Jonathan Goforth Quotes

       Jonathan Goforth
       1859-1936
      
       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.

Put the very best construction on the actions of others.     Topics: Achievement Who am I that I should urge these missionaries to confess their sins in public, when, for all I know, they may be living nearer to God than I am? The Spirit of God does not need me to act as His detective.     Topics: Confession We have a strong feeling that sins committed before conversion are under the blood of God's Holy Son and never should be confessed. To do so is to bring dishonor upon His Calvary sacrifice.     Topics: Confession, Conversion We believe, too, that as regards secret sin, i.e. sin which is known only to the individual soul and God, to confess it at the private altar is, as a rule, sufficient to ensure pardon and cleansing.     Topics: Confession Seek to give much -- expect nothing.     Topics: Giving All the resources of the Godhead are at our disposal!     Topics: God Seek each day to do or say something to further Christianity among the heathen.     Topics: Missions In all things seek to know God's Will and when known obey at any cost.     Topics: Obedience It is vain for us to pray while conscious that we have injured another. Let us first make amends to the injured one before we dare approach God at either the private or the public altar.     Topics: Relationships, Forgiveness If revival is being withheld from us it is because some idol remains still enthroned; because we still insist in placing our reliance in human schemes; because we still refuse to face the unchangeable truth that, 'It is not by might, but by My Spirit.'     Topics: Revival, Holy Spirit As regards public sins, experience has shown us that these can only be swept away by public confession. True, this amounts to crucifixion; but by our willful disobedience we have put the Lord of Glory to an open shame, and it is the price that we must pay.     Topics: Sin, Confession Never let a day pass without at least a quarter of an hour spent in the study of the Bible.     Topics: The Bible