I recently heard a great example of this attitude. The first American missionary was an African-American named George Lisle. He had been born a slave in Virginia. When his master became a Christian and liberated him, Lisle could have simply sat on his newfound freedom. Instead, he sold himself back into temporary servitude to board a ship to Jamaica, where he became a missionary to the slaves there.
If there were ever anyone who might have said, “I have a right to be at ease in Zion,” to turn the attention back on himself and use his freedom to make something of himself, it was George Lisle. But Lisle realized that hearing the gospel had made him an extremely privileged person, and with the privilege of hearing the gospel came the responsibility to take it to others.
Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every unsaved person this side of hell. The way you can tell you have understood this gospel truth is that you see people in need—physically, emotionally and spiritually—and you instinctively pour yourself out for them.
