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This is The LORD’s Doing!

“This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). Jesus quoted Psalm 118:21-23 in Matthew 21:42 because those verses prophetically described what Israel’s religious leaders were doing to Him and what God would do despite their rejection. As Bible Witness marks twenty-five years, we rejoice that the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection, and the advancement of His kingdom, are the LORD’s doing; and whatever good this ministry has accomplished in serving that purpose is likewise by His gracious hand.

In the year 2000, the work to start a literature ministry began, which was then called Bible Witness Literature Ministry. As the Lord enabled us to produce and disseminate God’s truth through various media and the internet, we called it Bible Witness Media Ministry. Through the Bible Witness Magazine, Gospel tracts, books, internet broadcasts [Bible Witness Web Radio (BWWR) & Bible Witness TV (BWTV)], online resources, retreats, seminars and other avenues of ministry, the Lord has enabled His truth to reach many in Singapore and beyond. Every opportunity, provision and fruit of this ministry testifies to His goodness and faithfulness. “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3).

Our motto has been our risen Lord’s words, “…ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We thank God for all who sacrificially and faithfully served to steer Bible Witness Media Ministry forward.

Come, Let Us Give Thanks!

Two Evenings of Thanksgiving…

For a quarter of a century, the Lord has graciously guarded, guided, and sustained Bible Witness Media Ministry in the publishing and teaching of His precious Word. As we look back upon these 25 years, we gratefully confess, “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).

Let us therefore gather this Tuesday and Wednesday, 8th and 9th September, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, to commemorate the Lord’s faithfulness in enabling Gethsemane B-P Church to establish and sustain the Bible Witness Media Ministry for the dissemination of biblical truths in Singapore and beyond.

A special highlight of the anniversary will be the release of the much anticipated Bible Explorer, Book 1: Genesis 1–26, which is a long-awaited answer to our prayers for sound teaching materials for children. The series includes a Teacher’s Manual and a Student Workbook available for purchase, and Post-Lesson Activity Material (PLAM) and Lesson Aids available for download.

The media team will also present a short video clip that recalls the Lord’s goodness over the years, with reflections and reminiscences from those involved in the ministry.

Our GCC, GYC and Children’s Choir, together with some of our musicians, will render special praise items unto the Lord. In addition, the Bible Witness musicians will release a special digital collection of instrumental renditions of seven hymns prepared in conjunction with the 25th Anniversary Thanksgiving.

…and Bible Lectures

Both nights, as part of the Thanksgiving gathering, there will be lectures on the topic “The Sovereign God and His Covenants”. These lectures seek to refute the notion that God derived or patterned His covenants after Ancient Near Eastern forms, and to affirm their wholly divine origin, authority, and revelation. The lectures will trace their eternal purpose, historical revelation, divinely appointed sacrifices and signs, in particular, the Abrahamic covenant ceremony, and how God made their meaning known to His ancient people.

The claim that God patterned His covenants after Ancient Near Eastern covenant forms is often presented as a historical fact. However, there is no biblical evidence for this claim. Moreover, it raises a serious theological problem, as it risks making fallen human culture the conceptual source from which God supposedly borrowed the forms by which He revealed His redemptive purposes.

When such errors begin to gain acceptance within our congregations, we have a duty not to remain silent. Bible Witness was established to spread and defend the truth of God’s Word. Faithfulness to this calling requires not only the positive proclamation of sound doctrine, but also, when necessary, the exposure and refutation of errors that threaten biblical truth. As new errors arise or old ones gain renewed influence, Bible Witness must continue to speak clearly, graciously and courageously, upholding the authority, sufficiency and purity of God’s revealed Word. Hence, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Bible Witness, we have devoted these two lectures to affirming the divine origin of God’s covenants and refuting the claim that their forms were derived from Ancient Near Eastern practices.

Come early, be seated, and pray for the Lord’s blessings upon our gathering. Let us unite our hearts in grateful praise to the Lord for all that He has done.

A special Bible teaching class will be provided for the children.

Sermon Text: 2 Kings 6:8–23
Speaker: Preacher Cornelius Koshy
Date: 6th September 2026

Philemon 11—“Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me.”

Paul writes these words concerning Onesimus, Philemon’s servant, who had left his master and appears to have caused him some loss or injury (vv. 15, 18). Yet, in God’s providence, Onesimus came into contact with Paul during the apostle’s imprisonment and was converted through his ministry. Paul therefore calls him “my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds” (v. 10).

The contrast is striking: “in time past…unprofitable, but now profitable”. Onesimus was no longer the man he had formerly been. The grace of God had changed him. Paul was not merely saying that Onesimus had become a more useful servant; he was testifying to the transforming power of the Gospel. A sinner who had once acted wrongly was now a beloved brother who had become useful both to Paul and to Philemon (vv. 12, 16).

This is what saving grace does. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Conversion does not merely change a person’s religious profession; it produces a new disposition toward God, righteousness, duty, and others.

Our past failures, therefore, need not determine our future usefulness. This transforming grace also reminds us that believers need not be confined or discouraged by fixed “personality-type” classifications, for the grace of God is able to reshape our attitudes, habits, relationships, and usefulness in ways that natural temperament alone cannot determine. Christ saves sinners not only from guilt but also transforms their lives for His glory. Those who have been unfaithful, selfish, or unprofitable can, by God’s grace, become useful servants.

Let us therefore ask for God’s saving and sanctifying grace to make a visible difference in the way we live, serve, and relate to others.

Jonah 1:12—“And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.”

Jonah had fled from the command of the LORD, but he could not flee from God’s sovereign hand. The storm exposed what Jonah had tried to hide. After the lot fell upon him and the sailors questioned him, Jonah finally acknowledged, “I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you”.

This confession reveals an important truth: our sins may bring painful consequences not only upon ourselves but also upon others. Jonah’s disobedience endangered an entire ship. Sin is never a harmless private matter. Our rebellion against God can trouble families, churches, friends, and those entrusted to our care.

Jonah also accepted responsibility. He did not blame the sailors, the weather, or his circumstances. He knew that the storm was God’s chastening hand upon him. Yet we should be careful not to read more repentance into the verse than Scripture states. Jonah recognised his guilt and the cause of the tempest, but the deeper correction of his heart would continue through God’s dealings with him.

The passage displays both God’s holiness and sovereignty. The LORD would not allow His prophet to continue comfortably in rebellion. Yet His chastening was also merciful, for God was pursuing Jonah in order to restore and use him.

When the Lord exposes our sin, we must not excuse it or shift the blame. We should confess it humbly, accept responsibility for the harm it has caused, and return obediently to Him. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Jonah 1:3—“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jonah’s disobedience was deliberate. God had plainly commanded him, “Arise, go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:2), but Jonah set out in the opposite direction. Nineveh lay to the northeast; Tarshish was far to the west. Jonah was not confused about God’s will, but he was resisting it.

Jonah’s determination to flee is evident in the deliberate steps he took. He went down to Joppa, found a ship sailing to Tarshish, paid the required fare, and boarded it “to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD”. He deliberately arranged his journey in the opposite direction from the place to which God had sent him. 

Twice this verse says that Jonah sought to flee “from the presence of the LORD”. The expression therefore describes Jonah’s attempt to withdraw from the place and service to which God had called him. He wanted to escape the responsibility God had laid upon him.

Yet, God did not abandon His disobedient servant. He sent the storm, prepared the great fish, and brought Jonah back to obedience. Divine chastening was an expression of sovereign mercy.

Believers must therefore beware of resisting God’s revealed will. We cannot escape His eye, His authority, or His purpose. Obedience may sometimes be difficult, but fleeing from God is never the safer path. Blessed is the believer who says, “Teach me to do thy will” (Psalm 143:10).

Obadiah 4—“Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.”

Edom’s confidence rested on height, strength, and apparent security. Its people lived in mountainous strongholds and imagined themselves beyond the reach of enemies. Obadiah therefore uses vivid language: “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars”. However high Edom might rise, the LORD declared, “thence will I bring thee down”.

The verse exposes the foolishness of human pride. Men often imagine that wealth, position, influence, military strength, intelligence, or success can make them untouchable. But no human achievement can place anyone beyond God’s authority. The greater pride lifts a man in his own estimation, the more certain is his fall when God judges.

Scripture repeatedly affirms this truth. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). God alone is truly exalted, and He will not surrender His glory to the proud.

This warning is also pastoral. Success can quietly tempt believers to trust in what God has given rather than in God Himself. Advancement, recognition, and prosperity may become spiritual dangers when they produce self-confidence.

The answer is not to despise every achievement, but to remain humble before the Lord. Whatever height we attain is still beneath His throne.

Edom asked, in effect, “Who can reach us?” God answered, “I can.”

Let us therefore never boast in our position or strength, but walk humbly, remembering that the safest place is not the highest place, but the place of dependence upon God.

Obadiah 3—“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?”

Obadiah addressed Edom, a nation proud of its seemingly secure position. The Edomites lived among rugged mountains and rocky strongholds, and their elevated dwellings gave them a sense of security. From such a position, they boasted inwardly, “Who shall bring me down to the ground?”

But God identified the deeper problem: “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee”. Pride is deceitful because it persuades a person to believe that he is stronger, safer, and more independent than he truly is. Edom trusted in natural defences, but no height could place them beyond the reach of God.

Pride is a refusal to acknowledge our creaturely dependence on the Lord. It exalts the self and quietly assumes that human strength, wisdom, wealth, position, or security can preserve us. Yet Scripture declares, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

The danger is especially serious because pride often hides in the heart. Edom “saith in his heart”. Outwardly, we may appear humble, yet inwardly trust in ourselves.

Therefore, believers must examine where their confidence rests. Do we trust our abilities, resources, experience, influence, or reputation? These can quickly become our “clefts of the rock”.

True security is found only in the Lord. Pride says, “Who shall bring me down?” Humility says, “Without the Lord, I cannot stand.” Let us therefore walk humbly before God, remembering that every strength we possess is His gift and that our safety depends entirely upon His grace.

Amos 8:11 - “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Amos announces a dreadful judgment upon Israel: not merely scarcity of food or water, but a famine “of hearing the words of the LORD.” The people had repeatedly rejected God’s warnings, oppressed the poor, pursued dishonest gain, and despised His truth. Therefore, the day would come when the prophetic word they had refused to hear would no longer be readily available.

This was a judgment more severe than physical famine. Bread sustains the body, but the Word of God is necessary for the soul. Moses declared that “man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3). To be deprived of God’s Word is therefore a terrible spiritual calamity.

The verse also warns us against taking divine revelation for granted. When God’s Word is preached faithfully, we must hear it with humility, repentance, and faith. Continual resistance to truth hardens the heart. Those who repeatedly refuse to listen may one day discover that the opportunity to hear has been removed.

Yet the warning also carries a call: treasure the Scriptures while they are freely available. Read them. Hear them preached. Teach them to your children. Receive correction from them. Do not treat the Bible as common simply because it is accessible.

A famine of bread is painful, but a famine of God’s Word is far worse. The question is not merely, “Do we possess a Bible?” but “Do we hunger to hear the words of the LORD?”

Amos 6:1—“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!”

Amos pronounces a solemn “woe” upon those who were “at ease in Zion” and who trusted in the strength of Samaria. The problem was not merely that they enjoyed comfort. Their sin was a careless security that ignored God’s warnings and trusted in outward privilege, prosperity, and human strength.

Zion embodied Judah’s religious confidence, while Samaria was the fortified capital of the northern kingdom. Both peoples had grounds for security. They possessed cities, influence, wealth, and national prominence. Yet none of these could protect them from God’s judgement.

The phrase “at ease” conveys a settled complacency. They were comfortable while the nation was spiritually corrupt. They enjoyed prosperity even as injustice, pride, and ungodliness grew around them. They acted as though judgement could never come.

This remains a serious warning for believers. Material comfort can easily produce spiritual dullness. We may have a secure home, stable income, good health, and religious privileges, yet become careless about prayer, holiness, repentance, and the state of our souls.

Scripture repeatedly warns against false security. “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall” (Proverbs 11:28a). Our confidence must not rest on wealth, position, church membership, or outward blessings, but on the Lord alone.

God’s people must therefore resist spiritual complacency. Comfort should make us thankful, not careless. Prosperity should deepen our dependence on God, not weaken it.

The question Amos presses upon us is searching: Are we resting in the Lord, or in our comforts?

A pastoral exhortation in view of the upcoming Kuching Mission

“For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:5).

Although Paul was imprisoned and separated from the church in Philippi by a great distance, his memory of their fellowship with him had not diminished. He could write, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you… for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3–5).

Their “fellowship in the gospel” was far more than warm friendship. The biblical idea of fellowship is about sharing, participating, and having something in common. Paul and the Philippians were bound together by their common faith in Christ and their shared commitment to advancing His Gospel.

Although the Philippians could not accompany Paul wherever he preached, they participated in his ministry by praying for him and supporting him materially. They sent Epaphroditus to minister to his needs. They remained concerned for the progress of the Gospel, even when Paul was far from them.

This is beautifully illustrated in Paul’s testimony about the churches of Macedonia. Though they endured “a great trial of affliction” and “deep poverty”, their generosity “abounded unto the riches of their liberality” (2 Corinthians 8:2). Remarkably, Paul says they gave “to their power” and even “beyond their power” (v. 3). What produced such generosity? Paul explains: they “first gave their own selves to the Lord” (v. 5).

There lies the heart of true missionary fellowship. Before we give our money, our time, or our strength, we must first give ourselves to the Lord. When our hearts belong wholly to Christ, we will care about what Christ cares about. We will desire His Gospel to be preached. We will rejoice when sinners hear of the Saviour. We will pray for missionaries and preachers labouring far away. We will willingly support the Gospel works in places which we may never personally visit.

The Philippians understood that those who remain at home can have genuine fellowship with those who go forth. Paul later commended them: “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel… no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only” (Philippians 4:15). 

Their fellowship was practical and enduring “from the first day until now”. This should also characterise our church. The Lord has graciously opened doors for Gospel ministry in various places. Brethren labour in different fields; churches need strengthening; preachers need encouragement; Gospel works require support; and souls still need to hear about Jesus Christ.

Those who travel go as representatives of a congregation that stands behind them in prayer, encouragement, giving, and love. Some may preach. Others may teach. Others may serve in practical ways. But the whole church can participate through “fellowship in the gospel”.

Therefore, the upcoming Mission Trip to Kuching should never be regarded as the undertaking of only those whose names appear on the travelling team. It is our church’s Gospel work.

Let us then pray earnestly for those who will go, that the Lord will keep them spiritually strong and physically well; that He will grant wisdom, courage, humility, and love; that His Word will be preached faithfully; that believers in the mission field will be strengthened; that sinners will hear the Gospel and turn to Christ; and also those who labour there will continue to do so after the visiting team has returned home.

We should always ask ourselves: What has the Lord entrusted to me that can be used for the furtherance of the Gospel? Perhaps we can give financially, encourage a missionary or preacher, help meet a practical need, and regularly remember a particular mission work in prayer. Perhaps the Lord may even be preparing some among us to go forth and serve Him more directly in the days to come.

Missionary concern must never belong only to pastors, missionaries, or mission committees. It belongs to the whole church.

Campus Bible Study Thanksgiving 2026

On Thursday evening, the youths of Campus Bible Study gathered for dinner and fellowship. It was a time to share the Lord’s goodness and mercies that they had experienced throughout another academic year. We also welcomed new friends from various tertiary institutions.

Amidst the demands of academic rigour and the pursuit of secular aspirations, many Christian youths are increasingly overwhelmed by responsibilities that can gradually divert their attention from the Lord. This gathering was planned to urge the participants to consecrate their hearts to the Lord, deepen their love for Him, and begin the new academic year with their priorities rightly ordered before God. We pray that each youth entering or attending tertiary education will commit to the weekly Campus Bible Study and fellowship sessions, which are carefully curated for their spiritual growth. It is essential to meditate constantly on God’s Word throughout the week, for this strengthens our hearts to remain steadfast and guarded against worldly influences.

Join us for our Campus Bible Study Sessions, held weekly on Thursdays (6pm to 7pm) via Google Meet! God willing, we will be studying the wise counsels from the Book of Proverbs.

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).