Christmas celebration in Cambodia.

Celebrating Christmas in Bangbaset

This is a picture of the Christmas celebration in the village of Bangbaset. There are many, many kids in this village. Praise God that they are hearing of the gift of his Son!

That's my King! Video

That's my King!

This is an inspiring video that I saw in church today. Pastor Mike shared on Philippians 2:6-11.

6 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!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Christ humbled himself by becoming human. Some day as a result God will exalt him above all. This Christmas let's respond to his coming by bowing before him and calling him Lord.

Kids celebrating Christmas in Cambodia.

Kids celebrating Christmas in Cambodia

This is a picture from one of our sister churches in Cambodia. Praise God that these children are hearing about the coming of their Savior! Please pray for the outreach this December to other villages. Pray that others will welcome Christ into their lives.

The term is done!

I finished my term! Yay!

Christmas in Cambodia.

Our sister churches in Cambodia our starting their Christmas celebrations. There were over a hundred people in my wife's home village of Stung Jah who came. Tomorrow Pastor Malai is going to another village where my wife's aunts live. Pray that these relatives will understand and receive the gospel. Our sister churches in Cambodia use Christmas as an important time of outreach. Some of these people may be hearing the truth of Christmas for the very first time.

Luke 2

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Ultimate Truth

We live in time when there is great confusion over truth. The very idea that there is truth is called into question. We are told that there is no absolutes and that truth is relative. According to George Barna, a Christian researcher, many Christian young people are accepting relativism. But relativism leads to nihilism and despair. What hope is there if there really isn't truth? But is there absolute truth and can be know it? The Biblical answer is yes.

The ancient Greek philosophers had a term that they used for the absolute and ultimate truth. They used the term Logos, which we translate into English as Word. Notice how the Apostle John uses this term:

John 1:1,14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the Ultimate Truth. Yes, we can know the Truth because the Ultimate Truth entered into our reality. As we think about Christmas, let rejoice in the fact that we can know the Ultimate Truth. The Ultimate Truth is the One who said, "I am the Truth."

Christmas and the book of Ruth

In my devotions I have just read the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth is not something we normally associate with Christmas but it is connected. The story of Ruth is set in Bethlehem. Long before Christ came, God was getting things ready for his coming, and preparing his family line. In this story we have Naomi lost in hopeless, bitterness, and emptiness. This was a result of sin and judgment. But then Boaz came into the story. He is frequently called the redeemer in story. He brings in new hope and life out of death and despair. At the end of the book the woman say to Naomi:

Ruth 4

14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life...

Boaz is a type of his descendant Jesus Christ. In Bethlehem, there would one day be another Redeemer who will deliver all of us from sin, judgement, and hopelessness and restore all of lives.