Who Will Go?

Born in Staffordshire, England, on this day in 1745, Francis Asbury was a shy child, but his mother taught him to read the Bible before he was six years old. As a teenager, Asbury felt called to preach, speaking as many as five times in a week. And his listeners wouldn’t imagine how this bold preacher could have ever been shy.

He developed the habit of rising at four o’clock in the morning to pray and seek God, a practice he continued his whole life. Because of his zeal and commitment, he attracted the attention of John Wesley and other church leaders.

Wesley was burdened for the needs in the American colonies, and looking for men who would serve God in this new land. In a service in 1771, Wesley challenged the audience to give their lives to missions. He asked, “Who will go?”

Author Wesley Duewel described how Wesley “rose to his feet, tears flooding his eyes.” Asbury answered the call, and later that year left for America. He asked himself in his journal why he was going. “I am going to live to God, and to bring others to do so.”

Asbury had a profound impact on America. Duewel comments that when he arrived, “there were 1,160 Methodists.

When he died, there were 214,235. He had ordained more than three thousand ministers and preached more than seven thousand sermons. What an amazing impact!

Today, God looks for men and women with this kind of commitment. Who are willing to go, to serve Him, to commit their lives and resources to reaching this world with the Gospel. Do not hold back. Commit your life to Him. Let Him use you. Answer the call to serve God and His Kingdom.