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READ:

Colossians 1:13

¹³ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

EXHORTATION:

Our salvation is a demonstration of God’s matchless, triumphant power. We are now “delivered” from the tyrannical power of Satan and sin by God the Omnipotent. The Greek word for “delivered” (rhúomai) means “rescued from danger or great peril”. If God had not rescued us, we would have remained subjugated forever by satanic tyranny.

We were under “the power of darkness”. The word “power” denotes authority or jurisdiction. “Darkness” denotes moral and spiritual ignorance and evil that pervade Satan’s domain. The hosts of demons reign in this world as “the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan keeps people in the spiritual darkness of ignorance (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:18), vile passions and deeds (John 3:19-20; Ephesians 5:11- 13), as well as misery, fear and death (Luke 1:79). We were once locked up in Satan’s corrupt and vile domain, having no power to break free.

But God sent His Son to deliver us. In 1 John 3:8, we read, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus illustrated His power to cast out the demons and free a soul from their sway in Matthew 12:29 – “how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?” Christ, the mighty Conqueror, has snatched us from the clutches of Satan and brought us out of his control and dark influences.

God not only delivered us from the power of darkness, but He also “translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”. The word “translated” in Greek (methíst?mi) has the idea of removing people from a place to another. Christians have been transferred from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of Christ, God’s dear Son. Our salvation removes us from spiritual and moral darkness, and places us in the pure and glorious light of Jesus Christ. Zechariah prophetically announced concerning Christ before His birth, that He would appear “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). Jesus Himself said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).

What a glorious freedom we have been granted in Christ! No more to be under darkness, but evermore with Christ in His glorious kingdom of light!

READ:

Colossians 1:11

¹¹ Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.

EXHORTATION:

This is a portion of Paul’s prayer for the Colossian Christians. What a needful prayer! Paul was aware that a Christian would not be able to persevere in his life of faith and service unless he is endued with strength from his Almighty God. Every Christian needs to be empowered with the Omnipotent’s strength, which is infinitely greater than his own strength. A Christian’s personal strength is not equal to his challenges. Jesus said, “without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Our God is able to strengthen us. The psalmist said, “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Psalm 62:11). All kinds of strengths belong to Him – spiritual, physical, intellectual, moral, etc. He declares, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). Scripture also repeatedly declares, “Nothing is too hard for the Lord.”

He promises us not little strength but “all might, according to his glorious power”. Moreover, such supreme, immeasurable, eternal power of God will be continually made available to us. The Greek verb for “strengthened” is a present participle, and hence it suggests continued strengthening. He will continually strengthen us by His Spirit. In Ephesians 3:16, we are told “that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man”.

Like Paul, we too must covet greater strength from the Lord so that we might be stronger in our faith, hope and love. We need divine strength to be steadfast, useful and fruitful as Christians. When we are tempted and tried, let us pray for His strength, that we may be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (cf. Ephesians 6:10). When we have much to accomplish, let us appeal to the Lord for His strengthening grace. He will grant us the strength that we need to be good and kind, compassionate and loving, patient and forgiving, longsuffering and fervent, for His glory.

The result of His strengthening is “unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness”. “Patience and longsuffering” are most needful in this hostile world. Christians need His glorious power to forbear their sufferings. His strength will help us not only to patiently endure all difficulties, but also to endure them joyfully. Let us ask for His power to be patient and joyful.

READ:

Colossians 1:5

⁵ For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.

EXHORTATION:

This is a portion of the apostle Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for the Colossian believers. He was thankful to God for the hope that was laid up for them in heaven. He was assured of their hope of heaven because it was evidenced by their faith in Christ Jesus and love to all saints (v. 4).

They were once sinners, “without Christ” and “having no hope”, as Paul highlighted to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:12. Oh, what a great act of grace it is that God has given hopeless sinners a well-founded hope through faith in Christ! Their hearts were once filled with many a false hope that led them astray into misery and meaningless pursuits in life. But now in Christ, their lives are directed towards a blessed hope that is laid up in heaven for them. Christian hope is not some sort of wishful thinking. It is a blessed assurance, a confident anticipation, and a patient waiting for the fulfilment of God’s promises guaranteed by Christ.

How marvellous it is that every Christian’s hope is associated with heaven! He is no more a hell-bound sinner, but a heavenward saint of Christ! Concerning the Christian’s hope, the apostle assuredly says that it is “laid up for you in heaven”. No earthly calamity or attack would destroy the hope of Christians. There is no cause for anxiety about the certainty of our hope. It is laid up in heaven, “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:20), as our Saviour has said. No process of decay will cause the Christians’ hope to become stale or corrupt. In the apostle Peter’s language, the Christians’ hope is a “lively hope” and it is “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3, 4).

The hope in Christ is extraordinary, for it gives us eternal and unparalleled prospects, such as triumph over every enemy (even Satan); perfection that will cause us to be like Christ; full freedom from sin, sorrow and death; perfect rest from earthly labour; joy beyond compare; everlasting fellowship with Christ; eternal rewards; etc.

Such a glorious hope is not an invention of any human mind. It is, as Paul said, that which “ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel”. It is revealed by God in His Word and received through the hearing of the God-ordained Gospel of Christ, even the truth of His Word.

READ:

John 1:17

¹⁷ For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

EXHORTATION:

In the preceding verses, John presented Christ as “full of grace and truth” (v. 14), and pointed out that “of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace” (v. 16). Christ, in whom the fullness of grace dwelt, has come to this world to give grace to those who are in need of grace. He supplies grace to all those who trust Him.

Today’s verse gives us further understanding about the condescension of Christ as the provider of grace for all who are in need of grace. The first word in verse 17, “for” (hóti), is a demonstrative conjunction, explaining how Christ’s fullness of grace benefits those who are in need of grace.

It was for the purpose of bringing man to the fullness of God’s grace that “the law was given by Moses”. In other words, the law of God (given through Moses) makes men realise that not only are they sinners, they are also not able to escape His just condemnation without divine grace. Thus, God’s law leads us to Christ so that we may find God’s grace and truth for our salvation. We are today reminded by the law of Moses that we are condemned sinners, as people were in the Old Testament times. Thus, the law causes us to look to Christ for grace. He then shows us the true way of salvation, which He has accomplished through His death on the cross.

Though Moses was a great prophet of Israel by whom the law was given, he could only make the people realise their need for God’s grace. He couldn’t give them the grace. So by the law, he pointed them to their need of grace which Christ alone can provide. Thus Christ is presented here as infinitely greater than and superior to Moses, who was one of Israel’s greatest prophets and one of the greatest men in biblical history.

Some argue that this verse teaches that the law was contrary to God’s grace. Some even wrongly claim that there was no grace of God in the Old Testament. Such ideas are not even implied in this verse. Rather, it tells us that the law was “given” (an act of God’s grace) to direct the Old Testament people to look towards God’s grace in Christ, who was promised to them (e.g. Isaiah 53). The truth that Christ is God’s gracious provision for their salvation, was symbolically presented in the blood sacrifices of the animals. Christ was indeed the actual provision of God’s grace for man’s salvation in the Old Testament, as it is so today to all those who repent of their sins and turn to Him by faith.

READ:

John 1:14b

^14b (And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

EXHORTATION:

Notice that John did not say “I beheld”, but rather “we beheld”. He was incorporating all the apostles and other believing men who were with Christ during His earthly ministry as witnesses of Christ’s glory. By appealing to the testimonies of many, John strengthened his claim that Christ is indeed God who has come in the flesh.

The Greek word used for “beheld” (theáomai) does not refer only to “seeing with the physical eye”, but also to viewing continually and attentively with contemplation of what is being observed as something unusual in order to interpret it. It denotes gaining perception of the nature of what one sees with one’s physical eye. Though many who saw Christ did not perceive His divine nature, John and his fellow apostles did perceive that what they saw in Christ was the glory of God indeed.

John testified that the glory of Christ was the glory of “the only begotten of the Father”. The phrase “only begotten Son” denotes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God by an eternal generation. In other words, Christ was one in nature and essence with the Father. The nature of the glory of Christ was the same as the glory of the Father. Jesus was God walking in the streets of Israel’s villages as a man. Christ the Nazarene was Christ the Creator! Christ the man was Christ the true God!

When John said they saw His glory, he was certainly not referring to the brightness of His appearance. When He was incarnate, He did not appear in all the splendour of His glory. If He did appear so, nobody could have come face to face with Him without being consumed! So, John was saying that he understood Christ as the glorious God because of His teachings and works. John spiritually discerned the teachings and works of Jesus Christ as the true reflection of His glorious deity.

John also said that Christ was “full of grace and truth.” Only God can be “full” of grace and truth. Man can perform acts of grace and truth, but no man in his natural state is “full of grace” nor “full of truth” in the sense that God is. If Christ manifested only human grace and truth, then He would have been of little value to others’ spiritual needs. But Christ “was” (nay, “had always been”) full of grace and truth. What a wonderful divine Saviour and Shepherd is our Lord Jesus Christ!

READ:

John 1:14a

^14a And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

EXHORTATION:

The Word, which was divine and eternal (v. 1), “was made flesh”. This is an amazing summation of Christianity’s grandest doctrine, namely the Second Person of the Trinity, i.e. the Son of God, became a man in order to be mankind’s Redeemer. Jesus Christ was the Word who, being both with God and being God Himself, revealed Himself to us as a man.

The term “flesh” (sárx in Greek) has various meanings in the New Testament. Here it denotes human nature. The Greek word translated “made” literally means “became”. So the message it conveys is that God became a man! In English theological terminology, the truth that God became a man is expressed by the word “incarnation”. Christ was God incarnate or “manifest in the flesh”.

It must be stressed that the term “flesh” here carries no idea of sinful nature. He donned humanity, but without sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that He “knew no sin”. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The apostle Peter presented Christ as the One “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).

It must also be emphasised that the Second Person of the Trinity assumed the human nature without laying aside His divine side. When He became a man, He did not cease from being God. Christ is now a man, in addition to being God. Christ is fully God and fully man. To combat the heresies that were infiltrating the early church, the church fathers met together at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. They studied the Scriptures and defined what has been known as “the hypostatic union” – the union of the two natures of Christ. The council then declared Jesus Christ to be one Person with two natures, without any confusion, change, division or separation.

John also said that He, who became flesh, “dwelt among us”. The Greek word for “dwelt” literally means “pitch a tent”. It carries the idea of temporary dwelling (since tents are not pitched for a permanent purpose). Though Jesus took on a permanent human nature, He dwelt among men only for a short time. He came for a definite time and purpose. He was here on earth for approximately 33½ years before He ascended to heaven, having accomplished our redemption by suffering in His body and shedding His blood in His death on the cross.

Sermon Text: Selected Scripture Verses
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 19th October 2025

Sermon Text: Selected Scripture Verses
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 19th October 2025

READ:

John 1:12

¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

EXHORTATION:

Though the common response of the Jews and Romans to Christ – the incarnated eternal Word – was derision and rejection, there were some who “received him”. John points out to us at the end of the verse what it means to receive Him. It is to “believe on his name”.

The “name” is more than a word or set of words by which a person is known. Here it denotes Christ’s purposes, will, works and all that He is. Believing on His name is to trust and yield to Him completely, acknowledging His claims and confessing Him with gratitude. That is what it means to “receive” him. Those who receive Christ are those who believe on His name.

So, genuine believing is not merely having a mental recognition of Christ, but a hearty acceptance of Christ, His redeeming work and His sanctifying truths. Genuine believers desire and rejoice to have the Lord’s presence always with them. They would never want the Lord to be far from them. As Paul said in Colossians 2:6, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him”. Their life is no more separated from Christ. Their life is hid with Christ in God (cf. Colossians 3:3). They have Christ as their Saviour and Lord to guide them by His presence and truth.

To all who receive Him or believe on His name, “gave he power to become the sons of God”. The word “power” indicates “authority” or “right”. To those who received Christ by faith, He gave the right to be children of God. Is there anything nobler and higher than being sons of God? Oh, what an exalted privilege Christ gives unto us all who believe!

This exalted honour of being God’s children is granted to any who would believe on Christ’s name, regardless of his ethnicity, social status, financial condition or family background. None of his earthly conditions could prevent him from receiving the honour and privilege of being the child of God, if he would receive Christ as his Saviour and Lord and accept His truth by faith. It must then be emphasised that becoming God’s children is not based on human terms, but on Christ’s terms. Christ must be received by faith. If one would not heartily approbate Christ, one cannot be God’s child. But to all who sincerely receive Christ by faith, there is the exclusive, free and unchanging promise of being the children of God.

As we look back over the years of God’s gracious dealings with the Gethsemane Filipino Fellowship (GFF), our hearts are filled with thanksgiving. What began as a small gathering of Filipino believers in Singapore, drawn together by a common faith and a longing for fellowship around God’s Word, has been nourished by the Lord into a vibrant ministry of our church.

Since its inception in 2001, God has been pleased to use GFF to reach out to the Filipino community in Singapore with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and nurture those who come to us in His Word and fellowship. The brethren from GFF have been instrumental in helping our church establish mission works in the Philippines—through men trained in FEBC. 

Through seasons of trial and transition, the Lord proved His faithfulness. Truly, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1a). We thank God for building up the brethren through the faithful preaching of His servants in GFF. Every step forward in the ministry has been the Lord’s doing.

As we give thanks for GFF, let us pray for all our mission stations in the Philippines, the ministers of the Word in those Gospel stations, and their congregations—that through them, His kingdom may spread across the nation. May the Gethsemane Filipino Fellowship ever remain a shining testimony of God’s faithfulness, a people redeemed by grace, united in love, and steadfast in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be glory forever. “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory” (Psalm 115:1).

Let the Children Come!

A Call to Join Our Daily Vacation Bible School

Each year, our church rejoices to open its doors and heart to welcome children for the Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS). Three days (26th–28th November 2025) are set apart for sowing the seed of God’s Word into young hearts. This ministry is not a mere programme to fill the holidays, but a sacred labour to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the new generation that God has entrusted us with.

In a world filled with confusion, distraction, and spiritual darkness, let’s be committed to bringing our children to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd early. They need to know the Saviour who saves them, who loves them, and who hears them when they pray to Him. This upcoming DVBS provides that precious opportunity.

Here are our biblical goals for DVBS:

1. The Gospel at the Heart of DVBS

At the centre of all that we do, stands the glorious Gospel of grace. The lessons, songs, crafts, and activities are not designed merely to entertain, but to present the truth of Christ clearly and joyfully.

Children will hear that though they have sinned and come short of God’s glory, they can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. The Gospel is not beyond a child’s reach. The Lord Himself said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).

In DVBS, we seek to bring the message of salvation by faithfully expounding the Word of God to children in ways they can understand. We also pray earnestly that the Lord will open their hearts to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith.

2. Edifying the Believing Child

While DVBS is evangelistic, it is also edifying. Many of our children who attend Junior Worship on Sundays, already profess faith as they come from covenant homes where God’s Word is taught.

For them, the 3-day DVBS becomes a time of spiritual growth and renewal. They are reminded that the God who saves also calls His children to commune with Him in prayer. They will be exhorted: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Through Scripture lessons, hymns, and fellowship, they learn that obedience, prayer, and love for God’s Word are not burdens but blessings. In every class and song, children are taught that following Jesus means that they are blessed with the privilege of talking with Him anytime in prayer. “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12).

3. A Ministry of the Church, for the Glory of Christ

DVBS is not an isolated project, but a ministry of the church, under the oversight of the pastor and elders. Our preachers who teach the children, the helpers, and the volunteers serve not as entertainers, but as instruments of God’s truth, pointing each child to Christ and His covenant mercies.

We believe that God is pleased to use His Word, faithfully taught and joyfully received, to draw little hearts to Himself: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). 

Parents and members alike are encouraged to pray earnestly for this ministry — that the Holy Spirit may bless every lesson and conversation, that the Word may be planted deep, and that the fruit may remain.

Timothy, “from a child”, had known the Holy Scriptures, which were able to make him “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). Many servants of Christ trace the beginnings of their faith to Sunday School Classes, Children’s Bible Studies (like the DVBS), where they learned the Gospel that ushered them into a close communion with God. We believe the same God still works through such means today. May the truths that our children now learn become the anchors of their adult faith and service to our God. May the songs that they sing in their childhood exuberance echo through the years (cf. Psalm 78:4–7).

An Invitation to Parents and Children

We warmly invite you to register your children for this year’s Daily Vacation Bible School. Come, and let your children hear the Word, learn the truth, sing the praises of Christ, and experience the redeeming love of God. Let us pray that the Lord would bless this year’s DVBS abundantly, that young hearts may be converted, believing children strengthened, and Christ glorified.