Cancellations and mix ups have been a part of former civil servant Ng Kwee Choo’s baptisms of fire.

He was baptised with the Holy Spirit at a house group meeting he went to – only because his original plans had been cancelled unexpectedly. The experience in 1979 transformed the life of the “passive nominal believer” who had been baptised by water 24 years earlier.

“It enhanced my sensitivity to sin,” wrote the 85-year-old in The ICM Story: The History, Strategy & Ministry of the International Christian Mission (Singapore). Ng, was ICM (Singapore)‘s first Executive Director from 1993 to 1998. 

Later in 1986, Ng was thrown into the deep end, preaching at a healing and revival meeting to several hundred people who had turned up – to hear another preacher. Ng had never conducted such a service, nor had he spoken before such a large crowd.

Then a volcano spewing lava and ash, on his first mission trip with ICM (Singapore) in 1991, almost prevented the team from reaching a remote village. A partially-deaf woman was healed that day.

Kwee Choo and his wife and mission partner, Theresa. They have two daughters and five grandchildren.

ICM (Singapore) was started by Wee Tiong Howe who had three visions which he interpreted as having marketplace leaders fund missions, and travel to all nations to preach and teach the Word of God. (The organisation was initially affiliated to International Christian Mission (Inc), but later separated and became autonomous.) 

In documenting God’s hand in the group’s 30-year history, Ng also shared how the Lord used his inadequacies to help him grow. The following are excerpts from his book, republished with permission:

The cover up

In 1984, I was seconded to a government statutory organisation. I was secretary of a committee, of which four members were Cabinet Ministers, including Mr Ong Teng Cheong (who would become the fifth President of Singapore). As secretary, it was my responsibility to ensure all the decisions of the committee were properly carried out.

One afternoon at about 12.30pm, a junior officer came into my office and showed me a file about a decision of the committee that had not been fully implemented. My first reaction was to cover up my mistake. Since it had no financial implications, I instructed him to ignore the minor deviation and put the file away.

After lunch, I drove to the National Theatre at Clemenceau Avenue to attend a briefing session on general elections. On the way, while driving past my church, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to stop and go into the church sanctuary.

I obeyed. It was about two o’clock; not a soul was in the sanctuary, except me.

Then, in the quietness, God spoke to me, not in an audible voice: “Why do you want to cover up your mistake? Why do you want to sin by being dishonest? Be honest and admit your mistake, and I will be with you and help you.”

There and then, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin. The holiness of God overwhelmed me.

I started to weep for sinning against God and asked for His forgiveness. And God restored the peace in my heart.

I immediately phoned my officer, instructing him to put the file on my desk.

After the briefing at the National Theatre, I returned to my office and quickly drafted a letter to the members of the committee explaining the deviation. I apologised for the mistake and asked them for their covering approval for the deviation.

Praise the Lord: Every member of the committee gave me the covering approval without questioning me.

Had I given in to this small sin, I would have given Satan a tiny hold on my life, and that could have been the beginning of my spiritual downfall.

Nervous evangelist

My personal Pentecostal experience also emboldened me to preach the Word of God.

In August 1986, a team, comprising four members of Prof Khoo Oon Teik’s Wednesday Group went on a mission trip to a country up north. (Prof Khoo was a doctor and the founder of the National Kidney Foundation.)

Upon arriving in the afternoon, we went to see the pastor in charge of the programme. He briefed us that it was a two-night evangelistic outreach. On the first night, the whole hall was packed with more than 700 people. I was shocked. I had preached several times, but never to so many people. And I felt really nervous and inadequate in facing such a huge crowd.

Instead of taking a nap, I went into a time of praying in tongues. Theresa (Ng’s wife) later joined me in prayer. An hour before the meeting, we went for another round of praising and worshipping God.

The four on the mission trip were Kwee Choo (back row, left), his wife Theresa (in light pink floral  blouse), and Douglas and Dorothy Ingles (the Eurasian couple in the third row), pictured here with members of their Wednesday Bible Study Group led by Prof Khoo Oon Teik (seated, in green).

As we worshipped, we felt the strong presence of the Lord in our midst. And the Lord gave me a word to share with the group: That we should not be fearful of men and crowds, that we should go forth in faith to preach His Word, and that we would see His hand at work at the meeting.

Encouraged by the Lord, we felt confident and reassured.

However, on arriving at the venue for the meeting, we received our first shock when we saw a banner with these words: COME AND HEAR PROF KHOO OON TEIK AND HIS TEAM.

My first reaction was: “Oh, no, they are coming to hear Prof Khoo Oon Teik, not me.”

Apparently, there was a communication breakdown, as the organisers were not aware that Prof Khoo had asked me to stand in for him.

The feeling of inadequacy came back to me. My fear was that the people might be disappointed later when they had to hear me preach, instead of Prof Khoo.

The second shock came as we entered the auditorium. Four huge words stared us in the face: HEALING AND REVIVAL MEETING.

The four of us almost fainted! We were prepared for a huge crowd because the pastor had briefed us. But we never expected a HEALING AND REVIVAL MEETING.

I had never conducted a revival meeting, much less a healing service. Oh, how I wished the roof would cave in!

I silently asked God for a double portion of His anointing.

When the moment came for me to share the Word of God, I felt strangely at ease – no nervousness or apprehension. Instead, I was unusually calm and confident. And as I spoke, I could sense God’s presence and His anointing.

When I ended my message, I felt like an experienced professional evangelist. And I boldly gave the altar call for salvation, for baptism in the Holy Spirit, and even for healing.

From the stage, I could see scores of people streaming forward in response to the altar call.

When I saw several people on crutches and in wheelchairs coming forward from the side aisles, the sense of inadequacy crept back into me. But the Lord impressed upon me that I was not the healer – He was the Healer. I was only a vessel, through which He would pour out His healing power. And with that assurance, the four of us ministered to the people who came forward for prayer.

After the meeting, we were told that one of the women got out of her wheelchair and walked. Praise the Lord for that. It was a beautiful meeting and the presence of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit were truly upon the whole service.

Earthquake! Volcano!

My first mission trip with the International Christian Mission (Singapore) was literally a baptism of fire.

It was to Tarlac in the Philippines, to take part in the Pastors, Leaders & Evangelists Conference.

On the morning of June 12, 1991, I came down with my roommate, Wee Swee Cheng (Tiong Howe’s father), to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

While sipping coffee and waiting for our toast and eggs, we felt the building shaking violently, causing the coffee to spill on the table and the chandeliers to swing wildly.

That was my first experience of an earthquake.

Fearful that the building might collapse, I told Swee Cheng, “Let’s get out of here quickly.”

He said: “Why in a hurry, Kwee Choo? We haven’t had our breakfast yet.”

Then he added nonchalantly: “I’m going to stay back for my breakfast. I’ve already consumed my three score and ten years, and now I’m living on bonus years.”

When we saw a waiter running past our table, Swee Cheng stopped and asked him: “Where’s my breakfast?”

Kwee Choo (first row, right) with the ICM (Singapore) team at the Pastors, Leaders & Evangelists Conference in Tarlac in the Philippines, 1991. With founding president Wee Tiong Howe and his father Wee Swee Cheng (front row, 2nd and 4th from left respectively).

Ignoring him, the waiter dashed for the exit.

I left Swee Cheng to wait for his breakfast.

Later, a party of five, including Swee Cheng and me, was scheduled to go to minister in a remote village.

As we were about to get onto a minibus, Mt Pinatubo suddenly erupted, spewing volcanic lava and ash sky-high. 

From where we were standing in front of the hotel, we could see mushroom-like clouds of smoke belching out from the erupting volcano; it was like the explosion of an atomic bomb. The organisers cautioned us not to go to the village just yet.

However, an hour later, we decided to go. By the time we arrived, most of the villagers had already gone home; only a few were still milling around in the front compound of the church.

We decided to pray for them. One old woman, partially deaf, wanted her hearing restored. And as we laid hands on her and prayed for her, she was instantly healed. So joyful was she that tears rolled down her cheeks. We thanked God for that miraculous healing.

On the way to the village, our Filipino driver told us, “There’s been no rain for the past six months.”

Swee Cheng, the oldest member of the team, blurted out: “Let’s pray for rain.”

To us men of little faith, we thought that was a bold, foolhardy suggestion. Nevertheless, we joined hands with Swee Cheng to pray for rain.

That same evening, we heard the pitter-pattering on the roof. Initially, the rain fell gently, but minutes later it began pouring.

I threw a glance at Swee Cheng, and he gave me an impish smile, as if chiding me for having little faith.

The next morning, The Manila Times splashed across its front page a warning about an impending typhoon. We teased Swee Cheng to stop praying for more rain.

For queries on where to buy the book, contact Jenny Sutanto at the ICM (Singapore) office: +65 6336 9919

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