Sermon Text: Jonah 1:1–10
Speaker: Pr Samson Hutagalung
Date: 8th October 2023
Sermon Text: Jonah 1:1–10
Speaker: Pr Samson Hutagalung
Date: 8th October 2023
Christian life and ministry is a call to sacrificial service to God. Our pattern is the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ! “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2).
During His public ministry, Jesus specifically pointed out to His disciples “how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matt 16:21). Jesus willingly endured His afflictions and death for our salvation, in accordance with His Father’s will. So, shouldn’t we, His followers, be ready for suffering and even death in service to God? Paul, the prisoner for the Gospel, urged Timothy, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8). Are you willing and ready to endure afflictions for Christ? We only achieve great things for Christ’s kingdom if we serve Him by willingly enduring afflictions, and even death!
During World War II, eleven missionaries were martyred on the Island of Panay in the Philippines. One of these was Dr. Francis Rose – who had penned the following poem that is commonly called “The Martyr’s Hymn”:
All human progress up to God
Has stained the stairs of time with blood;
For every gain for Christendom
Is bought by someone’s martyrdom.
For us he poured the crimson cup,
And bade us take and drink it up.
Himself he poured to set us free.
Help us, O Christ, to drink with thee.
Ten thousand saints come thronging home,
From lion’s den and catacomb.
The fire and sword and beasts defied;
For Christ, their King, they gladly died.
With eye of faith we see today
That cross-led column wind its way
Up life’s repeated Calvary.
We rise, O Christ, to follow Thee!
Dear Pastor Koshy,
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord for His goodness upon the churches here in Bogo and San Antonio. The Lord has been gracious and merciful to keep and preserve the two churches. The Lord be praised for the loving support of Gethsemane BPC, Singapore to the missionary-in-charge.
We recently had our 1st Annual Congregational Meeting on 17 September 2023. We thank God for all that the Lord has done in and through the church, looking forward to God’s blessings upon the plans of the two churches. Praise the Lord for His gracious provision through the loving support of the church in Singapore and the faithful giving of the brethren. Through these, our two churches’ expenses for the past fiscal year have been met and sustained. All glory be to God!
Praise the Lord for opening doors of opportunity for us to teach the senior high school students in Binabag National High School. Initially, we were given a one-hour slot (8.00am–9.00am) every Friday to teach the Word of God to the students. After the teaching session last Friday, we were asked if we could teach other students at another time slot (10.00am–11.00am). The Lord has graciously granted us opportunities to teach the Word of God and preach the Gospel. God willing, we will be teaching in two separate time slots this coming Friday (6 October). For the first time slot (8.00am–9.00am), the number of students is 32, and we expect the same number for the 2nd time slot (10.00am–11.00am). Praise the Lord for such a blessed opportunity!
By the grace of God, the brethren in Bogo and San Antonio are doing well. Though some are sick and have not been attending church, some newcomers have come and worshipped with us. Thank God for the planned Christmas meeting in Bogo on 20 December 2023. We look forward to attending such meetings and fellowshipping with the brethren.
Once again, thank you very much, Pastor Koshy and the Board of Elders, for your loving support to us. Praise the Lord for His goodness.
Sincerely in Christ,
Elder Eliezer
Sermon Text: Psalm 57
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 1st October 2023
David wrote in Psalm 23:6, “…and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” David was a man who always desired to be “in the house of the LORD”. There, he rejoiced in the goodness and mercies of the LORD. Worship, singing, rendering of testimonies, meditation of His Word, prayers, and all such activities in the LORD’s house granted him the greatest joy he had ever experienced in this world. In Psalm 5:7, he uttered, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.”
David often spoke in his psalms about his desire for the LORD’s house. He prayed in Psalm 26:8, “LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” In Psalm 27:4, he wrote, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.” His pious heart could not find a greater, nobler, sweeter experience than hearing the praise, honour and glory of God in the place of worship. No wonder the psalmist exclaimed, “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2).
Furthermore, the psalmist said in Psalm 84:4, “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.” He also declared in the same psalm: “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (v. 10). In the same vein, David counted being “in the house of the LORD” as the most blessed experience of a man’s life. So, he wrote in Psalm 65:4, “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.”
It was David’s irrepressible desire to rejoice in all the activities conducted in the LORD’s house in worship of His name. His heart’s most cherished ambition was to be with God’s people in His house, thinking of the LORD’s goodness and mercy and serving Him. The desire for the LORD’s house was so great that he wanted to dwell there for ever. Obviously, nothing would fully satisfy his longing heart except heaven, where he shall dwell forever with the LORD!
Dear brethren, thank God that He does not refuse to let us in when we come to His house to seek His blessings and protection over us. He welcomes us to be like David, that we make His house our “dwelling place”. The LORD’s house is a place of asylum in times of our troubles, and also our happy dwelling place when our lives are joyous and blessed.
Let us never forsake our assembling together in His house. Do not miss any opportunity that we have to come into His house. May the church be your “home, sweet home”. Let us always say, “God’s house, My house!” Then, we too can say like David, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem” (Ps. 122:1-2).
Pastor Jied has reported that the construction of the Church and Bible Academy building has restarted after two months of delay caused by the rainy season. The concrete for the first level has been completed, and the construction of the second level of the building is about to begin. Pray that the construction will progress smoothly and be completed by early next year, as they desire it to be ready for use by February 2024.
Report by Pr Samson Hutagalung
Recollecting God’s blessings and giving thanks for all His benefits reflect our humble desire and gratitude to honour and praise God. Scripture admonishes us in Deuteronomy 26:11, “And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house…” We take this opportunity to consider God’s abundant goodness and blessings in leading His servants to do what He has laid on their hearts in bringing God’s truths all over the world through a systematic and in-depth study of the Word made available online. The Lord has graciously used Gethsemane BPC in various ways to carry out Christ’s Commission to His church in Matthew 28:18-20. The task given to the church involves preaching the Gospel to the unsaved, and teaching and equipping those whom the Lord has redeemed to serve Him faithfully and effectively. GBI-Online, as a ministry of our church, is tasked with equipping Christian men and women globally through the expository study of God’s Word.
The inception of GBI-Online came about because of the burden that the Lord has laid on Pastor Koshy to provide free online learning of God’s Word for God’s people globally. By setting up GBI online, and slowly and steadily enhancing it over the past 9 years, the Lord has enabled us to grant hundreds of people worldwide access to serious, systematic study of God’s Word.
When I first came to Gethsemane BPC in 2013, Pastor Koshy shared with me with great enthusiasm about his desire to start an online Bible Institute to offer Biblical courses that would help the students of Gethsemane Bible Institutes in Ethiopia and the Philippines (now also in India). Having heard from Pastor his desire and plan, I felt stirred in my heart to offer my service. With God’s continued help, I laboured to learn the Learning Management System (LMS). At that time, we learned that the Moodle platform was most helpful to set up online distance learning. After much hard work, we introduced the GBI-Online Website (www.gbi-online.com) and its platform for learning God’s Word during the 4th Missionary Conference (2014) held in Singapore. For a start, two courses were offered: First, The Names of God; and second, Jonah: Divine Conquest of a Defiant Heart. They were Pastor’s messages preached during the Bible Witness Retreats.
GBI-Online started night classes on Wednesday, 21st January 2015, at TGCM premises. This night class was started with a twofold purpose. The first aim was to record the videos of courses on theology and expositions of Bible books by Pastor Koshy. The second was to allow Gethsemaneans and friends keen to learn those Biblical subjects to attend Pastor’s lectures that were being recorded. The first lecture, Systematic Theology 1: Theism, had 34 students who cheered one another in studying God’s precious truths. The video lectures were recorded and edited, and subsequently made available on the GBI-Online website.
For a period of time, the TGCM premises had been a venue for night classes (2015-2017). By the end of 2017, Pastor had completed teaching six courses on Systematic Theologies: Theism, Bibliology, Anthropology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology and Eschatology. All these classes were attended by members of Gethsemane BPC, and there was not a time we were lacking students. The classroom was full to the brim. Some students who could not attend the night classes could follow the lessons online through the GBI-Online website.
In order to accommodate a bigger number of students, starting in 2018, the GBI-Online class was moved to SingPost Auditorium every Sunday at 9.00am. Pastor Koshy taught the Book of Revelation, attended by nearly 100 brethren. Subsequently, he taught the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the same venue till the end of 2019.
January 2020 was the beginning of a new phase for GBI-Online. This was due to God’s gracious provision of the Gethsemane Media Centre (GMC) to our church. Truly, it was a great blessing from God as it was so well-timed to meet our desperate need for a place for administrative matters of the ministry. Because of the availability of the new place, the GBI-Online class held on Sunday morning was shifted to 6.00pm on every Lord’s Day, under the new name: “Evening Teaching Service”.
In addition, the Wednesday Night Class, which had been stopped for a while, was resumed. Praise be to the Lord for all His lovingkindness. With the addition of Wednesday Night Class, GBI-Online courses have entered yet another progressive phase. Now, we have been enabled to provide more recorded courses for those who desire to learn God’s Word.
26th July 2023 is another milestone date in GBI-Online. The Lord has so graciously strengthened Pastor and Pr Cornelius Koshy to teach courses on Biblical Language Familiarisation (BLF: Hebrew & Greek). We see how the Lord has moved the hearts of our church members and their friends to join these night classes. 53 students attend BLF: Hebrews, and 62 enrol for BLF: Greek. For the Wednesday night classes on 1 Corinthians taught by Pastor, 112 students have registered. Praise be to the Lord!
In addition to the above classes, Pastor Koshy leads a group of preachers from different Asian countries for in-depth study of various theological topics. This programme is called “Pastoral Biblical Studies” (PBS). The participants of this course are preachers and missionaries serving the Lord in various mission fields of Gethsemane BPC. This semester, Biblical Covenant Theology (Part 3), is the topic of study. On Monday, after PBS classes, Pastor also teaches – online – the students from GBI-India (Vizag) and Soli Deo Gloria Academy (Cherrapunji, NE India). The Lord has opened all these doors for the GBI-Online ministry to equip many (locally and overseas) with His blessed truths.
Shall we not praise God for all His bountiful blessings to our church for using GBI-Online to equip God’s servants? Truly, the Lord is good. Next year will be the tenth year of the GBI-Online ministry. Our hearts are thrilled to see how the Lord has used GBI-Online to educate and edify God’s people everywhere.
GBI-Online now offers several courses that you can take at your own pace: (1) Systematic Theology 1: Theism; (2) Systematic Theology 2: Bibliology; (3) Systematic Theology 3: Anthropology; (4) Systematic Theology 4: Soteriology; (5) Systematic Theology 5: Ecclesiology; (6) Systematic Theology 6: Eschatology; (7) The Book of Jonah: Divine Conquest of a Defiant Heart; (8) The Names of God; (9) Theology of Prayer; (10) Divine Adoption; (11) The Book of Revelation; (12) The Book of Ezra; (13) The Book of Nehemiah; (14) The Books of Haggai and Zechariah; (15) The Book of Ezekiel (Part 1); (16) The Book of Ezekiel (Part 2); (17) Pneumatology: Doctrine of Holy Spirit (Part 1); (18) Doctrine of Holy Spirit (Part 2); (19) The Kings of Judah and Israel; and (20) 1 Corinthians.
May the Lord continue to bless GBI-Online. As of today, 250 students have registered on the GBI-Online Website, learning God’s Word from different countries. As the Lord commands us to grow in the knowledge of His Word, let us take advantage of the opportunity provided through GBI-Online, to nourish ourselves in God’s Word. Please pray for all who labour (our GBWL staff, Pastor Koshy, Pr Cornelius, and myself), and support this ministry generously. To God be the glory!
Sermon Text: Psalm 56
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 24th September 2023
Sermon Text: Psalm 55
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 17th September 2023
Dns Diana Chan
Glory be to the Holy One of Israel, our Redeemer! I thank God for His grace, mercy and strength in enabling me to join the Bible Witness Israel Bible Study Tour 2023. The main reason for me joining the tour is that I would like to visit Gethsemane BPC, Ethiopia, which was our transit point on our way to Israel.
When we were in Ethiopia, it was a joy to meet Rev Ephrem, Pr Engida, and the other preachers and their family members, as well as several of the church brethren! It was so heart-warming to see how the brethren were so formally attired, so cheerful and ready to receive us in the church in Alem Gena. I praise God that both the brethren from Ethiopia and Singapore could congregate for fellowship and worship led by Pastor Ephrem. Pastor Koshy preached the Word of God in that meeting. Pr Cornelius led our Church Choir members in the team to give a song presentation.
Thank God also for the Christian hospitality of the Ethiopian brethren who hosted us to a lovely lunch.
I thank God for Pastor and Dn Lok for their labour in planning and organising the tour, even having to make ad-hoc changes during our journey. Thank God for His grace, good health and protection throughout the trip. Praise God for the unity, encouragement and care for one another. It was encouraging to see the stronger adults helping and supporting our senior brethren, especially in manoeuvring difficult terrain and steps. Special mention must be made of the young adults who constantly availed themselves, ever ready to provide additional help.
Praise the Lord for the lessons learnt from GBI on the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah, as well as 1 Samuel. Biblical history was brought to life as we journeyed through the land of the Old and New Testaments. The various sites, such as the wilderness of Judea, Ziph, and Gibeah, brought to mind how David and his six hundred men had to flee from King Saul and his three thousand soldiers in the wilderness, desert, hills and caves. Praise God for preserving His servant, David, and his loyal men. Indeed, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Almost every morning, before embarking on the journey, we would assemble in quietude in a room. Pastor would lead us in singing, devotion and prayer, and remind us to focus our minds on God in the Bible Study tour. I also thank God for the culminating point at the end of our tour, which was our worship in the chapel at the Garden Tomb. We had Holy Communion, in remembrance of God’s plan of salvation for mankind through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins. May the remembrance of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to spur us to love the Lord, trust in Him and serve Him.
To God be the glory, great things He had done!
Abigail Koshy
I really thank God for a wonderful time in Israel as part of the Bible Witness Israel Bible Study Tour 2023. It was a blessed eight days in the Promised Land, tracing biblical events in God’s promised land for Israel. Visiting the Promised Land has always been my earnest desire, and I am thankful to the Lord for the answered prayer to go as a family this year. God has provided for all our needs along the way, and given us the strength to carry the little ones in all our travels. Praise the Lord for endurance, safety and good health. Each day was fast-paced and filled with many places to see – from Joppa (near Tel Aviv) to the Sea of Galilee and the surrounding towns where Jesus had ministered. Enroute to Jerusalem, we crossed through the Judean wilderness (present-day West Bank), walked through the old city and the city of David, and visited significant sites around the Dead Sea.
The Bible indeed comes alive! Most places we visited were archaeological excavations of biblical cities, and various locations of biblical events. I was struck by the beauty of the land: the olive trees and palm dates, vast lakes and bountiful springs, as well as the rolling wilderness and arid weather. I loved its topography: vast hills and valleys, deserts, plains, lakes and seas – places which our Saviour trod and travelled across during His earthly ministry. Above all the sights, most of which are overrun by sheer idolatry and vendors seeking the tourist dollar, one thing stands out clear to all who believe in the Truth: “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).
Finally, I thank God for our very knowledgeable Jewish tour guide who, along with Pastor’s daily devotions, made the trip an in-depth Bible Study in a moving “classroom”. May our continual prayer be: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces” (Psalm 122:6-7).
Pr Cornelius Koshy
I thank God for the grand opportunity to go through Ethiopia and visit the brethren who serve in the Gethsemane Church and GBI campus in Alem Gena. Ethiopian Airlines’ resumption of the route from Singapore to Tel Aviv (through Addis Ababa) was just in time for the BW Study Tour to Israel – praise the LORD! As Paul says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10). We seized this opportunity to show our love to our fellow Ethiopian brethren (cf. Rom 12:9a – “Let love be without dissimulation”), and to spend time in worship and thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness through the past 17 years! I also thank God for nine GCC singers who cheerfully sang the encouraging hymn, “He Leadeth Me”, bringing a part of Singapore-style singing to brethren in Ethiopia. The whole team was treated to a sumptuous spread of authentic Ethiopian cuisine, which was concluded with live-roasted, ground and brewed Ethiopian coffee!
The bus ride back to Bole International Airport for our connecting flight to Israel was a test of faith! We did not anticipate an afternoon traffic congestion, and many of us were anxious because we had only about two hours to travel back to the capital (Addis Ababa), get our luggage and check in to the next flight. Some urged the driver to “go fast!”; others tried to contact the airline. Everyone prayed earnestly, and when we finally reached the airport, Pastor led us in a prayer of thanksgiving, and the team moved quickly as one unit to the gate. We praise the Lord for truly, “He leadeth me, O blessed thought … By his own hand, he leadeth me!”
On a personal note, I thank God for this third visit to the Holy Land, which strengthened my geographical knowledge of the biblical accounts. At each site, I was transported back to its biblical narratives, and my heart was encouraged by the spiritual lessons and promises attached to each location. There was also a renewal of eschatological anticipation for Christ’s return during this trip. Apart from visiting Megiddo, where the nations’ armies would gather to battle Christ (Rev 16:16), we spent an hour in a private garden in Gethsemane, on the western slope of Mt Olive. This was a special booking made possible by the tour agent. Gethsemane (church) was in Gethsemane (cf. Luke 22:42)! Pastor exhorted from Zechariah 12-14 and we contemplated Christ’s second coming, which would unfold in the very space and land where we were. Such contemplations, made in meaningful places, tend to be etched deeply and enduringly in one’s mind.
May the joys of living in Christ and our love for Him endure all the way till He calls us home, or when He returns! All glory be to God!
Sermon Text: Psalm 54
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 10th September 2023
Are you surprised by the title of this article? Corrupt communication is one of the maladies that wreck the peace and progress of many biblical churches in recent days. However, it is not a new phenomenon. It is an age-old problem. The apostle Paul was subjected to awful defamation by several unprincipled groups in the early churches (cf. 2 Cor. 10:10). Even our Lord Jesus Christ was not spared by the evilness of vile men who presented themselves as pious.
These days, our church has been the target of vile, flagrant accusations. These accusers, who generally magnify themselves as pious men with special knowledge of “GBPC’s sin”, have been whispering here and there! They are looking for partners for their gossip mill within our church, so they can cause division within us. May God protect us from their venomous words!
Let us heed the divine counsel and refuse to be corrupt communicators. “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another… Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:25, 29).
Ephesians 4:29a – “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth”.
This is a prohibition against bad speech. The Greek word for “corrupt” denotes that which is putrid, rotten, and hence corrupting, defiling and injurious. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”
Corrupt communication includes many kinds of bad speech, such as bad language, vulgar and profane exclamations, foolish talking, filthy conversation, unprofitable remarks, profane oaths, lies, false witnessing, angry utterances, provocative words, demeaning statements, hurtful words, curses, threatening, abusive language, ridicule, gossips, slandering, false accusations, proud and arrogant expressions, boasting, flattery, misleading advice, false teaching, unwholesome and filthy songs, etc.
Corrupt communication can easily occur; it is a common malady, even in churches and among Christians. Not only do new Christians fall prey to it, even believers who are well advanced in sanctification have been overtaken by the sin of evil communication. We must always be watchful against falling into this unsavoury conduct. Since our bad speech is an expression of our defiled thoughts and feelings, we must strive to cleanse our hearts and minds constantly, and to keep them from being defiled again.
It is also important that we avoid the company of men and women who engage in evil communication. Those who spend time communing with people who are unguarded in their speech will soon be like them. Those who read unwholesome material or entertain themselves with profane shows will easily learn their bad language and mannerisms. 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
Godly men will be cautious of what they say. They will pray to God to help them guard their speech. If we learn to control our tongue, we can avoid many embarrassing situations. We can also avoid many quarrels, as well as the poisoning and even severing of friendships. Let us make David’s prayer in Psalm 19:14 ours as well: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
Ephesians 4:29b - “but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Immediately after prohibiting corrupt communication, Paul encourages good speech. He advises Christians to see that their words are well-chosen, to the extent that they edify others. The conversation of Christians should be honourable and beneficial, so that it edifies, rather than harms or destroys others.
Speech is a special gift from God. We must use it as His Word directs us. Here, we are exhorted to use it for edifying one another. The Greek word that Paul used for “edifying” (oikodómēsis) denotes the act of building a house. In Paul’s epistles, it is used to indicate spiritual nurture or advancement.
We must, through our speech, seek to build one another up. We must speak so as to do good to others. By relating our testimony of salvation and sharing the Gospel of Christ with the unsaved, we can point some souls to Christ our Saviour. Through friendly discussions, we can impart God’s truths to the young or less mature in faith, that they may grow in the knowledge of God’s Word. We can comfort those who are weary and sad with God’s promises. We can prevent some from going astray by providing timely and wise advice. We can correct and restore those who have erred in their ways by admonishing them in love.
There is a great need for us to engage in godly conversation that will bring edification to one another. Merely refraining from corrupt speech is not good enough. Great spiritual disaster will come upon our church, friends and family members, if we choose not to speak when there is a need to do so. Where there is a lack of godly conversation, the unhindered growth of spiritual maladies will take root and fester.
We must speak with wisdom and grace to impart spiritual blessings and protection to others. May our words provide spiritual benefits. As Paul said, we must strive to “minister grace unto the hearers”. Proverbs 25:11 tells us, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Appropriate words spoken at the right time in the best manner are beautiful and precious, indeed. Let us remember that our words have power, either for good or evil. Let us, therefore, speak in such a way that will build up our hearers, and not tear them down.