On the first day of the gathering to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Chinese evangelist John Sung, Rev. James Hudson Taylor IV, a fifth-generation descendant of the world-famous British missionary James Hudson Taylor, shared a speech with the theme: "The Blueprint for Revival".
On October 26, Rev. James Hudson Taylor IV or Dai Jizong president of China Evangelical Seminary, shared the four elements of revival in the text of Luke 5:1-11.
"Preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God" was a very important foundation among the elements of revival, said the great-grandson of Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission. Revival was inseparable from God’s Word, and every revival was built on God's word and preaching His word. John Sung, the “Wesley of China, in his sermons attributed great importance to God's word and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
“If we look at his life, we will see that he was a man who was loyal to the truth. He was not only loyal to the truth but also was firm in the truth. He preached nothing but the word of God,” said Rev. Taylor.
The second element was "showing the power of the Kingdom of God". The Bible says that after Jesus finished preaching, he told Peter to go out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. When Peter obeyed Jesus, the miracle of fishing happened. Here was a very strong contrast that Peter spent the whole evening before meeting Jesus, but he did not catch any fish; but when he obeyed Jesus, he put out his boat into the deep and let down his net for a catch, and they caught many fish in only a short time.
“Every revival in the history of Christianity has been accompanied by the revelation of God's power.”
The third element referred to "receiving salvation from the Kingdom of God". When God's word was spread and his power was revealed, we would see God's holiness on one hand, and see our sins and how bad they were on the other. Just like Peter, when the fire of revival came, Peter fell down at Jesus' knees and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
The pastor confessed, “We also need to repent of our sins and receive salvation from the kingdom of God.”
The last element lay in "undertaking the mission of the Kingdom of God". Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Just as God made great use of Dr. John Sung more than a hundred years ago, God was now looking for people and vessels he could use.
“Please let there be a double portion of John Sung's spirit both on you and me,” Rev. Taylor concluded.
- Translated by Stephen Huang
