Jonathan Goforth was the first Canadian Presbyterian missionary to China, serving there for nearly forty-seven years (over half of his 77 years of life). A couple of stories tell you about the conviction of this man to “go forth” with the gospel to China. He told his wife to be Rosalind that he could not give her an engagement ring b/c he needed every penney to distribute Testaments and tracts. After a year in China, their house burned with all their possessions. He told his distraught wife “My dear, do not grieve so. After all, they’re just things.” Their first two children died in China which caused them great sorrow, but their hearts ached even more over the Chinese masses who lived without the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. They later built a bungalow with a pump to draw water from a well and a chimney to send smoke up out of the house. As many as 2,000 in a day would pass. through the bungalow to see these novelties and Jonathan would preach Christ to them as they passed through. He had a passion for developing converts to Pauline New Testament Christians who met in indigenous house churches. He would put a red dot on a map for each house church established. By May of 1900 there were over 50 of these red dots.

Then came the infamous Boxer Rebellion. Have you ever heard of the Boxer Rebellion? AI: “The Boxer Rebellion was a Chinese nationalist uprising in 1899-1900 against foreign powers’ encroachment on China’s sovereignty and increasing influence. The rebellion was led by a secret society known as the Boxers (nicknamed that b/c of their expertise in martial arts), who targeted foreigners, Christian missionaries, and Chinese converts to Christianity (burning churches and foreign residences). The rebellion was sparked by a combination of factors, including economic hardship, resentment towards foreign powers, and the spread of Christianity. Perhaps a total of up to 100,000 or more people died in the conflict, although estimates on casualties have varied widely. The great majority of those killed were civilians, including thousands of Chinese Christians and approximately 200 to 250 foreign nationals (mostly Christian missionaries).”

One of those missionaries that was caught up in the Boxer Rebellion was Jonathan Goforth, his wife, and 4 children. They managed to make a long, hazardous, intense heat, 4 week journey to Shanghai and then safely to Canada, constantly threatened by cries of “kill the foreign devils”. A mob almost killed Jonathan with stones. The Boxer Rebellion lasted about 2 years and then the Goforths went back to China for 36 more years of mission work during which all their possessions were destroyed 4 times and where 4 of their children were buried. Spurred on by Charles Finney’s revivals in Wales, Jonathan began revivals all over China and Manchuria. On a single day, he baptized 960 soldiers. Many thriving churches were established. He suffered much hardship and pain, but always his soul was aglow with “the fulness of the Christ-life through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling”. He died as he slept on October 8, 1936.

I continue to be amazed as I read these stories of great Christian missionaries of the 1800’s, often called the “Great Century of Missions”. Their determination and sacrifice to spread the gospel in spite of suffering and obstacles is just amazing. They lived with one purpose in life, i.e. to convert people to Christ. My 5 years in mission work in Trinidad, West Indies and Colombia, South America are like a vacation compared to the tough foreign fields those missionaries worked in.

But that is not to minimize your efforts to reach people for Christ right here in the U.S., right here where you live and work. Not everyone is called to be a foreign missionary. You can share Christ with co-workers, relatives, friends, people you do business with, people you meet all day long. You might be called to take care of an aging parent or an orphan or a widow, but your example of love might inspire someone to become a Christian. You might be blessed with money which allows you to support missionaries or organizations that drill wells for clean water, print Bibles in the major languages for distribution all over the world, or provide food and medicine for the oppressed poor caught up in the many wars or famines in 3rd world countries.

I pray that God will bless you with the zeal and determination to focus on what really matters in life, which is the saving of souls for Jesus Christ, in whatever role and place God has put you in. Be courageous and not afraid to boldly share Jesus with everyone you are around. I think we are hesitant to do that b/c we don’t want to look like overzealous Christians or we fear getting a negative response from someone. “Just do it” and leave the fruit bearing or rejection to God. At least try to bring God and Jesus into every conversation all day.

God bless you.