Go Ye; Preach. No. I by S. M. I. Henry

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 2, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 34.

GO YE; PREACH. NO. I.

By S. M. I. Henry

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature,” “and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:20. This “ye” does not simply mean the disciples to whom it first referred, but is spoken to you and me, to all, until the end of the world, who know the truth.

A great many have an idea that all preaching is to be done from the pulpit, and that they will be excused because they have not the gift of words nor sense of being called to public service. But if any one thing is more clear than another in God’s Word, it is that this call is to every one; that none are exempt. “The field is the world,” and one open-eyed look into it is enough to stir any consecrated heart, and make it realize that the need is so urgent that every one who has ever heard the Gospel is called to go to some one else, and by some means make them understand what he knows about it. This may be done by dumb signs, by simple, kindly living and loving, through which the Spirit of God can breathe and shine; but however it is done, that is preaching Christ.

A preacher is a living representative of, and a witness for, Christ. The truth is very large; the Gospel is as wide as human needs. Some are called to preach by word of mouth, some only by the life, some that phase of the Gospel which especially applies to one phase of life and one line of truth, while another must go out along sharply divergent lines; but there is one sort of preaching to which every man and woman is called, and that is by testimony,—to be a witness. The very highest manifestation of the Spirit of God is in preparing an unimpeachable witness, whose testimony will bear the test of all manner of cross-questioning, and of daily living.

We are sent to “every creature.” The outgoings of our life must preach Christ to all with whom we come in contact. We are placed in family relations, social relations, business relations, that a channel may be made for the Gospel to every creature. As we come in contact with those who make our clothing, who keep our house, who prepare our food, or those whom we serve, we are expected to find an opportunity to preach Christ. Imagine the result if each one who has known the love of the Lord Jesus Christ had preached the Gospel in his daily living. Suppose that every unconverted individual with whom we have come in contact had been made to feel that he was a sinner, and then assured that Christ was the Saviour, and that he might be saved if he would. The world would have been stirred as it never has been. The very atmosphere would have been filled with inquiries. There would have been no escape from the practical personal work which would have been thrust into our hands upon the preaching of Christ.

Christ said, “I am come a light into the world;” and again, “Ye are the light of the world.” He expects his disciples in every age to be lights in this dark world, and shine as he did. It is the office of light to reveal, so that any sinner who comes within its influence shall see himself as he is. A young man who was trying to learn how to do Christian work, said, “I would not like to think all the time that when any one met me he would feel he was a sinner.” “That would be very unfortunate,” was the answer, “if the revelation stopped there.” The sinner must know his sin or die. But don’t leave him alone with that knowledge; it would be terrible. God himself would never reveal sin, and then leave a soul with that horrible fact staring him in the face. But with the sin, reveal the Saviour,—a real, practical Saviour, a complete remedy for sin. Let your light shine all the way from Adam shamed in the midst of his thistles and thorns, to Adam glorified in the ascended Lord.

I remember, when a child, sitting in my father’s study and listening to a conversation between him and a young man who was just starting in business. My father was his pastor, and he had come to him to talk over his plans. Among other things, he said that he should always give a tenth of his income to the Lord, because it was his due, and another tenth as a benevolence. This was to be his way of preaching; and through a long life he has faithfully kept his testimony in circulation. I have known him for more than forty years, during which he has passed through every crisis that has disturbed the business world, unshaken. He has made his business a Gospel channel, and over the counter of his hardware store has won more souls to Christ than any regular minister in the city where he lives. Any unconverted man, with whom he had business transactions, was sure to realize that he was a sinner, and to have comforting words of the Gospel passed on to him before he parted from this man of God.

We should make it our business to preach Christ,—the one business of life; for we really have no other reason for living. God has given us the truth as it is in Christ, and the various occupations which come into our hand are but appliances and opportunities for winning souls from sin.

As representatives of Christ, we are in this world as he is. 1 John 4:17. The pronouns in this text refer to Jesus and his followers,—those who profess to be known by his name. It is our great privilege to hold precisely the same relation to the things of this world that the Lord Jesus Christ would if he were here in our place, in the same business, the same home life, living as we must, and engaged in the same occupations, wearing the same clothing, handling the same utensils and tools.

Suppose that in the morning, as we come to prepare ourselves for the day’s duties, we should find the Lord Jesus Christ by our side in person, and he should say, “I know how you have tried to follow me, I know how you have wanted to live a true life, but you have made a great many mistakes; your life has been very imperfect; but now, as you have this true desire in your heart, I will lead you personally to-day; I will live your life, and will do your work. I will represent you, and so show you how to represent me.”

What would he find in our daily living which must be eliminated before he could represent us without defilement? Could he go to every place which we had intended to visit? Could he associate with our companions? Could he make use of all our articles of dress? What would he find in our room and in our pockets? What books in our library? What vocabulary on our tongues? It may mean much more than we have ever realized, to profess to follow Christ and live for him.

At the close of an address, a young lady came to me, and said:—

“Will you tell me what you think to be the harm in dancing?”

“Why do you suppose I think there is any harm in dancing?” I said. “I have not said anything about it.”

“The whole trend of your talk leads me to suppose so.”

“Very well,” I replied, “but it is not necessary to discuss the question at length; just allow me to ask you a question. Can you imagine the Lord Jesus Christ as a young man of

this day in which we live, dressed up as young men dress who attend such an occasion, coming to you and inviting you, as a young lady, to accompany him to the most select parlor dance?”

“O,” she exclaimed, “it seems sacrilegious to think of such a thing!”

“Why?”

“Because he would never—I can’t imagine him doing such a thing.”

“But why not?”

“Because he would not have time for such things.”

“But if anybody who ever lived in this world had time for anything, Christ did. He had all the time there was; and if he did not have enough, he could make more.”

“But he had other work,” she said. “These things would have spoiled his work.”

“And we have precisely the same work to do that he would have to do if he were here, for his Spirit says, ‘As he is, so are we in this world.’”

“Well, of course he would not go,” she said.

“If he would not go as a young man in the flesh, would he go in the Spirit?”

“No, no; O, no!”

“Then if you go, you must go without him; and between the place where you leave him, and the place to which you go for your own selfish pleasure, there is room for all eternity to drop in between you. Can you afford that?”

She dropped down at the altar, before which she was standing, and, with her face on the knee cushion, made her answer to God.

Go, preach,—walk as he walked; obey as he obeyed; serve as he served; love as he loved; live, pure, as he was pure, to the same end for which he died, that his salvation may, through our ministry, reach some poor soul with the joy of deliverance.

MRS. S. M. I. HENRY.

Sanitarium, Battle Creek, Mich.