“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:19)
Church doctrines have often divided us, yet the word of reconciliation has been entrusted to us. There is only one true Church—you don’t join it, you are born into it.
The Journey of Challenge and Awakening
My missionary work in Asia has been both a challenge and an awakening. I am grateful to the ministers who visited Cambodia to see firsthand how the work of God was moving. There were difficult moments, but they strengthened me and brought me to my knees in prayer. What I share here is sincere, plain, and written with love—not to ridicule, but to glorify God who has kept me in the faith. Some of these events go back more than fourteen years.
Paul reminds us:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal… And though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:1–3)
Love—Agape—is the foundation. This is where the Church must stand (2 Peter 1:5–7).
First Steps in Cambodia
Time has passed quickly. It is hard to believe I have been in Cambodia since August 2008—over fourteen years now. The country has changed rapidly, and Christianity has also grown. When I first arrived, my goal was simple: find a local church, work with the pastor, and strengthen believers in the Word. As a foreigner, it is wise to carefully choose where to serve—like choosing a bride.
But Cambodia is cautious toward prophets. Many voices already claim to speak for God, from Joseph Smith to others. People naturally fear new doctrines. And truly, Scripture warns us of false prophets who would come. Yet the Bible also teaches that those who receive a true prophet in the name of a prophet receive a prophet’s reward (cf. 2 Kings 4:8–37). Still, the main goal of the gospel is never to exalt a man, but to lift up Christ. To worship a prophet would be a grievous sin. John the Baptist himself pointed away from himself to Christ—and those who rejected John’s message missed the Messiah.
Searching for Fellowship
I believed Cambodia needed the Message of the Hour—a return to the original Word and the apostolic faith. But it was not easy. The baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38) and other biblical truths were heavily rejected, both by mainstream Christianity and by Cambodia’s dominant Buddhist culture.
I longed to find a Full Gospel Church: one that studied the Scriptures earnestly and allowed the Holy Spirit—not men—to lead. While searching online, I found only a postal address for a church in Cambodia connected with the Message. I mailed a letter but received no reply.
Later, I visited another church I had seen online and met a very humble pastor. Our discussion soon touched on baptism. When I told him I baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he said there was another pastor in Cambodia who believed the same—but he had traveled to the USA. It turned out to be the same man I had written to earlier. I tried again to reach him by email, but still no reply.
The pastor then invited me to a conference at his church. There I met many kind ministers. One pastor even gave me a ride back to my guesthouse on his motorbike, and we developed a strong friendship. He later invited me to help him in his ministry in his village church.
The Vision Confirmed
When he returned to the village, he sent a vehicle one morning to bring me from Phnom Penh to his home in Kampong Speu Province. As I traveled, I remembered a dream I had while still in Thailand:
“I saw a brother in a foreign land pleading with me to come and stay in his house to help him in the ministry.”
It reminded me of Paul’s vision of the Macedonian man pleading, “Come over to Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9).
Here in Cambodia, the dream came alive. I met this pastor at a conference, he came to my guesthouse, pleaded for me to come, and even sent a vehicle to carry me to his place. Truly, I knew the Lord was guiding me at every step. And I could say with confidence—I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
I arrived at the village and stayed in the pastor’s home with his wife and three children. For one year, I lived with them as part of their family. He took me to many of the small churches he had established across different provinces and villages. It was a joy to eat, sleep, and fellowship with the believers. Though village life was often difficult, I was grateful for the humble beginnings. Together we prayed for the sick, preached the gospel, and offered humanitarian help whenever the Lord provided.
The pastor, his wife, his parents, and the entire church cared for me, and I became one with them despite my different skin color—for the blood of Christ reflected our common ancestry. We continually prayed for the Lord to provide funds to build a church on the pastor’s land. At that time, his small family house also served as a church, with a simple tent extension used for worship. That little house has since been demolished, and in its place now stands a four-storey building—a testimony of God’s blessing on the pastor and his ministry.
As the Scripture reminds us: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?’” (Isaiah 66:1).
We rejoice whenever the Lord blesses us. It is a joy to see the ministry grow, to have a place of worship, and to gather with believers for fellowship and service. Yet, I have also observed that when some ministers are asked about their ministry, they simply point to a building. But a true ministry is not identified by its structure—it is identified by the Word.
The Holy Spirit is the birthright of every Christian. We must not be distracted by outward structures but be led by the Dove. The Word and the Spirit cannot be separated. Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). The more of God’s Word we hold in our hearts, the more of His Spirit we possess. And if we ever find ourselves doubting or neglecting God’s Word, the only place to go is on our knees in prayer. This is my own constant practice.
In time, I began a small church with a few new believers. The pastor I had been helping introduced me to another leader at a Korean centre in the same village, just about 3 km away. We nicknamed the place Mango Garden because of the many mango trees that grew there. Though the fellowship was small, it was growing steadily in the knowledge of the Word. From time to time, when visitors from other countries came, we would invite other groups to join us for Bible study.
Brother Gan reached out to a Cambodian-American contact to help me connect with members of his church. To my surprise, it was the same man I had previously tried to reach by post and email. Through Brother Gan’s efforts, he finally responded, and I was able to receive the names and phone numbers of a few members of his group.
I soon discovered that the church he had left was no longer functioning. Most of the members had gone their separate ways and adopted different beliefs. I spoke with one member, nicknamed Bras, who was still within reach, to see if we could work together to restore the fellowship.
Since Bras was already familiar with the Message, I thought he could be a great help. He shared with me how the other members had fallen away and revealed that he was the only one still standing in the Word of God. I asked if the group could reunite, but he explained that the others no longer accepted certain teachings. When I inquired which church he was attending, he said he was not attending any. I then asked if we could collaborate in spreading the gospel, but he declined, explaining that he was too busy working in a restaurant, seven days a week, twelve hours a day.
Though our collaboration was not possible, I was at least encouraged to know that he was still standing in his own way. Meanwhile, the small fellowship I had started in the village of Trengtroyeung continued to grow steadily.
Many in the village had received water baptism, and the believers were steadily growing in the knowledge of the Scriptures. Although our regular church attendance was modest, we were richly blessed by the Word. We observed feet washing and partook of the Lord’s Supper together. Brother Gan and the fellowship in Singapore prayed for and supported the work. He even sponsored the flight for a Cambodian-American to visit and see how the fellowship was progressing. For the purpose of this account, I will give him the pseudonym Jim.
Jim came to Cambodia, observed the fellowship, and reported back to Brother Gan, who later visited in person to encourage the small assembly. Everyone was greatly blessed by their presence. I personally have been profoundly impacted by Brother Gan’s ministry and the insights I gained from his books. At one point, I found myself preaching in his church. I was nervous and thought it might have been better to sit and learn first. However, Brother Gan’s nature is to lift up ministers through the Word and encourage them to grow. I had thought my own dreams from Africa would guide me, but I learned that dreams can guide you, while the Word establishes you. My travels to Asia have been a spiritual blessing, and I feel well-fed in the faith. I also learned that Pastor Jim had been collaborating with Brother Gan since 2003, translating many of his books as well as some of Brother Branham’s works.
There have been countless spiritual battles—too many to recount fully. Yet God has always been faithful to fight for us. One incident stands out: a snake entered our room at night. In the village, the front door had a gap at the bottom because it didn’t flush to the ground. My wife had been concerned about this opening for months. Compounding the issue, we were sleeping on a mattress placed directly on the floor, so anything crawling could easily reach our bed.
One night, we had planned to travel to Phnom Penh and sleep there, but that night the serpent entered our village room. It was discovered the next morning, coiled behind the door by a brother who had a spare key. The snake was killed, and everyone was shocked at what could have happened if it had encountered us while we slept. Curiously, the snake did not leave through the opening at dawn but remained inside for some reason. We recognized immediately that this was a spiritual attack—the devil at work. Despite such challenges, our trust remained steadfast in the Lord, knowing that the trials were grave but God was greater.
