Reflections on Asia Trip 05.2010

1) God is moving powerful through unexpected means. One of our HMCC alumnus is teaching at University of Hong Kong (HKU), which is supposedly one of the best universities in all of Asia. I was able to get a personal tour of the university and my heart was beating fast. When I heard that close to 25-30% of the students were from mainland China, I realized the potential of reaching all of China. If these students were reached with the Gospel and discipled, they can be the missionaries who will bring the Gospel to their own people. I also found out that about 50% of all the graduate students were from outside of China/Hong Kong. Many different nations were represented in this 50% international student population. What a great opportunity to reach the world just through this one university. We also visited another top university in Hong Kong called The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). I was able to meet a student from the UK who was in CUHK to do a one year exchange program that was sponsored through his university in UK. It is a joint venture where 3 years are done in the UK, while the last year is done in CUHK. If we reach the international students at these top universities, we will be reaching the world. It is very similar to reaching international university students in the States.

2) God is giving favor to the Church to penetrate the various spheres of society. It was astounding to hear that Alpha Courses were being taught in the schools. At first I was a bit skeptical because in the States this will never be possible. But incredibly, it is happening in Hong Kong. Due to various open doors, God is allowing His truth to be taught as a mandatory curriculum in the public schools. Young students are hearing the Gospel and it is making a difference in their lives.

3) God is raising up a new generation of movers and shakers and history makers. The Church in Hong Kong is also penetrating into the entertainment industry and in the sphere of the arts and media. It was awesome to hear that recently some of the top pop artist and musicians have come to know Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior. They are now reaching out to their friends and colleagues with the Gospel. In fact, a group started up a ministry to specifically reach out to the people in the music and movie industry and they are making a huge difference. I was also able to hear about what God was doing in the business sphere of society. There are more entrepreneurs and business people who are committed to the vision of God’s Kingdom. They are leveraging their wealth for Kingdom purposes and missions. It was so refreshing to see, especially in our generation where greed and self-centeredness have taken a stronghold. I am just curious what will happen when they turn 50 or 60 years old. There will be a major shift in Hong Kong.

4) God is bringing different streams together. The Bride of Christ has always been divided by denominations and associations. Difference in theology and jealous has always put a wedge between the various pastors and church leaders. But in this kairos moment we are seeing great unity. It was inspiring to see how God was bringing people from different backgrounds together to work for His Kingdom. I was personally able to network and make some solid connections. It was just a reminder that God is doing something bigger and greater than just one ministry. In particular, I was able to talk with a leader in Hong Kong, who is leading a ministry where they are bringing people from different parts of China and the surrounding nations together for a 5 day camp. After their time together, they would be sent out as teams to various locations to be a witness for Jesus. Even in Singapore, I was able to meet up with a pastor who just recently started a church but he is already connected with the various pastors and spiritual leaders in the city. They are fellowshipping together and even trying to work together for the building of God’s Kingdom.

5) God is preparing Asia to propel them into the next big missions movement. By being out here in Indonesia and in the region of Asia, I am coming to the conclusion that God might be possibly preparing Asia to lead a powerful mission movement to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. There is just a different feel out here in Asia than what I experienced in the States. As China and India are now becoming nations that could possibly surpass the States as a great superpower, we are seeing more people being raised to do missions from this region of the world. For some reason, they are willing to lay down their lives to share the Gospel. They are definitely living out the 4-evers (whatever, whichever, wherever, and however) as they have surrendered themselves to God’s purposes.