
He was referring to spiritual preparation that had already taken place before the disciples arrived.
Those “others” could include:
The prophets of Israel, who foretold the coming Messiah
John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Christ
Even the Samaritan woman herself, whose testimony stirred her town
The disciples were about to reap spiritual fruit because others had already sown seeds of truth.
In essence, Jesus was telling them:
You are about to bring people to faith whose hearts have already been prepared by earlier labour.
The subject was evangelism, not financial windfalls.
*The Biblical Pattern of Provision*
Throughout Scripture, financial provision is generally linked with responsibility, stewardship, and engagement with life’s realities.
Even when miracles occur, they rarely bypass human participation.
Consider the example in Matthew 17:27, when Jesus instructed Peter regarding the temple tax:
“Go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the fish…”
Notice the pattern.
Jesus did not tell Peter to wait for a mysterious financial alert.
Peter was instructed to engage his skill as a fisherman. The miracle occurred within the context of responsible action.
This pattern reflects a broader biblical principle:
Provision often follows obedience, diligence, and engagement with life’s responsibilities.
*When Miracles Multiply What Already Exists*
Scripture does record miracles involving material provision.
But when carefully examined, these miracles do not bypass responsibility — they multiply what is already present.
The Five Loaves and Two Fishes
When a hungry crowd gathered around Jesus in the wilderness, the disciples faced an impossible logistical challenge.
Five thousand men — not counting women and children — needed food.
The miracle that followed did not begin with nothing.
It began with a boy’s lunch.
Five loaves. Two fishes.
Small, insufficient, almost insignificant.
Yet when the little that existed was placed in Christ’s hands, it became the seed of multiplication.
Jesus blessed it.
The disciples distributed it.
And the result was abundance — twelve baskets left over.
The miracle did not replace human participation.
It honoured it.
Someone brought what they had.
Jesus multiplied it.
The disciples served it.
God’s power moved through participation, not through passivity.
*The Widow’s Oil*
A similar pattern appears in 2 Kings 4, in the story of the widow of one of the sons of the prophets.
Her husband had died, leaving debts so severe that creditors were about to take her sons as bondservants.
She cried out to the prophet Elisha for help.
Elisha asked a striking question:
“What hast thou in the house?”
Her response was almost dismissive.
“Nothing… except a small jar of oil.”
But that “nothing” became the starting point of a miracle.
Elisha instructed her to borrow empty vessels from her neighbours — not a few.
Then she was to pour the little oil she had into those vessels.
As she obeyed, the oil kept flowing.
The moment the vessels ran out, the oil stopped.
Again the pattern is unmistakable:
The miracle did not begin from absolute nothing
It began with what she already possessed
It required obedience and participation
It produced provision sufficient to pay her debts and sustain her family
Divine intervention did not bypass responsibility.
It worked through it.
*Eloquence and Accuracy Are Not the Same*
The Church must remember a sobering truth:
Eloquence is not the same as accuracy.
History records many gifted speakers behind pulpits.
Some proclaimed truth faithfully.
Others — often unintentionally — promoted interpretations that later proved flawed.
A simple test of interpretation is helpful:
If a verse cannot naturally return to its chapter without tension, it has likely been misapplied.
When such tension appears, humility requires us to revisit our conclusions.
*A Word of Respect*
This reflection is not written to attack Apostle Johnson Suleman.
He is widely recognised as a passionate evangelist whose ministry has touched many lives. His commitment to evangelistic outreach is well known.
But evangelistic gifting and doctrinal precision are not identical callings.
Teaching carries a unique weight because it shapes the expectations and beliefs of believers.
When interpretations appear to drift from the clear context of Scripture, it becomes necessary for the Church to return to careful biblical examination.
*The Balance of the Fivefold Ministry*
The New Testament never envisioned a church shaped by a single dominant voice.
According to Ephesians 4:11, Christ gave the Church five ministry gifts:
Apostles
Prophets
Evangelists
Pastors
Teachers
These ministries exist to balance, refine, and correct one another.
When one individual attempts to embody all roles simultaneously without the corrective influence of others, doctrinal imbalance can emerge.
The Church was designed to function as a body, not a personality cult.
*Returning to the Message of John 4*
John 4:38 is a powerful verse.
But its power lies in generational cooperation in God’s work.
Some plant.
Some water.
Others reap.
The harvest Jesus described was souls, not unexplained bank alerts.
The true miracle in that chapter was not money appearing mysteriously.
It was an entire Samaritan community encountering the Messiah.
And that miracle remains far greater.
*A Final Appeal*
The modern church faces many challenges.
But one of the most serious is the careless handling of Scripture.
Whether through sensationalism or liberal reinterpretation, the result is the same:
Believers become uncertain about what the Bible truly teaches.
The solution is neither hostility nor silence.
It is a renewed commitment to responsible biblical interpretation.
The Word of God deserves:
careful study
faithful context
humble submission
Nothing less will sustain the Church in truth.
I write these reflections not to quarrel, but to encourage careful handling of Scripture.
*The Question of “Help”*
Interestingly, “help” is one concept in the modern church that urgently needs fresh biblical interpretation.
Today, many believers interpret help almost exclusively through human intervention — who knows whom, who can connect whom, who can favour whom.
But Scripture presents a deeper perspective.
Every help is not divine help.
Men may indeed be instruments of divine help.
But divine help is never at the mercy of men.
This is precisely the burden that will shape our next gathering.
*An Invitation: Bible Speak Conference 2026*
This year at Bible Speak Conference (BSC) 2026, we will be exploring one central theme:
*ABIEZER*— The Dynamics of Divine Help.
The name Abiezer is from two words of Hebrews; “Abi” meaning father and “ezer”, meaning help.
A simple application will suggest the meaning as:
“My father is help.”
But it is deeper than that.
In Scripture, divine help operates through principles that are often misunderstood in the modern church.
At BSC 2026, we will examine:
The biblical meaning of help
The difference between divine help and human dependence
The role of responsibility in experiencing divine intervention
How Scripture interprets contemporary Christian claims
Bible Speak Conference is our annual Bible Interpretation Conference, designed to examine contemporary Christian issues through the lens of responsible scriptural interpretation.
If the Church must remain grounded in truth, gatherings like this must continue.
And so I warmly invite you to join us.
📍 Abuja, Nigeria
📅 May 1, 2026
Come and engage Scripture with us.
Come and test ideas in the light of God’s Word.
Come and rediscover the depth of what the Bible actually teaches.
Because when Scripture speaks clearly, confusion disappears.
I look forward to seeing you in Abuja.
Happy Sunday.
His Servant and Yours,
Citizen (Dr) Bolaji O AKINYEMI,
Apostle and Nation Builder.
SB E-news.
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