Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 26 (Final)

This is the final post of my series on Stephen Tong Evangelistic Rally of Sibu. In this finishing touch, I am going to share a dedicated blog on Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's sermons.

The blogger is Mejlina Tjoa who is an Indonesian lady currently residing in Melbourne. She put in admirable efforts to blog her personal summaries of Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's sermons. In her disclaimer, she states that "This is my personal summary of Dr. Stephen Tong's sermons, NOT to be taken as official transcripts of the preaching in STEMI/GRII. The summaries have not been checked by Dr. Stephen Tong himself, and STEMI/GRII shall not be held responsible for my materials."

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's books are mostly in Mandarin. This blog provides a good reading material for those who are illiterate in Mandarin to read about Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's sermons.

It is a blessing to read the blog. Have a good time!

http://www.stephentongsermons.blogspot.com

The above photo shows Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong in a group photo with all the coworkers after preaching on the third night. Photo: Liong

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 25

Photo (1)

Photo (2)

Photo (3)

Photo (4)

It was thirty-five years ago in 1975 that Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong came to Sibu to preach for the first time. At the age of thirty-five then, his vocal strength was pretty astounding. Age has crept up on his face. But his service to God has not decelerated with aging. May God continue to bless Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong with the best of health and lead him to where the Almighty wants him to go.

Photo (1) shows Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong preaching at Padang Tuanku Haji Bujang, Sibu in an open-space gospel rally in 1996. With him was Rev. Siew Chiu Huo who acted as Foochow translator. The gospel rally, organised by Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference of Methodist Church, attracted a congregation of ten thousand. It was a blessing that my parents were moved to attend the rally. Seriously, it was not easy to get my father going! My dad told me more than one time that Rev. Stephen Tong was very respectful.

Photo (2) shows some participants of gospel rally disembarking from the motor launches. In 1977 when Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong came to Sibu for the second time to preach, the organiser Methodist Church chartered a few motor launches to transport participants from down-Rajang rural areas. It was a pretty touching scene, showing the eagerness of rural folks for God's word. I missed the rally as I was at Taylor's College, KL in 1977.

Photo (3) shows Stephen Tong Gospel Rally of Sibu in 1983. The first night of it was caught in a torrential rain, making it one of my most cherished memories.

Photo (4) shows Rev. Stephen Tong preaching at Stephen Tong Gospel Rally of Sibu in 1977. Rev. Siew Chiu Huo teamed up with him to give Foochow translation. The duo made the ministry a great honour to God!

The last picture shows Stephen Tong Gospel Rally of Sibu in 1996.

My heartfelt thanks go to brother Meng Lei for the valuable photos. May God continue to bless him in his photoshooting!

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 24

The straight three-night evangelistic rally given by Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong was brought to a conclusion by the grace of our Heavenly Father. The rally left much for Sibu Christians to reflect upon!

In all honesty, had we as God-loving Christians from different denominations put good efforts into this rally? Let us hold ourselves to be answerable and accountable to God! The turnout for the three nights showed that there was a lot more space to be filled up. Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong reminded the congregation more than one time in his message," You have to be diligent in serving God."

The speaker's message for the three nights was both evangelical and revival. More than half of the congregation were Christians coming from various churches of different denominations. Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's message was spiritually uplifting. Those participants who opened themselves up to God's words would have been the reapers!

There has got to be a systematic follow-up for the newly committed. Don't let them slip off down the road! Churches have got to take it up to bring them up.

God has enriched Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong with strength to carry on God's work. At 70, he has set no agenda yet to retire. "With God's blessings, I wish to come back for gospel rallies in Sarawak in three years' time. I plan to have them in Mandarin with BM translation." I salute Rev. Tong for being untiring in serving God!

Photo: Ting Leng Kieh

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu - Part 23

Photo: Steve Ling

Photo: Steve Ling

Photo: Liong

Torrential rain came down in less than two hours after the evangelistic rally was called to adjourn at Sibu Town Square. Praise Lord for the wonderful timing in giving the nourishing rain! On the prayer list, one of the items was to ask for fine weather. Our loving God answered our call!

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 22

The evangelistic rally went into its second night tonight. The organiser arranged a Q&A session starting at 6:00pm prior to the gospel rally proper. The session ran for exactly 90 minutes. Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong handled all the questions impressively well, in his usual straight-to-the-point and bible-based style.

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's preaching centred on faith and salvation. "Your acts do not save you. Salvation comes to you only by your faith in God through Christ Jesus," he told the congregation.

The word of God through Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong together with the work of Holy Spirit again moved participants to commit their lives to God.

Towards the end when the speaker started calling those committed to Jesus Christ to move forward, light drizzle started to fall. It turned heavier in a short while. Praise Lord for the perfect timing of rain.

At 5:00pm, it was upsetting to see gloom gathering over Sibu sky. I prayed with Yian before we left for Sibu Town square, asking God to dispel the dark clouds. Praise Lord for His work!

See you tomorrow at Sibu Town Square for the final session of the evangelistic rally!

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 21

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong - The Power of Faith

Joint Choir

The work of Holy Spirit!

The three-night evangelistic rally took off the ground tonight. Before we left for Sibu Town Square, the venue where the rally is held, we noted that the sky had turned dark and there were drops of rain coming down. Seeing the dismal condition, we prayed to God to drive the raining clouds away.

We arrived half an hour before the scheduled time. The site was still sparse. As you all know, Sibuians are habitual late-comers. It was only at 7:30pm that the place started to get filled up. By a rough estimate, the participants came up to more than 5,000. Praise Lord for that!

The rally tonight had a pretty smooth running. Praise goes to our God for the guidance. The blessings of God came in giving fine weather and peaceful surroundings. It was marvellous that only moments ago the sky was still gloomy and in the blink of an eye, the sky turned clear.

In his gospel message, Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong made no blurry terms about the grants to the Methodist churches in the recent campaigning for P212 Sibu by-election. In his usual straightforward manner, Rev. Stephen Tong spoke out sternly, basing on biblical teachings, the practice of this nature. There is really much for us to reflect upon.

A few hundred participants were moved by Holy Spirit and they responded to the speaker's call to join him in prayer. Praise God for the work of Holy Spirit!

Please continue to pray for the evangelistic rally as it moves on to the second night. Tomorrow night there shall be one hour and half of Q&A starting at 6:00pm prior to the rally proper. You are most welcome to partake of it.

Photo source: Steven Wong

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 20

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong arrived here today for his evangelistic rally scheduled from 17th to 19th of May at Sibu Town Square. The target for the rally is at 10,000 people per night. Please pray hard for it.

Part of the programme of this mission-bound trip to Sibu is to give an open theological lecture at The Masland Methodist Church this afternoon at 2:00pm for a duration of two hours.

Themed "The Investments of Satan and The Collapse of Christians", the open lecture gathered approximately 2,000 church members to partake of the exposition.

At 70, Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong does not quite look his age. I last saw him in 1996 when he came to Sibu to preach at a gospel rally held at Padang Sukan Tuanku Haji Bujang. Gee, he does not seem to have changed much since then.

Right at the start, Rev. Dr. tephen Tong admitted having poor health. The age apparently has worn out his sonorous voice. May God bless him with good vocal cords for the evangelistic rally.

The 90-minute lecture was a good exposition on the subject. I personally benefited from Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's talk. From the notes that I have taken, I may share in my blog the theological lecture.

Please pray for good weather tomorrow so the rally may go on uninterrupted.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 19

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu has now been postponed to May 17-19 which is exactly one week later. The venue and the whole programme are to stay.

This twist of event came yesterday at about 6:00pm and it caught everybody offguard. I was made to understand that the authority concerned exercised its prerogative to revoke the permitted date and set a new date for the rally. No reason was assigned for the revocation.

Let us stay firm and focused, and continue to pray hard for the rally!

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇荣布道会）- Part 18

Let us pray together for the evangelistic rally falling on 10th May for a stretch of three days in Sibu at Sibu Town Square: Holy God, grant us faith to believe and perseverance to hold on to your promise of help. Amen


The photo shows Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong at a Gospel Rally in Vancover, Canada in 2009.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 17

Pray with all urgency for Sibu churches of all denominations that in the weekly prayer sessions they offer prayers for the evangelistic rally. The power of prayer is far beyond our imagination. We are incapable, but God is all-powerful! In Him we trust, then all things are possible.

The above picture shows Stephen Tong Gospel Rally of Singapore 2008. The theme was "Who Is Jesus?".

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 16

Pray to God to prepare for us the target groups, equip Sibu Christians with divine power to break through all barriers and evil designs that block people to come to know God. Pray that the hearts of Sibuians may be softened, that they be moved to come to the rally, and that they be touched to repent.

The photo shows the scene of 1 Malaysia Night at Sibu Town Square. Pray hard that the town square be filled up during the rally.

Faithful God, teach us to trust you in every circumstance. even in the midst of doubt,, help us to place ourselves in your care and under your watchful eyes. Amen

Photo: Steve Ling

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 15

The evangelistic rally is just eight more days away! In view of a few events running concurrently with the rally, it is now getting increasingly urgent for all Christians in Sibu to humble ourselves before God and offer prayers for this great ministry.

Let's pray for the Christians in Sibu, that they continue to be thirsty for Word of God, and that Holy Spirit works to press them to feel compassionate towards the lost souls.

Pray that Sibu Christians have a sense of urgency to make good efforts to invite at least one non-believer to the evangelistic rally.

The evangelistic rally T-shirts are out for sale now. Buy one and put it on in support of the rally.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇荣萬人佈道会）- Part 14

Pray for Sibu that all the sins on this piece of land be pardoned by God. Ask the compassionate God to cover every inch of the land with His precious blood, so that those who are depressed or lost in the dark may be set free. Pray also for the revival of Sibu.

The above poster shows Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong's Christmas Gospel Rally themed "The Guiding Star" in Taiwan in 2009.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇荣萬人佈道会）- Part 13

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong came to Sibu in 1983 at the invitation of Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference, Methodist Church to be the theme speaker at the First Youth Mission Camp (第一屆青年宣道大會). The mission camp was organised by MYF of SCAC and I was involved in this ministry. Praise Lord for the wonderful camp!

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong put himself to a tight schedule during the working stay in Sibu. In the daytime, he gave theme talk at the mission camp. At night, he preached in the evangelistic rally at Padang Sukan Tuanku Haji Bujang. Deep in my memory was on the first night when we had to stand in the torrential rain and got drenched to the skin to partake of the rally. Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong called on us to keep it as a living memory.

The above poster shows Dr. Stephen Tong Evangelistic Rallies of Los Angeles in 2007.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 12

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu is drawing near and it is increasingly getting challenging. Concurrent with the rally in Sibu are P212 Sibu by-election campaign and Tua Pek Kong Festival. The by-election campaign is expected to be extremely heated and intense. This makes it the harder we have to pray to God for His guidance!

As Ephesians 6:18 reminds us,"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Saints."

Brothers and sisters, continue to pray with your loving heart for the evangelistic rally. Pray for the site decoration, security matters, transport arrangement, PA system, lighting controls, fine weather, medical standby, programmes, that God be in full control. Make no compromise in your prayer commitment for this great ministry!

The above picture shows the poster of "Stephen Tong Gospel Rally" in 2008 in Singapore.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 11

Be thankful to our almighty God for providing Sibu Town Square as venue for Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu.

Pray with urgency to loving God to make use of the town square to the fullest, cleanse the ground with His blood, guard the whole surroundings with angels , set the open ground free of commotions and accidental happenings during the rally from 10th to 12th May, 2010 and truss up the acts of the devils.

The photo shows Wisma Sanyan which is adjacent to Sibu Town Square.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇荣万人布道会）- Part 10

Challenge yourself to going for prayer march at Sibu Town Square in your loving support for Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In sibu!

Two days ago when I was at Sibu Town Square with Sidney walking to keep fit, I ran into sister Rui Xiang (瑞香姐). Touching on the upcoming evangelistic rally, sister Rui Xiang challenged me to go on prayer march while exercising at the town square.

The idea struck me as excellent. It really was hitting two birds with one stone! Brothers and sisters in Sibu, take it up to pray for the will of God to be done at Sibu Town Square!

Let's continue to pray hard for Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong for his bodily and spiritual well-being. Ask God to sharpen his oratorical skills, empower him with ability to expound the gospel with clarity and bless him with the best of health. Pray to God that Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong and his family may have the divine peace throughout the period of evangelistic rallies in Sarawak.

The picture shows part of Sibu Town Square. The walking track is ideal for exercising.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 9

Praise goes to God for His provision in abundance! At the start, we asked for 400 coworkers to help out in counseling and ushering. This afternoon, brother Yang Jing Ke (楊景科） informed that he has now enlisted 500 counselors and ushers for the evangelistic rally. It is heartening and we really have to thank God!

Let's pray with urgency to God to empower brother Yang Jing Ke and brother Wu De Chou (吳德湊） with divine wisdom to give effective training to the 500 recruits in such a way that the coworkers would be able to discharge the entrusted duties with glory to God!

As Ephesians 6: 10-12 teaches us: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The photo shows Dr. Stephen Tong preaching at Park Street Church.

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇栄萬人佈道會） - Part 8

Let's pray for brother Zhang Jia Peng (張嘉鵬） in his planning for publicity. Ask God to give him courage, strengthen his faith, enrich him with heavenly wisdom, that he is able to reach out through different channels to all the brothers and sisters in Sibu irrespective of their denominations, that they would respond to the call, and pray even harder that the message of the evangelistic rally would get to more non-believers.

Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong came to Sibu in 1977 for the second time at the invitation of Methodist Church to preach in open space at Padang Sukan Haji Bujang. This evangelistic rally witnessed the work of Holy Spirit to save thousands of lost souls. At that time I was at Taylor's College in KL. From the newspaper clippings mailed to me by my father, I was very much touched by the whole evangelistic movement.

The photo shows Padang Sukan Haji Bujang. It was subsequently converted to Sibu Town Square. Photo: Philip Hii of The Star

Stephen Tong's Evangelistic Rally In Sibu (唐崇荣万人布道会）- Part 7

We call on you for lots of your prayer supprt. You may not be in Sibu, but never mind, just remember the evangelistic rally in your daily devotion.

Pray for the Working Cmmittee members, their planning and preparatioons. Ask God to strengthen their faith, enrich their wisdom, give them more strength, guide the Working Committee and all the co-workers to act in the unity of Holy Spirit to organise the rally, not basing on human power and ability, but relying on God to accoomplish His work in Sibu.

The photo shows Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong at one of the evangelistic movements.