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GREAT RESOLUTIONS Program Thirty-Six GREAT RESOLUTIONS Program Thirty-Six Faithful to the End Part Six on the Life of Hudson Taylor A Faithful Steward Faulding. They married and Jennie became a In First Corinthians 4:2 we are told that new cause of joy to one thing is sought in stewards, that is that one Hudson. She was would be found faithful. It was often difficult instrumental in helping for Hudson Taylor to exercise his stewardship him recover his health. of dispensing the riches of Christ as the gospel Together they had two to the people of China. Troubles from without children. Jennie was a and personal sufferings from within caused him pioneer in bringing the to cast himself frequently upon God in gospel to the women in dependence. In matters great and small, he China’s interior, and learned to look to the Faithful One within him. opened the door of “A little thing is a little thing,” he said, but service to women who wanted to serve in the faithfulness in little things is a great thing. gospel fields of China. China is not to be won for Christ by quiet, ease- loving men and women.” By 1870, Hudson, now 38, had already Prayerful in the Midst of Business suffered the loss of his dear Maria and three of Like the apostle Paul, Hudson Taylor his children. But even in the face of sorrow labored abundantly, and his labor issued from upon sorrow, he maintained his vision and goal the grace of God that was with him. His days and faithfully pressed on. “We did not come to began with the Lord, and he endeavored to China because missionary work was either safe continue his work while abiding in the Lord. or easy,” he reminded his coworkers, “but “Do not have your concert first, and then tune because He called us.” your instrument afterwards,” he said, “Begin The loss of his wife deeply affected Hudson the day with the Word of God and prayer, and and took a toll on him. And his children, get first of all into harmony with Him.” thousands of miles away in England, were of “Whatever is your best time in the day, give daily concern to him. “May God help you to live that to communion with God,” was his advice. Christ before these little ones, and to minister Hudson realized the need of both work and Him to them,” he wrote to their devoted prayer. No matter how busy, he set aside time caregiver. Hudson also wrote to supporters and strength to pray. He back home after Maria’s death, “I have never cautioned, “Do not work passed a more anxious or trying month in my “He prayed so hard for Christ that life, but I never felt God so present with me.” about things as you have no strength to Hudson’s health, never strong, was beginning if everything pray, for prayer requires to deteriorate. He felt he should not delay any depended upon strength.” His son the praying . longer, but return to England to recover his Howard later testified, but he worked health and to be with his children and those at “He prayed about things also, as if the mission base. everything as if everything depended on his It was on the voyage to England that a love depended upon the working.” relationship developed between Hudson and a praying . but he fellow China Inland Mission worker, Jennie worked also, as if everything depended on his working.” Hudson life of God (gold). said, “I have seen many men work without Eventually, Hudson began to place more praying, though I have never seen any good emphasis on raising up and perfecting local come out of it; but I have never seen a man Chinese believers. He knew the missionaries pray without working.” must reproduce themselves in the local Hudson learned to bring all things to the believers. Hudson wrote to his parents in 1873, Lord in prayer. In praying for China’s millions, “. the work . is steadily growing and he was encouraged to pray Psalm 2:8, “Ask of spreading – especially in that most important Me, and I will give the nations as Your department, native help. The future hope of inheritance and the limits of the earth as Your China doubtless lies in them. I look on all us possession.” foreign missionaries as platform work around a rising building; the sooner it can be dispensed with the better; or rather, the sooner it can be Perfecting Many transferred to other places, to serve the same Hudson’s love for the Lord led him to temporary purpose, the better for the places yet consecrate his all. “If I had a thousand pounds to be evangelized.” China should have it – if I had a thousand lives, Hudson’s understanding was according to China should have them. No! Not China, but Paul’s exposition in Ephesians 4:11-12: Christ, Christ. Can we do too much for Him? Can we do the Head of the Body, gave gifts to the church – enough for such a precious Saviour?” these are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, Knowing that fields were white for harvest, and shepherds and teachers. The gifts are for he prayed to the Lord of the Harvest to thrust the perfecting of the saints. When the saints forth more workers into are perfected by these gifts, they will do the the field. “How few are work of ministry, which will result in the those who live for souls “How few are building up of the Body of Christ. Hudson as worldly men live for those who live encouraged and trained the CIM workers to for souls as riches, from year end to labor in this way of perfecting others. As time worldly men went on, local Chinese believers were raised up year end,” he lamented. live for riches, But true-hearted ones from year end to become the needed co-workers. Hallelujah! did come, and gospel to year end.” This enabled Hudson and his coworkers to seeds began to take root continually enlarge the work. Eventually over in the interior of that 500 local workers were raised up and served in great land. all eighteen provinces. It took considerable time for the workers who came to China to become acclimated to Boxer Rebellion their new surroundings, so different were the But Satan was not idle. In 1900 an uprising people and culture. And it took many months of of Chinese peasants who held strong intense study to gain even a rudimentary nationalistic views attempted to drive all understanding of the language. Thus, the work foreigners out of China. Hundreds of sometimes progressed at a slow pace. Christians, including Chinese Christians, were Sometimes new workers, anxious to reach murdered in the Boxer Rebellion. The China souls, would preach the “wordless gospel.” This Inland Mission suffered greatly by losing 58 was done by using placards of different colors to missionaries and 21 children. When the sad illustrate gospel truths: Man was born in sin and tragic tidings of their deaths began to reach (black), but Jesus came and shed His blood on Hudson Taylor, grief threatened to overwhelm. the cross to die for our sins (red). Once you He could do nothing but cast all on the Man of believe, you will be washed to be as white as Sorrows. The work was severely disrupted. But snow (white). Then by receiving the Savior, you the victorious Christ was and still is on the will become a child of God and have the eternal throne. The attacks purified His testimony and discards our poor human life with His superior resulted in a further propagation of the divine life. According to Galatians 2:20 resurrected Christ in China. After the rebellion however, Christ lives in us and we live in was quelled, many Chinese were deeply Christ (John 15:4-5). We were not thrown away touched by the attitude of the CIM or discarded, but we were put into the Triune missionaries, who refused to accept reparation God (Matt. 28:19). Christ is now within us, and payments for loss of life and property. This led we are in Christ.” to a greater interest in the gospel among the Hudson Taylor’s life of living and working people. “All he could do the foe, was just release in oneness with the Lord shows us that service the flow.” does not depend on methods, but rather on the person. He, like Paul, became all things to all men in order that he might by all means save A Rich Heritage some. (1 Cor. 9:22) Yes, he did adopt Chinese In the space of 51 years, more than 800 dress, ate Chinese food and wore a “pigtail.” He men and women left their homelands and was very human and learned to live and act in joined the China Inland Mission to bring the a manner that was attractive and pleasing to gospel to China. It is estimated that over 18,000 those he sought to reach. These practices, Chinese were brought to a saving knowledge of however, were not methods; they were simply Christ during those years. Hudson Taylor’s life the living out of a person in union with the and work have left a great spiritual heritage to Lord. the Lord’s church. His living in full dependence Witness Lee stated that, “according to the upon the Lord, resolving “to learn to move man, New Testament, the person is the way, and the through God, by prayer alone,” has been a person is the Lord's work.
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