Sunday, June 10, 2012

Christianity’s future in China

China, these days, has been the hotbead for religion of the risen Savior Jesus Christ, even with all of the persecution my brethren in Christ haved faced over there. However, I've always wanted to know why. Well this article answers that question.

6/9/2012 China (Times-Herald.com) – Christianity is the world’s fastest growing religion, but not in America.
Not in Europe.

Throughout Africa and Asia, and especially China, is experiencing revival. Amidst restrictions and persecution, a house and secret church network flourishes. How did China become the future of Christianity?

In 1853, Hudson Taylor left a life of wealth and prominence in England to take the Gospel to China. His father was a pharmacist, and Taylor was studying to become a physician. God called him to become a missionary to the 400 million people in China. The United States today has 300 million. China was the most populous country on earth back then, and still is today.

In 1853 there were a dozen missionaries and only a handful of Christians in the entire country. Taylor moved into England’s poorest neighborhood for preparation to live among China’s poor. Family and friends all discouraged Taylor from going across the world to reach those who’ve never heard of Christ.

He was surprised at the apathy in England towards reaching the world for Christ. He had a burning passion for the Lord others didn’t share. Taylor took the Gospel to interior China. Other missionaries were afraid to travel into mainline China, rather they remained in coastal trade cities.

Inland China had never heard the Gospel. He began a mission agency, China Inland Mission, with the purpose of going deep into China on faith – no financial support from England – and would adopt the Chinese culture by wearing their clothes and learning the language.

He went around giving away Chinese Bibles and tracts. Taylor was one of the first missionaries to contextualize the Gospel, adopting this from Paul in I Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.” If you’re going to reach the Chinese for Christ – talk, eat, dress and think Chinese.

Taylor’s wife died at age 33. Four of their eight children died before reaching 10-years-old, and Taylor struggled with depression and sickness on the mission field. Taylor died in 1905, 52 years after arriving in China. He had brought over 800 other missionaries to China – and encouraged single women to go on the mission field, which inspired Lottie Moon.

Taylor started 125 schools for Chinese children and witnessed 18,000 conversions to Christianity. When Taylor started China Inland Mission, no missionary had entered 11 of China’s 18 provinces. When Taylor died, every province, except three, had missionaries sharing the Gospel(Source).

No comments:

Post a Comment