Appendix A: Lessons from the Life of C. T. Studd

“Remember them that had the rule over you, men that spake unto you the word of God; and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith.”

— Hebrews 13:7, ASV

The lessons below gather the themes of this book so that readers can return to them. C. T. Studd would not have wanted his life to be a pattern; he would have wanted it to point to Christ. Each lesson therefore rests on Scripture, not on his example alone. The letter to the Hebrews tells us to consider how those who went before us lived and died, and to imitate their faith, not every detail of their lives. In Studd’s case, some of the lessons are warnings.

1. Conversion Must Become Consecration

Studd was converted at eighteen and then, by his own account, lived for six years as if it made little difference. A faith that costs nothing is in danger of becoming nothing. “I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works” (Revelation 2:4-5, ASV).

2. God Uses Crises to Wake Us

His brother’s illness showed him what his fame was worth. Hard providences are often God’s mercy in disguise. “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God” (John 11:4, ASV).

3. Gifts Are for Giving

He loved cricket and played it superbly, and he did not despise it when he gave it up. Every gift is from God and may be offered back to him. “Every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25, ASV).

4. Obedience May Grieve Those We Love

His family opposed his going to China, and later his wife opposed his going to Africa. Following Christ can divide even loving homes, but it must never be an excuse for unkindness. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37, ASV).

5. The Messenger Must Become a Learner

In China he put on Chinese clothes and sat down to learn a hard language. The gospel crosses cultures through servants, not masters. “For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more” (1 Corinthians 9:19, ASV).

6. Treasure Is Found With Joy

He gave away a fortune and never regretted it. Generosity is not loss when the treasure is Christ. “In his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matthew 13:44, ASV).

7. Remember Where Wealth Comes From

His family’s money came from indigo grown by Indian labour, and much of it went back to India and to the poor. Christians who have inherited advantage should ask what they owe. “Charge them that are rich in this present world, that they be not highminded … that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute” (1 Timothy 6:17-18, ASV).

8. Marriage Is a Partnership in the Work

Priscilla was a missionary in her own right, and without her there would have been no Heart of Africa Mission. Honour the partners whose work is done out of sight. “Salute Prisca and Aquila my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus” (Romans 16:3, ASV).

9. Small Graves Are Part of the Story

The Studds buried two infant sons, and their grandson lies at Nala. Missionary heroism has always had a hidden price, paid by families. “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21, ASV).

10. The Church Belongs to the People of the Land

In Shanxi and in the Congo, the church was built above all by Chinese and Congolese believers. Missionaries plant; local Christians carry the word. “From you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord … in every place” (1 Thessalonians 1:8, ASV).

11. Go Where Christ Is Not Named

He spent his last years among peoples who had very little Christian witness. That priority still matters. “Making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named” (Romans 15:20, ASV).

12. Age and Weakness Are Not Final

He went to Africa at fifty-two, with asthma and broken health, and served for eighteen years. God is not limited by our limits. “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ASV).

13. Courage Without Love Profits Nothing

Studd gave his goods and his body, but some who worked with him did not feel loved. Sacrifice is not the same as love. “If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3, ASV).

14. Speak the Truth, but Season It

His tracts woke many and wounded many. Strong words have their place, but grace must govern them. “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6, ASV).

15. Do Not Recruit by Shame

The language of the recruiting sergeant can bring people to the field and break them there. Christ calls disciples by love, not by contempt. “Not of constraint, but willingly … neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3, ASV).

16. Disagreement Is Not Disloyalty

He dismissed Alfred Buxton for trying to make peace. Leaders must learn to hear those who differ from them. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6, ASV).

17. Every Leader Needs Counsel

He found it very hard to work inside any structure he did not control, and his mission nearly broke apart. Vision needs accountability. “Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14, ASV).

18. Rest Is Also a Gift

He rose early and worked late for years, and expected others to do the same. God does not need our exhaustion. “It is vain for you to rise up early, To take rest late, To eat the bread of toil; For so he giveth unto his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2, ASV).

19. Judge the Suffering Gently

His use of morphine in his last years was criticised harshly. Christians should neither excuse wrongdoing nor condemn the sick without mercy. “Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1, ASV).

20. God Works Through Quarrels

The split of 1931 left two missions where there had been one, and both went on preaching Christ. God is not defeated by the failures of his servants. “Whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice” (Philippians 1:18, ASV).

21. Finish the Course

For all his faults, he did not turn back. Faithfulness to the end is itself a gift of grace. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7, ASV).

22. Only One Life

He loved the couplet he is recorded as sending to his grandchildren, lines not of his own making: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” The question it asks belongs to every reader. “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17, ASV).