The great explorer/missionary David Livingstone wrote in 1866: "Though there is antipathy in the human heart to the gospel of Christ, yet when Christians make their good work shine, all admire them. It is when great disparity exists between profession and practice that we secure the scorn of mankind."

 Good work does not stop some sneers, since the cross is a stumbling block to many, but Livingstone's analysis is often accurate. Ministry evangelism -- showing people that Christ dramatically changes lives of both those needing help and those moved to offer help -- is often more effective than words alone.

 Last month, we heard calls to forgive debts owed by African dictators, but it's more important to emphasize true compassion: The word literally means suffering with those in need.

 Those who give of themselves rarely regret it. Livingstone gave his life for Africa and said, "Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay?"

 Jerry Beall, Damascus Wesleyan's pastor in the 1990s and now the head of the ministry it funded, noted as we scampered up a rise in Zambia that his church never built a new sanctuary. Then he looked around at land being farmed, watched some of the children playing and said, "See how much more we got."