Hungry for Souls - Two Years in the Life of Edward Studd

Ministers of the Gospel Series - Part 1

The Story of Mr. Studd

 Known as "the father of international missions", C.T. Studd gave up a life of wealth and fame to spend himself in the work of the gospel. He served as a missionary in England, China, India, and Africa. His story, or at least his name, is likely familiar to you. But have you ever heard the story of his father, a man who was actively engaged in soul winning before Charles even became a Christian?

Edward Studd had earned his fortune in India and he returned home to England ready to spend it. He built a beautiful house on a large estate and would have been quite content to spend the rest of his days on sport and pleasure, if the Lord hadn't a different plan...

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, yet at the conclusion of that meeting he declared that he would go to hear the evangelist again. And he did. He went again and again and again 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!"' - Norman Grubb, C.T. Studd Cricketer and Pioneer

One evening, Edward Studd and some of his family were on going to attend one of Moody's meetings. When they were already well on their way, he suddenly realised that he had forgotten to invite one of his grooms, whom he had meant to bring along with them. He ordered for the carriage to be stopped and jumped out. He insisted that the rest of the party drive on while he went back to get the young man. Fearing that they should be too late to get a seat, he ran the entire distance back to his home. In this run, he broke a blood vessel in his leg and from this he did not recover.

So it was that Edward Studd lived a mere two years after he came to know the Lord. Yet not a moment of those two years were wasted. He spent them fully in the pursuit of souls. 


The Passion that Trumped All Others

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 was nevertheless true. It is true. 

Every now and then, when an opportunity arises, we share our faith but do we ever actively seek out opportunities? Do we pursue the souls around us with the persistence of Mr. Studd? 

Few of us would jump out of a carriage and run to spread this message.

 That lack of action reveals that we lack passion.

Without passion, sharing the gospel becomes no more than an obligation. Speaking of the cross is difficult, costly, and takes us away from the things we would rather be doing. We may never vocalise it, but we feel that we have to speak of the cross because we are Christians. We do not enjoy doing it, but it is our duty. 

Oh Christians, may we not remain in such a state! 

Sharing the gospel shouldn't take us away from what we want to be doing, it should be what we want to be doing! 

Moody did not tell Mr. Studd that he must deny all his other passions and only preach the gospel. He simply explained that he needed a greater passion - one that would trump the feelings he had for the others. Mr. Moody said, 'as sure as ever you have won a soul you won't care about any of the other things.' He meant that the joy of sharing the gospel would trump the other pleasures and he would be enraptured by it. 

Edward Studd gained a care for the eternity of souls, and that care that caused the pleasures he had lived for previously to become unimportant. We also need a change of affection. 

It is possible.

 Edward Studd was a man just like us, with passions like ours. It was God who replaced those passions with a greater one and He can do the same in you and I.


The Value of a Soul

"Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke xv. 10)

Have you ever stopped to ponder the fact that the heavenly realms are not only aware of each time a person is saved but that they actually pause to celebrate it. The angels of God, while enjoying the pleasure of being in the presence of God, stop to take note of such an event! Why?

Because they understand that there could be no greater cause for rejoicing - because of the great love and mercy of God, the eternal fate of a man or woman has been changed from one of abject misery and suffering to one of perfect peace in the presence of his or her Savior.  

When we taste of this joy, sharing the gospel will become a blessing to us as well as to those we are given the opportunity to witness to. 

After talking to the Samaritan woman about salvation, Jesus spoke of this work as 'food' which sustained Him. He said,

“I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, 

“Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, 

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours.” (John iv. 32 -35)

In Conclusion

Our lack of passion in delivering the gospel is something that we must ask God to change. We need to see what He meant witnessing to be. We need to taste the joy of seeing a soul won for His kingdom. We need the delight that Mr. Studd found in having people hear this message. 

All this we can ask Him to impart to us so that we can go into the harvest and reap. Not out of compulsion - because it is our duty  as Christians to do so - but eagerly with joy and enthusiasm!

"I’ve always said, I don’t respect people who don’t proselytise (share their faith). I don’t respect that at all. If you believe there is a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward. How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytise (share your faith)? How much do you have to hate someone to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? If I believed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe it, that that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point that I'd tackle you, and this is more important than that." - Penn Jillette, Atheist

The words we speak when sharing the gospel are not our only witness. Our desire to do so, or lack thereof, also comes into account. To do this well we must want to do it!

In Christ 

quiana