The Father’s Love
Pastor Savang Leads Communion
Communion usually makes me sad. I don't often cry, but as I think of Jesus on the cross; tears begin to flow. I know it is the consummate act that freed me from the devil's control. I should rejoice; but the price He paid? Beyond comprehension! Yet, I learned something from my Cambodian son, Thany. His sermon this past Sunday taught me something that I’d never seen before. Jesus suffered because of the love His Father had for Him! It was the Father's love for Him that led Him to the cross. Can you believe that? (John 10:17-18)
It's wonderful when, “The instructor starts learning form the pupils"! Thany, the boy who 22 years ago, was naked on all fours lapping water out of a scum covered pond, preached the best sermon about, communion and destroying the devil's works, that I have ever heard. It was the fact that the Father loved Jesus so much that He allowed Him to lay down His life for us that shook me. This time tears of joy flowed!
As I looked around, I saw the kids we've raised taking charge and leading the assault against the devil. FCOP's District Supervisor in Siem Reap Province, Savang, came to know the Lord as a young woman in 1997. In 1999 she was baptized in the Holy Spirit by one of our young evangelists, Boun Ridth. Last Sunday, Pastor Savang led a communion service that was truly life changing. These past few weeks, young leaders from Khampong Channang, Pursat, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Khampong Thom, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Kandal, and Ratanikiri provinces (actually all over Cambodia) were leading self-paid, locally directed, ‘Pastors Training Sessions’. It was an awesome August!
Now, the devil did not like that and he is a dirty player! All the above 'good stuff ', was happening while we are sorely missing the services of Shanon Hladek, who is in the USA for weeks encouraging our donors and getting some needed medical care. Sou and I were knocked out of commission with the latest CV-19 variant. Our General Supervisor, Pastor Som Art, the paralyzed kid whom Jesus healed 23 years ago, lay incapacitated with a huge kidney stone. Finally, our website went down, disabling PayPal and thus freezing new giving while the administrator, my son Tony, was on vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Alas! He dove into the ocean with his phone in his pocket and for eight days we were incommunicado. Last night we made contact and are up and running again but, we’re broke! Nothing new there. Nevertheless, the kids we’ve raised rose to the occasion. We went through all this, because of the Father’s love for us. And we are using the power of that love to face whatever comes and destroy the devil's works!
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