THE DOVE PERIOD III

Southward Ho!
1935

From time immemorial China (Chung Kuo) has called herself the Middle Kingdom, when kings and emperors ruled. Although there are no more kings or emperors and the land has become a republic under Sun and Chiang, and now a people's republic under Mao and Teng, the name of Chung Kuo remains. Since there are no kings today China can call herself the Central Country or Nation. That is to say, China, having the largest population in the world, with a most ancient culture, has looked with pride upon herself, under any regime, as the centre of mankind. All not of China, or on the borders of China, are considered barba­rians.

With China as the centre of the world, the seas and oceans south of China are called Nanyang, which can be translated Southern Ocean or South Seas. The term Nanyang does not refer only to the water bodies but rather to all the lands and archipelagos that make up the southern regions, such as Indo-China, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia.

From time immemorial, wars and famine have driven the Chinese people, particularly those of the two southern provinces of Kwangtung and Fukien bordering the China Sea, to emigrate. As early as a thousand years ago, the Chinese began to migrate to the lands and islands of Southeast. Asia, for in West Borneo (Kalimantan) there is a town called Sambas visited by the writer which has evidence of a thousand-year old Chinese settlement. The story of Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho calling at Malacca on the Malay Peninsula in the fifteenth century is well-known to Malay­sians and Singaporeans, for an ancient well purporting to mark his exploits may be seen in Malacca town on the main highway to Kuala Lumpur the Malaysian capital.

But it was in the early nineteenth century that the people of Southern China began to embark on Nanyang in earnest, for example, the new trading station of Singapore, where with a wise government under Sir Stamford Raffles (1819), many had come to seek a better fortune. By the nineteen thirties, it was estimated there were over ten million Chinese all over Nanyang. This figure did not include five million Chinese of Fukienese stock settled in Formosa, then a Japanese colony.

Through the labor of western missionaries, an overseas Chinese Church was established. This Chinese Church was strengthened by converts from Kwangtung and Fukien who mingled with their compatriots to sail southwards, decade after decade, to Nanyang. The life of the far flung overseas Chinese Churches, however, was closely linked to the Church in China.

The Pentecostal Revivals shaking China through the labors of John Sung in the thirties found repercussions in the South Seas. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness" of the Church in China began to echo to her sons and daughters in Southeast Asia. It was the voice of a Chinese John the Baptist, the greatest preacher China had ever heard. As the overseas Chinese Church, like her mainland counterpart, was hungering and thirsting for righteousness, having heard of God's grace pouring down like the rain through His servant John Sung, they sent a Macedonian call to China, to Dr John Sung himself, "to come over and help us" (Acts 16:9). The first to send such an appeal was the Philippines.

Three churches in Manila - The Episcopal, the United Evangelical and the Christian Assembly Churches extended a united invitation to Dr Sung to conduct meetings, June 6th to 14th, 1935. Dr Sung gladly responded. Chinese of Hok­kien extraction especially came from Luzon and outlying islands to fill up the Chinese United Evangelical Church. Pastor Silas Wang of the United Church was the chief representative to welcome the doctor.

In true John Sung fashion meetings commenced as early as 5:30 am and 8 am. In the afternoon special services were held in English for the Filipinos. At night over a thousand attended. Out of this series of Revival meetings a strong Preaching Band was organized, headed by Miss Kho, head­mistress of the Westminster School. She led a party of twelve to attend the first Bible Institute at Hangchow, July 1935.

An outstanding convert was the Consul-General of China to the Philippines. A gambler and a drunkard this overseas Chinese official, however, did not repent until John Sung accosted him again in Nanking. Nevertheless he came to the meetings in Manila and here the seed of the Gospel was sown. This consul converted later in Nanking became war­den of a Bible School in Jakarta.

From Manila Dr Sung was taken to Cebu in the South where a special tent was erected in a timber yard. Here the Lord healed a man by his hand. This miracle is attested by Miss Hwang a deaconess of the Cebu Church. A newspaper editor surnamed Chow had a crooked back. Upon prayer being offered for him at the healing session, with the laying on of hand, he was seen to run outside the church where he stood up straight shouting, "I'm now straight again. I'm now straight again!" In gratitude this man organized a "Seed Sowers Fellowship" to propagate the Gospel.

Before the Manila crusade, Dr Sung was burdened for some months about the lack of systematic Bible teaching in the churches. To remedy this need he contrived a two-week Bible Institute to convene at Hangchow, July 1935. The Hangchow Bible Institute was an immediate success so that a foundation was laid for a second Bible Institute in Amoy.

From the Hangchow Bible Institute Dr Sung ventured out of China to Nanyang the second time, this time to Singa­pore, which is described in detail in Chapter 1, out of which this book is written. Praise God from whom all blessings flow, as a result of the John Sung visit, the lives of one thousand five hundred in Singapore were changed, whose fruits have remained to this day, fifty years after.

By way of refresher from another angle, it may be profitable to read the editorial comment on Dr Sung's visit to Singapore which is found in the October issue of the Malaysia Message 1935, official organ of the Methodist Church, as follows:-­

"The evangelistic campaign which has been held in the Chinese Churches by Dr John Sung during the month of September has been to us a revelation of the beauty and power of the Gospel of God. We are deeply grateful to the Singapore Chinese Church Union Committee for their wisdom and vision in inviting Dr Sung to come with his stirring messages into our Churches. Surely God has called Pastor Sung to be a mighty prophet and witness of the truth in these days when the spiritual life of society has been at such a low ebb. Through these meetings thousands of Christians have repented of their backslidings and of their spiritual torpor and have rededicated themselves to the service of the Master. Thousands of non-Christians have been attracted and won by the meetings and have declared it to be their purpose to join the Church and openly witness for Christ. The Bible Society of Singapore has never enjoyed such a sale of Chinese Bibles as has been the case during the last month. Thousands have learned to read and study in Chinese the Christian Gospel and what is equally important have learned that singly and in groups they can pour out their hearts to God in prayer. Thousands have joined hands to God in prayer. Thousands have joined bands of Christian workers who as lay evangelists have declared their purpose to spend at least one hour each week to testimony and evangelistic work, either in the homes or in the open air. One Sunday afternoon in Singapore one hundred preaching bands went out to various parts of the city to tell Christ's good news to those who would hear."

On the Malayan scene the following towns were visited, viz, Muar on the southwest coast, and Malacca, where William Milne helped Robert Morrison, first missionary to China (1807) to translate the Chinese Bible.

From Malacca Dr Sung motored to Seremban and from there to Penang. Here a union meeting of all the denomin­ations was held at an English-speaking Church. An outstand­ing example of repentance came from a brother of a Brethren Church who claimed he was following Jacob's example by marrying two sisters. Having seen the light by Dr Sung's sermons, he made proper settlement for this double involvement. When Satan quotes Scripture, beware!

From Penang Dr Sung crossed over to Medan in North Sumatra, then under Dutch rule. After Medan the evangel­ist returned to Malaya where he ministered at two more cities, Sitiawan on the west coast and Kota Bahru on the east.

Returning to Singapore where he had a second series of meetings, he returned by boat to China. In all these journeys Miss Leona Wu was his faithful interpreter. A total of five thousand souls were claimed in Nanyang for the Lord.