Pastor Ian Toh’s Word at Alignment Check (Chinese) Book Commissioning
杜国强牧师《向神对齐 定位检查》新书发布会当晚的信息
By Tan Lay Leng
“It’s not just about Ps Henson, or Team Archippus, it’s about the kingdom, and that’s why you are here,” exhorted Pastor Ian Toh. With that, he captured all our attention, and declared that every Archippus present was present to be commissioned together with Alignment Check (Chinese) to extend the kingdom of God through catching the message of Archippus Awakening.
Plunging immediately to its significance, Pastor Ian expounded the meaning of the Chinese name of ‘Archippus’ 亚基布 (pronounced ‘ya-ji-bu’) compellingly and beautifully.
亚 (ya)
In his prayers, Pastor Ian ‘saw’ the word ‘亚洲’ (ya-zhou), ‘Asia’. ‘Archippus’ is connected to the word ‘Asia’. Where can we find the largest population of Chinese people in the world? In Asia. Hence, Pastor Ian declared we call forth Archippuses in Asia! That we pray for God to widen the vision and impact of the book commissioning to reach every nation in Asia! Let every Chinese-speaking follower of Jesus hear about Alignment Check (Chinese), internalise the message of Archippus Awakening and live for Jesus!
Pastor Ian went on to explain that the traditional Chinese character of ‘ya’ (亞) is written with a ‘cross’ sandwiched between the top and bottom lines. He believed that God is telling us that Asia may be won for Christ! Without forgetting to remind us that it is not a coincidence the Chinese name of Archippus should be translated ‘亚基布’, the same character used for ‘亚洲’ Asia, he challenged us to reach Asia with the message of Archippus Awakening.
基 (ji)
This second character ‘基’ brought Pastor Ian to the word for ‘Christ’ ‘基督’ (ji-du) as well as the word for foundation’根基’ (gen-ji). The message of Archippus Awakening is rooted in Christ! That is exactly what Pastor Henson has always been reminding the body of Christ – that the foundation of discipleship is Christ.
With gusto, Pastor Ian trumpeted, “We can be distracted by so many good Christian activities and miss the heart of Christ! So go back to the root.”
Referring to Chapter 5 of Alignment Check, “Start with Love”, Pastor Ian, touched by the love of Father God and teared, said to his audience that some among us were like what Pastor Henson wrote about Peter in the chapter, who denied Christ three times and needed a recommissioning. Jesus recommissioned Peter and brought him back to His heart for him and His call of him. Pastor Ian believed that through Alignment Check, God is going to bring back many who have been distracted by many things, that they may also be recommissioned to His assignments for them.
布 (bu)
Confessing that he was ‘jammed’ when it came to this character ‘布’ (bu), Pastor Ian said that to him, it simply means ‘cloth’. He sought the Holy Spirit who pointed him to these Chinese words: ‘遍布’ (bian-bu), which means ‘spread all over’, ‘发布’ (fa-bu), the same words we used for the book commissioning, as well as ‘宣布’ (fa-bu), to announce. He added one more Chinese word with the same sound ‘部署’ (bu-shu) which means to deploy, to strategise. In military missions, strategising is needed.
Pastor Ian shared that he sensed in his spirit that there is a revival coming to Asia, “Asia must be awakened. We cannot afford for Asia and the Chinese speaking community not to be awakened because the cost is too great!” The message of the second book Alignment Check is critical to awaken many to be aligned and then do what God wants them to do.
He concluded that the book commissioning is for all. It is not just to cheer Pastor Henson and his team on with “Quick, quick, go awaken the Chinese!” Rather, this is a commissioning of all in God’s kingdom to see Asia awakened, aligned and assigned for King Jesus. A final gold nugget from Pastor Ian was that every time the Chinese character for Chinese ‘华‘ (hua) is written, it must be written with a ‘cross’ at the bottom. God wants the Chinese people to know the heart of the Father through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross for them.
Let me conclude this article with what Pastor Henson wrote in his first book ‘Say To Archippus’, which documents the heartbeat of the message of Archippus Awakening, who Archippus is and why this biblical character is significantly singled out where kingdom assignments are concerned. In the chapter “Enough Horsing Around”, Pastor Henson confided, “When the Lord gave me the task of awakening Archippus, it was primarily to stir the saints to know their assignments that they may fulfil them. The importance of this task increased significantly when I discovered what the name, Archippus, meant.” Now that we know the significance of the Chinese name Archippus, what is our response?
‘Archippus’ means ‘chief horse’ or ‘master of horses’. Pastor Henson’s concluding words in the same chapter left me in awe of God. He was writing the chapter when Chinese all over the world were preparing for the Lunar New Year and it was the Year of the Horse. Chinese. Horses. Uncanny alignment? I do not know. What I know is that when we have now discovered the significance of the answers to the question, “What’s in a name?”, we must respond, awake and arise to the ministry we have received in the Lord that we may fulfil it.
《向神对齐 定位檢查》the Chinese version of Alignment Check and the 2nd Edition of Say to Archippus (Chinese) 《要对亚基布说》 are both available at Archippus Awakening’s Online Shop in print and ebook formats.