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Volume. XIX, No. 16 Pastor Ki in Paillin, CambodiaMy Dear Readers, As you read this weekly, Ps Ki is in Paillin, Cambodia, ministering Gods Word to the spiritually hungry Khmers. He arrived safely in Paillin on Friday afternoon, after a terrible journey from Phnom Penh. He needs to go there because one of our brothers in Christ, Bro Kosal, was murdered in or near Paillin. He died because of his faith in our Lord Jesus whom the world hates. John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. Why? It is because the Lord Jesus has exposed the evilness in this world. John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Paillin is situated in Western Cambodia, a province that is loosely controlled by the National Government in Phnom Penh. It is about 20 Km to the Thai border. According to the August 2002 edition of the Lonely Planet, Paillin has a population of 22,000, but the town itself lacks major attraction unless you know a bit of gemstones or like hanging out with geriatrics responsible for mass murder. Further, today Paillin is a subdued wild west town in which former leaders of the Khmer Rouge (KR) seek haven, avoiding the long arm of international law. There you are, these KR leaders and their subordinates, who had committed the vilest crime in human history, are resident there and that is most probably the tourist attraction! If the former KR leaders are there, expect the ex-KR soldiers as well, some now incorporated into the Royal Cambodian Army. Compared to the touristic Siem Reap, with the nearby famous Angkor Wat, Paillin is not safe. I therefore urge all readers to pray to God for safety and protection for Ps Ki, who will be accompanied by Rev Hahn. Jas 5:16The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Infact, in a SMS message from Cambodia, Ps Ki has urged all of us to keep praying for him and those accompanying him. If it is dangerous, should Ps Ki go then? God has burdened Ps Ki to go there to show support and encouragement to the fearful believers, under the leadership of Bro Phannith. 1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. They are to know that the believers outside Cambodia are behind them. Another reason is that Ps Ki has to let the Paillin authorities know that Bro Kosal had Bible-believing friends beyond the confines of Paillin and that emotional, financial, moral and prayer supports have been offered for his fianc and family, and the small Bible-Presbyterian Church there. Bro Kosal was an ex-policeman, and when he came to Christ he became a teacher at Ottawa School. This school was managed by Rev Moses Hahn, providing free education to the children in Paillin! Another believer, Bro Map, is in hiding across the border in Eastern Thailand. He has also been threatened with death just because he is a Bible-believer! Let us pray for the fianc, and family of Bro Kosal, for Bro Map and Bro Phannith, and Bible-believers in Paillin. May Bro Kosals death usher in the beginning of a new and wonderful era for Biblical Christianity in Paillin and the rest of Cambodia. John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. May Bro Kosal be that corn of wheat that fall into the ground and die and as a result of his shed blood and death, much fruit will arise in Cambodia. Let us, in our comfort and protected zone, remember the brothers and sisters in Christ in Cambodia who are enduring poverty, hardship, pain and sorrow, and some, fear and persecution. Bro Kosal is a martyr of our precious faith. This is the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3). He treated that faith like precious pure gold. I wonder how many of us will give up our lives like Bro Kosal for that pure gold of faith? We come to church every Lords Day, carrying our Holy Bible in our hands, and encouraging ourselves with this prayer that we (Jas 1:22)be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Let us seriously for once stop being hearers and deceiving ourselves, and instead start being doers of the Word! When asked to do something for the LORD, take up that challenge and do our best for Him. That is when we become doers. Do not procrastinate and hide behind the phrase Ill think about it or Ill pray about it. Otherwise, we are only hearers and arm chair advisers. Let us go forth to the frontline to advance Gods Kingdom, and stop being a general in Gods army! Amen. God bless you all. Elder Michael D Lee |
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