10-THE MANCHURIAN REVIVAL

Jonathan Goforth

If there was ever a man whose very life was defined by revival, it was Jonathan Goforth. As a student at Toronto’s Knox College in 1887, his life was impacted by a college revival conducted by the American evangelist D. L. Moody. As a missionary in China, news of the Welsh Revival created a deep hunger for a similar movement of God in his own ministry. When he learned of the Korean Pentecost, he travelled to see it for himself. When Goforth returned to China, he became a carrier of revival that brought awakening to Manchuria. As a young man preparing for ministry, Goforth read Hudson Taylor’s book describing missionary work in China. He was already involved in work at an area rescue mission, but was so impressed by what he read that he committed his life to serving God in China. Rather than join Taylor’s China Inland Mission, Goforth and his wife Rosalind served under the sponsorship of their Presbyterian church. When they were assigned to serve in Honan province, Goforth contacted Taylor to ask for advice. The China Inland Mission had tried unsuccessfully to establish a work in that province, so Taylor rejoiced to learn another group was bringing the gospel to that part of the Asian nation. Knowing the work would be difficult, Taylor wrote back urging the younger missionary to "go forward on your knees."

Much of Goforth’s early ministry in China involved training hundreds of Chinese pastors and evangelists. He and other missionaries served at a time when many European businessmen were exploiting China. An indigenous movement known as "the Boxers" rebelled at the abuse China was suffering from these unethical businessmen. Unfortunately, the Boxer’s hatred for foreigners did not distinguish between missionaries and the unethical English businessmen. On December 31, 1899, the Boxers murdered a British missionary. The Empress of China issued an order that all foreigners should be executed. In the blood bath that followed, over a hundred missionaries were killed. The Goforths were wounded in the uprising, barely escaping with their lives. The world responded to the Boxer Revolt with military might, capturing Peking and crushing the old order. While the revolt had been directed primarily at foreigners, hundreds of national Christians also lost their lives at the hands of the Boxers. Their bravery in the hour of persecution and martyrdom later bore fruit. As peaceful conditions returned to China, the Chinese people began flocking to church to learn more about Christianity.

According to J. Edwin Orr, the Chinese awakening occurred in three phases. From 1900 through 1905, there was a significant prayer movement in many parts of the nation. These prayer meetings actually preceded the Boxer uprising and many who were involved in the prayer movement became martyrs in the revolt. The next two years (1906-1907) were marked by a widespread awakening as large numbers of Chinese nationals responded to the preaching of the gospel. The third phase of the awakening, an extraordinary revival began in 1908 and continued up to 1911. In 1907 Goforth made a tour of Korea, something he wanted to do ever since he heard the first reports of the Korean revival. While there, he was deeply moved by what he experienced. He realized the movement in Korea was "no wild gust of religious enthusiasm" but a deep moving work of the Holy Spirit. He was also challenged by the prayer life of the Korean missionaries and national church leaders. Believing God was "no respecter of persons," Goforth began praying for a similar outpouring of the Holy Spirit in China. On his way back to Honan from Korea, Goforth stopped one evening in Mukden to share what he had seen in Korea with a group of missionaries. They were deeply impressed, they asked Goforth to return that February to conduct a special week of meetings. When Goforth returned to Mukden for the scheduled meetings, things did not look promising. The evening Goforth arrived, his host took the opportunity to speak critically of a friend of Goforth claiming "his theology is as old as the hills." After the service, Goforth also learned his host’s wife was so opposed to having the special meetings she had arranged to visit out of town during the campaign. Also, Goforth learned that no prayer meetings had been organized for the meetings as he had requested. As he prepared to go to bed that evening, he wept and cried out to God.

"What is the use of my coming here?" he asked. "These people are not seeking after Thee. They have no desire for blessing. What can I do?" No sooner had he began to pray when it seemed as though a voice came back to him saying, "Is it your work or Mine? Can I not do a sovereign work?" Then a verse Goforth had memorized years earlier came to his mind. "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jer. 33:3). The next morning, one of the elders of the church came to see Goforth before the scheduled morning meeting. As soon as the two were alone, the elder began to weep uncontrollably, telling his story, In the Boxer year," he began, "I was treasurer of the Church. The Boxers came and destroyed everything, the books included. I knew I could lie with safety. There were certain Church funds in my keeping which I swore I had never received. Since then I’ve used the money in my business. Yesterday, during your address I was searched as by fire. Last night I couldn’t sleep a wink. It has been plain to me that the only way that I can find relief is to confess my sin before the Church and make full restitution.

Following Goforth’s message that morning, the elder made his confession. Suddenly a member of the group cried out with a piercing cry, but he wouldn’t say anything. However, others moved to tears, one after another, began praying and confessing sin. The conviction continued to spread the next day. An older missionary who had been part of the Scottish Revival of 1859 claimed he was seeing that revival re-enacted in China. On the fourth day, Goforth concluded his message with his usual invitation for the people to pray as God would lead them. When he did so, a man came to the front of the meeting place with tears flowing down his face. It was the elder who two days earlier had cried out, yet resisted confessing his sin. Now the Spirit of God had broken through earlier barriers. He turned to face the congregation and began his confession.

"I have committed adultery," he confessed. "I have tried three times to poison my wife." Then looking at the bracelets and rings he was wearing, he took them off and placed them in the offering plate. "What have I, an elder of the Church, to do with these baubles?" Then he reached into his pocket and took out his elder’s card. He tore it in pieces and scattered them on the floor. "You people have my cards in your home. Kindly tear them up. I have disgraced the holy office. I herewith resign my eldership."

Several others confessed sin and recognized their unworthiness before God. That morning, all the elders and deacons of the church resigned from their office as they confessed sin they felt disqualified them. Then the pastor stood before his congregation. "It is I who am to blame," he insisted. "If I had been what I ought to have been, this congregation would not be where it is today.

I’m not fit to be your pastor any longer. I, too, must resign." With the resignation of their pastor, the church felt it was time to begin a ministry of reconciliation in their midst. From different parts of the congregation came the cry to reappoint the pastor. It seemed like the whole church was expressing their confidence in their pastor. He was restored to his office. Then the elders were also restored to their offices, as were the deacons. The revival then spread from the church to the missionaries. During a prayer time the next morning, Goforth’s host ran forward in the meeting crying, "Oh, pray for us missionaries; for we need it more than any of you." The man’s wife returned early and was also touched by the revival in the final days of the campaign. On the last day of the meetings, a national pastor addressed the people. "You know how many elders and members of this congregation have drifted away," he began. "Oh! if there were only some way of bringing them back." Then the congregation rose to their feet in unison and began crying out to God for those who had drifted from the church. By year’s end, hundreds had returned to the fold. Most confessed they had never been converted. The meeting at Mukden was the first of several similar meetings conducted by Goforth throughout China. In two years, Goforth completed thirty campaigns in six provinces of China. He never asked anyone to confess publicly, yet public confession of sin was common in the Manchurian Revival. He simply concluded his message with the statement, "You people have an opportunity to pray." In various meetings, that invitation was followed by open confession of sins including idolatry, theft, murder, adultery, gambling, opium smoking, disobedience to parents, hatred, quarrelsomeness, lying, cheating, gambling, fraud, division and misappropriation of funds. The revival led to deep and lasting change in the lives of those touched by it. The revival also gave missionaries working with the usually stoic Chinese new insights into the people with whom they worked. One British missionary reported, "We know now that Chinese are emotionally susceptible in matters of religion. We know now that ’instantaneous conversions’ may be seen in China as was seen in Chicago or London. We know that when people long for the filling of the Spirit, and they are willing to sacrifice all, God will revive them in Shensi, China, as in Keswick." The Manchurian Revival also helped establish the indigenous Chinese church. Chang Lingsheng, a Presbyterian elder active in the Shantung Revival, embraced the Pentecostal experience when missionaries from the Azusa Street revival came to China. He teamed up with two others to establish the True Jesus Church, an indigenous sabbatical Pentecostal denomination. Later, Nee Tosheng, better known outside of China as Watchman Nee, was influenced by a single British missionary years later, Margaret E. Barber. In 1909, she submitted to believer’s baptism and left her Anglican mission to become an independent faith worker. She conducted "breaking of bread" meetings similar to those of the Christian Brethren. Nee To-sheng organized the Little Flock, a Brethren-style indigenous Chinese denomination. The True Jesus Church and Little Flock soon had more adherents than all other mission sponsored churches combined. (When elderly Jonathan Goforth visited America, he stayed in the home of godly parents who had a 6-year old child. After breakfast, he laid his hand on the head of the little girl to dedicate her to God’s service. That little girl is Ruth Towns, wife of Elmer Towns, who carries on the revival ministry of Jonathan Goforth.) The Year of Our Lord 1909