"Preach the Word."
"It is an unhealthy symptom," says a renowned servant of God, "when the simple gospel is not enjoyed. It shows that the mind is at work, rather than the conscience exercised before God or the affections engaged with Christ. The Spirit, who leads into all truth, connects everything in His teaching with those great primary truths—the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ."
Sad to say, not a few in our own day are affected with this unhealthy symptom. "It is only the GOSPEL," say some. These usually assume a high tone of spirituality and speak slightingly of earnest gospel workers. But whatever may be our individual thoughts of the gospel, we are bound to think of it according to the Word of the Lord, and for the sake of the unsaved.
Here the blessed Lord assures all His servants that one human soul is of more value than the whole material world. And can it be a light thing in His sight for any of His own to be indifferent to the means of the eternal well-being of that which is so precious to Him? Did He not commend in the highest way the zeal of the "four" men who, in spite of every difficulty, brought the palsied man and laid him at His feet?
"When Jesus saw their faith" (not his) "He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven." Mark 2.
We need such zeal now in connection with all our meeting rooms; we need earnest hearts that would bring, in faith, poor palsied souls to the place where the Spirit of God is working. Such zeal is sure to meet a bright reward. In no other way can a preacher be so helped and encouraged. He who honored the faith of the "four" then, is unchanged, and honors such faith now.
A great responsibility thus rests with all who know the gospel, the glad tidings of salvation to the lost. To hold back this truth, or in any way to hinder its full and free proclamation, is to rob the sinner of his only hope of heaven, and Christ of His special glory as the Savior.
What dignity and glory this gives to the gospel! It is nothing less than the power of God,... "the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe; according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places." Eph. 1:19, 2019And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:19‑20).
Such are the marvelous results of the blessed mission of the gospel of the grace of God, that it raises all who receive it from the depths of their guilt and misery and sets them in the presence of God, pardoned, and "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:66To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)).
This is the gospel which the Lord has committed to His own. May He in His mercy grant that both reader and writer may be found faithful to this sacred trust.