As a preacher of the gospel, we have a responsibility to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) to our audience. As an evangelist/missionary we have the same responsibility to report of the whole work that's happening on the field to our supporters. Nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news. We all want to share good news, especially pertaining to God's work. However, news that we dont want to hear about has its place. It's part of the reality of the work. Just like how some people dont want to hear the preacher preaching about sin and its consequences but it is necessary. Sin is a reality. The devil is real. His work is real. The effects from his works are real. But thanks be to God, we are victorious through Jesus Christ our saviour! And that, my brethren, is just as real! This month, I would like to report of the happenings of the work of Christ in Cambodia overcoming the works of the devil that's trying to distract it. As you may know, last month we have received funds to purchase extra motobikes to evangelize due to our growth in other provinces. It is a blessing indeed. We needed it and God provided through your givings. However, sometimes, a good thing can be a bad thing. Problems arose. Jealousy and strifes came about. "Who gets to use what bikes?" "Why is this person using this particular bike the most, acting like its his?" "How come I always take the bike for repairs?" etc. Does this sound familiar? It is no wonder the apostle Paul wrote so much in his epistles of strifes, jealousy, envy, backbiting, and other works of the flesh to Christians! The problem that we had was due to attachment to material possessions! I quickly called a meeting with the leaders to deal with our problem. I reminded them that this is a problem we all face in life. It's not just a third world country problem. People in America struggle with the same thing. The devil works on all continents, trying to draw us all away from God. We must remember that we dont own anything in this life. Nothing that we possess belongs to us! It is all Gods. I am reminded of the Israelites before going into the promise land, Moses told them not to forget that all of the things that they will get was not theirs to begin with. God had provided all those things for them and they were not to forget the commandments of God. The solution then is, if it is Gods, we must take care of it better than as if it were our own. How? We are to attach ourselves to God. Only by doing this can we detach ourselves from material possessions. When we love God first, we know how to love each other. That's why those two are the greatest commandments (in that order). When we love each other, the way God loves us, we dont let material possessions possess us (Rom 13:9-10). After three hours of confessing our shortcomings one to another, filled with genuine tears and forgiveness, I felt like we grew to another level of maturity in our spirituality. I am thankful for the problems that arose in that it brought us closer as a family. This is what James meant in James 1:2-3. This is not the only attempt of the devil to distract the work here. Choeuy's father is suffering from Hepatitus C. Chann and Sokchea lost their brother Tawn to a motorcyle accident. Hout's wife is going through surgery. All in this month. Regardless of these things, we will endure just like you guys are. We will remain faithful and keep on keeping on. We know what our goal is and that is heaven. We pray that you keep us in your prayers so that we may see you there in heaven someday. Thank you for your time and I look forward to reporting to you next year! Hope you have a victorious 2011!
Phanat