By Mary K. Crawford from the North China Mission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Tsinan, China (1933)
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
The last days of April, 1929, all Shantung, and especially Southern Baptist circles, were shocked to hear that a missionary had been captured by pirates. Numbers of missionaries had been in the hands of bandits before, but this missionary was on her way from Tientsin to Hwanghsien to hold special meetings in our Mission there. Several of us had traveled on the very boat that the pirates had taken. The horror seemed to reach out and touch us. Our prayers joined the prayers of other Christian circles that reached all the way to Norway, where cable had wired the news to the native country of the captured missionary.
Afterwards Miss L. sent out circular reprints of Miss Monsen’s own letter telling of those twenty-three days in the hands of the pirates. Instead of days of misery, days of triumph and rejoicing were recorded. In her own words: "Just before daylight, I heard pistol shots all over the ship, and I knew immediately what we were in for. The words came to me: ‘This is a trial of your faith.’ I remember the thrill of joy that went through me at the thought of it. I was immediately reminded of the word that I had been using much in years gone by, in Isaiah 41:10, and I will read it to you as I had been reading it down on the Honan plains: ‘Fear not, Marie, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, Marie, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, Marie, yea, I will uphold thee, Marie, with the right hand of My righteousness’"
Standing on the promises as given in the Book of Promises she went through the test of having a pistol pointed at her, plans to take her away with them, and the intrusion of a vile bandit into her cabin, without a hair of her head being touched. Standing on the promises of the King of kings, she refused to obey the pirates’ orders, refused to eat the stolen food brought to her, refused to be frightened, and with perfect peace in her heart was not only kept in a miraculous way but witnessed to the two hundred passengers and fifty robbers, including hours of personal conversation on salvation to the chief of the pirates himself.
But this missionary had another reputation, that of going about and asking people if they were born again. It was even reported that she asked missionaries themselves, "Have you been born again?" Some months after the pirate episode she held meetings at Hwanghsien. Imagine our surprise and in spite of joy, shock, to hear that one of our own missionaries had been "born again." This worker went on in joy and witnessing, became very earnest in soul winning, and had no other desire but to see souls saved. She has since received the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
For several years there had been an increasing hunger in the hearts of most of us to see more of the power of the Holy Spirit in our work. We had been taught in our seminaries that if we ever got any souls saved, it would be through the work of the Holy Spirit. We knew the doctrine of the Acts of the Apostles, but we were not experiencing it as we knew we should.
After the Chinese Southern Army came in during the year 1928 and so much of our work showed up as "hay and stubble," most of us were willing to "humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He might exalt us in due season" (1 Pet. 5:6). Miss L. and other missionaries who had heard Miss Monsen’s testimonies during the time of refugeeing in Chefoo, were glad and willing to have her come into their missions with the pointed question of "Have you been born again?"
For years there had been a prayer group of women in Tsinan. As far back as 1925 there was one home where choice friends were invited to dinner, the place cards being prayer pledges, reading, "O Lord, revive Thy Church, beginning in me." In the summer of 1930 a group of five hungry missionaries went to Summer Conference hunting a new experience in the Lord. Miss L. never stopped stressing in prayer and laying upon the hearts of others the fact that there were seventy odd "dead churches" in the North China Association. During the summer a definite prayer list was made on which it was agreed to pray for revival in Tsinan, Tsining and Hwanghsien. In the fall of 1930 Miss Monsen came for meetings in Tsinan. The leaders were ready and willing to have the church exposed to the question, "Have you been born again?"
The "Born Again" Revivals
None of these "born again" revivals had the least taint of sensationalism about them. The singing was the usual mediocre singing of the congregation. There was no advertising other than announcements. Miss Monsen herself is one of the quietest speakers I have ever heard, but any one with any discernment at all could see and feel that she was depending upon the promises of God in a remarkable way and most especially upon the promise given in the Gospel of John 16:8: "And when He [the Holy Spirit] is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." He, Himself, the Holy Spirit, will convict of sin.
The Word of God concerning sin was given in a quiet, unassuming manner, and it became "quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
"But was not grace and the cross preached?" you ask. Yes, God’s grace had been preached for years, but many had accepted God’s grace as an outside coat of whitewash, and had covered their sins in their naturally depraved hearts.
At the Tsinan Revival, which we had the privilege of attending, the members of the congregation were exposed to what the Bible says concerning definite sins, one sin discussed at each session. For example, after the foundation fact, "Ye must be born again" had been well taught, one day the sin of hate, and what the Bible says about hate, what hate does to men’s hearts, and the freedom that comes when Christ changes the heart and hate is forgiven; then the next session the sin of lies, then the sin of stealing, covetousness, the whole Ten Commandments, yes, even adultery. With the boldness and power which only come from a heart continually cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, what the Bible teaches about each sin was given in a vivid forceful manner.
At the close of each session the speaker took her stand at the door and put the question, "Have you been born again?" to individuals as they met her. The evasion, the doubt, and the conviction were terrible. In some places, if there was a back door, the victims under conviction would escape through it. With all the preaching of what the Bible says about sin, there came the most terrible conviction of the righteousness and holiness of God.
As one missionary wrote: "We have suddenly been brought to our senses as a result of Miss Monsen’s messages on sin. Our best (?) church members have been brought under deep conviction of sin. They have come weeping and confessing sins which they have kept hidden all these years. So we have been having an ingathering of ‘born again’ ones from among the church members as well as the outsiders."
She also adds that not one of the deacons of the church was clear on the new birth. After the first meeting they and the teachers began to try to teach and preach the new birth, but soon showed that they did not know what they were talking about. Some said that one could not know till death, but the bright, happy faces of those who had been freed convicted them. There began a searching of the Scriptures and a confession of sins that brought assurance. One deacon was so anxious about his condition that he said that it made no difference whether he had his supper or not – he wanted to bring his Bible and get straight. When asked if he believed all the Bible, he had no difficulty there, but when asked if his name was written in the Book of Life, he just said, "No, I am not sure, because I don’t think my sins are open and confessed."
Report of the North China Mission, Year 1932
"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Isa. 43:19).
New things in North China briefly expressed:
Hwanghsien: "In the revival here in Hwanghsien last spring the North China Baptist Theological Seminary and Bible School came in for a great blessing. Everyone of the faculty got a distinct blessing, and nearly everyone of them was filled with the Holy Spirit. It has made a new school."
Evangelistic Work: "It is a new day for us. Every month or so, all the churches and outstations have had special revivals held by missionaries or special evangelists, and the results have been greater than many previous years put together. One blessed result of the outpouring of the Spirit is that He sends people to ask the way."
Warren Memorial Hospital: "The hospital was mightily blessed during the spring. Many of the personnel were saved and some filled with the fullness of the Spirit."
Tsinan: "More people have been saved the past year than perhaps in any year in the history of the work here. The churches have never been on such a high plane spiritually as now. Practically all the preachers, teachers, Bible women and missionaries have had a blessed experience in the deeper things of the Holy Spirit, and have more real victory and power than they had ever known before."
Tsining: "Our people have become of one heart and mind in the Lord Jesus, as never before. We feel that the year has led us on to new spiritual heights."
Laichow-Laiyang: "This has truly been one of our very best years spent in China. It is beyond the power of human tongues to express the sheer joy and rapture of this new, marvelous, intimate fellowship into which we were brought with the glorified Redeemer Himself. On one memorable night there began the most wonderful revival ever witnessed in this little church."
Pingtu: "God has been adding daily to His Church. The general estimate is that three thousands souls have been saved this year. There have been about nine hundred baptisms, with others waiting. ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit’ are being re-acted in a remarkable way right here in our midst."
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