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C.T. Studd
C.T. Studd (December 2, 1860 – July 16, 1931) was an English preacher, missionary, and evangelist whose radical devotion to Christ transformed missionary work in China, India, and Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Charles Thomas Studd in Spratton, Northamptonshire, England, to Edward Studd, a wealthy indigo planter, and Dora Thomas, he was the third of four sons in a privileged family. Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A., 1883), he excelled as a cricketer, captaining Cambridge and playing for England in the 1882 Ashes series. Converted at age 18 in 1878 during a revival meeting led by D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey, he initially resisted a preaching call, focusing on sports until his brother George’s near-death experience in 1883 prompted a full surrender to missionary service. Studd’s preaching career began when he joined the "Cambridge Seven" in 1885, sailing to China with the China Inland Mission (CIM) under Hudson Taylor, where he preached the gospel in rural villages for a decade, often adopting Chinese dress and customs. Returning to England in 1894 due to health issues, he preached revival across Britain and America before serving in India (1900–1906) with the Salvation Army, focusing on the untouchables. In 1910, inspired by a tract titled "The Chocolate Soldier," he founded the Heart of Africa Mission (later Worldwide Evangelization Crusade) and moved to the Belgian Congo in 1913, preaching amidst disease and isolation until his death. Married to Priscilla Livingstone Stewart in 1888, with whom he had four daughters, he gave away his inherited fortune (£29,000) to ministries like CIM and Moody Bible Institute, dying at age 70 in Ibambi, Congo, leaving a legacy of sacrificial evangelism and the motto, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
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Sermon Summary
C.T. Studd passionately expresses his desire to emulate Jesus, who sacrificed His glory to save sinners, emphasizing the call to live a life of dedication and battle for Christ. He rejects complacency and the comforts of a quiet life, urging believers to actively proclaim salvation and engage in spiritual warfare. Studd highlights the importance of genuine action over mere words, encouraging Christians to follow Jesus' example of courage and commitment in the face of adversity. He draws inspiration from biblical figures like Epaphroditus, who risked everything for the sake of the Gospel, and challenges his audience to stake their all for Christ.
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Chutney
I want to be like Jesus, Who left His throne on high For hell-deserving sinners To live, and work, and die. Forsaking all His glory, His power He laid aside, His entrée—lo! a manger! His exit—crucified! We human fools rejected, And left to stand alone, The only real Victor This world has ever known. By men despised, rejected; By devils deified; By friends denied, forsaken; By angels glorified. I'll live and die for Jesus, Battling for the right, Proclaiming Christ's salvation To sinners left and right. I will not be a mannikin! To live in ease at home, I'll be a Christian warrior! Who loves with Christ to roam. I will not be a skulker! Those words ring in my ear, "Shall your brethren go to war? And ye? shall ye sit here?" I'd sooner be a sceptic, Who'd ne'er confessed Christ's Name, Than make a great confession, But fear to play the game. If I to others preached and taught That consecration's right, I wouldn't stop in Britain, To merely talk and write. I wouldn't say to others "Go, "The wolf needs your attentions; Myself I'll tickle the pretty lambs Who frequent our Conventions." I wouldn't like to criticise The fighters in the ring, Unless I had the pluck to cut Dame Europe's apron string. I wouldn't be a talker, With his pretty nouns and verbs, His nicely polished phrases, And alliterated words. Such things may please old women, And the maids of either sex; They nauseate a soldier, They irritate and vex. For the soldier's heart is simple, And true, and brave, and strong; Not quite the man to tickle With a sentimental song. The offerings of a soldier Are wrought of golden deeds, He cultivates no flowers, He reckons words as weeds. His words are few and simple, And giv'n with such a snap As makes you think of lightning, And its after thunder-clap. For his commands are rugged, And terse, and loud, and hoarse, But they set the men in motion, Artillery, foot and horse. For his men are dead sure certain That when they're sent to the front Their Chief won't stay in Britain, Shunning the battle's brunt. For their Captain's "Go" means "Come," And he fights at the head of his men, And not all the pleasures or wealth of the world, Could tempt him to leave them then. Thus Jesus leads the way, As well as brings up the rear, And He's always there in the thick of the fight, To save, and help, and cheer. I'm going to stake my all for Christ Like brave Epaphroditus, Who gambled with his life for Paul, The prince of Christian fighters. For how can man live better Than gambling for the Christ, Who lived and died for sinners, And heaven sacrificed? So I'll live and die for Jesus, Battling for the right; Proclaiming Christ's salvation To sinners day and night.
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C.T. Studd (December 2, 1860 – July 16, 1931) was an English preacher, missionary, and evangelist whose radical devotion to Christ transformed missionary work in China, India, and Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Charles Thomas Studd in Spratton, Northamptonshire, England, to Edward Studd, a wealthy indigo planter, and Dora Thomas, he was the third of four sons in a privileged family. Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A., 1883), he excelled as a cricketer, captaining Cambridge and playing for England in the 1882 Ashes series. Converted at age 18 in 1878 during a revival meeting led by D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey, he initially resisted a preaching call, focusing on sports until his brother George’s near-death experience in 1883 prompted a full surrender to missionary service. Studd’s preaching career began when he joined the "Cambridge Seven" in 1885, sailing to China with the China Inland Mission (CIM) under Hudson Taylor, where he preached the gospel in rural villages for a decade, often adopting Chinese dress and customs. Returning to England in 1894 due to health issues, he preached revival across Britain and America before serving in India (1900–1906) with the Salvation Army, focusing on the untouchables. In 1910, inspired by a tract titled "The Chocolate Soldier," he founded the Heart of Africa Mission (later Worldwide Evangelization Crusade) and moved to the Belgian Congo in 1913, preaching amidst disease and isolation until his death. Married to Priscilla Livingstone Stewart in 1888, with whom he had four daughters, he gave away his inherited fortune (£29,000) to ministries like CIM and Moody Bible Institute, dying at age 70 in Ibambi, Congo, leaving a legacy of sacrificial evangelism and the motto, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."