Kristensmith Taylor

Having What We Need On Time

He will then show Himself as “an ever-present help in trouble” and make the heart happy each time He shows His faithfulness.

We who only see such a small part of our trials, often feel that we would not want to miss them. How much more shall we want to bless and worship His name when all the things we cannot see are brought to light?

In the autumn of 1857, just one year after I came to settle in Ningpo, a little incident happened that did much to strengthen our faith in the loving and kind God and His all-seeing care. A brother in the Lord, the Rev. John Quarterman, of the American Presbyterian Mission North, “was taken with severe smallpox.

My sad duty was to take care of him until his death. Then it became necessary to do away with the clothing worn while taking care of him, for fear of giving the disease to others.

Not having enough money in hand to purchase what was needed, prayer was the only answer. The Lord answered it by the unexpected coming of a long-lost box of clothing from Swatow that had remained in the care of the Rev. William Bums when I left him in Shanghai in the early summer of the year before. These things came at the right time and brought a sweet sense of the Father’s care to provide them. About two months later the following was written:

November 18, 1857

Many seem to think that I am very poor. This certainly is true enough in one sense, but I thank God it is “poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” And my God shall give everything I need; to Him be all the glory. I would not, if I could, live in a different way than I am —completely dependent upon the Lord, and used as an instrument to help others.

On Saturday, November 4, our home mail arrived. That morning we gave the usual breakfast to about seventy of the very poor. Sometimes, there are fewer than forty while at other times, more than eighty. They come to us every day, except for the Lord’s Day. On that day we are unable to feed them and get through our other work as well.

On that Saturday morning, we paid all that we owed and made sure we had enough food for ourselves for the next day. After this, there was no money left between us. How the Lord was going to provide for Monday we knew not.

Over our fireplace, there were two written messages in Chinese letters — Ebenezer, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.” and Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord will provide” — and He kept us from doubting for a time.

That very day the mail came in, a week sooner than was expected. Mr. Jones received a bank check for $214. We gave God thanks and took new strength. The check was taken to a storekeeper. There was usually a delay of several days to get the money. This time, he said, “Send down on Monday.”

Although he had not been able to exchange all the dollars, he let us have seventy. So all was well. Oh, it is sweet to live in this way and depend upon the Lord who never will fail us!

On Monday, the poor had their breakfast as usual. We had not told them not to come, knowing that the Lord would provide for His work. We could not keep our eyes from filling with tears of thankfulness when we saw not only our own needs met but those of the widow2 and the orphan,3 the blind and the lame. The friendless and the poor, together had their needs met by Him who can feed the birds.

“Glorify the LORD with me: let us lift and honor his name together. Taste and see that the lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints,5for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry but those who seek the lord lack no good thing. ” If a thing is not good, why would we want it?

But even $200 cannot last forever. By New Year’s Day, we did not have much again. At last, on January 6, 1858, only coin remained — 1/20 of a penny — in the joint possession of Mr. Jones and me. We looked to God once again to show His kind care.

Enough food was found in the house for a small breakfast. After that, we could only take ourselves to Him who was able to give us all that we need with the request, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

We had no food in the house nor money to buy any. After prayer and much thought, we decided that we should try to sell something to meet our immediate needs. On looking around, we saw nothing that we could sell and little that the Chinese would purchase for ready money.

We could have borrowed but this we felt was not in agreement with Scripture. We had one thing — an iron stove7 which we knew the Chinese would buy quickly. But we did not want to sell.

A while later, we set out to the founder’s,8, and after a walk of some distance came to the river which we had wanted to cross by a floating bridge of boats. Here the Lord blocked our path.

The bridge had been carried away the night before and we could only cross the river by boat, the payment for which was two coins for each person. As we only possessed one coin, we had to return and wait on His plan for us.

On arriving home, we found that Mrs. Jones had gone by invitation with the children to eat at a friend’s house. Mr. Jones had been invited but refused to go and leave me with nothing to eat. We carefully looked through the cupboards.

Though there was nothing to eat, we found a small amount of cocoa,10 of which we drank with a little hot water. After this, we prayed to the Lord Who heard and saved us. While we were still on our knees, a letter arrived from England containing a payment to us.

This not only met the immediate and urgent need of that day but some future needs as well, for I was to marry just fourteen days after this date. I was strengthened in my sure belief that God would not allow shame to come to those whose complete and only trust was in Him.

There was no disappointment for “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant11 of peace be removed,” says the LORD. During the following years, our faith was often greatly tested. Yet, He always proved faithful to His promise and never allowed us to lack any good thing.

Never were there two people to marry who more fully knew the truth, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives a blessing from the LORD. ” (Proverbs 18:22) My beloved wife was not only a great gift to me. God made her a great blessing during the twelve years she was given to China and to the many people who loved her.

She had a lifelong connection with missionary work in that great land. Her father, the beloved and faithful Samuel Dyer, was among the first missionaries of the London Mission in the East.

He arrived at the Straits Settlements on the southwest coast of the Malay Peninsula as early as 1827 and for sixteen years, worked hard among the Chinese in Penang and Singapore, finishing a valuable font12 of Chinese metal type,13 the first of the kind that had been made.

Dying in 1843, Mr. Dyer was never able to see his hopes of finally settling in China. But his children lived to see the country opened to the Gospel and to take their share in the great work that had been so close to his heart. Before we were to marry, my beloved wife had been already living in Ningpo for several years with her friend, Miss Aldersey, and was well able to give valuable help to her.

God A Refuge For Us

In 1859, 1 experienced a somewhat different but no less real answer to prayer. My beloved wife was brought very low with sickness. At last, all hope of getting better was gone. Every treatment proved to be useless. Dr. Parker had nothing more to offer. Her life was going away fast. The only hope was that God might yet raise her, in answer to believing prayer.

I felt that I must hurry to talk with Dr. Parker to seek his opinion. This was a time of extreme sorrow. The drawn look on her face and eyes showed the time of death was near. There was a question of her life holding out until my return.

It was nearly two miles to Dr. Parker’s house and it appeared to be a long way. On my way, I tried to seek God in prayer. The great words were brought with power to my soul, “Call upon me in the day trouble. I will deliver you and you will honour me.” I was at once able to claim them in faith and the result was deep, unspeakable peace and joy.

All thinking about distance was gone. Dr. Parker approved of the treatment I was thinking of. But on coming home, I saw that’s needed change had taken place with neither this treatment nor any other. The drawn look on her face had changed to the calmness of quiet sleep.

No mark of sickness remained to slow her getting well. Since my own loved one had not seen death, it was with added sympathy and sorrow that I felt for Dr. Parker. In the autumn of the same year, his wife was taken very quickly. The doctor needed to return to Glasgow at once with his children who now had no mother.

A temporary plan had to be made for the work ofthe Mission Hospital in Ningpo, for which he alone had been responsible. He asked me to take over the work, especially the dispensary.

After a few days of waiting upon the Lord for guidance, I felt led to take not only the dispensary work but also the hospital. I trusted the faithfulness of a God who hears and answers prayer to provide the means needed for the work.

Up to this time, the money for taking care ofthe hospital had been provided by the doctor’s medical care to foreigners. When he left, this money stopped coming in. But had not God said that whatever we ask in the name ofthe Lord Jesus shall be done? Are we not told to seek first the kingdom of God, not ways to make it go forward, and that all these things shall be added to us? Such promises were enough.

Eight days before taking this work, I had no idea of ever doing so. Even less could friends at home have thought I would do it. But the Lord had seen the need before and already money was on the way to meet the need.

At times, there were no less than fifty sick people in the hospital, along with a large number who came for treatment but didn’t need to stay in the hospital. Thirty beds were usually given free to sickpeople and their nurses.

About as many were given to opium smokers who paid for their stay while having treatment for the habit. All the needs of the sick were given free, in addition to file treatment materials needed for those who did not stay in the hospital. The daily cost was large when added to the salaries ofthe nurses.

When Dr. Parker gave the work ofthe hospital over to me, he was able to leave money that would meet only the costs of the current month. Unable to guarantee their pay, his workers left.

As my first task, I told the situation to the people ofour little church. Some offered to help. Like me, they would depend upon the Lord. Together, we continued to wait upon God. We knew that in some way, He would provide for His work.

Day by day, the medical store was used up. When it was almost gone, an unusual letter containing a check came to me from a friend in England. The letter said that this person had recently lost his father and he had received his property.

Not wishing to increase his spending, he wanted to use the money to help in the Lord’s work. He wrote that I might know of some special need for it, but left me free to use it for my own need or in any other way that the Lord might lead me. He only asked to know how it was used and if there was a need for more.

After giving thanks to my beloved wife, I called my helpers into our little worship room and read them the letter. I need not say how happy they were. Together we gave praise to God. They returned to their work in the hospital with full hearts and told the sick people that a God was ours.

They asked the people if their gods had ever given them help in this way. Both helpers and the sick received blessings through this remarkable gift. From that time, the Lord gave all that was necessary to continue the work of the hospital, to provide for my own family, and the care for other areas of missionary work. Nine months later, I had to give up this work because of my poor health, but I was able to leave more money for the continued work ofthe hospital than when I began.

But not only was money received in answer to prayer. Many lives were saved from death. People who seemed to be hopelessly diseased were made well. There were good results in cases of serious surgery. There was the case of one poor man whose legs were cut off in a very bad situation.

Healing took place so quickly that both wounds were well in less than two weeks. And greater results than these were received. Many believed in the truth of Christ and called to the Lord in faith and prayer, experiencing the power of the Great Physician2 to cure the sick soul. During these nine months, sixteen sick people from the hospital were baptized, while more than thirty joined some Christian churches in the city.

The year 1860 began with demands for service on all sides. But there was not enough time and strength to make full use of the openings we saw. For some time, the shortage of workers has been a serious problem. In January, prayer was made to the Lord of the harvest3 that He would send out more workers into this special area.

On January 16, 1860, 1 wrote to family at home in England. I told about the deep desire of our hearts like this: “Do you know any serious young men who desire to serve God in China, who do not want more than their real need and would be willing to come out and labor here? Oh, for four or five such helpers They would probably begin to preach in Chinese in six months.

In answer to prayer, the necessary means for their needs would be found.” But no one came to help us. With the departure of Dr. Parker, the continued hard work of body and mind, and the ongoing effort of other missionary work, my health began to fail quickly. This caused us to wonder if we needed to return to England for a time.

The thought of returning was hard to face. The growing church and work seemed to need us to be there. It was very difficult to part from those we had learned to love in the Lord. Thirty or forty Christians had come into the recently organized church.

The well-filled meetings and the warm hearts of new Christians all looked to a future of much promise. At last, taken down by many attacks of sickness, the only hope of my getting better seemed to be in returning to England for a short stay in its healthier temperature.

Though painful at the time, it proved to be only another way for God to show His faithfulness and loving care because He “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” As before, the Lord was present with His help.

We received the means for our trip and enough extra that we were able to bring with us a Chinese Christian to help in translation4 and to teach the language to new missionaries that the Lord would call for the continued work of the Mission. We knew that He would give us fellow workers. We had been asking Him in careful and believing prayer for many months before.

Before leaving China, we wrote to our friend, Mr. W.T. Berger, whom we had known in England and who had always strengthened our hands in the Lord in that distant land: “We are bringing with us a young Chinese brother to help us in writing and I hope in teaching the language to those whom the Lord may cause to return with us.”

During the voyage, our cry to God was that He would rule over our stay-at-home for the good of China and make a way to raise five missionaries to labor in the area of Chekiang. We must tell how the Lord answered these believing prayers and how He honored them.

A New Work Needed

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

How true are these words? When the Lord is bringing in great blessings in the best possible way, how many times our unbelieving hearts are feeling, if not saying, like Jacob of Long and go, “Everything is against Rne!” Or we are filled with fear, as the disciples were when the Lord, walking on the water, came near to quiet the troubled sea, and took them quickly to a safe place.

Yet common sense should tell us that Hs, whose way is perfect, can make no mistake. He has promised to “perfect (or fulfill) that which concerns us. In His care, He counts the very hairs of our heads and forms for us the things that happen to us. He must know better than we, the best way to finish our work and bring glory to his name.

Blind unbelief is sure to go the wrong way
And see His work as useless;
God has His design,
And He will make it clear.

If had to treat the little group of Christians in Ningpo who needed much care and teaching.

This was a time of great sorrow. The sense of loss was no less when medical advice told me that I couldn’t return to China for years to come. Little did I know then that my long stay in England was a necessary step toward the beginning of work that God would bless as He has done for the China Inland Mission.

In China, there was such great pressure of work that needed to be done around me that I could not think of the much greater need in the areas more inland! Even if I could think of them, there was nothing I could do.

While I was kept for some years in England, I saw the whole country on the large map on the wall of my study. In my heart, I was as near to the large areas of inland China as to the smaller areas where I had worked for God. Prayer was the only way that the pain in my heart could be helped.

As a long time away from China seemed to be necessary, the next question was how best to serve China while in England. This led to my work for several years with Rev. F.F. Gough of the C.M.S., rewriting the New Testament in the common language of Ningpo for the British and Foreign Bible Society.

In doing this work, I saw only the use that the Book and study notes would be to Christians. But since then, I have often seen that, without those months of studying and feasting on the Word of God, my heart would not have been prepared to begin the China Inland Mission.

In the study of the Holy Word, I learned that to get faithful workers, not to make a great appeal for help, but to pray to God, first to send out workers and then to make the spiritual life of the Church so strong, that men would not be able to stay at home.

This was the need. I saw that the plan of the Bible was not to raise great amounts of money. The Bible’s plan was more to do the work, trusting in”His sure Word who has said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

In the meantime, the prayer for workers for Chekiang was being answered. The first, Mr. Meadows, sailed for China with his young wife in January 1862, through the kind help of our friend, Mr. Berger. The second left England in 1864, having her voyage given by the Foreign Evangelisation Society.

The third and fourth came to Ningpo on July 24, 1865. A fifth came to Ningpo in September, t 865. The prayer for the five workers was fully answered and our faith was strengthened to look to God for still greater things.

I spent months in prayer about the difficulties involved in the evangelization of inland China. I was led to know that a special society was needed. I had the daily help of prayer and discussion with my beloved friend and fellow worker, the late Rev. F.F. Gough.

Valuable help and advice were also given by Mr. and Mrs. Berger, with whom my beloved wife and I spent many days in prayer. I had the. unhappy thought that we may compete with existing missions in England.

By simple trust in God, we decided that a mission might be started and kept going without bringing hurt to any existing effort. I had a growing conviction that God would have me seek from Him the needed workers and go back to China with them.

But for a long time, unbelief kept me from taking the first step. How wrong unbelief always is I did not doubt that God would answer any prayer for workers, “in the name” of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I did not doubt that the means for our going out would be given and that doors would be opened before us in unreached areas of the nation. But I had not then learned to trust God for keeping power and grace for myself. It was no wonder that I could not trust Him to keep others who might be prepared to go with me.

I feared that in the middle of danger and difficulty, some inexperienced Christians might break down and blame me for having asked them to undertake a great work that they were not equal to.

Yet, what was I to do? Guilty feelings grew stronger and stronger. Simply because I refused to ask for them, the workers did not come forward to go out to China. Every day, several thousand people were dying without Christ.

The dying of China so filled my heart and mind that there was no rest day by day and little sleep by night. Finally, my health failed. At the request of my beloved and honored friend, Mr. George Pearse, I went to spend a few days with him in Brighton.

On Sunday, June 25, 1865, I was unable to stand the sight of a group of a thousand or more people praising God in their security, while millions were dying for lack of truth” I went out alone in great spiritual pain.

There, the Lord gave me victory over my unbelief and I gave myself to God for this service. I told Him that everything must rest with Him and that as His disciple it was my duty to obey and follow Him. His duty was to direct, care for, and guide me and those who might labor with me.

Do I need to say that peace came at once into my heart? There and then, I asked Him for twenty-four fellow workers, two for each of the eleven inland areas which were without a missionary, and two for Mongolia.

Writing the request on the inside of my Bible, I returned home with peace that I had not enjoyed for months. I had the conviction that the Lord would bless His work and that I should share in the blessing.

I had prayed before and asked others to pray, that workers be sent out to the eleven areas of China that were without missionaries and that their needs be provided for. I had not given myself up to be their leader. With the help of my beloved wife, I had just written the little book, China’s Spiritual Need and Claims.

Every part of it was clothed in prayer. My friend Mr. Berger had given valuable help in reading the book to check it before it was finished. He paid for printing the 3,000 books. I spoke in every possible place of the work we planned to do. I was especially happy to speak at the Perth and Mildmay Conferencs of 1865.

Prayer continued for fellow workers who were soon raised and invited to my home which was then in the east of London. Our house soon became too small. When our neighbor moved, I was able to rent the house.

Later that was not large enough, and more places to stay were provided close by. Soon some men and women were under training and involved in missionary work at home” This tested them in many ways as they tried to win souls.

The Beginning Of The C.I.M.

In the year 1865, the China Inland Mission was organized and the workers in the field became a part of it. Mr. ‘W’.T. Berger who was living at Saint Hill, near East Grinstead, took over the direction of the home territory during the time I expected to be away in China. Without his help and good words, I could not have gone forward.

Our every need was being met. We had now waited for a party of sixteen or seventeen to go out and knew that 1,500 to 2,000 pounds would be needed to cover clothing, passages, and start-up costs. I wrote a little book, calling it Occasionally Paper) It planned to write numbered reports to give to donors and friends, informing them of the work done through us in China.

In that paper, I talked about the need to start the work. I expected that God would move the hearts of some of the readers to send money. I had decided never to use a personal request for offerings, to make a collection or issue collecting books.

A missionary box was permiffed and a few were prepared for those who might ask for them. We have continued to use these ever since” It was February 6, 1866, when I sent my Occasional Paper, No. I to the printer with a design for the cover. On that day, a daily prayer meeting had begun to ask for the needed money.

On this day we felt much better by having received 170 pounds, 8 shillings, and 3 pence in little more than a month, as we had not asked for such help, except from God. But we also knew that we must ask the Lord to do greater things for us.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for a group of from ten to sixteen to leave in the middle of May. Daily prayer was offered to God for the money needed for the clothing and the voyage of as many as He wanted to go out in May.

Because of the delay in printing the Occasional Paper, it was not ready to be published until March T2. On this day I looked at my mission money box and compared the results of the two similar periods of one month and six- days each, one before and one after special prayer for tr,500 to 2,000 pounds. It was very interesting” From February 6 to March 12, tr,974 pounds, 5 shillings and 1 pence was received.

“This, it will be seen was before we sent out the Occasional Paper and was not the result of it. It was the answer of a faithful God to the prayers of those whom He had called to serve Him in spreading the Good News of His Son.

“We can now comp ata with these two periods of tiffie, a third of the same length. From March 12 to April 18 the money received was 529 pounds. This shows that when God finished providing for the special needs, the special income also stopped.

Truly there is a living God, and He hears and answers prayer.” But this answer to prayer made it a little difficult to send out Occasional Paper Ir{o. t, as it told of the need which was already taken care of.

The difficulty was solved by putting inside each copy, a colored paper saying that the money for the clothing and travel was already in hand in answer to prayer.

We were reminded of the difficulty of Moses – not a very common one in this day – and of the message he had to send to the people to bring no more for the building of the Tabernacle.3 F{e had to text them that the gifts in hand were already too much.

“We believe that if there were fewer requests for money and more dependence upon the power of the Holy Spirit and greater spiritual life, the experience of Moses would be a cordon one in every part of Christian work. Preparations to sail to China were begun at once. About this time, I was asked to give a talk on China in a village not very far from London.

I agreed on the condition that there should be no collection and that this should be written on the announcement papers. The man who invited me said he had never had such a condition requested before. He accepted and the announcements were given for May 2 and 3. With the aid of a large ffi&p, something of the population and deep spiritual need of China was presented and many were full of concealer.

At the close of the meeting, the chairman said that by my request, there would be no collection. But he felt that many present would be disappointed if they were not able to give something towards the good work.

He hoped that as the idea was his own and the feelings surely shared by many in the meeting, I should not object to a collection. I asked that the condition be carried out. I pointed out that among other reasons for having no collection, the very reason given by our kind chairman was, one of the strongest for not having it.

I did not wish for those present to hurriedly give an offering and escape God’s dealing with their hearts. This would be easy to do because their hearts felt moved. I asked that each one should go home with a conviction for the deep need for China. They should ask God what He would have them do.

If, after thought and prayer, they felt that an offering was what He wanted them to do, it could be given to any missionary society with workers in China. Or it might be given to our London office.

Sometimes God does not want money, but He wants people willing to be in His service in other places. It might involve giving a son or daughter who is more important than silver or gold.

I added that I thought the idea of a collection was to give the feeling that the all-important thing was money, but that no amount of money could save one soul. What was needed was that men and women filled with the Holy Spirit should be willing to do the work. For this, there would never be a lack of money.

As my wish was seen to be very strong, the chairman kindly accepted and closed the meeting. As we ate supper, he said that he thought it was a mistake on my part. Even with all I had said, a few people had put a little money into his hands.

The next morning at breakfast, my kind friend came in a little late and said he did not have a very good night. After breakfast, he invited me to his study and presented the money passed to him the night before.

He told me that he had thought that I was wrong about a collection. He now knew that I was very right. He said that, during the night, he had thought of people in China ever passing into the dark without God.

He could only hear as he thought of what I said, “Lord, what will You have me to do?” He said he now had the guidance he asked of God, and here it was.

He gave me a check for 500 pounds and said that if there had been a collection, he would have given a few pounds to it. Now, this check was the result of having spent a large part of the night in prayer.

I do not need to say how surprised and thankful I was for this gift. I had received at breakfast a letter from Killick, Martin & Co, a shipping company, in which they said that they could offer us the whole passenger space of the ship Lammermuir” I went directly to the ship, found that it was good for our need in every way and paid the necessary amount.

As I said before, the money that was needed had been already in hand for some time. But the offer of the ship and this wonderful gift of money was a great help to my heart.

On May 26 we sailed for China in the Lammermuir, a party of sixteen missionaries out of trendy-two passengers. Mr. Berger took charge of the home office and so, the China Inland Mission was fully begun.

The Call To Service

After a time, the first happy feeling of being born again passed away. This was followed by a painful dead feeling in my soul and considerable personal conflict.

But this also came to an end, leaving a deeper understanding of personal weakness and dependence on the Lord as the only Keeper and Saviour of His people. The calm rest of trusting in our kind Heavenly Father is so sweet to the soul that is tired and disappointed in its fight against sin.

Not many months after being born again, I had a free afternoon and went to my room to spend it in prayer with God. Well, do I remember that time? With a happy heart, I poured out my soul before God.

Again and again, I told Him of my thankful love to Him who had done everything for me. He had saved me when I had given up all hope and desire for salvation. I asked Him to give me some work to do for Him so that I could show my love and thankfulness. I needed some self-denying service, whatever it might be, however difficult or however unimportant.

The Call To Service In The Bible

He had done so much for me. I wanted to do something for Him with which He would be pleased. Having completely given myself to Him, I had put myself, my life, my friends, my all, on the altar.

A deep seriousness came over my soul with the understanding that my offering was accepted. God came to my heart in a very powerful way and I was only fifteen years old. I remember being there quietly before Him. His greatness was beyond my understanding and my heart filled with happiness.

For what service I was accepted, I did not know. Yet, a deep understanding came to me that I was no longer my own. This conviction has never weakened and has controlled my everyday life. Two or three years later, an unusually good offer was made for me to study medicine. The condition was that I worked for several years for the doctor who was my friend.

But I felt I should not accept any agreement like this, being not my own to give myself away. I did not know when or how He might call for service. I belonged to Him alone and felt the responsibility always to keep myself free to obey His call.

Only a few months after this, the understanding came into my soul that the Lord wanted me to serve Him in China. It seemed that the work to which I was called was almost sure to cost my life. China was not as open then as it is now. Very few missions had workers in China and there were very few books about bringing the Gospel to the people of this country.

I was happy to find that a pastor in my hometown was able to lend me a copy ofthe book China, written by Medhurst. He asked me why I wanted to read it. I told him that God had called me to spend my life in missionary service in that land. He asked about how I planned to go there. I said that I did not know, but it seemed that I should do as the Twelve and the Seventy had done in Judea and go without purse1 or scrip,2 trusting in God to provide all my needs.

What Does The Bible Say About Serving Others?

Kindly putting his hand on my shoulder, the minister answered, “Ah, my boy, as you get older you will get wiser than that. This idea did very well in the days when Christ Himself was on earth, but not now.”

I have grown older since then, but not wiser. I believe more than ever that we should take as our guide, the directions of our Master and the promises He gave to His first disciples. We will find them to be just as true now as when the words were first spoken.

Medhurst’s book on China placed much value on medical work by missionaries which directed my thinking that skill in medicine would be a valuable tool to help spread the Gospel.

My parents gave me no direction in my decision to become a missionary. They told me that if mission work was my desire, I should use all the ways in my power to strengthen my body, mind, heart, and soul. I should wait prayerfully on God.

They advised that if He showed that I was mistaken, I should be willing to follow His directions. On the other hand, I should be ready to go forward if He opened the way to missionary service.

Since that time, I have often found this advice to be very true. I began training outdoors to strengthen my body. I stopped sleeping on my soft bed and tried to do away with many extra things that made life easy. I was preparing for a rougher life. As well, I made use of any chance to pass out Gospel tracts, teach Sunday school, and visit the poor and sick.

Biblical Perspective On The Call To Service

After a time of study at home, I went to Hull to begin medical training and became an assistant to a doctor who worked with the School of Medicine. He was also a doctor at several factories. Injured workers often came to our office, giving me the chance to see and carry out simple methods of surgery.

Here something happened that I must tell you about. Before leaving home, I thought of paying tithe from my pay or other income. I considered it wise to study the question with my Bible in hand before I went away from home. I was concerned that I might later find myself in a difficult situation that would effect my thinking and cause me to make a mistake.

I decided to give, for the Lord’s service, not less than one-tenth of whatever money I earned or came to me. With the pay I received as a medical helper in Hull, I would have been able to fulfill my plan very easily.

Because of changes in the family of my friend and employer, I had to find another place to live. A good place to stay was found with a family member. I was thankful that my pay included the amount to be paid for my room and food.

The question now came to mind, should I or not, tithe the amount I paid for room and food? This was a part of my pay.

If it had been a question of government income tax, I would certainly have to pay. On the other hand, to take a tithe from the whole amount would not leave me enough for other needs. For a short time, I was very ashamed and did not know what to do.

After much thought and prayer, I left this nice place and happy circle of family and found a small room near the edge of town. There was a sitting room and bedroom in one. I bought my food instead of being fed by the owner ofthe house.

In this way, I was able to tithe all of my income. I felt the change because it made me lonely and was not as nice. Yet, the Lord gave me much happiness for following His Word.

My new situation allowed more time than would have been possible before to study the Bible, visit the poor, preach, and witness. Meeting many people who were in need, I soon saw that it was good to find ways to spend even less. Soon, I did not find it difficult to give away much more than the tithe of my pay on which I had at first decided.

About this time, a friend called my thinking to the question of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without comment, he gave me a list of Scriptures about it and asked me to think about the matter.

The Call To Service Meaning And Application

I gave much time to this study and was led to see that Jesus rose from the dead and was to come again. His feet would one day stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4) and He would take the seat of government of his father David that was promised before His birth.

I saw that through the New Testament, the coming of the Lord was the great hope of His people. This hope was always held as the strongest reason for giving ourselves in service to God. The promise of His return brings great ease to our hearts and minds in times of trouble. I also learned that the time of his return was not shown.

Our responsibility is to live from day to day and from hour to hour, as men who wait for the Lord to return. Living like this, there is no worry about when He may come. The important thing is to be so ready for His coming that we are able, at any time, to give a report ofour lives with a heart full of happiness and not be ashamed.

The effect of this happy and great hope was a completely useful one. It led me to look carefully through my little collection of books to see if there were any that I no longer needed. In the same way, I examined my small collection of clothes to be very sure that I owned nothing that I would be sorry to have if the Master came at once.

Scriptures On Serving God And Others

The result was that the collection of books became much smaller than before. I gave them to help some poor people who lived nearby. For it, I received a great spiritual gain and happiness in my soul. I also found I had some clothing which others needed more than I did.

It has been very helpful for me to do this again and again. I have never looked through my house, from top to bottom, without receiving a great spiritual blessing. I believe we are all in danger of collecting things which would be useful to others, that we do not need. It may simply be the result of carelessness. Keeping these things causes us a loss of spiritual joy.

If all the materials of the Church of God were wisely used, how much more might be done for the Lord’s work? How many poor might be fed and the naked clothed? How many of those might hear who have not yet heard the Gospel Let me advise that we all look at our things in this way very often. This will be of great spiritual value when we can give our extra things away.

The Power Of Prayer

This is the story of some of the happenings which led to the beginning ofthe China Inland Mission. The story first appeared in the pages of China’s Millions, the monthly magazine of C.I.M. which has been published since 1875.

Many readers asked that it be made into a separate book. Miss Guinness included it in the Story of the China Inland Mission, outlining the story of God’s goodness to C.I.M. until the beginning of 1894.

Because friends still wanted it in a separate small book, this new book has been published. Much of the material was taken from messages given in China during a meeting of our missionaries.

It is always helpful to us to fix our thinking on the spiritual side of Christian work and to understand that the work of God does not mean so much work for God, as God’s work through man.

In our special place of being workers together with Him, we see all the help and blessings given to a sinful world through the message of the Gospel. Yet, we should never lose sight of the higher part of our work – that of obeying God and bringing honor to His name.

In so doing, we make the heart of our God and Father happy by living and serving as His children. Many things to do with my own early life and service showed this part of our work clearly to me.

As I recall some ofthe good people I have met, I think of how much is owed to those who never have been able to see the mission field. Many are not able to give large amounts of their material things. Yet they will be greatly surprised in the Great Day to see how much work has been done by their love, their sympathy, and their prayers.

For me and for the work that I have been permitted to do for God, I am very thankful to my mother and father whom I love and honor. They have passed away and entered into rest, but the influence of their lives will remain.

In about 1830, my father had read several books and was deeply troubled about the spiritual condition of China. He was especially moved by the travels of Captain Basil Hall. My father was a serious and effective evangelist at home but his situation did not allow him ever to go to China. However, he was led to pray that if God should give him a son, he would be called and honored to labor in that large needy nation that was then so close to the Gospel.

I did not learn of this prayer until my return to England, more than seven years after I had sailed for China. It was very interesting to find out how this early prayer had been answered. As I grew, I found myself to be in poor health.

For many years, my mother and father had lost all hope of my becoming a missionary in China. When the time came, God gave me good health and protected my life. I was given strength for much hard service both in the mission field and at home. This helped me overcome where many stronger men and women have failed.

I had many chances in my early years to learn the true value both of prayer and the Word of God. It gave great happiness to my parents to teach me that if there truly was a God, it was important for us to trust Him, obey Him, and be fully given to His service.

Yet, even with my spiritual background, my heart was still unchanged. Often, I had tried to make myself a Christian but failed in my efforts. I began to think that for some reason, I could not be saved. The best I could do was to enjoy the things of this world now, as there was no hope of heaven for me after I died.

I met some people who said they did not believe in God or the Bible and I accepted their ideas. I was very thankful for some hope of escape from the ruin that was waiting for those who would not repent of their sins.

It may seem unusual to say this, but I have often felt thankful for the experience of this time with unbelievers. These friends used to criticize people who claimed both to be Christians and to believe their Bibles, yet did not live by their Christian faith.

I often expressed the idea that if I claimed to believe the Bible, I would try at any cost to put it to a fair test. If it failed to prove true and faithful, I would throw it out completely. I held these thoughts when the Lord was pleased to bring me to Himself.

I can truthfully say that since then, I have put God’s Word to the test. Certainly, it has never failed me. I have never had reason to be sorry for the trust I have placed in its promises nor for following the directions I have found in the Bible.

My mother and beloved sister prayed for my salvation. Let me tell you how God answered their prayers. I was about fifteen years of age. On a day which I shall never forget, my mother was away from home, giving me the chance to have a holiday.

In the afternoon, I looked through my father’s collection of books to find something to read in my free hours. Nothing looked interesting so I turned over a box of small books, and chose a Gospel story that looked interesting, saying to myself, “There will be a story at the beginning, and a Gospel message at the close. I will take the first and leave the last for those who like it.”

I sat down to read the little book, completely careless about the Gospel message. I believed that if there were salvation it was not for me. I planned to put away the story as soon as it became uninteresting.

I should say that it was common in those days to call being born again “becoming serious.” By looking at the faces of some who said they were born again, it appeared to be a very serious thing.

It would be well if the people of God always had “newborn” faces, giving evidence ofthe blessings and happiness of salvation. If they looked saved, the unsaved people would have to call their condition “becoming happy” instead of “becoming serious.”

Little did I know at the time what was going on in the heart of my mother, one hundred kilometers away. She got up from eating dinner that afternoon with a strong hope for the salvation of her boy. Being away from home and having free time, she had a special chance to pray for me.

Going to her room and locking the door, she decided to stay there until her prayers were answered. After an hour, my mother prayed for me until at last she could pray no longer. All she could do was to praise God for showing, through His Spirit what had already been done – the salvation of her only son.

At that same time, I had taken up this little storybook. I was hit with this one sentence, ‘The finished work of Christ.” I wondered about why the writer had used the word. Why did he not talk of the atoning work of Christ? Immediately the words “It is finished” came to my mind.

What was finished? I quickly answered, “A full and perfect atonement for sin, that which I owed was paid by Jesus who took my punishment. Christ died for my sins and not for mine only, but also for the sins of the whole world,”

Then came this thought, “The whole work was finished and all that was owed was paid, what is there left for me to do?” With this, began the happy conviction, as light from the Holy Spirit shone into my soul, that there was nothing in the world to do but to fall on my knees and accept this Saviour and His salvation, praising Him forever.

So, while my mother was praising God on her knees in her room, I was praising Him in the old storehouse to which I had gone to read the little book alone.

Several days passed before I told my sister of this newfound happiness. Even then, it was only after she had promised not to tell anyone of my soul secret. When our mother came home two weeks later, I was the first to meet her at the door and tell her I had such good news to give.

I can almost feel my mother’s arms around my neck, as she held me and said, “I know, my boy; I have been praising the Lord for two weeks because of the good news you have to tell me.” I asked in surprise, “Why, has Amelia broken her promise? She said she would tell no one.” My mother told me that it was not from any human that she had learned the news and went on to tell me of her experience.

You will agree with me that it would be very unusual if I were not a believer in the power of prayer. That was not all. A short time later, I found a diary exactly like my own. I opened the pages to find that it belonged to my sister.

At the place it opened, she had written that she would give herself daily to prayer until God answered with the salvation of her brother. One month later, the Lord was pleased to turn me from darkness to light.

I grew up and was saved in a circle of loving family and friends. From the beginning of my Christian life, I was led to feel that God’s promises were very real.

I was made to understand that prayer was a very serious matter of doing business with God, for one’s self, or for others for whom we pray.