In the fall of 1905, missionary T. N. Thompson, having recently arrived in Tsingtau from the interior of China, noticed the “spiritual fervor” of the people in four counties. This revival among the Christians was affecting 40 or more villages.
► The manifest presence of the Spirit of God was sensed in the church meetings.
► One new church was started per month, for a period of three months, with one of them starting with 200 members.
► Added to the one church were 54 new members.
Presbyterian Missionary Map from 1906
In February 1906 Thompson and another Chinese minister held 7 revival and conference meetings in the Tsingtau countryside, and again, like what was witnessed in the fall of 1905, the manifest presence of God in each of the services was remarkable.
Thompson mentions that at a village named Tahsint’an, there was divisiveness among the believers, and even open quarreling, but as the Spirit of God came among them, they fell to the floor and cried out to God for mercy and forgiveness of their sins.
Many of the services Thompson conducted continued till nearly midnight. The congregational members were so moved upon by the Holy Spirit that they collected enough money among themselves to call for a fulltime Chinese pastor to live among and minister to them. They also collected funds to begin work among the poor.
Chinese pastor and his family
Revival Meetings in Liujiaqao
In another village called Liujiaqao, there were four days of special meetings held in a large tent that had seating for 600 people.
► The tent was full almost every service.
► The sunrise prayer meetings often lasted for three or more hours (6:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.).
► One of these morning prayer meetings lasted till 1 p.m., because nobody wanted to close the meeting.
These meetings were accompanied by such a powerful presence of God, convicting them of sin, that people would often cry out for mercy:
in a bid to gain relief from their internal anguish.
The meetings during those four days were filled with
► Confession of personal sin.
► Prayer for forgiveness.
► Intercessory prayer for friends.
Taoist priest before and after his conversion to Christ
The Revival Continues
Three months after the above account, missionary T. N. Thompson indicated that the “spirit of revival” had only increased in the rural areas, but the port cities along the coast, being frequented and inhabited by many “vicious foreigners,” kept vices alive and the Gospel at a standstill.
To counteract this stronghold at the port city of Tsingtau, Thompson and several Chinese pastors held special evangelistic services for three days. The result was not as hoped for, and it was concluded that it was due to a lack of preparatory prayer.
Extraordinary Prayer
To prepare the ground for the next attempt in Tsingtau, there was a series of prayer meetings scheduled, several times per week, lasting for seven weeks. At the start the prayer group was very small, but over time the building began to fill with more and more intercessors.
The all-day prayer meetings at Tsingtau were always opened with prayer at sunrise and they didn’t pause for a break till 10 a.m.
This groundwork of prayer proved effective, as on the first night of the next round of evangelistic services, there were people ready to confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Other positive results were:
► Deliverance from opium addictions.
► Backsliders returned to the Lord.
Carts used by missionaries during their travels
Intense Conviction of Sin
At times the presence of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit was so intense that the preaching of the Word of God was impossible. On one occasion, as a pastor was about to begin his sermon, an elderly woman was impressed upon by the Holy Spirit to publicly confess her sins.
The intensity of the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin was so heavy that person after person stood in the meetings to publicly confess sin, and there was no way to stop them from doing so, as it was the only way to rid themselves of their inner torment.
Terraced rice field
Generosity in Giving
As the people were renewed in their relationships with God, many women, with the realization that they could be taught to read and learn about Christianity (which they formerly were discouraged from attempting), began to bring their objects of value and give them to their pastor so schools in the country could be opened to teach women. Some of the objects given as offerings were:
► Rings
► Bracelets
► Large hairpins
► Earnings
► Other ornaments of value
Following the giving of these gifts, schools began to be opened in rural areas, not only to teach children, but women also.
Class of women (1903)
Sources
► Spiritual Awakening in China by Dr. A. D. Pheill (The Chinese Recorder)
► The Chinese Recorder: A Revival Still Continued by Rev. T. N. Thompson
► The Chinese Recorder: Shantung by Rev. T. N. Thompson
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