Determined for Jesus
Jonathon Goforth’s name is not well known to us but in his own day he became God’s mouthpiece for a great revival through his beloved China and adjoining Manchuria.
Born in 1859 and raised in a hard working country family in Canada, Jonathon had little opportunity for schooling. By the age of 15 he was put in charge of a large part of the family farm. Converted to Christ at 17, he soon felt a call to China but his faith was constantly battered by those around him.
What he endured at home was unfortunately nothing compared to what other Christians would put him through. He began studies at the Presbyterian Knox College in the city of Toronto in Canada. Right from the start his fellow students taunted him about his country ways and country clothes. When he could take no more of it, he spent every last cent on material to have made up into “city clothes.” That’s when disaster struck. That same night the other students tied him up, ripped his new material into pieces to wrap around him, and then pushed, pulled and kicked him up and down the hallway. He was bullied, humiliated and his material was left shredded.
Only dogged determination kept him going. Unlike his class mates, he had a strong yearning for evangelism. From the very first time he preached at the local prison he saw hardened prisoners crying. The local red light district became his hunting ground for souls. Others mocked but it didn’t matter.
Having to stand alone doesn’t mean we’re on the wrong pathway; nor does having things go wrong. Once you know what you’re meant to be doing, stick to it. Live for an audience of one. He’s the only one you really have to please.
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