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Revelation 1:18—“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

This verse records Jesus Christ's self-revelation, declaring His victory over death to a trembling apostle who had fallen at His feet as dead (v. 17). And what does the glorified Lord say? Not merely “Fear not”, but the reason fear must loosen its grip: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.”

Here is the heart of the gospel in one sentence. Jesus is not a memory, not a martyr, not a religious symbol. He is the Living One. Yet He also says, with holy wonder, “and was dead”. The Son of God truly entered death, not as a defeated victim, but as a willing Substitute, to bring about ultimate victory for His people over sin and death. He went into the grave bearing the curse and satisfying divine justice for His people so that He might rise victorious on the third day.

Then comes the triumphant announcement: “I am alive for evermore”. He did not rise to die again; He rose in invincible life, never to be touched by death forever. Death is forever stripped of power over Him. He lives with an indestructible life, and therefore, His salvation cannot fail. The believer’s hope rests not in feelings, but in a living Christ who cannot die.

But Christ adds one more comfort: “and have the keys of hell and of death”. Keys speak of authority. Jesus does not merely survive death; He reigns over it, holding absolute authority over death itself and over the realm of the dead. Because Christ holds authority over death, death is no longer a master to terrify the believer, but a defeated servant under His command. Therefore, we face it not with despair, but with confidence in His saving power and promise. Hell cannot open its mouth without His permission. Death cannot claim one of His sheep apart from His sovereign will. And when death does come, it comes as a servant, not a tyrant, for it opens the door into Christ’s presence.

Therefore, when fears rise and the grave feels near, the Christian may answer with John’s “Amen”. The Lord who died for us lives for us and holds the keys forever.

Revelation 1:6—“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

In a world where believers often feel weak and overlooked, Revelation 1:6 reminds us who we truly are in Christ. Christ “hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father”. The risen Jesus has not merely forgiven His people; He has reconstituted them. According to the preceding verse (v.5), He “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood”. Having cleansed us, He has crowned them with a royal dignity and consecrated them for holy service.

To be made “kings” does not mean we reign in worldly pride, but that we now belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken. In Christ, the believer is no longer at the mercy of Satan’s accusations, the world’s threats, or the flesh’s dominion. We can reign through union with the conquering Lamb every day, learning even now to overcome by faith, endurance, obedience, and hope. As Paul said in Romans 5:17, “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” 

To be made “priests” points to believers’ calling into God’s holy service. We can draw near to Him and offer acceptable worship through Christ. As 1 Peter 2:5 says,  we are “an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”. We offer spiritual sacrifices: prayer, praise, repentance, thanksgiving, and lives laid down in love for Christ. Even our suffering becomes incense before the throne.

Therefore, John’s doxology is the only fitting response: “to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” If Christ has made us kings and priests, then our lives must be bent toward His praise, worshipfully serving under His everlasting rule, seeking not our own honour but His glory alone.

Proverbs 4:18—“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” 

Solomon sets before us a holy contrast: the darkness of the wicked way and the brightening path of the righteous. The Christian life is not described as a sudden leap into noon-day glory, but as a steady dawn. The believer’s path begins with light, the true light, because it begins with Christ, who said, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Yet that light is not static. It “shineth more and more”, as He graciously leads the believer in His truth and righteousness by His Spirit.

This verse teaches a deeply theological truth: justification gives us a new standing, and sanctification gives us a new direction. The “just” are those declared righteous by God through faith in Christ. And because the Lord has made them His own, He does not leave them where He found them—He leads them onward. Though they still walk through a world full of darkness, the Lord Himself gives light for the next step, guiding them forward in their spiritual pilgrimage. They may be chastened, but they are never cast off; corrected but never forsaken. The God who justifies also sanctifies, and He is steadfastly committed to finishing what He has begun.

This is the promise of God, a balm for weary saints. You may feel that your growth is slow, your battles constant, and your heart often clouded. Yet the promise stands: the Lord is bringing you forward. Every true step in repentance, every renewed act of faith, every hard-won obedience is part of the shining.

And the destination is sure: “the perfect day”. This is the day when sin shall be gone, faith shall become sight, and Christ shall be all. The path grows brighter because the end is glory. Keep walking, your dawn is moving toward everlasting noon.

Today, we publish Pr Jonathan Hendricks’ testimony. He has been serving the Lord as a teacher of God’s Word in GBI (Vizag, India) since July 2025. 

My Salvation

I truly thank God for saving my soul from sin and hell. I must confess that my testimony is not as dramatic as that of John Bunyan or Charles Spurgeon. Far from it, mine is simple and quiet. Yet this I can say with deep gratitude: the gracious and providential hand of God was unmistakably at work in bringing me to Himself.

I was born into a devout Christian family and raised in a Bible-believing Baptist church pastored by my uncle. From childhood, my parents taught my brother and me to love God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. We attended church faithfully, memorised Scripture, and were active in service. Looking back, I see that this did not happen by chance but was due to God’s providence. By His mercy, I was born into a Christian home, set apart according to His gracious purpose (cf. Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 1:4).

Yet, though I grew up surrounded by truth, I did not understand what it meant to be born again. In the church I attended, altar calls were common. As a young, naïve child, I often went forward, being emotionally stirred, but nothing truly changed. I returned to my seat still uncertain, still without assurance and still spiritually dead in my sins. Those responses were sentimental and not born out of a great desire to be saved. I lacked the inward work of the Holy Spirit.

In time, my father decided to leave my uncle’s church. I did not understand why then, but later I saw God’s hand in it. We visited many churches, searching for a place to worship and serve. What we did not realise was that God had already ordained where we would go. Proverbs 16:9 is proven true, that man plans, but the Lord directs his steps. By His providence, He led us back to a church my father had attended in his youth. The pastors, who had grown up with him, warmly welcomed us after more than twenty years.

It was there that God graciously saved me. One Sunday evening, the pastor preached from Jeremiah 31:3: “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” That verse pierced my heart. I was overwhelmed by the thought that a holy God could love a sinner like me. I knew my sinfulness, yet I saw that Christ had died as my Substitute (cf. Romans 5:8), bearing the punishment I deserved and rose again. God’s love was not distant; it was drawing me to Him.

That night, convicted by the Spirit, I cried out to the Lord in repentance and faith. In 2012, at fourteen years of age, I trusted Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Though I could not recall the exact date, I remember the reality of it. For the first time, I had assurance. By grace, I was freed from sin’s bondage and made a servant of righteousness (cf. Romans 6:18). I understood then that God is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4).

My salvation was not the result of human planning, but that of divine providence. God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). From physical birth to new birth, He not only guided me, but also drew me to Him and saved me. To Him alone be all glory. Amen.

God’s Call to Preaching Ministry

God’s providential hand was not only evident in my salvation but also in my calling to serve Him. From a young age, I had a desire to serve the Lord, though I did not fully understand what that meant. As I grew older and began planning for university and a career, that desire slowly faded. I became focused on academic success and financial stability, aiming to become an accountant and provide for my family. Though sermons and personal devotions occasionally stirred my heart towards full-time service, I suppressed the conviction. Fear of what others might think and concern for my future led me to resist God’s prompting.

During my second year at university, the Lord began working powerfully in my heart again. I felt a sense of emptiness despite pursuing my ambitions, and I grew increasingly dissatisfied. My conscience was troubled because I knew I was not pursuing what God wanted. At a pastors’ conference, a preacher challenged young people not to suppress God’s call, warning that doing so was disobedience. His words pierced my heart. That night, as I prayed, the Spirit impressed upon me the truth of Luke 9:23, that I must deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Christ. This time, I could not resist. I surrendered fully to the Lord’s will, asking Him to lead me into the full-time ministry if that was His purpose. Immediately, I experienced deep joy and peace. When I shared this with my parents, they responded with wholehearted support, even when I expressed my intention to leave university. Their encouragement confirmed God’s leading.

With guidance from my pastor and a Free Presbyterian minister whom I regard as a spiritual father, I applied to a conservative Bible college in Belfast. However, financial and practical barriers made it impossible. The visa requirements demanded funds I did not have, and the high cost of living with no promise of dormitory housing was beyond reach. I was discouraged and questioned whether I had misunderstood God’s will. Yet I was reminded of Proverbs 3:5, to trust in the Lord and not lean on my own understanding. My pastor urged me not to give up, assuring me that if God had called me, He would provide.

Soon after, my pastor connected me with Sujith Samuel, an Indian graduate of Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) in Singapore. Through this providential introduction, I learned about FEBC and was encouraged to apply. I submitted my testimony and application, and by God’s grace, I was accepted. Dr. McIlveen generously offered financial support for much of my tuition, and later True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church assisted as well. God’s promise in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”, proved to be true once again.

My years at FEBC were both challenging and enriching. Rigorous studies, especially in Hebrew and Greek, along with the demands of dormitory life, tested my faith and perseverance. There were moments of discouragement when I considered giving up, but the Lord sustained me. Through theological training, He deepened my understanding of Scripture and strengthened my calling.

It was also during my time at FEBC that my theological convictions were reshaped. Coming from a Baptist background, I strongly opposed infant baptism. At first, I resisted covenant theology and even reacted emotionally when witnessing infant baptism. Yet through continued study, lectures, and discussions, I began to understand its biblical foundation within covenant theology. I learned that infant baptism is not about guaranteeing salvation but about God’s covenant promises to families and the responsibility of parents to raise their children in the faith. The Lord humbled me, exposed my pride, and led me to embrace these convictions. Though some opposed my change of view, I submitted to the Spirit’s leading and now identify myself as Bible-Presbyterian without regret.

In His providence, God further led me to serve in Vizag alongside Rev. Sujith. I am grateful for Pastor Koshy’s invitation and for the support of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church. I recognise my unworthiness and depend wholly on God’s grace to persevere in faithful preaching and teaching. Through every stage—calling, training, conviction, and service—God has proven Himself faithful. All glory be to Him. Amen.

Sermon Text: Psalm 127
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 22nd February 2026

Job 2:10—“What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” 

Here we have one of the most sobering and sanctifying questions ever spoken by a believer. Job has already buried his children, lost his wealth, and watched his life collapse in a single day. Now his body is struck with painful boils, and his wife urges him, “Curse God, and die.” In that moment, Job answers, not with bitterness, but with sound theology in his mind.

His question to his wife does not deny God’s goodness; it defends it. Job reminds us that God is not only the Giver of pleasant days, but also the Sovereign Lord over bitter ones. To receive “good at the hand of God” is natural to us. We gladly take His gifts of health, provision, success, and joy. But Job exposes the pride hidden in the human heart: we often want God’s blessings without God’s right to govern our lives.

When Job speaks of receiving “evil”, he is not calling God sinful. He is confessing that calamity, loss, and affliction may come—bitter to us, yet still under the permission of a holy God who does all things well. Job’s faith rests in the truth that the Lord’s hand is never random, never cruel, and never out of control.

Job’s words teach us to be submissive to God at all times with reverence. God’s children are not promised a life without suffering, but a Father who rules over it. If we receive good with thanksgiving, let us also receive trials with humble trust, knowing that the same God who wounds also heals, and that His purposes will be vindicated in the end.

Job 13:15—“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”

Job 13 is not the voice of a man at ease, but of a man crushed, yet still believing. He has been misunderstood, falsely charged and spiritually pressed. His friends have turned theology into accusations, and Job’s world has collapsed under the heavy hand of God’s providence. Yet in Job 13:15 he utters one of Scripture’s clearest confessions of persevering faith: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

This is not naïve optimism. Job is not saying, “God will never let hard things happen.” He is saying the opposite: “Even if God’s providence leads me through death itself, I will not abandon Him.” Job’s faith is anchored not in outcomes but in God’s worthiness. The believer’s trust does not rest on God’s gifts, but on God Himself.

Yet Job adds a second resolve: “but I will maintain mine own ways before him”. Job is not claiming sinlessness; he is refusing false guilt. He will not confess to something he did not do just to end the pressure from his accusing friends. True faith not only clings to God; it also stands honestly before Him. 

For the suffering saint, this verse teaches that trust and tears can coexist. You may question, plead, and even tremble, but you must not ‘let go’ of God. And you may come boldly, not because you have a perfect life, but with a sincere heart of faith before the Lord who helped you to live with integrity and who alone judges righteously.

Proverbs 16:3—“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

This verse gives us a holy order for the Christian life: first, the surrender of our deeds, then the settling of our minds. The word “commit” carries the sense of rolling something over onto another. It is the picture of a man taking a heavy burden off his own shoulders and placing it upon the Lord. The Lord does not ask us merely to plan better or try harder. He calls us to hand over our works: our duties, decisions, labours, responsibilities, and even our unfinished tasks.

Notice: it does not say, “Commit thy dreams”, but “Commit thy works”. To commit our works unto the LORD means to bring all our actions into submission to His will, so that His purposes—not ours—may be fulfilled. We seek to do His will in His way, and we also surrender the outcome, content to have it as He pleases. It is to say, “Lord, if this is not Thy will, stop me. If it is Thy will, strengthen me. Lord, use me, correct me, and prosper me that I may do all Thy pleasure, and only Thy pleasure.”

Then comes the promise: “and thy thoughts shall be established”. Many believers are troubled by anxious, scattered, unstable thinking. Yet Scripture teaches that mental steadiness is not achieved by self-control alone, but by God-centered trust. When our actions are laid at His feet, our minds begin to rest in His sovereignty. This is  God’s cure for worry: roll your work onto the Lord, and He will steady your heart. The God who governs your labour will also govern your mind.

Job 1:21—“The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Those words of Job are among the purest expressions of faith in all Scripture. They were spoken not in comfort, but in catastrophe. In a single day, Job lost his wealth, his servants, and his children. Yet instead of charging God foolishly, he fell down and worshipped. Here we find a doctrine of suffering that bows us low, yet lifts us up.

First, Job confesses that every good gift is from the LORD: “The LORD gave.” His prosperity was not luck, skill, or mere circumstance. It was the hand of God. This is where gratitude begins when we confess that nothing we have is ours by entitlement. All we possess is received, not deserved. All is mercy.

Second, Job acknowledges the painful truth: “The LORD hath taken away.” Job does not deny secondary causes, such as raiders, wind, disaster, but he looks beyond them to the sovereign God who rules over all. This is not fatalism. It is faith in the God whose good purposes no tragedy can overthrow.

Finally, Job responds with worship: “Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job blesses not his circumstances, but God’s Name, which denotes His holy character, His wise rule, and His unchanging goodness. Here is the heart of mature faith: God is worthy of praise even when His ways are hidden in darkness.

Let our hearts remain open, and our mouths remain full of praise to our God, in every condition. If He gives, we thank Him; if He takes, we still bow in worship. For the same Lord who permits loss is the Lord who redeems, restores, and will one day wipe away every tear.

Genesis 2:18—“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” 

Genesis 2:18 arrests our attention because it is the first time in the creation account, before the fall, that God declares something “not good.” Everything else had been pronounced good – light, land, seas, and even man himself. Yet the LORD God, in perfect wisdom, looked upon Adam and said, “It is not good that the man should be alone.”

This teaches us that loneliness was never part of God’s original design for humanity. Adam was sinless, living in paradise, surrounded by beauty. Yet still incomplete without a companion. The need here is theological, not merely psychological or emotional. God created man not to exist in isolation, but to live in loving fellowship. Man was made for relationship and covenant companionship.

The phrase “an help meet for him” does not describe inferiority. The word “help” is often used of God Himself in Scripture (Psalm 121:1–2). It speaks of strength, support, and partnership. “Meet” means suitable. The woman was created to correspond to him, supplying what was lacking. Eve was God’s gracious provision: a companion beside him.

In this light, a wife is God’s gift to her husband as his closest earthly companion, a wise counsellor, a faithful supporter, and a fellow-heir of grace. She is not merely one who lives with him, but one who labours with him in life, strengthens him in weakness, and walks with him in the fear of God. She brings warmth to his home, stability to his heart, and godly influence to his calling.

This verse reminds us that God cares deeply about our relational life. He provides companionship, family, friendship, and the fellowship of the church. If God said it was not good for Adam to be alone, we should not ignore the lonely around us, or excuse isolation in our own hearts. God’s remedy for what is lacking in our lives often comes through loving, holy fellowship that He provides. 

So, we ought to thank God sincerely for the relationships He has given us, and especially for the sacred gift of marriage, remembering that companionship is part of His wise and loving design. And since no husband or wife can fulfil their calling by mere strength, we must daily seek the Lord’s help and grace to love, serve, and walk together according to His will, that our homes may honour Christ.