MR. MISSION, MY MENTOR

My name is Dr. Jacob Nahuway. I am from Indonesia, the founding and currently the Senior Pastor of Mawar Saron Christian Church in Jakarta, Indonesia. I have been a preacher around Indonesia and around the world and has been claimed as one of the 100 most influential preachers in Indonesia by rubrikkristen.com. I acknowledged that I was fortunate to have been trained under Dr. David J. Cho who greatly influenced my mission and ministry life.

EAST WEST CENTER FOR MISSIONS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
I have known Dr. David J. Cho when I was a young pastor. I was blessed to have the opportunity to study in South Korea for 3 years from 1975 – 1978 at the East-West Center For Missions Research and Development. The EWC-mrd is a program created under the Asia Missions Association: that is to provide missionary training to non-Western missionary candidates with the assistance of the Western mission leaders, a partnership to advance non-Western missions.
After three years, I graduated with M.A. in Mission in 1978 and attended the Inaugural Convention of the Asia Missions Association as a scholar/student of the East-West Center for World Missions. I was one of the first graduates of the East-West Center for Missions Research and Development. I did not only receive a Master of Arts degree in Missions from the East-West Center but I also caught the passion for missions shown through the leadership of Dr. David J. Cho. His character, his integrity and his example of life to be a pastor and a preacher have changed me to serve God. He is a man of mission.
I have seen, I have heard and I have experienced how everyday Dr. Cho’s integrity was shown among us as students. How he taught us, he guided us and he supported us. When I experienced all of these, I promised to my own self, that when I go back to Indonesia, I will follow and practice all that I have seen and learned. And I believed that God blessed my own ministry and life for the country of Indonesia and around the world.

In 1978, immediately after returning to Jakarta, Indonesia, I began the planting of Mawar Saron Church. There were uncountable difficulties and hindrances in the early stage of the planting of this church. We started renting a building where a night club and military academy auditorium, and others were our neighbors. By the grace of God and by my ceaseless and tireless efforts we were blessed by the Holy Spirit, and after years of laboring for the establishment of the church, we dedicated Indonesia’s most beautiful grand cathedral on November 3, 2010 with 10.000 seats.

ASIA MISSIONS ASSOCIATION
From the year 2000 to 2010, I served as the Chairman of Asia Missions Association. The Indonesia Missions Association was one of the pioneer members of Asia Missions Association. I took over IMA’s leadership from Dr. Petrus Octavianus who was the first IMA Chairman. From the year 2000 to 2010, I served as the Chairman of Asia Missions Association. Dr. Minoru Okuyama turned it over to me. Prior to my AMA Chairmanship, I served as General Secretary which I took over from Dr. David J. Cho.
Under my chairmanship in AMA we were able to have the AMA Triennial Convention in Jakarta twice. We did a lot of mission networking among Asian mission leaders and missionaries. Indonesia became a sending center for Indonesian missionaries to other Asian countries.
I am so blessed and honored that Dr. David J. Cho, as the founder of AMA, extended his gratitude to me, as General Secretary of AMA. I always remember and keep it in my heart when he said that I was the succeeding leader of the Founder’s spirit of AMA. With his influence of great leadership I was able to expand the ministries of AMA not only in Asia but also to the whole world and pave the new path of world mission in the new millennium. I feel so honored and blessed because of the opportunity he allowed me to join him as one of AMA leaders.
My stay in Korea with Dr. David J. Cho, paved the way to other affiliations and networks with church and mission leaders around the world. And by the grace of God, I was also a member of Church Growth International led by Dr. David Yonggi Cho from Korea since 1978 until now. I am also a member of Third World Missions led by Dr. Minoru Okuyama from Japan and a member of Latin America Missions Movement led by Dr. Obed Alvarez from Peru.
I was in Argentina preaching in Mission Gathering Latin America in Lima, Peru in 2014. I was in Russia for AMA Conference in 2003, I was in Ephesus, Turkey leading Asia Mission Association in 2006. I was in Tokyo, Japan attending Global Mission Consultation in 2010, I also attended the AMA 2016 in Manila, Philippines and AMA 2019 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I was also one of the three graduates of Bethel Seminary (the 1968 YWEA project) to become its national overseer in Indonesia. I was taught evangelism at the seminary and traveled extensively throughout the world for evangelism.

GEREJA BETHEL INDONESIA and MAWAR SARON (ROSE OF SHARON CHURCH OF GOD)
Currently, I am serving as the national overseer of Gereja Bethel Indonesia, our amalgamated ministry partner, which constitutes the Church of God in Indonesia. I was also the founder and senior pastor of Gereja Bethel Mawar Saron (Rose of Saron Church of God).
I am now on my second four-year term (it is limited to 2 four-year terms, or a total of 8 years). I supervised the the work of 5,200 congregations and 2.5 million members in Indonesia, New Zealand, and Australia, as well as mission works of Gereja Bethel in many other nations. My administration is committed to a goal of 10,000 churches and 6 million members, and anticipates reaching that goal through an aggressive ministry geared toward reaching the “unreached people” of Indonesia.
I lead Gereja Bethel and the Rose of Sharon Church from a six-fold platform:

Prayer
My insistence is that prayer grows the church. I am a close friend and was personally mentored by Korea’s David Yonggi Cho. At my church, more than 100 intercessors gather each morning at 4:30 a.m., and another groups meet for prayer each day from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. There is an all-night prayer meeting at the church seven nights a week.

Preaching
I am recognized as a prophetic preacher throughout Indonesia and around the world. My analogy is that “People do not come to a restaurant to get chairs, tables, or air-conditioning; they come to get food.” Likewise, “The church is a spiritual restaurant. People are coming there for spiritual food. The preacher must preach!”

Faith
Rose of Sharon Church members are taught to be strong by faith, and strong in the faith. They are taught what to believe as well as how to believe, and they are taught that both are important. I explain, “In America you are challenged by the Gay agenda and other things; here we are challenged by Islam.” We must be strong by faith, and in the faith.

Healing Ministry
Gereja Bethel congregations place great emphasis upon God’s power to perform physical healings. I state that there have been many documented miracles at Rose of Sharon and many other congregations. I believe that genuine healings attract unbelievers to the church. Rose of Sharon pastors and elders anoint the sick with oil and pray for them, witnessing miracles in every service. At Rose of Sharon, a daily Healing Ministry service is conducted from 9:00-11:00 a.m. where the sick are anointed with oil, prayed for, and healed.

Evangelism
I believe that to be blessed, the church must fulfill the Great Commission. I always remind our church members and leaders that “The church that does not win the lost will itself become lost.”

Missions
Gereja Bethel and Rose of Saron believe that God can only bless those who become rivers instead of reservoirs. God has not called us to hoard His favor or His blessings, but to share with those who are in need. Because of this passion, Gereja Bethel operates mission ministries in many nations of the world, including major U.S. cities with large Indonesian populations.
I was appointed to be the Senior pastor of Rose of Sharon in 1979 by one of Gereja Bethel’s esteemed overseers, the late Ho L. Senduk. Coming from full-time evangelism to the pastorate. I and my family were welcomed by a congregation of about 40 people in rented facilities. Today, Rose of Sharon has 20 full-time staff members, with lay ministries staff of over 100, and an average weekly worship attendance of 6,500 in four Sunday services. We already have a new sanctuary which can seat 10,000 people, whereas the current sanctuary is limited to only 2,000. It has been the largest church auditorium within the city limits of the capital city of Jakarta.

Mawar Saron Christian School and Cambridge
On the year of 2001 we set up Mawar Saron Christian School including Playgroup, Kindergarten, Primary School, Junior High School and Senior High School in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

Seminary of Mawar Saron Theological Lampung
I have a burden and vision to set up a Theological Seminary for the young generation around small villages in Indonesia. On August 2015, we established the Seminary of Mawar Saron Theological Lampung in Tulang Bawang, Lampung. The students come from around small villages in Indonesia. All the student expenses during the course will be fully sponsored by Gereja Bethel and Rose of Sharon.

On August 2016, we started teaching/lecturing for the first generation of this theological seminary and hopefully will have 25 graduates on August 6, 2020 with the title Bachelor of Christian Religious Education. All the graduate students have been sent back to their villages to fulfill their mission. Every year we open the enrollment for students coming from around small villages in Indonesia and supply all their needs at the campus until they graduate.

DR. DAVID J. CHO
I was so sad to hear Dr. David Cho’s death. Because he is so close to my heart. He is my mentor in life and mission to spread the Word of God. Moreover, in this CoVid-19 pandemic, I got more sad since I couldn’t come to Korea to see his funeral and say thank you for his impact into my life.
He influenced my life and mision and he touched my leadership skill that God led me to my vision for mission in my home country Indonesia. Dr. David J. Cho who was called Mr. Mission, due to his passion to train and send Korean and Asian missionaries to the world, he pioneered international mission in S. Korea. He had influenced many mission and church leaders like me in Asia. It was through his efforts that many of us received trainings, teachings and guidance on how to do missions the apostolic way.
Mr. Mission influenced my ministries through his examples on east and west partnerships, collaboration among Asian mission agencies and leaders and information dissimination on missions among local churches. My desire to follow his footsteps was because of what he had shown me while I was staying in S. Korea.
He had finished the good fight of faith and he had a crown of righteousness. He has completed his life. But anyway, God loves him more and has provide a special place in His Kingdom. Once again, I would like to grant my great tribute to Dr. David J. Cho for being a role model in mission and in serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so much Dr. David J. Cho, you are truly my mentor.

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Jacob Nahuway
mawar_saron@cbn.net.id

Dr. Jacob Nahuway is currently the Chairman of the Fellowship Indonesian Pentecostal Churches. He is also the Senior Pastor of Rose of Sharon Church of God. Dr. Nahuway had several bestseller books in Indonesia, the latest among them “Jesus Christ from Nazareth Savior Of The World” will be finished by the end of this year.