Modern Heroes of the Christian Faith
The Bible is filled with biography – one character after another parade across the pages. God loves to teach lasting lessons through the lives of individuals. With that in mind, Stephen Davey has undertaken a special biographical series illustrating biblical truths through the lives of contemporary believers. These ordinary men and women provide a wonderful legacy. They are influenced and influential because of their faith in God. They are Modern Heroes of the Christian Faith.
Modern Heroes of the Christian Faith
In the Footsteps of Hudson Taylor: Lessons from a Faithful Life
Prepare to journey through the transformative life of Hudson Taylor, the man whose faith and commitment to service drastically altered his own perspective and the course of history. From skepticism to an unwavering belief in God's purpose for him, Taylor's life provides a compelling narrative of faith in action. As we recount his move to the slums of London in preparation for missionary work in China, you'll learn about the challenges he faced and how he used his limited resources to aid those in need.
We'll also reveal the unconventional strategies Taylor adopted in China, from embracing local customs to proposing radical points to the China Inland Mission. Find out how Taylor's unique approach to missions helped him gain respect and rapport among locals. The episode concludes with an exploration of the four principles Taylor proposed for mission work, showing how they can be applied in our own lives. Whether you're seeking inspiration, personal growth, or a deeper understanding of faith and perseverance, join us for this journey through Hudson Taylor's extraordinary life.
This series is available as a book. Learn more: https://www.wisdomonline.org/heroes
MUSIC. Welcome to Modern Heroes of the Christian Faith. With Stephen Davie, i'm your host, scott Wiley. In this series, stephen explores the lives and legacies of ordinary people whose faith had a profound impact. Stephen is the president of Wisdom International. You can learn more at wisdomonlineorg. In today's episode, you'll meet Hudson Taylor. Do you witness a riot every time you go to church? Are you threatened by angry mobs on a weekly basis? For us, that would be extreme persecution. For Hudson Taylor, it was just another day at the office.
Speaker 2:Hudson Taylor was born into a committed home with Christian parents. Even though he was taught the Bible and was knowledgeable of basic doctrine, he was personally skeptical. In fact, when he was 15 years of age, he landed a job at a nearby bank where he was surrounded by young men who made fun of his you know those old-fashioned notions that he somewhat clung to, and he was embarrassed by it. In fact, their unbelief began to cement his unbelief. By the providence of God and his grace, hudson developed a problem with his eyesight. Because he was recording figures. He was unable to keep his job. The problem only lasted just long enough for him to lose his job By the time he turned 17,. He was unaware that his 13-year-old sister had written in her diary that she would begin praying for her older brother three times a day. He was also unaware that one particular afternoon his mother had pulled away from friends to privately pray for his conversion. That same afternoon, hudson Taylor later would write I happened to have a holiday and in the afternoon I was looking through my father's library to find some books with which to while away the unoccupied hours. Nothing interested me. I turned to a basket of pamphlets and selected from among them a gospel track. That looked interesting, saying to myself there will be a story at the beginning and a sermon at the end. I'll read the story and ignore the sermon. While reading the pamphlet he writes, i was struck with the phrase the finished work of Christ. And he asked himself why does this author use the expression the finished work of Christ? Why not the atoning work of Christ or the satisfying work of Christ? Then the words that Christ uttered from the cross came back to his mind when he said it is what finished John 1930. But what was finished, he asked himself. It became clear he would write as I read further that the debt was paid for my sin of full and finished payment. And then the thought came to my mind if the work was finished by Christ and the whole debt paid, what is there left for me to do? And it dawned on him, he said. It dawned on me with joyful conviction, as the light flashed into my soul, that there was nothing in the world to be done but to fall down on my knees and accept this Savior and His finished work on my behalf and then praise Him for the rest of my life. That's exactly what Hudson Taylor will do, and that verse is a verse he would go back to often as he contemplated with joy the finished work of Christ.
Speaker 2:Now, the year that occurred was 1849. In one more year he would begin his medical studies. His plan was to go to the mission field and use his medical training to open doors there in China. So in order, though, to fully prepare for the hardships of missionary, pioneering life, he moved into the slum districts of London called Drainside How's that for a neighborhood that you'd like to live in? And that name kind of tells you the kind of area it was Drainside. He found that, over time, he could live off of the time. He could live off porridge and a little bread most of the week, with meat occasionally, and then he used all his remaining money to buy medical supplies, as he would personally assist those poverty-stricken people in his neighborhood. He would write to his sister that he had one big problem, though The medical doctor he was training under and he worked for often forgot to pay him his weekly salary.
Speaker 2:Hudson had to remind him every week, and it became so frustrating to Hudson that he eventually decided that this must be a test from God, and so he decided never to ask the doctor again to pay him, but entrusted the memory of the doctor to God. He felt that that would be a good way to develop his faith, by trusting the Lord to remind his boss to pay him. So, having made that pact with the Lord, he stopped reminding the doctor and the doctor stopped paying. God didn't seem to be reminding the doctor. Eventually the rent was due and Hudson had no money to pay as food was running out as well.
Speaker 2:Hudson Taylor writes to his sister. He says one Friday, near closing time at the clinic, the doctor, again not having a clue that he owed another week's salary, suddenly turned to me and said by the way, taylor, is not your salary due? Hudson wrote. I had to swallow two or three times before I could answer and I told him quietly that it was overdue for some time and how thankful I felt at this moment that God had heard my prayer. The doctor said well, you know how busy I am and I've just sent all the cash to the bank, otherwise I would have paid you at once. So he went home without being paid.
Speaker 2:It was Saturday. He came back to work then on that day and he was defeated and discouraged and when he was locking up the clinic to go home that night, this doctor suddenly appeared rather amused. Taylor would write that one of his clients had just come by his office and done something he'd never done before paid his medical bill in cash. The doctor couldn't understand what would possess this wealthy client to come by his office at 10 o'clock at night and pay a bill. He could have paid any time he wanted. And then the doctor said well, wait a second. Do I owe you your salary? And he did and gave Hudson a bank, a handful of bank notes, and said I'll pay you the balance on Monday. So you can see how God is developing the faith of this young man And you can also see that he's giving to God the opportunities at work to develop his faith and incredible joy in this answered prayer. On another occasion and I do want to draw this note here too into the record Hudson would write that his boss was behind.
Speaker 2:Yet again, hudson headed home discouraged and confused again with the Lord. The doctor had forgotten that week and Hudson only had a half crown in his pocket for the weekend. Now when I read that, i've read his two volume biography and I had to go to Google and find out how much that was worth, and I found out that a half crown would be around $10 to $12 of value today. So that's how much he had in his pocket, one coin. When he arrived at his apartment he was met by one of the many poverty stricken men in Drainside And he begged, hudson, to come and see his wife who had only recently delivered a baby. Neither the mother nor the newborn were doing well.
Speaker 2:Hudson writes again in his journal that he reluctantly agreed. He wrote that he wasn't in the mood to help anybody that night. He was rather frustrated with God too. When he arrived at their apartment, if you could call it that, he said that several children were huddled inside this bare one room dwelling, and Hudson Taylor described it as truly wretched. A woman was lying on a cot in the corner, a newborn baby whimpering in her arms. Hudson knew without any medical examination that the baby wasn't getting any milk because the woman was malnourished. In fact the entire family was hungry And Hudson also would record that he immediately knew that the Lord wanted him to give this family his half crown, but his heart refused Again.
Speaker 2:In another letter to his sister he shared the feelings. He battled, and I quote him they needed food, but I did too. So I shared with them that, although their circumstances were very distressing, that there was a kind and loving Heavenly Father. And yet something in me cried you hypocrite, telling these unconverted people about a loving Father and not prepared to trust him yourself? And he said my voice nearly choked at the thought. But still he refused internally battling here. When the poor father knew there was nothing that could be done, he asked Hudson to at least pray with them before he left their apartment, and he agreed. So they all knelt down in that little room. While they knelt, hudson Taylor says, the battle raged in my heart as I began to pray. And then he said, without any desire or joy, i finished my prayer, got up, reached into my pocket and then pressed into the hand of that impoverished man my half crown.
Speaker 2:The family could hardly contain, of course, their relief and gratitude. Only then, he wrote, did the joy of the Lord flood my soul. I wonder how often we would do something if the Lord gave us the joy. First Give me that joyful feeling, lord, and then I'll give all my money away. I don't feel it, ok, never mind. Well, he says. He goes on in his detailed letters And fortunately he wrote detailed letters. He returned home, he ate his last bowl of porridge, finished off the rest of his bread And before he got into bed, got on his knees and thanked the Lord that he had been empowered to give everything he had away. And then he reminded the Lord that he was out of money too, and then he was out of food too. Later, the following day, an anonymous package without a return address or name arrived by post. The package contained a pair of winter gloves, and inside one of the gloves was four times the amount of money he had given away the night before. He would later write how often my mind has remembered that incident and that lesson That faithfulness to God in little things allows us to gain experience and strength for the more serious trials of life. Maybe you're there right now, maybe you're in that test. This is what God is doing in your life as He deepens your faith and prepares you for perhaps even greater tests.
Speaker 2:Hudson Taylor will sail for China in 1853, and he will spend 51 years serving in that country. Let me give you just a couple of anecdotes from his days there. When he first arrived, and for the first several weeks, he realized that he had no respect among the people and he couldn't quite figure it out. They seemed to mock him. It was only a little later that he realized that he was being disrespected, not because of his gospel message, but because of his western apparel, especially among the young people who mocked him openly. His black overcoat had earned him the nickname the black devil. He didn't know it until a little later, when he could finally understand a little bit.
Speaker 2:He went against all protocol. This is what is fascinating. He went against all protocol and advice, by the way, from others, and he decided it was something radical. He removed his western clothing and put on the customary robe and slippers of a Chinese teacher. He even shaved the hair off his forehead to match the Chinese custom for teachers. I've done the same thing. Now you know why.
Speaker 2:Watson wrote his sister the rather shocking details about the scandal he created by doing that. Now again, he's literally shaving all the way back to right about. Here, he writes. I had better tell you at once that on Thursday last I resigned my locks to the barber, dyed my hair a good black color and in the morning had a proper cue, what we would call a pigtail, woven into the back of my own hair. Then, in Chinese dress, i set out immediately gaining rapport among the people. However, the reaction back in England wasn't so sympathetic. In fact, he lost support as soon as people found out. It didn't seem to matter. In fact, he would eventually begin his own mission board, calling it the China inland mission.
Speaker 2:By the way, he would become known for his sensitivity toward the Chinese culture and customs. His words are thought provoking, as he will later instruct his missionary teammates. He said this, and I quote rude people will seldom be out of hot water in China, and though earnest and clever and pious, they will not accomplish much In nothing. Do we fail more as a mission than in lack of politeness? Something to remember in our own world as we deliver the truth right. He would suffer greatly. One wife and several children would die from diseases. He would marry again only to experience the stillborn death of twin babies, a boy and a girl.
Speaker 2:He and those who served with him would be persecuted and often have to escape with their lives. In fact, hudson one time made the comment that the China inland mission never established a missionary outpost without first surviving a riot. Imagine, and they would establish, by the way, more than 300 outposts. Imagine, frankly, it's challenging A church planter in America being told that in order to be really successful you'll have to survive a riot before your church takes root. You ought to pick up his biography, in fact, all of these people. I hope that you'll be encouraged to read about them. Wonderful to volume and goes into great lengths, great details about how they would escape at night from people who'd come to kill them. Little wonder his testimony would influence so many thousands of people to consider giving their lives away to Christ.
Speaker 2:Watson Taylor was personally encouraging to, and supported by, individuals like Charles Spurgeon, ci Schofield of the Schofield Bible, do Moody. He would often receive financial gifts in the mail just in time from his good friend, george Mueller. When you're thinking, wait, george Mueller was waiting for money at just the right time, right He was. They would give to each other. All in all, however, even though it was difficult and challenging, hudson Taylor was known for his optimistic spirit. He credited his confidence in the Lord with a statement that I have written into my own notes and have read them over time. Often He says this if we are obeying God, the responsibility rests with him, not us. It's good, isn't it?
Speaker 2:In a letter dated 1879, when Hudson Taylor was 47 years old and he was away from the mission for a little while. He wrote to the secretary of the China Inle Mission in which he rehearsed several action points that he wanted to continue to offer to the team and wanted the secretary to provide it first, and then he would come along and encourage it as well. He believed that these things would produce a health and effectiveness, along with vitality, to the ministry. Let me do something a little different tonight and step away from a detailed biography and give you these five points. They work not only institutionally or corporately or for a team or a group working on a project. They work individually, on a personal level as well. So let me give them to you quickly here. Number one first.
Speaker 2:Hudson Taylor said improve the character of the work, improve the character of the work. In other words, most often what a believer needs to do is not necessarily begin something new, but strengthen and improve what they are already doing. On an organizational level. Taylor was implying, in fact writing, that this may involve new procedures and new lines of communication, and even he said new job descriptions. In other words, he said self-evaluation and internal evaluation of any ministry, organization or own personal lives is healthy, though sometimes painful. If it's worth doing, it's worth evaluating. Improve the character of the work.
Speaker 2:Number two Hudson Taylor said we must deepen piety and devotion. Among other texts that come to mind is Paul's reference to Timothy, his son of the faith, where he says Timothy, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness First. Timothy 4.7. To Taylor, this was an action point, just as Paul wrote to Timothy do this. In fact, the word discipline is from Guunadzo, which we get our word gymnasium from. It literally means exercise. That's a fun word, isn't it? In other words, godly piety and devotion demand exercise, and if we want to grow in godliness, we have to grow in being willing to work opposite, where a spiritual sweat Life will not help us along in this regard, will it?
Speaker 2:I remember years ago we were at the beach with our girls and they were out in the water and I told them now use our umbrella as your marker and stay in front of us. No matter how hard they tried, of course, each wave just pushed them down that coast further and further and further away. The undertow would shift them further away. Sometimes they would need to literally get out of the water and run back up the beach to where they'd be in front of our umbrella And I thought isn't that a picture of life, the spiritual life? It's so easy to drift, isn't it? Every wave of demand, every pull of pressure, the undertow of problems and challenges just kind of move us further and further away. We drift, often without realizing it. No one will ever deepen their piety and devotion without intentional effort. Sometimes you get out and you run back and start again, as you constantly readjust, as it were, to the umbrella of God's purpose, god's design.
Speaker 2:Hudson, thirdly, wanted his staff to consider this phrase. Here it is remove stones of stumbling, if possible. Now he was thinking of tough assignments that needed to be tackled, or some tough decision that needed to be made, or some difficult obstacle that needed to be overcome. But then he adds if you caught it, if possible. I love that realism. Remove stones of stumbling if possible. It's so good. Why? Because some stuff can't be moved, some things can't be changed, some obstacles are never going to get out of your way. Every day you get up, there it is. It's not going to move until Jesus comes. You have to deal with them. But wherever you can remove things that hinder your spiritual life and ministry life do it. I love his realism. In fact, hudson would often remind his missionary team by saying don't forget, there are three stages for missionary work, and this applies, by the way, to life. The three stages are impossible, difficult done, impossible, difficult done. By the way, hudson did not want any missionary candidate to be allowed to join the team who wasn't willing to face the challenges. In fact, every candidate who applied to the China Inland Mission would be trained at their center, which they had developed in the slums of London, back where he learned, and if they were unwilling to do that, he was unwilling to have them join him in China. Remove stones of stumbling, if possible. Number four I like this one here the way he says it oil the wheels where they stick. Oil the wheels where they stick.
Speaker 2:Hudson Taylor actually had in mind with his statement personal relationships. He said you got to get out the oil can of love and grace and apply liberally to those relationships that tend to stick, or any relationship when it gets stuck, and he would write that there is no substitute for loving one another. He would confide, by the way, as an older man, that one of his greatest challenges in missionary service was the trouble he had with the missionary family of the China Inland Mission, that he pressed his entire staff to have well-oiled relationships, and he would encourage them too. By the way, he would encourage them by saying this, and I love this little phrase. He had a wonderful way of turning a phrase. He said it this way things will look up with God's blessing if looked after And a great blend of personal involvement and perseverance and trust in God. Things will look up with God's blessing if looked after.
Speaker 2:One more Supplement what is lacking. Supplement what is lacking. In other words, don't just point out the problem, supplement what's needed to fix it. He once wrote criticizing plans is easier than creating plans. So, instead of criticizing, add whatever is lacking. That you might add as you engage in these plans and carry out your plans for the glory of God. Well said, improve the character of the work, deepen piety and devotion. Remove stones of stumbling. If possible, oil the wheels where they stick. Supplement what is lacking.
Speaker 2:One of the things that you'll soon find very apparent in this man's life is that he was marked by a sense of joy and humility. He almost seemed surprised that God had chosen him for his glory. In fact, he would write on one occasion, and I quote I often think that God must have been looking for someone small enough and weak enough for him to use, and he found me. That's good He found me. On one occasion he was being introduced to speak at a large church in Australia. The moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms just the laundry list of everything he'd done and he told the large congregation of all that Taylor had accomplished in China and then presented him as and now, welcome, our illustrious guest. Taylor came to the pulpit quietly for a moment and then said dear friends, i am merely the servant of an illustrious master. In 1905, after having resigned as the head of the China inland mission, he decided to take one last tour through some of those beloved provinces, some of those towns and mission stations, and during that tour in China he passed away. He was buried next to his first wife, maria, in a little English cemetery in a village near a river.
Speaker 2:Let me give you an interesting update. Their graves were treated with utter disregard, as you can well imagine, in communist China. In fact, the cemetery was actually covered over by a development in the 1960s, without even enough regard to move the graves just built over. In recent years, those industrial buildings were torn down and interestingly, in fact, i saw a picture. You could find it as well online but Hudson and Maria's graves were found to be the only two graves in that cemetery still intact. In August 2013, their graves were moved to a local church where a memorial garden is being planned, designed to honor their lives, and there's a picture of the memorial, the drawings they're planning even now.
Speaker 2:Think about it over 51 years of ministry, hudson Taylor would be responsible for leading nearly 1,000 missionaries into that vast country to give their lives Together. They would plant hundreds of churches. They would start 125 different schools. There would be more than 500 Chinese converts who would turn around and join the mission as staff members and volunteers. The China inland mission would become the largest Protestant missionary organization in the world. Hudson Taylor would learn to speak three different Chinese dialects, evangelize in all 18 provinces of the interior and prepare translation of the New Testament in a local dialect.
Speaker 2:It is a long list, but if you read his biography and I hope that I'm representing him well if he were here today, i'm fairly confident he wouldn't want to hear any of it. In fact, he'd probably be mortified that we're talking about him today. I think he would stress that he was simply the servant of an illustrious master, someone small enough to be used by God, someone weak enough who would be available for God to use. You go back to those early days as a 17-year-old when he was simply struck with the truth. He never forgot that it was all the work of Christ and he never forgot that to Christ alone belonged all the glory and all the honor and all the praise. May we do the same.
Speaker 1:That was Stephen Davy, the president of Wisdom International. You're listening to his series Modern Heroes of the Christian Faith. If you enjoyed hearing the story of Hudson Taylor, please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcast or wherever you listen. That helps more people find us, and please subscribe so that you'll hear the next episode. Stephen has a website filled with resources to help you know what the Bible says, understand what it means and apply it to your life. Learn more at wisdomonlineorg. I'm Scott Wiley. Thanks for listening. Join us again next time on Modern Heroes of the Christian Faith.
