Hudson Taylor - shames and inspires me!

Last night I came upon an audio version of Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, [url=http://lampfordarktimes.blogspot.com/2007/10/audio-book-hudson-taylors-spiritual.html][Download it here!][/url] the famous biography of the most influential foreign missionary to China. In the past four years I had twice begun and then abruptly ceased reading the book; first while in bible college and then two months ago. This time, having no excuse considering the audio format, I determined to finish the whole thing. Before going to sleep I listened to two hours of the story; the other five hours while on a bicycle ride. So far as literature goes, time could scarcely have been better spent.

Historian Ruth Tucker summarized his life as follows: "No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematized plan of evangelizing a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor." The account was so shaming, yet equally enlightening and inspiring. Here was a man committed to lay his life down as a test of God's faithfulness to answer prayers. Similar to George Mueller, the Bristol preacher and friend of Taylor who established orphanages without once soliciting for funds, Taylor threw himself entirely upon the provision of God to supply the needs of his mission. Determined and disciplined by devotion to the Savior, Taylor saw no work too excessive if done for Jesus.

Daily I have asked - and I confess, too often asked myself and not the Lord - what great work would God have me to do? Taylor's account pointed me back to that one final, basic command of Christ: "Go into all the world, preaching the gospel to every creature and teaching them to obey whatsoever I have commanded you." As I sat listening, I considered it.

Go. - Not necessarily be sent, but Go upon Christ's authority. To where?

Into all the world. - One cannot reach the further places without first passing through nearer ones. The home, the neighborhood, the workplace. No place is exempt from His command. What must I do in all these places?

Preach the Gospel, and teach them to obey whatsoever Christ has commanded. - I must tell all people about His life, death, and resurrection. I should not be satisfied to see heads nod, but must teach them by word and example to make their calling sure by a life of obedience to God's word. Am I really to preach to every member of my family, every coworker? To whom must I preach?

Every creature. - There is no soul that God has forbidden us to bring the gospel to. In fact, the very explicit command of our Lord - if we are so bold to call Him Lord, who said, "why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not obey me? - is to leave no person unreached and unspoken to.

I have not spoken to the people of my neighborhood. Only a few at my workplace know that I am a Christian, let alone what that means to me. In my home I have accommodated attitudes that allow for slothfulness. I say there is an ocean of grace that flows from the river of Christ, so can I not draw from it a few cups to strengthen me for earnest bible study, prayer, and evangelism?

"Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." [Matt. 6:33] Where the King is, there is the kingdom. Lord, help me seek Christ who dwells in heaven, who dwells at the right hand of the Father making intercession for His saints.

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." [Col. 3:1-4]

Forgive me, Lord. I have been increasingly tangled in the cares of this world. Thank you for cutting me free with your sharp sword of the word. Help me to abide and to bear much fruit.

What impacted me most about reading Hudson's Taylor biography is how he was willing to give up all for the furtherance of the gospel.

All too often, I hear pastors complaining about lack of family time, "me" time...etc. But Hudson Taylor left his children a godly heritage by living his whole life in response to the grace of God...not just his "pastoral" time.

I was privileged to visit Hudson Taylor's memorial tombstone in zhengjiang, Jiangsu province, China in 2005. It was dedicated inside a 3-self church, non descript in the entire surrounding of the old city full of history. I met the old pastor who shared how he carefully preserved during the tumultous years of culutral revolution.
What is most unforgetable is the inscription, which goes something of that effect:-
"If I had 1000s of gold or silver, I give it to China,
If I had sons and daughters, I dedicated them all to China"
Such is Dr. Taylor's love and passion for China.

As a chinese from Singapore, it shames and inspires me that God raised a British person to show His intense love for the chinese people.

Today, Dr. Taylor's great grand children are faithfully carrying the torch their great grand-father had litted.

Praise GOd for moving and raising pillars like Hudson Taylor. Indeed he is truly one of that great cloud of witness mentioned in Hebrews 12:1

That's great to hear that his descendants are believers.