CORAM DEO (Before God)
International Theological College and Seminary, Cambodia Students’ Newsletter
(Summer 2013, June 2013, Vol. II, Issue 2)
Publisher: Woon Se Yeo ; Editors: Dr. White Y. Jeon & Dr. Ezra H. Kim
Assistant Editorial Members: Timothy Div Sokhom, Shalymore Bendy, Tenyenilo Thong ;
Office Address: 408 Monivong Blvd., Phnom Penh, Cambodia; website: www.itcscambodia.org;
E-mail: itcscambodia@gmail.com; Tel: 012 330 660; 092-887-620
The Cross of Christ is the Foundation of all Doctrine
I Peter 1:18-20
By: Dr. Woon Se Yeo, Chairman of College and Seminary
Inside this issue:
―God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob‖ by Dr. 2
White Y. Jeon
―Biblical Foundation
of Infant Baptism‖ by
Mr. Timothy Div Sokhom
4
―Do it all for the Glory
of God‖ by Mr. Vanro 5
Sanga
―Testifying God‘s
Grace is our Duty‖ by
Mr. Avitso Dolie
6
―Enjoying the Blessings of your Regenera7
tion‖ by Mr. Peter
Neak
―Biblical References
of Fasting‖ by Mr.
Paul Wang
9
―Devotional Time Note‖
by Mr. Vichea Cheap
10
Personal Testimonies
11
ITCS Current News 15
I am very grateful to God for his
providential love towards our school,
ITCS. Why? Regardless of our difficulties, we are able to reach to the finality
of this semester in His unchangeable
loving care. Throughout the semester,
our Lord takes care of everything that
we need - spiritually, physically, and
financially. So, let us praise and thank
Him together. He is amazing and wonderful Father!
Now, let me turn to my message 'the
Cross of Christ' today. The heading
means that every doctrine in the Bible
must be built on the foundation of the
cross. As we know, 'the Cross' implies
and symbolizes the substitutional death
and the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, an unbiblical understanding of the
Cross of Christ, or ignoring the Cross
of Christ, or denying the Cross of
Christ, must to be called as false doctrine.
This is the fatal mistake in the doctrine. If we do not have a correct interpretation of the Cross of Christ, whatever is produced will be false. As our
apostles have stated in the Scriptures,
the Cross of Christ is the foundation on
which all doctrines must be constructed.
The Apostle Peter said "Forasmuch
as you know that you were not re-
deemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but
with the precious blood of Christ as of a
Lamb without blemish and without spot" (I
Pet. 1: 18-20).
The Cross of Christ is the foundation of
all doctrine. This means that all doctrine
must be on this foundation, simply because
it was the first doctrine formulated in the
mind of the Godhead, even before man
created, or even the world was created.
This revelational fact means many
things such as the followings:
1. The Cross of Christ is the dividing line
between the Church and the Apostate
church.
2. The Cross of Christ is the only answer
for sin. There is no other way, because
there is no need of the other.
It will never have to be amended in any
form, simply because it is perfect (Heb.
13:20).
The story of the Bible is the story of the
Cross of Christ. According to Gen. 3:7;
3:21 and chapter 4, we find one important
fact that they proclaim in vivid detail 'the
Substitute'. The Lord had related to the
first family even though fallen, that they
could have forgiveness of sin and fellowship with Him, and He gave the manner in
which this could be done.
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They were to build an Altar, which was a Type of the Cross, and they were to kill a lamb, which was a type of
Christ, burn its body on the altar, a type of the Judgment of God. This judgment came upon our Lord, instead of upon
us, with the blood pours out at the base of the altar. The blood signified Him giving His life.
Therefore, the principle of Redemption is spelled out, in the offering of the slain lamb. Thus the Sacrificial System was introduced on the first page of human history, and continued through the centuries.
All of this was a temporal measure until Jesus would come, who would be the literal Sacrifice. His very purpose
of coming to this Earth, of God becoming Man (Jn. 1:14), the Man Christ Jesus, was to be a Sacrifice. The Apostle
John outlines it perfectly in the great Gospel that bears his name.
Therefore, we must proclaim about 'Incarnation,' 'Earthly life as the Redeemer,' and 'Resurrection' which is the
Good News of the Gospel, the core doctrine of Christianity. Because of this reason, the Christ-centered message of
the Cross of Jesus is the essential element of our message. This was the unique KERYGMA that our Apostles proclaimed.
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
(Exodus 6:1-9)
by Prof. White Young Jeon, Dean of Students
Introduction:
God revealed the complete form of the administration of redemption first through Moses in the text since Abraham‘s calling. After the covenant revealed at Genesis 12:1-3 and 17:1- 13 as three promises - a great nation, a great
name, and a promise of a blessing - they were revealed again in the complete form of covenant in verse 5, God remembered His covenant through the crying out of the people; in verse 6 - it is limited by Abraham‘s children, the
children of Israel; in verse 8 – leading them into the promised land; and in verse 7- the form of covenantal accomplishment that showed the relationship between the King and the people, the husband and the wife and the father and
the children. Finally, the climax of covenant is to know God, the eternal life (Jn17:3).
We can think that the important reason that the Lord reveals to the people is the covenantal blessing through God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Historically these names had been revealed to God‘s people repeatedly. (II Ch.20:7 Isa.
41:8) In the New Testament, the Lord told to the Sadducees about the meaning of names, God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob.(Mt22:32) ― But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‗I am the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob‘? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.‖ In these
verses we can find that God is Jesus Christ.
I. Abraham’s God is Jesus
Exodus 2:24 suggests that Moses‘ covenant is handed down Abraham‘s covenant, because the same contents were
revealed by the covenant of Abraham. It is so meaningful that Abraham and his descendants should follow the covenant. Then what did Abraham receive? He was justified by faith before God (Gen.15:6).
So we accept that we are justified by faith as Abraham did before God. (Rom 4:23-24) The justification by faith is
what Paul proclaimed in his gospel that Abraham was justified by faith. It was the gospel that Apostle John had proclaimed.
Look at John 1:12-13. ‖12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband‘s will, but
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born of God.‖ And Revelation 15:3 reveals ―2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They
held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God‘s servant Moses and of the Lamb: ―Great and marvelous
are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
In Luke 16:22, why was Lazarus consoled in the breast of Abraham? Because he had same righteousness of
Abraham he could receive the heavenly comfort. Jesus Christ is God of Abraham. And also in our future we know
that we shall participate into the comfort of Abraham. Who is Abraham‗s God? He is Jesus Christ, our Lord. From
him we get the comfort of Abraham‘s justification.
II. Isaac’s God is Jesus
And Jesus Christ is God of Isaac. God of Abraham reveals the Justification, and God of Isaac reveals the humility
or, the meekness, as the main vessel of redemption. As we know, Isaac gave all his property to his enemies, whenever he was forced by them, just like a stupid person. He was a symbol of humility and a type of Jesus Christ‘s character. Philip 2:6-8 says ―Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to
his own advantage;7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even
death on a cross!‖
Who was the God of Isaac? He was Jesus Christ. When we follow his humble attitude in our journey in Christ,
we are able to accomplish the complete salvation in our lives. So we believe that in Ps
55:22 ―Cast your burden on the lord, and he will to sustain you, he will never permit
the righteousness to be moved.‖ Why? Because the Lord of Isaac shall accomplish it
through the character of humility in Holy Spirit.(Gen26:12-34)
Especially the modern Christians should love the Lord of Isaac, the Lord of humility. So the Apostle emphasizes that the church embrace the humble heart that Jesus
Christ have had. Why? It is because our Lord worked in them through the humble heart.
Christ‘s righteousness reveals the effectives through the channel of humility. We have
to pursue the stream of humility although we are influenced by the secular power. Finally the humility shall overcome them.
The God of
Abraham,
Isaac, and
Jacob is
Jesus!
III. Jacob’s God is Jesus
Jacob‘s God reveals sanctification of the saints. We know the way that the saints
should walk toward God through justification, humility, sanctification and glorification. (Rom. 8: 30) God of Jacob
who was revealed through Moses‘ revelation is the Lord of sanctification. Even though we are in a very miserable
state, God of Jacob shall accomplish our salvation by much training in our whole life, as Jacob had experienced. As
we know Jacob was very crafty guy before God; he had the stimulated sinful desire about the finance, the relationship and personal character. Then the Lord gradually trained him little by little until he took away the wicked desire
in his life. What were the results of God‘s training? As he was an old man he was changed by God‘s power through
much trials and sufferings (Hos. 12:3-5, Gen. 35:10-11).
In our salvation God is training us through many events in our lives, to the ultimate goal, the restoration of the
image of God, the righteousness, the mercy and the faithfulness. Finally we will be changed by Holy Spirit into the
image of Christ in our whole life.
Do you have such image in your life? How much were you changed by your present events? Can you yourself
find the character of God in your life? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is Jacob‘s God?
Conclusion:
Only Jesus Christ is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord who was revealed to Moses is
Christ Jesus. By Him we can be justified, humbled, and sanctified in our lives. When we meet some problems we have to look at our ultimate goal. This God is the Lord of living Christians. In Christ Jesus we can
restore the image of God, righteousness, mercy and faithfulness by the resurrected power (Eph. 1:19-20).
We faithfully have to pursue to their faith and proclaim them to our neighbor. Let us make the stern
streams of Cambodian Buddhism changed into the biblical healing stream by obeying the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
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BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF INFANT BAPTISM
Mr. Timothy Div Sokhom, Instructor
Infant baptism is arguably one of the issues that divides Christians. Some believe that infant baptism is not biblical and
some teach that it is. Those skeptics argue that there is no single Bible verse that explicitly teaches this doctrine. Howeve r
they forget to take consideration of the doctrine of Trinity. We can‘t find any single verse that may support explicitly the said
doctrine and the word ―Trinity‖ is not even in the Bible. Nevertheless, we believe that it is Biblical because it‘s systematically
implied in the Bible. In the same manner, to answer the question, ―Is infant baptism biblical?‖ we have to, first of all, believe
the authority of the Scripture. We should then look into the Scripture and let the Scripture interprets the Scripture. Also it is
very important that we have to remember that the Old Testament and the New Testament are not two different testaments.
Rather, they are just like two sides of one coin. They are actually connected to each other. The Old Testament is all God's
prophecies (His covenant) and the New Testament is the fulfillment. In other words, the Old Testament is full of foreshadow
and the New Testament is the reality. The Lord Jesus Christ is the reality,
the fulfillment. In addition, it is important that we keep in mind that God
deals with His people through covenant and each covenant has a sign or seal.
With those truths in mind, let us take a look at God's covenant with
Abraham- the covenant of circumcision. You may wonder what does circumcision has to do with infant baptism? What is the connection of the circumcision with the baptism, particularly infant baptism?
In the Old Testament, as we know, God made the covenant with Abraham sealed with circumcision. As a sign, he and every man and child that
belongs to him must be circumcised. In Gen. 17:9-14 we see some phrases
of what God had said to Abraham such as: "As for you, you must keep my
covenant"(v.9); "You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of
the covenant between me and you."(v.11); For the generations to come
"every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised"(v.12);
Infant baptism at Chom Chao Khmer Service
"My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant"(v.13).
administered
by Rev. Ezra H. Kim on March 10, 2013.
The requirement for Abraham and his children is to obey and (must)
keep God‘s covenant. Circumcision is the sign of God's everlasting covenant
and God commanded Abraham that ―you must keep my covenant.‖ God said to Abraham that, "You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you." (v.11). In obedience to God‘s command, Abraham was
circumcised at the age of ninety nine year old; Ishmael at the age of thirteen (cf. Gen. 17:24); Isaac at the age of eight da ys
(Gen. 21:4; cf. Acts 7:8). One of the most important lessons that we learn here is Abraham and his descendants by faith received God's promise (cf. Rom. 4:11-14). Well if they received God's promise by faith, when Isaac was eight day old does he
have faith to receive God's promise? If he does not have, does circumcision mean anything to him?
This circumcision is still administered in the New Testament among the Jews as a sign of belonging or being a part of
God‘s covenant to Abraham. One of the good example is the Lord Jesus Christ who was circumcised when he was eight day
old (Luke 2:21) and also John the Baptist was circumcised when he‘s eight day old (Luke 1:59). There are things that we can
observe here. Abraham‘s covenant is everlasting. It didn‘t end in the Old Testament but in fact it is still in effect until n ow.
And the sign that one is in God‘s covenant with Abraham is the circumcision– not only circumcision of the man who is old
enough to believe God but in fact, an innocent eight-day old infant must be circumcised. If not, it means that he‘s not in the
covenant.
We may ask, what, then, is the connection baptism, particularly, of infant baptism to circumcision? We no longer circumcise an eight year old boy or whoever converted to Christianity but we baptize them as a covenant sign of being included in
the new covenant fulfilled in Christ. Colossian 2: 11-12 tells us that, ―In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of
the sinful nature, and not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having
been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.‖
This means that, we no longer need the blood-shed in the circumcision because it was fulfilled by Jesus Christ when he shed
his precious blood on the cross for us once and for all.
Furthermore, WCF XXVIII:1 explains that ―Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not
only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church, but also unto him a sign and seal of the covenan t
of grace, of his in grafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through Jesus
Christ, to walk in newness of life: which sacrament is, by Christ‘s own appointment, to be continued in his church until the
end of the world.‖ Abraham‘s covenant is fulfilled in the Covenant of Grace of Jesus Christ, and the sign of circumcision is
CORAM DEO (Before God)
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now baptism. Since in the Abraham‘s covenant, they circumcised the 8 year-old infant who doesn‘t know anything yet about
his parents‘ faith, doesn't it make sense that babies too who are children of a believer of Christ should be baptized?
In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus commanded his disciples (Including us) to go to all nations and baptizing them in the name of
the triune God. Jesus did not commended his disciples to baptize only young or only old; only man or only woman, it is quite
obvious that them is refer to both young and old, man and woman. Then for those who confessed in Christ as their personal
Savior and Lord, either young or old are eligible for baptism. Believers and children as to be baptizing into the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost and they are to obey everything that the Lord commanded them.
Children were also baptized in the New Testament. We shall study about the case of the jailer: He asked Paul and Silas,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer t ook
them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. (Acts 16:30b-33) Jailer‘s household: all
his family were baptized. It means that everybody, either young or old in his house were baptized. Another is the family of
Cornelius. Peter asked "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit
just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ . . ." (Acts 10:46-47).
According to WCF Q:XXVI 11:4 ―Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obedience unto Christ, but also the
infants of One or both be living parent are to be baptized..‖ Children as found in the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:15, 16; Matt
19:14). Baptism is a sign and seal of the Covenant of grace be given to the Children of the believers (Gen 17:1-14). We don't
know that the child believe in Jesus or not but we know for sure that they belong to covenantal family and parents are the representative of the family and based on their confession and conviction of faith in nurture of their children according to the
Word of God. We should know that for both children and adults, baptism does not save, only Jesus saves as Apostle Paul said
to the jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household." Without faith circumcision mean
nothing (Rom. 2:25-29), in the same manner baptism mean nothing if you don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your own
personal Savior and Lord. Again, infant baptism is not a way of salvation. Surely, there were circumcised in the Old Testament when they were eight year old but were not saved. Baptism is a sign in the new covenant in Christ as circumcision was
in the Abrahamic Covenant. Thank God for his grace and mercy, that for us, Jesus shed his blood for us to be saved.
Do It All for the Glory of God (Corinthians 10:23-33)
By Vanro Sanga (M.A.R.2ndYear)
To glorify God is the purpose of human life especially for Christian. Then, how should we glorify our Creator and Lord? Jesus
glorified his Father by fulfilling His purpose on earth, the same way each one of us ought to glorify Him. When anything in
creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to the Creator. So, Apostle Paul encouraged us to do it all for the glory of o ur God,
whether we eat or drink or whatever we do. Do you really want to glorify God in your daily life?
How a sinful man can do a good thing and glorify the holy God?
Since we are the descendant of Adam, we are sinners and all have sinful nature as well as sinful desire. A sinful man has no
chance to do the thing which was right and good before God to glorify Him. Why? Because we are under the control of Satan
and we are slave of sin. Jesus said, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.‖ (John 8:34) So, we do need Savior,
who can set us free from our slavery and from our sin. By his grace, God the Father gave us Jesus Christ to set us free from
our slavery, Paul said, ―It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by the yoke of slavery.‖ (Galatians 5:1)We are justified not because of what we did but by the grace of God through Jesus
Christ, who died for us. And now we can glorify God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The perfect man, Christ bought us from our slavery, we no longer belong to ourselves but Christ belongs to us. We should no
longer live for ourselves but Christ who died for us. Why? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:15 ―And he died for all, that those who
live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.‖ We are not our own but God, 1
Corinthians 6:19-20, ―Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you are bought at the price. Therefore honor God with your body.‖ All things are
lawful for the children of God. Paul says, ―Everything is permissible-but not everything is beneficial, everything is permissible but not everything is constructive.‖ (Corinthians 10:23)
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Everything is permissible-but not everything is beneficial
The glory of God is the ultimate goal and purpose of every Christian. You should do everything in life with an eye to the glory
of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether believer or unbeliever. Follow the example of Christ and seek other good.
The more you develop Christ like character, the more you will bring glory to God. Paul said, ―For I am not seeking my own
good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.‖ 1Corinthians
11:1. So, practical directions regarding the proper use of our Christian liberty are to seek the good of others, not to be a stumbling block for others.
Do all to the glory of God.
The phrase "the glory of God" is equivalent to ―the honor of God‖; and the direction is that we should act all things as to
"honor" him as our Lawgiver, our Creator, and our Redeemer. In all the actions and plans of life; whatever your desires, your
doings, let all be done to the glory of God. How do we bring glorify to God?
We bring God glory by worshiping him. Worship is far more than praising, singing, and praying to God. Worship is a lifestyle
of enjoying God. When you use your life for His glory, everything you do can become an act of worship. ―God is Spirit, and
his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth‖ (John 4:24).
We bring God glory by loving other believers. Following Christ is not just a matter of believing; it also indicates belonging
and learning to love the family of God. Paul said in Romans 15:7 ―Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in
order to bring praise to God.‖
We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts. Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills, and
abilities. God didn‘t give you your abilities for selfish purposes and only for you own benefits. God wants us to help one another and help the needy people. Second Corinthians 8:19 says that ―What is the more, he has chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to
help.‖
We bring God glory by telling others about Him. God doesn‘t want His love and purposes to be kept as a secret. Once we
know the truth, He expects us to share it with others. God does not call anyone to become a silent follower. We are called to
go and preach the Good News! Second Corinthians 4:15, tells us that ―All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is
reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.‖
Conclusion:
As we allow Christ to work out His purposes in our lives, glorifying God will become our lifestyle. Give
Him the glory and do all things for the glory of God.
Testifying the Gospel of God’s Grace is our Duty (Acts 20: 19-31)
By Avitso Dolie (M.A.R.
1st Year)
As we are called to be God‘s servant, we have an obligation to serve Him faithfully and humbly. You should give your best in
everything you do and invest your life in serving our Lord Jesus. Your lifestyle should reflect Christ‘s character in whatever
you do and be a role model to the people around you. Furthermore, always guard yourselves from false teaching and hypocrisy around you.
Be a role model to your fellow workers (vv.19-23)
Christ had shown his great humility to us, he came down on this earth; he put himself in the lowest place to show us what humility really is (Phil. 2:6-8). Therefore, we, as a Christ‘s followers, we ought to follow his example, that is, ―genuine humility‖. We must serve God with great humility and passion in any circumstance (v. 19-20). Serve God with boldness and confidence, preaching Christ must be our target, so that other may hear and come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus (v.21).
As a Christ‘s follower and be an example to others, you should have burden and zeal in serving the Lord. In serving our Lord,
we must take risk in some given situations, even to the point of death, like Apostle Paul did (Vv. 22-24). Are you living a life
that influences other and leads them to Christ? Being a Christian, what is your role today?
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Testifying the gospel of God’s grace
Our sole calling and mission is to testify Christ and His grace (v.24). Christ has given us a great task, which is to proclaim the
gospel to all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything that he commanded (Matt. 28:19-20). Still many people didn‘t hear the gospel in this world. People need
Christ for their salvation, the urgency of gospel is too intense in this present world, and therefore, we need more workers f or
the harvest (Luke 10:2). 0ur great calling and duty is to testify the gospel of God‘s grace to those who never heard about Jesus
Christ and His grace; to accomplish His great commission (1 Cor. 9:16; Rom. 1:14), we are obligated to preach. Therefore,
―Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation‖ (Mark 16:15).
Guard yourselves and your Flocks (vv. 25-31).
Apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders to guard themselves and their church members (v. 28). This warning is not only to
the Ephesus church, but also to us. In this contemporary, it is very vulnerable to fall in the false teaching, because the false
spirit is actively attacking God‘s people (v. 29). Therefore, we must guard ourselves with the ―truth,‖ which is the Word of
God (Eph. 6:13-14; 1 Cor. 16:13). It is our responsibility to feed well our flocks/congregation with the living Word (1 Pet.
1:23), the bread of life (John 6:35) which is the Word of God. As Apostle Paul instructs Timothy, ―Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers‖ (1 Tim. 4:16). We must be
very careful in handling God‘s Word. God commands us to meditate His Word day and night (Josh. 1:8). By doing this we can
guard ourselves and lead our flocks in the right path. Guarding and preserving the truth is our obligation.
Conclusion:
Reflecting the image of Christ in our life must be our passion, testifying Christ is our greatest mission (Matt. 28:19-20), and
proclaiming and defending His truth is our obligation.
Enjoying the Blessing of Your Salvation (John 1:10-13)
By Neak Chanrit Peter (M.A.R. 1stYear)
After the Fall, man has to live with the consequences of their sin. Their sinful nature has blinded them to see the God who
gives life to every human being. The sinful world called to be the darkness, and the sinful man called to be the blind. Everything, because of sin, has blinded man to see the truth, and sin has made a gap between man and God. Due to human corruption, man cannot reach to God, because God is so holy and exalted above on high. However, God is Mighty to save, and He
sent his Son Jesus Christ to save sinners. God has shown His mercy enough for man to see the True Light that gives life to
sinful man.
I.
You Have to Believe that You are Saved only through Jesus Christ (vv. 10-11).
God is the Creator of the world. Before Christ became flesh He was in the world and the world was made through Him.
Verse 1 teaches us that He is the everlasting Father, the first and the end, the alpha and omega (cf. Rev. 1:8). Before the world
was formed, there was God, and He presented in the world by His Spirit and ruled over His creation (Gen. 1:2). ―He came that
which was his own, and his own people did not receive him‖ (v. 11). He incarnated and manifested Himself in the flesh so that
human beings could come near to Him. His own people in this text referred to the Israelites but we can interpret that it is
pointing to every human being as well. However, human beings did not receive Him. Isaiah 1:3 says ―The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.‖ Sinful mankind rejected God,
and refused to know Him. Bible compares sinful man to the world, also compares to the darkness. Sin is dark, and we are sinners living in the dark world, when the Light comes into the world, we cannot understand or know God because sin blinds.
Sinful man and the holy God is so much far different, so man cannot understand and seek God, but God‘s love seeks man
(Rom. 3:11).
We must keep ourselves away from sin because it keeps us from knowing God. Romans 3:23 said, ―for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.‖ You and I are sinners, and the punishment that awaits us is death in the fire of hell foreve r.
―For the wages of sin is death,‖ (Rom. 6:23a). Is there a way out of this condemnation? Yes, we have to believe in Jesus
Christ, ―but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.‖ (Rom. 6:23b). Apart from Jesus there is no salvation.
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―for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved‖ (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, ―I am the light of
the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.‖ (John 8:12). Thus, we must follow the Light, Jesus Christ so that we won‘t be in darkness anymore. We suppose to receive Him not to reject Him, because
Jesus is our Light and Savior. So, you have to admit that you are saved out from the darkness of the world by believing in
Jesus.
II. You have to Know the Great Authority of God’s Children by Believing in Jesus (v. 12)
Those who receive and believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, God will give them power to become children of God. A wonderful thing can happen in this verse 12 is the word ―Faith.‖ If you have faith you can be reconciled with
God the Father as the sons / daughters of God. Faith is something about decision but this decision is under God‘s control. Romans 10:9-10 say, ―That if you confess with your mouth, ‗Jesus is Lord,‘ and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.‖ You have to confess with your mouth together with your will, but again your confession is under God‘s
control. God predestined you before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-5) ―by grace you have been saved through
faith‖ (Ephes. 2:8). So, salvation cannot be earned by your ability or wealth but by the grace of God. Salvation belongs to t he
Lord (Jonah 2:9), but you must confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that ―Jesus is Lord.‖ Through that faith in
Jesus as Lord, God adopted us to be children of God by His love (Ephes. 1:5).
Therefore, you and I can become children of God only through faith in Jesus Christ. If we are children of God, He will call
us to join the fellowship in His glorious presence forever. God as our Eternal Father will never let anyone hurts or takes us
away from His hands of love, for the Bible says, ―For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.‖ (Rom. 8:38-39). Jesus said, ―If you remain in me and my
words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.‖ (Jn. 15:7). We are the children of God, do not worry
for God is our Father, and trust in Him trust also in Jesus Christ ―Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in
me.‖ (Jn.14:1). So, we have to believe that Jesus Christ our Savior makes us to be His sons and daughters.
III. You have to Enjoy New Life in Jesus Christ (v. 13)
How can you enjoy in your new personal life in Jesus? By the assurance of God ―But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God‖ (v. 12). How could a sinner be born again of God? By God‘s
predestination of you before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-5). How can you be born of God? By faith and repentance.
It has been a famous story in John chapter 3 about the teaching of Christ to Nicodemus the necessity of regeneration. Nicodemus had a conversation with Jesus on how to go to heaven. Jesus replied to him, he must be born again. How can an old man
be born again? Go into his mother‘s womb in second time? Jesus answered, ―I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom
of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.‖ (John 3:5). The Holy Spirit of God regenerates our hearts to be humble in
the presence of His majesty. We have known that our salvation depends on God alone (Jonah 2:9); by His grace we have faith
in Jesus (Eph. 2:8). Here, after we confess that Jesus is our Savior and Lord, we will be born again by the Spirit of God, not by
humans will, nor by human desire, but a new life in Christ Jesus (Jn.1:13). Apostle Paul said, ―Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!‖ (2 Cor. 5:17).
Therefore, we have to live as a new creation. Your regenerated life is the act of God only once in a life, that was when you
believe in Jesus Christ. We have to confess and repent our sins to God and ask Him for the Spirit to make be born again. After
we are really regenerated by the Holy Spirit we have to keep our faith in Christ Jesus. Day by day, we should live godly not
worldly. A born-again Christian always shares his new birth which is the gospel of Christ Jesus to another . After Jesus resurrected, He commanded the disciples to go to all nations to teach and preach the good news of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20). Every
Christian should take this Great Commission from the Lord, that is, the gospel must be preached among the people, the True
Light must shine upon the world. Otherwise, the world cannot have the light. But you are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14),
and the light must shine to everybody in the house. You are children of God, glorious and joyful gospel must be heard to the
nations through you. ―How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who
bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isa. 52:7).
Conclusion
You can enjoy the blessing of regeneration by believing in Jesus. Blessed are you who called to be the children of God!
Blessed are those who believe in Jesus as their personal and Savior! God created us for His glory and He has plans for each
and every one of us for His good purpose. God chose you to save your life and to adopt you as His children (Eph. 1:4-5). But
remember that not everybody can be saved, thus, we have to response for our salvation by repentance and confession with our
mouth and believing in our heart that ―Jesus is Lord‖ in order to be saved (Rom. 10:9-10). As we believe in Jesus as Lord and
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Savior, our responsibility is to teach and preach the gospel to others, so that they may believe the gospel and be saved. Are
you born of God? If so, you should live as born again Christian by showing God‘s righteousness, mercy and faithfulness. You
have to trust God as Jesus commanded ―Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.‖ (Jn. 14:1). No matter what situation you are in, you have to trust and believe that God can do everything for you, even over your imagination.
May God bless you with the spirit of the children, born of God!
The Biblical References of Fasting
by Paul Wang (B.A. 4th Year)
Fasting literally means to abstain from food and drinking. It is always considered as religious practice for piety. In the
church, we often see that some Christians fast for certain people or issues. Church ministers also encourage people to fast and
pray. However, some people may raise questions: Why should Christians fast? When should Christians fast? What is the benefit of fasting? We shall look at some biblical references, so that we may find out the basis of Christian fasting?
In The Old Testament
The Biblical words, tsôm (noun) and tsûm (verb), are employed to indicate fasting. Fasting was usually taken place for several reasons.
Fasting for Repentance
 When Samuel gathered the Israelites, they confessed their sin with fasting before the Lord, saying ―we have sinned
against the lord‖ (1 Sam. 7:6).
 Nehemiah and Ezra led the people of Israelites repent before the Lord; they gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. (Neh. 9:1).
 When the people of Nineveh heard that God would destroy them for their sin, they fasted with repentance. (Jonah 3:5).
Fasting for Expressing Sadness
 When Saul died, the valiant men of Jabesh Gilead buried him and fasted seven days. (1 Sam. 31:13; 1 Chron. 10:12)
 David and all the men with him mourned and wept and fasted for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord
and the house of Israel. (2 Sam. 1:12)
 When King Xerxes issued a decree to destroy all the Israelites from the country, the Jews greatly wept, mourned, and
fasted. (Esther 4:3)
Fasting for Civil Judge
The elders and nobles in the city proclaimed a day of fasting in order to judge Naboth (1Kings 21:9), although their accusing was false.
Fasting for Seeking the Lord
 David sought God on the behalf of his child that Uriah‘s wife bore to him (2 Sam. 12:16).
 When the king Jehoshaphat heard that a vast army was coming against him, he was afraid and set his face to seek the
LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah (2Chron. 20:3).
 Before Ezra led the exiled Israelites back to Jerusalem, they proclaimed a fast, so that they might humble themselves
before God and ask him for a safe journey (Ezra 8:21).
 When Nehemiah heard the news about the troubles and disgrace happened on his fellow Israelites and the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, its gates was burned with fire, he fasted, mourned, wept, and prayed before God. He repented
for his nation‘s sin and sought God for forgiveness and deliverance. (Neh. 1:4)
 After the Israelites were defeated by the Benjamites twice, they wept and fasted before the Lord for help (Judges 20:26).
 For the sake of all the Jews, Esther had to meet the king though it was without the king‘s summon and it was against the
king‘s law. Thus, she requested all the Jews to fast for her (Esther 4:16).
 When Daniel learned the prophecy of Jeremiah, he understood the desolation in Jerusalem would last seventy years,
thus, he fasted with prayer to the Lord seeking mercy on Jerusalem (Dan. 9:3).
Fasting for Tradition (the day of Purim)
As the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow
into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; Mordecai the Jew and Esther the Queen established the days of Purim, the
times of fasting and lamentation (Esther 9:1).
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In the New Testament
The Biblical words, nēsteia (Noun) and nēsteuo (verb), are employed o indicate fasting. There are several groups of people
practiced fasting for several reasons.
Jesus and the Church
Fasting for being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus fasted for forty days when He was tempted by Satan (Mt. 4:2).
Fasting and prayer for power to Cast Out Demons.( Mt. 17:21; Mk. 9:29)
Fasting as a regular practice for worshiping God.
 The prophetess, Anna worshiped God in the temple day and night with fasting and prayer (Lk. 2:37).
 Jesus instructed His disciples that they would fast after Jesus‘ ascension (Lk. 5:35).
 When the apostolic church worshiping God with fasting, the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas into evangelism mission (Acts 13:2).
Fasting for Church Mission.
 Before the apostolic church sent out Paul and Barnabas for church mission, the apostolic church fasted and prayed for
them (Acts 13:3).
 At the end of the first missionary journey Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church, with prayer and fasting,
they committed them to the Lord (Acts 14:23).
The Pharisees and John’s Disciples
Fasting as a Tradition. Both the Pharisees and John‘s disciples fasted as observing the Jewish tradition (Mt. 9:14).
Fasting as hypocrisy. Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, because they fasted for the sake of showing their
acted religious piety to men, so that they might be praised by men (Matt. 6:16).
Conclusion
We have seen rich basis for Christian fasting from these biblical references. Fasting pushes human power and pride to
the least, so that people may come to God with a humble heart. In fasting with humility, God accepts our repentance for sin;
He answers our prayers with help, and keeps our heart from sorrow. In fasting with prayer, God strengthens our faith, builds
our church, and guides our mission with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Devotional Time Note
By Vichea Cheap (B.A. 4th Year)
Today Text: Hebrews 2:14
―Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who
holds the power of death--that is, the devil.‖
Question for Interpretation
How, then, has Christ defeated death? Is it important for Christ to take the nature of human likeness? As we know that
Christ himself takes the form of human likeness (Phil. 2:7) in order to be with us (John 1:14). With human from, Christ has
defeated ‗death‘ by his own death on the cross (Heb. 2:14). He died once for all, so that through him we will not die but by
his resurrection we will rise to life with him (Heb. 9:12, 26: 10:4, 10).
Summary of the Text
The power of death has been defeated by the power of light and life (John 1). It means Christ himself, on the cross, died to
destroy ‗death.‘ He overcomes it (1Pet. 1:3). In the form of human likeness, he did destroy death successfully, with the obedient heart (Phil. 2: 8; Heb. 2:9; 2:14, 17; 4:15;12:2).
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Observation for the Application
God: God is powerful and mighty. Christ, as our priest, destroyed ‗death‘ on the cross. He died unto death and raise unto
life (1Cor. 15:21, 54; Rom. 6:23).
Sin: Sin is devil, in other word, ‗tempted or temptation‘ (v. 18). The consequence of sin is death (Rom. 6:23; James 1:15).
Promise: Because ‗death‘ was defeated by Christ‘s death, the eternal life was obtained to those who believe in his name (v.
15; John 3:16; Acts 4:12).
Example: The author of the ―Hebrews‖ by faith, I believe, explains clearly about Christ‘s work. Whatever Christ has done
for us, we should proclaim it to the people.
Command: We must trust only Christ‘s merit. Let us go to the world to tell people about the victory of Christ over 'death,‘
so that by hearing the gospel of Christ they may come to faith and to be saved.
My Favorite Verse or Term, Why do I Love it?
―… that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death‖ (v. 14b, KJV). I love it because through this passage
I am sure of what will come to me. Death has no power over me anymore, yet the power of the resurrection of Christ
which is the eternal life I will obtain.
My Application
My prayer: O Lord, as I come before you, please humble my heart, so that I may know you more and more, because to know
you is the eternal life. Let me know the power over death. I love you Lord for you have loved me first. Thank you for
your son Jesus Christ who suffered and endured the pain, and died on the cross for the sake of my eternal life. O Lord,
please continue to be with me, and clean my dirty conscience, and help me to confess my sin.
Practice: Brother and sister in Christ, never ever forsake your faith in Christ. There is no other way that we might obtain
eternal life except through Christ. The ‗death‘ was defeated by Christ‘s death and resurrection. May God bless you!
Pastoral Ministry
By Mr. Tenyenilo Thong (M. Div)
It is so true that our God is the living God; He knows everything about our past and holds the future in His hands (Psalm
139: 7-10). What I have learned in my life is that no human power, strength or plan can ever succeed without God. By the
grace of God and in His providence I came to Cambodia in the year 2008, and worked with an NGO called, ―Neighbor of
Cambodia‖ for two years as a teacher. During the two years of my involvement in the ministry I realized that I have to do my
seminary if I want to serve Him as I have come across an embarrassing experience of not knowing the word of God, preaching
and teaching His precious word. It does not make sense to me. By the second year of my teaching ministry I pray to God to
open a way for me to study His word. God did answer my prayer (Psalm 66: 19). In His providence, I came to ITCS, Cambodia for my Master of Divinity and by God‘s grace I will be graduating this summer. So I would like to share with you about
my future pastoral ministry. I have decided to do a Short Term Ministry here in Cambodia and my long term ministry will be
with my people back home in India.
I have been praying to God to send me to a place where there is a challenge so that I can experience the wonderful grace, joy
and happiness in serving him and I can do his will (John 7: 17; I Thessalonians 5: 16-19). My prayer was answered as I shall
be working with a friend of mine who is just like a brother to me. We will be involved in farming (vocational training),
wherein students will be invited to come and learn farming. This will be a platform for us to preach, teach the word of God,
and to evangelize the people at the village (Matthew 28). At the same time, we will be involved in church planting. This is t he
reason why we are all training here at ITCS to do the will of God. It is never going to be easy as there is a lack of proper accommodation and needs. But I have no doubt about our Almighty God, I have my faith and in His word that, ―I can do all
things in Christ‖ (Philippians 4: 13).
Regarding my long term pastoral ministry, it is always a dream to go back to my country, and work with my people. So I
would like to share about the vision of my Church Council and their involvement in the ministry. With the vision to evangelized South East Asia, and for this vision a Seminary had been established, students from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, from Indian states
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such as, Sikkim, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam come to study at the Seminary sponsored by local churches, individual and
foreign sponsors which is similar to our ITCS. After their graduation the students are sent back to their country for their ministry as well as to help their local churches.
I also have the desire to work as a pastor at my local church to preach and teach what I have learned here at ITCS especially the right doctrines. As a Christian, it is our responsibility to defend the Truth which is the Word of God and the foundation of our faith. Majority of the Christians are ignorant about the importance of doctrine in our Christian life. I also wan t to
challenge them to support the missionaries and send out missionaries. So my seminary life and my short term ministry here in
Cambodia will be a blessing to me in my future pastoral ministry in my country. So in order to fulfill my visions I need the
wisdom and knowledge from God, and your guidance and prayer to accomplish all my vision according to His will (Jeremiah
29: 11). With my own strength, I can do nothing.
I give my thanks, praise, glory and honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to my Presbyterian Sponsor Churches in
the USA, Chancellor, Chairman of College and Seminary, Academic Dean, Dean of Students, and all the professors who had
dedicated their life for the glory of God‘s kingdom, sacrificing their time and energy in teaching me throughout all these ye ars
to fulfill my dream, the commitment which I had already make with our Lord Jesus Christ to obey his commands, walk in his
way, to hold fast to serve Him with all my heart and soul (Joshua 22: 5) the remaining years of my life.
May God Bless You All Abundantly!
Testimony of Faith
by Mr. Doung, Sovanna, M.A.R. II
Romans 7:24-25—“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus
Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
The target of the evangelists in the universities such as Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) where I was educated in
2005- 2006 is to proclaim the Good News to the students. At that time, I had a plan of becoming a social worker to help poor
people. In the middle of my first semester 2006, I met a financial problem. My mother didn‘t have a job to support my study. I
did not know what to do because I depend on my mother‘s income. I need someone to help me in this desperate financial
problem. At that time, a believer came to talk to me about the Good News that I used to reject before. He brought me to his
center and sang songs with them, and also encouraged me to pray to God for the help. He reminded me many times before I
came back home. I did it and amazingly, my mother found a job after three days. I just think that Jesus Christ is an awesome
God in the whole world as I heard from the evangelists. How wonderful it is! Christ Jesus is the power of God in salvation.
The Life before conversion
Humanly speaking, I was not a bad person as my friends and others. In the term of sharing, I am not stingy with my friends
or neighbors. I can share with family, friends at school or other places, and with some strangers whatever I have. Also, I think
I am good at encouraging others. I saved my friend‘s life from the suicide because of the failed exam. In study, although I
cannot get good grades in all my subjects, I never fail any class in my entire student‘s life. I never cheat and involve in d rug.
Therefore, I believe that I can find a job after I graduate from university. It seems that I had a wonderful life in human perspective. What then is the matter of my life? One day, I realized that troubles and hopelessness are inevitable in life.
After Conversion
One day I was invited by my pastor named Rev. Kim Kevin in the opening ceremony and that day I accepted the Lord as
my Savoir. I started participating in the worship every Sunday. After three weeks later, I became the worship team. Later, my
pastor (Peter) appointed me as the song leader. My pastor encouraged me to read the Bible and share to others. I did not follow my pastor‘s advice to read the Bible. I just kept church‘s program for the sake of membership, I did not care to read the
Bible as my spiritual bread. My intention was crazy thought; I really cannot reflect my Christians life in the Lord Jesus pos itively.
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I lived in the center. My pastor and his family cared for me so well. I enjoyed such kind of situation so much, but I need to
grow up to be a mature Christian. They sent me to be trained in Bible school. With my study, I started struggling in my life. I
had a lot of complains in my heart. My complaining brought me to boasting because I was doing the Bible teaching. Also, I
was trained in the field and the Bible school according to God‘s will. More seriously, I could not control my burning heart t o
leave the church.
When I decided to stay at school I have tried to think of my life for the Lord, and I asked myself many questions. I found
my pastor‘s compassion and love to me as parents doing for the children. I cannot stop my tears and I‘m sad every day. But,
two months later, I decided to go back to the church again. They welcomed me but there were still problems with me and pastor. In church service, we were lacked of the confidence with each other. And then I decided leaving the church, because they
misunderstood heart.
Now God provides me a Bible school and one church ―Grace Church‖ for me to be trained in order to be good solider of
Christ. I have learned how to obey with a humble heart according to the biblical teaching. My God was so fair to me in my
past life, and He taught me to see who I was. I am nothing, I cannot be better than others, but by the grace of God I am diff erent from who I was before. I am growing in every corner of my life such as patience, endurance, love, forgiveness, understanding each other through the blessing of God.
Vision in the Lord, Jesus Christ
I want to be a great preacher in the world someday, as the man of God. Everywhere of my country, the Word of God is
spread out and Bible schools are established. Every people would commit their life to the Lord. I will send other youths and
great leaders to other countries according to God‘s command (Matt. 28:19-20).
My Personal Testimony
by Mr. Am, Touch “Viyo”, College II
First of all, I would like to give thanks to God for his love and mercy that he sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on
the cross for my sin and he has chosen me to be his servant. And thank God for his blessing that He has established the ITCS,
Cambodia with his good plan and purpose to teach the truth of his Word and to train God‘s people to serve him faithfully. As
the servants of God we should proclaim and share the good news to other people who have not believe Jesus Christ yet.
When I was in high school at my hometown, I always prayed to the Lord to open a way for me to be trained to be his faithful
servant. I want to share and teach the gospel to the people who want to be the servant of the Lord. I have prayed for 3 years .
Until the day of my graduation from high school in 2010, my prayer had still not answered yet, so I continued to study at university in Kampot Province. Even though I studied in university, I didn‘t stop to pray to God because I knew that God would
answer my prayer someday by his time. Our God is the living God. He always does everything according to his will and his
good purpose. He answered my prayer in 2011, the year that I
came to ITCS.
Here in ITCS I am able to study the word of God clearly. I
come to know God more and more. I have been experiencing
His love and peace in my life which I want to share to others. I
believe peace in Christ is important in our life because with
peace we can live with joy and hope. Who can give the true
peace to us? Brothers and sisters, remember that only our Lord
Jesus Christ can give us the true peace in our life. The Bible
says, ―For to us a child is born, and the government will be on
his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of peace‖ (Isaiah 9:6).
We can have peace with God through our faith (Romans 5:1).
And now, with the good plan of God‘s calling, I have been
doing his ministry in the village. At first, the residents of the
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village I‘m ministering did not accept me. But I was not discouraged; rather, I shared the word of God to them. Unfortunately,
they did not want to hear and even some family prevented their children to join us. However, by the grace and the power of
God, later everybody accepted me, and they always come and listen to the gospel I share. In my prayer and my desire, I hope
that God will open their hearts to receive His word so that they can be good Christians in future.
In the future, I want to be a teacher of the Word of God to the people in my country and other countries. My desire is to hel p
them to be good Christians and to glorify God in this world. I pray for this vision to the Lord every day. I expect that God will
answer my prayer and let me know His will and plan in my life. I believe that He will fulfill His plan in my life, and He wil l
give me strength, so that I can share and teach His truth to all the people.
In the end, I would like to conclude my testimony with the word of God, ―Therefore go and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with always, to the every end of the age‖(Mat. 28: 19-20). Amen!
My Personal Testimony
by Ms. Chea, Sokhen College II
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! My name is Sokhen Chea and I came from Komport Province. I
thank God for the wonderful opportunity and privilege to share my testimony.
I was born in a non-Christian family. There was a time when all my
family members got sick, and because of that none of us could go and
work to support our family. As a result my family got poorer day by day.
My brothers and sisters were too young to help my parents. We were living a hopeless life; to me life seems to be without any future or any purpose. One day, my family got a chance from an evangelist to know that
Jesus could heal the people‘s sickness. After I heard this news, my family
started to go to church and believed in Jesus Christ. When I heard the
preaching of the preacher, I felt that the Word of God is so wonderful.
After that my family got healed and we were so joyful, because we knew
that God cleansed us from our sins and healed us from our illnesses.
Eventually, my family found hope in Jesus Christ. Now we do not worry
about our sickness and poverty, rather, we have peace in our heart, because we believe that God will prepare everything for my family because
He loves us.
When I finished high school, my family was too poor to support me for
my further study. I prayed and hoped that God would open a way for my
life. Amazingly, God has answered my prayer! Thank God that He chose
me to be his daughter and provided an opportunity to come and study at
ITCS.
Now, I am a second year student in College. Since I came here, I come
to understand more about God‘s Word. Here in ITCS, we go to evangelism and teach children and share God‘s Word every weekend. Even though I feel tired sometimes, I‘m still very happy because I can share the Gospel to them. I hope that all people will believe Jesus as their Savior, because Jesus is the Son of God,
the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).In my future I want to serve God and I want all the people on the earth to become
Christians. Please pray for me. May God bless you! Amen!
ITCS CURRENT NEWS!
Dr. Jeon’s Departure and Return
Professor and Dean of Students, Dr. White Young Jeon, departed to the United States after 3 months (arrival: February 6, 2013) at ITCS. He taught the seminary students various courses such as ―Puritanism,‖ ―Pentateuch,‖ and
―Reformed Preaching" and the college students a course of ―Introduction to Preaching.‖ He is expected to be back
here on the 2nd week of August this year for the Pastoral Education, Graduation, and Fall 2013 semester.
Dr. Woon Se Yeo in ITCS
Dr. Woon Se Yeo, the Chairman of College and Seminary, arrived at ITCS
on May 13, 2013. He continued teaching his lessons on ―Introduction to
Theology‖ to the college students and ―Christian Education‖ to the seminary students. He also taught ―Introduction to Theology‖ in Pastoral Education seminar held on June 3—7, 2013. He went back to the U.S.A. on June
7, 2013.
Missionary Oh’s visitation
Missionary Nam-Mi Oh and her daughter visited ITCS in the morning of
May 11 (Sat.) and went to Siem Reap together with Dr. Ezra H. Kim and
some students to assist the ministry of a student named Mr. Kong Kea Tan. Dr. Yeo preaching during the PES, June 3-7
Chinese visitation to China
Three Chinese students (Joseph, James, and Hannah) have been visiting their home land, China for 1-2 months,
spreading the word of God and testimony that they have experienced at ITCS.
Rev. Mark Baldwin and wife, Wiwin, Welcomes a Baby Boy
Rev. Mark Baldwin and his wife, Wiwin, recently welcomed their son named Zachary (means ―The Lord remembers‖) Breckinridge Baldwin on June 3, 2013 at Royal Rattanak Hospital in Phnom Penh.
ITCS Visitors from South Korea
ITCS, Cambodia was blessed to be visited by some guests from
South Korea brought by Dr. Woon Se Yeo on June 4 - 5, 2013. They
were Rev. John H. S. Park, the senior pastor of The Great Love Church
in Seoul Korea; Mr. Seo Dong - Gab, Deacon and also the president of
Motostar Korea Co., Ltd., and his wife, Mrs. Park Ku-Se who is also a
sister of Rev. Park.
Rev. Park lectured ―Church Music‖ during the Pastoral Education
(June 3-7, 2013). Mr. Seo and his wife blessed the school with three
new computers for office and professors and they also gave shirts (YFrom L-R: Rev. John S. Park, Rev. Kim Dong Gu,
Shirt) to all Pastoral Education participants including all ITCS students Deacon Seo Dong-Gab, and wife, Mrs. Park Ku-Se
and kitchen crews. On June 5 (Wed.) after lunch, the visitors met all
the ITCS students in which the some seminary students shared their visions to them. After that, Rev. Park gave and
Mr. Seo encouraged the students to keep on and be faithful in their study, training, and preparation for the real ministry outside the seminary is tough and really hard.
Dr. Ezra H.
Kim receives
the 3 new
computers
from Mr. Seo
- Dong Gab
on June 5,
2013.
The visitors
headed by
Rev. John
H.S. Park
met the
ITCS students on
June 5, 2013.
MORE ITCS UPDATES!
Pastoral Education Seminar, June 3-7, 2013
We thank God for the success
The 128 participants of PES, June
of the Pastoral Education Seminar 2013, together with the lectures
which was held at ITCS on June 3 headed by Dr. Woon Se Yeo.
– 7, 2013. The said event was attended by 128 local church pastors
and leaders from various villages
and provinces of Cambodia.
We also thank God for the following excellent lecturers such as;
Dr. Woon Se Yeo, the Chairman of
College and Seminar, who lectured
on the ―Introduction to Theology‖
which was interpreted by Mr. Vichea Cheap, a senior college students; Dr. Ezra Hyun Kim, Academic Dean, lectured on ―Preaching from Old Testament‖, interpreted by Mr. Peter Neak, a first year M.A.R. student; Rev. John H. S. Park, a guest lecturer from South Korea, lectured on ―Church Music‖ and was interpreted from
Korean to Khmer by Rev. Kim Dong Gu; Instructor Timothy Div Sokhom lectured on the ―Introduction to Joshua‖;
and Instructor Manil Ek lectured on the ―I, II, III John.”
Indeed, the participants were so blessed with sound biblical-theological lessons which, in turn, they can apply to
their ministry and teach to their congregations. Aside from that, they were also blessed to receive each one a polo
shirt from Deacon Seo Dong-Gab and his wife, Mrs. Park Ku-Se, who came with Rev. Park.
We also commend the ITCS Students for their cooperation and their hard work before and during the said seminar. Lastly, we thank Dr. Sang D. Kim and the Gospel Presbyterian Church in the USA for funding the said program. To God be the glory!
Missionary Deborah and Abraham Kim are Coming
Missionary Deborah and Abraham Kim will be coming at ITCS on June 21, 2013 in order to lead VBS
Seminar for local church children‘s ministry on July 3-6 and to establish preschool for local children
around Phnom Penh area.
UPCOMING EVENTS OF ITCS, CAMBODIA
1. Vacation Bible School (VBS) Seminar : July 3 (Wed.) - 6 (Sat.)
2. Woman Leadership Training Seminar: August 19 (Mon.) -22 (Thurs.).
3. Pastoral Education Seminar: August 26 (Mon.) – 30 (Fri.).
4. Graduation for Seminary and College students: August 30 (Fri.).
Please visit us at our website: www.itcscambodia.org; Phone No.: +85512660330