01.04. God's Answer
God’s Answer
We have no hesitation in saying that any unprejudiced mind with the Scriptures before him will not fail to see that, in bold contrast to man’s elaborate system, stands God’s way in its own unselfish simplicity.
If sinners want to hear, let them come to us! Is our way.
If you would have them hear, go to them! Is God’s way. Nor would He have us satisfied to go as mere advertising agents on the line of somebody else will tell you.
He confers on every believer on earth the honour of being a personal witness of the grace he has himself received.
If he had no tongue at all he would have the privilege of showing what Jesus had done for him “Let everybody see it, If Christ has set you free; And when it sets them longing Say, Jesus died for thee”. But let us come at once to the testimony of God in the Scriptures. The word of the Lord to the delivered demoniac was - “Go home to thy friends”, and “Show them what great things God hath done unto thee”, Mark 6:19; Luke 8:39. To the servant when all things were ready for the “Great Supper” - “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city”, Luke 14:21. To the apostles - “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”, Mark 16:15. And later when delivered from prison - “Go stand and speak in the temple all the words of this life”, Acts 5:20. To Philip the Evangelist - “Go toward the south … Go … join thyself to this chariot”, Acts 8:26, Acts 8:29. Note the eunuch was not told to drive round to Samaria to hear Philip preach. To Peter - respecting Cornelius - “Go with them, nothing doubting”, Acts 11:12. Cornelius was not sent to see Peter. To Ananias - “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight and inquire … for one called Saul, of Tarsus”, Acts 9:11. The Lord knew as well where Ananias lived as where Saul lodged, yet He did not direct Saul to go to Ananias. To Paul - “Unto whom” - i.e. to the Gentiles - “now I send thee”, Acts 26:17. But above every other example Jesus Himself stands before us in Scripture as pre-eminently the “Sent One”. More than forty times in the Gospel of John He so speaks of Himself. The Good Samaritan - lovely figure of the Compassionate Deliverer - came to the very spot where the helpless one lay. The Great Shepherd went out to seek His lost sheep, and did not cease His search until He had reached it where it was. The Pharisees had said: “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them”. Mark the import of His gracious reply as it comes out in this parable: “I do not wait till they come to Me; I go to them”. How lovely.