初谈宋尚节
（接上文）
草湖基督教堂之行
- 崇拜与团契交通
2025年6月8日早晨7:30，我们从莆田市的笏石镇启程，驱车来到莆田码头，准备乘船前往南日岛。南日岛风景秀丽，物产丰富，是莆田基督教的发源地。
南日岛一号渡轮停泊在码头，船身稳健宽大，甲板上早已聚集了不少乘客与货物。船中间贴着一道红幅：“人人讲安全、个个会应急——查找身边安全隐患”。处处留心皆学问，渡轮以这种方式增强人们的安全意识值得学习。渡轮往返于莆田与南日岛之间，水程大约一个小时。船开动之后，微风拂面，浪花轻拍船舷。我站在邮轮的一端，凝视着一望无际、微波荡漾的海面，心中不禁涌起无限感慨。耳边似乎回荡着诗人海子的那句诗：“面朝大海，春暖花开”。这一刻，心灵被打开，思绪飞向百年前的一幕：1927年，宋尚节横渡太平洋，临近中国海岸时，他毅然将象征世俗荣誉的“金钥匙”和“盒子”抛入大海，宣告自己要彻底向世界死、完全向基督活。那一瞬间的振奋与彻底，至今仍震撼人心。想到这里，我不由自主地高声吟唱：“主啊，你就是大海中的船，在你船上是何等平安……”或许船上的乘客会觉得这个人有点癫狂，他五音不全的歌唱并不那么悦耳，但那又如何呢？人生能有几回癫狂？若能为基督的爱癫狂，若能在大庭广众之下大胆为基督作见证，就算被全世界轻看也值得了！
南日岛约有5-6万人，估计有基督徒与天主教徒约一万多人。草湖堂信徒有258户，1200多人。岛上除了草湖堂之外，还有其他六间教堂，遍布各个村落。开车穿过街巷，随处可见许多家大门上张贴着福音对联，仿佛整个小岛都浸润在基督福音的气息之中。
草湖堂外观雄伟壮观，分为新旧两个部分。教堂门口立着一块石碑，上面刻着五排竖体字：“传教于1863年”、“基督为教会磐石”、“耶和华以勒”、“兴化福音发源地”、“创建于2005年春”。下面写着：草湖堂。这些文字不仅是历史的见证，更是信仰薪火相传的印记。
由于不知道主日崇拜开始的具体时间，我们抵达教会时崇拜已经进行到一半。讲台上，王洪福牧师正用当地方言热切讲道。虽然我们一句也听不懂，但从大屏幕PPT上的标题可以知道，他讲的是《使徒行传》中保罗与巴拿巴的宣教（徒11:19–20）。会众静默聆听，氛围庄重而热烈。奉献环节人们可选择两种方式：一种是现场奉献，另一种是通过微信支付宝扫描奉献。崇拜结束前任牧师陈国恩的代祷更是情词迫切。结束时，弟兄姐妹欢喜快乐同心唱诵“礼拜散时歌”：“礼拜散了恳求祝福，喜乐平安满我心……愿能永远，愿能永远，同主治理无尽期。阿门” 。
会后，王洪福牧师与陈国恩牧师热情地接待我们，邀请我们一起饮茶用餐。在温暖的团契中，王牧师与我们分享了几条关于宋尚节的重要见解：
第一，1909年兴化（即今莆田）的大复兴，是宋尚节后来在全国各地带领复兴的“原型”。那次复兴从神学生薛明春的认罪悔改开始，他公开承认自己曾拿过教会两块钱。由此引发了众人纷纷认罪悔改的浪潮。王牧师指出，此后宋尚节所带领的复兴，无不是这一模式的“复制与粘贴”。
第二，真正的悔改必须是“撒该式悔改”——得罪神的事，要向神认罪；得罪人的事，要向人认罪，并当面赔礼道歉，甚至赔偿钱财。唯有如此，才会带来真正的更新与复兴。王牧师语重心长地说：“今日人们信主太便宜了。跟随主必须付出代价，我们必须要真正悔改，才能更新生命。”
第三，宋尚节的化学博士头衔为他打开了接触各阶层的门路，吸引了许多人前来听道。复兴如同五饼二鱼，产生属灵的“化学反应”。他的脚踪遍及中国17个省份、7个国家，将复兴的火种传遍各地。
听完王牧师的分享，我心有所感，便补充说：“‘不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。’宋尚节九岁时在兴化亲历的复兴，确实是他日后事工的雏形。然而主却奇妙地带领他远赴美国，在纽约协和神学院遭遇自由派神学的冲击，甚至被送入精神病院。正是经过这段痛苦与迷惘的历程，圣灵才使他更加确认：童年在兴化所经历的复兴，才是最纯正、最宝贵的灵性财富。若无这段辗转，他或许难以如此深刻体会当年的价值”。原来，一个人走遍世界时，当他回头一看才会猛然发现，童年里与主相遇的经历才是无价珍宝。
（未完待续）
9/21/25 Pastor’s Word
An Initiative Reflection on John Sung
(continued from the above)
Journey to Caohu Christian Church
- Worship & Fellowship
On the morning of June 8, 2025, at 7:30 a.m., we set out from Hushi Town, Putian City, and drove to the Putian wharf to board a ferry to Nanri Island. Nanri Island, with its beautiful scenery and abundant resources, is the birthplace of Christianity in Putian.
The Nanri No. 1 ferry was docked at the pier, steady and spacious, with passengers and cargo already gathered on deck. In the middle of the ship hung a red banner that read: “Everyone speaks of safety, everyone knows how to respond—look for potential hazards around you.” Truly, knowledge can be found everywhere; even a ferry ride can heighten public awareness of safety in a practical way. The ferry travels between Putian and Nanri Island, taking about an hour across the water. As the vessel set out, a gentle breeze brushed against my face, and waves lapped lightly against the hull. I stood at one end of the ship, gazing out at the vast, rippling sea. My heart was filled with emotion, as if echoing the poet Haizi’s famous line: “Facing the sea, with spring flowers blossoming.” At that moment, my spirit was opened, and my thoughts flew back to a scene a century ago: in 1927, as John Sung crossed the Pacific Ocean and neared the coast of China, he resolutely threw his “golden key” and “box” — symbols of worldly honor — into the sea, declaring that he would die completely to the world and live wholly for Christ. That act of courage and surrender still stirs hearts to this day. Thinking of this, I could not help but sing aloud: “Lord, You are the ship upon the sea; how safe it is to be aboard Your vessel…” Perhaps some passengers thought me a little crazy, for my off-key singing was hardly melodious. But what of it? How many chances does one have in life to be “crazy”? If we may be “crazy” for the love of Christ, if we may bear witness to Him boldly before the crowd, then even the scorn of the whole world is worth it!
Nanri Island has a population of about 50,000 to 60,000, of whom an estimated 10,000 or more are Protestants and Catholics. Caohu Church alone has 258 households with over 1,200 believers. Besides Caohu Church, there are six other churches scattered across the island’s villages. As we drove through the streets, we saw Gospel couplets posted on the doorways of many homes, as if the entire island was steeped in the atmosphere of the Christian faith.
Caohu Church stands tall and impressive, divided into old and new sections. At the church entrance is a stone tablet inscribed with five vertical lines: “The Gospel First Preached Here in 1863,” “Christ the Rock of the Church,” “Jehovah Jireh,” “Birthplace of the Xinghua Revival,” and “Rebuilt in Spring 2005.” Beneath it are the words: “Caohu Church.” These inscriptions are not only historical testimony but also a witness to the passing down of faith from generation to generation.
Since we did not know the exact time of the Sunday service, we arrived halfway through. On the pulpit, Pastor Wang Hongfu was passionately preaching in the local dialect. Although we could not understand a word, the PowerPoint slide on the big screen revealed his sermon text: Paul and Barnabas in mission (Acts 11:19–20). The congregation listened intently, and the atmosphere was both reverent and fervent. During the offering, people could choose between giving on-site or scanning QR codes for WeChat Alipay. Before the service concluded, former pastor Lin Guoen led in earnest prayer. At the closing, the congregation united in singing the “Dismissal Hymn” joyfully:
“Now the service is ended, we ask for God’s blessing,
May joy and peace fill our hearts…
Forever, yes forever, may we reign with the Lord unceasingly. Amen.”
Afterward, Pastor Wang Hongfu and former pastor Lin Guoen warmly received us, inviting us to tea and a meal together. In the warmth of fellowship, Pastor Wang shared several important insights about John Sung:
First, the revival of 1909 in Xinghua (today’s Putian) was the prototype of the revivals Sung later led across China. That revival began when seminary student Xue Mingchun confessed publicly that he had taken two dollars from the church. His repentance sparked a wave of confessions and repentance among others. Pastor Wang pointed out that every revival led by Sung thereafter was essentially a “copy and paste” of this pattern.
Second, true repentance must be “Zacchaeus-like repentance” — sins against God must be confessed to God; sins against people must be confessed to them, with apologies made face-to-face, and even restitution offered. Only then can genuine renewal and revival take place. Pastor Wang spoke earnestly: “Today, faith has become too cheap. To follow Christ requires a cost. We must truly repent in order for our lives to be renewed.”
Third, Sung’s PhD in chemistry opened doors to all levels of society, drawing crowds to hear him preach. Revival spread like the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, producing a spiritual “chemical reaction.” His footsteps reached 17 provinces in China and 7 other countries, spreading the flame of revival far and wide.
After hearing Pastor Wang’s sharing, I felt moved and added: “As the saying goes, ‘We cannot recognize the true face of Mount Lushan because we are within the mountain.’ John Sung’s personal experience of revival at the age of nine in Xinghua was indeed the seedbed of his later ministry. Yet the Lord led him all the way to America, where at Union Theological Seminary in New York he faced the challenge of liberal theology and was even sent to a mental asylum. It was only through this painful and bewildering journey that the Holy Spirit confirmed to him all the more: the revival he experienced as a child in Xinghua was the purest and most precious spiritual treasure. Without that detour, he might never have realized its value so deeply.” Truly, when a person travels the whole world and looks back, he suddenly discovers that the encounter with the Lord in childhood is the most priceless treasure of all.
(to be continued)