Sabah churches move into new season

KOTA KINABALU – Sabah churches celebrated Malaysia Day this year by issuing an unprecedented declaration’ titled as the Kota Kinabalu Declaration claiming the promises of God for the nation as they move into a new season.

The 30-point declaration is the most significant Christian statement after the Kuching Declaration made by church leaders in 1989 over the Alkitab and Allah issue.

The declaration was issued at the end of a three-day revival meeting themed as “Moving into a New Season” together with a “Mitabang Mamangkis.” The Mamangkis is the battle cry from the pagan days but has been contextualised as the clarion call for Christian revival. Mitabang is the call for believers to close ranks and to help one another.

The Kota Kinabalu Declaration was signed by Bishop Dr Datuk Thomas Tsen, president of the Sabah Council of Churches, Rev Datuk Jerry Dusing, chair of the Commission on Sabah Affairs of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), Pastor Esther Golingi, chairperson of the Perpaduan Anak Negeri (PAN) Sabah or Native Solidarity, Pastors Steven Choon (English congregations) and Daniel Chin (Chinese congregations) of the Kota Kinabalu Pastors’ Fellowship.

The Malaysia Day gathering was co-hosted by these organizations from Sep15-17 at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association centre in Penampang with over 2,000 people attending. There were no key note speakers nor VIPs. Participants just joined in the six praise and worship sessions and colourful cultural dances. At the end of each session those whom God had given a message or prophecy came forward to share them.

Quoting Scriptures, the statement declared that as “A triple-braided rope is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12b), therefore, “we declare our commitment to defend the sovereignty of Malaysia as a federation composed of Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya as equal partners on 16 September 1963.”

The declaration concluded with a consecration: NOW in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we do hereby declare that as from the seventeenth day of September in the year two thousand and fourteen, and by the Grace of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we consecrate ourselves before the LORD God Almighty as we enter into a New Season seeking through hope, faith and love to embrace and uplift a Malaysia which is true and just to all its peoples. Amen.

To commemorate the consecration, an uncut stone altar was built on stage with olive oil poured over by the leaders as a place to call upon the name of the LORD and remember His glorious promises. – Bob Teoh

(For the full Declaration, please go to NECF Malaysia website https://www.necf.org.my/)