Dear brethren,
This morning was a glorious time. I believe it was a few weeks ago I was trying to get in touch with Brother Stephen Kaung. Through God's providence, Brother Scott Wood emailed me to let me know that I was in luck because Brother Kaung was speaking in Toronto. Watching this 101-year-old man preach Christ was absolutely riveting. The Spirit of Eternal Glory was emanating from this man when he preached. He delivered the message with so much clarity, strength, and conviction.
I finally got to shake his hand and speak with him at the end - telling him that I longed for years to meet him in person. He had this tremendous smile on his face and it made me see Christ was smiling through this man. He had so much joy in Christ. I thanked him for the honor and privilege of getting to meet him in person. I also asked him, "Brother, what was Watchman Nee like?" Brother Kaung answered, "He was just an ordinary man." Of course, Brother Kaung didn't mean it in a way as to put Brother Nee down. However, what he meant was often times we humans put a lot of the heroes of the faith on a pedestal and we can easily elevate them higher than what is true. I'm sure Brother Kaung would have said the same thing about himself being an ordinary gentlemen.
All in all, it was a blessed day. One thing brother Kaung said in his message today is, "An overcomer is a normal Christian. Being an overcomer is not for a special group of people. The reason why many Christians think this way is because most Christians are abnormal." It should be normal for a Christian to be an overcomer. He called it the Normal Christian Life, as his mentor Watchman Nee called it.
It was truly a miracle of grace that I was able to meet this man. He truly is an Overcomer in the Lord. And I would like to give a big thank you to Brother Scott Wood for connecting me to this church service that had Brother Kaung speaking today. Not to sound like a child, but I was extremely giddy with the fact that I shook the hand of the guy who shook Watchman Nee's hand. In case you guys didn't know, Nee has been my favorite author. It was through his works that I fell in love with Christ. And seeing Brother Kaung today being so faithful to the revelation of Christ handed to him makes me love Christ even more.
Praise be unto the Name of our God and Father, our the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Eternal Spirit who reigns from eternity unto eternity. From glory to glory!
Your Servant in Jesus' Name,
- Michael Barnabas Hoy-Kuen Liao
