Gethsemane Children’s Choir not only trains the children to sing songs unto the Lord, but also teaches them biblical disciplines that are necessary to work together as a team to serve God with one heart and one voice. We appreciate the commitment and labour of our sisters who train the Children’s Choir. May their efforts be so blessed by the Lord that our church will often be filled with the voices of children singing melodious hymns of praise. As Psalm 148:12 & 13 say, “Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the LORD.”

The years that I have spent in the Children’s Choir are indeed precious and wonderful. I really enjoy singing, as well as learning new songs. However, simply singing in the Children’s Choir without actually seeking to learn more spiritual lessons, either from the choir teachers or from the songs we sing, does not make anyone gain anything. Therefore, I would like to share some things which I have learnt through the years when I sang in the Children’s Choir.

To begin with, we are all members of the body of Christ, so working together to sing well in the Choir is important in serving the Lord.

Also, the discipline to come for the Children’s Choir practice must not be hindered by obstacles, such as the struggle to get up early in the morning or having to travel a long distance to church.

Furthermore, when we do something wrong, we must learn to accept correction and rebuke from our teachers, as well as learn from our mistakes.

To end my testimony, I would like to thank God for my teachers in the Children’s Choir – Aunty Stefanie, Aunty Melissa and Aunty Seong Yeng – for having the dedication and patience to teach us. I also appreciate Jie Jie Carmen and Aunty Seong Yeng for playing the piano, and for being longsuffering even when we made the same mistakes while singing. Above all, I am grateful to God for teaching me to serve Him with joy through my time in the Children’s Choir – “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2).

Lok Qian Ning

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I want to thank God for enabling me to join the Children’s Choir, and for all my experiences in the Children’s Choir. In the beginning I was very scared to join, but by God’s grace, I’ve been in the Choir for about two to three years now. I also want to thank God for our teachers, who not only taught us to sing hymns and spiritual songs, but also to behave well and be good Christian boys and girls.

I enjoy singing in the Children’s Choir and praising the LORD with all my heart. I like to encourage other children to join the Children’s Choir. May I share a verse with you – “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High” (Psalm 92:1).

Jesimiel Lim

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I join the Children’s Choir because I love God and I like to sing hymns and songs to praise Him. I also get to fellowship with other children in the Choir.

Parousia Chan

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I want to thank God for the opportunity to be in the children’s choir. Training and practising in the choir can be very challenging at times because we must work very hard and stand for prolonged periods. But I still enjoy singing praises for the LORD so that I can share the Gospel with others through my singing.

I pray that God will continue to help me to serve Him joyfully in the choir.

Ashley Lim

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I thank God for the precious opportunity of singing and praising God in the Children’s Choir. I also thank God for granting me the voice to sing hymns and Scripture in song. I am very grateful for the teachers who taught me how to sing and praise God joyfully. In the process, I learnt to be more disciplined and to sing better for the Lord’s glory. I hope this coming new year, that the truth of God’s Word in Psalm 96:2 may be fulfilled in my life – “Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.”

Mehetabel Lim

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O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1). I want to thank God for the privilege to sing in the Choir. I would like to thank God for my teachers – Aunty Stefanie, Jie Jie Melissa, Aunty Seong Yeng and Jie Jie Carmen – for their service to God.

Praise God for them as they teach us new songs, and guide us through many practices. I have joined the Choir for 2 years already and this is my 3rd year. I pray that God will help me to continue to sing for Him. Praise the Lord!

Hannah Wong

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Thank God for giving me the grace to sing throughout my two years in the Children’s Choir. I also want to thank God for the strength and wisdom He has granted me for all my presentations. There were times when I was sick, but the Lord saw me through the presentations. I thank God for helping me sing for Him. Thank God for His goodness and mercy.

Hadassah Wong

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But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

Being part of the Children’s Choir has given me many wonderful blessings.

Firstly, I have been touched by Jesus’ love for me when I first sang the song, “Blessed Be The Name”, with the Choir. It tells me that God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins, and so save us from eternal destruction.

Secondly, I have learned that commitment requires discipline. Rising up earlier on Sundays takes discipline. Moreover, discipline is needed for me to memorise the lyrics. I thank God for Aunty Stefanie, Aunty Melissa and Aunty Seong Yeng who have been very patient to train us every week. That makes it a lot easier for me to remember the songs. I thank God for ‘Jie Jie’ Carmen too, who is our pianist.

Finally, may God help me to continue serving Him in the Children’s Choir “with clean hands and a pure heart”. My mama has constantly reminded me that singing in the children’s choir should not be looked upon as a chore, but rather as a privilege to worship and serve Jesus. All praise and glory be to God!

Grace Ho

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I like to sing in the Children’s Choir. In the Children’s Choir, I get to sing hymns and spiritual songs, I also get to learn more songs. At the same time, I learn many new words from the lyrics and make good friends.

Thank God for the opportunity to sing praises to Him!

Andrew Lee

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I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:6).

I thank the Lord for the Children’s Choir. Firstly, praise God for providing us with good teachers in Auntie Melissa, Auntie Seong Yeng, Auntie Stefanie and Jie Jie Carmen. They have worked hard to teach us sacred hymns. Secondly, thank God for the opportunity to join all the five Reformation Cantatas and last year’s Christmas Praise. Thank God for helping me memorise all the songs. Thirdly, thank God for the friends I had in the choir who helped me whenever I needed their assistance. May the Lord continue to bless the Children’s Choir as we serve Him in the music ministry of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church.

David Kabingue

Have you wondered why there is so much preaching in our church, whether it be in the Lord’s Day worship services, Tuesday night prayer gatherings, fellowship meetings, retreats, or camps? Why are we so occupied with the exposition of God’s Word? Should we give so much attention to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word?

As a church, we make no apology for being unabashed proclaimers of the truth of God’s Word. Our reason for giving primacy to the preaching of God’s Word in our church is to put the glory and majesty of God on public display. His Word is His self-revelation of His very eternal being, His plans, His purposes and His power.

There is a great need to emphasize the absolute necessity of robust, courageous preaching of God’s Word. Even in our church, some will become weary of the constant priority that we give to the preaching of God’s Word, just as Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”

So in the coming 4th Missionary Conference (23–27 June 2014), we will take time to search the Scriptures on the theme, “Primacy of God’s Word in the ministry of the church.” This theme will be expounded by varying pastors and missionaries who will attend the conference. Please pray that the Spirit of God will empower the speakers of the conference to expound to us the teachings of the Word of God in a clear and convicting manner.

To whet your appetite for this very necessary and glorious topic, I would like to publish below an article that I recently wrote for the ‘Daily Devotions for 2014” in our church website.

“So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” — Acts 19:20

When Apostle Paul and his team arrived in the city of Ephesus, they preached the Gospel to the Jews first. Paul went into the Jewish synagogue and “spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). But some of the hearers “were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude” (Acts 19:9). He was forced to move out of the synagogue; and subsequently taught in the school of Tyrannus. Notwithstanding the hostility, Paul continued preaching the Word undaunted, influencing the Jews as well as the Greeks in that city and its surrounding region (Acts 19:10).

Another giant obstacle to the Gospel advancement was the city’s enchantment with sorcery and witchcraft. Ephesus was renowned for the statue of Artemis and her temple. The statue had mysterious engravings on the crown, girdle, and feet. Those mystic writings, referred to as “Ephesian scripts”, were considered to have magical power. Sorcery was part of Ephesian culture. Some of the Jews also practised wizardry. Acts 19:13 reports, “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” When seven sons of the chief of the Jewish priests, named Sceva, tried to exorcise a demon in the name of Jesus, they were violently attacked by the demonic man. This incident brought much fear among the people.

Nonetheless, the preaching of the Word of God turned many away from their diabolical practices. “And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver” (Acts 19:18, 19)! Mightily did the Word of God grow and prevail in that city, where once deep-seated unbelief and fierce demonic activities had stood in its way.

In our own day, many are dabbling in horoscopes, tarot cards, crystal balls, Ouija boards, séances, and other mystic and demonic activities, which are dangerous to their minds and emotions. If the church is committed to preach the Word faithfully and fervently, we will see some people being turned from unbelief and delivered from the enticement and enslavement of the devil. Assuredly, the preaching of the Word shall prevail over all demonic powers!

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A Testimony of Thanksgiving

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hank God for the provision of Sunday Live Broadcast. I was not able to be present in the church at last Sunday’s Worship Service, due to a freak accident that hampered my movement. However, I was not deprived of the privilege to ‘feast’ on His Word, as I was able to listen to it from home. I was blessed spiritually by the sermon, “Building with the Messianic Hope”, a timely message for the last Sunday of the year 2013. Sunday Live Broadcast is serving its purpose well, edifying the souls of the saints. May the Lord continue to bless the hands that have ploughed in this ministry. “Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul” (Psalm 103:21–22).

A thankful listener

“Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared” (Psalm 76:11).

“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High” (Psalm 50:14).

I would like to call all the leaders, members and regular worshippers of Gethsemane B-P Church to once again come together this Tuesday night to avow ourselves to our God in the New Year during the Prayer Meeting.

Making a vow before the Lord is a solemn act of worship, thanksgiving and consecration to God. It is a matter that requires utmost sincerity of heart. We should not come with a flippant attitude before God, especially when we bind ourselves to Him with vows.

For your careful preparation of hearts to renew yourselves before the Lord in taking the two vows of allegiance to God’s Word and personal sanctification, I publish below, “Chapter XXII: Of Lawful Oaths and Vows” from the Westminster Confession of Faith:

1. A lawful oath is part of religious worship, wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calls God to witness what he asserts, or promises, and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he swears.
2. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence. Therefore, to swear vainly, or rashly, by that glorious and dreadful Name; or, to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred. Yet, as in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God, under the New Testament as well as under the old; so a lawful oath, being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters, ought to be taken.
3. Whosoever takes an oath ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully persuaded is the truth: neither may any man bind himself by oath to any thing but what is good and just, and what he believes so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform. Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority.
4. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation, or mental reservation. It cannot oblige to sin; but in any thing not sinful, being taken, it binds to performance, although to a man’s own hurt. Not is it to be violated, although made to heretics, or infidels.
5. A vow is of the like nature with a promissory oath, and ought to be made with the like religious care, and to be performed with the like faithfulness.
6. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone: and that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily, out of faith, and conscience of duty, in way of thankfulness for mercy received, or for the obtaining of what we want, whereby we more strictly bind ourselves to necessary duties: or, to other things, so far and so long as they may fitly conduce thereunto.
7. No man may vow to do any thing forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he has no promise of ability from God. In which respects, popish monastical vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are so far from being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitious and sinful snares, in which no Christian may entangle himself.

Dean Burgon Oath

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