Converted
by his foreign student, Guo left his responsibilities as Principal at his
church’s college, became a street preacher and found churches and Adventist
schools in China.
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| Guo Ziying (1865–1927) |
This is the story of a Chinese national who, more or less like a missionary,
established missions like William Harrison did in Africa or Georgia Burrus in India
or L. R. Conradi did in Russia.
According to the Encyclopedia of the Seventh-day Adventists (ESDA), Guo Ziying was
born on 28th September 1865 in China’s Fujian Province to a non-Adventist but
Christian family.
After college, Guo become the principal of the Presbyterian Theological
Seminary in his home area Xiamen, a school that admitted non-nationals
including Timothy Tay who was from Singapore.
It is this young man Timothy in his twenties who unexpectedly preached
to his Principal Guo in just a few minutes in 1904 and left him to the work of
the Holy Spirit which converted him to the Adventist faith.
One day on Sunday, the day of worship for his Principal and the whole college, Timothy
went to buy fruits and vegetables as liked by most Adventists which was a day
of worship.
It compelled Principal Guo to summon Timothy to his office where he
asked for explanations why the young man had to go to the market on a Sunday
when he was supposed to go to church.
Timothy, who had gone to study Chinese in China, told Guo that
Sunday was not the Sabbath but rather the first day of the week, sharing with
the Principal several Bible verses about Saturday Sabbath and Sunday the first
day of the week.
“It was then that Guo had his first Bible study on the Sabbath doctrine.
Though Guo could hardly believe what he found in the Bible, he finally became
convinced that Saturday was the true Sabbath” says the ESDA.
Born again, a new creature
The Sabbath rays, like to most people who realise it after a long time in
waywardness, shone in Guo and convicted him of a need to start a new life including
work and company.
The immediate challenge was his family that persuaded him not to become
an Adventist, asking him not to leave the job at the Presbyterian-related
school.
“Guo decided to resign his principal position. His friends and
colleagues tried to persuade him not to. His wife and daughter pleaded with him
in tears as they thought that it would bring shame to the family. But Guo's
mind was made up”.
The former college Principal, a new convert into the SDA Faith who knew
not more than a few verses in the Bible to support the Sabbath doctrine, bought
a small church nearby and shared his newfound faith with his community.
The lone Sabbath observer in Xiamen, Guo, went to Guangzhou, got
baptised and requested for a missionary to be sent in his area who arrived in mid1905.
Guo became a multipurpose believer in China through 1906 when he was ordained
minister, becoming the first indigenous Chinese minister.
He preached the Three Angels especially at seaports including Shantou
which he made another home for SDA Faith in China.
He wrote books, pamphlets and expositions on biblical prophecies in
Chinese, while still devoting himself to preaching among his own people,
according to ESDA.
The ESDA records that “in 1907 Guo went to Chaozhou and found a group of
25 people who, based on their own study of the Bible, had decided to observe
the seventh-day Sabbath, abstained from tobacco and alcohol”
In 1913 Guo returned to education, becoming the first Principal of the school
he established in Fuzhou until 1920 when he was relieved of the work in Fuzhou
because of his deteriorating health.
He returned to the South Fukien Mission where illness weakened him
for two years and passed away in 1927, crowning his life like Job who lost everything in the beginning and gained more in the end.
“His eldest son, Joseph Keh, immigrated to San Francisco and was among
the founders of the Chinese Seventh-day Adventist Church in that city,” ESDA
says
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