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'." 

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).