Leader’s guide · 12 weeks
Leader’s guide: A Retrospect (For Teens)
Using this guide with a class? See Ochorus for schools or homeschool families
This guide takes your group through A Retrospect (For Teens) in twelve weeks, one chapter a week. It retells Hudson Taylor’s own account of how a doubting teenager came to faith, learned to trust God with money and danger, went to China and founded the China Inland Mission. It is written for teenagers aged about 13 to 18 and suits a youth group, a homeschool or a small group, and it is especially good for young people who have honest doubts or wonder whether prayer really works.
Each session takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Open by saying the memory verse together (3 minutes). Read the chapter, either aloud together or at home beforehand (5–10 minutes). Talk through the chapter’s three questions, which come with answers to help you (10 minutes). Do the activity (10 minutes). Then close by praying, in your own words or inviting a volunteer to pray, about what the chapter raised (2–3 minutes). Each chapter ends with a “One thing to do” challenge, which is worth reading out before people leave.
To prepare, read the chapter yourself and glance at the activity; most weeks need only paper and pens. The book includes a poor family with a dying mother, Taylor’s own brush with a deadly infection, a storm at sea, a robbery and real hunger, and it speaks often about praying for family members who do not believe. Some in your group may be praying for someone who has not come to faith, or may have watched a prayer go unanswered, so honour the book’s own care not to treat prayer or giving as a formula. Be gentle with anyone who has known serious illness or loss, keep personal reflection private, and be ready to talk one-to-one afterwards.
Week 1 — It Is Finished
Hudson Taylor grew up in a Christian home but was left cold, failed to make himself a Christian by effort, and took up sceptical views, though he vowed that if he ever believed the Bible he would really put it to the test. At about fifteen, bored at home, he picked up a Gospel booklet and was caught by the phrase “the finished work of Christ.” Realising the debt was already paid, he knelt and accepted it. The big idea: salvation is received as a finished gift, not earned, and honest doubts do not shut God out.
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” — John 19:30 (ESV)
Memory verse
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30
Talk together
What phrase in the Gospel booklet stopped Hudson, and what did it lead him to realise?
“The finished work of Christ.” Remembering Jesus’ words “It is finished,” he realised that if the whole debt had been paid by someone else, nothing was left for him to do but accept it.
What was Taylor’s private vow as a doubter, and why does the chapter say it mattered?
If he ever claimed to believe the Bible, he would actually live by it and test it. That honesty, and his refusal to fake belief, kept him open enough to be caught by the truth.
Where are you trying to earn being “okay” with others, yourself or God?
The chapter’s point: “It is finished” cuts through that. You don’t add to a completed payment; you receive it. Your doubts don’t disqualify you; only pretending shuts God out. Be honest with God about where you stand.
Activity
Gift or Wage?
You will need: A whiteboard or large sheet of paper
- Write two headings: “A wage” and “A gift.”
- As a group, list the differences: how each is received, who gets the credit, whether it can be lost.
- Discuss: which way do most people think about being right with God, and why?
- Read the memory verse and ask what the word “finished” rules out.
- Invite everyone to spend a minute privately telling God honestly where they stand.
Week 2 — The Locked Room
On the afternoon Hudson read the booklet, his mother, many miles away, locked herself in her room to pray for him until she was moved to thank God that it was done. When he came home a fortnight later she already knew, and he later found in his sister Amelia’s diary a resolve to pray for him daily, written a month before his conversion. The book warns that prayer is not a machine, but shows two people who kept praying for one person without any visible sign. The big idea: keep praying for others and do not lose heart.
“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” — Luke 18:1 (ESV)
Memory verse
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
Luke 18:1
Talk together
What did Hudson’s mother and his sister Amelia each do for him?
His mother locked herself in her room and prayed for hours until she was moved to thank God instead. Amelia wrote in her diary that she would pray daily for his conversion until God answered.
Why does the chapter warn against reading this as prayer being “a machine”?
Hours of prayer don’t force God’s hand. The real lesson is two people who kept praying for one person over weeks and months without any visible sign, and did not lose heart.
Is there someone you’ve quietly stopped praying for because it felt pointless?
The chapter suggests writing one person’s name where you’ll see it and praying for them by name daily for a set time, whether or not anything seems to happen. The person prayed for often has no idea.
Activity
A Name to Pray For
You will need: Small cards and pens
- Discuss the chapter’s warning: why is it wrong to treat prayer as a machine?
- Ask: what is the difference between quitting prayer and quietly drifting from it?
- Give each person a card to write, privately, the name of one person they long to see come to God.
- Ask everyone to decide how long they will pray for that person daily, and write it on the card.
- Encourage them to keep the card somewhere they will see it.
Week 3 — The Last Half-Crown
Training as a doctor in Hull, Taylor was teaching himself to depend on God alone and had just one half-crown left when a poor man asked him to pray for his dying wife. In a starving family’s room, he felt a hypocrite for urging them to trust a Father he would not trust beyond his coin; he admitted he could trust “God plus one-and-sixpence” but not God only. He gave the coin, walked home singing, and the next morning received half a sovereign, though the book warns this is not a formula. The big idea: trusting God with a safety margin is not yet trusting him fully.
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.” — Proverbs 19:17 (ESV)
Memory verse
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.
Proverbs 19:17
Talk together
What happened to Taylor’s last half-crown, and what arrived the next morning?
He gave it to a starving family with a newborn baby. The next morning the post brought half a sovereign folded in a pair of gloves, four times what he had given.
What did Taylor mean by “I could trust God plus one-and-sixpence”?
He would obey up to a set amount but wanted a safety margin. He saw that “God plus a backup plan” is not really trusting God at all.
What is your own “one-and-sixpence,” the point where trusting God stops feeling safe?
The chapter warns this is no formula for repayment. Its challenge: find the thing you’ll only give or risk if you keep a margin, and give past it once, on purpose, not recklessly but really.
Activity
Finding the Line
You will need: Paper and pens
- Explain Taylor’s phrase “God plus one-and-sixpence” and what it meant.
- Discuss the chapter’s warning against treating God like an investment app.
- As a group, list things besides money where people keep a safety margin with God, such as time, reputation or control.
- Ask each person to write privately where their own “one-and-sixpence” line might be.
- Challenge everyone to think of one wise, not reckless, way to step past it this week.
Week 4 — The Salary Nobody Mentioned
Taylor decided not to remind his busy employer that his salary was due, but to ask God to bring it to the doctor’s mind, to learn to move people through God by prayer alone. When the doctor finally remembered, he had just sent all his money to the bank; but late that night a wealthy patient arrived to pay his bill in cash, and the doctor handed Taylor the notes. God answered, but not in the way Taylor expected. The big idea: God promises to supply our needs, but not always through the door we are staring at.
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
Memory verse
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
Talk together
Why did Taylor refuse to remind the doctor about his salary?
In China he would have no claim on anyone but God, so he wanted to learn beforehand to “move man, through God, by prayer alone.”
Why does the chapter say Saturday nearly looked like God failing?
The doctor remembered but had just banked his money. The payment then came through a rich patient at ten at night. God answered, but not the way Taylor expected.
When you pray, do you secretly decide how God is allowed to answer?
The chapter’s point: God promises to supply your need, not to supply it through the door you’re staring at. Try writing down your expected outcome, then give him permission to answer another way.
Activity
The Script and the Answer
You will need: Paper and pens
- Retell the two halves of Taylor’s Saturday: the reminder and the money came from different people.
- Ask each person to think privately of something they are praying about.
- Have them write down, for themselves, the exact outcome they have quietly decided would count as an answer.
- Underneath, have them list two or three other ways God could meet the same need.
- Discuss as a group: why do we tend to script God’s answers?
Week 5 — “You Are a Dead Man”
In London, living on bread, water and apples, Taylor pricked his finger with a needle and the next day dissected the body of someone who had died of a dangerous fever. He fell gravely ill and a surgeon told him, “You are a dead man,” yet Taylor felt sure he still had work to do in China. He lanced the wound, accepted treatment his uncle paid for, and survived, while two others wounded at the same time died. The big idea: a settled sense that our life belongs to God keeps us calm without making us careless.
“I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.” — Psalm 118:17 (ESV)
Memory verse
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.
Psalm 118:17
Talk together
How did Taylor become dangerously ill, and what did the surgeon tell him?
A needle-prick on his finger let in poison while he dissected a fever victim. The surgeon told him to go home and put his affairs in order: “you are a dead man.”
How did Taylor combine faith and medicine during his illness?
He was convinced he had work to do in China and would not die, but he still lanced the wound and took treatment. His faith made him calm, not reckless.
When something makes you feel “finished,” how do you tell danger from defeat?
The chapter suggests separating “is this dangerous?” from “is this the end of me?” Take the danger seriously and act, but don’t let a moment of panic decide your future; your life belongs to God.
Activity
Two Questions
You will need: Paper and pens
- Write two questions where everyone can see them: “Is this dangerous?” and “Is this the end of me?”
- In small groups, list setbacks teenagers face that can feel like “you are finished,” such as a failed exam or a rejection.
- For each, talk through how to take the danger seriously without handing over the verdict on your future.
- Discuss how Taylor held both: he used medical treatment and still trusted God’s purpose.
Week 6 — Within a Stone’s Throw
In September 1853 Taylor sailed for China on the Dumfries, and his mother’s cry of anguish at the parting taught him what “God so loved the world” costs. A gale drove the ship to within a stone’s throw of the rocks of Carnarvon Bay before the wind shifted and they escaped. Taylor had thrown away his swimming-belt that night, thinking he could not trust God while owning it, but later decided this was a mistake: faith does not mean refusing the means God provides. The big idea: trusting God and using the help he gives are never enemies.
“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” — Psalm 107:29 (ESV)
Memory verse
He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Psalm 107:29
Talk together
What did Taylor tell the captain when the ship was within a stone’s throw of the rocks?
That he would not be anywhere else; he still expected to reach China, and if not, the Master would say it was well he died trying to obey.
What did Taylor later decide about giving away his swimming-belt?
That it was a mistake. Real faith does not mean throwing away the help God provides; trusting God and using a life-belt are not rivals.
Is there an area where you treat praying and preparing as opposites?
The chapter’s point: trust God completely and use everything he puts in your hand. This week, pray hard and also act, whether that’s studying or making a plan. “Pick up the swimming-belt.”
Activity
Faith or Superstition?
You will need: Nothing
- Read out short situations, such as “I’m trusting God, so I won’t revise for the test,” or “I’ll pray about my injury and also see a doctor.”
- After each one, the group votes by standing up for “real faith” or staying seated for “superstition dressed as faith.”
- Discuss any situation where opinions split.
- Ask: what was Taylor’s swimming-belt mistake, and how did he correct it?
- Challenge everyone to pray and act on one thing this week.
Week 7 — Pray for a Wind
Near New Guinea the wind died and a current dragged the Dumfries toward hidden reefs, with people gathering on the shore. When the captain said everything had been done, Taylor proposed that the four Christians on board agree together in prayer for a breeze; while praying he felt sure it was granted, and he told the sneering first officer to let down the mainsail. The top sail began to tremble, the wind came, and the ship escaped. The big idea: specific prayer, prayed together, lets us see God’s faithfulness clearly.
“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” — Matthew 18:19 (ESV)
Memory verse
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:19
Talk together
What did Taylor propose when the captain said they could only await the result?
That the four Christians on board each go and agree together in prayer for a breeze. Soon after, the top sail began to tremble and the wind came.
Why does the chapter value specific prayers over vague ones?
A vague prayer can never obviously fail, but it never tests anything or grows faith. Specific prayers can visibly succeed or fail, so Taylor collected evidence that God answers.
Which of your vague prayers could you make specific?
The chapter admits a specific prayer is a risk. It suggests turning one vague prayer into the actual need, asking a Christian friend to agree with you, and then watching.
Activity
From Vague to Specific
You will need: Paper and pens
- As a group, list some common vague prayers, such as “bless everyone” or “help me with school.”
- Discuss why vague prayers feel safe and what they can never teach us.
- In pairs, rewrite each vague prayer as a specific one, without sharing anything private.
- Invite anyone who wants to pair up with a friend to agree in prayer about one specific thing this week.
Week 8 — Becoming One of Them
In China, Taylor at first kept his English clothes and was shouted at as a foreigner wherever he went. He adopted Chinese dress and hairstyle, which felt like a loss of status, and found quiet listeners and open homes, while his friend William Burns, still in English clothes, drew crowds of gawkers until he humbled himself and changed too. Taylor laid down his image so that nothing about him would get in the way of the message. The big idea: love is willing to give up status and image so others can hear about Jesus.
“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” — 1 Corinthians 9:22 (ESV)
Memory verse
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
1 Corinthians 9:22
Talk together
What happened when Taylor and William Burns preached in different clothes?
Taylor, in Chinese dress, drew quiet listeners and home invitations; Burns drew rude crowds. After some weeks Burns humbled himself and adopted Chinese dress too.
According to the chapter, what did Taylor really give up by changing his dress?
Mainly pride: the right to be recognised and respected. He decided the message mattered more than his image, while his convictions never bent.
Who are you keeping at arm’s length partly to protect your image?
The chapter’s point: loving people different from you often costs a little standing. Close the distance in a visible way, like sitting with them or being seen with them.
Activity
What Gets in the Way?
You will need: Paper and pens
- Discuss what Taylor gave up when he changed his dress, and why it was mainly pride rather than comfort.
- In small groups, list things about Christians today that might put up barriers for people before they hear a word.
- Then list ways to close distance with people who are different or left out, such as at school.
- Point out that Taylor’s convictions never changed, only his image, and discuss the difference.
- Ask each person to think privately of one person they could move toward this week.
Week 9 — The Temple Steps
On the way to Ningpo, Taylor’s hired servant disappeared with nearly everything he owned. Turned away from inns in Hai-ning, he slept on temple steps with his money under his head, and kept would-be thieves away all night by singing hymns, reciting Scripture and praying aloud. Afterwards he was ashamed that he had been more troubled about his luggage than about the people around him who did not know Christ, and he thought of Jesus, who had nowhere to lay his head. The big idea: losing things hurts, but it should help us get our priorities in proportion.
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’” — Matthew 8:20 (ESV)
Memory verse
And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Matthew 8:20
Talk together
How did Taylor end up sleeping on the temple steps, and how did he get through the night?
His servant vanished with all his belongings and no inn would keep him. He stayed awake singing hymns, reciting Scripture and praying aloud until the thieves gave up.
What did Taylor realise afterward about his own heart?
He had been frantic about losing possessions but far less troubled about people who didn’t know Christ. Thinking of Jesus, with nowhere to lay his head, he saw his proportions were off.
When you lose something, how does your panic compare to your concern for people’s souls?
The chapter isn’t asking you to stop caring about your stuff. It asks you to notice how loud the small loss is and how quiet the eternal things are, and to get the proportions right.
Activity
Getting the Proportions Right
You will need: Paper and pens
- Ask each person to write privately a list of losses that would make them panic most, such as a phone, a friendship or a plan.
- Have them rate each from 1 to 10 for how much panic it would cause.
- Then ask: how much do I feel about where people around me stand with God?
- Discuss as a group, without anyone needing to share their list, what Taylor noticed about his own heart.
Week 10 — The Man Who Robbed Him
The servant had deliberately stolen about forty pounds’ worth of goods, and Taylor could have had him punished. Instead, because he had been praying for the man and reading the Sermon on the Mount with him, he wrote him a letter pleading with him to repent and trust Christ. The book is honest that there is no record of a reply, but a friend in England, moved by the story, sent Taylor forty pounds and became a regular supporter. The big idea: when someone wrongs us, we can refuse to let their evil make us hard and answer it with good.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:21 (ESV)
Memory verse
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
Talk together
What did Taylor send the servant who robbed him?
Not a warrant but a letter, urging him to consider what he’d done, repent and trust the Lord Jesus. Taylor never records a reply.
What does the chapter mean by evil winning “twice”?
If someone’s wrong turns you bitter and vengeful, their evil has won once on you and once in you. Answering with good refuses to let it shape you.
Is there someone you’re quietly waiting to see “get what they deserve”?
The chapter doesn’t ask you to pretend the wrong didn’t happen or to feel warm. Decide who you’ll become, and do one concrete good toward them, such as praying for them by name.
Activity
Overcoming with Good
You will need: Paper and pens
- Discuss why the culture says “make them pay” and what Taylor chose instead.
- Talk about the difference between forgiving someone and pretending the wrong did not happen.
- In small groups, brainstorm concrete good things a person could do toward someone who has wronged them, such as praying for them or speaking fairly about them.
- Ask each person to think privately of one person and choose one good thing to do this week.
Week 11 — One Cash Left
In Ningpo, Taylor resigned from a society that had fallen into debt, determined to owe no one anything, while he and Mr. Jones fed many poor people each day. On 6 January 1858 they were down to a single cash, the floating bridge they needed to cross to sell their stove had been swept away, and the ferry cost two cash each. They drank cocoa, knelt to pray for daily bread, and while they were still on their knees a letter arrived with money from England. The big idea: God does not always spare us the bottom, but he is trustworthy within it.
“The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” — Psalm 34:10 (ESV)
Memory verse
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:10
Talk together
Why couldn’t Taylor and Mr. Jones sell their stove when they ran out of money?
The bridge of boats had been swept away overnight, and the ferry cost two cash each. They had only one cash, so they went home and prayed.
Why does the chapter warn against treating this as a last-second-cash promise?
Taylor admitted his faith often failed and the hunger was real. The point is that God is dependable to the last cash and often lets you get there, meeting you at the bottom.
When you hit a wall you can’t see past, what do you usually do first?
The chapter suggests naming the need plainly, like “give us this day our daily bread,” and taking it to God specifically before scrambling for your own escape or panicking.
Activity
Ebenezer and Jehovah-Jireh
You will need: Paper and pens
- Explain the two scrolls over Taylor’s mantelpiece: “Hitherto the Lord has helped us” and “The Lord will provide.”
- Ask each person to write privately one time God has helped them so far.
- Then have them write one present need they are bringing to God.
- Discuss the chapter’s caution: why should we not turn this story into a promise of last-minute cash?
Week 12 — Written in the Margin
Failing health sent Taylor back to England, where a map of China showed him eleven inland provinces with no missionary. He was sure God would supply workers but refused for a long time to ask, afraid of being blamed if young workers suffered, until on 25 June 1865 he walked out of a church in Brighton onto the beach and handed all the responsibility to God. He asked for twenty-four workers and wrote the request in the margin of his Bible, and that prayer became the China Inland Mission, with a party sailing on the Lammermuir in May 1866. The big idea: our part is to obey; the results belong to God.
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” — Matthew 9:37–38 (ESV)
Memory verse
Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’
Matthew 9:37–38
Talk together
What did Taylor ask God for on Brighton beach, and what did it lead to?
Twenty-four workers, two for each of the eleven unreached inland provinces and two for Mongolia, written in his Bible’s margin. It became the China Inland Mission.
According to the chapter, what really held Taylor back, and what freed him?
Not weak faith but fear of being blamed if workers broke down. He was freed by handing the responsibility to God: his job was to obey; God’s was to lead, provide and protect.
What step are you avoiding because you fear how failure would reflect on you?
The chapter’s point: the results were never yours to carry. Write the specific step down with a date, and tell God, “the obeying is mine, the results are yours.”
Activity
Written in the Margin
You will need: Paper and pens
- Discuss what actually held Taylor back: fear of being blamed, not doubt that God could act.
- Ask each person to think of a step they have been avoiding because of how it might reflect on them.
- Have them write it down privately as a specific request or plan, with a date.
- Underneath, have them write: “The obeying is mine, the results are yours.”
- Look back over the whole book together and name the lesson about trust that stood out most.