THE DOOR PERIOD II

With Bethel to Manchuria
1931

Upon Andrew Gih's invitation to formally join Bethel, John Sung promised to go with the Band to Manchuria. Others on the team were Frank Ling from Foochow, Lincoln Nieh and Philip Lee. The latter two were in their late teens. All were musically attuned, especially Philip Lee the singer who could also play on wind and string instruments. Andrew would leave first with Lincoln and Philip. John would have to return with his wife who came from Hinghwa to attend the Shanghai Conference. Upon settling his wife back in their native Hinghwa, Dr Sung would pick up Frank Ling and proceed to Dairen where the whole Band would join hands.

Returning to Hinghwa were a goodly number of John Sung associates who had come to the Summer Conference. This brought back old times as John looked forward to a closer fellowship on board. The boat they had booked to sail on was the Tong Kang (Eastern Harbor).

When the sailing was delayed, John had a premonition that something ominous was before them. Would it be shipwreck? Pirates? Death? Serious illness? The Lord had withheld that fateful something from him. Yet he would not turn from it, as he also felt he must return by this boat. When John told his fellow travelers of his premonition, they jokingly admonished him not to say such an "unlucky" thing. It's taboo to those going out to sea. Be that as it may, he was confident God would take good care of them, for he had not completed his life's work.

It was smooth-sailing the first day and everybody was happy. On the second day what kept bothering John Sung at the back of his mind happened. There was a loud explosion. One boiler was immediately put out of action. The ship listed dangerously and the passengers became alarmed. John Sung called for a prayer meeting but no one responded. Suddenly the second and remaining boiler also exploded. This brought the ship to a standstill. Now the hull sprang a leak and water began to pour in. Weeping and crying came from every side, despite the crew's pumping out the sea water being in progress. John called the people again to pray, and this time some came, including non-Christians. He comforted his fellows and urged them to trust God, remembering Paul's ordeal also at sea and his final deliverance.

As they prayed, sure enough there appeared a bigger ship on the horizon. A sigh of relief was heard, but soon joy turned into misgiving, for it was a Japanese ship. As relations between China and Japan were increasingly un­friendly at this time, would they give a helping hand was a big question. Waving a red flag feverishly, John Sung led the passengers who could speak English to call out to the Japanese vessel, "Help us! Help us!" In answer to their prayer, the Achiyama Maru turned around. She let down one life boat that could carry ten people. As the life boat came alongside, there was a stampede which ironically ended in three deaths. One woman who left behind her goods worth $600 to jump into the life boat missed it and disappeared into the ocean. A man who did the same also missed his step and fell overboard. A third man who fell but was hauled up the side of the life boat was too weak to hold on. He slipped back into the deep and was never seen again. O what tragedy, what untimely death! What a picture of a world of sinful men crying, wailing and slipping into the abyss of hell. God spoke to his servant once again through this traumatic experience.

Finally, when all hands were safely hauled up the Japanese boat, the Tong Kang did not sink after all! So why did they panic? The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian can be seen in this aspect of life. When danger comes the latter is at wit's end corner, and so he panics. As for the Christian, as shown in John Sung's conduct, he has a Very Present Help to Whom he can look up in prayer (Ps 46: 1). So the lesson that God's messenger learned for himself was that the Lord would surely keep him safe wherever he would be sent: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." (Ps 23:4) Amen.

When news of this episode was broadcast, Christians everywhere thanked the Lord for sparing His servant. His life no more his own, as John Sung kept reminding himself, after a brief stopover to see his father and settling his wife back in their humble home, he was off again to the megalopolis to liaise with Frank Ling. As the two headed north for Dairen in Manchuria, he could see the shadow of the Cross lengthen across their path with his inner eye.

When John and Frank Ling arrived as scheduled to join the three other members of the Band, they had already accomplished their purpose at Dairen. Now there was in progress at Fengfangchen the biennial Conference of the Lutherans attended by two hundred delegates from all over Manchuria. Given a chance to address the Conference the five-member team each played a part for his Lord. Lincoln Nieh led the singing and taught some new choruses, Philip Lee sang. After a powerful message in testimony from John Sung an invitation was given. Twenty-five Chinese and two missionaries whose hearts were touched came forward to confess their sins, and there were some loud cryings and tears. This so upset the Western leaders of the Conference that their invitation was terminated the next day. This was the first time that the Bethel Band was rebuffed.

Thanking God that they were counted worthy to suffer loss of face for Christ's sake, they packed up to entrain for Mukden, the capital city. Leaving midnight, they were touched to their heart to see so many delegates and one missionary come to bid them Godspeed. A Post Office man who was meeting the train brought a personal message that surely comforted their hearts. He happened to be listening to Dr Sung outside the window the night before, and he had received Christ as his Saviour. "Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass" (Isa 32:20). And was there not "joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Lk 15:10)?

Now before the western missionary bosses had cancelled the invitation, there were these string pullings behind the scene. An order was given to the Chinese pastors that unless they stopped the Bethel young men from preaching, the Mission would withhold their financial support. Is this not one of the charges leveled by Mao's Communist Govern­ment against the Chinese Church that she was the vassal of foreign missionary imperialism? The arbitrary action of the Lutheran missionaries led Dr Sung to write in his diary: "Beloved fellow workers and fellow Christians, why do you still depend on the financial support of foreigners? You should look to the Lord for all things and realize that the time has come for the church to be self-propagating, self-governing and self-supporting --- truly independent!"

By their sudden early departure they arrived in Mukden one week ahead of schedule. But we shall see how this fitted into God's higher plan. Nevertheless the time for a revival was ripe, with the City coming under intensifying Japanese pressure. Owing to an advancing of the date for the meet­ings, attendance was small on the first day. But the impact of a Holy Ghost revival was so great that by 5:30 am the next day the Church was packed to capacity. After a marathon of twenty-seven meetings at three meetings a day, one thousand earnest seekers came forward to confess their sins. Since Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936) the Canadian Pres­byterian missionary-revivalist, this was the greatest out­pouring of blessing on the Manchurian Presbyterian Church. Incidentally, the first Presbyterian missionary to enter Man­churia (at Newchwang) was William Chalmers Burns, English-Scotch pioneer to China (1815-1868). But it was a team of Chinese young men that was used in this greatest revival Manchuria had ever seen.

Reporting on the Mukden Pentecost Dr Sung wrote Dr Mary Stone, Jr and Miss Hughes of the Bethel Mission:

"Before leaving Shanghai for Manchuria the Holy Spirit foretold me that we should be led by Him into the wilderness to be tried. Now we find we are really in the wilderness, and actually have met three kinds of temptation."

"The first trial is to change stones into bread. We thought that the Conference to which we had been invited to speak would give us an open door to Manchuria because in that Conference all the preachers and workers of the Mission thought Manchuria can be reached .... But this is not the way of the Lord. He did not allow us to change the stones into bread. The missionaries with fixed ideas and those preachers with traditional opinions are in the eyes of the Lord merely stones. The Lord can change them into bread, but they would not let Him do it. We were glad we were driven out from that place because this experience has helped the young evangelists to be humble, not to be too arbitrary and try to turn the world upside down in one minute's time .... All I left there was my personal testi­mony.... Of course, after leaving there we prayed more for the Holy Spirit's guidance."

"Thank God the name of the next place (Fengtien) we came to means `Listen to the Will of Heaven'! Several great evangelists have been here. They helped create an appetite. On our part our previous experience taught us to trust more in prayer and leaning upon the Word of the Lord, for one day we prayed eight or ten times, something we had never done before. After the shame of the Cross there was the glory of the Resurrection and for this reason we have about one thousand sound conversions and 279 beautiful testimo­nies have been handed to me. New Bands have been organized among the converts. This is the greatest revival I have ever seen in my life. Praise His Holy Name!....”

When the train that carried the Bethel Band to Heilung­kiang, their next campaign destination, pulled out of Muk­den September 18th morning, that was the last train to leave before the Japanese took over the city. September 18th, 1931 or 9-1-8 in Chinese annals, is a day that is still remembered. When Mukden fell to the Japanese on this fateful day (Japan played it down by calling it an "Incident") repercussions were felt as far south as Singapore. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Singapore issued black arm bands which were also distributed to us school children to wear as a sign of Chinese National mourning. As for the British Colonial Government in Singapore, they adopted a "no-hear, no-ask" attitude.

Coming back to the five young men of the Bethel Band, their hearts surely must have been filled with praises for God's precision timing in this deliverance. Had not the Lutheran Conference cancelled their meetings at Fengfang­chen, they might have fallen into Japanese hands, or be prevented from further movement outside of Mukden. Again Romans 8:28!

With Japan gripping Manchuria by the throat, a shudder was felt throughout the Three Northeastern Provinces. Christians in this Manchu country advised the Band to return home immediately, but as doors were wide open and more were being opened before them, the evangelists felt constrained to press on, for "the night was coming, when no man could work." This might be their last opportunity, and so it was, for under Japanese imperialism, Manchuria be­came Manchukuo in a matter of months. Manchukuo means Nation or Kingdom of the Manchus and Prince Henry Pu Yi of the defunct Manchu Dynasty was "restored" to the throne. The Chinese called him Puppet Pu-Yi.

The last train to pull out of Mukden the morning of September 18th brought the Bethel Band to Hailar. Hailar was the last big city on the railway before it crossed into Russian Siberia at Manchuli. From Manchuli one could take a train to Europe on the Trans-Siberian line. When the five young men came so near the Russian frontier they invited suspicion. But by being interrogated, they were enabled to witness to the frontier officers in return.

Now the church at Hailar was in a pitiful condition. After only one meeting at which thirty souls were surrendered to the Lord, the campaign was cancelled because the railway was being bombed. But the real reason behind this sudden cancellation was John Sung's denunciation of sin by name which scored many a hull's-eye against the leaders. For, the pastor himself was not born again, and one of the two ruling elders was a smuggler. By so cutting off a whole week's meetings which was originally planned, they missed the Gospel Train themselves, and kept others from taking it to the Heavenly City. This was the second occasion the Bethel Band "lost face."

Their next appointment was Harbin. With two cancella­tions on hand thus far, they were two weeks ahead of schedule insofar as Harbin was concerned. Knowing the Lord had gone before them as at Fengfangchen, they pressed on without a doubt but that everything would fall in place. Arriving in Harbin they were first taken to see Dr and Mrs. Deming, Methodist missionaries now stationed in Har­bin. The Demings were friends to John Sung when they were posted to Union Theological Seminary in New York City. They had also served in Seoul, Korea. Nevertheless, Mrs. Deming had no trouble spotting out from among the five youngsters the scholar they had in their home in New York. In fact they had been following the progress of his good work ever since they were transferred to Manchuria. They had been reading from the Bible Union for China periodical his victories, campaign after campaign.

There had been many squabbles in the Churches in Harbin. There were Chinese Church leaders who turned their tables on the missionaries in a misguided spirit of nationalism to prove they were no "running dogs of for­eigners". The congregation of the big Union Church where the revival campaign was held was split in two, so that separate services on Sunday were held to the fancy of the contending factions. By the advance working of the Holy Spirit all factions, except one, were drawn together to hear the evangelists. As there was no prior notice to the people of a change of date, the inaugural meeting could not help but be a last minute set up. Two loud explosions from bombs dropped by a Japanese warplane rather signaled the start of the revival campaign. These were greeted without a wince by a hall filled with happy chorus singing. When Dr Sung stepped up to preach with a new burning zeal, a counter action to the recent pressures, he captivated his listeners with an irresistible power. It was a Saturday night meeting when the campaign was launched. When the sermon was delivered to his utmost perspiration despite the wintry weather, Rev Gih took over with the appeal and helping the penitent to confess their sins. Rev Gih also preached in the morning sessions.

In between meetings the other members of the Band had the opportunity of visiting churches of other nationalities such as the Korean, Russian and German. Harbin was

rather international like their native Shanghai (except for John Sung and Frank Ling).

In spite of one church being critical of the unorthodox ways of the young men, the Harbin campaign, after the one in Mukden, was a record success. As the messages were directed to a disunited Christian community, John Sung had less words of condemnation than words of consolation. Not a few of the lay leaders and preachers were saved, including a YMCA secretary. Pastors, missionaries, church workers, elders, deacons humbled themselves and went up to kneel at the communion rail. After they had confessed their sins to the Lord they confessed also to one another in a mutual shower of tears. Now, tears had been one outstanding phenomenon of these campaigns and not tongues! And these were not crocodile tears as the readers might conclude because they are mentioned so often. But these were the tears so well-received of God, and so often shed by none other than David, a man after God's own heart. Hundreds of conversions and hundreds thirsting for righteousness is a true photo, not touched up, of the Harbin Pentecost.

Now the Bethel Band was quartered at the YMCA. Since Dr Sung and the Demings were old friends, the latter invited him and his friends to stay with them to rest up awhile as well as to speak to the Koreans. At the Korean Methodist Church John preached and Dr Deming inter­preted. The Lord gave them twenty souls. Although Dr Deming was for a time linked to Union Seminary, he was a fundamentalist to be sure, not only by this fishing for souls together, but also by the way the couple entertained the Lord's servants.

As the Deming home was not particularly roomy, they made shift with the sitting room to be shared by John and Philip Lee. They cramped Andrew, Frank Ling and Lincoln Nieh into the study. At this new home away from home, the young men worked and lived by a common programme. They rose by 4:30 am for "quiet time," each one commun­ing with his Lord in prayer and Bible study. Some time in the morning before they went to the meetings, Dr Sung would go over with his interpreter Frank Ling, who was also Fukienese like John, no matter how many times the same message was preached. For the ingenious doctor had always something new, something bright and refreshing, never touched upon before.

When the team came back at night, John Sung particular­ly would look such a spent force that as he lay on the couch he would be like one dropped dead. To say he was burning his candle at both ends would be a fair description. How he felt about it all, his over-fatigue to be sure, was expressed to us at a Singapore Conference using Paul's words: "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for the body's sake, which is the church" (Col 1:24). The Scripture that came to mind for Mrs. Deming as she looked upon Dr Sung lying there still "in his work clothes" was, "This is my body which is broken for you" (I Cor 11:24). "John Sung," said Mrs. Deming, "was already living up to the limit of his strength and, like his Lord, pouring out his life for God and His hungering children." He was never long free from pain from the old wound left by the operation on his back in America. The pain always returned when he was overtired or upset. But like Paul, he regarded it as his "thorn in the flesh" and was able to glory in his own weakness. (II Cor 12:7). He would read his Bible and write his diary on bended knees when rested up, without fail. It had become his second nature to do this.

John Sung who was well known for his queer ways was no easy guest to entertain either. Lacking the social graces by refusing to attend any public function or be invited out to dinner, he nevertheless required of his host "a chicken a day". He would not eat pork, beef or mutton but chicken! Frank Ling who knew him best explained, "If you have ever attended his meetings and seen how he preaches, often three times a day and as long as two hours a time, exerting every ounce of his physical and nervous energy from beginning to end, you could not blame him for asking for chicken soup to sustain him. Without such nourishment, he could never have kept up his strenuous work."

Now if we will retrace our steps to the Mukden Pentecost, the following is Dr Sung's continuation of his letter to the Bethel headquarters in Shanghai.

"....Then we came to Harbin. God just prepared workers and preachers for us to work with. He wanted us to learn how to work step by step and build the revival upon a rock.... We helped them to realize the wonder and stability of the Bible. When this battle was won, invitations came not only from the Chinese but from the Russian, Korean and German Churches.... Now we are beginning to meet our third temptation, `Kneel down and you can have every­thing.' We could stay on and work with the Russian and German Churches, thus opening the way for world-wide evangelism, but God wanted us to go forward and we have come to a small cold place called Hulan. There is a hard battle ahead of us. Pray that we may be humble enough to meet this third and hardest trial.... Yours in soul-saving service, John Sung"

As usual, after every campaign Dr Sung's post bag would contain a big bundle of letters from his converts. Many simply related the blessings they had received by being saved from a wicked life. Others were problems still existing, and so his counsel was sought to help solve those problems. Having read ten-thousands of these intimate letters, no wonder the doctor had so many illustrations from life in his sermons, for the true stories of life are often stranger than the fictitious.

What gladdened the hearts of the Demings most was that as a result of the revival, the squabbling churches and factions of Harbin now came together. And the best way of coming together was on bended knees which they did. Prayer meetings were held by rotation in the churches participating. Prayer groups were started in houses, as in the days of the apostles. Preaching Bands that were organized and covenanted to witness Christ outside the four walls of the Church at least once a week brought new members and inquirers.

Not to be left out in the Harbin campaign were the Russians. Like the Koreans they managed to get some crumbs from the great spiritual feast enjoyed most by the Chinese and Manchus. It must be remembered that these who were domiciled in the kingdom of Cathay for genera­tions were conversant in the Chinese language!

In order to expedite the work and to save expenses, the Bethel Band decided to split in two companies: Frank Ling and Philip Lee to go with John to Hulan and Suihwa; Lincoln Nieh to partner Andrew to Asahur.

Inasmuch as Dr Sung and his co-workers had had a glimpse of the Russian Church, now they were formally introduced to a Slavic people for whom Christ also died. Speaking on the Five Loaves and Two Fishes through a Russian pastor he had fifty Russians come to the front to dedicate themselves to evangelizing their own people in Manchuria. At Hulan the Lord further set His seal on his servant when by his hand he cast out a demon who so possessed a man that he burnt a Bible ten times. Salvation came also to a YMCA school when its principal, four teachers and most of the students turned to the Lord in repentance.

When the Band came to Suihwa they met a more hopeless situation of fightings in the Church than that of Harbin. Here was a model of what was known as a Mission Com­pound. In this Compound usually surrounded by a brick wall so that it resembled a miniature ancient walled city, there were constructed a hospital, a school, a church and mission­ary residences that far superseded the homes of Chinese pastors. Missionaries of the professional type lived in utmost comfort in the days of western imperialism, with servants galore paid at a pittance against their own salaries.

Now the nationalistic spirit was running high, so that Chinese workers employed by Western Missions began to sulk against their missionary "masters". The missionaries were not all to blame for their superiority complex. The Chinese co-workers themselves were not a few "rice" Christians. (They worked in the church for their bowl of rice.) This fair criticism was leveled by John Sung in Fukien against his own compatriots.

Who could ever make peace between contending parties all so worked up as at Suihwa when Dr Sung and his colleagues arrived? Unless the Holy Spirit Himself would come as by a whirlwind at Pentecost? Borne along by His Spirit the doctor was able to break down all barriers between missionaries and nationals by a loving pleading to the two

parties. By his gentle persuasion in the tone of a mother to wayward children he began to melt their hardened hearts.

At the end of a sermon, as he felt an urge from within, he acted like a principal addressing his staff and students by first calling on the missionaries, doctors, nurses, teachers, Bible women, pastors to the front. Like obedient pupils they willingly responded. As they faced the people he asked them in the pews, "Do you love your leaders?" Receiving a big "Yes" from them, he instructed them to pray for them and to work together in harmony. At this he asked everyone to kneel, and as all began to pray aloud, some leaders wept. After a season of praying like this, the evangelist asked if any still harbored hatred in his heart. When the reply came from several who betrayed a lingering hatred, he admon­ished these to go and make up with those they were at odds. Then turning to the missionaries and the "higher-ups" he pleaded with them to also ask for forgiveness from their juniors.

An evidence of their conviction under the "brooding" of the Holy Spirit was the cases for counseling that Dr Sung had to deal with after the service. When the whole campaign was over there was joy as expressed in singing. What a change from the first impressions of a silent undercurrent of resentment and hatred. One chorus John Sung composed to bring feuding brethren together, which was also sung in Singapore, was taken from Ephesians 4::32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

Another special feature of the Suihwa campaign was that since there was still time between the last meeting which ended in the night and their departure the next morning at 7.30 am, seventy who loved the Lord asked for a special meeting to be held at 5.30 am. "Until the day break and the shadows flee away, turn, my Beloved.  ... " (Song of Solomon 2:17).

The two teams converged on Harbin again for a repeat campaign, but this one was for "spiritual-nurture". As time was running out and more invitations were received, a "field" council was held to determine future strategy. To solve a stalemate in their planning they used the ancient Bible method of drawing lots. The lot fell on Andrew to branch out to Chaoyangchen while John was to head for the bigger cities of Changchun and Kirin. While at Harbin John expounded to the Church the doctrine of the Holy Spirit from the Book of Acts. When John and Philip Lee took leave of Harbin for Changchun there was such a rousing sendoff in the lusty singing of the new Bethel choruses that Japanese and Russians seeing off important officers were pleasantly taken aback, while the station guard came up to investigate what it was all about.

Changchun was another Presbyterian stronghold, so the visiting evangelists were warned by the pastor not to make appeals nor any emotionalism. But as the Holy Spirit convicted the hearts of the hearers there was a spontaneous outpouring of confession of sins, as one by one stood up, praying with strong crying. And one of them was the pastor himself!

Upon arrival at Kirin they found the City already taken over by Japanese troops. Korean Christians were the first to be dealt with. Though some escaped, many were arrested. A wave of uneasiness ran through the Chinese Churches. Nevertheless there was still one church, a flourishing one with a good pastor-preacher, that opened its door to Dr Sung.

At Kirin, in a manifestation of power against evil forces in such trying times as the Japanese invasion, God gave John grace not only to convict sinners by his sermons but also to restore the incapacitated. One man who had come to hear Dr Sung was a "Boxer" in the 1900 Rebellion wherein a hundred and eighty missionaries were slain by the order to exterminate from the Empress Dowager. This "Boxer" had killed a missionary, so his arm became paralyzed after that. One day when Dr Sung preached on the good thief on the cross who got saved and asked, "Do you think that the Lord who saved the thief on the cross can save you also?" Believing, with all his heart he spontaneously shouted, "Yes!" Immediately his paralyzed arm could move. As in the days of the Apostles fear came upon the church (Acts 5:11).

As if to confirm God's special presence with His servant, there was a Christian doctor who heard John Sung, but when the evangelist commanded everyone to kneel for prayer, he haughtily resisted. Sometime after this, while he was operat­ing in the theatre, a sudden numbness ran through his arm. Realizing he had offended the Lord by not kneeling to pray as commanded by His servant, he quickly dropped down on his knees and cried out for mercy. The Lord answered his prayer and so the patient was also saved. Now he went everywhere testifying to the awesome majesty of God.

At Kirin another new thing happened in John Sung's ministry. Many of his converts, particularly those from outside the Church numbering two hundred requested the evangelist to baptize them. According to the Church regula­tion these must first go through a catechism class lasting some months. Basing his authority on Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" and Acts 8:36, "What doth hinder me to be baptized .... If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest," the evangelist discussed with the pastor Rev Chi Shang Rong if he could. Sensing the special circumstances under which the "candidates" for baptism had requested, the resident pastor acquiesced. So Methodist evangelist John Sung, unordained of men but ordained of God, baptized the two hundred of them --- by sprinkling! This was one day in his life to remember.

John had also learned from Rev Chi the secret of "laying hold," a Chinese term which literally translated is "catch hold". Perhaps Jacob is best the personification of this vigorous Chinese expression. He learned from Rev Chi now how to "lay hold" of God, to "lay hold" of God's promises. By using this new term his faith in God answering his prayer increased. Now the northern wintry cold had descended in earnest. As he a southerner needed more warm clothing and he liked a skin-lined gown very much, he. "laid hold" of God's promises and asked specifically for it. Lo and behold, an old lady brought him a skin-lined gown shortly after this. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matt 7: 11).

After this Dr Sung and his partner Frank Ling headed south via Chaoyangchen to rendezvous with Andrew Gih and the others at Yingkow. Using the method of casting lots again John was detailed to speak at a Bible School and Andrew to hold meetings in a Church.  At the Bible School John felt a message on the "new birth" was what these Bible students needed. When the invitation was given to those who wanted to be born again a good many came forth. This got the evangelist in trouble with the principal who vouched his students were all "saved." Despite the principal's assurance and a superior theology the students were happy to make a public profess­ion any way. Dr Sung merely broke off argument with the principal but prayed the more for victory, knowing that spiritual warfare cannot be won by energy of the flesh or a superior intellect and knowledge.

Returning to Chaoyangchen to keep a promise, John scored another first in the northern country. It was at Chaoyangchen that he preached his first "Open the Coffin" sermon. As he preached he suddenly popped out a pint-size Chinese coffin, the full version of which is most ugly to behold. Opening the lid, he began to pull out its contents --- slips of paper on which the name of every conceivable sin was written --- from A to Z. As the Holy Spirit was mightily present with His servant when he called out these sins by their proper names one by one, many were convicted, drooping their heads. Church leaders, from as far as Kirin, came forward to confess their sins, and as John Sung prayed for them laying his hands, many were not only spiritually, but physically, restored.

The results of the Manchurian campaign bringing 3,000 to Christ in the autumn months of 1931 were so encouraging that plans were discussed to extend a Bethel Conference there. Another outreach was to go to Korea the summer of 1932. These plans nevertheless could not be carried out in a volatile Far East.

The time had come for the Band to return to their home base in Shanghai, but Dr Sung could not enjoy rest as the others. For, he had to keep an appointment with the American Southern Baptist Mission at Hwanghsien in Shan­tung Province. Here was a large mission centre replete with schools and a hospital. Here was a group in complete

sympathy with Dr Sung's message and method. For months the people's hearts were prepared by prayer, so now they were ready to hear the Word. With such co-operation from the missionaries, quite different from the situation in Man­churia, Dr Sung had an easy reaping. Many hearts were softened, and many were challenged to live for God.

Now, it was at Hwanghsien that one of the missionaries urged Dr Sung to lay hands on the sick. This was necessary not only for this part of China but practically everywhere. For medical services in China then were not only primitive but few and far in between. It happened there was a Mrs Lo who was a paralytic for eighteen years. Taking courage from the Lord John laid his hand upon her and commanding her to move, she got up and walked to the great joy of the people gathered. Being an illiterate woman her testimony was all the more straightforward. Her testimony turned many more to Christ over the Pintu district. "Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do: because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (Jn 14:12,13).

When John revisited Tsinan the "tongues" group accosted him again and even claimed him to be a charismatic. But John repudiated them as at the first, having found the answer of the gift of the Holy Spirit as that living spring of water flowing out of a born again people yielded to the Holy Spirit. John Sung's stress was tears and confession, not tongues in confusion.

In Tsinan Dr Sung was asked to speak to a group of students from Cheloo Christian University at the home of Dr Thomson Stearns. Out of this contact forty to fifty of China's future leaders were won to the Lord. John was one who would leave no stone unturned in his prosecution of the work of soul saving.

By this time war had disrupted railway communication to Shanghai. By being diverted to sail home from Tsingtao, the "Green Island" mentioned at the outset of his formally joining the Bethel Band, he would not let the days of waiting for a boat to slip by without something done for the Lord. Therefore he was content to speak at some specially con­vened meeting before taking leave of the disciples. Truly John Sung was China's John Wesley in that he had the same spirit as Wesley to go all out for Christ --- by every means, to the utmost, at all times.