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THE BLOOD PERIOD III
Running the Race to the Very End If Shanghai in the north where John Sung had established his base of operations since the beginning of the Door Period was most ministered unto by Dr Sung, Singapore in the south may be said to be this field headquarters. Singapore was his field headquarters by reason not only of its central location in Southeast Asia, but also of her kindred spirit towards him in Miss Leona Wu, his faithful interpreter and successor. As president of the Singapore Christian Evangelistic League which was the organized body of the preaching bands founded by John Sung, and as principal of Chin Lien Bible School which she established May 14th, 1937 to further train John Sung converts for the Lord's vineyard, she was the power, with the united support of the League, to invite the evangelist to several more campaigns after the initial one (which was under the auspices of the Inter-Church Union). Chin Lien Bible School with Miss Ng Peck Luan, Miss Wu's assistant, was a Bethany to John Sung as the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus was for our Lord and His disciples. Indeed, this Bible School which is located at Green Lane in the suburbs, and over-shadowed by coconut palms in the midst of green meadows, was become his home away from home. Under the auspices of the Singapore Christian Evangelistic League a ten-day convention was scheduled for October 1938 at Zion Presbyterian Church, in the vicinity of the Bible School. In these meetings fifty-one more preaching bands were formed, raising the total number to 183. Leaving Singapore for Malaya Dr Sung revisited "K. L." the Malayan capital, Ipoh, Taiping, Sitiawan and Penang. Through Singapore God's abundant blessings by His servant were channeled to the big towns of Malaya, as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things" (Rom 10: 15). But at what a sacrifice of bodily strength on John Sung's part, one who did not spare himself to witness for His Lord, without a break! In this trip to Malaya he began to feel the old ailments coming back to him. The abscess operation he had in America left a pimplish scar, small though it was, which became a thorn in his flesh. But instead of taking rest from a creeping weariness and recurring pains, Dr Sung pressed on, like one running the last leg of a race, now, to witness for His Lord in the Dutch East Indies. January 13th, 1939 saw him take an aeroplane for the first time from Singapore to Surabaya in East Java whereby his campaign for Indonesia was launched. "Pulanglah, pulanglah!" - Coming home, Coming home (never more to roam) the first chorus the congregation was taught to sing signified the fact that in this new land of Nanyang the currency of the Malay language could not be ignored. So, for every meeting John Sung had to have two interpreters, one to translate into Hokkien or Hakka depending on the prevailing local Chinese dialect, and the other in Indonesian (a stronger strain over Peninsular Malay). The Dutch East Indies being of a Reformed background, they who inherited a formal and reserved culture were taken aback by John Sung's unorthodox style in preaching and praying which was uttered in a loud voice with everyone taking part. Nevertheless the power of the Gospel soon became its own credentials so that the audience adapted themselves to the preacher's ways without much difficulty. Miss Cornelie Baarbe a Dutch missionary to Central Java, though a little skeptical at first, threw herself into the campaign with all her might. The power of the Gospel was manifested again in a contention between two opinions, that of John Sung desiring an early morning meeting and that of the locals who felt it impractical. As the doctor had only one week for his sermons, he needed that extra morning meeting, so the people yielded. The Name of Jesus Christ was greatly magnified when these early morning meetings were fully attended because those Chinese who were shop keepers closed down their shops and came to Church en bloc – to the amazement of everyone. As John Sung had no energy this time to counsel between meetings, he asked all those who desired prayer to write their testimonies and submit them with a passport size photo attached. But he did not relent in his daily private devotions, getting up between 4 and 5 am, reading eleven chapters of his Bible on bend knees as always. Neither did Dr Sung relent in getting his converts organized into preaching bands for he saw that in a great archipelago like the Dutch East Indies, with its teeming multi-millions, unless the saved ones went out to look for the unsaved, how could the task be done? Besides the preaching bands he appealed the more for fulltime consecrators as he did everywhere before. Though he was tired of body, he continued to pray for the sick. One woman from Miss Baarbe's parish who had a grave illness was cured who thus became a ready helper to the missionary in gratitude for the Lord's healing touch upon her sick body. From Surabaya Dr Sung pursued his course, running resolutely his home stretch, faster and faster, taking on Madiun and Solo, the twin cities in the heart of the cultural centre of Java, Bandung and finally Batavia (Jakarta) the capital city. In Batavia the old Portuguese Church was filled with two thousand people every night, from which about five hundred were converted to Christ. The Dutch missionaries were amazed with the results and commented that the Pentecost that was brought by John Sung was like the revival in Wales. Besides the converts, forty-six Bible study groups were organized. This first campaign to the Dutch East Indies was concluded at the end of March when he was totally exhausted, which obliged him to sail back to Shanghai for a well-earned rest. But his heart became restless again the moment he felt well enough to run, so by May 18th, 1939 he appeared in Singapore again to take part in the first graduation exercises of Chin Lien Bible School. (Chin Lien means Gold Chain, which name was chosen by Miss Wu according to Song of Solomon 4:9). Simultaneously he had a special two-dayconference with the Evangelistic League at which he exhorted members as follows:-
I 1. Do not cease from your monthly fellowship meetings. 2. Be united and be "replenished with oil" if you are to shine for Christ. 3. Be united in finance as proof of your unity in Christ. 4. Monthly meetings of members should not exceed two hours. Participants in the presentation of items in song or testimony should come well prepared. Light refreshments should be served to promote closer fellowship. II Branches of the League should not go on their own without consultation with the leaders. Special attention must be paid to the choice of speakers, lest modernists and liberals infiltrate the flock. "To starve will not die, to eat poison will die!" III Establishment of Preaching Stations. These should be named after the district in which they are located, and should remain independent and self-reliant. The establishment of preaching stations is to win more souls for Christ. IV The copyright to John Sung Choruses is given to the Singapore Christian Evangelistic League.
Between May and August Dr Sung made a final trip to Malaya, holding more campaigns in the major cities and in Penang. Keeping his promise to return to the Dutch East Indies Dr Sung made a direct route to Batavia the capital city, August 10th, 1939, reappearing first in the old Portuguese Church. Again he received a tumultuous welcome, especially from the Chinese community. A rich towkay (proprietor) from Buitenzorg (Bogor) being enamored by the doctor, though not a Christian, presented him with an envelope containing money. Seeing through this man that he had not yet received Christ, he rejected the gift outright, which was a great loss of face for the opulent inquirer, but the evangelist did this not out of discourtesy, but rather with the earnest desire to bring hire to the Lord in repentance. When John Sung came to Bogor for the next campaign his host, perhaps with the above incident in mind, asked of the doctor what was the secret of his success. To which he replied, "Beware of money, beware of women, and beware of self-will, lest you walk outside of the Lord's will. If it is God's will, He will see to it all the way." Owing to some Immigration formalities Dr Sung was delayed from going to Bogor for his next campaign, but this served the higher purpose of God to get a tent seating 2,000 erected, for there was no church in town able to take so many. Despite much pain and discomfort Dr Sung preached with greater power so that when the invitations were given a total of nine hundred came to the Lord, weeping in repentance. From Bogor Dr Sung pressed on to the northern port of Cheribon (Tjirebon) and from Cheribon to Semarang when again the attendance, mostly Chinese, exceeded a thousand. Pressing on farther eastwards in volcanic country, he preached in Magelang and at Poerworedjo and then at Djocja (Djocjakarta), the centre of Javanese culture, the famous Borobadur situated in its vicinity. After revisiting Solo he reached the climax of this expedition by coming back to Surabaya, his previous port of entry to Java. When Dr Sung arrived he found a mat shed erected which could take in 4,000 which reminded him of both the Amoy and Taiwan Pentecost. Here was to be held a ten-day All-Java Bible School, September 19th to 29th. Apart from a total turnout of Christians in Surabaya to this mammoth meeting, two thousand from all over Java, from every city visited by the evangelist, converged to hear Dr Sung for the last time. On this occasion Dr Sung taught the Book of Mark, the purpose of it being to train the 635 Preaching Bands how to witness to the millions around them. These 635 Bands were recruited from a total of 4,000 souls saved. In the evening the mat shed erected for 4,000 was found to be too small. At least 5,000 representing many races and languages were attracted to the meetings because John Sung preached none other doctrine than Jesus Christ and Him crucified, risen and coming again. Yes, the last meeting was reserved for the proclamation of the Second Coming of Christ. Before our Lord's Coming the evangelist warned of many sufferings, even of wars, which was prophetically fulfilled in a couple of years. Dutch missionaries who stood aloof when John Sung came the first time now threw in their lot heartily with the evangelist which was to their own good and to the glory of God. Having received invitations from Celebes and Ambon in the Moluccas, Dr Sung boarded a ship at Surabaya September 30th, 1939 when he was sent off by hundreds of well-wishers, which reminded him of Singapore. For the call had come first from Macassar (Ujung Pandang) in the Celebes (Sulawesi) where there were Chinese churches and a big Chinese community. Macassar was where Dr R. A. Jaffray of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and Rev Leland Wang had established the headquarters of the Chinese Overseas Missionary Union which appointed Rev Jason Linn and Rev Paul Lenn of Pioneering in Dyak Borneo fame to the interior of East Borneo. From Macassar the intrepid messenger of God made the last leg of his marathon to Ambon in the Moluccas, beyond which are the wild tribes of New Guinea. Settled by the Dutch in the very early days of colonization the population had become nominally Christian. Holding to a stiff Dutch tradition some of the Church leaders in Ambon were prejudiced against Dr Sung and his methods, particularly laying hand on the sick. In spite of opposition, the Lord gave His servant resounding victory in this his final run to the Indies. Returning to his "field headquarters" in Singapore, on November 13th, 1939, Dr Sung spoke to the members of three Fukienese Churches at the Foochow Methodist Church, not knowing this was his farewell message to the whole of Singapore. During a week's meetings he registered another three hundred forty-nine conversions with the forming of twenty-one more preaching bands. When the week's meetings were concluded, he made his last trip to Malaya where he preached in the inland mountain town of Bentong on the other side of the famous Fraser's Hills. From Bentong he went on to Klang and from Klang to Penang. When he returned to Singapore to embark for Shanghai he lovingly promised to return in 1940, but that was the last we saw of him.
"I'll go where you want
me to go, dear Lord, |
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