Read Books with INTENTIONAL EFFORT #LeadersAreReaders December 2023

Perhaps the problem with our reading isn’t the lack of time or interest but how we approach books. Reading is a skill and it takes an INTENTIONAL EFFORT to read with a purpose. Eugene Peterson writes, “Among our ancestors reading involved a seeking after wisdom, becoming a mature person. With us, it is more likely to be a retrieval of information so that we can answer a question or do a job. Spiritual reading is not contemptuous of information, but it has wisdom for its goal: becoming true and good, not just knowing the facts of life...” (Eat This Book, pg. 241).

Reading for information may be necessary, but it won't make us mature. Reading, alongside spiritual disciplines such as prayer and meditation, can be life-giving! God will reveal Himself and His truth to us through these practices. Words have the power - especially the Scripture - not only to transmit information, but through the work of the Holy Spirit, they can supernaturally awaken our hearts and impact our lives. Books can draw us closer to the heart of God. So, read! Read with INTENTIONAL EFFORT.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #ReadWithIntentionalEffort #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

The Life and Ministry of John Sung (2012) by Lim Ka-Tong, Book Review

 The Life and Ministry of John Sung (2012) by Lim Ka-Tong

When I read Roland H. Bainton's Here I Stand on the Life of Martin Luther the Reformer, I was amazed. Luther had done many great things for God, His Word, and His people. I admired him, and he is one of my heroes of faith. But Luther was far from being a saint on earth. I learned about the German Peasant's War, the hatred of the Jews (anti-Semitism), and other dark sides contributed by Luther and his writings. Of course, Sung Shangjie (nicknamed Tian-En) or John Sung does not have the same level of dark sides as Luther, but he does have lots of weaknesses, especially in his younger years. He was hot-tempered, headstrong, impatient, and hard to be with. He was very critical of Western and even local missionaries. Because he traveled long, far, and frequently, he missed all of his children's births. Although his family never complained (he was a good son, husband, and father), early in his ministry his absence contradicted his sermon on the importance of family worship. But due to God's immeasurable grace, He used John Sung - and Martin Luther - greatly. This reminds me of Samson in Judges 13–16, a problematic and flawed character, yet his name is listed in Hebrews 11's The Hall of Faith. John Sung was indeed among "a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith" (Hebrews 12:1), encouraging and cheering us through his life and dedication to run the race God has set before us. Let us imitate John Sung just as he imitated Christ!

I've read John Sung's biographies by Leslie T. Lyall, Timothy Tow, and William E. Schubert. They are amazing! But this one by Lim Ka-Tong is a very comprehensive, well-researched, and fair account of a very important (but sadly, less known) figure of Chinese Christianity not only in China but also in Southeast Asia. Sung is variously remembered as the "Wesley of China", the "Billy Sunday of China", the "Billy Graham of China", "the Apostle of China", "the greatest evangelist China has ever known", and the "bright star in the crown of Hinghwa." A man such as John Sung, powerfully used by God, is worthy of being remembered by Christians around the world, and this book gives him such honor. I was very fascinated by the interesting details and facts that Ka-Tong found about John Sung that I had never heard of before from other authors. The first chapter on sociopolitical and theological background in early twentieth-century China helped me to understand what shaped John Sung's mind, and chapter two on his formative years helped me to see why John Sung's faith was genuine, contagious, and bold. In summary, Ka-Tong wrote: "John Sung's ministry was based on his intensive reading of the Bible and his reliance on the Holy Spirit. His conservative evangelical faith exerted great influence on the Chinese church, even to this day. This is remarkable because John Sung was not a trained theologian, his life was so brief, and he never founded any organization to carry on his ministry."

Indeed, his brief 12 years of public ministry, were divided into 5 periods - The Water Period: Re-Immersion (1927-1930), The Door Period: Openings (1931-1933), The Dove Period: Time to Soar (1934-1936), The Blood Period: War-Time Spiritual Warrior (1937-1939), and The Tomb Period: Pastoral Years (1940-1944) - have had a great impact that has endured through the years until today. For example, during the Dove Period around 1936, John Sung went to Borneo: "Sung's only visit to Sarawak brought great awakening to the cities of Sibu and Sarikei. He held 10-day meetings in each city. In Sibu alone, 1,583 confession letters were received, and 464 committed themselves to sharing the Good News weekly. He likewise saw a wonderful response in Sarikei, although he had to compete against a circus that was in town. According to a researcher who studied the church and mission in Sarawak, Sung's ministry brought on 'a time for renewal' which provided 'fresh impetus for witness and church planting.'" In this book, John Sung's life is portrayed in very colorful and realistic ways. Here we can see his humanness, his struggles with spiritual warfare (the world, the flesh, and the Devil), and his reliance on God's Word and the Holy Spirit. Here also, we can learn about the power of fellowship, friendship, partnership (Sung tends to be a soloist, but don't forget about the contribution of the Bethel Evangelistic Band to his ministry!), forgiveness, discipleship, prayer, revivals, and the blood of Jesus to change lives!

I fully recommend this book, especially for full-time workers, pastors, teachers, and evangelists in Malaysia. It's time for us to NOT ONLY look at famous Western Christian leaders like Martin Luther or John Calvin but also at Asian Christian leaders like John Sung, Andrew Gih, Watchman Nee, Wang Mingdao, Leland Wang, Chu Ki-chol, Sadhu Sundar Singh, Petrus Octavianus, Thomas Chung, etc. They are what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: "Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you" (1 Corinthians 1:26). What makes them great is not their wisdom, power, or wealth, but because God is great. Perhaps they would echo the Scripture, "If I want to boast, I will only boast about the LORD!" I think that is a fitting summary of John Sung's life. Amen.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #JohnSung #Biography #HeroesOfFaith #AsianChristianLeaders #ChinaRevivals #GodOfTheBible #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my other book reviews/summaries, CLICK HERE

To read my other book reviews on/about John Sung, CLICK HERE

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

The Real Christ: Reevaluating How We See Jesus, According to Scripture (1920, 2020, audiobook) by Reuben A. Torrey, Book Review

Any book by the late R. A. Torrey is worth reading and listening to. Like Charles Spurgeon said about John Bunyan, "His blood is Bibline," meaning to say read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. In this book, Mr. Torrey desires to portray the real Christ, the Christ of actual fact, in all of His many characteristics and complete love, holiness, zeal, and glory. That portrait is from God’s own Word, the Bible. My favorite chapter is Chapter 8: His Manliness. Here are some quotes that I would like to highlight:

"While Christ was more gentle than the gentlest mother, He was at the same time the strongest and most vigorous of all the sons of men."

"To be a true follower of Jesus, one must be a fearless fighter as well as a gentle comforter."

"Remember, meekness is not weakness, and humility is not servility."

"The manliness of our Lord Jesus was manifested in His unhesitating acceptance of torture and agony in order to save others from suffering and ruin, rather than yielding one iota of the truth. Our Lord Jesus could have escaped the cross if He had been willing to compromise with the religious rulers of the day who oppressed the masses. Yes, He could have escaped easily, but He would not. He pursued the path of absolute allegiance to God and His truth though the cross loomed black and threatening in the path. He did not deviate one step in order to avoid the cross."

Chapters on His Holiness and His Prayerfulness are also very good - and challenging. As I said earlier, any book by R. A. Torrey is worth reading and listening to. You can read the PDF updated version online and listen to the audiobook on YouTube by Aneko Press HERE: https://anekopress.com/product/the-real-christ/ 

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheRealChrist #ReubenATorrey #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Beyond AD 2000: A Call to Evangelical Faithfulness (1999) by Hwa Yung, Book Review

Beyond AD 2000: A Call to Evangelical Faithfulness (1999) by Hwa Yung

This is an essay by Bishop Emeritus Dr. Hwa Yung, when he was a principle of Seminari Theologi Malaysia (STM), addressing his concern for the Malaysian Church, especially the evangelicals, to “be the ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’, to bear witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit in word and deed, and to proclaim to all humanity that the gospel ‘is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.’” This essay was first written in a shorter form around 1994 and expanded into a longer essay in 1999 outlines six (6) agendas for evangelicals in Malaysia as he looked ahead toward the year 2000 and beyond. Bishop’s knowledge of the history of the evangelical movement is admirable. It shows clearly in Chapter 2: Evangelical Strengths and Weaknesses before he dives into the main issues. I have to admits that the cover and the title of this essay are unattractive (dear publisher, sorry), so it takes years for me to grab it and read (now you know how important is a first impression, right?). But when I take a second look at the table of contents, I was struck by the urgency and relevancy of the agendas that Bishop was so concerned about 22 years ago. Here are the first three agendas and my comments on each:

Agenda One: The Primacy of Scripture. The first strength of the historic evangelicalism was the sola scriptura (Scripture alone) principle. “Yet,” Hwa Yung observes, “there are clear signs that evangelicals in Malaysia are losing their grip on the primacy of Scripture in their life and ministry.” I agree. I’m a bookworm. In Malaysia or Sarawak to be exact, there are very few bookstores. And sadder still is that there are very rare Christian bookstores. And if you find one or two, you’ll be amazed by the kind of books that are available. “The books that really sell are those centered on experience, rather than on the Word.” The author said that this is a reflection of the spiritual state of our own churches. I would like to add: the decline of reading habits among Malaysian Christians nowadays is a sure correlation with the decline of reading Scripture for themselves. If Scripture is not read, then, the primacy of Scripture is non-existence. Besides that, “many Christians appear to accept rather uncritically the misleading and wrong teachings that have been often meted out to them, supposedly from the Bible.” Careless interpretation of Scripture as one of the products of liberal Christianity also contributes to the problem. Hwa Yung's advice is first, we must strongly emphasize again the sola scriptura principle today; secondly, we must make every effort to master God’s Word and be mastered by it; and thirdly, teach it properly and faithful to God’s people.

Agenda Two: The Holy Spirit and Revival. “The second great strength of evangelicalism has been its recognition of the place the Holy Spirit plays in bringing new life to the individual and revival to the church.” It seems to me, as a Borneoan, the East Malaysian churches here are very into the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the yearning for revival in our land. The good side of these emphasizes is that our understanding of Christianity should not just be about knowledge but also experience. But there are dangers too such as extremism, triumphalism, and anti-intellectualism. Added with the lack of the primacy of Scripture, our churches are exposed to the heresies of the hyper-charismatic, the prosperity gospel, and false teachings in general. Thus, we need to “hold Spirit and God’s Word together in proper harmony.” I have a copy of Colin Whittaker’s Great Revivals (1984) where he reviews revivals from the days of the great awakening under Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley, right up to the thrilling move of the Holy Spirit in Communist China. One thing I noticed is that the inseparable partnership of Spirit and Word that gave birth to genuine revivals. What God has joined together, let no one separate! At the end of this chapter, Bishop encourages this reader to learn from Asian Christian leaders of the past such as Sadhu Sundar Singh, John Sung, and Petrus Octavianus. Why? Because they, in his opinion, “combined outstanding demonstrations of signs and wonders in their ministries with a strong biblical stress on the holiness of character and sacrificial living.” Not to mention, as exemplified by one of my heroes Dr. John Sung, they were also Bibline. 

Agenda Three: Evangelism And Cross-Cultural Missions. This agenda is kind of obvious. What is being an evangelical if not engage in evangelism? But don’t be surprised that many Malaysian churches today, especially the natives in my view, have neglected the mandate to proclaim the gospel (Greek, euangelion, means good news) to the world. Most of the Christian events that I’ve seen nowadays are very inward focus, rarely do I see about witnessing to the unbelievers or the challenge to the mission. We need to commit ourselves again to the Great Commission as commanded - NOT suggested - by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. “The first is the work of evangelism within our own country,” equips Hwa Yung, “The second is the work of cross-cultural missions overseas.” One question that stuck with me that the Bishop asked is this: “Are we really serious?” You and I might see the importance of this agenda but are we really serious about doing it? Do my finance, choices, and ministry agree with it? This chapter is an easy read but hard to swallow. The author gave the example of the Nestorian Church of Persia, despite the pressures and persecution it faced, during the early part of the 8th century up to the 14th, the church was the most powerful missionary force in the whole Christian world. Reason being? “Strong evidence exists to suggest that it was the missionary spirit of the church which fed back into the life of the mother church in Persia, to constantly renew its vitality, and turned it outwards instead of inwards as it did elsewhere. In other words, because it was willing to give life to others, it was itself given new life.”

Agenda Four: Social Responsibility In God’s World; Agenda Five: Personal Holiness And Christian Character; and Agenda Six: The Heart of the Gospel - The Cross. Again, although this essay was written about 22 years ago, the agendas that Bishop Hwa Yung outlines here are still reverent and all the more urgent for today to call us to evangelical faithfulness. I’ve been blessed by the message and am grateful for the reminder. I wish he would revisit this essay and write a full book about it with new materials, updates, and exclusively aim for the Malaysian church. He did a condensed version of his earlier book, Mangoes Or Banana? The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology (1997), to Toward an Asian Theology (2020), so it is possible, right? Come on Bishop!

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #EvangelicalFaithfulness #BishopHwaYung #MalaysianChurch #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my other #1Book1Week Book Reviews, CLICK HERE

To read my review of Hwa Yung’s Bribery and Corruption: Biblical Reflections and Case Studies for the Marketplace in Asia (2018), CLICK HERE

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Strength for the Storm (first published, 1988) translated by Arthur Reynolds, Book Review

Strength for the Storm (first published, 1988) translated by Arthur Reynolds

This is the subtitle of the book: "Spiritual lessons - from Wang Mingdao, John Sung and other Chinese preachers - which prepared the Church for suffering." Did you catch that? "Prepared the Church for suffering"!? Not to avoid suffering or to philosophized suffering or to think positive about suffering but to prepare, to expect, and to get ready for the imminent coming of suffering to the church. Jesus Christ reminds His followers, "In the world, you shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). Paul told Timothy the cost of following Christ, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). The glorified Christ said to the church of Smyrna, "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). It is no doubt, based on Biblical witnesses, that the true Church of God a.k.a. committed Christ-followers WILL suffer persecution in some form and to some degree or another. But I want to warn us about these two things. First, suffering for doing evil or wrong things doesn't count (read 1 Peter 2:20, 3:17). If you're an irresponsible citizen of Malaysia or teach false teachings, then, the suffering you are experiencing is deserving. And secondly, don't fall into a destructive psychological behavior martyr complex (victim complex) where you seek suffering to 'prove' your commitment. There is no room for victim mentality in the people with the mind of Christ.

"By their sturdy faith and indomitable courage the churches in China, like the church of the Thessalonians, have become a pattern for believers beyond their boundaries," writes Arthur Reynolds, who was an OMF missionary in China and Japan in the 30s to 60s. "From the time of the Boxer Rising in 1900, if not much earlier, the Christians in China have learned to live with persecution. No period of testing has proved fiercer, longer-lasting, or more widespread than that which began before mid-century, in which one upheaval followed another. More recently the situation for the Christian community has somewhat eased. But there is still a long way to go." In this dark period of China, the light of the Gospel shine slowly but surely. It all begins with the sovereignty of God and the promise of the Messiah when He said, "On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). It was He who send pioneer missionaries to China from all over the world and through their persevering and sacrificial work, God raised a unique group of Chinese Christian leaders, to whom He gave special gifts of preaching and teaching. Their ministries were to "build up the churches and prepare them to face the fiery trials ahead." The spiritual lessons covered in the book are actually translated sermons by men such as Wang Mingdao (an example of Peter's restoration), John Sung (one of my heroes of faith), Marcus Cheng, David Yang, Wilson Wang, C.K. Cheng, and Min Ruji. Of course, there were many other outstanding men and women of God in the history of Christianity in China. These are just the samples of the faithful men and their message.

What makes these men outstanding? Arthur Reynolds explains: "In my view, it is the combination of three notable features. 1) Their gifts and abilities; 2) Their character and conduct; and 3) Their readiness to endure hardship. In other words, they have exercised a powerful and influential ministry of preaching; they have lived lives of known integrity; and as the consequence of their loyalty, both to the Lord and the Faith, they have experienced hardship, loss, and persecution. They have been refined in the fire." These lessons were written with sweat and blood! I have been encouraged and challenged when I read this book. Their doctrine is Christ-centered, their content is Bible-saturated, and their style is Eastern-sound and heart-warming. My favorite chapters are Unfolding the Gospel (Chp. 1), Exalting the Lord Jesus Christ (Chp. 2), Challenging Young People (Chp. 7) & Encouraging the Downhearted and Troubled (Chp. 8). As I closed this book, I wonder, are we - Christian preachers and teachers in Malaysia, especially in Sarawak - preparing the church for suffering? Have we personally suffered for Christ? Or, are the false gospels of health and wealth, liberalism and pluralism, tolerance and cowardice blinded us from proclaiming the true Gospel of Christ that saved us? The storm is coming… are you ready? #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #1Book1Week #GrowingLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #StrengthForTheStorm #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain 

Read other related book reviews too:

I Remember John Sung (1976) by William E. Schubert https://legasitv.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-review-i-remember-john-sung-1976.html

A Biography of John Sung (2004) by Leslie T. Lyall https://legasitv.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-biography-of-john-sung-2004.html 

Sit, Walk, Stand (1957) by Watchman Nee https://legasitv.blogspot.com/2018/08/book-review-sit-walk-stand-1957-by.html 

Watchman Nee, Man of Suffering (1998) by Bob Laurent https://legasitv.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-review-watchman-nee-man-of.html 

The Coming Chinese Church (2013) by Paul Golf https://legasitv.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-coming-chinese-church-2013-by-paul.html

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The Coming Chinese Church (2013) by Paul Golf, Book Review

The Coming Chinese Church: How Rising Faith In China Is Spilling Over Its Boundaries (2013) by Paul Golf with Pastor Lee

While I'm away for an Instagram break (https://www.instagram.com/legasi.tv/), I finished three other books but didn't get to share it. It’s okay, end of this month I will write a short summary for each book 😉

Now about this book: Wow! God really works in China as more and more people are turning to Him for salvation and hope. In the past, the West send missionaries who were willing to sacrifice themselves (even die) to preach the Gospel to the Chinese people. The minorities that become Christians were being persecuted and just like in the Book of Acts, they strive and prosper during hardship. As they grew in numbers, God moved their hearts to bless other nations too by sending missionaries to preach the Gospel back to the West and to the rest of the world. They do this to honor their spiritual heritage and driven by the vision that God has called them to, namely, Back to Jerusalem.

As always, I'm inspired by how simple and trustful their faith is. Admittedly, their knowledge of the Scripture (in the past) was not that good but with what they know, they really believe in God with all their hearts and souls. Two main weapons of the Chinese Church are 1) praise & worship and; 2) strong prayer life. No wonder God can do so many miracles in their midst! ⚡ (Personally, I think the coronavirus pandemic that started in Wuhan last few months is both natural and spiritual warfare. Just like how people are 'programmed' to hate the Jews in the past and even today; in the same way, this pandemic causes people to stigmatize the Chinese from China)

The believers work hard, the Devil works even harder, but God's will always win 💪 Are you ready? The Chinese Church is coming! #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeader #1Book1Week #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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I Remember John Sung (13 Chapters) Series on YouTube and Podcast

This is my third book on the life of John Sung, Chinese greatest evangelist. The first one is Leslie T. Lyall’s A Biography of John Sung (2004), Timothy Tow’s The Asian Awakening (1988) and this one - William E. Schubert's I Remember John Sung (1976). I think I’ve read this one 5 times! This book is much shorter but compares to other biographies of Dr. Sung, this one is more personal because William Schubert “was Dr. Sung’s intimate friend… who knew him, prayed with him, worked with him and has shown sympathy for him in his difficulties.”

Schubert wrote this in his first paragraph: “Dr. John Sung was probably the greatest preacher of this century... in pulpit power, attested by amazing and enduring results.” Listen to this series, dare to be challenged by John Sung's life and follow the example of his faith (refers to Hebrews 13:7). May God raises more John Sungs today! Amen #ServeToLead #IRememberJohnSung

To listen to I Remember John Sung YouTube series, CLICK LINKS below:

1) Review, Foreward & Preface (https://youtu.be/m8Rv5p-PkIk)

2) Introduction by William E. Schubert (https://youtu.be/RuvxavzRs1c)

3) Face to Face with Christ (https://youtu.be/b-aBZwC5eXI)
4) Five Three-Year Periods (https://youtu.be/062KBwf62zE)

5) Revival In Answer to Prayer (https://youtu.be/8SBxzlj1ZR8)

6) The Nanchang Pentecost (https://youtu.be/xaT9zv7Xsa4)

7) All Our Preachers Born Again that Night (https://youtu.be/fRcxYWEn5EY)

8) Revival In Spite of Opposition (https://youtu.be/kPQ12sKQukM)

9) A Man of One Book (https://youtu.be/8-4M7ykIR00)

10) Close Dealing with Seekers (https://youtu.be/Ou15rZOQnIc)

11) Holy Spirit the Secret of Success (https://youtu.be/rDApRRm-nW4)

12) A Great Revival Promised (https://youtu.be/T3DvJE64Ac4)

13) Last Illness, Sorrow, Humility & Death (https://youtu.be/-pBZ70gDlIQ)

You can listen to this series through podcast too:
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Pray for North Korea: Will Be the Next World's Greatest Revival?

[This article originally appeared on the Open Doors Australia blog by Mike Gore. Edited version, mine]

Over the last few weeks I’ve read post after post on my newsfeed of the tension increasing between North Korea and the US, South Korea and China. It made me think particularly of the church in North Korea. On top of being one of the most oppressive countries in the world, North Korea is also the hardest place on the planet to be a Christian. It’s illegal to own a Bible, and Christians face severe punishment and life in a labour camp if their faith is discovered. I heard from a friend and colleague, Ron Boyd MacMillan, about the time he met a believer who shared about the greatest revival in the modern world. It was in a country under a harsh dictatorship, yet it was a dictator that God used to bring revival–in China.

A toast to Mao Zedong

Statues of Mao

Just months after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, Ron met Mr. Bao in China. Mr. Bao was a professor by day, but at night taught the Bible in underground churches. Ron was invited to meet with Mr. Bao and other Christians in Beijing. Shortly after he arrived, the Chinese Christians raised their glasses and shared a toast, to Mao Zedong–one of the worst dictators in the modern world. Ron was confused, he asked Mr. Bao, “Surely Mao was a monster?”

“God has a use for monsters too!” Mr. Bao replied. “Mao said we were going to build heaven on earth. He said we would build it through truth. He said we could only do it by faith–in each other. He said we would be part of an eternal China. Then he organised us. Gave us hymns to sing. He instituted rituals of confession and repentance, called ‘struggle meetings’. He even forced us all to get together into small groups and expound a ‘sacred’ text together. At the height of it all he would gather us together at Tiananmen Square. Millions would crowd in, especially the youth. Mao would walk out onto the balcony and spread his arms sideways, palms raised almost in the crucifixion position–the crowd would thunder back their adulation, slapping their little red books to their breast. He wouldn’t need to say a thing.”

Ron asked what was he doing, playing god? “Exactly!” was Mr. Bao’s response. “He taught the Chinese people how to worship.” Meo Zedong became a ‘god’, a jealous god. No other gods were allowed. He closed the churches, jailed pastors, burned Bibles – he tried to wipe out the church, and many Christians died.

So How Does that Bring Us to the World’s Greatest Revival?

After Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, freedom increased, people were able to travel around the country. So Christians went from village to village with the gospel. Mr Bao was one of them. He said, “We would start telling them about Jesus Christ and the people would shout, ‘Stop–we want to believe!’ I would tell them wait a minute. You haven’t heard the whole story yet, and they would say, ‘No, this is the God who Mao taught us to look for. We thought it was Mao who would save us, but it cannot be because he died. We see now that it must be Jesus.’” By the mid 1980’s, it’s estimated 50 million people had come to faith in Jesus.

“That’s why we say Mao brought us this huge revival,” said Mr Bao, “He created a society full of worshippers and when their object died, they became a society of seekers intent on finding another god. Mao thought he was the largest annihilator of the church; in fact he was doing the pre-evangelism on a scale unique in human history. Mao meant it for evil but God meant it for good. Mao was used to prepare this country for the greatest outpouring of the Spirit ever seen in his church. He’s God’s fool! He planted in the people’s hearts the desire for true religion then failed them so spectacularly that they kept seeking until they found the one true God.”

What Does this Mean for North Korea?

The Kim's statues

For decades, the people of North Korea have been ruled by the Kim dynasty. People are forced to worship their ‘dear leader’ Kim Jong-un, who promotes himself as an all-powerful god. They must attend weekly meetings and memorise communist ideology. They even have a kind of religion written by Kim Il Sung known as ‘Juche’. They have limited TV channels and websites, and an underground market to purchase goods from abroad. Some North Koreans even think he can read their minds.

Sound familiar? What would happen in North Korea if the current leadership dissolved? North Koreans have been taught to worship the Kim’s as gods–as their saviour. What will happen when they are free to hear about the One True Saviour, Jesus?

Oh yes!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.