And this is the testimony of Richard Gan...his
conversion to the Gospel of Christ
and His call to the Word Ministry.
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MY CALL TO THE WALL
by Richard Gan
For a long time I have resisted putting my
testimony in print or recording it on magnetic tape. I have my reasons, but
God has finally dealt with me and invalidated them. A minister has to declare
and make known his calling so that the Bible believers may identify the works
of God in his ministry. Therefore, I am going to give a little testimony of
how God has dealt with my life and my calling to the ministry.
I am the firstborn of six children. My
father emigrated from China to Singapore at a very young age. Several years
after he married his first wife, he married my mother, who was then a nominal
Presbyterian. My father is not a Christian. His father was, so he told me.
When I was very young, my mother used to talk to me, and the younger ones,
about Jesus Christ. I attended Sunday School at a nearby Baptist church. My
father was strongly opposed to my attendance. He hated Christianity because of
what the “red-hair d——” (Caucasians) had done to his country, China, before
Chairman Mao came into power.
In 1960, at the age of twelve, I was
converted. I felt a tremendous change in my life as the Holy Spirit touched
me. But during my secondary school years, the foolishness of the world and the
ugliness of people hurt me, and I backslid for about two years. Of course,
looking back now, I realized it was my own foolishness. However, during those
years, I did not deny my Lord. Then one day, He worked a miracle for me to
return to Him. A sinner friend of mine came up to me and said, “Richard, I
have never been to a church, and I've always wanted to go to one.” And I
thought to myself that I would go with him to church the following week. I
said, “Well, let's go this coming Sunday.”
So, the following Sunday, knowing a little
about what the Lord was doing in the Pentecostal Movement, I took him to an
Assembly of God church. We were about half an hour late when we got to the
church. The singing had just ended. We sat on a pew which was about 3 rows
from the back. The preacher, who was an American Chinese, began to preach. It
was a message especially prepared by the Lord just for me. You better believe
it. It was entitled 'Prodigal Son, Come Home.'
The church hall was built in the shape of
the letter T, and the 3rd row from the back was near the base of the letter T.
Every time the preacher pointed a finger in a direction — left, right, front
or back — to emphasize his message, I could see a very large finger pointing
straight at me saying, “Prodigal son, come home.” That happened
many times during the sermon. I was totally oblivious to all the people in the
congregation. The Spirit was speaking, my heart was crying, and tears were
welling up in my eyes. Kneeling at the altar with my friend, I broke down and
repented of my sins and backsliding. I was unaware of the congregation
leaving and only got up from pouring out my heart to the Lord, long after the
minute hand of the clock had swept twice around its face.
Not long after that I was baptized, in the
Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, of course. The Lord began to work in
my life. I began to spend a lot of time with the Bible, and I started a little
ministry of teaching and praying in the church. One day I decided to fast and
pray to seek the Lord for His direction in my life. I did that for a week or
so. The Presence of the Lord was so real. He showed me that I would have a
ministry that would edify and establish Christians in the Word. Being
untrained, and having a Pentecostal denominational mind, I thought of the need
to be trained in a Theological School. I was a little scared, being only 20
years old then, and my parents being poor, I had wondered how to go about it.
Like Jeremiah, the Lord said, “Do not say, 'I am a child': for you shall go
to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command you you shall speak.
Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.” Of course, I knew nothing
about the "Pillar of Fire" at that time.
THE MESSAGE CAME
And of course, the pastors began to keep an eye
on me. To them, being on fire for God was good, but anything beyond the church
traditions was bad. Prophesying and prophetic teaching were fine until the
'Evening Time Message' came to me. Being a Pentecostal, I was privileged to
have access to some Pentecostal magazines (such as Voice of Healing and
The Full Gospel Business Men's Voice) from which I learned about the
ministry of William Branham. But I didn't know that he had a special message.
(I came to realize later that the pastors had kept away some books of William
Branham from the church library.)
I was leading a Bible Study group in the
A.o.G. Church. One evening, in the middle of the year 1971, a young member of
the group showed up only after we had ended our session on the Book of
Revelation. He related how he was distracted by some gospel singing in a
community hall whilst on his way to the Bible class. He went there instead and
found a preacher from New Zealand preaching that the denominational churches
had deviated from the Truth and were in errors. When the preaching was over,
he was given two books. He showed me the books. One of them was entitled
'The Exposition of the Seven Church Ages'. The name William Marrion
Branham was on the cover of the book. I had several times mentioned that name
to the class. I felt disturbed. I had always propagated the A.o.G. faith. I
was proud to be a member of the system. But, then, for the first time, my
A.o.G. denominational standing was being challenged. Still, in my heart, I
said, “There must be truth, if William Branham was a man of God.”
The young man showed no interest in the
books, and said that I could have them. It was God Who had sent him to get the
books for me. When I reached home, although it was late in the night, I opened
the 'Seven Church Ages' book and began to read. When I came to the
statement, which read, “Three distinct persons, though identical substance,
make three gods, or language has lost its meaning entirely”, it shook me
because I was taught a Holy Trinity and I was believing in a Triune God. I had
often prayed to three different persons, and I had expected to see three Gods
in Heaven. I closed the book, and I talked to God and said, “Lord, what am
I believing in?” And this scripture rang in my ear, “Ye worship ye
know not what.”
I told the Lord that I would not read the
rest of the book because I needed to know the truth, and I was going to get it
directly from Him. For a whole month, I fasted, on and off, and studied the
Word. I was then working as a male nurse in a psychiatric hospital. I had to
work different shifts. I re-studied the various portions of the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation with the expectation that God would give me a real
understanding of the Scriptures. Believe me, God revealed to me that there was
but only one God in the various scriptures where the Trinitarians taught
three. For example, God showed me that the three men who visited Abraham were
Elohim Himself with the two Archangels, Michael and Gabriel — not Father,
Son and Holy Spirit as taught by the Trinitarians. Then, God showed me that I
should be re-baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ because Father, Son and Holy
Spirit were titles and not the Name(s) of God.
As I began to know more of the Eternal God,
during that period of study, I also received the revelation that there was no
such a thing as an eternal hell where souls of people would be burnt forever
and not burnt up. The revelation was confirmed when I realized that there was
only one form of true life — God's life. Anything outside of the Spirit of God
has no life, no existence.
When I went back to reading the 'Seven
Church Ages' book, I discovered that Bro. Branham taught the very same
things God had revealed to me. The pastor of the first Endtime Message church
here, in Singapore, believed that it was impossible for me to receive those
revelations directly from God without first reading William Branham's books. I
told him that revelation of God's Word would come only from God, and not from
Bro. Branham or any man of God, past or present. A man of God may teach a
truth he has received from God, but it is the Lord Himself Who imparts the
revelation to the hearer who could receive what the Spirit says. Today, there
are many believers, just like that pastor, who obtusely insist that only
Branham's teachings can impart the revelation of truth. Such are the notions
of the Branhamites.
A PROPHECY
Very soon after that, I left the A.o.G
church. Leaving with me were six young men. We gathered together in my home
regularly on Sundays and, as often as we could, on certain weekdays. We had
much difficulty in gathering together as a group for worship and fellowship
because some of us had to work on Sundays and some were holding jobs with
shift duties. It was a struggle for us to meet as a group. I will never forget
the first prophecy that the Lord gave us at one of our meetings during that
period of time. It is etched in my mind and heart and I can still remember it
very clearly today.
"Hearken
unto Me, saith the Lord. Your gathering together in this manner is not of
your own doing. I have caused it to be. I have called you out that I might
have a people. I have set thee for a ministry to raise up a standard in this
part of the world for a blessing to my people."
THE PERIODICAL
God put in my heart to start a ministry and
print a little periodical. I needed a hand-crank mimeograph machine. Our
tithes and offerings did not amount to much. Still, I went ahead and called up
a company which sold mimeograph machines. A salesman came and told me that, if
I bought the machine on hire-purchase, I would have to make an initial payment
of 20 per cent of the sale price and installment payments of S$100 every
subsequent month. I told him that I didn't have that kind of money. He sized
me up for awhile, then asked what I could sincerely offer to buy the machine.
I said that I could only make an initial payment of S$100 and monthly payments
of S$60. Of course, that would take twice as long a period to pay for the
machine, and that plan didn't fit the company's policy. Finally, he asked what
I was going to print. I told him that I was going to print the Gospel. He
smiled at me and told me that I could have the machine.
So, I paid S$100 and got a brand new
mimeograph machine with several free tubes of duplicating ink and a few reams
of paper. Our little group printed 500 copies of our first periodical in
November 1971. We called it 'The Spoken Word'. It contained some Gospel
messages, testimonies, prophetic news and a short message by William Branham.
We sent them out to people whose names we had gathered from Christian
magazines. Soon, we received some little offerings, and we printed more
copies. (In 1974, the same pastor of the first local Endtime Message church
accused me of trying to confuse people about the Message of Bro. Branham
because of the name of my periodical. William Branham's sermon books are
printed under the title 'The Spoken Word'. I had not expected such an
accusation to arise from the use of the same name for my periodical. Still,
God had His will in this, as I looked back. There had been too much talk about
'The Spoken Word', 'Endtime Message', 'Evening Light',
'Malachi 4', etc., and hardly any prophetic revelation of the truth to
which the Prophet-messenger has brought us back. So, in March 1974, 'Prophetic
Revelation' was adopted as the new name of our present ministry. A sign
was given to me, several days later, as a confirmation of the right choice of
the new name when an article entitled “What is prophetic revelation?”
appeared in the local newspaper.)
As the Lord blessed the ministry, we were
able to afford better models of the mimeograph machine. We had upgraded from a
hand-crank machine to a fully automatic one in the second year. As we began to
have more work, the periodical had to be printed on a bi-monthly interval, and
later quarterly interval, so that more time could be spent on my overseas
ministry. We collated the pages, folded, stapled and cut them, all with our
own hands. From the initial printing of 500 copies per issue we gradually
increased the printing to 1,000, 1,500 and then 2,000 copies. Now, we are
printing 5,000 copies per issue with some reprints at 10,000 copies. Besides
the periodicals, we have also printed several tracts. By 1988, we began
page-making by computer and sending the finished layout of the message to a
commercial printing company to print the books. A total of no less than half a
million pieces of literature have been printed. To date, with no more than 30
local believers supporting this ministry, we have distributed nearly a million
pieces of our books and other Gospel literature to many places around the
world.
NIGHT VISIONS
There were many difficulties during the
early days of the ministry. By the end of 1976, our little group decided to
team up with a small group of believers who had left the first local Endtime
Message church. (Whatever reasons which caused them to leave that church are
better left unsaid here. For even my fellowship and I had not been spared the
antipathy, defamation, resentment, hostility, etc., from that church.) I had
earlier brought the Message to the believer who headed this small group, but
he and his family had chosen to fellowship with that first local Endtime
Message church.
Our fellowship with this small group lasted
for about 2 years. In the first year, there was a good move of God's Spirit
among the believers. But the familiar spirits of the first local Endtime
Message church soon began to manifest themselves in the assembly. Problems
emerged, disharmony mounted, and conflicts set in. During that period, my wife
(whom I married in 1974) and I had a little mishap while riding a motorcycle.
Though I had peace deep within me in spite of the incident, I became burdened
and frustrated with the seemingly endless fight with the destructive spirits
of the Adversary of God during the week after the mishap. That was when I had
a dream. This happened on the night of 30th April 1977. (It wasn't my first
spiritual dream. I had one, in June 1975, on the Coming of Christ. It
prophetically revealed that a small number of believers would make it for the
Rapture because of the falling away from the faith. The Lord appeared to me in
that dream and answered a very personal question which had been on my mind.
Bro. Branham was identified in that dream, too.)
That very night I was feeling very
restless, I was worked up, I was angry with everything and everyone, even my
good wife. I questioned God about myself and my ministry — was it just my own
desire? Or something that I did not know of? I walked up and down the
staircase in my house with many thoughts flooding my mind. Then I went to
pray, and said, “Lord, I want an answer, somehow.”
Near midnight, I went to bed. Then, I found
myself walking among ruins of large white marbled structure. There were
partially broken walls, and piles of broken stones. There were fractured
pillars standing here and there. I was looking at the broken floor structure
as if searching for something — something of great price, a pearl, a jewel,
or… Seeing a broken pillar, which had fallen and was lying across the centre
of the ruins, I sat down and continued to gaze at the cracked up floor
structure of the building, searching, but I found nothing.
Then the vision changed. I heard a voice
call my name, and I found myself going forward to a rostrum (or podium) to
receive my 'first prize'. When I was standing before the rostrum, the 'second
prize' and 'third prize' winners came forward almost immediately. (The rostrum
is like the one used in the Olympics games. Facing the viewers, the first position is on the
centre stand, the second position is on its right, and the third position is
on its left.) I looked at them. The 'third' position winner just stood there.
There was nothing unusual about him. But, when I turned to look at the
'second' position winner on my right, I immediately recognized him as a mental
patient in the psychiatric hospital where I was still working, as a male
nurse, at that time. He was one of my patients, but I couldn't remember his
real name, for in the dream he possessed a strange name that clouded my mind.
I just could not figure why he was there. He knew who I was. Perplexity
heightened as he began to look at me with a mischievous grin. I could sense
that he was up to no good.
Then the Angelic Announcer, who was in a distance up in the
air, in front of me, began to make his announcement. He was dressed in radiant
white and bathed in bright orb of shining light. Between the Announcer
and the rostrum, where I stood with the other two persons, there was a throng
of people facing the Announcer. They stood up, raised their voices and asked
him, of me, “For what (was he called to that top position for the ”first
prize")?! Just before the announcement, I quickly made my way up the
rostrum to take my position on the top, but not without difficulty. The insane
man, on my right, was trying hard to shove me from taking my position. But, I
was very resolute and with some difficulties, firmly planted my feet on the
top position. Straightaway the Announcer made the proclamation, in answer to
the question which the throng of people had asked:
“For the restoration of the foundation!”
I woke up and began to ponder. Then three
Scripture verses immediately came to my mind — Acts 13:1; Ephesians 2:20;
Titus 1:5. These are the verses that pointed to my calling of the ministry
that God had earlier shown me. There were two questions, in my mind, about the
dream. What was I looking at, and searching for, on the floor of the ruined
structure? And, who was that loony person, known to me in real life yet had a
different name? I sought the Lord for the answers, and was shown the
interpretations of the visions.
Looking, and yet not seeing, searching, but
not finding it — that precious 'something' was the foundation in the
beautiful white marbled structure that was in ruins. That is the pearl of
great price, so to speak. The foundation was there, yet not there because it
was broken. As regards the lunatic man, who tried to push me away from my
position — my ministry, my placing, my calling — he represents the many
trouble-makers, confused and mixed-up people, and those who walk disorderly,
who seek to destroy the ministry that God has ordained me to do. Up till that
time, he had clouded my mind and confused me as to what constituted the
ABSOLUTE WORD of God. I realized then that I had to fight a good fight, and
press on and overcome the 'loony atmosphere' in the Endtime Message Movement.
God has reaffirmed my prophetic teaching ministry, and has called me, as an
apostle, to the work of 'restoring' the apostolic foundation. (This call
to the ministry was made known to me, back in the months of February and March
1969, when the presence of the Lord came and revealed it during a period of my
fasting. Being an A.o.G. member, I did not understand the calling at that
time.) I knew I would have to travel when the time came for me to do so.
I was still working as a male nurse at that time. So, I just recorded the
dream and the interpretations in my Bible and awaited the fulfillments.
CONFIRMATION
Following a prophetic warning from God, our
little group broke off fellowship with the other group, in early 1979. That
fellowship then ceased to exist, in fulfillment of the prophecy. By that time,
there were about twenty of us in our group. The following year, a small group
of believers, also from the first church, came to join our fellowship. But,
after a year, they left our fellowship. They alleged that our fellowship was
under a Nicolaitane spirit because I was the pastor. The leader of that group
was influenced by the wrong teachings of an American minister who believed in
a Fourfold Ministry with a committee of elected Elders (Pastors who were also
Teachers) overseeing the local churches.
In November 1980, a minister from
California, U.S.A., by the name of Ernest Hawtin, visited Singapore. He was
one of the two Hawtin brothers who were the leaders of the Latter Rain
Movement in Canada in the mid 20th Century. He had no knowledge, at that time,
that I was shepherding an assembly. I had dropped by his church in Oakland,
California, in July 1980, during a service. I was then on my way home, with my
family, after attending a convention in Bro. Raymond Jackson's assembly in
Jeffersonville, Indiana. During that meeting with him, he had given me a word
of knowledge that God had a work for me to do. I had not said anything about
myself to him. We were total strangers and were meeting each other for the
first time. When he visited Singapore, he ministered to our little church for
three nights. On the third night, as he ministered, he began to discern the
people in the church. Then he turned around, to where I was sitting at the
side, and pointed at me and said, “Brother Gan, you have an apostolic
ministry. The time is come for you to move.”
I sat there with my face as white as a
sheet. I had put a 'fleece' before the Lord that He might show me when I
should hand in my letter of resignation to my employer and embark on a full
time ministry. So, when that word of knowledge was given by the Spirit of the
Lord, I knew that was my answer from God. November passed, and I put a few
more 'fleeces' before the Lord, and He again gave me the answers. In January
1981 (I was 33 years old), I tendered my resignation and took my overdue
vacation. And, two months later, at the end of March, I began my first
overseas 'missionary' trip — to India.
So, since that time, I have travelled to
various places as the Lord led me. As truly as the vision had shown, in nearly
all the assemblies the Lord has led me to minister, I could see either broken
foundation or no proper foundation at all of the Word of God. All they had
were the statements/quotes of William Branham, and/or some misinterpreted
doctrines from his sermons. Many believers were confused, and the churches
were divided. Truly, “if the foundations be destroyed, what can the
righteous do?” (Psa.11:3). In restoring the foundation, my work was to set
in order the things that were lacking in these churches, and to show them what
the Apostolic Fathers' faith truly was that Brother Branham had preached
about. It was not easy, and it is not any easier, because the spirits of 'Branhamism'
and 'proselytizing', brought about by many of the BIG ministers of America,
Canada and Europe, have become the foundations of many Endtime Message
churches.
TO WHOM I AM SENT
I may not be an apostle to some people, but
I am surely one to those true believers, who would receive me, for they are
the seal of my apostleship in the Lord (cf. 1 Cor.9:2). There are other
apostles and other ministers who have their respective works to do; I respect
them and hold them in high esteem. But, there are some who would judge my
teachings by another minister's. It's to their shame that they are showing up
their own immaturity. If you have to judge anyone, judge him by the Word of
God. Indeed. And don't bug him just because he is yellow or black. There are
always those who will 'butt' at the Truth that they hear, and foolishly
announce, “Brother Branham was vindicated. Who is Richard Gan?”
Truly, I am a nobody but a watchman on the wall of New Jerusalem. I am not
disobedient to the heavenly vision. I am resolved to do the work that I have
been commissioned to do, to keep watch over the sacred things of God, for
“his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary
of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jer.20:9b NIV). I have received,
therefore I speak. I will not jettison what I have in God for some kudos, fame
or fortune. Amen. The Lord Jesus has not failed to bless my ministry all this
time. For, when He first called me, I made a covenant with Him, so to speak,
that if He would provide ten faithful godly Word-loving believers to support
the cause, I would do the ministry.
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Here is a photo taken at the
breakfast table back in 1984 in Ghana. The "spoken" words scribbled on it were
a part of the many words uttered against me at that breakfast table.
[Where are these two men today?]