Country Living Testimony – Christopher Hudson – Out of the Cities

Introduction

Good evening, saints. Happy Sabbath. It is a real blessing and privilege for me to be here with you to share how the Lord has moved in my life and in that of my family, opening the way for us to advance in the counsel He set before all of us as His people at such a time as this: to move out of the cities into the country. It is my prayer that whatever the Lord impresses upon my heart to share with you on this Sabbath evening will encourage you, embolden you to walk by faith, and inspire you to know that it is not dependent upon what you are capable of doing or not doing for yourself. It is all dependent on the faith you have in the Lord to enable you to do what He has bidden you to do, because all of His biddings are His enablings.

If you would take a few moments to bow your heads and close your eyes, I would like to have a short season of prayer. Before I pray, I invite each one of you to take 60 seconds to silently pray and ask for the Holy Spirit’s presence to be with us, giving us soft, tender, pliable hearts receptive to what He will communicate to us. Pray that the Lord would have full possession of my life so that I will simply be a conduit through which He might accomplish His pleasure. Let us pray.

Father in heaven, we come to You in the name of Jesus with contrite hearts filled with thanksgiving. As we take time to consider our lives, we can truly see Your hand moving in the affairs of our existence. Thank You, Lord, for being merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and everything You have declared Yourself to be. You are worthy to be praised. My prayer is that Your presence would be here with us in a marked fashion, speaking truth to our minds and impressing upon our hearts that You are worthy and that we can trust You. In truth, all the words of the Lord are pure words. As this truth is impressed firmly on our minds, help us commit ourselves to holding fast to Thee under all circumstances. Thank You for hearing this petition. As I love to claim Your promise in Jeremiah 33:3, I claim it once more: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Lord, purge me thoroughly of my pride, self-trust, and self-righteousness. Let my life be used as an instrument to accomplish what You desire. Let Your name be lifted up. In the matchless name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Our dear brother Talent asked if I might come on and share with Loud Cry Ministries the journey the Lord led my family and me through to move out of the cities into the country. I was happy to do so because I love opportunities to lift up the name of God and acknowledge that every good thing I have experienced in my life is something I received from the hand of the Almighty. Throughout life and ministry, I have been able to prove the Lord faithful. My journey out of the city into the country is certainly one of those benchmarks in my life I look back to as an aid to help me press forward.

In the year 2008, while engaged in ministry and living in the cities of the East Coast—having moved out of New York City to New Jersey—we were actively involved in media ministry. We were posting videos frequently on YouTube, printing DVDs daily, mailing them out, distributing them hand to hand, and using free literature boxes placed near libraries and business locations. We stocked those boxes with The Great Controversy, National Sunday Law, The Desire of Ages, and other publications the Lord has given us to get into the hands of the people at these important times.

Why Chris Hudson Left the City

While actively engaged in ministry, I was invited to meet an individual who sat on a high council with various religious leaders and secret societies. During an interview with someone in his circle, he shared information regarding the present economic condition in the United States, stating that the current trajectory would lead to an economic downturn and collapse. He mentioned it taking place in the month of September based on his research.

With this information in hand, I returned home, knelt down, and prayed, asking the Lord what I should do with this information beyond sharing it with the public. I was deeply impressed while on my knees that it was time for my household to move out of the city into the country. The impression was clear. I rose from prayer and told the small group working alongside me and my family to start packing, because we were going to move.

Although we were actively involved in evangelism daily, the finances were not there. That tends to be a common experience in full-time evangelism; you might not always have a reservoir of funds. When asked how we were going to make this move, I said God would provide. From that point on, there were no further questions, because we had already seen the Lord do awesome things in providing equipment for media production and mass literature distribution.

With knowledge of how the Lord had led in the past, we were encouraged to move forward. People started packing. As we walked past one another at the ministry location, we would ask if everything was almost ready, building blocks of faith day by day that the door would open at the appointed time. Sure enough, the Lord opened a door.

God’s First Miracle: Moving to Missouri

A phone call came from a gentleman in Missouri who had been watching the material we posted online and wanted to meet. I felt impressed that this was a meeting the Lord would have me take. We drove down from New Jersey to Missouri—a 12 to 13-hour drive. As soon as we arrived, a young brother working directly with me said, “This is it. This is where we are going to move.” I smiled, laughed, and told him the Lord had not given me that impression yet.

We met with the Adventist gentleman and his family, fellowshipped, and had a good time. The next morning during personal devotions, when everything was quiet, the Lord impressed on my heart that this was indeed the location He would have us move to. I met up with the gentleman later that morning and said, “The Lord has made it clear to me that this is where He wants us to move. Now it is your responsibility to give us the land for free.”

He looked me in the eyes to see whether I was serious. I was dead serious. After processing his shock, he looked at me and said he would give us the land. He donated a little over five acres of land, which was more than sufficient for setting up a place of dwelling and for the ministry.

As we fellowshipped later that day while he was doing work around his home in the country, he asked, “Brother Chris, I have given you this land for free, but how do you expect to build on it?” I looked at him and said, “The same way I got the land for free: by faith.” He asked no more questions.

Real Purpose of Country Living

The next day we headed back to New Jersey to prepare for the final move. Upon returning to the East Coast, I received an email from another gentleman interested in learning more about the ministry and offering support. The Spirit of God pressed on my heart to call him immediately. When he picked up the phone, he expressed amazement, saying he had just finished watching one of my videos, knelt down to pray, and as he said amen, the phone rang.

Midway through our conversation, it became clear that he was a self-made millionaire in the marketing industry located in California. He said, “Brother Chris, I have all this money. I need you to help me get rid of it.” I asked if he was looking for something to invest in, and shared our ministry goals and what had transpired in Missouri less than 24 hours prior. Though he was not a Seventh-day Adventist, he insisted on meeting immediately and flew me to California the next day.

When I arrived, he met me at the airport in a luxury vehicle and drove me to his posh gated community. He was very kind, and as we sat in his living room, he expressed his serious desire to serve the Lord. He stepped into his bedroom and returned with a Rolex watch, placing it in my hand as a gift. I looked at him and said, “This is a very kind gesture, but to be honest with you, if you give me this watch, I am going to sell it. I have no need for a Rolex watch.” I returned the watch to him.

We continued talking, ate together, and he expressed a desire to meet my wife, so they flew her out the next day. As we sat in his living room, he asked, “How much money do you need?” This was the first time since leaving the entertainment industry to serve Christ that I sat with an individual asking how much money I needed who actually had the ability to provide it. I told myself to ask for what was needed and not a dime more. I gave him the figure needed to set ourselves up in the country. Without hesitation, he asked his wife to get the checkbook and write the check.

Minutes after he placed that check in my hand, CNN reported that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had failed, the housing bubble had popped, and an immense economic downturn impacted the world. I received the money to move out of the city into the country on the exact day. I had no question whether the Lord was leading. God led every step of the way, providing a catalyst for me to continue walking by faith and not by sight.

Second Miracle: A Gifted House in Georgia

A couple of years after that event, we started a training school in Texas. Towards the end of the school, I was contacted by another gentleman—an evangelical contractor—who asked if we were in need of a house. He told me he had a house to give us for free.

He explained that he had purchased and fully refurbished a house to flip and sell on the market, but could not get any interest for months. He thought about donating it to God’s work and reached out to various ministries, but none responded. While praying about what to do, he saw one of my videos on YouTube and asked the Lord if I was the person he should give the house to.

He flew me out to Georgia to see the brand-new, fully refurbished home. He gave us the house to use for the ministry and proceeded to spend his own money to furnish every room in the house. God has more ways than we can imagine to open doors so that what He has called us to do, we will be enabled to do. In neither instance did I have a single cent to purchase land or property, but God made provision.

One thing that stands out in this testimony is that on both occasions we were actively engaged in evangelism. One of the vital reasons for moving out of the cities into the country is for evangelism.

“God calls for Christian families to go into communities that are in darkness and error and work wisely and perseveringly for the master. To answer this call requires self-sacrifice. While many are waiting to have every obstacle removed, souls are dying without hope and without God in the world. Many very many for the sake of worldly advantage for the sake of acquiring scientific knowledge will venture into pestilential regions and endure hardships and privation. Where are those who are willing to do this for the sake of telling others of the Savior? Where are the men and women who will move into regions that are in need of the gospel that they may point those in darkness to the redeemer.” Adventist Home, chapter 78, page 488

When looking to move out of the cities, it may be advantageous for two or three families to move into close proximity in a specific locality to labor together for souls. Unfortunately, many endeavor to move primarily to escape foreseeable persecution. However, the primary reason God has given us this counsel is to escape the persistent flood of temptation and perversion bombarding us in crowded metropolises.

The counsel comes with even greater intensity to families with children. The Lord is calling us to destinations where we are not needlessly bombarded with enticements to engage in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Surrounded by God’s creation, our characters undergo imperceptible changes as creation testifies of its Creator, yielding object lessons as we put our hands in the soil, plant gardens, and care for country homes.

Role of Faith in Ministry

I imagine many do not have the financial resources to make the move out of the city into the country. My question to you is: Do you have faith? Faith is the most important currency any human being can possess.

Earlier this week, my laptop—which I use for video editing critical to evangelism—stopped working. I need a new laptop and do not have the finances for it right now, but I believe the Lord will provide because our God is mighty. The just shall live by faith, and that truth applies to every aspect of our Christian walk. We overcome by placing implicit faith in the Savior.

Before moving out of the city, we were actively engaged in evangelism. If God cannot trust you now where you are presently located to share the everlasting gospel with a neighbor a stone’s throw away, how can He trust you to travel down the road to meet a neighbor in the country? Why would God make a way for you to do something elsewhere that you are currently unwilling to do when you have every opportunity? Where there are no doors, God will make one, but we must ask if we are preparing ourselves in our daily walk for the next phase of ministry.

Preparing for the Crisis and Sabbath

In Matthew 24:16-20, when Jesus informed His disciples about the signs regarding the destruction of Jerusalem under the prophetic title of the abomination of desolation, He said: “Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.” In verse 20, He gave the warning: “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.”

A surface reading shows that we should pray for a way of escape from imminent persecution. Looking closer, a common thread binds the winter and the Sabbath day together: preparation.

You must make physical preparations for the winter—ensuring proper attire, wood, oil, canned goods, and supplies before snow makes travel difficult. Likewise, six days are given to labor and do all work so that physical and spiritual preparations are made for the Sabbath day. The most important preparation for the Sabbath is spiritual, because only a holy people can keep a holy day.

When Christ warns us to pray that our flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath, He is instructing us not to delay necessary physical preparations (symbolized by winter) and spiritual preparations (symbolized by the Sabbath) until it is too late. The message of righteousness by faith, character reproduction, the health message, and country living are counsels from the throne of God. If we do not wholeheartedly embrace this counsel now, we will meet with great loss.

Begin praying individually and as families about what God would have you do right now where you are located. Ask the Lord to open doors before your household, and start preparing in faith for the doors He will mercifully open before you. May God bless you as you move in faith.

Heavenly Father, I thank You that we can come together and testify of Your goodness, speaking of how You have moved in our lives. What You have done for us is not because we are special, but because You are willing and able to move mightily in the lives of each one of us. Help us to cling to You with an invincible faith and walk by faith, not by sight. As we enter a question and answer session, please touch our minds so that our discussion will be profitable and edifying. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Discussion on Timing and the 2020 Crisis

Brother Talent opened the floor for comments and questions, noting that Chris made his primary move out of the city in September 2008, the very month the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac crisis broke in the United States.

A participant asked how long prior to that event Chris had felt the motivation to move. Chris explained that he had already been studying the Spirit of Prophecy counsels on country living and had read all nine volumes of the Testimonies, which convinced him of the necessity of moving. He was already taking steps in that direction, but his meeting with the contact in August 2008 added immediate urgency to act without delay.

Chris added that the 2020 global crisis demonstrated how quickly circumstances can change and how valuable country living is in practical terms. During the 2020 lockdowns, because he prayerfully chose not to take the vaccine, international doors of travel were closed to him. However, while residents in major cities faced severe restrictions and isolation in basement apartments, his family experienced a peaceful and spiritually enriching period on their land—gardening, spending time outdoors, reading, and praying. He emphasized that obeying God’s counsel grants true peace and independence during times of crisis.

A participant from Scotland mentioned that after moving to the countryside in September, they personally felt the harsh realities of preparing for winter. They asked Chris how he arrived at his spiritual understanding of Matthew 24:20 regarding winter and Sabbath preparation.

Chris shared that the insight came through the Holy Spirit during a conversation with his late father. While driving home together after a prayer meeting, his father brought up the text. As they discussed it, the Lord opened their minds to realize that both winter and the Sabbath require thorough preparation before their arrival, serving as an object lesson for the upcoming crisis.

Ministry Activities and Overseas Projects

Brother Talent asked Chris why he had been less active in producing online video content over the past couple of years.

Chris explained that he had been heavily involved in international evangelistic seminars and setting up physical centers of influence. This included working on a school project in Zimbabwe to build a complete K–12 academy that hosts evangelistic trainings when school is out. He also spent three and a half years with a small team developing a mobile Bible memory application called Kingdom Climb, designed to help users memorize scripture and plant biblical principles in their minds. Furthermore, he has been organizing large-scale medical missionary events in the U.S. that provide free dental, vision, and healthcare services to thousands of people.

However, Chris stated that he felt impressed to ramp up his media and video ministry once again, recognizing that digital presentations can reach millions of people worldwide beyond the physical reach of in-person events. Brother Talent urged those with financial means to support Chris’s video and media ministry so he can continue producing content while censorship allows.

Experiential Faith and Literature Evangelism

A participant asked whether Chris’s bold request for free land in Missouri was an act of experimental faith or experiential faith.

Chris answered that it was experiential faith. He recounted how God called him out of the entertainment industry at age 20, where he had been a film playwright in the Writers Guild of America. Following his conversion, God led him into colporteur literature evangelism, selling books door-to-door.

He described his early weeks as a literature evangelist when he made virtually no sales for over a month. On one occasion, he met a young man in Long Island who expressed a deep desire to read The Great Controversy but had no money. Chris gave him the book for free. Walking away, Chris stood on a street corner in tears—both thankful to share the truth and distressed over his lack of income as a newlywed.

Standing on that corner, the Holy Spirit asked him if he would continue going out every day to share the truth even if he never sold another book. Realizing the choice between valuing money and valuing souls, Chris made a firm covenant to focus entirely on God’s business, trusting God to take care of his personal needs. That experience built his faith to trust God completely in all future endeavors, which is why he never demands fixed fees or financial guarantees when invited to speak.