The revival took place in the City of Hinghwa (Putian), China, which is located in the Fukien (Fujian) Province
Conditions in China
During this era the Chinese had developed tremendous anti-imperialist, anti-foreign, and anti-Christian sentiments. The Boxer Rebellion of 1899-1901 was evidence of this.
Background to the Story
Pastor Sung, a Chinese pastor with the American Wesleyan Methodist Church, had been serving in a rural church in the Fukien (Fujian) Province. He received an appointment to a large church in Hinghwa City (Putian) where after his first year he saw a rapid increase in the number of attendees—from two hundred to six hundred. By the third year the number was one thousand.
Even though the church in Hinghwa City was growing rapidly, it was all formality, tremendously lacking in power and substance.
During the previous five years there had been numerous revivals throughout Asia, with these being a few of them:
1905 Khasi Hills Revival
1905 Mukti Revival
1905 Revival at Dohnavur
1906 Mizo Revival
1907 Pyongyang Revival
1908 Manchurian Revival
Pastor Sung (center) preaching in open air.
Extraordinary Prayer
The news of revivals taking place in Asia and around the world at this time created such a deep hunger in at least one female missionary, that she wrote a letter to her friends in the USA, asking them to pray with her for revival in Hinghwa.
Of those in the USA who united with that missionary in prayer were two elderly ladies, who prayed until they had received the assurance from the Lord that revival was on the way to Hinghwa. That assurance was received about two weeks before Easter 1909.
Those two ladies in the USA immediately sent a letter to their missionary friend, informing her that God had given them His assurance that a revival would begin on Good Friday. But due to the slowness of mail in 1909, the letter arrived in Hinghwa about two weeks after Easter. But when it was received, the letter confirmed that the revival that had commenced on Good Friday was the Lord’s doing.
What Happened
It was during an annual convention, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that this revival occurred.
Pastor Lim, a Chinese pastor who was not noted as an evangelist with extraordinary gifts, had the honor of preaching during the service. His sermon was about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, as well as His crucifixion. Though the sermon was taken from a common text for Good Friday, there was something uncommon about the power associated with that sermon.
As Pastor Lim was delivering his sermon, people stated later that they felt a penetrating power from those words he spoke, something they had never felt before. As he was preaching, the congregants felt as though the words he was speaking were like arrows piercing their hearts, and they were “moved to bitter tears.” The sounds of moaning and groaning due to the severe conviction of sin soon filled the church.
Pastor Lim himself was so moved by his own sermon, that he also broke down and wept due to his own sinfulness that sent Jesus to the cross. This wasn’t left as an emotional response only; Pastor Lim confessed his sins to the congregation. Congregational members themselves began to stand, confessing their sins publicly, one after another.
Results of the Revival
► Crowds began to come as the news of the revival in Hinghwa spread across the Fukien Province (Fujian), to the large cities of Amoy (Xiamen) in the south and Foochow (Fuzhou) in the north. Delegates even came from America to see this “Hinghwa Pentecost.”
► People confessed their faults one to another.
► Feuding elders and deacons held one another’s arms in mutual forgiveness.
► Stolen articles were returned to their owners.
► Several hundred stolen balls were returned by convicted young people.
► Wherever possible, restitution was made, and if not possible, “trespass-offerings” were directed to the church treasury.
► A purified church became a witnessing church and within a month or two there were 3,000 conversions.
► Many new churches were built throughout the district, one every 3 – 10 miles.
► All the churches of Hinghwa were transformed from their former coldness and formality into evangelizing and passionate followers of Jesus.
► With the church being too small to accommodate the crowds, they had to conduct three morning services on Sundays.
► A tent was erected to hold 4,000 people until a new church could be built.
► The church started an orphanage.
► A Bible school was started.
► A high school was started.
► The “Hinghwa Pentecost” burned on for several more years.
John Sung
The Hinghwa Revival Prepared a Man
One of those deeply affected on that Good Friday in 1909 was Pastor Sung’s nine-year-old son. He was so overcome with the conviction of his sin that his tears soaked the lapel on his coat.
That young boy, who became Dr. John Sung, became a powerful evangelist in the coming years, with over 100,000 being converted through his brief 15 years of ministry. Some have titled him:
► The greatest evangelist China has ever seen.
► The greatest preacher in the 20th century.
► The Billy Graham of Asia.
John Sung (far left), with a team of high school preaching evangelists.
Sources
► A Biography of John Sung by Leslie T. Lyall
► Early Twentieth Century Revivals: Worldwide Revivals by Geoff Waugh
► Evangelical Awakenings in the South Seas by J. Edwin Orr
► I Remember John Sung by William E. Schubert
► John Sung by Leslie T. Lyall
► John Sung by Wikipedia
► John Sung My Teacher by Timothy Tow
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