George Liele: Trail-blazing Disciple-maker 07 February 2021 Selected Scriptures

{RECOMMENDED BOOKS - we have little!} Slavery's Heroes: George Liele and the Ethiopian of 1783 -1865, Doreen Morrison

IMAGE: famous firsts and trying to conceive of being the first to do something, like blaze a trail -and how hard that must be Adoniram Judson is often credited with being the first American missionary -I preached on him a couple years ago and explained that he was the first one formally sent William Carey is called the Father of modern missions -credited with being the first missionary of the modern movement (from England) -haven’t preach on him yet but will! But before Judson and even before Carey was George Liele -many refuse to call him a missionary, and maybe they’re right -he wasn’t “sent” out to preach and teach -but what he did after leaving the American colonies for Jamaica was disciple-making in a foreign land -maybe that's not formal mission work, but he was blazing trails -doing things that others had yet to do: leave a homeland, then preach the gospel in a new place, send out his disciples to plant churches in other places, and even recruit others believers from abroad to help him with the mission -and he did it all as a black man in the 18th Century

SHORT HISTORY: -born a slave in around 1750 (no records) -was moved as slave from Virginia to -(probably around 14 yrs old) -he never really knew how old he was and only learned his parents’ names secondhand -Georgia had been founded to be a free colony for all people -James Oglethorpe and debtor’s prison reform -the last of the 13 original English colonies in 1732 -but that plan was corrupted pretty quickly, and slavery became engrained there -so Liele remained a slave in Georgia -in 1773 he was converted and baptized -still a slave -started preaching -was soon ordained, becoming the first black Baptist minister -still a slave -soon after his owner freed him so he could preach freely -he preached a couple years to slaves in plantations in his area of Georgia and South Carolina -helped establish the first Negro Baptist church in America -in Silver Bluff, SC near Augusta, GA -in 1776 the colonies declared independence, thus upheaval -Liele’s former owner died in battle (British side), and that owner’s children seized on the new American freedoms to (ironically) try to re-enslave Liele -so in 1782, with the USA winning the war, Liele knew he’d either be a slave again, or he had to run -so he sailed with his family to Jamaica, which was a British territory, where he could stay free -so you can see that Liele wasn’t formally sent out as a missionary, but he did leave his homeland, and then once in a foreign place he got about the work of making-disciples -his geographical move (as with any moves we make, or life-altering changes) came with a divine assignment: to make disciples in that new place -and he did -and Jamaica was never the same -a missions board may not have commissioned Liele to go to Jamaica, but God did -God sent Liele there, to a new place, with the same commission he sends any of us anywhere with: “go and make disciples” -and no one had done what Liele got to doing in Jamaica As George Liele blazed some disciple-making trails, we can learn from what he learned -he made some foot prints we merely need to step into -and I’ll frame them in terms of things he didn't do, that led to him being so successful -successful as a disciple-maker, under the providence of God Three disciple-making “don’ts”: Disciple-makers don't need earthly status -READ 1 Corinthians 1:26—2:5 -Liele was a slave, a black man, had limited education, an indentured servant, had little money -he had no earthly platform that would have caused people to give him an ear -but he didn't need any platform, he didn't need a certain skin color, he didn't need money, he didn't even need freedom -didn't need any of that to make disciples -As a slave, Liele was at an immediate disadvantage for disciple-making -he had been taken away from his parents through slavery as a boy, probably even an infant -(READ in book 60 for what this was like for slave families) -never knew his age, didn't have a last name -it would seem virtually impossible that George Liele could accomplish anything for God -but God used him -he preached to slaves, then to mixed-race churches, even reached plantation owners -they saw the presence of God with him, and they made him room -As a free black man in the 18th Century, Liele had no clout -and yet he went to where anyone would listen -and listen they did -As a person with limited education, Liele couldn’t tout his credentials -he was apparently taught to read and write, but certainly didn't have any diplomas -nothing framed, no degrees, no seminary status -didn't have any sort of academic backing to his name -and yet, people listened to him anyway because his power wasn’t in pretty speech -Danny Akin: “A man without formal education, [Liele] learned to read the Bible and became a preacher of such effectiveness that in seven years in Jamaica he had converted over 500 slaves to .” -As an indentured servant, Liele had limited to access to his new country Jamaica -the only way he could get to Jamaica was by indenturing himself -to the commanding officer of the British Savannah evacuation -first two years in Jamaica he was a servant -but God still developed his heart for disciple-making during that time -As one with little money, Liele didn't have resources to throw around -no big screens to give away at youth group, no mortgages to pay off at his Easter service -he wasn’t paid by any of the churches he planted or any plantations he preached to -most of his disciples were slaves or very poor whites -“The chief part of our congregation are slaves, and their owners allow them…but three or four bits per week ($4 today) for allowance to feed themselves, and out of so small a sum we cannot expect anything…from them; if we did, it would…bring a scandal upon religion” -Liele didn't wanna do damage to the gospel’s witness by people thinking he was taking money from the poorest of the poor -And sure enough, a later disciple of his said of this decision, “It has been of essential service to the cause of God, for [Liele’s] industry has set a good example to his flock, and has put it out of the power of enemies to religion to say that he has been eating the bread of idleness or lived upon the poor slaves.” -so supported himself and family of six through farming and transporting goods with wagon team -and God blessed that -in fact, this allowed him to have what became essentially the first missions funds coordination -sought the help of Baptists in England for support for him and other preachers he sent out -but most especially for building a place for Jamaican believers to worship -“We think the Lord has put it in the power of the Baptist Societies in England to help and assist us in completing this building” -that took some boldness to ask that as a black man in that era -at his time of writing, they’d set up nothing but the brick walls around a 40 x 60 foot area -he recognized the importance of global partnership -it woulda been so easy to isolate on an island (literally) -“I can do this myself” -but he followed the example of the Apostle Paul -working two jobs -soliciting other Christians for fundraising -writing letters of encouragement to converts and other missionaries -so in this way his church in Jamaica became essentially the first global baptist missionary organization -Liele had the humility to know that the work wasn’t all about him -many missionaries/ministers wanna do it all themselves -“The Lord is blessing the work everywhere, and believers are added daily to the church. My tongue is not able to express the goodness of the Lord.” -God used Liele’s poverty to create cooperation -2 Corinthians 8:1-2, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” -APPLICATION: -you don't need earthly status to make disciples -you don't need community recognition, you don't need connections -you don't need wealth, you don't need resources -you don't need mental prowess -you’re outta excuses! -God uses what is weak in this world -which ensures that the faith of the disciples we make does not "rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (5) -like a retired person, aging, not a lotta money, not sitting atop a board or business -but oh so useful to God nonetheless -you don't need any status, you just need to get to work with what you've got Disciple-makers don't have to fight every battle -READ John 18:7-11 -Liele could have made it his life’s mission to fight against slavery, especially as a free black man -and he woulda been right to do so -(and thank God for raising up those who did) -but Liele saw that in his context, he would have the greatest gospel impact without actively engaging in the war against slavery -it wasn’t a battle he chose to fight -As soon as Liele had finished those two years of indentured servitude, he quickly started preaching in a small home (he and his wife and one other couple made up the church) -soon, he organized a church with a few others -then soon he had 1,500 congregants around the island that he preached to four times a week -he travelled about doing so, then finally organized that building project in Kingston -again, disciples were mostly slaves on plantations, so he was well acquainted with slavery -from personal experience, and the experience of the majority of his disciples -he could very well have started a revolt and fought to end slavery -but he saw that were he to do so he would likely lose his gospel platform -and thus be barred from reaching the very people he’d be leading in revolt -So Liele he sought to get in the good graces of those in power at the time -first of all, by not taking money from anyone -“By this…I have gained the good will of the public, who recommend me to the business and to some very principal work for the government.” -even plantation owners could recognize that he was in it for God and not for money -it earned him local favor and more opportunities to reach others -second, he preached mostly to slaves, but he developed relationships with slave owners in order to earn rapport and have more opportunity to reach more of the enslaved -that started as a slave in Georgia -he was commended by his owner Henry Sharp for being “a good slave.” -Winston Lawson: “Because of this assessment, he was allowed to instruct those enslaved by Sharp, and this began his notable career as evangelist and, later, pioneer of the Baptist Church in Jamaica.” -he could have rebelled, but he endured with patience and gentleness -and so got to reach slaves that may never have otherwise been reached -Mark Francois: Liele “sought to gain the goodwill of slave owners by putting a bell in the church steeple so that the slave owners might know when their services started and know that their slaves had returned home at the right time. Liele did all of this because he knew that the progress of the gospel would be hindered if he did not gain the goodwill of slave owners by exhorting the slaves in his congregation to be obedient to their masters. The progress of the gospel was so important to him because he knew from experience that freedom from condemnation and sin was much more important and was of a much greater value than freedom from human slavery. The result was thousands of slaves and free people who came to faith in Christ.” -rather than incite rebellion, Liele simply preached biblical truth -he let the Word do the work -he made many concessions that would’ve taken a lot of long-suffering to endure in the face of the evil of slavery -Catherine Parks: “Every sermon he preached and every prayer he prayed in his church had to be written out and checked by authorities for messages about insurrection before he could speak to his congregation.” -This kinda big-picture thinking led to maximizing his reach for the gospel -Hughes Oliphant Old: “His preaching was received by black and white alike…George Liele was a gifted evangelistic preacher who knew how to present the gospel in the language of his people” -and everyone was his people, no matter their race or position -David Shannon: “The Christianity practiced by Liele was not limited to one nation, colony, or ethnic group” -it’s said that his ministry produced 8,000 disciples of Christ in Jamaica, black and white -Liele didn't actively fight the battle for slavery, but God used his work to lead to its abolishment -at one point he got thrown in prison for preaching to slaves, Jamaica then banned it -so there was some subversion on his part (he couldn’t NOT preach!) -he established a free school to teach slave children and free children how to read and write -so that they could learn the Bible, for one, and also have better lives -Noel Erksine: “Liele opted to work with the system of slavery and thereby leave open the possibility of affecting slavery from within the system” -and that’s just what happened, for in 1838 just ten years after his death, it was banned -Catherine Parks: Liele “requested that British missionaries come join him in his work. These missionaries came to Jamaica and saw the cruel treatment of the slaves, and they wrote home about what they witnessed. This testimony was helpful in abolishing the British slave trade.” -APPLICATION: -you don't have to fight every battle there is to fight on Christ’s behalf -and there are many! -race and justice issues, sanctity of life issues, marriage issues -God calls many others to fight, too! -you may just be called into one battle -you don't have to fight em all -it may just be that your consistent gospel plodding in making disciples will lead to victories in battles you’re passionate about but can't always actively engage in -like a mom who can't march on Washington but can raise kids to be influencers Disciple-makers don't shy away from the truth -READ Mark 8:34-35 -Liele stuck to the Word and the gospel, even when it would’ve been easier not to -he was grounded in the gospel, as he had first experienced its freedom in his conversion -Pre-conversion: “I always had a natural fear of God from my youth, and was often [plagued] with thoughts of death which barred me from many sins and bad company. I knew no other way at that time to hope for salvation, but only in the performance of good works.” -Post-conversion: “I felt such love and joy as my tongue was not able to express.” -and so the gospel became THE content for Liele’s life and ministry -Doreen Morrison: He “saw his task as enabling his African brothers and sisters to receive the truth of the gospel for themselves” -Reverend on hearing Liele’s sermon on “Come to me you weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest”: “When [the sermon] was ended, I went to [Liele] and told him I was so; that I was weary and heavy laden, and that the grace of God had given me rest.” -because he’d heard the rest-giving gospel from George Liele -and since so many couldn’t read, he taught them truth through the hymns they’d sing (a huge part of that culture’s passing down of theology and gospel truth) -even that building Liele knew was just a tool for gospel-spread -“We think the Lord has put it in the power of the Baptist Societies in England to help and assist us in completing this building…which we look upon will be the greatest undertaking ever was in this country - for the bringing of souls from darkness into the light of the gospel” -Liele baptized openly, even though he was watched closely under suspicion of instigating rebellion -Lesley Hildreth: Liele “held a service every three months. These were public events in which professing converts were baptized in a nearby ocean or river.” -he knew that confessing Christ was meant to be out in the open -Liele didn't give in to the demands of whites that pressured him to lower his biblical standards -“On one occasion, when the church was about to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, a gentleman (so called) rode into the chapel, and, urging his horse through the midst of the people to the very front of the pulpit, exclaimed in terms of insolence and profanity, ‘Come, old Leile, give my horse the Sacrament!’ Mr. Leile coolly replied, ‘No, Sir, you are not fit yourself to receive it.’ After maintaining his position for some time, the intruder rode out.” -Liele’s church had a fellowship covenant -not always a popular thing to do, tying the commands of God to church membership -made sure the church covenant was read to the members of his congregation once a month so that illiterate slaves in his congregation would know what a God-honoring believer does -Liele preached that slaves should be obedient to their masters, even when mistreated -not that their circumstance was right or good, but that God could work through them in it -As a result of preaching truth, Liele’s disciples weren’t weak, but strong -Mark Francois: “Andrew Bryan would later become the minister of an African American church in Savannah and would suffer imprisonment and severe whipping under suspicion that his church had incited several slaves to escape from their masters. But, like Liele, his message was not a message about freedom from slavery but a message about freedom from condemnation, and so Bryan viewed his sufferings as being suffering ‘for the cause of Jesus Christ.’ This is an example of the kind of follower that Liele’s preaching produced.” -One of his converts, Thomas Swigle: “I am one of the poor, unworthy, helpless creatures, born in this island, whom our glorious Master, Jesus Christ, was graciously pleased to call from a state of darkness to the marvelous light of the gospel…We have great reason in this island to praise and glorify the Lord, for his goodness and loving-kindness, in sending his blessed gospel amongst us, by our well-beloved minister, brother Leile. We were living in slavery to sin and Satan, and the Lord hath redeemed our souls to a state of happiness, to praise his glorious and ever-blessed name.” -and his converts even multiplied! -His disciples and those he ordained in Jamaica went to places like Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nova Scotia to preach the gospel -The in Nova Scotia is an enduring presence today -Another of his congregants went to Britain and joined the missionary society, another went to the Bahamas and planted a church -he made a network of church planters and wrote to em frequently, keeping people in touch with each other -(other locations included Providence, RI and Augusta, SC and more) -this was trail-blazing missions work -the growth of Christian numbers in Jamaica from 1814 to 1832 was from 8,000 to 20,000 -in spite of persecutions and imprisonments -APPLICATION: -you don't have to shy away from the truth in order to make disciples -you may think that softening up on Jesus’ demands will give you a greater reach -but if it is the truth that will set someone free, what are you doing when you water the truth down? -you’re keeping them enslaved to darkness! -let the hard truth of the gospel (of sin and separation from God, of repentance and faith) be at the center of all you teach and preach -tell those you teach and preach to, that to follow Jesus is a call to come and die -and Lord-willing the seeds you plant will take root in deep, rich gospel soil -blooming a hundred fold CONCLUSION: May the Lord raise up an army of George Liele’s from this very body, to blaze brand new disciple-making trails, for his glory