“How many of you want revival? How many of you here would some day want to own a BMW and drive a new BMW?” asked Pastor Paul Ang, first speaker of the First Borneo Revival Convention in Sandakan, Sabah on 28th of May.
“But my question tonight: are you willing to pay the price? There’s a price for Proton, Proton Saga, Toyota, BMW and Ferrari. Tonight, there’s a price to pay if you want to see revival.”
What price the church needs to pay to experience revival in Borneo?
About ten years ago, Pastor Paul came upon a book about the Azusa street revival in California. At a time when economic depression and an earthquake devastated the place, William J. Seymour, a humble but prayerful man, led a small group of people to cause revival.
“As I was reading the book, I asked God, ‘Will You send revival in Malaysia?’ Suddenly, I felt God’s manifested presence in the room.”
There are two kinds of God’s presence. The first kind is God’s omnipresence. The second kind is the tangible presence of God. Pastor Paul Ang felt the latter, bidding him to kneel down in tears, as God’s presence enveloped him.
“God said, ‘There is no hope for Malaysia unless there is a revival.’ And God said, ‘I will send revival to Malaysia!'”
“I believe with all my heart that God will send revival Malaysia. He is looking for children who are willing to pay the price.”
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
The key for revival is to seek God’s face, and not only His Hands for blessings and provision.
“Seeking God will bring forth repentance.”
When revival happened in Bario, Sarawak, in 1973, the Spirit of the Lord was poured onto the school, that it had to be closed for prayer and revival meeting.
“The more they prayed, the more God began to show the sin they committed.”
And in 1984 to 1985, there was a revival in Ba’Kelalan, Sarawak.
He believes that revival will begin in Sarawak again, after seeing a rare visitation of a hornbill perching on his coconut tree at his garden in Rawang, Peninsular Malaysia.
“I asked God, ‘Why did you send that?’ God says that revival will start in Sarawak.”
It is God who is going to heal our land and not any human party. As long as Jesus is on the throne, there is revival and hope.
In 1948, an American missionary, Robert Edward Miller, went to a town called Lavelle in Argentina. Trained to do the conventional missionary work, he invited people from house to house to an evangelistic night meeting. But nobody came for two weeks.
“The time, money, and effort spent did not bear any fruits. So, he began to seek God.”
“Tonight, if you have a problem, seek God. If you need a miracle, seek God. For every need, He has a provision. For every problem, He has a solution.”
One week passed, but nothing happened. Miller began to blame the people for not being ready to accept Jesus Christ. But the truth is that he was not anointed and did not have any results.
“Sometimes, we need to face the truth. Truth hurts but it will set us free. If we do not bear fruits, it means that we are not connected to the vine. If you are not connected to Jesus, there is no fruit.”
So, Miller spent eight hours every day seeking God.
“I challenge you, pray and read everything you need to pray for. Remember God asked what price you are willing to pay.”
Tired of seeking God, Miller challenged God to make Himself known to him by one Saturday. But nothing happened.
“God is God. Let God be God and man be man. The ways of God is not men’s way… All that is not perfect, God will make perfect and beautiful in His timing. You must believe and hold on to the Word of God.”
After about two months of praying, God finally told Miller to hold a four-hour prayer meeting. By this time, he was a pastor of a church with a handful of people. He obeyed God, even though it was during the winter of Argentina, at a time when people were poor with no transportation.
Five people turned up to the prayer meeting on that faithful Monday evening. As they held their prayer meeting on the first day, he asked if anyone had a Word from God. One of the ladies shared how she felt a desire to bang the table. But Miller dismissed it as coming from God.
But when they had the prayer meetings daily till Thursday, the lady still had the same impression. Hence, at 11 PM of the prayer meeting, Miller decided to give this prompting a go. Together with the small group, they marched around the table while banging it.
And suddenly, they heard a rushing wind coming in. The Spirit of God broke out and they began to worship God in different tongues. More and more people started to come to the meeting with salvation, healing and deliverance! Revival started in Argentina because of five people, not 5000 people.
“I felt two things from the Lord: Are we willing to pay the price of revival? And secondly, all of us individually and corporately need a fresh encounter with God, and impartation and anointing from Him.”
“We need to be like Jacob who wrestled with an angel the whole night until he was changed. Many Christians have lost the desire to pray.”
Pastor Paul answered God’s calling for full-time ministry in 1987, where he quit his full-time job as a lecturer to enroll into a Bible school in Brisbane, Australia.
“So, I went to study the Bible and to seek the Face of God. I know that God has a ministry for me.”
Every day in Brisbane, he would spend one and a half hour seeking God’s face. It was just seeking God, with no angel visitation or an audible voice from Him.
He continued seeking God. And when the end of the year approached, he took a bus to visit his friend in Sydney. Alone and feeling lonely in the bus, he began to complain to God.
“I said, ‘God, today is my birthday and nobody knows or cares. I don’t know if I am wise or foolish to choose this road to serve you.'”
“But suddenly, I felt a manifested Presence of God, His visitation. He came into the bus. And He gave me the best birthday present I could ever have. He began to speak about my future. In the bus, He commissioned me in my ministry. I was weeping all the way in the journey. I had a fresh encounter with Him that changed my life.”
God opened the door for him to go to 49 countries, having guided him in writing 12 books with the 13th book in the process of printing now. Many of his books are translated and sold in Indonesia as well.
“To God be the glory! He is the rewarder of all those who seek His Face!”
NOTE | The First Borneo Revival Convention is held currently every night till 2nd of May, at Sandakan Sports Complex Stadium in Jalan Sibuga, Sandakan, Sabah from 7 – 10 PM.
| Share the Good News |
Thank you , shallom Pastor I am very blessed , Pray that revival will come to Keningau Sabah also. I am in Gereja Baptis Hosanna Kristus Raja (GBHKR). My pastoris Benard Yaakub .