Church of Penang Established and Ferocious Spiritual Battles

There was a theological college in Penang where the students (apart from a sister) did not understand the truth of Holy Spirit baptism or the speaking of tongues. They had not received the spiritual grace, but were opposing it unwittingly because they were influenced after reading anti-spiritual grace books. However, during the gospel campaign, they helped people register their names for the discussion of the truth. When many people believed in the Lord and were baptized with the Holy Spirit oddly they were reluctant to come forward to receive the Holy Spirit. For this reason, the spirit of God inspired Sister Kong to reprimand this group of theological students saying, �陖ou must first come and received the spiritual grace yourselves. If you are not filled with the Holy Spirit how can you serve God?�� Upon hearing these words, they were discontented and after the dismissal of the service came to dispute with Sister Kong. They all insisted that they did not have to speak in tongues when filled by the Holy Spirit. Among them was Brother T.Y. Chew who claimed that he had experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit. Sister Kong asked whether he spoke in tongues. His answer was negative, but he said he felt hot inside and every time he prayed, he would cry and weep bitterly. Thereupon Sister Kong him that it was unmistakably the work of the Holy Spirit, but it had not reached the extent where the Lord baptized him with the Holy Spirit and fire. For if the Lord had showered His Spirit upon him, it would be evinced by the praying in the spirit (tongue utterance) as recorded in the Bible. That night, she explained to them most of the truth concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit as recorded in the Bible. She invited them to kneel down and confess their sins while she laid hands upon them. When Sister Kong laid hands on Brother Chew, she heard him praying, �𥟡 Lord! I refuse to receive it if it is the evil spirit!�� due to the doubts in his heart, I thought it was better for me to leave him alone. As night was approaching, they all took their leave to return to the theological college. That night Sister Kong prayed earnestly for them, beseeching the Lord to bestow grace upon them and gain every one of them. Then their dedication in the sight of the Lord would not fall in vain.

Two days later, God wondrously granted Sister the opportunity to preach the words of God to the group of theological students at their college. That afternoon the theological students sat in a circle in their classroom. First and foremost, Sister Kong requested them to kneel down to have a prayer. After that, they read the Holy Word (Bible) of God while kneeling. Once the powerful word of God was brought forth, it emitted a brilliant light so that everyone prostrated in worship from within and cried bitterly as they confessed their sins. In the name of the Lord Jesus, Sister Kong and the co-workers laid hands upon them. All the theological students (including some professors) were baptized with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. God personally confirmed His own words and promises, and true enough none of His words went unfulfilled.

Many pagans and heathens came to listen to the sermons. Some came with the motive of joining in the hilarity, but unexpectedly, after witnessing the demonstration of God�䏭 mighty power, they came to believe in the true and living God. Consequently, they got rid of their lifeless idols and false gods, which were useless. However, there were also people who wanted to believe in the Savior Jesus after seeing the many amazing works of God, but were reluctant to part with their idols. In this case, God manifested His power and dealt with them. There was a particular heathen who came before the rostrum, pretending to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He had no intention of forsaking the false gods for his ultimate motive was to tempt God. Hence, he gave way to Satan who tried to use him to ruin the work of the Holy Spirit. When the devil made this man curse the Lord�䏭 name, Sister Kong and the co-workers immediately bound the evil spirit within him in the victorious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instantly, he was unable to move. Kneeling on the ground, he kept on leaping and putting his palms together in some sort of worship. In the name of the Lord Jesus Sister Kong commanded him to confess his sins and pray to the Lord to cover him with His blood. He was released the instant he called upon the name of the Lord. But when he could stand up and walk, his heart became hardened again. He denied the name of the Lord. Satan instigated him to revile God again. The co-workers quickly cursed the devil in the Lord�䏭 name and that man instantly lost his ability to move again. Just as what had happened, he knelt on the ground and started jumping about. He put his palms together, but however hard he struggled, he could not get up or release himself as though he was being tied to a rope. After confessing the name of the Lord a few times, he could stand up but whenever he regretted and maligned the name of the Lord, he would be in bondage again. This went on for a few hours and everyone marveled at God�䏭 work. Finally, he admitted sincerely that Jesus is the only true God and Savior, so the Holy Spirit instantly granted him total liberation. When he got up to his feet, he no longer dared to revile the name of the Lord.

Every night, many people who were formerly possessed by the evil spirits (the demon of cigarettes, alcohol, opium, gambling, lust, etc.) were all released by the mighty Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the group of theological students saw with their own eyes and experienced with their own lives the work of the Holy Spirit, they all gave in to the Lord. Many people arrived from Parit Buntar, Sitiawan, Kedah, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Sungei Patani, and other places every night. They came to listen to the truth and they saw the grace of God.

During the 16-night gospel campaign in Penang�䏭 Assemblies of God, many people were baptized unto the Lord�䏭 name. Among those who repented were Roman Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, members of the True Jesus Church, and religious followers of heresies and evil religions. On the final night, which was the testimony service, many people brought from their homes evil religious books, charms, idols, art of witchcrafts, evil books, etc. to be burnt. While the bonfire was ablaze, brothers and sisters keenly waited for opportunities to testify and recount the wondrous grace of God. There were four cripples who gained the Lord�䏭 healing. They all brought along their crutches and threw them into the fire because all of them were able to walk already. Hallelujah!

After the entire families of Brother The and Principal Chuan were baptized with the Holy Spirit, God moved her to Sister Kong and the co-workers to hold a gospel campaign at Union Institute basketball court for three nights (September 23��25). Numerous believer, deacons, and preachers from the denominations came and were baptized with the Holy Spirit. During the three-night gospel campaign, 49 people were baptized unto the Lord�䏭 name (even more received the Holy Spirit baptism). This flock of baptized sheep could not find a place to be raised and cared for. Besides that, Sister Kong and the co-workers had to leave Penang for Sitiawan soon and they felt worried in their spirits when they foresaw that these sheep would be wandering among the mountains. Initially, Sister Kong thought of inviting Pastor Ku to baptize the new converts and let them stay temporarily in the Assemblies of God. But the Lord�䏭 spirit forbade her to do so. The Lord then moved a group of devout brothers and sisters t shoulder the responsibility of shepherding the lambs. Since the Gospel Hall and Christian Assembly were rife with things which are against the spiritual grace, God led the brothers and sisters of the Teh and Chuan families to depart from those places.

It so happened that Principals Chuan and Su had earlier received sprinkling of water in the denomination. When Sister Kong and the co-workers mentioned that the sprinkling of water is unscriptural, they were still unwilling to be submissive to the truth. After receiving the Holy Spirit baptism, the Holy Spirit personally confirmed this truth through the revelation of the Bible. Without any other alternative, they could only imitate the Lord with a heart of reverence for God in receiving the baptism by immersion. One afternoon, Sister Kong received a telephone call from them in which they requested to be baptized. There was a certain Sister Chan who had formerly accepted many unsound beliefs from the True Jesus Church, which emphasized that baptism had to be done by falling face forward into the water. Upon hearing the truth, she was full of peace but when Sister Kong invited her to receive the scriptural water baptism, which testified her death, burial, and resurrection together with the Lord, she stiffened her neck and refused. On that day, Sister Chan also followed Principals Chuan and Su to witness their baptism. Inside the vehicle Principal Su testified that she was previously reluctant to be baptized, but the Holy Spirit revealed to her saying, �嚹herefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth�� (1 Cor. 5:7��8). On hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, she could not but submit to the truth. When Sister Chan heard the words spoken by the Holy Spirit to Principal Su, she was greatly touched within. However, her flesh continued to struggle and was still unwilling to submit to the Holy Spirit fully. Later on Sister Chan suddenly said, �𦔒 have also decided to submit to the Lord�䏭 words. Today I will accept the scriptural water baptism.�� Hallelujah! On that day, the glorious Lord personally led three sisters away from the old leaven of the denominations so that they could become a pure new lump in Him�𤴆he unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

After the breaking of bread that day, many brothers and sisters were moved by the Holy Spirit to give precious and touching testimonies. Brother Teh also testified, saying that he would not have gone and listened to the preaching of a newly converted sister, as he had been preaching for a few decades, if he had not seen the mighty works of the Holy Spirit with his own eyes. He also mentioned that, having realized that they oppose the spiritual grace to such an extent, he had made up his mind to separate himself from the Evangelical Mission in order to witness for the spirit of truth and the Holy Spirit. His testimony fortified the faith of many people. At first everyone was prepared to borrow the union Institute temporarily for holding services and to look for a suitable place later on. But on that very day, God moved old Brother Teh to offer his house willingly, for the Lord�䏭 use. The Holy Spirit Himself did the work of confirmation during the inauguration service held at his house. They made no plan to invite anybody beforehand, but the Holy Spirit personally brought along over 80 brothers and sisters to join the service. The Holy Spirit also personally led them to worship God in spirit and in truth during the service. The Lord kept adding the number of saved souls to them. Not long after, God wondrously established them and named them the Church of Penang.