Men think they know so well what God wants done and what it takes to accomplish his designs that it rarely occurs to them to examine the word of God for either of these points. Catholicism, taking it for granted that a politico-spiritual kingdom was God's intent, created an organization to accomplish the subjugation of nations. A splendid success in its way, only neither the work nor the means of doing it were God's. Methodism, taking it for granted that God wanted the world taken in an ecclesiastical dragnet, flung its admirable organization far and wide. That was nearer the truth, but not quite the truth nor God's way. Others in similar ways have devised schemes to do this supposed work of God. It is not the world, nor nations, nor cities, nor communities, that God expects to convert, but "God hath visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name," and sent forth the gospel "for obedience of faith among all nations." The people thus "called out," the church, represents his purpose in this dispensation; and, being at the same time his instrumentality, it is perfectly fitted to do all God's [169] work. We are not wiser than God. We need not teach him what to do nor how to do it. The best thing for us to do is not to create organizations to accomplish desirable ends, but to find out just what God wants done, how he wants it done, and stay by the simplicity of the pattern he gave us. Only in this way can come the true success.

[TAG 169-170]