“Secret Power” by Dwight Moody

One of best known pitfalls of Christian life, and especially evangelical Christian life, is the reliance upon self. The culture of evangelical Christianity often contributes to this reliance – the often intense focus on a personal relationship with God, the Christian self-help publishing industry and its “10 steps to his” and the “7 steps for that, and the American work ethic of self-reliance. 

While some measure of self is certainly involved and necessary, 19^thcentury evangelist Dwight Moodywould argue that there an older and far more effective source of success, one that has been with us since the founding of the church. In Secret Power: The Secret of Success in Christian Life and Work, he explains what that resource is – the Holy Spirit. Originally published in 1881, Secret Powerhas been updated and reissued as an e-book. 

Arguably the least understood of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit made its first appearance in the New Testament after Jesus’s ascension into heaven. He told his disciples to wait for the helper, and as recorded in the Book of Acts, the helper soon came, and rather dramatically, materializing as a great wind and tongues of fire above each the disciples, enabling them to speak in foreign languages (Acts 2).

In Secret Power, Moody says the Holy Spirit is the source of Christians’ power. He says the Spirit does three essential things: imparts power, inspires hope, and gives liberty. He describes how the Spirit comes, how it manifests itself within the life of a Christian, how it functions, and how it can be hindered. It’s a relatively short work but a plain, powerful one.

Dwight Moody

Dwight Moody (1837-1899) was an evangelist, publisher, educator, writer, church founder, and a number of other things. He founded the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Moody Press, and the Northfield and Mount Hermon schools in Massachusetts. He became an evangelist when he visited Britain in 1872, and his meetings were often attended by thousands of people. One notable event at the Royal Botanic Gardens drew a crowd of between 15,000 and 30,000 people.

Secret Poweris still a solid primer on the Holy Spirit and its work. It may not answer every question, but it provides a good basis of understanding and a platform for further study.

Related: My review of How to Study the Bible by Dwight Moody.

Top photograph by Frank McKenna viaUnsplash. Used with permission.

“How to Study the Bible” by Dwight Moody

Dwight Moody (1837-1899) was an evangelist, publisher, educator, writer, church founder, and a number of other things. He founded the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Moody Press, and the Northfield and Mount Hermon schools in Massachusetts. He became an evangelist when he visited Britain in 1872, and his meetings were often attended by thousands of people. One notable event at the Royal Botanic Gardens drew a crowd of between 15,000 and 30,000 people.

Moody wrote about prayer, the 10 commandments and other Bible topics. His sermons were collected and published. And he wrote a book entitled How to Study the Bible, recently updated and republished by Aneko Press.

It says some for the man’s simple and basic approach to Bible study that what he recommends is as current today as it was more than a century ago.

He begins the book with several chapters that essentially answer the question “Why?” – why study the Bible at all? His answers are straightforward: there is no true life without the Bible; the word of Word – all of it – is true; the Old Testament is important and shouldn’t be neglected in favor of only the New Testament; God’s word is accurate and endures.

Moody suggests a wide array of ways to study the Bible, starting with the “scopes” approach – the telescope approach for understanding big themes and the big picture and the microscope approach for studying words, characters, places, and events. He discusses ways to remember what’s read and studied; studying types, characters, and names; and doing individual word studies. And he also recommends never buying a Bible you’re not willing to mark up and make notes in, and even had suggestions for underlining and marking.

Dwight Moody

And then he explains how all of this study is useless unless it’s applied and used to further God’s kingdom. He completes his book with a summary of suggestions, 15 short statements that cover the book’s theme and reach. (He even includes his recommendations for how many services a church should conduct each Sunday – two on Sunday morning (one for worship and one for teaching) and one on Sunday night for preaching the gospel.

“The more you love the Scriptures,” Moody writes, “the stronger your faith will be. There is little backsliding when people love the Scriptures.”

How to Study the Bible is a book chock full of good advice and helpful suggestions.

Related: Christianity Today’s article on Moody.

Top photograph by Ben White via Unsplash. Used with permission.