Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002305A
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00:16 Property mafia tried to take away
00:18 the sight of a Global Mission pioneers' church plant, 00:21 Adventist cycle for health in Puerto Rico, 00:24 and a school for native peoples in Alberta, Canada 00:27 coming up next. 01:07 Hello and welcome to Mission 360 01:09 coming to you today from Cambodia, 01:12 in fact the capital city, Phnom Penh. 01:14 Now when tourists come to a place like Cambodia, 01:18 they prepare themselves for many types of bugs because, 01:21 of course, we're in the tropics. 01:23 And sometimes we see these things to avoid, 01:25 but in different cultures, 01:27 they're actually part of the food 01:30 that they eat. 01:31 So right here, you will see some deep fried frogs, 01:36 tiny frogs, 01:38 but put on a stick and I'm imagining 01:41 I can't give you a first person testimony, 01:44 but they'd be quite crunchy. 01:46 And, of course, 01:47 here we have a variety of insects. 01:50 These are actually crickets 01:51 that have been deep fried as well. 01:53 And the chilies have been mixed up in it as well 01:56 to make it quite a memorable experience I'm sure. 02:00 As we visit different cultures, we see that people do things 02:02 in different ways. 02:04 And in our mission, 02:05 we need to be understanding cross-culturally 02:07 that we just don't export the way 02:10 that we do things just because 02:11 we think it's the best way to do it. 02:13 We need to take the principles of God's Word 02:16 that cross all cultures the love of Jesus, 02:19 and on today's program, we'll be talking about mission, 02:23 cross-cultural mission, 02:24 and first up, let's travel to India 02:27 and visit a Global Mission pioneer. 02:31 In New Delhi, India, an angry group 02:34 ordered the Seventh-day Adventist missionaries 02:36 to leave their neighborhood. 02:38 The missionaries wanted to establish 02:39 the first Adventist Church here, 02:41 but there was a dispute 02:43 over rights to the plot of land. 02:45 It wasn't that they disliked the Adventist. 02:47 Hoping to resolve the conflict, church leadership 02:50 sent a Global Mission pioneer named Suleman 02:53 to this un-entered area. 02:56 Pioneer Suleman was in for a challenge. 02:59 There are millions of people in New Delhi 03:01 who don't know Jesus yet, and in this crowded city, 03:04 every piece of land is valuable. 03:07 He knew the group claiming ownership rights 03:09 wouldn't give up the property without a fight, 03:12 but as a Global Mission pioneer Suleman not only hope 03:16 to resolve the conflict, he also planned to share 03:19 the love of Jesus and eventually 03:21 start a new group of believers. 03:24 When Suleman arrived, 03:26 he and his family received serious threats. 03:32 They told me your church won't save you. 03:37 You better leave the property or we will get even with you. 03:44 So the pioneer asked God for wisdom 03:47 on how best to deal with the escalating conflict. 03:50 Then he spoke with the angry men 03:52 who were threatening to beat him. 03:55 I am here to serve. 03:57 If you chase me, where will I go? 04:01 Your conflict is with my administration. 04:04 Let me stay here. 04:06 If the property is deeded to you, 04:09 at least someone is taking care of the property 04:12 while this matter gets resolved. 04:15 The men thought this was a reasonable proposition. 04:18 So they allowed pioneer Suleman to stay, 04:20 but he couldn't make any changes to the property. 04:23 Faced with no choice, the pioneer agreed. 04:27 Suleman and his wife got to know 04:29 the surrounding community. 04:31 They visited neighbors and developed friendships 04:34 that allowed them to share their faith. 04:42 By God's grace, people opened up to the gospel 04:45 and wanted to hear more about Jesus. 04:48 One day they met Sushma the wife of a man 04:51 who was raised Seventh-day Adventist. 04:53 Sushma and the pioneer's wife 04:55 became good friends cooking together 04:57 and sharing life experiences. 05:00 Sushma increasingly admired the Adventist. 05:03 She saw that they were humble people 05:05 who lived a simple life. 05:07 The pioneer's wife ask Sushma, 05:09 she would be interested to learn more about the Bible 05:12 and she agreed. 05:13 So Suleman and his wife 05:15 began to teach Sushma about God. 05:21 My husband was an Adventist, 05:23 but I didn't know much about this church. 05:26 I didn't even know anything before marrying 05:28 into an Adventist family, 05:31 but after the pioneer arrived, I came to know more about Jesus 05:36 and the Adventist Church. 05:38 Please pray for my husband. 05:40 He doesn't want to come to church, 05:42 even though he was an Adventist from childhood. 05:46 Today because Suleman mingled with the people showing 05:50 Christ's love, this property is formally deeded 05:53 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in India. 05:56 There are approximately 25 regular members 05:59 who worship here every Sabbath. 06:01 As this congregation grows, 06:03 he continues to pray for wisdom. 06:07 Please pray for Suleman despite the challenges he faces. 06:11 Pray too for frontline mission work 06:14 in un-entered areas among major world religions 06:17 and in urban areas. 06:19 Thank you for your support of global mission. 06:24 My guest is Pastor Pen, 06:26 who is the district supervisor for the churches 06:29 in the southern part of Phnom Penh 06:32 here in Cambodia. 06:33 Pastor, thanks so much for joining us. 06:35 Now you are in 06:37 the Southern District of Phnom Penh. 06:39 Can you describe what the city is like? 06:42 Okay. 06:44 I just moved from Kampong Thom District 06:46 to the Phnom Penh. 06:53 The situation in Phnom Penh is very good, 06:56 but very hard for us to win the people, 06:59 mostly the rich before because we have no time 07:03 to go in visit them 07:05 because the door is closed every day. 07:08 So we weren't happy, we saying God 07:11 because sometimes we can find a way 07:14 we can meet them in the market, 07:17 meet them in the shop, supermarket, and ask them, 07:22 say hello and we ask them how is their belief 07:26 and how they are like that and make them friends. 07:30 And then we can ask, ask them to join us in church. 07:35 Yes. 07:36 So the first step is for you to make the contact 07:39 and the friendships with people. 07:40 Yeah. 07:42 Now, Pastor, when did you, 07:43 how did you become a Seventh-day Adventist? 07:48 In 1984, I flee from 07:52 the Cambodia to the Thai border. 07:53 Yes. 07:55 I lived at around 10 years, 07:58 but I become a Christian when I went there. 08:01 I have no friend, no relative there. 08:05 So I start to go to ask the pastor 08:08 in the Seventh-day Adventist to live in the church 08:14 because I alone and don't know everything. 08:18 So he give me to allow to live in the church. 08:23 At that time, I don't believe in God, 08:26 he still preached me about the Bible every day 08:30 until several months 08:33 and he baptized me in 1994. 08:38 Now was that the first time that you had heard about Jesus? 08:43 When I was born in Phnom Penh. 08:47 I was, heard from the tracks 08:51 that people shared me about Jesus, 08:54 but I wasn't interested when I was young. 08:57 Right. Exactly. 08:59 So when you became a Christian? 09:01 When you became an Adventist, how did that change your life? 09:07 The first time when I got baptized, 09:09 I still not believe in Jesus really. 09:11 Oh, really? Yeah. 09:13 But when the... 09:14 It happened when the soldiers fighting 09:19 each other at that time the people ran away from me. 09:23 I did not know the way how I ran it, 09:26 but when I had a one track and start to run, 09:30 but the people is gone. 09:33 So I start to pray to Jesus. 09:36 I ask Him, "If you are really God, 09:38 is have power, help me." 09:41 Because I did not know the way go 09:42 and I go to the Thai border. 09:46 So at the time when I went to the cross, 09:49 near the hospital, 09:52 I have heard the voice behind me. 09:55 He says, "Stop! Stop! 09:58 Don't go." 09:59 When I turn back I didn't see anything, only the voice. 10:04 I think my ear is not, that had the problem. 10:09 So I start to go, start go again, 10:11 but again, but maybe I have two or three steps 10:15 I heard the sound again. 10:17 After that I stopped. 10:20 I look around, but no people, 10:22 but I said maybe I scare from the ceiling say that 10:26 may be I assume that, but I start again. 10:29 When I step around two steps, I walked two step, 10:34 I heard the sound again. 10:36 I look around again, but I don't see anything. 10:41 And this time I said, third time I don't stop anymore 10:44 if any call in the same thing of a voice, 10:48 but when I start walk the ceiling 10:52 is fell on in from me 10:54 about 100 meter towards the ceiling. 10:58 I stopped turn back, I realized, 11:01 and then I say maybe God is protecting me. 11:05 God call me because He's not called me 11:08 I will die at that time. 11:10 So when I turned around, I did not know the way. 11:14 Suddenly, I have seen a one man coming. 11:17 He said, "Why you left?" 11:19 I said, "I just knew coming 11:21 in the border in the refugee camp, 11:24 but I didn't know the way go in." 11:27 So he said, "Okay, this way, you can go this way." 11:31 And then we have a one tunnel, small tunnel, 11:34 I cannot cross the trap there, put something out there. 11:39 So he pushed me and helped me. 11:41 After that two minutes 11:42 when I turned back, he disappeared. 11:46 So after that, I started to tell my pastor, 11:49 he said, "It's God call to have you. 11:52 If He did not call, you will die." 11:54 At that time I started to believe in God. 11:57 Wonderful. 11:59 So when you were baptized, 12:01 you hadn't made a proper commitment? 12:02 Yeah, yeah, it's true. 12:04 So now you're a pastor 12:05 and you have several groups in the city? 12:08 Yeah. 12:09 What is your hope for the future here? 12:12 Because my willing I hope I'd want to spread 12:16 the word to all the people, 12:18 even the lost people and non-Christian 12:23 even the monk people 12:25 is my willing I've to bring them 12:27 to Jesus Christ. 12:28 Wonderful. 12:29 Pastor Pen, I wanna thank you so much 12:31 for sharing with us today. 12:32 Yeah. You're welcome. 12:34 And viewers at home, 12:35 this is a very challenging area. 12:36 This is right in the heart 12:38 of the 10/40 Window and Pastor Pen, 12:42 many other pastors, 12:43 church leaders, and lay people are involved 12:46 in building friendships, and making connections, 12:49 but it is difficult work 12:50 and they appreciate your prayers 12:52 for their mission, and your continuing support 12:55 through your mission offerings that help make mission 12:58 go forward in places like Cambodia. 13:00 We'll be right back after this break. |
Revised 2020-06-11