Part one in a series on evangelism.
Known as “the father of international missions”, C.T. Studd served as a missionary in England, China, India, and Africa. To share the gospel, he gave up a life of wealth and fame. His story is likely familiar to you (if not be sure to visit, The Surest Thing). But have you ever heard the story of his father?
Edward Studd earned his fortune in India and returned home to England ready to spend it. He built a beautiful house on a large estate, where he intended to live the rest of his days in ease, enjoying sports and other pleasures. But God had a different plan.
The Conversion of Edward Studd
One day, a friend of Mr. Studd’s convinced him to attend an evangelistic meeting at which D.L. Moody was speaking. Listening to a sermon wasn’t Mr. Studd’s idea of a good time, but he had promised to go and he did. At the conclusion of the meeting, he surprised his friend by declaring he would go to hear the evangelist again and he did. He went again, and again, and again. He went until, in the words of his grandson-in-law, Norman Grubb, he was “right soundly converted.”
‘”In the afternoon of that day,” wrote one of his sons later, “Father had been full of a thing that takes more possession of a man’s heart and head than anything else, the passion for horse racing; in the evening he was a changed man. Of course, he could not go on living the same life as before. He could not go to balls, card parties, and that sort of thing. His conscience told him so. So, he decided to go and have it out with Mr. Moody. He went to him and said,
“I want to be straight with you. Now that I am a Christian, shall I have to give up racing and shooting and hunting and theatres and balls?”
“Well,” said Mr. Moody, “Mr. Studd you have been straight with me; I will be straight with you. Racing means betting, and betting means gambling, and I don’t see how a gambler is going to be a Christian. Do the other things as long as you like.”
Father asked him again about the theater and cards, and Moody said, “Mr. Studd, you have children and people you love; you are now a saved man yourself and you want to get them saved. God will give you some souls, and as soon as ever you have won a soul, you won’t care about any of the other things.”
Sure enough, to the astonishment of his children and others, he didn’t care for any of these things any longer. He cared about one thing – the saving of souls.
He withdrew from the Turf, giving a racehorse to each of his elder sons as a hunter and sold the remainder. He cleared out the large hall of his house on the Tedworth Estate, furnished it with chairs and benches, and began to invite splendid fellows down from London, merchants and business men, to preach the gospel to the people. He would ride round the country and invite and urge the people to come, and come they did in hundreds.
Mr. Studd’s coachmen put what had happened to him in a nutshell, when a guest remarked to him that he had, “heard that Mr. Studd had become religious or something.”
“Well, Sir,” said he, “we don’t know much about that, but all I can say is that though there’s the same skin, there’s a new man inside!”‘
For the Sake of a Soul
One evening, the Studd family were on their way to one of Moody’s meetings. They had already traveled quite a distance when Edward suddenly remembered he had forgotten to invite one of their grooms.
Eager to have the man attend, he ordered for the carriage to be stopped and quickly jumped out. Insisting that the rest of the party drive on, he went back alone to get the groom. For fear they should be too late to get a seat, he ran the entire distance home. In this run, he broke a blood vessel in his leg.
Edward Studd died of the injury just a few days later. He’d lived a mere two years after he came to know the Lord. But not a moment of that time had been wasted. It was spent in the pursuit of souls.
At his funeral, the minister said, “Mr. Studd did more to further God’s kingdom in two years than most Christians do in twenty.”
As unfortunate as that statement is, it is nevertheless true.
Do You Want To Be Like “Most Christians”?
Or do you want to be like Edward Studd – a Christian who had a passion to see souls saved?
A passion which trumped every other passion he had. A passion which changed who he was. A passion which caused him to run after a soul, giving up his life in the pursuit.
Without passion, sharing the gospel is no more than an obligation. Speaking of the cross is difficult – it takes us away from the things we would rather be doing.
This shouldn’t be the case. Witnessing shouldn’t take us away from what we want to be doing, it should be what we want to be doing!
A Passion Which Trumped All Others
Moody did not tell Mr. Studd to deny all his passions and only preach the gospel. He told him preaching the gospel would become his passion. A greater passion. Mr. Moody said, “as sure as ever you have won a soul you won’t care about any of the other things.”
Edward Studd gained that passion. He gained an understanding of the importance of a soul and a care for their eternity. This caused the pleasures he had lived for previously to become unimportant.
We need that same passion. We need a change of affection. We need to share the gospel, not out of compulsion – because it is our duty as Christians to do so – but eagerly with joy and enthusiasm!
Edward Studd was a man just like us, with passions like ours. God replaced those passions with a greater one. He can do the same in you and I.
The words we speak when sharing the gospel are not our only witness. Our desire to speak, or lack thereof, also comes into account. To do this well, we must want to do it!
In Christ
Quiana
*Quotes and excerpts were taken from Norman Grubb’s book, C.T. Studd Cricketer and Pioneer
If you want to learn more about the Studd family, I can help!
Search C.T. Studd to find related posts.