https://odb.org/2024/01/31/fully-surrendered
I read books on John Sung when I was young and I could see that although he lived a short life, he had a major impact on the lives of many people, especially in pre-independence Malaya that many families came into the faith because of his ministry. I had lived in Sitiawan before and noticed that many of the Foochows were Christians. Some like those in Sibu could have been Christians in China before migrating over, but I believe many were touched by God in the wave of revival in the early 1900s that swept across the major West Coast of Malaya towns. John Sung had a fully surrendered life in Christ.
When I read about John Sung, I was inspired to be like him, believing that God may call me in the same way and I may become like another John. While the edification of my faith was good, the notion of being another John Sung or another Hudson Taylor or Reinhard Bonnke was misconceived.
Now, much older, I realise that these famous and inspiring men and women of God were meant to inspire us to move forward in our faith and become the person God wants us to be, rather than be the men or women of God who inspired us. For John Sung, he gave up his career with his doctorate earned in the United States and fully dedicated his life to the ministry God gave him. It’s a life fully surrendered to God.
We will never be another John Sung. Pre-independence Malaya is long gone. 2020s Malaysia is like any developed country with its modern infrastructure and challenges, with spirituality facing off with materialism. It’s a globalised world now, and nearly everyone is impacted one way another by the big 5 – Google (Alphabet), Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. Globalisation is also a sign that the end time is near.
Live a fully surrendered life in Christ and, in the process, become the man and woman God wants us to be. We can all be powerful and impactful, like John Sung, in our own sphere of influence at our corner of the world if we are fully surrendered to Christ. Have a wonderful and great day ahead, my dear friends!
Ronnie's Thoughts 