Marking down 18 June 2018 as a night of prayer-worship by the ACS and RI boys. It was held at Zion-Bishan BP, and wow! What a privilege it was to witness this.
Throughout the meeting, I felt such a manifest presence of the Lord - the atmosphere was so pregnant - and it seemed as if the slightest flame would spark a fire in the place. It was almost as if God was just so longing to meet with these young people.
Towards the end of the meeting, one of the praying moms shared that the R.I Times reported that in January 1965, the Raffles Christian Fellowship would meet every Friday at the Bethesda Gospel Hall at Bras Basah Road. There were two sessions -- one from 1.15 - 2pm for those who attended morning school, and another, from 12.00 - 12.45pm for those in the afternoon session. RI was only one of five schools involved in this Christian Fellowship, the others included Victoria School, ACS, Gan Eng Seng Secondary and St Andrews Secondary.
The notion was that God desires to see a unity among the schools, to worship and pray together, to support each other.
To see boys from two rival schools come together to pray for each other and for the nation of Singapore was such an incredible blessing!! What was even more wonderful to behold was when the "fathers" came. They prayed for and exhorted the boys to carry the baton forward. One of them was an ex ACS boy who was part of the ACS clocktower revival in 1972!! If there could be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the schools in 1972, why would He not repeat that in 2018? The rally cry, "Do it again, Lord!"
"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known, in wrath, remember mercy." (Habbakuk 3:2)
PS. Learnt that on 19 June, the Polys, ITEs and other private institutions are having a worship-prayer night at Kum Yan Methodist. And that there will be a worship night at ACS Barker on 29 June. Wow! If the young people keep contending for their generation, I know God will honour their seeking.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Singapore's Charismatic Renewal of the 1970s and its unlikely beginnings
In 2017, Lou Engle shared at Kingdom Invasion that 2018 would be a significant year for Singapore - the 40th year of Billy Graham's word to our nation, that we would be an Antioch to Asia. But he also shared that God is coming to weigh us on whether we have been true to the assignment He has given us. And Lou challenged us to contend for the calling and destiny of Singapore. The word weighed on my heart. And one of the questions I asked the Lord was, "Lord, what does revival look like?" I had read of the revivals around the world in times past -- the Welsh Revival, Pyongyang Revival, Argentinian Revival, Azuza Street Revival, Hebrides Revival etc. So I suppose my question was about revival in my own nation, Singapore. I wanted to know because I wanted to know what would be the price worth paying for revival.
Then I fell upon the book "Unfolding His story: The Story of the Charismatic Movement in Singapore" by Georgie and Galven Lee, a father and son team.
The book chronicles how God moved upon the believers in Singapore in the 1970s with a Holy Spirit outpouring. I am so grateful for this book because, to me, it is a story of God's faithfulness through the generations. In this particular case, it filled a missing piece for me on how many in an earlier generation met the Lord. So there was a great move of God in the 1930s when John Sung preached to the Chinese church here, and another in the 1970s! To me, the authors are faithful to God's exhortation "One generation commends your works to another. They tell of your mighty acts." (Psalm 145:4)
Here are some of my takeways from their account:
1. The story of Singapore's 1970s charismatic renewal is remarkable because it started in the most unlikely of places -- in the schools. In particular, ACS would be the epicentre of the Holy Spirit's move, and then, the fire of revival would quickly spread to other schools like Dunearn Technical Secondary School, Tanjong Katong Girls' School, Anderson Secondary School, Raffles Girls' School, St Andrews' School etc.
2. Even before the ACS boys received the gift of tongues, they were fervent in prayer and evangelism. According to the book, "These schoolboys gathered often in school to pray for 'Revival, holiness and world missions'. They understood the importance of an authentic Christianity, to be lived out in the day to day context of their school campus. Thus, as Malcolm Tan recounts, the schoolboys were particularly ardent in regularly evangelising their ACS schoolmates.
'After being saved, witnessing became part of our practice. And we also brought friends to the clock tower to share with them salvation. I remember we would sit under the tree, share salvation from our little pocket New Testament. The guy says he wants to accept Christ, okay, we drag him to the clock tower, he prays the Sinners' Prayer there.'
Malcolm Tan was only 14 years old then. In June, during the school holidays, he would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit while at home. Fully convinced this was what his schoolmates needed, he ensured the entire ACS Christian Fellowship, of which he was Follow-up Chairman, heard about the baptism of the Holy Spirit from him when the new school term started'."
Malcolm Tan was only 14 years old then. In June, during the school holidays, he would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit while at home. Fully convinced this was what his schoolmates needed, he ensured the entire ACS Christian Fellowship, of which he was Follow-up Chairman, heard about the baptism of the Holy Spirit from him when the new school term started'."
3. At Dunearn Boys, on 15 July, one of the schoolboys Philip Lee, received the gift of the Holy Spirit. He prayed for a friend to receive the gift as well - and this soon spread - with these schoolboys praying behind the school's science laboratory in tongues at all times of the day.
4. The ACS boys would seek guidance and mentorship from a Reverend David Hugh Baker, an Assembly of God pastor and missionary. I like how he described their enthusiasm.
"All these young men from ACS were full of questions. I have never been asked so many questions in my life. I had to find the answers that I had never answered before. I was in constant contact with heaven to find out what I should tell these people."
5. What transpired in the schools was roundly criticised by the media who thought the boys had gone into hysterics. It also disturbed the mainline church leaders. By the end of 1972, the number of students who embraced the baptism of the Holy Spirit numbered some 200. From this epicentre, however, would come a huge tidal wave that would spread to the mainstream churches in Singapore and make deep, lasting impact. (to be continued).
The manifest presence of God
The presence (of God) and the manifestation of the Presence are not the same. There can be the one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of His Presence. On our part, there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work is to show us the Father and the Son. If we co-operate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face -- A.W Tozer
When we are enjoying the conscious presence of God, we are fulfilling the tenets of our salvation. -- A.W Tozer
The Christian life is to live all your life in the presence of God. -- R.C Sproul
The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way. -- Brother Lawrence
If you find a reluctance to go into the presence of God, there may be unconfessed, unrepented sin in your life. Part of your quiet time is to get your heart clean and pure. Each of us needs to take ourselves by the nape of our necks and confess and repent before we come into God's holy presence to fellowship. -- Adrian Rogers
When we are enjoying the conscious presence of God, we are fulfilling the tenets of our salvation. -- A.W Tozer
The Christian life is to live all your life in the presence of God. -- R.C Sproul
The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way. -- Brother Lawrence
If you find a reluctance to go into the presence of God, there may be unconfessed, unrepented sin in your life. Part of your quiet time is to get your heart clean and pure. Each of us needs to take ourselves by the nape of our necks and confess and repent before we come into God's holy presence to fellowship. -- Adrian Rogers
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Singapore's little piece towards the Trump-Kim Summit
As Trump and Kim meet in Singapore on 12 June 2018, Singapore is also thrust in the spotlight as the host of this historic meeting. Much is in the balance. Will the talks have a good outcome? Will it result in the end of the 70-year Korea War? Will it result in the end of North Korea's rogue nation status, the end of international sanctions, the end of an economic and spiritual drought? The world is watching, and the believers are praying ...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-trump-and-kim-end-korean-war-summit-singapore/
Some in Singapore question the wisdom of hosting the meetings. The objections stem from the fact that it is not our business (Blogger's note: not true. International peace is our business), the logistical cost to Singapore of SGD 20 million (Blogger's note: we can be gracious hosts for a once-in-a-lifetime event), the security risk to Singapore etc.
What is more pertinent to me is: let's not forget Singapore's destiny and purpose. Just as God conceives in His mind the destiny for each and everyone of us (Psalm 139: All the days about me were written in your book before one of them came to be), He has conceived in His mind the destiny of each and every nation.
Singapore may be small, but He has always given us amazing global connections from the time of our founding. It's almost as if we have a destiny to contribute our piece to world affairs or evangelism. How else can we account for the following ... that in our annals of our history, we can find the imprint of great men like William Wilberforce (slave abolitionist), Robert Morrison (translator of the Bible into Mandarin), Paul Revere (of the famous Boston Freedom Trail), Alfred Einstein, Sun Yat Sen etc. They intersected with Singapore in some way; not necessarily big ways, but the fact that they have some connection to Singapore (a little red dot) is itself extraordinary!
1. William Wilberforce. This great slave abolitionist was named to the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institution, the school Stamford Raffles wanted to establish for local students. The foundation stone for the school (the precursor of Raffles Institution) was laid in 1823.
2. Robert Morrison. This missionary was sent by the London Missionary Society to China. Prevented from proselytising, he took it upon himself to translate the Bible into Mandarin instead. His was not the first Chinese translation but would be the most used. He, too, was on the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institution.
3. Paul Revere. This Boston silversmith is made famous by a courageous deed he did warning the colonial militia about the British before the wars of Lexington and Concord. Unfamiliar to Singaporeans, his is arguably the most famous name in Boston, USA. His courageous act is immortalised in Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride". The wonder is that he too is connected to Singapore in some way. His daughter Maria Revere married Joseph Balestier, the first American Counsel to Singapore, and whom Balestier Road is named after! It is also the reason why there is a Revere bell in the National Museum, the only such bell outside the US.
4. Albert Einstein. The famous Nobel Prize winner in Physics was in Singapore on stopover in 1922 to raise funds for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. While here, he met the Jewish community including the 14-year old David Marshall. I wonder if even then, Singapore had the gift of wealth and giving.
5. Sun Yat Sen. The Father of the Republic of China made Singapore the Southeast Asia base of his revolutionary activities. The contributions of the Singapore Chinese -- men like Teo Eng Hock, Lim Nee Soon, Tan Chor Nam, Lim Boon Keng etc, towards the cause of the revolution cannot be underestimated. When he passed away in 1925, the amount raised by the Chinese Singaporeans for his funeral was the largest of any overseas Chinese community.
Other examples abound. Like how 70 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were brought to Singapore (one of several places) after his assassination on request of the Indian community leaders here, and later scattered in the sea near Clifford Pier. Or how Justin Trudeau, PM of Canada, is a descendent of William Farquhar, first Resident of the colonial Singapore.
Though small, Singapore has a deep and rich heritage, a heritage that is interlinked and interwoven with the nations of the earth. It has been the case from the time of our founding. We have been blessed by the nations and in turn, let's been a blessing to the nations of the earth. Let us be pleased and honoured to offer our little piece towards the historic 2018 Trump-Kim Summit too.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-trump-and-kim-end-korean-war-summit-singapore/
Some in Singapore question the wisdom of hosting the meetings. The objections stem from the fact that it is not our business (Blogger's note: not true. International peace is our business), the logistical cost to Singapore of SGD 20 million (Blogger's note: we can be gracious hosts for a once-in-a-lifetime event), the security risk to Singapore etc.
What is more pertinent to me is: let's not forget Singapore's destiny and purpose. Just as God conceives in His mind the destiny for each and everyone of us (Psalm 139: All the days about me were written in your book before one of them came to be), He has conceived in His mind the destiny of each and every nation.
Singapore may be small, but He has always given us amazing global connections from the time of our founding. It's almost as if we have a destiny to contribute our piece to world affairs or evangelism. How else can we account for the following ... that in our annals of our history, we can find the imprint of great men like William Wilberforce (slave abolitionist), Robert Morrison (translator of the Bible into Mandarin), Paul Revere (of the famous Boston Freedom Trail), Alfred Einstein, Sun Yat Sen etc. They intersected with Singapore in some way; not necessarily big ways, but the fact that they have some connection to Singapore (a little red dot) is itself extraordinary!
1. William Wilberforce. This great slave abolitionist was named to the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institution, the school Stamford Raffles wanted to establish for local students. The foundation stone for the school (the precursor of Raffles Institution) was laid in 1823.
2. Robert Morrison. This missionary was sent by the London Missionary Society to China. Prevented from proselytising, he took it upon himself to translate the Bible into Mandarin instead. His was not the first Chinese translation but would be the most used. He, too, was on the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institution.
3. Paul Revere. This Boston silversmith is made famous by a courageous deed he did warning the colonial militia about the British before the wars of Lexington and Concord. Unfamiliar to Singaporeans, his is arguably the most famous name in Boston, USA. His courageous act is immortalised in Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride". The wonder is that he too is connected to Singapore in some way. His daughter Maria Revere married Joseph Balestier, the first American Counsel to Singapore, and whom Balestier Road is named after! It is also the reason why there is a Revere bell in the National Museum, the only such bell outside the US.
4. Albert Einstein. The famous Nobel Prize winner in Physics was in Singapore on stopover in 1922 to raise funds for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. While here, he met the Jewish community including the 14-year old David Marshall. I wonder if even then, Singapore had the gift of wealth and giving.
5. Sun Yat Sen. The Father of the Republic of China made Singapore the Southeast Asia base of his revolutionary activities. The contributions of the Singapore Chinese -- men like Teo Eng Hock, Lim Nee Soon, Tan Chor Nam, Lim Boon Keng etc, towards the cause of the revolution cannot be underestimated. When he passed away in 1925, the amount raised by the Chinese Singaporeans for his funeral was the largest of any overseas Chinese community.
Other examples abound. Like how 70 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were brought to Singapore (one of several places) after his assassination on request of the Indian community leaders here, and later scattered in the sea near Clifford Pier. Or how Justin Trudeau, PM of Canada, is a descendent of William Farquhar, first Resident of the colonial Singapore.
Though small, Singapore has a deep and rich heritage, a heritage that is interlinked and interwoven with the nations of the earth. It has been the case from the time of our founding. We have been blessed by the nations and in turn, let's been a blessing to the nations of the earth. Let us be pleased and honoured to offer our little piece towards the historic 2018 Trump-Kim Summit too.
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Historic 12 June 2018 Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore
12 June 2008: US President Donald Trump is to meet North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in a historic summit in Singapore. It's two more days to go, and the world is holding its breath. Will this lead to a historic peace accord and enable the walls built around North Korea to come down? The world is praying. Singapore is praying (and we need to continue to pray!) because this Summit is here in our land.
May the Lord watch over the proceedings, and may He get His inheritance among the nations.
Which leads me to my second point: which is that I believe the Lord never forgets the blood of martyrs. In 1866, the Welsh missionary Robert Jermain Thomas was martyred bringing the Gospel to North Korea. Between 1904 and 1907, the great Pyongyang Revival swept many into the Kingdom of God. The current leader Kim Jong Un's great grandparents were Christians. Pyongyang was called the Jerusalem of the East. But in the last three generations, God has been completely removed, and Christians killed or persecuted. This is not the destiny of North Korea - she belongs to the Lord. Let us contend for this too.
May the Lord watch over the proceedings, and may He get His inheritance among the nations.
Which leads me to my second point: which is that I believe the Lord never forgets the blood of martyrs. In 1866, the Welsh missionary Robert Jermain Thomas was martyred bringing the Gospel to North Korea. Between 1904 and 1907, the great Pyongyang Revival swept many into the Kingdom of God. The current leader Kim Jong Un's great grandparents were Christians. Pyongyang was called the Jerusalem of the East. But in the last three generations, God has been completely removed, and Christians killed or persecuted. This is not the destiny of North Korea - she belongs to the Lord. Let us contend for this too.
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