“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  Matthew 28:19

Last Sunday in church, the preacher spoke of a man named D. E. Hoste, and the influence he had on generations of missionaries and  Christian leaders.  I had heard of him, but my interest was piqued and I desired to find out more about this man and his life and work.

Dixon Edward Hoste was born in Brighton, England in 1861, the son of a Major-General in the Royal Artillery.  His parents were God-fearing Christians who brought him up in the “training and instruction of the Lord.”  His mother had a gift for teaching the scriptures, the need for repentance and faith, a commitment to God’s call on their life and love for foreign missions.  As a child, Hoste was lonely and reserved, had no close friends and didn’t fit into the life of his school friends.  He was commissioned at 18 as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, but lived an irreligious life and didn’t heed his mother’s teaching.

All that changed when his brother invited Hoste to attend evangelistic meetings held by the American, D.L. Moody.  Moody’s preaching convicted him of sin, but he did not commit his life to Christ until the last day of the crusade.  When he finally knelt in trusting faith to Jesus Christ, a powerful sense of God’s forgiveness and love overwhelmed him and he was filled with joy!

There was an immediate change!  He began to read the Bible voraciously with the conviction to share the Good News of salvation with others.  He wrote, “If this Gospel is true, it has changed my life.  I want to make it known where Christ is not known.  There are many people in other lands who have never heard it and the Lord wants them to hear.   I want to give my life to this.”

 Through a Christian friend at Cambridge University, he was introduced to the work of the China Inland Mission.  He was struck by their faith in God to supply all their needs, their identity with the Chinese people and their dedication to bring the Good News of the gospel to China.  Even though he didn’t attend Cambridge, he was one of the “Cambridge Seven” who sailed to China in 1885.  Upon arrival, he worked with a native pastor who had opened an opium refuge.  Hoste wore Chinese clothes, ate Chinese food and tried to understand the Chinese mind.

When Hudson Taylor retired from the CIM, Hoste was Taylor’s choice to assume leadership.  For the next thirty-five years, he led the organization through many changes providing steady, prayerful and inspiring leadership.  A close friend said of him, “He made a great impression on all the missionaries by his prayer-life and wise counsel.  He practiced simplicity of life, enduring hardships, and honoring the Chinese people.  He always carried a burden for souls, evangelism was everything.” 

 In spite of ill health most of their lifetime, Hoste and his wife, Gertie still served the Lord in a mighty way!  Oh that we would all be the hands and feet of Jesus to a lost world!

Your friend, Jean