Ring the Rusty Bells of Hope

by David Crowe

This past year while preaching in Southern Ohio, something happened that I had never seen in a revival service. During the Sunday morning invitation, a young lady came to the altar and accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. While I have seen this happen many times, it was what happened next that was a first for me. One of the men of the church shouted, “Someone ring the bell! This lady just got saved!”

A young man ran into the vestibule of the church, grabbed a rope, and started ringing the church bells with all of his might. I’ve been in church all my life, and I had never seen that done. In the days and weeks that followed, I couldn’t get that shout out of my head, “Someone ring the bell! This lady just got saved!”

God started to bring things to my heart and mind about ringing the bells. I recalled the story of Tom Dooley, medical missionary to the people of Indochina, who died of cancer at a very young age. He wrote about a discouraging time in his life and ministry when he said, “Money wasn’t coming in; supplies were too few; work was hard and tedious.” But he went on to say, “Every time I get discouraged and down in the dumps, someone comes along and rings the rusty bells of hope, and I have encouragement to get back at it again.”

I began to realize what an important role bells have played in history and society. We speak and sing about Christmas bells and wedding bells. Throughout United States history, bells like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia have had an important place, symbolizing hope and freedom. Thousands of church bells ring across this country each week, letting the world know that the church is still open for business, and there is help and hope to be found in Christ, no matter how bad things may be.

As I pondered this subject, I decided to see what I could find in the Bible about bells. I was surprised to discover that bells are only mentioned in three passages, all in the Old Testament. One is Zechariah 14:20a, where it says, “In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, holiness unto the Lord . . . .”

The other two passages are found in the book of Exodus. First, in Exodus 28:33-35, God gives specific instructions regarding the making of the robe the High Priest would wear. Exodus 28:33-35 says, “And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about.”
Second, in Exodus 39:24-26, we find a description of the actual process of making the robe.

The golden bells were sewn into the robe of the High Priest so the people waiting outside the Holy of Holies while the High Priest ministered on the Day of Atonement could hear the ringing of the bells. When they heard them, they knew he was still alive, the sacrifices had been accepted by God for another year, and there was still hope.

We live in world today filled with people who feel helpless and hopeless. As believers, we are part of a royal priesthood under the great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. As priests, the world needs to hear our “sound” as we ring the rusty bells of hope with our lips, our love, our labors, and our lives.

What are you ringing with your life?

May the world hear my life loud and clear, as bells of hope ring out from my life. I’ll never hear bells ring again without being reminded, “Someone ring the bell! This lady just got saved!”

About the Writer: David Crowe is director of development for Free Will Baptist Home Missions. Learn more about the ministry of Home Missions at www.homemissions.net.