We spent yesterday, the Lord’s Day, at the Reformed Millennium Center in Jakarta, Indonesia, which is the largest Christian church building (600,000 square feet) in southeast Asia (photo 1). It was founded by Dr. Stephen Tong, who is 82 years old and still is very active in the ministry. He also leads the denomination known as Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia, and has founded many other Reformed ministries as well as Reformed Christian schools, including a K-12 school, a university, and a seminary. (One of his seminary students is now pursuing a PhD at our Puritan Reformed Seminary.) He is the most well-known Reformed preacher in all of Indonesia and China. (My alma mater, Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, awarded him an honorary doctorate.)
Before Pastor Tong preached the morning service for about 2500 people in a sanctuary that holds more than 4000 (photo 2), he invited me up to the pulpit with him to ask me a few questions about myself, my family, and my ministry (photo 3). (I had wanted to meet him for many years, but never thought that would first happen behind his pulpit!) Then I went to a separate auditorium to preach in English to a smaller crowd (mostly young adults) on how Jesus, the great Prophet, Priest, and King meets all the needs of His people (Luke 22:31-32). Late afternoon, I preached in yet another sanctuary in the complex through an excellent Indonesian interpreter, on how to persevere in running the Christian race from Hebrews 12:1-2.
This morning, I begin teaching an intensive course on Puritan Theology at the seminary Dr. Tong founded which is now located in the Reformed Millennium Center (22 hours of teaching in four days). Your prayers would be deeply appreciated.
