Spirit-filled conference in Indonesia
MORE than 300 of us, ministers and laity from China, flew to Indonesia to attend the Empowered21 Asia Congress with a yearning to see the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The plane landed in Jakarta late in the evening of 13th May and by the time we were bused to the hotel and checked into our rooms, it was mid-night and our tired bodies were crying for rest. The next day at noontime, we arrived at the Sentul International Convention Centre to begin our four-day conference on the Holy Spirit.
This was the second time I attended Empowered21 Asia Congress. The conference was participated by close to 10,000 Christian ministers, leaders and lay people from some 80 countries, all longing to experience the mighty work of the Spirit. From the start to the finish of the conference, the Holy Spirit manifested through successive waves and the conference participants were repeatedly filled with the Spirit. Conference speaker Pastor Niko Njotorahardjo declared that the third Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit would come soon. When it comes, the youth will be transformed and churches revived in a magnitude greater than the previous two Pentecostal experiences. (The first outpouring took place during the apostolic age of the 1st century while the second outpouring was often associated with the 1906 experience in Azusa Street, Los Angeles, California)
The Congress this time differed from the 2011 event on several counts. Firstly, there was a stronger working of the Spirit. In the afternoon session on the second day, I came under the power of the Holy Spirit in an intensity I have never experienced in my last 20 years of ministry. I saw an open Heaven and felt the Spirit falling upon me like a waterfall. The entire conference hall came under the power of the Spirit; many people were slain or soaked in the Spirit while Pastor Niko kept describing the happenings as the most glorious moment of the conference. The atmosphere was both liberating and exhilarating; and we felt like we were existing in another sphere. The second difference was that the 2013 congress drew participation of many youths. They made up about one-third of total participants at each session. And every day, youths representing different Asian countries came forward to intercede for their countries. The third difference was that this congress had participants from more countries representing the five continents of the world. Personally I have been blessed in two ways. Firstly, I received a burden to preach on the Holy Spirit. My pastor is devoted to preaching on the infilling of the Spirit and missions. He had previously encouraged me to preach on the subject but I did not take it seriously. After this congress I have decided to devote the rest of my life to teaching on the infilling of the Holy Spirit. My second burden is for the youth ministry and I now realize the importance of respecting young people and helping them to develop their potential in life.
I believe participants will take home what they saw as the work of the Holy Spirit and with that, revival will spark off in all the five continents. I wish that in the near future, the Holy Spirit will come upon churches in a greater width and depth causing transformation of lives and unity among churches in preparation of the second coming of Jesus!Note: Empowered21 Congress will be held in Hong Kong in 2014. We expect it to be an exciting event with believers all over the world congregating at Hong Kong. We wish that the conference will continue to bless the Mainland and Hong Kong churches as well as the overseas Chinese communities. We welcome your participation to experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
