By Mary Vee
Year: March 1872
Hudson Taylor: age 40
From J. Hudson Taylor's Notes
 |
| Photo Courtesy |
After Ning told his wife, his confidence soared. Her decision to accept Christ made him very happy and gave him the courage to tell his neighbors.
As a scholar and very learned man of Confucianism from the university, men from the city had respected Ning for his words in the past. Each time he'd go out to the marketplace or other gathering places in the city, a group of listeners could be found standing near him.
Once he shared what he had learned about God the people began to back away.
"What was he talking about?" they'd say.
But the strong and compelling words spoken from Ning made sense to many people. Soon more and more gathered around Ning as he preached the Good News about God's love.
There were those who didn't like the changed Ning. These men went to the mayor of the city to complain. The mayor went to the university and complained to the chancellor. "Don't worry," the chancellor said, "I will take care of this problem and bring him to reason."
He called Ning into his office. "Ning, you really must stop the preaching about the Christian God."
Even as the hours flew by that day, the chancellor could not convince Ning to change his mind. Ning's new love for God had taken over his life.
Ning's powerful words drew many Chinese to the church he started, including Lao Kuen. The one man everyone feared. Lao had been the terror of the neighborhood hurting anyone, even family members.
God gave Ning the words to say. There was no other explanation why Lao listened and changed his ways. He asked Jesus to be his Savior and became a faithful follower of the one true God.
Even a local man who had owned a gambling business listened to Ning's message of God's love. The gambling owner closed his business, cleaned up the building, and gave it to Ning to use for a church. The businessman used his own money to whitewash and completely clean the building before giving it free to Ning to use as a place of worship of the one true God.
This story of Ning, lasting several posts, had all come to be because of Mr. Stevenson's strong desire to serve Christ in China. God used one Englishman to bring many Chinese into His family.
Although I wasn't in China at the time, I wept each time Mr. Stevenson sent an update of the work. I couldn't wait until matters would be settled here, and I was healthy enough to return to my beloved China and rejoin in the mission work there.
Praise God for His blessings.
J. Hudson Taylor
Missionary to China--Inland China!
So Very Blessed by God
Research resources: J. Hudson Taylor, An Autobiography by J. Hudson Taylor; It is Not Death to Die, a new biography of Hudson Taylor by Jim Cromarty; Hudson Taylor Founder, China Inland Mission by Vance Christie; J. Hudson Taylor, A Man in Christ, by Roger Steer, and Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr.and Mrs. Howard Taylor.
No comments:
Post a Comment