The Gold Medal Winner

Alan Cheung

(B.A.P.S. 1)

Alan and Sau-ching with their children: Tin-yan, Tin-hang and Tin-lam

God’s Prompting in the Heart for over 30 Years

  Ever since I became a born-again Christian, serving God has been an important aspect of my faith in life. When I was young, I had thought of studying in a seminary to train to be a full time pastoral worker. But then my father became sick and was forced to retire early. As the oldest son in a family of six, I had to shoulder the financial burden for my family so I became a civil servant right after my secondary school education. Although the thought of seminary study had to be shelved, I never gave up my commitment to serve God full time. God’s prompting always lingered in my mind. In fact, my response to the urge of the Great Commission — to preach the gospel and lead lost souls to the Lord intensified. If this is true, then why have I waited until today to take the first step to consecrate myself to full time ministry? I can only say I trust God to work out everything in his time.

  I have served in the Hong Kong Government for twenty-five years. It was not until eight years ago when I resigned from the post of Clerical Officer. At that time, my whole family emigrated to California. It was by God’s grace that I soon found a job in a computer company and also found a spiritual home.

  In mid 2008, due to a change in the company’s operational strategy, our department sacked the entire staff. I received the company’s dismissal letter at the end of July and like all other dismissed staff, I had to pack up all my personal belongings immediately, then I loaded up my car and drove home. I find it difficult to express my feelings at that time. There was no panic, no sense of loss or disheartened feeling as I had expected. On the contrary I had peace in my heart. I knew that I first needed to call my home and then call my church pastor.

Could Not Take the Gold Medal by Half-a-Person

  The next day when I did not have to go back to work, I could then join the church’s summer camp where I experienced God’s call. I did not hear God’s voice audibly calling me but God acted in such a way that I felt certain that it was the right time. My wife, Sau-ching, also joined the summer camp with me. We have been married for twenty-seven years. In the past twenty six years she had had reservation about my commitment to be a pastoral worker. This is because she was well aware of my character, temper and ability, and my many deficiencies. It would seem I am not good enough to serve God well.

  In the summer camp, my wife had a change of heart. The last program in the summer camp was the Consecration Meeting. 2008 was the year Olympic was held in Beijing, and so the brothers and sisters who had organized the meeting had the ingenuity to prepare the gold, silver and bronze medals. Those they called out to receive the gold medals must be those who would serve brothers and sisters full time. I of course did not go out because I thought that my other half would not step out; even if I did, it was just a half-a-person walking to the front. But thank God, Sau-ching, who was sitting next to me, suddenly caught hold of my hand and said, “Alan, we must go forward!” At that time, I really did not know how to react. After stepping out, all I could do was to let my tears be my response to God’s call.

Hoping To Be a Bible Teacher

  I trust that it was God who had given me the green light through my wife. Added to the fact that at that time our children would soon graduate from university, we both felt the need to pray together for God’s further guidance, and we began seeking signs of God’s verification of my call. We also shared my commitment of serving God full time with our church pastor and brothers and sisters. We listened to their suggestions, which gave us great encouragement and support. Coincidentally, at that time our church was planning to send a short term mission team to a city in South America during Thanksgiving to share the gospel with the Chinese there. After conferring and praying with my wife, I decided to join the team, hoping that this mission experience would enable me to affirm God’s call.

  I must thank the Lord that, through this short term mission trip to South America, I personally experienced the compelling need of overseas Chinese to hear the Christian gospel, and yet I discovered there was really a great shortage of God’s workmen. In the city Iquitos, Peru, where we went, there were several thousand Chinese but not a single church with a Chinese pastor. And so those Chinese who came to Christ but spoke no Spanish did not have any church life or opportunity to nurture their spiritual lives. Seeing this situation, I had a great burden to go back to this city to organize Bible study gatherings to nurture new believers and serve our countrymen by leading them to Christ. I hope to be a Bible teacher, leading others to understand the Word of God so that they can come to know Jesus and receive his salvation. Through God’s grace, my wife and my children strongly supported my commitment to this mission. Praise the Lord!

  I am convinced that God’s workmen should seize the opportunity to receive holistic training, especially in the area of Bible teaching, equipping themselves to rightly handle the word of truth. This is a crucial training for God’s workmen. This not only helps to establish their faith in the Word of God and also enables the community they serves to have the same edification so that they do not repeat like parrot and become liable to deviate from the right path.

Only God’s Preparation Is the Best

  In choosing which seminary to apply, I considered my study ability, the language of instruction and school fees to be the main concerns. During the Peru mission, I came to know a local Chinese missionary who handed me some information about a Panama seminary in Central America which meets the three considerations mentioned above. Therefore, I took Panama to be the very place where God would want me to attend seminary. I began to contact the seminary through email but received no reply. I kept praying and asking God for guidance. Then God spoke to me through my wife who asked if I would consider applying for seminary study in Hong Kong. What she said inspired me to begin a survey of Hong Kong seminaries on the internet and gather each seminaries’ relevant information.

  I found the study focus and program content of two seminaries befitting me. I found the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary to be well established seminary which demands a fairly high educational qualification from its applicants. Fearing that my educational qualification did not meet its academic qualification and that my application would be rejected, I only sent my application to a smaller seminary in Hong Kong in March 2009.

  More than two months later, upon God’s wondrous arrangement, I had the opportunity to come across President Cho who happened to be visiting Chinese churches in Los Angeles. Encouraged by him, I applied to study in HKBTS. What made me feel grateful to God was that President Cho squeezed me into his tight schedule for the written admission test and to have an interview with my wife and me. By the end of June, I received the admission letters from both seminaries in the same week. I still remembered that I then was both excited and bewildered. At that time I was at a loss as to which one to choose. The first thought was to seek advice from a Christian brother. But then, I felt that God called me to account for myself: “In facing such an important decision, why don’t you seek my advice first?” I immediately fell on my knees to confess my sin and pray and at that time a clear idea came to me: “Man’s choice is second best; only God’s preparation is the best.”

  In fact, I know God’s preparation is the best. Today I have followed God’s guidance and returned to Hong Kong to become a first year student of HKBTS. Here I have embarked on my seminary study. To be able to share my testimony of God’s call is really a sign of God’s grace. May glory be given to the only true God.

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