Sermon Text: Psalm 12
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 5th June 2022
Sermon Text: Psalm 12
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 5th June 2022
Written by Pr Jeremiah Sim
It has been my great privilege that the Lord has called and directed me to serve in the Prison Ministry. The objective of the Prison Ministry is similar to any other ministries, that is, to bring honour and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. We, who serve in Gethsemane Prison Ministry, desire and endeavour to reach out to the inmates of Changi Prison with the Gospel message and thus to lead them to Jesus Christ, the only Saviour, for their salvation.
Nonetheless, we do face enormous challenges because quite a good number of them are physically, mentally and, most of all, spiritually impaired. Most of them struggle to deal with ‘the outcast’ stigma in the society, as well as to order their lives well. The circumstances of their lives have become so troubling that, from time to time, they think of their lives as futile and meaningless. Not only that, there are also many inmates who have long inculcated the ideology of gangsterism. They are behind bars due to various heinous crimes that they had committed.
Although the challenges of this ministry are numerous, we thank God that the preaching of the Gospel “… is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Therefore, I find great joy and comfort as I witness to even hard-core prisoners. This is especially the case, when they are ready to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and acknowledgment of Him as their Lord and personal Saviour. Those who have turned to Him, gather together once a week to be taught God’s Word by a group of zealous and dedicated preachers and brethren who persevere to regularly visit them in the prison. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday, they minister the Word to the inmates with joy and love.
I covet your earnest prayers for our Prison Ministry, particularly, for those brethren who are entering the prison to minister the Gospel to the inmates. Pray for more labourers in this regard, that the Lord may impress upon their hearts to serve in this ministry. How wonderful is the encouragement in 1 Corinthians 15:58 given to us – “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”! May our Lord’s name be honoured and glorified. Amen.
Written by Pr Kelvin Lim
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
Since 2011, our preachers and some members of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church, together with other brethren from our affiliated churches, have been entering Changi Prison Complex (CPC) – under the umbrella of Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) – to conduct Bible study on weekdays for inmates. These inmates have been incarcerated because of drugs offences. Over the years, some former inmates have joined us on the Lord’s Day for worship occasionally, while a few have come to The Gethsemane Care Ministry (TGCM) for their rehabilitation programme. One or two have even become our church members. But none of them had ever applied for a prison pass to join our preachers and associates in the Prison Ministry thus far!
Thanks be unto God, on the 18th May 2022, Pang Yee Hong, aka Wayne, partnered Pr Kelvin Lim and joined him in our Prison Ministry. Bro. Wayne, as he is affectionately called, was one of those who had been incarcerated for drug offences in 2018. He had sat in Pr Kelvin’s weekday Bible study sessions for more than a year till his release in 2019. He was convinced through the teaching of God’s perfect Word that the tongues-speaking of today’s modernistic churches is not biblical! Upon release from CPC, he felt convicted to draw closer to Pr Kelvin.
Bro. Wayne is a member of Bethesda Hall (situated at Depot Walk) and worships there with his children and his sister’s family. But he is very supportive of TGCM, and joined our brethren for morning devotions on Mondays, from June 2020 till February 2022 (when we moved on from Ponggol 17th Avenue to our current location). Besides, he was instrumental in bringing two of his acquaintances to TGCM for rehabilitation during the pandemic. Furthermore, he would attend our evening teaching service occasionally, just so to introduce some of his friends to our church.
Since his release from CPC, he had started attending theological classes in the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC). He began with the course on “The History and Theology of the Bible-Presbyterian Church” in May 2019, and he has been growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Recently, he graduated with a Certificate of Biblical Studies from FEBC, and would be continuing in studying towards a Diploma in Theology. Please remember him in your prayers.
In this regard, pray also for Bro. Ong Kian Ming, Benjamin. He had been with TGCM for a very brief duration in 2007 when we were at 40 Jalan Malu Malu, but he left without completing his programme. During his latest incarceration in CPC, he had met Pr Kelvin at the weekly Bible study. After his release since September last year, he continued to meet with Pr Kelvin for personal Bible study and prayer. He was encouraged to learn more about the LORD through systematic study of the Bible, and subsequently has enrolled himself for some online FEBC courses. God willing, when FEBC reopens in the next semester, with the resumption of on-site classes in the evening, he and others would be able to attend so that they would be built up in their most holy faith. May our ministry to inmates in CPC continue to lead men to God and establish the faith of the saints, for the glory of the LORD our God!
Sermon Text: Psalm 11
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 22nd May 2022
Written by Pr Cornelius Koshy
On Monday, 16 May 2022, 40 youths, 16 young adults and 3 members from the GYF committee spent the public holiday together on an outing to Pulau Ubin – our first outing in two years! This was also the first time the newly formed GYF Auxiliary Committee (comprising Bros Amoz Choy, Gideon Lee, Marcus Chee, Rayson Tan) were involved in organising activities for the youth fellowship.[1] We thank God that the Aux Comm did an excellent job in meticulously planning the entire day's itinerary and activities. Moreover, we thank God for the young adult helpers who assisted as group leaders, group overseers and game masters. They were committed in their respective roles and looked after the youths' safety throughout the trip. We thank God for cloudless skies and a crowd-less island where we could enjoy the day together!
The day began at 9.00 am, in GMC Seminar Room. Pr. Cornelius led the youths in a devotion from Job 39, which recorded God's wise works in the animal kingdom, giving some creatures more strength than others (Job 39:9-10), and removing wisdom from some creature (39:17). After being split into four groups, and playing some ice breaker games, the youths left GMC at 10 am on a chartered coach to Changi Ferry Point Terminal, where they were greeted by more young adult helpers. We had packet “brunch” along Changi Point Coastal Walk before embarking on five bumboats to Pulau Ubin. We thank God that there was no queue at the ferry terminal! We were concerned because the queues for the bumboat were 1.5 hours long a week before. We prayed and the Lord answered our prayers!
Reaching Pulau Ubin at 11.30 am, the youths began trekking along the undulating paths of Pulau Ubin, on both tarmac roads and stony paths, to reach the game stations between Jelutong Campsite and Mamam Campsite. Youths also had to complete side-tasks, such as spotting certain species of flora and fauna, as well as engaging in challenging opposing teams with games along the way. We thank God for protecting the youths from harm and danger throughout, and especially for supplying strength to Elder Choy and Dns Diana who also trekked the entire route! On average, we all trekked 8 km on the island.
All activities ended by 4.30 pm, and the youths regathered for prizes and refreshments. The last bumboat left Pulau Ubin at 5.30 pm, and the youths were refreshed yet again with sugarcane juice from Changi Village. Some left directly from the jetty, while others boarded the chartered coach which had two alighting points – at Pasir Ris and Bishan MRT stations respectively. We thank God for withholding the rain till the very end, and for everyone's participation and mutual help. We also thank God that Bro Hans' two friends were able to join us in this outing. God willing, they may join us in future for Gethsemane Youth Bible Hour on Saturdays. Our grateful thanks to all who have prayed for and supported us on this trip. May the meditation of the Word and the shared fellowship work in the youths' hearts to bring about God-honouring fruits in due time (cf. John 15:1-5). We also pray that the bonds formed among the youths will continue, so that Christian charity may abound among us (Psalm 133:1). We look forward to the overseas Youth Retreat at the end of the year, God willing, from 26 to 28 December.
[1] Formed in March 2022, the Auxiliary Committee assists the GYF Committee (Pastor, Elder Choy, Dns Diana, Pr Cornelius) by executing the plans made by the GYF Committee. The Auxiliary Committee does not hold autonomous authority over the fellowship. The Aux Comm is given specific leadership over their assigned areas of service, and are to be exemplary in all manner of conversation.
Sermon Text: Psalm 10
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 15th May 2022
This is an exposition of the story of Christ’s miraculous feeding of the five thousand. This event is very rich in spiritual lessons for every child of God. Perhaps that is the reason why this miracle of Jesus is recorded in all the four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13).
There were more than five thousand people who were as hungry as hunters, and there was no way of providing enough food for all of them. To make things worse, it was also not possible for the people to get back to their homes quickly, as they had come from very far to be with Jesus.
The disciples felt helpless and anxious about the situation. But our blessed Master was not ruffled by this enormous need of the crowd to have food to eat. He was compassionate and concerned, yet calm and confident. So John recorded, “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:5-6).
The Lord Jesus Christ knew exactly what He ought to do to feed that huge hungry crowd. He knew what He would do to solve that desperate situation. He had all the knowledge and power to feed everyone in the crowd and send them home, full and satisfied. Then, a very canny Philip tried to answer Jesus’ question, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” He quickly did a calculation of the cost of food for such a large crowd, and said to Jesus, “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little” (John 6:7).
Why did he mention that two hundred pennyworth of bread would not be enough? In fact, it was a large sum of money, which was about eight months’ wages. (One denarius was a day’s pay for a common labourer; two hundred denarii therefore represent about eight months’ wages.) It was sufficient to provide for a large family for more than eight months. But even such a large sum was not enough to feed this huge crowd. Philip could not think beyond the mundane activities of the market place. He was totally lost, and he had no idea how they could carry out their Master’s wish to feed the hungry crowd. Philip needed to believe that the Lord is able to do that which seems impossible in his mind.
Suddenly, the Lord’s work of provision began to unfold. “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto Him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” (John 6:8-9). Andrew brought to Christ a boy who had five barley loaves and two small fishes.
This was so much lesser than Philip’s mention of two hundred pennyworth of food. The boy’s food was extraordinarily disproportionate to the need. Then why did he mention the boy’s five loaves and two small fishes? It must have been an amazing intervention of God’s providential hand. Against all logic, as it appeared, Andrew talked about what he had found.
Again we must wonder, “How did he find the boy in the crowd?” “Who was that boy?” “Was he a peddler who tried to make some money after having sold all he had except the five loaves of bread and two fishes?” “Or was he a hungry boy in the crowd who was about to eat the food packed by his mother?” We have no answer to these questions.
Nevertheless, we see the providence of God helping Andrew meet this boy in such a huge crowd and then bring him to the Lord. Is it not also amazing that the boy was willing to part with his food? Let us, therefore, believe in His providence. To meet the needs of His work, the Lord can even use a little boy.
The boy was willing to part with his food. There is no doubt that he gave the food to the Lord, for we read that “And Jesus took the loaves” (v. 11). The boy was not selfish, but generous. If the lad had considered his own need as most important, he would not have given that food to Jesus. But now because he had given his food to Christ, it became a blessing for him as well as the thousands who were around him.
Until the boy expressed his willingness to give his food for Christ’s use, he was an unknown lad to most people. So Andrew introduced him to Jesus, saying, “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes” (v. 9). But his anonymity was not a hindrance to his contribution.
So, may you be rest assured that if you are willing to serve God, you need not be afraid that obscurity will ever prevent you from doing it. Do not say, “Nobody knows me, I don’t think I can be of any help to the huge challenges before us.” Just come forward to do what you are capable of for His glory. If you would avail yourself to the Lord, God would use you for great purposes.
The boy’s gift appeared very trivial. Andrew commented, “What are they among so many?” Likewise, some may judge your contributions to be very small too. Now, I dare say, do not let anybody, even Satan, discourage you from giving of yourself to the Lord. You may hear voices such as, “What is the use of you trying to do anything? You cannot serve God.” Do not let any such discouraging voices affect you.
God will honour your loving and ready gift to Him, even though man might first despise it. You may face the derision of men, but afterwards you will be used of God. Let us take note that though some considered the boy’s gift as rather insignificant, the Lord Jesus Christ thanked God for the boy’s food and then commanded it to be distributed to the people who were seated. His blessings made the small gift of the boy sufficient for all the people who were gathered around Christ. The miraculous provision continued until all the five thousand were fed and twelve baskets full of bread were left over.
Jesus cares for the hungry and needy through every contribution that comes out of a willing heart. He manifests His goodness and glory through our gifts to bless the humble and the needy. Praise the Lord!
Man’s tendency to boast about himself has been on shameless display on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The craze of snapping self-portraits and posting them on social media has caught on with a generation enamoured with self-promotion. Some even say, “My day is not complete until the selfie is posted.” Alas, the narcissistic tendencies of man have found a platform for free expression in social media! Self-centredness and an excessive desire to be admired by others are plaguing our modern society.
Though self-boasting seems to give self-satisfaction, those who are engaged in it are unaware of its maladies. They are deluded by the vainglory of self-praise. They pride themselves on their looks, abilities, achievements, willpower, and self-righteousness. Scripture warns us that “in the last days perilous times shall come” when “men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,” etc. (2 Timothy 3:1-2).
To boast about oneself is to talk in a bragging manner, and is manifested by prideful speaking about oneself and about the things one possesses or does. God disdains this and regards it as vile and abominable. A boastful person is depicted as wicked, materialistic, arrogant, vulgar, accursed and suchlike. “For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity” (Psalm 10:3-7).
Scripture tells us that prideful, swelling speech characterises Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15), Antichrist (Daniel 7:8, 11, 25; 8:11; 11:36-37; Revelation 13:5-6), false teachers (2 Peter 2:18; 1 Timothy 6:4), and many churchgoers of the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-2; Jude 16), as well as all that are wicked (Psalms 17:9-10; 73:8-9). The apostle Paul classifies the proud and the boasters in the same category as the haters of God (Romans 1:30). It is then obvious that the persistent habit of self-boasting is a sure mark of the unregenerate person. Hence, no child of God should indulge in it.
Self-boasting is a sin that affects people of all ages – children, youths and adults alike. The book of Proverbs cautions us against boastful speech. It is depicted as foolish utterances of an egoistic person, which will surely lead him to his own dishonour. The overall perception about boasting that the wisdom of Proverbs gives, is that it is not only unwise but also destructive. Self-exaltation will not lead to real, lasting excellency or advantage. So, God’s people are exhorted to avoid all forms of prideful talk. Consider the following admonitions from the book of Proverbs:
From the above selected admonitions from Proverbs, God’s people indeed must beware of and avoid all forms of boastful speech. Finally, we must also realise that prideful speech leads to violence and punishment: “In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride” (Proverbs 14:3a). The foolish talk of a person, who is arrogant, hardened and thick-headed in his ways, results in him being punished with a rod. Unguarded words of arrogance can also engender violence, and can act as “a rod” hurting others. So, let us guard our speech, and let it be rid of a self-exalting spirit that troubles others and ourselves.
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). This apostolic charge to Timothy has reverberated down the ages to us through the pages of the Holy Scriptures. This is the mandate to the church and her leaders to pass down the sound doctrines of the Scriptures to each coming generation.
From the time the Lord called me and appointed me as the pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church, it has been a passion in my heart to be obedient to the mandate of 2 Timothy 2:2. Having been in the ministry for about three decades, my prayer and passion to be an instrument in God’s hand to fulfil this biblical mandate has only increased. Hence, I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be part of the ministry of Far Eastern Bible College to this day – and in addition, for our church’s efforts to establish GBI ministries around the world in preparing a new generation to carry on the work of His Gospel kingdom.
During the past two and a half years of the pandemic, the Lord has continued to enable me to teach and guide online those who join GBI’s Pastoral Biblical Studies (PBS) in matters of theology. This course was conducted with the special intention to equip and strengthen those whom God has called to proclaim the Word and feed the flock. Six preachers (from Singapore, China, the Philippines and India) have been joining this weekly study. We pray that they will all be faithful expositors of God’s Word in their God-appointed places, and be instrumental in God’s hand to prepare another group of godly men for the ministry in the years to come.
Please find below the testimonies of two participants who had joined the Pastoral Biblical Studies. God willing, more testimonies will follow in the coming weeks’ bulletins.
—Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Pr Kelvin Lim
Thanks be unto the LORD for the privilege to be part of Gethsemane Bible Institute’s Pastoral Biblical Studies (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Pr Donald dela Cruz
I praise the Lord for enabling me to join the Pastoral Biblical Studies of Gethsemane Bible Institute. I appreciate the many lessons I’ve picked up during the duration of the online course. Our current class is about the preservation of the Holy Scriptures. Generally speaking, nobody in the Christian realm questions the inspiration of the Holy Bible, except liberal scholars and their followers. However, it is not the case with the preservation of the Scriptures. The majority of Christians today do not believe that God has preserved the Bible in the original languages. The most striking lesson to me in the current course is that “God will preserve His inspired Words for the sake of His people.” The reason is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Herein we have the divine promise concerning not only the inspiration, but also the preservation of the Scriptures. If God would have allowed the perversion of His Word, then in the present times, we would not have His perfect Word to enable us to be “throughly furnished”!
Studying God’s Word in preparation for the ministry is very different from studying while you are in the ministry. The topic was already discussed when I was studying full-time at FEBC. While I am familiar with the topic, the re-learning of the doctrine of the Scriptures provided a wide perspective of its significance and benefits in the ministry. The topic becomes relevant to me because of my experiences while serving in the ministry. I have seen cultic churches, such as Mormons, deceiving people with their strange doctrines. Some people in my locality asked me about their claims on the Book of Mormon and others. I replied that God has only given us one Book for our instruction and that is the Holy Bible. I warned them that the Mormons exalt the work of a man (Joseph Smith’s book), rather than the work of God (the Bible). That alone should ring alarm bells in the hearts of true believers!
I had also encountered a Christian who has read the work of Peter Ruckman. He was so impressed by the writings of Ruckman that he adhered to his doctrine that the King James Bible (English Translation) is superior to the Scriptures in the original languages. Praise God that I was refreshed by the online classes on how we come to the position that the Hebrew and Greek Texts underlying the KJV Bible are the preserved texts of the inspired Scriptures. I highlighted to him that when Jesus and the apostles spoke about the Scriptures, they always referred to the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. Inspiration for Bible inscription (the Spirit-inspired writing of God’s revelation) ended with the Book of Revelation, and therefore the KJV Bible is a faithful English translation of the inspired original language texts.
I praise the Lord for the manifold blessings I have received from these studies. As an additional blessing, I am also strengthened by the testimonies of the other missionaries. I am full of joy when I see other preachers attending the classes, especially the Lord’s servant from China. There are many unique struggles in every mission station. Hence, to have this opportunity to hear about God’s work in other “corners” of His vineyard is very refreshing. Praise the Lord for sustaining His servants!
Sermon Text: Psalm 8
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 1st May 2022