Rev. James Hudson Taylor VI encourages believers in a Chinese church in New Jersey to pray and testify diligently on a recent gathering.
The great-great-grandson of the founder of Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) was invited by the Chinese Christian Church of New Jersey (CCCNJ) as one of the speakers for its Annual Mission Conference 2006 held on March 24-26.
With the theme "Go! Make Disciples of All Nations," Taylor shared four keynote messages. On March 25, Taylor preached on Acts 3: 1- 10, which described the scene when Apostle John and Apostle Peter healed the crippled man in front of the temple gate called Beautiful.
Taylor emphasized the four key aspects in missions- prayer, the power of God, praise and testimony- through the bible passage. In particular, Taylor said prayers play an important role in evangelism, just like apostles always go to pray together at the temple instead of going individually. He further gave the example of the churches in Korea. Their fervent prayers could be the main reason behind its revival and the strength of being able to dispatch a large number of overseas missionaries in a short period of time.
In addition, Taylor pointed out that the aim of doing missions is not just seeking personal salvation, but it is for the glory of God. Personal salvation is just part of evangelism, but more importantly, evangelism is about offering gratitude and praise to God. In the book of Gospel, those who have been healed first praise and give thanks to God.
As an expert of missions in East Asia, Taylor is concerned that over 80 percent of Asians live in places that cannot be reached by missionaries. However, through professional knowledge and skills, missionaries can serve them and testify to them the love of the Lord with their lives.
Chairman of the Taiwan Industrial Evangelical Fellowship Rev. Chai was the other main speaker. His message mainly encouraged believers to focus on the kingdom of God and the evangelism of all nations. Discipleship, absolute obedience to follow the path of cross and God’s calling are the fundamental commissions as a missionary.
