“Ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake,” Matthew 24:9.
Many millions of Chinese people have, in times past, been won to Christ under the gospel. No greater example of this can be found than in the ministry of Hudson Taylor (1832-1905). It was said of him: “No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematised plan of evangelising a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor.”
Under his and his associates’ labours, many thousands of Chinese were converted to Christ and mission stations and schools founded. He spent fifty-four years in China and it is calculated that he was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country, starting 125 schools and the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more than 499 local helpers in all 18 provinces. A devout Baptist, he was the founder of the China Inland Mission.
However, that harvest field came under great and increasing persecution due to the rise and eventual victory of Communism over all its opponents some seventy five years ago. On October 1, 1949, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The announcement ended the costly full-scale civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT). The creation of the People’s Republic of China also completed the long process of governmental upheaval in China begun by the Chinese Revolution of 1911. The 1911 ‘Revolution’ brought to an end the long succession of ‘dynasties’, a form of ‘feudalism.’
The story of Hudson Taylor’s labours is a great read for any young Christian. He was, to a large degree, the epitome of the Christian missionary!
Today, the suffering of God’s people in China is increasing as Communism continues its callous and cruel crusade against that which is defines as a myth and a delusion! That Bible Christianity is no mere ‘myth’ may be seen in that the orchestrated barbarity of the powerful Communist Party in China cannot eradicate it. Rather, despite all that the Christians are called upon to endure, a remnant patiently and peacefully remains faithful to Christ and His cause and continues to see souls saved. (more…)
