England in the 1800s was the most powerful nation on earth. It was said that “the sun never set” on the British Empire—and it is true that their Empire stretched all around the globe. And Queen Victoria was their glorious monarch who emphasized that discipline, authority and strict morality was the way to retain control over the world. Everyone in England was Christian, in one way or another, and the brand of Christianity that was accepted by most was one that upheld society and discipline in every way.
Christian England in the late 1800s had a powerful urge to declare the gospel of Jesus. After centuries of war, debate and reform about Jesus and the Bible, the church there decided that it was their responsibility to share the good news with the heathen of foreign lands. Declaring the news of Jesus to those who do not believe in him in foreign lands was called “missionary work” and the groups that sent out these “missionaries” were called “mission societies”. Mission societies had strict guidelines for what kind of people would be sent by them to heathen lands. These missionaries had to be upstanding citizens, in excellent health, typically married and strictly loyal to England.
His Story:
A man by the name of Hudson Taylor approached the mission societies in London, desiring to be sent to China. He was a man who was sick from birth and never completely overcame his illnesses. He was a man who had little money, but believed firmly that God would provide. He was firmly convinced that God had called him to go to China to teach about Jesus. And he had a new idea—instead of focusing on the coastal cities of China, as all missionary societies had done, they should take the gospel to where it had never gone before, to the inland of China.
Hudson Taylor went to many missionary societies. And he was rejected by all of them. “He is too sickly” some said. Others said that his ideas were too outlandish. And others felt that they would declare him worthy to go to the mission field, not a voice speaking in the missionary’s head. But Hudson was determined to do what God wanted him to do, even if no one would send him. So he established his own missionary society, called “China Inland Mission” (or CIM for short). In his society, the only people who would be sent are those who know that God had determined that they would go. In CIM, they wouldn’t wait for the total money to be brought in before a missionary was sent—If God was sending them, God would provide the money in his time. Soon money was gathered for the new society and they send their first group of missionaries to China, with Hudson Taylor at the head.
Hudson Taylor worked hard in China. He focused his declaration of the gospel to those who had never heard it. He learned to speak Chinese like a native and began to teach the Bible to those who wanted to hear something new. Some had trouble accepting the words of Jesus from a “foreign devil” from England—so Hudson changed his appearance so that his clothing and manner of speaking was all Chinese. And he went beyond the coast lands of China and led teams deep into the heart of China. One person who had just heard the gospel recognized the truth of it and said to Hudson, “My father and grandfather sought this truth all their lives and they died without hearing it. Why did you not come sooner?” Hudson Taylor wept at this, but was more determined to have the gospel declared to all people in China.
Hudson soon suffered setbacks. He had many attacks of sickness and often had to be returned to England so that he could be treated by the skilled doctors there. Finally, after many trips back and forth to China, Hudson remained in England to run CIM. He inspired many with his speeches and his outlandish Chinese clothing so that many joined CIM.
Jesus insisted that his “missionaries” or apostles would go without anything. They would have to endure through great difficulties and persecutions to achieve their goal of obeying Jesus. The focus was not on success, but on faithfulness to God’s call. This is exactly what Hudson Taylor expected from himself and from his missionaries. Jesus blessed Hudson Taylor’s mission with great success—but not during his lifetime.
The Final Word (of Men)
Because of Hudson Taylor and others like him, China today has a powerful underground church that preaches the gospel of Jesus without any foreign or government influence, even though they are persecuted by the Chinese government. China Inland Mission changed their name to CIM International, still trying to be focused on “faith missions.” However, most missions agencies insist, unlike Hudson Taylor, that missionaries be sent to another country only after they have raised enough commitments that people would sent large amounts of money every month. Missions agencies like Hudson Taylor’s almost do not exist anymore.
A Word From Our Sponsor:
The disciples came to Jesus and said, “Why could we not do this deed?” And Jesus replied, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, your will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible to you.” Matthew 17:19-20
Helpful Hint: Teaching the Truth of Jesus
The church that takes on Jesus’ name has taught many things over the years, from many different sources. However, the Faithful focus their teaching only on what Jesus himself taught. While they may teach other things, Jesus’ teaching is the focus of all that they say and do. Paul was persecuted by the Jews for insisting that Jesus was sufficient. Michael Sattler insisted that the true church is based on the teaching of Jesus and not anything else. John Wesley taught the teaching of Jesus carefully, not allowing it to be made impure by any other teaching. When giving the truth to others, the Faithful are sure that they are speaking the truth of Jesus, not of others.
Check It Out:
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Mr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor
No comments:
Post a Comment