Eli Hooper is an eloquent and articulate exegete that indubitably exacts from a carefully chosen text or life example a powerful application that drives home his point. Or maybe more distinctly expressed, “That boy can preach!” That’s why I am searching diligently for a way to refer to the Bible as the Beacon of Death just like Eli did at our Men’s Day Seminar. I’ve thought of sermon titles like, “The Death Star of Sin Meets the Beacon of Death.” But that’s not working. Maybe, just an allusion to a fatal door knocking campaign involving an over zealous campaigner who vaporizes a neighbor with Acts 2:38… but who goes door knocking anymore? If I may be serious for a moment (and yes, that is possible) Eli really can preach and his point about the Bible being perceived as a beacon of death is truly an important topic when it comes to knowing how and when to share your faith!
Eli challenged us to see how Jesus wanted his disciples to go into the community and interact naturally with others. He relayed how he was able to interact with the Starbuck’s generation more effectively without his Bible open like a counter display flashing, “Christian on duty… Christian on duty!” The time to release the two-edged sword from its sheath is when the battle is on… not when you’re attempting to engage someone in conversation. The Word of God is precious but it’s best introduced first with the living Word of God, Jesus the Christ. The moniker, “Bible Bangers,” unfortunately has sometimes been aptly applied to some who market the Word of God like used car salesmen! Now, don’t take Eli or me as suggesting that one not be faithful or forthright with the Bible. The suggestion is not to compromise the truth but as Paul exhorts Christian slaves, “…show that you can be fully trusted, so that in every way you will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive (Titus 2:10).” The heart of the gospel is that it is for all and therefore our faithful challenge is to learn how we can communicate it to all!
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