Feature: Who is... Stephen Tong?

Monday, Sep. 15, 2008 Posted: 6:59:24PM HKT

No, it's not a typographical error.

Granted, the title of the latest evangelistic rally held in Singapore is Who is Jesus?

But who exactly is the man who stood behind the pulpit as he boldly proclaimed the truth about Jesus Christ and confronted the secularism that has even crept beyond the threshold of today’s churches and memorably rebuked, prayed for, and gave a call for the Singapore Christians to stand up mightily in the Lord?

Chinese-speaking Christians in the city-state and the region of Asia would have more or less heard about Stephen Tong, but who really is the man for the rest of us?

If there is any praise at all about the 69-year old China-born ethnic Indonesian evangelist-preacher, it will not come from Tong himself, who liked to say at his meetings that rather than introducing himself it is better for him to introduce the Lord Jesus Christ who resurrected from the dead to them.

And yet, not one night during the four days of the Gospel Rally was allowed to pass without an encomium being spoken regarding Revd Tong, by the event Chairman.

And there was good reason for all that.

For the speaker at the evangelistic rally was no ordinary person that one would meet on the streets.

As a Christian, Tong has faithfully served the Lord ever since he gave his life to Him at the young age of 17. He said of himself, because the Lord has solved all his questions of life for him, he has resolved to go around the world solving the questions of life for others.

As a preacher, he has declared the Gospel of Jesus Christ to more than 28 million people in over 600 cities worldwide through more than 3,000 gatherings, and witnessed more than 200,000 people respond at his meetings to his call for full-time ministry, according to the Who is Jesus? Chairman.

And he continues to hold evangelistic rallies especially in Asia, with his most recent ones held in Taipei and Hong Kong in May this year, one just concluded in Singapore, and one more that will be conducted in Jakarta this week, just in time for the grand opening ceremony of the Reformed Millennium Cathedral on Saturday, September 20, in Jakarta, in the newly built structure that is the world’s largest Chinese Church overseas, personally designed by Tong himself and built on the freewill offerings of members given over the past two years.

Tong never left to himself any time that he could use to preach the Gospel, said the Chairman. And the attendants at his recent rally were given a glimpse into his life, diligence, and perseverance when on Saturday the crowds were told that Tong had led a dedication service at a local Indonesian church at 1 p.m., went on to hold a Children’s Gospel Rally from 2.30 p.m. till 4.30 p.m. where he led the masses in coordinated singing for nearly half an hour and then retold the story of the sending, birth, life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for more than an hour, after which he conducted a Q and A session at 6.30 p.m. for more than an hour, preached at the evening rally at around 8 p.m. till 10 p.m. when he left in a hurry for the airport to catch a flight to Jakarta where he was due to deliver the sermon at two services at his church there the following day, after which he took a flight back to Singapore to deliver the sermon for an evening service at his church here and to speak on the final night of the rally.

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Edmond Chua
edmond@christianpost.com