At a young age of 12, James Lim came to know the Lord through a crusade conducted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. That was the year 1969. 

“I remember my older sister taking me to the old National Theatre. She said, ‘There is this evangelist coming to town.’ Back then we had not heard a lot about Billy Graham, but I was curious. Billy Graham did not make it then but there was another evangelist by the name of Grady Wilson who preached.”

The simple message of salvation delivered that day went straight to the little boy’s heart.

“I was so moved by the message and felt the need to give my life to the Lord. That was the first time I have ever seen an altar call given.

“When I responded I thought I was going to be the only one. But when I stepped out, I saw so many others walking down as well. That confirmed to me how real it was and how powerful God’s message was. I stood in front crying, and at that point in my life, I felt that I wanted to be involved in something like this to benefit others in the same way.

“This has all been ingrained in my memory over the years.” 

A 50-year journey of faith

Hearing him speak via Skype from Vancouver, Canada, where young James is now Senior Pastor James Lim at Praise International Church, is like the awakening of a distant memory.

The first time I met Pastor James was when I sat in his School of Christian Growth class at church.

A newspaper clipping from 1969 describing the upcoming Billy Graham Evangelistic Association crusade in Singapore helmed by Dr Grady Wilson. Clipping from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers.

It was about 30 years ago; I had just finished my university studies. But his words then still ring fresh today: “When God raises your pay, don’t just raise your living standards but also up your giving standards.” 

That was perhaps the last time I saw him.

That is, until I reached out to him via email and Skype to find out how a young boy touched by Billy Graham would travel almost 13,000km to pastor a church in Vancouver.

Hearing about his faith journey, spanning almost 50 years, is like walking through the annals of the Singapore Church from 1970 to 1990.

The moving of the Spirit

Young James’ personal faith journey reveals some of the significant movements in the Singapore Church at that time in history.

After his conversion at the Billy Graham evangelistic rally in 1969, James started attending the Church of the Good Shepherd regularly where, as a teenager, he was involved in Sunday School, Bible studies and youth groups.

By his twenties, Pastor James Lim was a seasoned lay preacher. He is seen here in a HDB void deck outreach organised by the then Calvary Charismatic Centre in 1985. Photo courtesy of Pastor James Lim.

“When I was 16, God moved in one of our youth retreats. The Spirit of the Lord came upon us and we started speaking in tongues. We had never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Anglican Church. It was scary, powerful and definitely life transforming,” he recalls.

“We went back and spoke to our pastor, Canon James Wong, who subsequently flew to America to meet Dennis Bennett, a pastor who had authored the book, 9 O’clock in the Morning, to find out more about the Pentecost experience. After that, our church started to bring in people to teach about the Holy Spirit.”

“From that point on, at age 16, I went together with Canon James Wong and Bishop Chiu Ban It to all the Anglican churches sharing about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

“My 15-year-old girlfriend then, Kim, who is now my wife, led worship and I played the guitar or piano in charismatic renewal meetings all over Singapore.

“Canon James Wong was our first spiritual mentor. Every Sunday we would pray with him at 5am in the morning, and then at 7am we would minister with him, leading worship and teaching in Bible study groups. We would finish up around lunchtime, and then we did door-to-door evangelism. 

“It was a significant time – the empowering and the calling were very real because of the Holy Spirit and the work of God.”

Standing behind Billy Graham 

By 1978, when the Singapore Billy Graham Crusade came around, it was almost a decade since the young James took his first tentative step of faith. The fledgling child believer was by now a veteran marching in the Lord’s army.

Having seen God’s glory and power, he was quick to volunteer when he heard that Billy Graham was finally coming to Singapore.

Barely 21 at the time, he was put in charge of six church choirs, with secondary roles in counselling and handbill distribution. This time, instead of sitting in the stands as a 12-year old, the young man found his place on the stage.

“I was in the choir standing behind Billy Graham. It was a huge united choir. I remember feeling the presence of God when the choir started singing.

“When the altar call was given, I slipped down the stairs because I was also part of the counselling team. Standing in the stadium field, you could see the crowds streaming down by the thousands. It was such a sight!

“It was emotional, it was powerful!

“That sight really opened my eyes to the verse John 4:35 that the harvest field is white.”

“On a personal level, I was thankful for that because it reinforced the conviction that I wanted to be involved in His work for the rest of my life.” 

A simple obedience

In 1983, Lim joined Calvary Charismatic Centre, now named Victory Family Centre, a local church with a global missions programme.

“When I gave my life to the Lord at 12, I remember saying to myself that I want to be a missionary and go around the world. This was partly because of the Billy Graham ministry but mostly because I was impacted by the overseas missionary pastors who came to Singapore in the early years.”

In his first foray into the mission field, Pastor James Lim (bespectacled) and family were sent to Taiwan to start a work in the city of Taipei in 1988. His wife, Kim (in red) stands next to him and their elder daughter is in front of the couple. Photo courtesy of Pastor James Lim.

In 1988, Lim had his first taste of long-term missions. Just a day after he finished his work contract with the Republic of Singapore Air Force, Calvary Charismatic Centre sent his team out to plant a work in Taipei, Taiwan.

After confirmation from the Lord and church leaders, Pastor James eventually ended up in Vancouver, Canada, in 1989, where he remains till this day. He now pastors Praise International Church.

“I belong to a very tight-knit family and some found it strange that it was that simple for me to just uproot and go. The emotional separation was not easy but the spiritual obedience was necessary. We never questioned what, we never even asked how and why.”

He pauses when I ask how he was able to make obedience seem such a simple act, when it is perhaps the most difficult act for most to follow. “Personally, I feel that knowing God and His will is not complicated. We complicate it by a lot with what life demands out of us, perhaps they are the expectations of family and society and how we must live in a certain way with a certain lifestyle.

“If you are willing to break from norms then it becomes a simple process.”

Senior Pastor James Lim at Praise International Church, Vancouver, Canada. He first came to know the Lord at a crusade by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1969. “It was the beginning of many spiritual breakthroughs in my life.” Photo courtesy of Pastor James Lim.

The Lim family’s Chinese New Year dinner in Canada. It’s been 29 years since he was called to Vancouver as a missionary. Photo courtesy of Pastor James Lim.

That kind of obedience is not wrought in a day, a week or even a month, I hazard, and Lim confirms: “When He tells you, you just do it and the next time it becomes easier. Your whole life becomes one series of obeying him … and then it becomes really simple.”

Are rallies still relevant?

Back in the 1980s, following the 1978 Singapore Billy Graham Crusade, global evangelists the likes of Reinhard Bonnke and Luis Palau came to our little island nation to address thousands at the old National Stadium.

Are the days of mass rallies over?

Pastor James with his wife, Kim, continue to minister together in Praise International Church where he is the Senior Pastor and Kim the pastor in charge of prayer. This picture is from a recent July 1 Canada Day event hosted by their church which was attended by 5,000 people from the community. Photo courtesy of Pastor James Lim.

“I see citywide mass evangelism events as not just evangelistic in nature but strategic as well. The end result of salvation is definitely there. At every rally you see thousands getting saved. But in terms of the strategic spiritual results, I think it cannot be measured.

“On the ground, before and after every major rally, you will see a change in the spiritual climate of the place. Even years after that, the local church continues to grow from that spiritual impact.

“Since we came to Vancouver in 1989, we prayed for many years for a huge city-wide event. The Gospel still needs to be preached and there was a loss of evangelistic fervour.” 

The opportunity for a Vancouver citywide crusade finally came last year. Pastor James, still with great passion for God, threw in his support and rallied his church behind the Festival of Hope, headlined by none other than Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham.

This turned out to be a life-changing event for many in Pastor James’s congregation of 700 – just as his life own life had been transformed many years ago, at age 12 and 21, during the crusades in Singapore. This time it was his church members who were privileged to have the ringside seat.

Counselling new converts at Festival of Hope, Vancouver, 2017. “Our church could see with their own eyes the results of the preaching the Gospel. I would say the greatest impact was on the millennial generation. It was life changing for them. I have seen them pick up the urgency of the Great Commission.” Photo courtesy of Pastor James Lim.

“Just the training and preparation for the Festival of Hope took a year. That run-up really got them excited. When Franklin Graham finally came, 90% of our church and 100% of the youth were involved.

“Many counselled people on the stadium floor for the first time, seeing people respond emotionally and crying. That was life-changing.”

More than a year after Franklin Graham’s Festival of Hope Crusade in 2017, the Holy Spirit continues to work in Praise International Church.

“For us, the citywide crusade last year changed the spiritual climate of our church in terms of how they finally got it, they understood Matthew 28:16-20.

“Since then, the younger members have stepped up. On their own, they initiated and organised an Alpha programme to reach their friends. Through that, many new people have given their life to the Lord in the last year. They have picked up the urgency of the Great Commission. Every Sunday I see them bring their non-Christian friends to church and that excites me!

Almost all the youths in Pastor James Church was involved in the Festival of Hope Crusade, 2017, held in the Rogers Arena, Vancouver. It was a life-changing event for many and the spiritual impact has continued to this day. Photo courtesy of Pastor James Lim.

“In the last couple of months, three of the young people have indicated they want to serve God full time.

“I believe that every generation needs a fresh revival. In my generation I was one of those, together with a whole bunch of others, who were revived and really pushed into the mission field.

“I see a fresh new generation coming up now. I believe fully that God will bring revival for this generation.”