15 November 2007
Thursday– 8.00 PM
Map of Kerteh & Chukai, East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia
Quiet beach of Kertech
The trip to Kerteh was like a marathon relay race. Grace drove me on a one-hour trip to KLIA early in the morning at 6.00 AM. Then Malaysian Airline flew me to Kuantan in another hour. From Kuantan airport, Pastor Chandran, the pastor-in-charge of the Tamil ministry in Grace Charismatic Centre, drove me to his church. After waiting there till 1.30 PM, Brother Luke, the Elder of Kuantan Baptist Church, drove me to his church’s guest room. At 4.45 PM, Sister Eng Cheng, the Elder of Grace Charismatic Centre drove me on a one-hour journey to her branch church in Chukai, Terengganu. From Chukai, an elder of the Kerteh church, Brother Kui Jee, drove me to Kerteh. By the time, I reached Kerteh Charismatic Centre, it was 6.30 PM. It was no wonder that I felt like being in a “pass-the-baton” race and I was the baton.
Oil refinery in Kerteh
Kerteh is a small oil industry town situated in the district of Kemaman on the southern coast of Terengganu. The huge Petronas petroleum refinery plants support the offshore oil platform operations by refining the crude oil. The town has a very small population of less than 5000, augmented by expatriate staffs who work in the oil industry. This gives the churches there tremendous opportunities to evangelise people from all over the world. So, instead of the Christians going overseas as missionaries, God has brought people from overseas for them to evangelize and minister.
It is therefore not strange to see Kerteh Charismatic Centre filled with brethren from India, Philippines and Malaysians of other states. These believers really knew how to praise and worship God. Their normal worship usually lasted more than an hour but that evening, they would only sing two songs. The teaching would need all the available time to achieve its purpose. The worship session was led by Brother Tong Sin, a local Primary School teacher. Brother Ashok, who came from India with his family to work for Petronas, is the elder and leader of this church. It was he who introduced me to the congregation. I began the training by emphasizing on the need for unity among the churches and how Elijah Challenge is contributing to this effort. Churches from mainline denominations and those of Pentecostal or Charismatic persuasions are able to accept the way Elijah Challenge is being presented because 95 percent of the slide presentation constitutes of Bible verses.
Elder Ashok (right) & wife Elizabeth
The participants were spontaneous when it came to the story of Elijah and 450 prophets of Baal. Even though they knew the narrative by heart, they were following every verse closely and in the final verses, they enthusiastically proclaimed with me: “And the fire came down!” I love their sincerity and learning attitude. I had told them that this truth could not be taught but caught and that a receptive heart and teachable spirit would give them the best benefits. They were listening carefully when I shared that most churches have missed out on the Kingly Authority, even though they often used the Priestly Authority to pray for their loved ones and church; Prophetic Authority to preach or prophesize. I went on to explain the significance of Elijah Challenge and how its approaches are closer to the biblical mandates and ideals than what are normally taught in most churches.
As the training progressed, the participants became very responsive – as though they were having fun . By the time of the healing demonstration, they were more than ready to heal the sick in the name of Jesus. Four participants came forth to be healed. Brother Allen, the leader of Chukai Presbyterian Church was healed of stomach disorder. His wife, Sister Jessie was healed of her sinus problem. Brother Elli, a Filipino expatriate and elder of Kerteh Charismatic Centre was healed of his fever. He said that when some of the participants laid their hands on him, he felt warmth that came from their hands and then it enveloped his whole body. An Indian brother, Dalmar, was healed of a neck problem. According to Brother Ashok, their faith had increased “a couple of notches” after the first-day session. Praise God that once again, Elijah Challenge seminar was affecting lives.
Quiet river in Kerteh
Reported by
Rev Albert Kang
Coordinator
Elijah Challenge Asia