Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2044
Delivered on Lord’s Day Morning, September 16, 1888
“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.” Acts 8:4,5.
“Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” Acts 8:35.
“THEY that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word.” God intended that His Church should be scattered over the world. There was a tendency in our humanity at first to remain together. Hence the first gray fathers endeavored to build a central tower, around which the race should rally. But God confounded their language and scattered them from Babel, that they might people all the world. Jerusalem was at first the central point of Christianity. The Church there was highly favored with its twelve Apostles and a multitude of minor lights. And the tendency would have been to keep the center strong.
I have often heard the argument, “Do not have too many out-stations, keep up a strong central force.” But God’s plan was that the holy force should be distributed—the holy seed must be sown. To do this the Lord made use of the rough hand of persecution. The disciples could not stay in Jerusalem—Saul made them run for their lives, or, if they did not, he shut them up in prison. And prisons in those days were so foul and noisome as to be the vestibules of the grave.
One went this way and one went the other way. And the faithful were scattered. In every Church where there is really the power of the Spirit of God, the Lord will cause it to be spread abroad, more or less. He never means that a Church should be like a nut shut up in a shell. Nor like ointment enclosed in a box. The precious perfume of the Gospel must be poured forth to sweeten the air. Just now we have little of that form of persecution which drives men from home. But godly people are scattered through the necessity of earning a livelihood. Sometimes we regret that certain young men should have to go a distance. But should we regret it?
We lament that certain families must migrate to the colonies. Does not the Lord by this means sow the good seed widely? It is very pleasant to be comfortably settled under an edifying ministry but the Lord has need of some of His servants in places where there is no light. In many ways the great Head of the Church scatters His servants abroad. But they ought of themselves to scatter voluntarily. Every Christian should say, “Where can I do the most good?” and if he can do more good anywhere beneath the sun than in the land of his birth, he is bound to go there, if he can. God will have us scattered. And if we will not go afield willingly, He may use Providential necessity as the forcible means of our dispersion.
The Lord’s design is not the scattering in itself but scattering for a purpose. He intended that, being scattered, the saints of Jerusalem should go everywhere preaching the Word. Upon this I am going to speak at this time.
I would call your attention to the translation in the Revised Version, where Philip is said to have “proclaimed” the Word. The word “proclaim” is not quite so subject to the modern sense which has spoiled the word “preach.” “Preach” has come to be a sort of official term for delivering a set discourse—whereas Gospel preaching is talking, discoursing and telling of the Gospel in any way, we are to make known the Word of the Lord.
I. In handling my subject, I shall call your attention, first, to THE UNIVERSALITY OR THE WORK OF EVANGELIZING.
Of course I mean its universality among Believers. “They that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word.” They. That is, all the scattered. There does not appear to have been any exception. You thought it would have read, “Then the Apostles went everywhere preaching the word.” They were the people who did not go at all. For the twelve remained at headquarters as yet. But the rest went everywhere preaching the Word. Generals may have to stand still in the center of the battle to direct the forces. But in this battle all the common soldiers marched to the fight. This was to be a soldiers’ battle. And of that sort all the battles of the Cross ought to be.
Observe then, first, that in this there were no professional distinctions. It is not said that the ministers, being scattered abroad, went everywhere proclaiming the Word. But the whole of the scattered. Scarcely anything has been more injurious to the kingdom of Christ than the distinction between clergy and laity. No such distinction was ever laid down by the Spirit of God. “You are God’s inheritance”—all God’s saints are God’s inheritance. And we should regard ourselves as such. “You are a royal priesthood.” “He has made us unto our God kings and priests.” As in Heaven there is no temple because it is all temple, so in the Church of God there is no priesthood because it is all priesthood.