Written by Lok Kwok Wah
“Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Ephesians 6:6-7). Thank God for granting me much grace and strength to serve in His vineyard. Despite having to face many challenges and endure many trials in serving the Lord, I know that nothing gives me greater joy than serving Him in the midst of His people. As a worker of the Lord, I desire to do whatever He calls me to do, and constantly remind myself (as the apostle Paul admonishes in the above verse) that it is God whom I serve and please above all else.
Many years ago, as a young believer in Christ, the Lord put a great desire in my heart to serve Him full-time. At that point in time, I had no inkling as to how God would ever call me to serve Him. Praise be to God, God has His way of leading and preparing those whom He has chosen to serve Him. In the intervening years, He had allowed me to work as a shipping coordinator, as well as a Christian bookroom manager. With hindsight, these experiences had helped to prepare me for my full-time ministry in terms of exposure to administrative duties and Christian literature.
By God’s providence in the 1990’s, I met Pastor Koshy on several occasions while I was worshipping in my previous church and when I visited Gethsemane B-P Church on occasion. Pastor Koshy shared with me his burden to start a Christian literature ministry in Gethsemane, which would entail someone to serve alongside him full-time! Indeed, as Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” God has, in His perfect time, called me to serve in Gethsemane as a full-time support staff in January 2001. Having put my hand to the plough, there is no turning back. As Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
That year (2001) also witnessed the launch of the first publication of the Bible Witness magazine (which was a brainchild of Pastor Koshy) under the Bible Witness Literature Ministry. Thank God for Pastor’s hard work and commitment, which saw his burden for sound Christian literature come to fruition. Over the years, his written works have also included the following: “365 Daily Exhortations from God’s Word”, “My Soul’s Delight” and Gospel tracts. In the same spirit of William Carey, Pastor believes that one should expect great things from God and attempt great things for God. It has been a privilege since then to co-labour with Pastor, who is always focused on spreading the Gospel and edifying the saints through the written word, both locally and in faraway lands. This desire of his to propagate the Gospel is founded on the basis of Acts 1:8, where the Lord says: “…ye shall be witnesses unto me”.
In the early stage of production, we faced challenges in sourcing for articles, editing them, planning the layout, right down to the final printing and distribution. Oftentimes, we had difficulties looking for committed writers, as well as printing companies that could meet our requirements. However, the Lord has never failed to strengthen His faithful servant, our Pastor, who had to cope with much work in the church, on top of his many preaching engagements. Despite this, he frequently wrote articles for the Bible Witness magazine and continues to do so today. By God’s grace, Pastor eventually managed to assemble a regular team of writers, proofreaders, as well as layout and illustration artists. Praise the Lord also that my wife Jenny is able to serve together with me (from home) as one of the proofreaders. This has stood me in good stead, particularly in the early stage of the editorial work (before Pr Ho Kee How joins the ministry as assistant editor). To me, it is most crucial that Jenny, as a housewife, is committed to being a keeper at home (Titus 2:5), so that I may focus on my ministry work.
In 2004, the Bible Witness Literature Ministry was renamed “Bible Witness Media Ministry” (BWMM) to include modern media such as CD, VCD, DVD, Internet, etc. In 2005, the Lunch Hour Bible Study was set up to provide an avenue for like-minded brethren who work in the Central Business District to gather for a time of studying God’s Word and prayer. The following year in 2006, the Bible Witness Web Radio (the first Christian Internet Web Radio in Singapore) went on air (24/7), and has since been in operation till today. Thank God that His continual blessings upon BWMM have also led to the launch of GBI-Online in 2015.
In line with my work in BWMM, I also assist Pastor in organising Bible Witness Retreats and Holy Land Bible Study Tours. Besides these, my responsibilities also include the upkeep of the church vans and any administrative matter that requires attention, from time to time. Being in the fulltime ministry and having served with Pastor thus far, I am often reminded that “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).
Since 2007, I have served as a deacon in the Session of Gethsemane BPC – in various roles, including Assistant Treasurer (counting of offerings and depositing the collections in the bank) and Assistant Clerk-of-Session. Thank God also for the opportunity to be leading the Ushers’ Ministry (2009-2016).
In 2019, when the church acquired a B1 industrial building – Gethsemane Media Centre (GMC) – and started renovations, I was given a new responsibility as Operations Manager, which includes handling the maintenance of the building and its daily operations. To date, I am still learning the ropes of keeping the GMC running. Certainly, I have many struggles in understanding the technical aspects of the operation work. Nevertheless, I pray that the Lord will be gracious and merciful to help me to work more efficiently for His glory. As Jesus has said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” May Christ’s wonderful example help me to stay focused in my service for Him. All glory be unto God.