Heroes of the Faith: Daniel Smith

Every day is a holy day, or it’s nothing at all. That’s where we start, and it’s where Daniel Smith’s life keeps taking us back again and again. He isn’t presented as a super-saint with rare gifts, but as a man who simply belongs to Jesus Christ, and proves what God can do with a believer who stops holding back.

We walk through Smith’s journey from a shy boy under strong preaching and missionary stories to a moment of real conversion, when he finally knows Christ as the Lamb of God who purchased his redemption. Then the road opens to Christian missions with the China Inland Mission, right into the dangers of a changing China. Along the way we share one of the most searching scenes you’ll hear about prayer: D. E. Host inviting a young missionary to pray, then praying for hours with a weight and intimacy that leaves you asking, “Have you prayed today?”

From there we follow Smith into hard places and unlikely people, including the Nosu, where he goes despite warnings that they are “not worth it,” and witnesses repentance and gospel response that only God can produce. War, communism, escape, loss, and separation do not end the calling, and the later years show a steady rhythm of Bible reading, disciplined prayer, and itinerant Bible teaching that keeps bearing fruit.

If you care about revival, evangelism, consecration, prayer, and what a faithful missionary life looks like in the real world, this one will press on your heart in the best way. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review letting us know: where do you need to stop hesitating and simply say, “I’ll go”?

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome to the Preaching the Cross Radio Podcast, featuring the radio ministry of Pastor James W. Knox of the Bible Baptist Church of Delant, Florida. Our prayer is that these half-hour Bible study programs will bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and enable the saved to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Savior. Now here's your host, Pastor James W. Knox.

Every Day As A Holy Day

Daniel Smith The Uncommon Life

Gospel Roots And New Birth

Dedication And A Call To China

A Prayer Life That Shakes You

The Nosu Break And Repent

Escape From Communism And New Fields

Itinerant Teaching And Daily Discipline

The Challenge To Consecrate Your Life

SPEAKER_01 0:58

I'm Brother James, and I greet you as I always do in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast. We're glad and happy that you've tuned into the program today. And I want to start by wishing you a happy holiday. Happy holiday. You said a brother James, uh, you you're slipping a little bit. This is not a holiday. I've checked my calendar. It's no holiday. I've I I'm at work today. If this was a holiday, I'd be off from work. No, no, no. This is the day that the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Holy H O L I H O L Y Holy Day. Every day is a holy day. Every day is a day to be holy as God is holy. Every day is a day to be controlled by God's Holy Spirit. Every day is a day to be guided and directed by the teachings and the precepts of the Holy Bible. If you're saved and born again, if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, every day of your life, every day of my life ought to be a holy day. So I'll say it again. I hope you have a happy holiday, happy holy day today. Well, during the next half an hour, the next thirty minutes on the program today, we are going to learn about a man by the name of Daniel Smith. Pretty common name, but not at all a common life. Daniel Smith lived in the century just concluded. I was talking yesterday afternoon, a man came in as I had just finished preparing the last radio broadcast, and he asked what I was recording, I told him I'm working on some of the heroes of the faith programs, and he said, uh, you know, there aren't people like that anymore, not too many of them. And the truth of the matter is there never have been too many of them, that's why they stand out. There never have been a great number of people who've just sold out and lived all for all for Jesus. But uh it seems very, very few in the century just past, but Dan Smith lived from nineteen oh seven to nineteen eighty eight, and he lived a life remarkable for its variety. He was born in England of Scottish stock. He carried the gospel to remote mountains in China, India, and Sri Lanka. He preached extensively in England, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. His acquaintances and co-workers had their own notoriety. A veritable who's who of the uh of the church. He he preached with Gypsy Smith, Samuel Chadwick, Leonard Ravenhill, GC Willis, J. O. Frazier, Watchman Nee, DO Host, uh Bakht Singh, to name a few. Smith lived boldly, and he presented the Word of God the same way he lived, boldly. He was an outstanding Christian man. As a child, Shy Daniel was told that the name of Smith was Gao G O W in Gaelic, and that his clan of Smiths descended from the infamous Scottish pirate John Gao, who commanded a boat called the Revenge. This pirate had been hanged in London in seventeen twenty five. Daniel's grandfather was also a sea going man and boasted of his own foreign adventures. And when I say adventures, let me just say that that means he kept piracy alive among the Smiths. Dan's mother, however, came from godly Scottish covenanter stock, which eschewed all swashbuckling, all crime on the high seas or on the land, God fearing decent people. Deep impressions were formed by the Presbyterian ministers which made Dan look seriously at heart issues. Their local preachers were scholarly, but they were also evangelical. They believed that a man must be born again. They may have had Calvinist tendencies in their book learning, but thank the Lord they had no such tendencies in their preaching, in their practice, in their living, and they impressed upon young Daniel Smith the need to be born again. Also speaking loudly to him in the days of his youth were the missionary stories. These used to play a far more prominent part in the in the church life than they do now. And Daniel Smith said, and I quote, It seems so wonderful that the Lord had chosen such people, led them to the right countries, endowed them with gifts and courage, and that they accomplished so much good I marveled that their sympathies could reach out so far, and that love could so motivate them to spend their lives teaching ignorant savages and oftentimes to lay down their lives. His favorites John Peyton of the New Hebrides Islands, Mary Slesser of Calabar, William Carey of India, and he loved to hear the stories, loved to hear the tales of the lives that these people lived. One Sunday a preacher by the name of Elmsley spoke from Revelation 320. Midway in his message he broke forth into singing, Behold me standing at the door, and hear me pleading evermore. Say weary heart oppressed with sin, may I come in? May I come in? Daniel Smith was overwhelmed. He was melted, but how to open his heart's door he did not know. It seemed stuck was his testimony years later. Thankfully, John Smith's godly apprentice, Joe Wilkin, invited Dan to a Methodist class meeting. The leader examined each class member in interview fashion before the class began. Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior? How do you know him? If you don't know him, why do you not know him? If you do know him, how can you be sure that you're born again? That sort of questioning, he pinned them down each and every one. No shallow profession acceptable. No flippant response without substantial understanding, no, he wanted to know, and he pinned them down. Why as Daniel Smith sat and listened to the replies, he had never heard such testimonies. These all knew the Lord. I spelt like I felt like a speckled bird among them. But Wilfrid made God's way very clear as we knelt in prayer without being asked for any decision. There was a revelation of the Lord Jesus in me. I suddenly knew him to be the Lamb of God who had purchased my redemption. And I was heartily willing at that moment to be his. And then listen, Daniel Smith was saved. Oh yes, as a result of a godly grandmother and her influence. Oh yes, as a result of great evangelical preaching that he heard as a boy. Oh yes, through that striking message of Dr. Elmsey as he preached the gospel. Oh yes, through through Joe Wilkin, the class leader who pressed men for their testimonies, but also, listen, listen, my church member friend, but also as those who were saved gave their testimonies, Daniel Smith was brought to realize he had no such testimony, and God used that to break his heart and bring him to Jesus Christ. Later that year, Dan had an experience of dedication. Not with an audible voice, but clearly he heard God speaking to his heart from Psalm chapter two, verse eight, ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. And with that the timid boy was soon preaching wherever opportunity came. It was as a student at Cliff College that Miss Mildred Cable, author of Ambassadors for Christ, came to relate her exploits pioneering in the Gobi Desert. Dan was spellbound at the daring of this brave woman of God. I asked a question from the floor, and after the meeting closed, Mildred Cable came down the aisle, stood, and looked me in the eye and said, Young man, I believe the Lord would have you consider China. Reading Marshall Brumhall's biography of Hudson Taylor, the man who believed God, and you should read that book. Great book. The principles and practices of the China Inland mission appealed to Dan, and he applied. In the eventful year of nineteen thirty four, Dan arrived in China. Mao Zedong and his Communist Party had arisen to oppose the Nationalist Party. That year he began the long march, capturing three China Inland missionaries on the way. The last one was released outside Kunming in Yunnan Province. This man was Mr Boshart B O S H A R D T. He was half dead when missionaries found him. His book The Restraining Hand and I've got that book, you need to read that book. It's a great book. His book The Restraining Hand tells his harrowing tale. Also in December, John and Betty Stam were beheaded by communists in the eastern city of Mao Shio. The general director of the mission was Dixon Edward Host of the legendary Cambridge Seven, university graduates who startled much of Britain when they went as missionaries to China in 1885. Host was a solitary, dignified man. He followed Hudson Taylor in 1900 as general director, and held the position with the China Inland Mission for thirty-five years. Daniel Smith said my first contact with Mr. Host brought blushes to my face. Racing upstairs in the Shanghai headquarters, I had charged into him. He smiled as though nothing had happened and asked my name. Smith, sir, Daniel Smith, sir. Praise the Lord, said he. It was a bad day for Israel when there were no Smiths in it. A reference to 1 Samuel thirteen, verse 19. There was no Smith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said lest the Hebrews make them swords and spears. That was that was Daniel's first meeting with the director of the mission. Another day, Smith said, he invited me to pray with him. Naturally enough, I thought we would pray in turn, so I went with a storehouse of matters. One of the first things which affected me was the atmosphere of his presence. I understood what the book of James meant when it spoke of the prayers of a righteous man availing much. Mr Host prayed and prayed for four and a half hours. Remember, these were his private prayers, and I was being allowed into his closet. Sometimes he would kneel, then stand, then walk while he prayed. There were eight hundred missionaries in the mission. He knew them all by name, without looking at a book, and all their needs and their three hundred children. As for me, my knees were riveted to the floor, I couldn't move. I was filled with awe and reverential fear. In this secret place of prayer, Mr. Host was at home with God. It was his chief pleasure. I had never heard anything like it. Finally, he touched me on the shoulder. Dear brother, he said as I rose, I thought you might be hungry. Then rather wistfully he said, You know, we we've only prayed for China so far. Have you prayed today? I've said a couple. Does that speak to your heart? That speaks to my heart. A verse that Dan Smith used in guidance for life partner was prepare thy work without, make it fit for thyself in the field, and afterward build thine house, Proverbs twenty four twenty seven. His application of that verse was to first concentrate on his vocation as a worker in God's field, and once established, then to look into his domestic future. There in the remoteness of southern China the challenges made married life problematic. The cultural adjustments, the language problems, absence of medical help. Dan once underwent an operation without anesthesia of any kind. All this added to the personal dangers. Two years before Dan met Catherine McGlashan, he had an inner registration from the Spirit of God that the Canadian missionary in distant West Yunnan was to be his wife. He only knew her name, never met her, never seen her, knew nothing about her, but God spoke to his heart about this particular girl. Well, Catherine had been born just inside North Dakota on the Canadian border. As a young Christian, she and another sister covenanted to spend protracted periods in prayer. In these joint intercessory sessions, she received her burden for China. Among the Lisu tribal people, we've told you something about them in relating the tales of the life of John and Isabel Kuhn. But among the Lisu tribal people in the Solowin Valley, she labored with John and Isabel Kuhn and Joe Frasier. It was Frasier who said, There is only one man in the province for you, Kathy, but he's in the east of the province. We shall have to pray him out west. Frasier was devoted to God, praying, preaching, and translating scripture. And in nineteen sixteen a flood tide of blessing broke through. In a two year period, some sixty thousand Lisu turned from animism and believed the gospel. Sixty thousand tribal people worshiping dead ancestors turned to the living God, the Lord Jesus Christ, in a two year period of time. In nineteen thirty seven, Dan received six messengers from the Nosu tribe, inviting him up into their mountain communities to speak. The sturdy Nosu were reputed as an arrogant folk. There had been blessing twice among the Lisu, and other tribes were eager for the word, but the Nosu had always been resistant. A missionary friend said, Don't go, Dan. The Nosu are not worth it. Strange words to come from a missionary. I'm sure his heart was right. I'm sure he meant they wouldn't respond, or the labor would be in vain, but nevertheless, Daniel Smith went. In fact, within hours, he had packed and was en route. There were about two hundred present at the first meeting. Dan did not know the Nosu dialect, and the people knew only a little Chinese. He said, My message was plain, a plain, clear call to salvation through faith in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. After explaining all he could, Dan gave an appeal, asked them to surrender themselves to Jesus Christ. Now listen to these words. Daniel Smith said, quote, then there was a scene I shall never forget. The people were melted down at the preaching of the word. It was a real visitation of God with life transforming import. And that was only the beginning. The grip of God took hold of the whole tribe. Proud hearts were broken. Some fell by the roadside on the way to meetings, crying for mercy. I've seen a glimpse of that. Praise God's holy name. It's an awesome sight. You'll never forget real repentance if you ever see it. Real moving of God due to exhaustion. Dan was ordered to take a rest by the general director. En route for the retreat he was way laid at Kunming. There a telegram arrived suggesting he go to Tali. Daniel says, quote, I went, and in going greatly suspected the gentle hand of the Lord leading me to Cathy. It so happened in the Lord's providential arrangements that Mr J. O. Frazier, the superintendent of West Yunnan, had scheduled a workers' conference in Tali the very day I was to arrive. Had it been at any other time, or had there been no conference at all, I would not have met my Catherine. But the Lord's ways are perfect. On the third day she was walking alone in the garden, I joined her, told her all the story of the two years of inward conviction. I had her attention. They were engaged three days after the meeting, married october fifteenth, nineteen thirty eight, a young man, a young woman who did not who did not waste their lives seeking a marriage partner, but who spent their lives serving the Lord Jesus Christ and trusting God for the blessed provision of a spouse and God provided his time, his way, his partner. And neither ever had any regrets. During their work among the Nosu tribal people, their first child Roxy arrived in 1940. Stuart, Martin, and Marion followed. At the conclusion of the Japanese War, Mao moved a well trained million man army against the nationalists. The country was swallowed up and renamed the Republic of China in nineteen forty nine. The China Inland Mission assumed it could work under this government too, but they quickly found Mao's communism to be extreme and virulent. In the upheaval, Dan and Kathy with Martin and two year old Marion escaped by Red China's back door through the thick jungle of Burma. Roxy and Stuart were in the mission boarding school in distant Kooling at the time. Only after many months did they reunite in Australia. They suffered the loss of all possessions, of their libraries, but worse still was the separation from their children and the faith. By nineteen fifty there were seven thousand No Sioux believers and fifty-two churches on those wild and rugged mountains. What a work of God. What a work of God took place under the China Inland Mission and other groups that followed in its wake. And and and what a slaughter. What a what a massacre and martyrdom when that communist regime took over and began to exterminate or attempt to exterminate biblical Christianity. Out from under the auspices of the China Inland Mission, after difficulty and distances, they reunited as a family, began a new and fruitful ministry in Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan. In this period of time, Dan joined with Bakht Singh, who was greatly used in evangelism, and assembled quite a core of workers who between 1942 and 1959 saw as many as two hundred congregations established on the Asian mainland. Dan worked with Bakht Singh and spoke at their huge annual holy convocations. In the last decades of his life, Daniel and Kathy relocated to British Columbia. From there, Dan pursued itinerant Bible teaching. He marveled at the hospitality he received among the churches. As a guest in hundreds of homes, this is he these are his words, as a guest in hundreds of homes, I must set on record that our married sisters are, to my mind, some of the most consecrated portions of the Lord's people, whose roots are deep in godliness, whose branches are laden with kindness, love, and care for all the Lord's people. To Dan, those in foreign missionary work needed to be as strong as a horse. And as a young man he went. Was a short man, he had a strong frame, he was vigorous into his eighties. He rose early, read his Bible, prayed briefly, then wrote letters before he came to the breakfast table. After breakfast he returned to his room to pray, prepare for his evening message. Hosts and hostesses would tell of how they overheard his lengthy prayers in those mid morning hours. After the noon meal he would walk to the post office with his correspondents. The rest of the afternoon was spent in Bible study, writing, or visiting with the saints. In Bible teaching, he ardently supported New Testament church principles, not in a sectarian way. Dan was brought up in the Presbyterian Church, saved among the Methodists, ordained by the Baptists, spent years with the Interdenominational China Inland Mission, and also labored three years with the Bible Institute in Canada. Looking back, he said, Spiritual history for me has been a spiritual journey. It was nothing in the primary sense, neither technical nor doctrinal, which passed me on from one to another out of this and into that, but just a kind of spiritual ongoing led by the Spirit of God. Eventually I was led into association with those believers with which I have found sweet fellowship, preaching the word of God, singing his praises, evangelizing the lost, seeking by all means to exhort the brethren, encourage the brethren to live for the Lord Jesus Christ. Daniel Smith wrote several books. Four volumes called Worship and Remembrance. Primarily, he left behind men and women, boys and girls who came to know the Lord Jesus Christ because this man surrendered his all to live for the Savior. How about you? Daniel Smith had no extraordinary talents. Daniel Smith had no exclusive training. Daniel Smith had no Holy Spirit that you don't have if you're saved. He didn't have any more of a Bible than you've got. He didn't have any supernatural gift that's not given to every other born-again believer. But I'll tell you what he did have. He had a heart and a mind consecrated to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had a life that was devoted not to its own ends, not to serving its own desires, not to the pursuit of temporal things, but he had a life that was holy and completely given over to the service of his Redeemer, his master, his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ? Are there not are there not mission fields of plenty waiting for willing workers? Are there not people somewhere in your town, in your county, in your state, in your nation, in your world? Are there not people about whom someone has said they are a waste of time, they are not worth it? And has not the Lord Jesus Christ spoken in his word and said, I died for those sinners? I shed my precious blood for those people, how can you say they are not worth it? I bought you with my own precious blood, I saved and redeemed you by my death on the cross. How can you not say I'll go? How can you refuse such a wonderful Savior? How can you turn down such a high calling? How can you resist such a grand opportunity to go down in the annals of heaven as a hero of the Christian faith.

SPEAKER_00 27:06

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