AAs we commemorate the 14th anniversary of our Chinese Ministry, the words of Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:1 are fitting to be recollected and meditated on – “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you”. Here we see that Paul desired that the Word of the Lord will be spread unhindered. As the Gospel preachers dedicated themselves to be industrious in their preaching ministry, they also urged the brethren to support them with their prayers – “Brethren, pray for us”. Preachers labour to declare the Word, and the rest of the church co-labour with them in prayer for the advancement of the Gospel. No one in the church should be disengaged or withdrawn from the burdens of the Gospel work. All members of the church, young and old alike, ought to be prayerpartners in the Gospel-work.
“And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you” (1 Corinthians 12:21). All believers together form “the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Corinthians 12:27). This mutual dependence is acknowledged by Paul in his request for the Thessalonians’ prayers. When the members co-operate with the preachers of the church with their prayers, the success of the church’s evangelistic efforts will be secured.
If the apostle Paul highly viewed the efficacy of church brethren’s prayer, who are we to think otherwise? This little word “pray” should be regarded as one of utmost importance to God’s blessing upon preaching. Paul’s most earnest request for assistance from the Thessalonians was that they would “pray”.
Both preaching and prayer are very important to all the ministries of the church. By prayer, we speak to God; by preaching, we speak to man on God’s behalf. By prayer, we receive God’s wisdom and strength to move men to God through Christ.
Brethren, pray earnestly for Pr Daniel Lim that his preaching of the Word of God in the Chinese ministry will turn many to God. Pray also for Pr Jeremiah Sim, who ministers to many of our Chinese-speaking folks through Gethsemane Seniors’ Ministry. May the Lord be glorified today as we thank God for His help through the past 14 years of Gethsemane Chinese Ministry.
Hello Pastor Koshy,
I praise the Lord for bringing my family to the 5th Missionary Conference, especially when an ordeal almost prevented me from attending. When clearing the immigration checkpoint at the Manila airport, an immigration officer intercepted me and put me on hold. He then took me to his supervisor and started questioning me. They said that there was a warrant of arrest issued under my name. The officer asked me a lot of questions regarding my whereabouts. Thank God that they were finally convinced that the warrant of arrest was not for me. However, they told me that the case was about “car-napping”, and advised that I have to go to Antipolo (about 250 km from Dagupan) to clear my name and request for certification that I was not the person for whom the arrest warrant was issued. When I returned after the conference, I was reminded again by the immigration officer to get the clearance.
I praise the Lord for the lessons learned during the Missionary Conference. As I listened to the messages, I felt as if the events in Galatia were happening right before my eyes. It was as if I was literally part of that church and sitting in its pews. I thank the Lord for our preachers who expounded the Word of God. May the Lord help us to be faithful in His work.
Praise God for refreshing us. God’s Word and the fellowship of godly friends help us to press on with the work. Thank God for godly leaders and congregation whom we can emulate as the biblical pattern. I praise the Lord for raising godly men to guide the church to follow our Saviour.
Praise the Lord also for the monetary gift given to us by the church, and for providing for us through the church and the Session members. I would like to ask permission to use the money to buy a second-hand car. We need a reliable car if we are planning to conduct Bible studies in San Fernando. I am planning to sell my current car (which is very old) so that with the added love gift, we can get a better car. Our current car not only breaks down frequently, it is also not air-conditioned. We normally travel to the homes of the brethren to conduct Bible study immediately after our lunch. And under the very hot sun, the ride can be very uncomfortable. My plan is to buy a small car to use to move around, especially to help us with long journeys that would take several hours.
Thank you for your love and care.
Praying always that we will faithfully serve our Saviour,
Pr Donald and family
Pastor’s Note: The elders will soon consider Pr Donald’s need for a vehicle; may all our readers pray how we can help with this need in Pangasinan. Meanwhile, let us pray that the Lord’s leading will be upon our church leaders to study the matter and provide appropriate support for the Gospel work of Pr Donald and family.
Dear Pastor,
Greetings in our Lord’s blessed Name from Cebu, Philippines! We arrived safely here in Cebu on Sunday afternoon (11th June) – just in time to prepare for the evening service. Praise God!
I thank the Lord for the privilege to attend the 5th Missionary Conference as it has brought manifold blessings upon me and, I believe, upon everyone who attended. It’s such a joy to see and fellowship with the brethren I knew way back in my FEBC student days; to fellowship with fellowlabourers in the work of the Gospel; and to meet the new ones in the church. Praise God also for the time of learning more of God’s Word from various preachers, as well as from your pastoral care and counsel for us preachers in reminding us of the great responsibility of handling the Word carefully.
Thank you very much for praying for us.
Respectfully,
Rev Reggor