In Singapore today, the flashback of City Harvest Pastor Kong's sermon that God said sorry to him for all his innocent sufferings is causing a stir. Perhaps I am too hardened by listening to too many liberal sermons to see any great fuss. It is a personal testimony by Kong Hee of his tough experiences and trials which has been very public. WHo am I to say its wrong?

Pastor Kong Hee has done so much for the Kingdom of God. Tens of thousands of people have come to the acceptance of Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We should not negate his incredible legacy just because of his misdeeds.

God is so gracious and loving. Instead of condenming Kong for the obvious misdeeds to the fact of the law, God said sorry and embraced Pastor Kong and Sun. What incredible mercy and grace!

We are all guilty of sin, one way or another, and only because we don't have the same opportunity and access to the millions that Kong Hee had. All temptations are common men, yet we often stay too long and not flee.

I was amused when I heard the sermon one year back, for I interpreted it as God saying sorry to Kong because he would have to go through all the trials and tribulations because he is guilty.

There is no other way but to go through the desert road to Damascus to walk in the harsh heat of the day when Kong Hee has insisted on the letter of the law even going out in a limb to come against the grace teachings of New Creation Church.

Perhaps God is saying sorry to Kong, for there is no other way out, for the church must be pure and white, a holy bride before God.

I believe that the tender loving arms of God would surround Pastor Kong Hee and Sun Ho and that He will be with them through the days ahead.

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Just prior to the charges against Pastor Kong, he gave an insightful sermon at the "Presence" C3 conference in Sydney Australia hosted by his mentor Phil Pringle.

 It gives his side of the story of what happened for the last two years. Pastor Kong was introduced as

"...founder and leader of the incredible City Harvest Church in Singapore. Along with his wife Sun, Kong has grown his great congregation to over 28,000 members through passionate prayer and discipleship.His strong focus on connect groups as well as his teaching of cultural relevance and being engaged in all levels of society has had great impact on the Church throughout the world."

 Extracted from Fighting For The Faith podcast - June 26, 2012 From http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/,   part of the sermon is transcribed below:-

22 23 months ago when the crisis first happened for the first 6 to 8 months I was under severe interrogation.

I was interrogated on a weekly basis by different departments and for the rest of the time I would be in the lawyer’s office giving them a debrief and they would interrogate me a third time.

I was so tired. I was like a walking zombie. I had no concept of morning or night. What day of the week. Some interrogation sessions went on for 16, 17 hours.

 I would start 8.30 in the morning and end at 3 the next morning. I was so tired. I never thought I would slip into depression. But For 8 months I slumped into a very severe depression.

If anything I am a faith preacher. I am positive. All things are possible. No weapons form against me shall prosper. I am always smiling …. very positive…   

My Son I’m so sorry, You need to go through this alone. But You need to die. And You need to go through this to be the Saviour of the world.

And God the Father, heartbroken and He wept, as He turned back His face when His Son took the sin of the whole world. I was saying all this and I am hearing myself behind the pulpit and I froze.

 I couldn’t utter another word and I sob and I shook because those were my exact sentiments … Father Father … why my God …. my God why have You forsaken me … and threw me to the dogs.

And for the first time in eight months, I heard a voice, it was not the voice of a strict angry judge that only want me to perform and build a big church and nothing I do is ever going to be enough for Him.

No, it’s not the voice of an angry judge. It’s not the voice of a slave driver that just want to take and take and wringed me dry.

It was a voice of a tender loving and broken hearted Father. For the first time in eight months … God I heard Him cry … my son Kong thank you….

Thank you for going through this….I need you to go through this alone so that you and City Harvest church can be the man and the ministry I called it to be ..

I’m so sorry but you need to go through this by yourself. … to bring a change to your generation. I hear God saying for the first time in eight months…. I love you, I love you. Waves upon waves of God’s love …. Just saturated me … Abba Abba daddy. I knew everything is going to be alright.