We also learn from our text that the servant's task is to show men and women God's way of salvation. The damsel was quite right when she spoke about "the way of salvation" - notice the definite article here. The girl did not say "a way of salvation" or "some way of salvation"; she said, "the way of salvation", and she was right, for there is only one way of salvation. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He also said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved"; and in Acts 4:12 we read, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Our job, then, is to show men and women the way of salvation, and to do this effectively involves three things, all of which are absolutely necessary.
If we are to show men and women God's way of salvation we must begin by finding the needy soul. I like the word "us" in our text: "These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation." Before we can preach the gospel effectively we must have someone to whom we can preach; just as Paul had his audience on this occasion.
Some time ago I came across a book entitled "How to Make a Rabbit Pie", and the author's first point as we began to outline the method which one should adopt was this. He said, "First, get your rabbit." This seemed to make good sense, for it is surely not much use to start to make a rabbit pie unless you have a rabbit! If you want to catch a fish you must go and fish where the fish are; and if you want to win a soul you must go to where the soul is waiting to be won. In actual fact this presents no problem at all, for there are men and women everywhere who need to hear the message of God's salvation, and many of these people are longing for someone to go to them to communicate the gospel to them. They are lost, helpless and needing the Saviour. Are we doing anything about them? - the new generation of young people, for instance? Some of us who are older and who would be regarded as very 'square' are inclined to look down at these youngsters and even to write them off as a bad lot. How wrong this is! They are souls for whom Christ died. So are our unsaved loved ones, and so are all those overseas who have never heard about the Saviour. Before we can preach the gospel, and in order that we may do so effectively, we must find the needy soul.
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