MR. ROBINSON HAD BEEN giving due consideration to the message of Pentecost, especially since his wife’s return to Detroit. He desired to have whatever God had for him, but he had not as yet been convinced of the scripturalness of this new teaching. Mrs. Robinson finally suggested that he go to Zion City and see the meetings for himself. Deciding to do this, they went so as to be there for the “All Night with God” service, December 31, 1906. Very shortly Mr. Robinson was assured that Pentecost was of God and then began to seek for his baptism.
This decision was of great importance and consequence for the Robinsons personally. First of all, it meant leaving the Zion church in which they had received such blessing and to which they had been so devoted. That in itself was doubtless made easier by the tragic events of the preceding year. More than just leaving the church, however, was involved. It meant giving up their ministry and visible means of support. In other words, it meant “boldly entering upon a life of trust” in God for the supply of all their material needs as well as for a ministry. A momentous decision, indeed! With full knowledge of its implications and with implicit faith in God, they resolutely took the step regardless of the consequences.
The immediate effect of resigning from Zion was a sense of release as from a prison. Now they were free from the binding chains of man’s decisions, free to follow the Lord just as He would lead them. With this freedom Mrs. Robinson received a deep conviction: “I got the light that God did not want me to be affiliated with any organization.” And she never was for the remainder of her life — thirty years.
The Robinsons continued in Zion City for a short time, attending the meetings and a Bible school which the evangelist conducted, all the while seeking the Lord for the fullness of the blessing which He had promised. Their earnestness and spirituality, coupled with their ministerial abilities, deeply impressed their teacher.
One of the earnest seekers in these meetings was Lydia Leggett Mitchell (Mrs. George A.) who, it will be remembered, had been set apart for Christian work at the same time as Mrs. Robinson some five years before. Mrs. Mitchell had sent regular reports of the outpouring of God’s Spirit to her sister and brother-in-law, Elder and Mrs. Brooks, in Toronto. For some time they had been dissatisfied with their spiritual experience and had been praying to be filled with the Spirit. Consequently, they were prepared souls for the message of the baptism of the Spirit. Realizing their keen interest in this Pentecostal outpouring, Mrs. Mitchell expressed a desire to the evangelist in Zion that it might be possible for him to visit the Brookses in Toronto. Whether or not it was this suggestion which prompted him to go there, the fact is that some time in January, 1907, he went to that city and directly to the assembly of which Elder Brooks was the pastor.
Elder Brooks asked the evangelist to preach and was tremendously impressed with his message. As a result, Elder Brooks invited him to hold some special meetings in which five or six Pentecostal missions of the city united. Together they rented Wolesley Hall, downtown on Gerard Street, as a more centrally located place for the services. This done, the special speaker virtually took over.
At the end of three weeks, when the evangelist had to leave, he suggested that to avoid showing preference to any of the leaders of the groups which had participated in the special meetings some outside ministers be invited to come and to take charge of the work he had begun. This proposition agreed to, he forthwith dispatched an invitation to the Robinsons to come to Toronto, requesting an immediate decision to be given the same day — “before sundown.”
Mrs. Robinson had no witness in her soul that this call was the will of God for them, but naturally it was for her husband to decide. She had felt impressed that they should return to Detroit, doubtless to give the beloved sheep of their recent pasture the opportunity, at least, of learning the truth about the baptism. This would certainly seem to be the logical, the spiritual, thing for faithful shepherds to do.
For Mr. Robinson the call to Toronto doubtless had several very appealing features. First of all, it was a definite open door to minister. (Were they to return to Detroit, they could not return to their former assembly, as such, for they had severed their connections with the denomination.) In addition to this, Mr. Robinson was a Canadian and had spent some time in Toronto previously. Perhaps a minor, secondary, consideration was the fact that his close friend, William Marlatt, with whom he had originally come to Zion City, now lived there.
At any rate, he accepted the invitation and with his wife went to Toronto in February, where they stayed with the Marlatts who ran a boarding house at 5 St. Albans Street (now 5 Wellesley Street W.), which was only a few minutes’ walk from Wolesley Hall, their place of ministry.
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Martha Wing Robinson (1874 - 1936)
Martha held meetings which touched people to return to the work of the service of God. The Robinsons opened a "Faith Home" where people would come for teaching and prayer. Like George Muller they depended on God to provide what was needed for expenses. Thousands came through her home and healings were a regular occurrence. Her husband died in April of 1916, but Martha continued in her ministry. She had a very sharp gift of discernment and regularly told people the secrets of their hearts. She often had directive prophetic words for those under her care. Many young people came to the home for training and went into the mission fields and evangelistic endeavours.Martha Wing Robinson died June 26, 1936. Shortly before she died she stated her life's message "Nothing matters but Christ Jesus." Her whole life was spent in the service of God and for the Glory of His Son Jesus. She had seen many healed, saved, delivered, empowered and sent out. She was truly a mother in Israel. In 1962 Gordon P. Gardiner wrote a book about her life called "Radiant Glory" because that is how she lived her life.