FOREWORD

By Rev.  Roy J. Birkey

       In spite of my fifty-one years in China and the islands of the Pacific, I missed meeting and hearing Dr. John Sung.  This was one of the deep regrets of my life.  However, when our dear Chinese brothers and sisters were in the "fiery trial," I became director of a Christian publications firm and book room in South China.  This Position brought me wonderful opportunities to meet and speak with many who personally had known and heard this devoted servant of God.  Through books such as "My Testimony”, by Dr. Sung, and others, I became aware more fully of Dr. Sung's dedication and fruitful ministry.  It was like the cut of a steel die sharp and clean.  His fruits still glow like the sun of a cloudless bright morning.  This "flame of fire" (Hebrews 1:7), this Chinese prophet of God, whom Brother Schubert firmly believes to have been the greatest preacher of this century, warmed my own heart, humbling, challenging, and inspiring me.  And he swept thousands into the Kingdom of God.

       Others have written about Dr. Sung.  Some of this was good and accurate; however, some of it was sharply critical, and even quite biased.  How could anyone criticize God's servant, who in a period of about three years led 100,000 converts to Christ?  Now as new facets of his ministry and methods emerge, I have felt strongly for some time, that another volume sympathetic to his cause should be written.  So I welcome Rev. William E. Schubert's work, particularly in relation to Dr. Sung's unreserved, unflinching dedication to the very end; to his thorough methods in dealing with sin by leading men and women to confess openly and forsake sin, and by instructing them to make wrongs right, that resulted in the restitution of thousands and thousands of dollars and great joy and liberty; to his belief and emphasis that believers should be cleansed from all sin (I John 1:7,9; Acts 15:8,9) and by faith be filled with the Holy Spirit; to his intensive Bible study and fervent prayer, leading his audiences in the public reading of Scriptures as he explained them; to his theme choruses often repeated to drive home a point, and to his wisdom in organizing small evangelistic bands of his converts to witness in their own communities.  Some of these bands, I have been told, were still functioning in recent years.

       Rev. William E. Schubert is highly qualified to undertake this important task.  He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and of Drew Theological Seminary.  He is a Bible student, teacher, writer, author of twelve books in Chinese, seven in Japanese, and he hopes to publish I REMEMBER JOHN SUNG in Chinese, Japanese and English.  He is a successful radio and conference speaker, first on the mainland of, China, and later on Taiwan and in Japan.  Then, his intimate relationship with Dr. Sung and his experiences in working with him, gave Rev. Schubert a deeper insight of the man. Furthermore, the fact that Dr. Sung in his last illness requested Brother Schubert to be the missionary representative to whom he confessed that he had been too critical of the work of the missionaries --- criticism, which for the most part, we as missionaries deserved --- is a great tribute to the tender spirit and deep humility of the man, and endears Brother Schubert to us.  Many have felt the fiery denunciation of sin, duplicity and hypocrisy, but have failed to see this aspect of the life of God's servant, Dr. Sung.  Thus, Brother Schubert brings to us fresh information and material which has never been published.

       Particularly significant is the fact that the Lord revealed to Dr. Sung early in his ministry that his life would follow an outline of five periods, namely: "Water, Door, Dove, Blood, and Tomb." Brother Schubert confirms that this outline was literally fulfilled.  Then in 1941, Dr. Sung predicted that all missionaries would leave China, which at that time may have seemed a bit fanciful, and even fanatical.  Yet, come to pass it did!  Now we await the fulfillment of his last prediction, that there will be a great revival in China.  The prophet said: “... at evening time it shall be light.” (Zechariah 14:7)  Will we pray earnestly, work and believe that God will bring such a glorious consummation?

       May I add a personal word?  Read this book, and read it again as I have read the manuscript, and as I expect to read it again.  It will bless your soul, and it will "stir up the fire" (II Timothy 1:6 Chinese version) in your own heart.  Introduce it to student fellowships, prayer groups, book rooms, and Bible conferences.  If you can do so, buy copies of this book and distribute them among your friends and loved ones, particularly among Chinese university and college students.  God will bless you for it.

       And now I pray earnestly as we dedicate I REMEMBER JOHN SUNG to God, that in His hands it will become an effective instrument in bringing to all of China, yes, the World, a great revival.