Christ always followed in His private ministry the guidance of the Spirit of His Father. Before coming to any city or town He prayed that it would be shown Him who in it is worthy to stay with, knowing that the best are not good in themselves. They are the ones who recognized the wickedness flowing out of their hearts and felt pain for their corrupt natures. Thus, they became worthy of the kingdom of God and of receiving His ambassadors. Ask God, in the beginning of your ministry, to take you to the repentant not to those that are satisfied with their self-righteousness, or to the haughty rich. He who is eager to know the grace of God is he who accepts the gospel of peace. The poor gives you a share in his bread, but the rich, the jurist, the strong and the haughty thinks he has no need of you. When a man falls into distress and regrets, he is more prepared to accept salvation, for your Lord has cultivated his heart that you may plant His peace in it.
“Inquire who in it is worthy,” who fears God and has made some improvement of the light and knowledge of Jesus. The best is still far from meriting the favor of a gospel offer, but some would be more likely than others to give the apostles and their message a favorable reception and would not trample these pearls under their feet.
The Lord will help us to search out those who hunger for righteousness, and not to go, in the beginning, to those who invite us merely to waste time and engage in stupid discussions. Christ advises us to focus on those who are already guided by the Spirit of the Lord. Christ ordered his disciples that they should inquire, not who is rich, but who is worthy, not who is the best gentleman, but who is the best man.
With such a brother, we may set out to visit those who surround us. It is better to have our host with us, for he knows the people and the situations in his area better as we can.
Ask Christ to open a house for preaching in each district of your city, which could bring, by His power, many to faith. Did your house become a center for active service and a spring of peace to your surroundings?
The common salutation in the country was, “Peace be to you!” This phrase, as they used it, was turned into the gospel too. Here, it meant the peace of the Father and the Son, the peace of the kingdom of heaven that they could lay on everyone they greet. Whoever has reservations in pronouncing this blessing on every body should remember that Christ tells us that this gospel prayer is suitable for everyone, since the Gospel was offered to all. Christ knows the hearts and characters of all men, and He knows in whom this salutation will result in a real blessing. If the house is worthy, it will reap the benefit of your blessing. If not, there is no harm done, you will not lose the benefit of it. It shall return to you, as David’s prayers for his ungrateful enemies did (Psalm 35:13)
It becomes us to serve charitably all men, to pray heartily for all we know and to conduct ourselves courteously to all we meet and then to leave it with God to determine what effect it shall have upon them. He who responds to the Spirit of God will benefit from the salutation and receive a blessing from Him, but he who hardens his heart to God’s peace and mercy will receive a judgment for denying him.