Rev. Dr. Ernest Chan, a pioneering figure in promoting the anointing of the Holy Spirit within the overseas Chinese church for decades, urged the Chinese church to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
On June 7, Rev. Dr. Chan delivered the keynote address titled "The Epochal Promise," in which he presented seven perspectives on understanding the Holy Spirit ahe 2025 Overseas Chinese Pentecost Online Gathering.
Themed "Receive Anointment of the Holy Spirit," the gathering was held from June 6 to 9, coinciding with this year's Pentecost.
Rev. Dr. Ernest Chan currently serves as the director and founder of Agape Renewal Ministry. With a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in the United States, he served as senior pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Chinese Church in San Francisco, the largest Chinese congregation in North America for 22 years. In 1987, he established Agape Renewal Ministry to advance the cause of Holy Spirit renewal through global special meetings and leadership training programs. He is the author of The Eleventh Miracle and Rethinking Pentecostalism.
In his sermon, Rev. Dr. Ernest Chan who has dedicated 61 years to ministry with 30 of those years focused on the work of Holy Spirit renewal, highlighted four major events in the life of the Apostle Peter that brought about a profound transformation. The first was witnessing the transfiguration of Jesus alongside two other apostles, followed by encountering the resurrected Christ. The third was experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The final event was when Peter, together with John, went to Samaria and prayed for the believers, who then received the Holy Spirit.
Rev. Chan asked, "What if the Holy Spirit had not come?" He said, "Although Peter had followed Jesus, seen the risen Lord, and heard the Son of God speak of the kingdom of heaven, he still lacked the power from above."
Citing Peter's words, "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires," Chan explained that "his very great and precious promises" refers to the Holy Spirit. When Peter received the Holy Spirit, his entire life was transformed, and that same Holy Spirit also came upon countless others.
Rev. Chan stressed, "Christians must believe that what Peter experienced, we too can experience. We come by faith, and we can receive according to the measure of our belief."
Rev. Dr. Ernest Chan expounded on the Holy Spirit from seven aspects. First, he explained that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Son. It is through the Spirit of the Son that Christians are able to commune with God, as the Holy Spirit places the Spirit of the Son within believers, enabling them to know God and form an intimate father-child relationship with Him. While God's people in the Old Testament approached God with fear and awe, such a relationship was transformed in the New Testament.
Second, through the Holy Spirit, Christians are free to live holy lives without committing sins. Rev. Chan shared several testimonies, one of which was about an individual quitting smoking through the help of the Holy Spirit. He transformed from someone who once smoked five packs of cigarettes a day to someone who gets sick even from the smell of smoke. This, Chan said, reflects the new law reigning within him.
Third, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, who leads believers into all biblical truth. Rev. Chan distinguished between "logos" (the written Word) and "rhema" (the revealed Word). When the Holy Spirit of truth comes, he breathes onto the Scriptures, transforming "logos" into "rhema," decoding the Scripture for deeper understanding as we read.
Fourth, drawing from the Apostle Paul, "the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans," Chan emphasized that praying in the Spirit builds up the believer, like recharging a phone, strengthening one's spiritual life. Furthermore, it is like sending a telegram to heaven, prompting God to mobilize all things to work together for good.
In addition, the Holy Spirit grants Christians revelation, power, and love.
Rev. Chan concluded by addressing everyone's longing for the great revival. He emphasized that true revival occurs when believers become disciples, every believer serves as a priest, the church is mobilized, and all members become bearers of the gospel.
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Poppy Chan
