TESTIMONY OF

REV. DR. QUEK KIOK CHIANG

Dr. John Sung, that fiery preacher from Hinghwa, Fukien Province, South China, who in the 1930s brought great revival to China and Southeast Asia, visited Singapore six times between August/September 1935 and November 1939. Each visit lasted from a few days to two full weeks. On his first visit, from August 30 to September 12, 1935, he preached over 40 messages at the Telok Ayer Church, three messages a day and 2 to 3 hours each message. Hundreds were brought to repentance, including me, and over 100, also including me, consecrated themselves for life-long service to the Lord. Hardly did I miss one single message preached by that great revivalist in Singapore during those years. It was a spiritual feast all the time.

In this testimony I would like to show how three scriptural passages autographed in my Chinese Bible on three successive occasions characterised the ministry and spirit of Dr. John Sung, and how I have been blessed all these years in my ministry through bearing in mind these three passages from the Word of God.

The first of these three passages is from Psalm 51: 10 - "Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and renew a right spirit within me." In his preaching Dr. John Sung was most thorough in condemning sin and most emphatic in calling for repentance and holy living. Not only as a young man of nineteen then did I need the guidance of this verse following my conversion, but throughout all these 44 years this verse has been a constant reminder to me that I need always to pray for a clean heart and a right spirit to keep me from sin and temptation.

The second passage is from Romans 12:1 &2- "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

Dr. John Sung, who forsook the world and gave up his Ph.D. in Chemistry for the preaching ministry, was a great example of a living sacrifice unconformed to this world. He gave me and over 100 others these two verses as we consecrated ourselves for life-long service towards the end of his first preaching ministry in Singapore. The consecrators adopted these two verses as our motto and theme song. The call in verse one - present myself a living sacrifice - has kept on reminding me of my vow then to serve the Lord all the days of my life. The second verse, an exhortation not to be conformed to this world, has been an even greater help to me, warning me all the time not to love the world lest my love for my Redeemer should grow cold or lukewarm, and not to follow the world in my personal life style, in my conduct while in Government service, and in my ministry as a servant of God.

It was particularly this help that brought me in 1949/50, together with Rev. Tow and other founders of our Bible-­Presbyterian Church, to shun the world-conforming Ecumenical Movement and World Council of Churches that had been promoting a bloodless social gospel vehemently condemned by Dr. John Sung, and to identify ourselves with the non-world-conforming, Biblically-obedient 20th Century Reformation Movement and International Council of Christ­ian Churches. For the same reason the Singapore Christian Evangelistic League founded by Dr. John Sung in 1935 identified itself with the ICCC in March 1950 as an associate member and both Rev. Tow and I are still serving with this Evangelistic League.

The third passage Dr John Sung autographed in my Bible is the last verse of I Corinthians 15 - "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Dr. John Sung who "burnt out in the Master's service" at the age of 44, abounded in the work of the Lord and his labour still follows him both in Singapore and elsewhere. This verse was given to me very appropriately after my life-long consecration in the Lord's service. What an encouragement it has been to me all these years - to remain steadfast in my faith and diligent in my work! It is easy even for those called of God into His service to become wearied and unsteady and drop out half way, as a great part of the life-long consecrators in 1935 had done who have long gone back to the world. By God's great mercies, I remain as one along those who have been kept from faltering in faith and from going back on our consecration vow. By this verse, too, I have always been spurred on, in moments of weariness, to diligence in service, having the precious promise that my labour in the Lord will not be in vain.

Till the end of my life, no latter how long more, I am certain I will still need the three passages singled out for me by Dr. John Sung to be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It is my earnest prayer that the spirit of John Sung which I have shared through these verses will continue to be a blessing to me. May the Almighty God continue to keep my heart clean and my spirit right. May He be gracious to continue to use me as a living sacrifice unconformed to this world, steadfast and unmovable, and never wearied in serving Him despite my advancing age and increasing physical limitations. Amen.