Fishers of Men

This article is from Issue 6, Called to Praise

By C. T. Studd

CHINA At the end of a message on the verse, “He is able to save to the uttermost,” after the gathering had left, a Chinaman remained at the back of the room. When we went to him he told us we had been talking sheer nonsense. He said, “I am a murderer, an adulterer, I have broken all the laws of God and man again and again. I’m also an opium smoker. He cannot save me.”

We laid before him the wonders of Jesus and His Gospel and His power. The man meant business, and was soundly converted, after which he said, “I must go to the town where I have done all this evil and sin, and tell the good tidings.” He did and gathered crowds, was brought before the mandarin, and was ordered 2,000 strokes with the bamboo until his back was one mass of red jelly and was thought dead.

His friends took him to the hospital and he was nursed by some Christians until he was able to sit up. He then said “I must go back again and preach this Gospel.” We tried to dissuade him, but he went and started preaching. Once more he was brought before the court. They were ashamed to give him the bamboo again, so they sent him to prison, but the prison had small open windows in the walls. Crowds collected as he preached out of the windows; till, finding he did more preaching inside prison than out, they set him free.

AMERICA “After tea the leader of the College Y.M.C.A. came and made a full surrender, asked for the gift of The Holy Spirit and went away knowing that he had received, so bright and believing and set on doing personal soul-saving work.

There is such a lack of this. It seemed the same tale every place, spiritual darkness because of not doing this personal work. You should have seen the shining face yesterday of the President of the College Y.M.C.A. He had been a Christian for two years and had never brought a soul to The Lord. He won his the night before at my meeting, and yesterday he said he had never been so happy; too happy to sleep!”

WALES When invited to speak in North Wales, a cousin of his welcomed him to stay with her. This was answered prayer for Charlie as his cousin was not yet in the Kingdom of God and he had been praying for his own family members. He accepted her hospitality provided she accompany him to some of his speaking engagements.

During an afternoon talk he said, “True conversion is like smallpox. If you get, you give it to others and it spreads.” His cousin, Dollie, was indignant at this and on the way home said what a disgusting thing it was to say. She joined him again for the evening meeting and was silent all the way home. When they got back she made him a drink of cocoa and handed it to him while they were talking, but Charlie talked and ignored the cup.

This went on for some time when eventually she got annoyed, to which Charlie said, “Well, that is exactly how you are treating God Who is holding out Eternal Life to you.” The arrow hit right home; she went to her room and accepted Christ. Two days later when back in London, Charlie received this telegram: “Got the smallpox badly- Dollie.”

Taken from Life on the Altar Publication
Issue 6 Autumn 2022