Category Archives: The Bible + Life

Bishop J. W. Hood on How a Love for the Lord Makes Service Delightful

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Bishop J. W. Hood (1831–1918) ministered to freed slaves in North Carolina and was the first African-American to publish a book of sermons.

James W. Hood—bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church during the Civil War—was the first black man in America to publish a book of sermons. Having spent most of his life in Pennsylvania, he moved to North Carolina near the end of the war to minister to freed slaves. Tensions ran high in the region, and he even received some death threats from slavery enthusiasts. As the following excerpt from his sermon, “Personal Consecration,” shows, this did nothing to rob him of his joy in serving the Lord. His infectious words apply most directly to those involved in Church ministry, but as Ephesians 6:6-7 and Colossians 3:23 counsel, Christians (even slaves) should count all their labor as service unto God.

I am aware of the fact that some professed Christians complain and whine about their troubles and vexations. They will have it that their lot is a hard one . . . But to the sound, healthy Christian, the service of God is really delightful. It must be so, for the true Christian loves the Lord with all his heart, and can it be hard work to serve one we love with all the heart? Does the lover find it hard work to serve his spouse? Does the bridegroom find it hard work to serve his bride? Does the loving mother find it hard work to serve her helpless infant? I anticipate the answer, there can be but one. In all these cases love makes the service delightful, and the more that can be done, the more happiness there is afforded . . .

Now if we love God with all our heart, it will be our chief delight to serve him. The angels don’t find it hard work to serve God, it is their delight. Jesus says: “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Solomon says, “her ways are ways of pleasantness.” If we have on a heavy yoke, it is not the yoke of Jesus; if your way is not pleasant, it is not the way to heaven . . . The truly pious find it joyful work to serve God; hence they sing, “Let the children of Zion be joyful in their king,” and again, “Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice.”

The devil, in his attempt to slander Job, by mistake uttered a very important truth. He said that Job did not serve God “for nought.” It is true. The Christian does not serve God for nought. He that serves God has the assurance of an abundant reward. The sinner toils in vain, and labors all his day to reap eternal woe. But he that serves God is assured of an inheritance with the saints. God grant you grace to “consecrate your service unto the Lord this day.”1

Grace Changes What It Means to Be “In” and “Out”

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Do you ever wonder why you often look down your nose at others who maybe don’t have it quite together as you do; who don’t dress like or talk like or associate with the people you do? Do you ever catch yourself and wonder, Why do I do that? Or possibly, do you always feel guilty, inadequate, or joyless when you are around people who are morally superior to you, who have it more together, who seem to give more of their time and money? Do you ever wonder, Why do I let myself be bothered?

In Luke 5, the Pharisees found the behavior of Jesus, who was eating and drinking with tax collectors, to be distasteful. Jesus was, so far, a rabbi in good standing with the religious community. But this conduct was threatening that good standing. Jesus was in, but He was associating with those who were out. 

“Why do you eat with and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” they asked the disciples.

Luke doesn’t want you to miss the irony, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” answered Jesus. In other words, they accused Jesus of eating and drinking with sinners, but it’s only sinners who can repent.

The religious leaders were calling tax collectors, “sinners,” but recognizing that you are a sinner with nothing good in and of yourself was the one thing that made the tax collectors fit for salvation, and it was the one thing the religious leaders lacked.

So back to my original questions: Have you ever wondered why you feel inadequate and joyless with those who are morally superior to you or look down your nose at those who don’t quite cut it the way you do?

If you base your relationship with God in what you do or your behavior, then you’ll likely feel guilty, inadequate, or joyless when you are around people who are morally superior than you, who have things more together, who seem to more give of their time and money.

And then, everything you do in response will be guilt-based; so you can feel better about yourself and relieve your conscience.

Or, you completely give up and say, “I can’t do this religious thing anymore.”

But if you live believing that grace is what gets you in—based on what Jesus did, not on what you do—then you’ll be quick to rejoice in the goodness of others and you’ll labor to honor God with your behavior out of thankfulness and joy, not out of guilt or to feel better about yourself.

Let’s answer the second question.

If you believe what gets you in is based on what you do and who you are associated with, then you’ll always look down your nose at those who don’t quite cut it the way you do. Why does that happen? Because if you base your worth on what you do and your behavior, then that is also how you will find worth in other people. When your relationship with God is not based on grace, then hardly anything else in life will be either.

 

BibleMesh aims to help people understand the big picture as well as important facts of the Bible. The first BibleMesh resource is “The Biblical Story,” a course that presents Scripture as a cohesive narrative of God’s work in the world from Genesis to Revelation. It utilizes an interactive quizzing tool that helps people remember what they have learned. And finally, it includes a social networking platform which will allow pastors and church leaders to host their own online Bible studies and contribute their own resources. Forthcoming content will include courses in Biblical Greek and Hebrew.

The Bible, Culture, and Care for the Poor

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Charity and care for the poor are nearly synonymous with the tradition on which the West is built. In ancient Israel, God commanded that the corners of the fields remain unharvested so that the poor would have food (Leviticus. 19:9). And the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) is a defining image of charity. Likewise, the apostle Paul enjoined followers of Christ to do honest work, not only for their own well-being, but “so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28). The early Christians were so committed to this charitable ethic that even non-canonical documents underscored it. For instance, The Didache, an early Christian guide book said: “Give to everyone who asks thee, and do not refuse”; and the Shepherd of Hermas called on believers to “Give simply to all without asking doubtfully to whom thou givest, but give to all.”

Interestingly, today, 68.4% of all religious-based non-governmental organizations are either
Christian (57.4%) or Jewish (11%). Where the legacy of the biblical tradition is weakest, so
is charitable giving. In his recent survey of the data, Who Really Cares: America’s Charity
Divide, Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks maintains that:

There is so little private charity in Europe that it is difficult to find information on the subject—so irrelevant is it that few researchers have even bothered to investigate . . . Specifically, no Western European population comes remotely close [to] the United States in per capita private charity. The closest nation, Spain, has average giving that is less than half that of the United States. Per person, Americans give three and a half times as much as the French, seven times as much as the Germans, and fourteen times as much as the Italians.

Some Europeans argue that their high taxes pay for what Americans cover with private funds. Brooks points out, however, that

One technical problem arises with this argument: The average tax burden in all European countries is not higher than it is in the United States. A British family, for instance, relinquishes an average of 10.8 percent of its household income to the government in income taxes. This is lower than what an average American family pays—11.3 percent.

This data should not be an occasion for American triumphalism, but a solemn warning about what ignorance of the Bible and the erosion of the Judeo-Christian tradition may mean for the world’s poor.

How Much Church Is Enough?

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How much church involvement does God really expect from Christians? It’s a relevant question for people who are busy with work and family commitments yet want to be faithful to their churches at the same time. After all, it can be tempting to skip small group Bible study, Sunday night services (if your church has them), and even the occasional Sunday morning. Thankfully, the Bible is not silent on this issue. It gives at least two principles to guide us.

First, don’t neglect to meet with other believers. Rather, encourage one another through the regular gatherings of your church (Hebrews 10:25). In contemporary parlance, this means not to neglect your church’s regular gatherings that are intended for all members. In most congregations, this includes worship services and a weekly time of small group Bible study—whether on Sunday mornings at the church or on a weeknight in someone’s home.

Of course, there will be occasions when members miss church gatherings for various reasons. And not every activity of the church is intended for every member. Still, the general rule holds: neglect of your church’s regular gatherings is disobedient to God. Your presence encourages others while your absences can drag them down. After all, don’t you feel less enthusiastic about your church when you make the effort to attend only to discover a sparse crowd because others decided it would be more convenient to stay home?

Second, use your spiritual gifts to serve the church. In Romans 12, Paul taught that a church is like a body and its members like organs. Each has a unique function, a spiritual gift God has bestowed for the good of the whole. Paul commanded us each to use our gifts in the church. So what has God gifted you to do? Teach Bible study? Visit shut-ins? Sing in a worship team? Repair the church building and grounds? Or something else? Whatever it is, God expects you to serve the church in addition to your regular attendance.

Admittedly, this may seem like a lot to ask. But God never requires anything that He doesn’t empower His children to accomplish. And just think of all the blessings church attendance brings: the enjoyment of God’s presence among His people (Matthew 18:20), the provision of spiritual nourishment and encouragement, and temporary shelter from the onslaughts of the world.

Did You See It?

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There are passages in the Bible that should cause Christians to be especially glad. Many of them are ones that cause us to rejoice in God’s grace or be comforted by His shepherd-like care. But there are also moments where God decides to show the nature of who He is more clearly than other parts of Scripture; where God pulls back the clouds, so to speak, to give a glimpse of who He is for our joy.

One of those moments is Luke 3:21-22:

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Now there are plenty of moments in the Bible where people recognize Jesus for who He is and call Him Lord or even the Son of God. But notice here that this is God identifying who Jesus is. “You are my beloved Son.” And the Holy Spirit descends upon the Son.

Now we shouldn’t rush over passages like these too quickly. This isn’t simply a passage where Jesus gets baptized, as if He’s just graduated from high school and the Father shows up to say something nice. There’s something wonderful here that every Christian should stop and notice.

You see, Christians believe in one God. But God is not simply an ultimate personality or one great man, but God is actually three persons. He’s not three gods, but one God in three persons; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And what’s unusual—but wonderful—about this passage is that all three persons are on active display here. The Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Son is baptized and identified. These moments in Scripture are not as common and we should not rush past them.

Let me try to give a picture of what I mean. In the Spring, as you walk through a park the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and the trees are getting their color back, but for good portions of the Spring season, it’s cloudy and rainy. You don’t quite see the beauty that’s really, truly there. But when the sun comes out and shines on everything, you see the gush of color. You see Spring! You see the green! And when those moments come, you pause and you take in all that is exposed.

In the same way, as you read the Bible, God is always there, showing himself—never fully, but truly. But there are moments in Scripture, like Luke 3:21-22, where God shows us a greater picture—a clearer picture—of who He is. He sheds light on what is not always seen clearly. And when we see it, we should pause.

This is our God—The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.