A Personal Reflection from Empowered21 Asia Congress 2014

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

by Desmond Chua (FCBC’s Chief Operating Officer)

I was very excited to be part of FCBC’s delegation to the Empowered21 (E21) Asia Congress this year as it would be my first ever! As I prepared myself for the Congress, I realised that I knew very little about E21, their purposes and their vision so I did a little research:

“Empowered21 aims to help shape the future of Spirit-empowered movement. The vision is that every person on Earth will have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ through the Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit by 2033!”

Isn’t this what FCBC has been teaching all these while? I realised that we are like fish. Just as a fish who’s always been in water does not know or appreciate the greatness of water, we in FCBC have been soaking in Spirit-empowered teachings freely under the leadership of our pastors, without understanding how many Christians in the region long and thirst to receive such revelations.  

Opening Night Rally – Come Holy Spirit

Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong, E21’s co-chairman, taught on “Who is the Holy Spirit”. I have heard this message more than once, but at the Congress, his points that the Holy Spirit is (a) a Person; (b) 100% God; and (c) the God of the Now came in a refreshing way, and served as a reminder that interacting with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis is key! It is an intimate relationship with God that He desires.

Seeing so many people going forward to receive the Power of the Holy Spirit stirred my heart. Have I lost the hunger for God? Is my relationship with God intimate? Sure, I am “doing” more things for God now and I have “more responsibilities” but as I prayed where I stood, I asked God for a renewed commitment, a refreshed spirit and a revitalised body as I surrendered my life once more to God saying, “Come Holy Spirit”.

Prayer Tower – Restoration of the Tabernacle of David

Pastor Djohan Handojo from Gateway Prayer Tower, Indonesia, shared on their Prayer Tower journey. He spoke about intimacy with God as the Ark of the Covenant, which represents (a) Presence of God; (b) Mercy Seat of God; and (c) Glory of God! Once again, I’m reminded that the Prayer Tower is the Place of God’s Glory, and there will be Holiness, Intimacy and Unity.

I am proud and blessed that FCBC has the privilege of running our 24/7 Prayer Tower for 2 years now. Although I must admit that lately, it is becoming more of a routine, a chore and a task rather than a delight, an honour and a privilege to lead the Prayer Tower. Again the teachings were not new, but it was a timely reminder for me and it was great to hear testimonies from others that had journeyed this path.

As we anticipate more and more new leaders to lead in our Prayer Tower, I wondered if there’s a need to have a refresher teaching, like what Pastor Djohan Handojo did, to equip new lay leaders and refresh incumbent leaders periodically.

Revival and Missions – The High Call to Jesus’ Disciples

Pastor Dennis Balcombe reminded us that it is the Christian’s responsibility to take the Gospel to the nations, and that revival is when we restore David’s Tabernacle, which will results in missions! His key points were:

  1. Successful evangelism is due to miracles and the power of the Spirit
    (Romans 15:18-19)
  2. Manifestation of God’s power will accompany the Gospel message
    (Acts 8:5-8)
  3. People must repent for revival to come to the Church, and then Jesus will return
    (Acts 3:19-21)
  4. After Pentecost, every Spirit-filled disciple will see visions and prophesy
    (Acts 2:17-18)

What struck me was seeing Pastor Dennis, his daughter and his son-in-law serve together with a common goal – to bring the Gospel to China. The joy and pride when others share of their ministries brings great encouragement. This is a family that lives, breathes and acts. They are passionate about something. What am I passionate about? What is the one thing that God wants me to do? Just as people today remember Hudson Taylor when we speak about China, I believe in future, people will likewise remember Dennis Balcombe when they speak about China. What about us? What is our legacy?

Revival and Leadership

Logos, Pathos, Ethos were the three points that Pastor Dishan Wickramaratne from India shared before praying for the congregation. He encouraged us to “Live right, walk straight, and God will do the rest.” He also reminded us not to share in God’s Glory. “Do not walk in the Glory of God, we cannot handle it.” We need to anchor our life on the Word of God (Logos), walk with passion and belief (Pathos), and lastly, build our credentials, our character and our credibility (Ethos).

Prayer Tower – Singapore Watch

Our Prayer Tower watch from 6.30pm – 9.30pm coincided with Prophetess Cindy Jacob and Dr Billy Wilson’s evening rally, which none of us wanted to miss. However, I was reminded in Exodus 17 that when Joshua fought the Amalekites, the actual spiritual battle took place on the mountain with Moses, Aaron and Hur.

We had a great time of worship, prayer and praise as Pastor Daniel Song, Pastor Eugene Tan and Pastor Loke Mun Tai led in the prayer tower. Despite Chinese/Cantonese not being our preferred language, it was awesome to come together in prayer and serve God in this manner.

As we were grouped in small groups to pray for Hong Kong, I was with two other ladies from Hong Kong and felt led to pray for the love of the Father upon Hong Kong. I sensed that the spirit of selfishness was strong in Hong Kong and it hindered the love of the Father from being released.

After the Prayer Tower, we made it in time for Dr Billy Wilson’s session. His altar call was as I had sensed earlier – for the outpouring of the Love of the Father! It was truly amazing. It was then that God told me that I need to seek the face of God, not the anointed person that brings the Word. Although I was at the Prayer Tower, His presence was with me and His message for me was given me regardless of where I was. How often have we sought to hear great messages from anointed people of God, and despised being in the very presence of God! This was a great lesson for me.

Children and Youth

“We have prepared freedom for the next generation, but have we prepared the next generation for freedom?”

This was the challenge Pastor Jerome Ocampo raised at the Congress. He commented that God is looking for a generation that will rise up, and not just at the “selected few”. Satan wants to isolate us so that revival will not start! Isolation is the devil’s strategy to stop revival.

I felt like I am in a “sandwiched” generation. I have a responsibility to prepare the next generation, while I’m also part of a generation that God is calling to rise up. I realised then that this should be the mentality of all Christians. It brought to my memory Senior Pastor Lawrence mentioning during the Week of Sanctification that we need to have a pilgrim’s mindset; to never to settle down. We must never tell ourselves that “this is for the next generation” but keep moving and say to the Lord, “Here I am, use me.”

Marketplace

There were great testimonies of Hong Kong’s judiciary and marketplace transformation. Dr Hugo Chan, the National Director of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International in Hong Kong, wrapped up by sharing by saying that we need to remain sharp and useful for God wherever we’ve been placed. Most of us are brilliant in our workplaces but once we embarked to serve God, we become dumb and unproductive. This should not be the case. We must use the gifts God has given us to further His Kingdom.

Closing Rally

Dr Billy Wilson’s exhortation brought a timely closure as he reminded us on four qualities of Apostle Paul’s life that all Christians in this generation need to acquire:

  1. Compassion: Like Jesus, we need to have compassion for the lost.
  2. Endurance: Never say die. Never quit.
  3. Education: Apostle Paul was able to influence and speak to authorities because of his education and upbringing. Therefore, we need to train and equip ourselves as this world becomes knowledge-based.
  4. Power: The Holy Spirit is for the Church corporately, but the Holy Spirit is also for us personally. We need to continue to walk close to Him and move in His power.

Dr Billy Wilson concluded by blessing the congregation with these four blessings:

  1. Creativity
  2. Destiny
  3. Breaking of Spiritual Curses
  4. Blessings of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Finally, Senior Pastor Lawrence brought the Congress to a close with a call for all to overcome fear:

  1. We will see the supernatural become natural as we serve and move in the Holy Spirit.
    We will be fearless.
  2. The love of God that overwhelms us will dispel all fear.
    Perfect love casts out all fears.
  3. Renew our minds through the Holy Spirit and we will not be afraid.
    Even when we die, we will not be afraid.

Conclusion

Although the three days at E21 Asia Congress 2014 were packed and tiring, it was also impactful! I am glad to be part of this Congress and given the opportunity to soak in the teachings. The testimonies of what God is doing around Asia were most inspiring. And seeing renewed Christians being willing to step forth and live for Jesus was uplifting.

The Congress started with the “Empowering of the Holy Spirit” as we recognised that apart from God we can do nothing, and it ended ended with the “Impartation of the Holy Spirit” to be fearless Christians as Senior Pastor Lawrence and Dr Billy Wilson anointed each and every Congress participant. The E21 Asia Cabinet together with the Hong Kong pastors also prayed over us, forming a prayer tunnel.

So what has changed? If I do nothing, nothing will change. But with this renewed awareness and refreshed spirit, I choose to be a Christian who will say, “Let’s press on! I will and I can with the Holy Spirit!” I am thankful that FCBC is always in action. We are the trailblazers, and we need to be thankful that God finds us worthy of use.

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