五十年代的胡恩德先生﹐我的父親
五十年代的胡恩德先生﹐我的父親
胡蔭磐 2005/3/18
1950 年左右﹐喜樂福音堂的劉四姑和劉大姑 (我的姨母們)﹐有機會到婆羅洲及星加坡事奉﹐我很記得我媽媽很殷勤地和她們寫信。到1951 年﹐胡先生也應邀去南洋了﹐一去便是一年﹐是趙君影牧師請他去作星加坡某神學院院長。媽媽很勇敢﹐應付一家每天的開支﹐以及我們幾個孩子的需要﹐還每天站爸爸的位置領我們讀經禱告。卒之胡先生回來了﹐學到很多事情﹐添了很多動人的故事。劉四姑也回來了﹐又帶來很多的故事﹐所以他們對喜樂堂也有了新的異象和推動力。想不到這就變成五十年代香港教會大復興的前奏曲。
我想到胡先生在五十年代的工作有幾方面很特出﹕
我記得大概是 1951 年左右﹐我喜歡摟著一歲多的妹妹坐在小三輪車上走﹐有時候晚上和五歲的弟弟講故事﹐在那段日子﹐胡先生開始了一兩年的講道﹐每星期六晚﹐在大埔道33 號﹐向我們一班中學生講基礎信仰。我也大概是那些時候在風琴上伴彈。開始的時候大概有 30 人﹐以後越來越多。
胡先生很有系統地講幾個大題目﹕有神﹐魔鬼﹐人﹐罪﹐信心﹐悔改﹐得救﹐得救的確據﹐聖子﹐聖靈﹐教會﹐聖經的默示﹐主再來﹐教會被提……﹐ 我們聽得很有味。有時候在學校裡我也向一些同學分享。原來有系統地了解信仰﹐會帶來這麼大的確據和把握。我忘記了很多的信仰問題是如何擺在其中的﹐例如我清楚記得他講「約翰福音的作者確是使徒約翰」的證據。但主耶穌同時是神又是人﹐他的代贖的深、廣、含義﹐等等題目﹐都有詳談﹐至于如何擺布在全套課程裡﹐我倒想不起來了。這套「系統神學」當時僅稱為「基本要道」﹐是他自己在「司可福函授聖經課程」學來的結晶﹐傳授給我們。今天華人教會怕沒有百分之一向中學生們有這樣的教導系統。(附﹕後來喜樂堂出版了「要道瑣談」一書﹐就是從那些講道演變出來的。)
那一段時候﹐我們覺得是天下最有福的人﹐有機會聽到這麼好的信息。胡先生不是光講神學 1 2 3 4 A B C D﹐ 還加插很多故事。我記得很多是慕迪先生的喻道故事﹐很感人肺腑﹐幫助我明白如何清楚自己已得救。在 1953 年底我有一次對神說﹕「我要清清楚楚的再次求主耶穌進我心﹐作救主﹐赦我罪」﹐此後我的懷疑自己是否得救慢慢地消沒了。
這些聚會中﹐他也教我們唱一些感人的聖詩﹐他是男高音﹐唱到 E 和F 沒有問題﹐聞說我的祖父在教會唱詩時也是聲壓群雄的。我記得他教我們唱「十架路引導回家」﹐「主耶穌我曾應許﹐必事奉你長久」﹐Abide with me﹐ Day is dying in the west﹐等等。他也把一些三十年代的英文詩歌翻成漢語﹐ 例如:你也能 So may you﹐與日俱深 Trust Him more and more 等等。所以去參加聚會是一種樂趣。有時候他去南洋一段日子﹐到他回來了﹐那種以前的溫馨又來了。講到主的愛﹐好像他所欽佩的慕迪先生的一些風格﹐令到我們感動下淚﹐是神給他很特別的一種恩典。張耀基醫生的講道﹐也令人感動不已﹐覺得主很迫真的﹐但總是各有各的美點﹐神自己榮耀他每一個僕人﹐冠冕各不同的。
到 1953 年左右﹐我有些同學們信了主﹐來參加聚會﹐我們的團契有了生氣了。原來 1952 年是香港浸信會聯合夏令會蒙大復興的時代。我記得爸爸帶我坐船去長洲﹐下雨刮風﹐但我更興奮。在長洲他們沒借到山頂的建道神學院﹐是在市區濕濕霉霉的一間教會﹐外邊下著雨﹐但裡面人心火熱。過幾年再一個夏令會﹐他講「成為聖潔、合乎主用」﹐逐字逐句地解釋如何消極地「逃避少年的私欲」﹐再積極地「追求公義仁愛信德和平」。令大家覺得基督徒不是過著修道院的「禁欲主義」﹐而是要以更美更寶貴的生活取而代之。他講得很風趣﹐記得他說某陌生人穿得不襤不褸(but larm but lui)﹐不是「不男不女 (but narm but nui)」聽眾大笑一番。
那些年代是胡先生講道的巔峰時代﹐他自己當然不知。原來從他清楚自己得救 (大概是 1925 年左右)﹐然後心中火熱﹐逢人便問﹕你知道自己得救沒有﹖到 1926 年左右黃原素牧師鼓勵他傳道﹐就是這樣走上了奉獻之途﹐畢生無悔。
所以到五十年代他已有 25 年的傳道經歷。我看他的一個玻璃書櫥﹐裡面有很寶貝的一本慕迪傳﹐講道集﹐和很多本槐德亞力山大 (Alexander Whyte) 的講道集﹐都是英語的﹐可惜我到念大學時才勉強可以看英文書籍﹐始終無暇賞玩。他十幾歲時因為染到肺病﹐為了養病 (當時未有抗生素﹐患肺癆的死亡率是很可怕的) ﹐只好放棄進大學進修﹐但他天資聰穎﹐英語交談讀寫絕無困難﹐且精通天文地理﹐科學花鳥草木﹐都是為了講道時用﹐尤其是講到科學證明信仰這題目﹐他可以講得令人心服口服﹐比大學教授講得動聽多多。
香港那幾年的復興﹐大概是 1952 年開始﹐在浸信會的青年夏令營﹐很多人為罪自責﹐流淚悔改﹐甚至彼此認罪﹐寫信回家向父母認罪﹐偷過錢的﹐寫信請罪兼賠償。接著幾年﹐在播道會﹐喜樂堂﹐崇真會﹐中華基督教會﹐禮賢會﹐甚至香港大學﹐所舉辦的夏令營﹐都有這種奇跡﹐許多中學生得救了﹐變成嶄新的青年人﹐充滿喜樂平安﹐在學校向人作見證。當時的講員中﹐胡先生和陳約翰牧師講道很得人悔改。當然還有很多蒙主大大使用的僕人們﹐如滕近輝﹐冒季美﹐汪長仁﹐等。我記得 1957年的培靈會﹐主講的是汪長仁﹐何義思。汪長仁和陳約翰的講道﹐令人看到自己人性的醜惡﹐在主面前無地自容。其實最大的秘訣是多人的禱告﹐到聚會時空氣好像充滿了靜電﹐隨時會有雷暴大雨傾盆而來的感覺﹐很奇妙的。
胡先生的講道﹐沒有段落分明的規格﹐而是隨從聖靈的感動﹐把自己的思想融進神的同在那裡。所以聽下去有時候是覺得不是胡先生這個人的講話﹐而是神在那裡。這是他鼓勵我們要追求的境界。講到主的愛﹐他受到慕迪的影響﹐屢用慕迪先生的故事﹐令我們覺得神的愛是一位溫柔而可敬的慈父的愛﹐用有釘痕的手來安撫我們的心。這樣地講到主的愛﹐是他獨特的恩賜。當然有很多好講員﹐如滕近輝﹐張耀基﹐趙世光等﹐都有個別的風采 (恩賜) 來講到神的愛的。
五十年代的胡先生﹐是和藹可親可敬的。很多中學大學生喜歡來找他談話。有時問他的意見﹐他會靜靜地﹐聆聽聖靈的引導﹐然後回答﹐所以他的話屢屢過後成事﹐儼有先見之明。
我記得在我們教會舉辦的夏令營﹐並不是每次都是成功的﹐甚至有一年 1954 停辦﹐但 1955 年那次很多恩典﹐很多位和我差不多年紀的兄妹們有很大的感動﹐有一位姐妹哭得眼都腫了﹐她說自己往往欺負弟弟妹妹﹐掐他們的皮肉﹐對父母不孝﹐等等。另一位弟兄為未信的父母弟妹﹐也是流了很多痛苦的眼淚。此後他開始了我們中學裡的團契﹐我在其中受益很多。
五十年代的香港﹐還有其他方面的靈性復興。50 年左右來了一位艾德理牧師﹐在國內大學團契很有體驗。他來到香港﹐開始了大學畢業後的青年團契。由他們捐獻來支持福音圖書館的工作﹐以及每月一次的中學生佈道會﹐一年兩次的學生領袖訓練退修會﹐等等。結果到 1962 年左右﹐香港一千間中學中﹐有一半有團契﹐全港人口有百分之十是基督徒。好些天主教或佛教的中學﹐也有基督徒團契﹐靜靜的在校外的地方﹐或借教會﹐或在福音閱覽室﹐開聚會。有好幾位兄姊們全時間地往返各中學團契中講道陪訓。忙得喘不過氣來﹐但開心之極。
胡先生和艾牧師兩位都成了香港教會復興的燃火棒。因著許多中學生信主﹐這種火熱又傳到很多的教會裡去﹐甚至有些堅持新神學的牧師們﹐不信聖經的神跡﹐不信主耶穌復活﹐不信有天堂﹐不信有天使有魔鬼的﹐看到這麼多的青年人生命的改變﹐也開始改變了。這是很奇妙的
胡先生雖然在學生團契的事工上並不全然同意﹐但在「聖保羅七子」事件上他很支持的。大概是 1960 年左右﹐最負盛名的聖保羅男女中學﹐竟然禁止幾位心中火熱的同學們在校內傳福音﹐查經﹐等等﹐認為是太狂熱了。結果七位同學寧願退學﹐也不放棄信仰。但神陸續地為他們開路﹐每人都有機會進大學。所以有些教會與胡先生和陳約翰牧師絕交﹐以為他們是煽動青年人宗教狂的主角。但到了六十年代﹐他終于有兩次被邀約主講港九培靈研經大會。這是他一生認為是最高的榮譽﹐因為他年青時靈性復興﹐乃受惠于培靈會講員黃原素牧師﹐現在輪到他有機會回餽神的恩典﹐是他多年來的心願。
那些日子﹐胡先生每年暑假便忙得不亦樂乎﹐很多教會請他講夏令會﹐有時同一星期內要講兩個夏令營。他沒有念過正式的神學﹐但受過黃原素牧師的指點﹐他和同工們做過全套的「司可福函授聖經課程」﹐掌握到靈性得能力的秘訣﹐很像今天國內教會的領袖們﹐沒有甚麼學歷﹐但有神的同在﹐有改變人心的力量﹐有將來主自己的讚許﹐彀了。他碰過倪柝聲先生風潮帶來的衝擊和困惑﹐累到他精神衰弱﹐但更幫助了他懂得分辨教義上的是非。他很佩服王明道先生﹐在桌上一幅小小的照片﹐是他和倪柝聲、王明道三人合照的。關於分辨真理、應付異端的文章和小書﹐他寫了不少。
不知不覺﹐我們青年人們也感染了這種的異象﹕我們每人可以傳道﹐領查經﹐復興教會﹐帶人歸主﹐產生教會……。做到信徒人人皆兵。日後這些弟兄姐妹們到外國留學﹐也是憑著這種心志﹐樹立了很多的華人教會來。
大概是 1955 的夏令會吧﹐在營火旁我們坐成一圈﹐一面拍蚊子﹐一面聽他介紹「獻給無名的傳道者」﹐念著最感人的一段﹕
『彼得，彼得，我的朋友！
今晚上“我"在舉著釘痕的手，向"你"請命！
因為在世上還有無數個無數個將亡的靈魂！……
但你若竟因此而退去，這一個破口，
又有誰來堵防？又有誰來承擔呢？……』
……晨雞的呼喚提醒了你當初的誓言，
天上的慈愛化消了你剛硬的決斷，
忘記了時間般地那樣長久，
你釘住似鵠 立在無花果樹的旁邊。
久已含蘊在心底深處的無聲的歌詩，
如今已慢慢地變成了有聲的樂曲﹕
『恩主若仍然要我，我必定跟隨，
無論到什麼地方，我也跟隨到底！
過去、現在、直到永永遠遠，
任憑海枯石爛，也仍然愛你！
縱然有一天自己被倒釘了十字架，
主啊！我至死不移！』……
我們忘記了蚊子﹐因為心中嚮往著邊疆的沙漠﹐幻想有一天也會跑到那些地方！日後﹐接觸到內地會很多的書籍﹐知道更多這樣「世上不配有的人」﹐在雲南﹐在大漠﹐在青海﹐獻上了他們的生命。這些故事影響了我們一生。這些令我們嚮往差傳事工的種子﹐是胡先生首先撒在我們的心裡的。
我記得有好幾位的宣教士來過喜樂堂在主日講道。建道神學院院長劉福群牧師 DrNewburn 來過不少次﹐還有內地會的羅柏士 Ron Roberts﹐ 費述凱 Raymond Frame﹐惠敦大學的校長 Ray Edmund﹐名作者楊宓貴靈 Isobel Kuhn 的丈夫楊志英 JohnKuhn﹐導航會的梅文義 Warren Myers﹐ 弟兄會的 Raymond Guyatt。 包忠傑牧師 Paul Bartel 是他的好友﹐但我想不起有沒有站過中日講臺。這些外國人有些國語很流暢的﹐但如果用英語講﹐做傳譯的便一定是胡先生了。記得劉福群牧師的粵語是他自己學的﹐講到羅馬書七章「我覺得有個律」﹐他把「律」字念得不正﹐和「核實」「突兀」「迄日」等字同韻﹐結果成為他一輩子的笑話。
講起差傳﹐1953 和1954 年胡先生也去了菲律賓作神學院院長﹐他很捨不得家人﹐看到街上的女孩子就想起自己的女兒。好像是六十年代他也在廣州聖經學院 (後來改名播道神學院) 作院長一兩年。
胡先生還有另一個心願﹐是關心以色列的復國﹐與預言的應驗。他多年訂閱一些向猶太人傳福音機構的刊物﹐特別在 1949 年﹐猶太人亡國 1878 年後竟然復國了﹐聖經的預言果然應驗了﹐這是愛慕主國降臨的人都會雀躍鼓舞的。連胡先生自己也興奮起來。他告訴了我們很多動人的故事﹐例如﹕從也門國坐英國飛機回來的猶太人﹐有一個 70 歲的老人﹐還背著自己 90 多歲的父親﹐從飛機門口扶梯而下﹐到了平地﹐兒子對已瞎了眼睛的爸爸說﹕「爸爸﹐這就是我們盼望了多年的國土﹐終于是我們的了。」爸爸就跪在地上﹐很恭敬地向地親嘴﹐然後倒下來﹐斷氣了。這是一種的「愛國」。
到了 90 年代﹐胡先生說﹐可能好幾個這樣向以色列傳福音的團體﹐若沒有喜樂福音堂每年全正月的奉獻﹐可能已倒閉了。感謝神﹐讓香港這樣的一間小教會﹐可以在神國預言以色列的大計劃裡﹐擔任了這個寶貴的角色。
我小時候見過很多的大哥大姐們﹐個別的來找他談話﹐日後成了傳道人的﹐我認識的有﹕蔡善松﹐司徒輝﹐蔡耀文﹐吳主光﹐嚴福聲﹐ 麥禧真﹐還有喜樂堂許多的傳道者。這種果子是最寶貝的。他深信追求聖靈的充滿與能力﹐融化人的硬心﹐是最重要的修養。所以他很注重教導信徒如何天天嘗到神的同在﹐神的引導﹐神的聲音﹐這是最實際的經驗﹐的確可走的路。
包忠潔牧師說﹕你爸爸是華人中之 Prince of preachers (講道高手) ﹐有如司布真是英國的 Prince of preachers。我身為兒子﹐一方面很自豪﹐自愧不如﹐但另一方面﹐想起他為人在神面前非常謙虛﹐律己甚嚴﹐克己清廉﹐務求蒙主使用﹐數十年如一日﹐怪不得神用他。
說起他為人清廉﹐可以講很多故事。他以王明道作模範﹐畢生未貪過一文。我自己借過他一筆款項﹐明明說過是借的﹐但是遲遲不還﹐是父母的錢嘛﹐不要緊吧。有一天他對我說﹕那筆款算是我送給你﹐免得你人生留著罪惡﹐將來神不能使用你了。言下之意﹐是他為了我在神面前很傷心﹐流了很多眼淚﹐才想出這一招來。我很痛心。
我親眼見過他和一些很不值得援助的人談了很久﹐然後回房間開抽屜﹐送一點錢﹐再送他出門。「左手不容右手知道﹐但兒子卻知道一點。」
幾十年來﹐碰過很多令人傷心的事﹐他很多時禁食流淚禱告﹐事情細節﹐來龍去脈﹐連我媽媽也不知道。太多事情他守口如瓶﹐藏在心裡﹐到事情處理後﹐我們才知一點點。
最妙的是有時候問他靈程高峰的秘訣﹐講他的歷史﹐他總是太謙卑﹐覺得沒有什麼好講的。
我爸爸已回到主那邊去了﹐那邊好得無比。本文速速成章﹐是我一點的追念﹐很多細節和故事還須他日補上。
這篇文章雖僅是胡先生人生的一段日子﹐卻是我個人靈命最關鍵的階段。其實三十年前趙克輝醫生已有意﹐徵求很多人寫下一些香港五六十年代的教會復興史。時至今日﹐很多當時的傳道人或已見主﹐或入耄耋之年了﹐輪到我們這一代的人來寫一點回憶。盼望我們思想胡先生的人生﹐掌握到他蒙主大大使用的秘訣﹐幫助我們成為同樣得能力的工人。
弟兄姊妹們若有個人對胡先生的回憶﹐歡迎您來函﹐可以他日輯之成書。
By Peter Y. Woo, 3/24/2005
Introduction. It was around 1950, when my aunts Liu SiGwu劉四姑(my mother's older sister) and Liu DaGwu劉大姑(my mother's cousin) were invited to serve the Chinese churches in Sabah (British North Borneo, now part of East Malaysia) and Singapore. Mother would write letters diligently, checking the mailbox eagerly and opening their letters and photos with great enthusiasm. And then around 1951, Father was also invited to go to Singapore by Rev. Calvin Chao趙君影to be Principal of Singapore Bible Institute. Mother was bravely taking care of the daily chores of the family, as well as playing the role of father, leading daily family devotions and evening prayers. Finally Father came back. He learned a lot of new things and told us many hearty stories. Aunt Liu SiGwu also returned, again bring with her many good stories. So they were filled with new vigor and dreams for our church, the Haylock Church喜樂福音堂at Shumshuipo深水埔. Unknowingly this became a prelude to the spiritual revival of Hong Kong during the fifties.
I can now say my father, Y.T.Woo, was outstanding in several aspects:
1. Teaching Basic Doctrines. I remember riding a little tricycle in our apartment with my little sister Betty on my lap, and sometimes telling bed-time stories to my brother Joseph. My stories were influenced by Father's sermons on Saturday nights. He was starting a series of more formalized lectures on the basic tenets of our faith, to us teenagers. I learned to accompany their singing on the old harmonium organ. It started off with about 30 people, and grew rapidly afterwards.
There he lectured systematically on some big topics: God (His existence, the Trinity), Satan, Man, Sin, Jesus Christ, Faith, Repentance, Salvation, Assurance of Salvation, the Holy Spirit, Inspiration of the Bible, the Church, the Second Coming, the Rapture, etc. We loved every minute of them. I began to share with some classmates these things. Oh the confidence of faith that was so boosted by these lectures. I forgot the sequence of the topics. I definitely remember a lecture when he systematically laid down the proofs that the Gospel of John was really written by none other than the disciple John. He did explain how Jesus was both fully God and fully man. The profoundness and broadness of the scope of God's plan of salvation were taught, but I forget how did these subtopics did fit into the overall scheme of things. Such a series of Basic Doctrines, or "Systematic Theology for new believers", was the outcome of his time spent in a correspondence course called "Scofield's Bible Correspondence Course", translated into Chinese by Rev. Cheng JiGui成寄歸. (It is still available today, see http://www.ebccnet.com/course-info.php for example.) I doubt whether one out of ten Chinese churches today would teach such things to teenagers. Later on the Haylock Church published a volume, "Talks on Basic Doctrines" under father's name.
In those days, we felt we were the luckiest guys on earth, having an opportunity to hear such eye-opening teachings. He did not merely talk on theology, 1,2,3,4 and a,b,c,d. He told many stories, many of which were heart-moving stories from D.L.Moody. It helped me to finally understand that I have been surely saved by faith. In 1953 I once clearly prayed, "Lord, I now, once for all, earnestly ask You to come into my heart. Be my Savior, wash me from my sins." Afterwards my clouds of self-doubts gradually cleared up.
During those meetings, he would teach us good hymns. He was a tenor, and had no difficulty singing high E's and F's . My aunts also told me my Grandfather's tenor voice would stand out above all others at church worship. Among the songs he loved and taught were "Day is Dying in the West", "O Jesus I have promised, to serve Thee to the end", "The way of the Cross leads Home", and he would correct us of traditional mistakes in rhythm or melody, such as the song "Since Jesus came into my heart". He also translated into Chinese some newer hymns from Rodeheaver's four volume hymns collection, such as "So may you", and "Trusting Him more and more". The translations were very good. So going to Saturday night youth meetings was really an enjoyment.
Sometimes he would go to S.E. Asia for months (Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, etc.), and we would miss his absence. Then he came back, and the warm feelings again were felt in the meetings. He has a very touching way to talk about the love of Jesus, and he learned much from D.L.Moody's life and personality. Sometimes we are moved to tears on feeling Jesus' love. Other famous speakers in Hong Kong, like Dr CheungYiuKee張耀基and Rev. Philip Teng滕近輝all had their own gifted ways of speaking on God's love, but it is like God put on each person a different kind of fragrance and perfume and crown. It was most glorious.
2. The Revival came via Summer Camps. Around 1953 many schoolmates came to the Lord, and to our Saturday meetings, like a fresh wind. The spiritual revival came around 1952 in the youth camp of the union of Baptist churches. I remember my father took me for the 2-hour boat trip to Cheung Chau Island. The sea was windy and rainy, tossing the boat quite a bit, but I was savoring every moment with excitement. That time they did not borrow the campus of the famous Alliance Bible Seminary on the hill top, but used the hall of some church (or school) in town on the Island, among the narrow and muddy lanes. I remember the dank rainy smells of that hall, yet our hearts were warm with excitement listening to every word of the speakers' preaching. Father was very articulate, he has read widely. He was such a good story teller that he did not even need shoutings, hand gestures or body motions on the pulpit, yet could capture the emotions of the listeners.
He was a perfectionist in picking and pronouncing Chinese vocabulary, and would take opportunities to correct the listeners. Once in one summer camp he said "I met this man who was dressed quite plainly but not shabbily, ("but narm but nui" in Cantonese)" but the listeners thought he was saying "but larm but lui", which means dressing in a way that you cannot tell whether he was a man or woman, and they had a good laugh. I remember one of these conferences had the theme, "Sanctified and Meet for the Master's Use". He would explain the Bible verse phrase by phrase, how to "flee youthful lusts", by positively "pursue after righteousness, faith, love, and peace" together with other youths with kindred spirit. He was quite humorous about it, and yet dead serious in its effectiveness. We saw that being a Christian youth need not live like an Augustinian monk, but to sublimate our passions with a higher living that is practical and livable.
Those years was the pinnacle years of his preaching ministry, and of course he knew it not. He became sure of his own salvation around 1925 to 27, and afterwards he was so relieved he would almost grab everybody on the street and ask "Do you know you have been saved?". Rev. Huang YuanSu黃原素 from Wuzhou Bible Institute (now Alliance Seminary at Cheung Chau island) came in 1926 and 27 to speak at the annual PeiLing Bible Conference港九培靈研經大會 of Hong Kong churches, and personally encouraged my father, to read good books, and to walk the path of a true servant of Jesus, where he walked for 78 years afterwards, with no regret.
So by 1952 he already had 25 years experience in preaching. Actually he said he preached occasionally on the church pulpit, still in high school, even before he was saved. (What did he preach? He preached quite well, interpreting the Bible quite afresh. ) I remember his glass paneled 3 shelved bookcase. Many books were in English, and he cherished a book on the life of D.L.Moody, some books by Graham Scroggie, Harry S. Rimmer, and several huge volumes of sermons of Alexander Whyte. Too bad I could hardly read English till I was at my last years in Hong Kong Univ., and never found time to appreciate all that family treasure.
When he was 19 he was accepted into HK Univ., yet discovered he had TB, which was incurable with high fatality rates, in those days before antibiotics. So he gave up going to college, rented a place at Aberdeen (a fishermen community in HK), and just tried to recuperate. He began to share the gospel with the fishing community. He also learned all the tricks of fishing, and how to tow a boat with a single oar, etc. He was so gifted he could speak and write English fluently and he was a walking encyclopaedia, knowing much about science, astronomy, archaeology, botany, history, politics, all for the consuming goal of using them at sermons and stories. Very few preachers were as convincing as he was when talking about scientific evidence for the existence of God, or for the veracity of the Bible.
The outbreak of spiritual revival started about 1952 at the Baptist youth summer camp. Many young people were convicted of their sin, confessed with tears, then confessed to one another. Some wrote letters home confessing to their parents. Those who stole money wrote and paid back. My father told us he estimated the amount of money he cheated the government, then he returned this debt by buying postal stamps from the Post Office, and burned them. In the next few years, the revival spread to other churches, like the Evangelical Free churches, Haylock churches, Chung Zhen churches, Chinese Churches of Christ ("CCC"), Lutheran Rhenish churches, and even at Hong Kong University Christian Association. Many high schoolers were converted, changing into new personalities that are filled with joy and peace, and witnessing in campus. The popular conference speakers included Rev. Mao JiMei冒季美, Rev. Philip Teng滕近輝, Ms Gladys Ward汪長仁. I was at the PeiLing Bible Conference港九培靈研經大會 1957 where the speakers were Ms Gladys Ward汪長仁, Ms Ruth Hitchcock何義思, and Rev. Zhang RongJiang張容江. Ms Gladys Ward was very powerful in opening our eyes towards personal sin. So was Rev. John Chan陳約翰too. Sometimes one felt like the atmosphere was filled with static electricity, ready for an outpouring of spiritual awakening.
Father preached without a clear outline, but he followed the timely guidance of the Spirit, melting his own thoughts into the Presence of God. Sometimes one would not see so much of the speaker's personality as the very voice of the Lord Himself. This is the kind of goal of selflessness that he likes all of us to attain. When he talked of the love of God, he would model after D.L.Moody, sometimes using Moody's heart-moving stories, portraying God like a gentle, kind, yet regal father laying his nail-scarred hand upon your heart. So he had his special ways, I would say a spiritual gift, of communicating the love of God.
Father in the 1950's was a venerable, serious, gentle person, yet quite approachable and friendly. Many young people, high-schoolers, college students, and other pastors would come and chat with him. The church did not have an office for him, so all such visitors would come to our home, which was at an apartment just upstairs to the church. Many would pour out their heart on their problems. He would listen quietly, as if listening to the Spirit's voice, and then give his advice. So very often what he said would actually come to pass afterwards, and people thought he had the gift of prophesying future things because of this.
I remember the summer camps of our own church in those days, and not all were sparkling successes. They even stopped having one in 1954. But 1955 was a year of blessing. Many young people of my age group were really transformed. One girl cried so much that her eyelids were red and swollen. She said she would pinch her brothers and sisters when she was mad, and she had been disrespectful and grieving her parents' hearts, etc. Another brother wept very bitterly for his unbelieving parents and sibblings, and later on God used him to lead the Christian fellowship group in our high school. I still remember my posters on the wall of the school announcing special Christian meetings after school hours. I learned to play the accordion during those meetings.
3. Student Bible Study Groups. This is another aspect of the spiritual revival in Hong Kong. Mr. David Adeney, of OMF, came out of China to HK around 1950. He had seen outpouring of the Spirit amidst Christian university students all over north China. He first started a fellowship among Christian graduates in HK, and then they began to give financial support to a Christian library, called "Evangelical Reading Room". The next step is to reach out to highschoolers. They would have a gospel meeting, called "Middle School Rally", once a month. It was fun to go there seeing all kinds of students coming in their school uniforms. They began some training one-day conferences for Bible study group leaders in the high schools. I attended them, and that began to change my life. Eventually around 1962 there were Bible study groups (we called them Christian Fellowship groups) in 500 out of 1000 high schools. Some of them were unfriendly to Evangelicals, like Catholic and Buddhist schools, or schools with Anglican background. However, Christian students would meet after shool hours at a neighboring church for Bible study. Some college graduates now dedicated themselves into full time student ministries, hurrying from school to school during weekdays, just to speak at various fellowship groups.
Mr Adeney himself was also a good speaker. He spoke in simple English to us students, but in fluent Mandarin in the churches or in the Peiling Bible Conference.
So my father Y.T.Woo and Mr. Adeney were two firebrands during these revivals in Hong Kong. Many high school students believed, and in turn they brought revivals back into the churches. Quite a few liberal pastors, that did not believe in the literacy of the miracles in the Bible, nor Heavens or Hell, nor the resurrection, began to change, after seeing so many changed lives among the students.
Father did not agree with everything in the students ministry, but he was quite supportive in the "St. Paul Seven" incident. It was about 1960, in the Anglican high school, St. Paul's Co-ed, where seven students were told they could no longer share the gospel to other students or actively share the faith. St. Paul's is the school in HK with highest academics achievements year after year. These seven students then quit the school, rather than give up their faith. God opened up other channels for them to go to other high schools, and eventually all attended college. So some churches ostracized Mr Y.T.Woo and Rev. John Chan and forbid them to preach at their churches or schools. However, starting with 1965 and 1966, Father got invited to be a main speaker at the PuiLing Bible Conference, which he regarded as the highest honor in his life. I think he owed his spiritual foundation on the speaker Rev. Huang YuanSu黃原素 in 1927, who gave him invaluable encouragement. So he rejoiced in the opportunity for his turn to feed the Hong Kong populace with God's grace upon him all these years.
In those days, he would be extremely busy in summer months, being invited to speak at the summer conferences of different churches, sometimes running from one camp to another during a week where he had to speak at two conference sites.
He had had no formal seminary education, but starting with a good direction suggested from Rev. Wang, he went through the whole set of Scofield's Bible Correspondence Course, which comprised of some 14 thin volumes in Chinese. He learned the secret essence of spiritual power, just like many church leaders in China today. He had no academic titles, except the unction of the Spirit and the presence of God. It is enough to have power to change lives, plus the commendation of the Master someday up there. He lived through the dark days of sailing in the waves of upheavals of the Little Flock movement brought to HK by Watchman Nee倪柝聲, whom he admired. Though his health was devastated through many sleepless nights of fasting and prayer, he learned the precious lessons of discernment in doctrines. He admired Mr Wang MingDao王明道 of Beijing, and there was a little photo under the glass pane of his desk, where he was standing with two other giants, all older than him by 10 years, Mr Wang MingDao and Mr Watchman Nee. He wrote quite a few books on discernment against wrong teachings and cults.
Somehow we began to pick up the vision: not all of us need to become pastors, yet all of us can learn to preach, teach, lead Bible studies, helping churches to have revivals, evangelize, and plant churches. Every believer can and should be a well-equipped soldier of Jesus Christ. Later on many of us young people migrated overseas to America and Europe, and many Chinese churches in America were thus born during the sixties and seventies.
4. On Missions. It must have been the summer camp in 1955, when we were sitting around a camp fire, swatting the mosquitos, while listening to Mr Y.T.Woo reading excerpts from the poem "Unto the Nameless Preacher獻給無名的傳道者" by Bian YunBor邊雲波:
Peter, Peter, my true friend!
Do you really have to go back?
You really cannot keep awake with Me?
On the shores of the Sea of Galilee,
You pledged before me thrice
You will watch over my flock, whatever the cost.
Yet today are you really this deeply hurt?
For the sake of this trial, you begin to ignore your old pledge?
Peter, Peter, my very friend!
Tonight I raise my nail-pierced hand to “cry” unto you.
Due to sin there are still countless souls perishing.
In days ahead there will be more toil and battles.
If you retreat now and thus,
Who then will come and fill this gap?
Who can replace you?
..... The morning crow of a rooster reminded you of your erstwhile pledge.
The loving kindness from above melted your resolutions.
You have forgotten so much time has passed on.
You stood unmoved next to the fig tree.
The morning breeze wafted your hair,
In tenderness, soothing, comforting, enquiring.
You noticed so much of your tears
Have already become inseparable with
All the dew on your feet.
The wordless verses of a song, which has been buried deep in you,
Now slowly becomes an audible song with melody.
“If, Master, You still want me, I’ll surely follow.
Wherever You may want, I’ll be there.
In past, present, till eternity, I will love You,
Even if the oceans run dry and the rocks rot,
Even if I have to be nailed on the cross upside-down.
Oh Lord, I’ll be true till death.”
Oh we forgot about the mosquitos, our hearts dreaming about the deserts of the wild Northwest China, fancying some day we would be trekking there. Later on I read more books from OMF, knowing more stories about such folks "of which this world is not worthy", in Yunnan, in Northwest, in Chinghai, laying down their lives on the altars. These stories transformed us. The seed of such love for missions, at least in my heart, started with my father's stories.
I remember he invited quite a number of missionaries to his Sunday pulpit: There was Dr William Newburn劉福群, president of the Alliance Seminary, who came many times. There was Ron Roberts and Raymond Frame費述凱 and even John Kuhn of OMF. There was Ray Edman and Merrill Tenney of Wheaton College who visited our church once. There was Raymond Guyatt of Brethren church, and Warren Myers梅文義 of the Navigators. Myers was in HK for quite a number of years. Paul Bartel包忠傑 was a good friend of my father, but I don't recall him preaching at our pulpit. Father had become a great translator on the pulpit, and sometimes got invited by other churches to do so. One was a great revival preacher Rev. Mitchell from Nebraska, I remember him weeping on the pulpit, calling for people to come forward, and Father was standing next to him.
One thing funny about Rev. William Newburn. He came as a missionary, humorous, optimistic, yet suffered a lot in life. He learned Mandarin when he was in China, and then picked up Cantonese all by himself, without taking lessons. Once he preached and read the verse in Rom. 7 about "the law within me" that bends towards sin, he pronounced "law" in Cantonese that sounds like "lutt", but the correct way is like German "luett". So the joke of his funny pronunciation stuck with him all his life.
Mr Y.T.Woo went to mission fields as a preacher. He was invited to be president of Philippines Bible Institute in 1951 and 52, I think. He was so homesick ! Everytime he saw a cute girl on the street he would see how much she looks like Betty, my cute little sister. Later on in 1963 and 64 he had a fruitful time visiting Vietnam and preaching in the Chinese churches. Again he came back with a new crop of good stories of how God was alive there, when the Vietnamese War was spreading everywhere.
5. Mission for Israel. Another great passionn of my father is evangelizing Israel. He strongly believes (I too) that the restoration of Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy, which must occur before Jesus' Second Coming. So he was totally excited in following the news of establishment of the nation Israel in 1948. He subscribed to magazines of several missions agencies that shared the gospel in Israel. There he read about a lot of stories of fulfillment of prophecy. For example, the unintended preservation of the blocked up East Gate of Jerusalem by General Allensby, turned out to be a fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy. Another example are stories of miraculous events leading to the Arabs surrendering in numerous battles, saying they saw Moses telling them to do so, or some miraculous discovery of gasoline by the Israelis in battle, etc. One most touching story was that of a group of immigrants who sold all they had in Yemen just to get a ride in a plane offered by United Nations, for a one way trip to Israel. As the plane landed, one old man in seventies slowly climbed down the stairs, carrying his blind old father over nineties on his back. Once they were on the ground, the son said, "Father, this is the land that we have longed for and hoped for year after year. Now finally it is ours, according to prophecy." The father knelt down on the ground, kissed the ground, with all his strength, then laid down, expired and died. Such was the patriot's story, or better yet, the story of prophecy fulfilled.
Later on around the 1990's, father said, many of these missions agencies for evangelizing Israel would have gone out of business, were it not for our church's special commitment to donate all offerings collected in entire January each year to Israel evangelism. We are thankful that such a small church in HK could play a vital part in the fulfillment of prophecy.
6. Cultivation of Next Generation Workers. I remember many young adults (who later on became pastors) coming to consult with Mr Y.T.Woo, such as Tsoi WingSang蔡善松, Fai Szeto司徒輝, Choi YiuMan蔡耀文, Ng ChuKwong吳主光, Mak HayChun麥禧真, and of course the young workers in our church. Father cared more for their spiritual growth and spiritual power than merely intellectual knowledge from books or from the seminaries. He does not want to cultivate pastors that take the ministry as a job with fixed salary, but really as a sacred trust from God, for whom we should be willing to sacrifice everything, but who also promised us his very presence and power and miracles. He believes that only the filling of the Spirit can give them power to melt hard hearts. The daily practice of the presence of God, sensing His guiding hand, and hearing His inner voice, are a most vital, yet totally attainable path of life.
7. Clean, Holy Living. Pastor Paul Bartel包忠傑said to me, "Your father is a Prince of preachers among Chinese pastors, just as C.H.Spurgeon was the Prince of preachers in England." I was overwhelmed by his assessment, I was very happy with it, and I felt also ashamed by it because I have not striven towards the similar goal. What was his secret? I can think of his absolute humility before God and men. He has strong self-discipline, stingy on himself, trying to be flawless in personal integrity. He was that way for 80 years. No wonder he was a usable vessel for Christ.
Many stories can be told about his clean living. His role model was Mr Wang MingDao王明道of Beijing. He never covet money. I borrowed a sum from him when were struggling with kids and small income. But I kept delaying telling him when I would pay it back. "Well, it is just money from my loving parents, so it is OK, I guess." After a number of years, he said to me, "That sum of money I hereby declare as my gift to you. I don't want it become an unconfessed sin in your life, lest God cannot use you anymore." That means he had been heart-broken over my callous attitude towards personal integrity, and shed much tears over it in prayers. It also shows how much he longed for my life to become useful to God . . .
I have seen many times some folk talking for a long time with him, and then he would get to his desk in my room, got some money from his drawer, and escort the guy out with it. Sometimes he included a few more vitamin B-complex capsules, to help the guy get some sleep, and rest his soul. "Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing . . . ", (but his son knew . . . ).
Over the decades he encountered many heartaches and disappointments. All he could do was fast and pray. Details of what happened, who did what, even my mother would not know. After a long while, the dust settled, and we would only know a little bit of why he did what he did.
A rather frustrating thing about this humility thing: Many times had people asked him what was his secret of success in life, in ministry, or asking him to write an autobiography. With hesitation, he would sincerely say, "There is not much to write about my life", and that was it. After much cajoling, he finally gave 2 talks, lasting 2 hours altogether, on some stories of his young days. In private talks with us, he would remember tiny details of people, relatives, his parents and aunts, etc., plus plenty of true stories of famous people. So there really was a vast database of info stored up in him.
In conclusion, I am comforted by the fact that he is now with Jesus, which is far better than anything down here. This article is a little tribute on my part. I need to fill it up with more details in future. Why did I write mainly about the Fifties? Because it was the most formative years in my own life. Thirty years ago, Dr HakFai Chiu, our schoolmate in HK Univ., also got busy asking many of us to write about the spiritual revival in Hong Kong during the fifties and sixties. But as of now, many of the popular speakers and church leaders are either no more here, or quite weakened by age, and the duty really falls on the shoulders of my generation. May the memories of the life of Y.T.Woo help us to take hold of the secret of being a useful vessel, so we can have the same measure of spiritual power.