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READ:

Psalm 2:11

¹¹  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

EXHORTATION:

When we make ourselves available to serve God sincerely, feelings of joy mingled with fear would fill our hearts. Divine service often engenders many emotions and virtues in the hearts of His servants. Here the psalmist speaks of fear, joy and trembling as the expected and most suitable feelings and experiences of the LORD’s servants.

Fear and joy may appear to be two contrasting feelings, yet they co-exist in the hearts of those who serve the LORD. Both are necessary feelings of those who come into the awesome presence of God to serve Him.

Scripture reminds us in Psalm 89:7, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.” We must not only have great reverence for the LORD’s majesty, but must also possess great fear of His wrath against disobedient conduct in the midst of divine service. The LORD should be served with awe; all the teachings of God’s Word confirm this. His majesty, power, holiness, justice are to be greatly feared.

Such fear of the LORD makes His servant exceedingly cautious and diligent as he renders himself to the LORD’s work. The fear of the LORD makes him wise unto holiness, faithfulness and fervency, which are essential to the LORD’s work. It will drive away reluctance, slothfulness and sinful habits from the hearts of His servant and will fill them with readiness, zeal and obedience for solemn service before Him.

The fear of God is never detrimental to one’s spiritual joy. It is rather a forerunner of joy in the LORD’s service. Those who serve God in godly fear will find themselves filled with joy unspeakable in the presence of God. Their reverential fear of the greatness of God dispels hesitancy and gloom to serve Him. Cheerful, happy service then freely flows out of their hearts, which are filled with the glory of the sovereign LORD. The service of God begets the highest joy that a man has ever known. When the hearts of His servants are overwhelmed with such earnest and sombre emotions, they would even be overcome with “trembling”! Unlike the carnal and worldly rejoicing that produces a puffed-up attitude, the spiritual joy of service evokes solemn inner impulses of humility and devotion, which are referred to here as “trembling”. The LORD’s servant is girded with humility and submission as he reverentially and joyfully renders his service.

READ:

John 12:26b

²⁶ If any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

EXHORTATION:

Oh, what great honour is promised to all who serve Christ according to His good and perfect will as revealed in His Word! How wonderful to hear it from the lips of our blessed Lord and Saviour! He will certainly do what He has said. Oh, how tenderly and graciously the Lord deals with His servants! How amazing it is that in the midst of His great agony, He thought about cheering His troubled servants by telling them of the honour that His Father will bestow upon them!

The prospect of being a servant of Christ is the highest and an unsurpassable honour that a man can ever receive. Obedience to Christ is a glorious privilege, for it empowers a man to overcome his wicked lusts and thoughts and live a godly and blessed life. Being an obedient servant of Christ is to inherit a pure and clean life devoid of the corruptions of sin. To be a submissive, dutiful follower of Christ is to be conformable to Christ. A true servant of Christ is Christ-like. Oh, what an honourable and high calling Christ gives to everyone who follows Him as His servant!

Serving Christ in this hostile world would bring many trials and much suffering to His followers. Jesus Himself has said, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord” (Matthew 10:22-24).

The humiliations and the hurts one suffers for being a servant of Christ serve only to prove his calling and the certainty of the eternal glory and honour the Father will bestow on him. True servants seek not the honour that cometh from man, but from Christ and His Father. So Jesus said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12). Paul told the suffering Christians, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12). Servants of Christ may suffer on earth, but they shall have great honour in heaven!

Dear Friends,

As you prepare to go forth on this mission trip (5–10 August 2025) to our sister churches in the Philippines, I write to you with deep affection, prayerful support, and solemn expectation. This is no ordinary trip! It is a spiritual assignment, a sacred privilege to stand alongside fellow believers, to strengthen the weary, to proclaim the unchanging Gospel, and to serve the body of Christ in a time of both trial and opportunity.

Your visit comes at a particularly “weighty” season. Our dear brother, Rev. Reggor Galarpe, the supervisory pastor of the congregations of Gethsemane B-P Church in Cebu, Bogo, San Antonio and Bohol, is facing a severe affliction in the form of lymphoma. This trial has troubled us all, yet we know that such “valleys” are not void of God’s presence. In fact, they often become holy ground, where Christ’s strength is made perfect in human weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Your presence among the brethren during this time is not merely supportive; it is providential. God sends you as ministers of comfort, joy, and Gospel hope.

You also go as heralds of the Gospel, bringing the light of Christ into homes, hearts, and streets that need to know the love and lordship of Jesus Christ, the only Saviour whom God has sent to the world.

May your words be seasoned with grace, your service marked by humility, and your lives reflect the fragrance of Christ in all things. 

I commend each of you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and equip you for every good work (cf. Acts 20:32; Eph. 4:12,16). Go forth in the power of His Spirit, consecrated for His purpose and prepared to serve Him in the beauty of holiness. May this mission bear lasting fruit—for the strengthening of the church, the salvation of souls, and the glory of our great Redeemer.

Soli Deo Gloria – To God alone be the glory.

In Christ’s service,
Your pastor,
Prabhudas Koshy

Report from GBI, Vizag

Dear Pastor,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

We thank God for another semester at GBI, India. By God’s grace, our full-time students from Meghalaya and Odisha have returned to continue their training at GBI. This semester, we have three new students: two pastors from Vizag city and a brother from Odisha. 

The addition of Bro. Jonathan Hendricks to GBI, Vizag, to assist in teaching and preaching is very helpful, and we thank God for graciously leading him to us. He is now staying at the Kotapadu campus with the students. 

Thank you, Pastor, for taking time to address the students and faculty on Tuesday. Your exhortation served as a good reminder for all of us to be content and responsible with the appointments God has given to each of us. 

We look forward to the start of the Elementary Hebrew classes next week. Eleven students have registered for the course this semester. Thank you so much for dedicating your time to teach Hebrew to our students (Monday and Friday). Our students are also registering for your GBI Online courses on 1 Peter, Isaiah III (Wednesday evening), and Paul’s Missionary Journeys by Pr Cornelius Koshy (Thursday). Additionally, some students have enrolled in FEBC online courses as well. We are very grateful for all the opportunities to learn God’s Word.

During the holidays, we completed the mud-filling and borewell digging work on the newly purchased land. Thanks be to God for the help from Bro. Thomas, Sis. Melanie, and Dn Gan in drawing up the building plans and designs. We are planning to submit the drawings for building permit approval soon. Please pray that the Lord will grant us the necessary permits to resume the construction work. May the Lord continue to provide for the building fund through His people.

In Christ,
Pastor Sujith Samuel

Sermon Text: Psalm 115:1–18
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 3rd August 2025

Sermon Text: Psalm 119:1–16
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 31st August 2025

READ:

Luke 6:28

²⁸ Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

EXHORTATION:

It is so natural for us to feel bitter towards those who hurt us, be it verbally or physically. Revenge seems to be the sweetest response towards those who ill-treat or injure us. It is natural for us to use all our powers to repel injuries and to punish those who are against us; yet our Lord Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27-28).

To our carnal mind, it is impossible to love our enemies and bless them who curse us. Without crucifying our own carnal self and without relying on the divine aid, we will not be able to deal kindly with those who oppose or injure us. Since it is our Saviour’s teaching that we graciously and charitably deal with those who trouble us with their words and actions, we can trust Him to help us to do His will in this matter, including what appears to be impossible in our mind.

The Scriptures not only teach us this solemn spiritual principle (cf. Exodus 23:4-5; Proverbs 25:21; Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:35; Romans 12:20), but also promise us the power to perform it (cf. 2 Peter 1:3-9). The power to do the spiritual duties and bear spiritual fruit is bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9). When we rely on the Holy Spirit and yield to Him, we will be endued with divine wisdom and power to subdue our carnal tendencies and to fulfil the divine duties that we are called to do.

The Scriptures also prove to us that it is possible to relate to those who hurt us, according to the supreme spiritual principle that Jesus has given us. Jesus Himself is our greatest pattern in praying for those who persecute us. He prayed for those who falsely accused Him and crucified Him: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). The first Christian martyr, Stephen, also earnestly prayed for his murderers, saying, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:60). The apostles themselves were often targets of slander and persecution; yet how sublime and God-honouring was their response: “being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it” (1 Corinthians 4:12)!

The Lord disallows and utterly excludes all kinds of revenge and retaliation against those who malign and persecute us. The Lord’s desire concerning us is that we will be a benevolent people even in our sufferings.

READ:

2 Thessalonians 3:3

³ But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

EXHORTATION:

The certainty of our ultimate salvation is grounded in God’s faithfulness. The Lord is faithful to all His promises that He has made. The Lord cannot lie (Numbers 23:19). Neither will He alter nor fail to perform that which is gone out of His mouth.

Men may be faithless and turn out to be untrue, but not God. Though many (who are church members) may abandon their sacred and solemn vows and show no fidelity to the cause of Christ, God will never desert His great purpose on which He has set His heart and pledged His Word.

Our lives may be stained with our failings, but God shall be true to us in purifying and preserving us for Himself. As 2 Timothy 2:13 declares, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” God will not abandon us nor the work He has begun in us.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Our God is so faithful that He will never allow us to be assaulted at a level which is beyond our ability to handle. We just need to be trusting and have nothing to fear. Our God is absolutely and always faithful; we must hold on to the great truth of His faithfulness. Even if we doubt, He remains faithful. So, let us pray that our hearts will learn to trust in His goodness and faithfulness.

The Lord who is faithful “shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” The Greek word for “stablish”, sterizo, is the word from which we get the English word “steroids”; it indicates that the LORD will make us strong and firm in His establishing of us. The Lord will build us up on the inside, and protect us from the evil one and all his evil attempts from the outside. He will strengthen us and shield us from all the destructive wiles of the devil.

God’s perfect faithfulness grants perfect assurance of our salvation. His faithfulness is the foundation and guarantee of our eternal security. Because God will not fail to keep His promise to “stablish” and “keep” us, we can most assuredly say, like Paul in 2 Timothy 4:18, “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

READ:

Luke 22:46

⁴⁶ And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

EXHORTATION:

Jesus was with three of His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, which was situated on the side of mount Olives, when this conversation occurred. He was there to pray because His heart was in great agony concerning His impending death. Jesus also asked Peter, James and John to stay awake and pray, just as He would do. He told them to “pray that ye enter not into temptation” (Luke 22:40).

However, when Jesus returned to the three disciples, “he found them sleeping for sorrow” (v. 45b). He then asked them, “Why are you asleep?” Jesus was certainly aware that they were too tired to be awake because of their heavy hearts and tired bodies. It was late, very late – probably about midnight or perhaps even a little later. Notwithstanding, Jesus addressed the sleepy disciples, “rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”

Jesus wanted the disciples to have the proper response to the grave situation that all of them were facing. An extremely dangerous situation had come upon them. In less than a few hours, the Jews and the Roman soldiers would arrive to arrest Christ; it would then be a time of great temptation and trial for Christ and the disciples. It was very foolish not to prepare themselves in prayer for the trying hours ahead of them.

If one knows that a lion is on the prowl in the vicinity, will one lie down and sleep? If one knew that the rising waters of an overflowing river would swallow up one’s home in an hour, would one take a nap? When a Christian is aware of the temptations and trials that he would soon encounter, he must keep himself awake and pray. In such times, even physical tiredness or sleepiness is not an excuse for neglecting prayer.

Christians ought to be aware of their vulnerability to temptation. When the times of temptation and trial come, we need to be ready. Unless we depend on God in earnest prayer and prepare our hearts to be faithful to God, we will easily be led into temptation. Faithfulness in the midst of temptation and trial requires vigilance and diligence unto prayer.

Let us recall Jesus’ words when He taught us how to pray – “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13).

READ:

1 Thessalonians 5:17

¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.

EXHORTATION:

What is prayer? Prayer is the reverential, worshipful communication of a genuine believer with God. It allows him to affirm his faith and confidence in the Triune God, to give thanks for the blessings received, to confess his sins, to consecrate his life to do the divine will concerning him and serve Him, to submit his petitions and pleadings for divine help in his needs and trials, etc. Prayer opens the door for him to flee from temptations and trials into the refuge of God’s glorious presence. It grants the praying man immediate access to the source of comfort, wisdom, strength and peace.

All believers are enjoined to pray “without ceasing”. That does not mean that we are to spend all our time just praying and doing nothing else. Rather, it is a call to always maintain a trusting, submissive, worshipful spirit before God, no matter what we do. Though there are special occasions or seasons of prayer, we must keep a prayerful spirit all the time. An abiding spirit of prayer will keep us spiritually minded in all circumstances of life. It will keep us God-focused in all our endeavours. It will also prevent us from doing those things which cannot be presented to God with all pure conscience. Conversely, not enduring in a prayerful spirit would leave us open to all kinds of spiritual dangers. Hence, habitual prayer is both a promoter and protector of a godly life; without prayer, it is impossible to maintain a fruitful, godly life.

In addition, steadfastness in prayer would afford the believer unobstructed communion with God. Unfortunately, most people are not even careful to pray at fixed times. Many pray only when they are in trouble or when their feelings are unusually excited. It is lamentable that most Christians lack steadfastness in prayer!

Lack of enduring prayer is a sign of a wandering or backsliding mind. Prayerlessness is an indication of a mind preoccupied with sensual and material thoughts.

Is God habitually in our thoughts? Do we adore and trust Him all through the day? Do we wholly consecrate our thoughts and passions to be sanctified and filled with His good will? Do we yield our minds and our hands to promote His glory? Unceasing prayer requires an unabated, all-pervasive consecration to the glory of God. To pray without ceasing will need a full fascination with God’s glory.

READ:

2 Thessalonians 3:1a

^1a Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

EXHORTATION:

The apostle Paul often requested brethren to pray for him and his fellow labourers in the work of the Gospel (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:25; Hebrews 13:18). Though the apostles were called, equipped and endowed with the Holy Spirit and extraordinary miraculous gifts, they humbly beseeched the people of the church, both young and old, to pray for them. If Paul (with all his unique, miraculous apostolic gifts) required the prayers of God’s people, how much more preachers and pastors of our time need the prayer support of the church. Those who lead the church should not forget their need for spiritual support from the congregation. One’s office of leadership in the church or spiritual gift or past successful service does not make one self-sufficient for the work of the ministry. Mutual support, particularly prayer support, is vital for the success of one’s service.

Every member of the church, being joined with one another as the body of Christ, is to supply each other that which is needed. The eye cannot say unto the hand, “I have no need of thee”; nor the hand to the feet, “I have no need of you.” Mutual support, according to the ability that God has given, is vital for the efficient operation of the whole church.

The apostle desired prayer, particularly for the ministry of “the word of the Lord”. Prayer, both requested and offered to God, recognises God as the source of the progress and success of preaching. It is a great danger to attribute the success of preaching to the preacher’s talent and not to rely on God’s help, as that would ascribe to man the glory due unto God alone. Every Christian who hears the preaching of God’s Word must remember that he is in the presence of the preacher’s God rather than the preacher himself. The blessing he receives through the preaching of the Word is God-sent. So when he prays for the preacher and his preaching, he links the pulpit to the throne of God, the true fountain of all spiritual blessings.

The object of praying for the preacher is that the Word of God “may have free course, and be glorified”. Paul is here using Greek words that evoke the memory of the ancient Greek runners’ success and honour. Christians must desire and pray for great success through the faithful and fervent efforts of the preachers in turning sinners to Christ and establishing faithful churches for the edification of saints (cf. Psalm 67:1-3).