Tuesday, August 21, 2007

CHATTING WITH JOSHUA SU
(We continue our series of interviews with prominent christian leaders from the global south...Its been a long time since we last did an interview!!)

Rev Dr Joshua Su is founder of Joshua Missions, an agency dedicated to the edification of Christ's Body. He just returned from teaching at a school of pastors in the Diocese of Ibadan North, Nigeria. He is an ordained anglican clergyman.

SO TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT JOSHUA MISSIONS?
This Mission serves in the prophetic ministry of the Word through preaching and teaching the Bible as the Word of God for today and declaring what the Spirit says through it. By so doing it seeks to call, encourage and facilitate churches, Christian organisations, Christians and Christian leaders to know and fulfill their call in Christ and build unity in Him. It also forms a network from those who join as members from these groups and persons to operate locally and internationally to strengthen each other in mutual ministry and to minister together to the wider Body of Christ and the world.


WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE?
There are many memorable moments but my experience at my moment of personal salvation stands out. When I prayed to receive Christ into my life I was given a picture, sensation and message of His work in me. I saw in my mind's eye and felt the sensation of my heart as a black lump of lead with fire burning all around it. The message that came through this was that God was burning away my sin. An unexplainable joy filled my heart.

AND THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACED IN MINISTRY?
The biggest challenge I experienced was the misconduct of a clergy who was assigned to pastor a ministry that I was leading as a lay leader. It made me seriously review the value of seeking ordination for myself. The resolution was the realisation that it is not the rite or the title of ordination but answering the call of God and receiving His anointing to serve that really counts.

WHO ARE SOME OF THE CHRISTIAN LEADERS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH WHO'VE INFLUENCED YOU AND WHY?
I was born and brought up in Singapore and came to Christ and grew up in Him there. My Chinese ethnicity, living in a multi-racial Asian country with English as its chief language, receiving English education and coming to Christ with churches that were planted by the West sums up my background. I read and learn widely from many both East and West, with the English language as my medium of study. But I see no particular person except Christ as my primary influence.

WHAT IS THE PRINCIPLE CHALLENGE FACING THE SINGAPOREAN CHURCH?
Singapore Christianity and some of its leaders are playing a significant part in leading the global south. The challenge is the soundness and strength of Christianity and the quality of the leadership that these leaders and the churches in Singapore can articulate and practice. It would be wonderful if we can strongly affirm and express the faith of the Bible and the Christianity of Christ in the global south and the global south may do likewise for the worldwide Church that has tended to be preoccupied only with cultural, political, national and regional issues.

Thank You Rev Su For Agreeing To Do This Interview.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is joshua su also called Soh Guan Chin?

Bolivian Beat said...

yes

Anonymous said...

Isn't wonderful that he has started an agency called Joshua Mission and yet remains an ordained Anglican priest! A first in Singapore.

Bolivian Beat said...

yes..I think its a first..we can be flexible.