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Jonathan Goforth

Jonathan Goforth


Jonathan Goforth was born in Ontario, Canada and reared in a Christian home, although he was not converted until he was 18. He later testified that he had been under so much conviction at age 10 that he would have gladly been saved if someone had only told him how to accept Christ.

While attending college, he was challenged to go to China by reading Hudson Taylor's book China's Spiritual Need and Claims. With his young wife, Rosalind, Mr. Goforth went to China in 1888. During the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900 their lives were constantly at risk, and they had to return to Canada for a year.

When they went back to China, God opened the floodgates of blessing on their work. Where converts had come in ones and twos, they now came in dozens and scores. They traveled across Northern China, Manchuria and Korea, and revival followed everywhere he went. For the last few years of his life, Jonathan Goforth was blind due to detached retinas, but the work continued to prosper. In his last full year on the field (1934) he had nearly 1,000 adult converts baptized. In 1935 he and his wife returned to Canada where he continued to travel and speak in churches until his death in 1936.
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Jonathan Goforth

A SEASON OF INTENSIVE PREPARATION

UPON returning to China in the fall of 1901, after having recuperated from the harrowing effects of the Boxer ordeal, I began to experience a growing dissatisfaction with the results of my work. In the early pioneer years I had buoyed myself with the assurance that a seedtime must always precede a h... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

AN OUTPOURING OF DIVINE BLESSING UPON CHANGTEHFU

ONE can appreciate how it must have been with a peculiarly keen sense of anticipation that I returned to my own home station after my visit to Korea in the summer of 1907. On the Sunday morning that I told the story of the Revival the Chinese leaders crowded around me after the service insisting tha... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

EVIL SPIRITS DEFEATED AND CAST OUT IN HONAN

I was asked to hold meetings at Kaifeng on two different occasions. The first time I was faced with some unaccountable hindrance right up till the last day of the services. Different ones were brought under conviction, but there was nothing like the free movement of the Spirit which I had seen in Ma... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

FURTHER EVIDENCES OF THE SPIRIT'S MIGHTY WORK IN CHIHLI

FOR the first few days at Siaochang I was caused considerable annoyance by a certain prominent man in the congregation who had a habit of praying at every meeting as soon as I finished my address. The prayer was always the same; I could discern no prompting of the Holy Spirit in it. I tried to silen... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

God The Best Portion Of The Christian

God The Best Portion Of The Christian Dated April, 1736. Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. Subject: ’Tis the spirit of a truly godly man to prefer God before all other things either in heaven or earth. IN this psalm, the psalmist (As... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

GOD'S DEALINGS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN SHANTUNG

A MOVEMENT began at Putoupeichen and steadily increased in intensity until it finally reached a climax on the sixth day. I have been present at movements, e.g., at Shuntehfu, which have been more powerful, more farreaching, perhaps, but none where I have felt so completely conscious of the Spirit's ... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

HINDRANCES SWEPT AWAY WHEN THE SPIRIT WORKED IN CHIHLI

AT a special gathering for prayer, which was held prior to the beginning of the main series of meetings at Paotingfu, the missionaries of this station were so deeply moved that I was convinced that there could be no sin on their part which would be likely to hinder the Lord's work there. Among other... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

Holy Living

People get so used to the dark that they think it is growing brighter ... It is possible to fraternize with unbelievers until false doctrine becomes less and less objectionable. I have read of a Coast Guard crew summoned on a stormy night to rescue survivors from a sinking vessel. One member of the ... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

HOW REVIVAL CAME TO THE SCHOOLS IN KIANGSU

I WAS invited to Nanking in the early spring of 1909 to lead a nine days' series of meetings. The Christians there were faced with the problem of finding a building large enough to hold the crowds which were expected to attend. The Friends owned the largest church in the city, and it would only seat... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

INDISPENSABLE FACTORS IN REVIVAL

A MISSIONARY once remarked apologetically to me: "I have always longed for revival; but my station is so outoftheway that it is impossible for me to obtain the services of an evangelist." As if the Spirit of God is necessarily limited in His workings to a select few! We wish to state most emphatical... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION IN SHANSI

SHANSI has been wellnamed the "martyr province of China." In 1900 it was under the rule of that most infamous of governors, Yu Hsien. In his persecution of the Christian Church this man quite outstripped any other Chinese official during that terrible year. In his province alone over one hundred mis... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVEMENT IN MANCHURIA

WHEN I started on the long journey to Manchuria in February, 1908, 1 went with the conviction in my heart that I had a message from God to deliver to His people. But I had no method. I did not know how to conduct a Revival. I could deliver an address and let the people pray, but that was all. On the... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

THE LORD'S PRESENCE AND POWER IN THE CHANGTEHFU OUT-STATIONS

AFTER the Changtehfu meetings the missionaries and Chinese leaders formed themselves into bands and toured the various outstations. Among those visited was a certain village where, not long before, over a hundred of our Christians had gone over to the Church of Rome. The trouble had arisen over a la... Read More
Jonathan Goforth

TRIUMPHS OF THE SPIRIT IN MANCHURIA

SHORTLY after my arrival at Kwangning one of the missionaries said to me: "Reports have come to us of the meetings at Mukden and Liaoyang. I thought I had better tell you, right at the beginning, that you need not expect similar results here. We're hardheaded Presbyterians from the north of Ireland ... Read More

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