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Psalm 2:11—“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

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 heart of His servant and will fill him 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.

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Greetings Received

Rev. Reggor Galarpe

Dear Pastor, elders, deacons and all our beloved brethren,

Greetings in the Blessed Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! With praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, I wish you all a “Blessed 35th Anniversary!” 

We rejoice together with you as you celebrate the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness upon the church in blessing all her labours in the ministry of the Gospel all these years.

On this happy occasion, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for all your prayers and support. Also, please know that your commitment, zeal and enthusiasm for the Lord’s work have been a great encouragement to us here in Cebu. 

We thank the Lord for His faithful under-shepherd, our beloved Pastor Koshy, who has faithfully laboured in nurturing God’s flock – not only in Singapore, but even among the mission churches and many others in different parts of the world, through his teaching and preaching ministry made available on the internet.

We also commend the Board of Elders and the deacons in their commitment to serve alongside Pastor Koshy, together with the preachers and faithful co-labourers serving in various capacities, as well as all our fellow brethren. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

May the Lord richly bless you and continue to prosper your labours, and enable you to do even greater things for His glory.

Blessed 35th Anniversary!

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Rev. Donald dela Cruz

Dear Pastor Koshy,

 The hot weather has officially started here in the Philippines. The weather is currently very dry and hot. The scorching heat is now felt especially during noon time. Rain is also very rare. The hot weather is still felt even late at night. I have advised the brethren to stay hydrated and be careful against heat stroke. May the Lord protect the brethren from any sickness.

 I praise the Lord for the provision of transportation for the brethren from Binday. Though most of them have their own motorcycles with sidecars, they are lacking drivers. Sometimes, there are Sundays when some families are not able to join the worship service because their drivers are not available. Praise the Lord for bringing one employee of Bro Kyt to serve as a driver. His name is Roel. He has been attending the worship service regularly. Bro Kyt had earlier asked him if he was interested to ferry people, which he happily agreed. He is driving Bro Kyt’s minivan. Our jeepney, which we previously used to fetch people, is still functioning but we have no driver. God willing, we can let him use the jeepney after some inspection. Surely, if God can answer our prayer about the provision of a driver, I told the brethren that God is also able to provide for the needs of His work, as well as their personal needs. I encouraged them to continue to trust the Lord, for He is faithful.

 Furthermore, I praise the Lord for enabling the church choir to learn and sing praises unto the Lord. Singing in harmony (in 4 parts), with “SATB” voices, is not common here. Most of the brethren are not even familiar with that. Nevertheless, the sisters singing in alto have adjusted very well, and I am very thankful that the brothers singing in bass are slowly catching up.

 Last but not least, I praise the Lord for sustaining Gethsemane BP Church, Singapore for the last 35 years. The Lord has used the church in so many ways that cannot be numbered. There were many struggles, but the spiritual blessings eclipse the difficulties. Praise the Lord for strengthening you to anchor the work of the mission stations. On behalf of the brethren here in Pangasinan, I wish you all a “Blessed Anniversary!” 

Sermon Text: Psalm 40
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 2nd April 2023

Esther Quek

Thank the Lord for a blessed 4-day long Bible Witness Retreat in Shillong, India. We were able to fellowship with many participants hailing from the different villages in the state of Meghalaya, as well as with Rev. Sujith and his fellow co-labourers from Vizag. It was eye-opening to see how the Lord has blessed and preserved the work of the early Presbyterian missionaries, who ministered to the people there. There has been, unfortunately, some dilution of the faith over the years.

As such, the retreat’s theme, “The Purity of the Church”, was an apt one. It also serves as a reminder that we, as a church, are called to be separated from the world, to be used for God’s own purpose. There are three lessons which I have learnt from the messages preached:

1. Being pure in the eyes of God is not an option. It is a calling. “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). The church, which is made up of her members, must be aware of and respond to the call of God for His people to be pure in our daily living.
2. Biblical separation is necessary. We have to move away from unbelievers and apostates. 2 Corinthians 6:14 admonishes us to be “not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?”. Similarly, Jude 4 cautions that “there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
3. The purity of the church is dependent on the teaching of the doctrine of the Gospel, the administration of the ordinances and the performance of public worship. As a church, we must always be vigilant and on guard for attacks of “seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” too (1 Timothy 4:1).

May the Lord keep us faithful till He returns, so that we may be presented to Him “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

Elder Alan Choy

Thank God for granting my wife and I the opportunity to join the team of brethren on the 22nd Bible Witness Retreat to Shillong. Once again, I was refreshed by the Word of Truth. It was an eye-opener to the mission work in N.E. India. We met many Presbyterian brethren and also some from Charismatic church background. They all expressed great joy and thanksgiving to God, hearing our Pastor preaching on ‘The Purity of the Church’. One of them said he was so thankful to hear the accuracy of the Word of God being preached.

Many from all these local churches were not instructed in the Reformed doctrine. I sensed that they were hungering for the Word of Truth. It was my joy to meet a very zealous Pastor Jied. He was very hospitable, having invited the campers to his home for tea and snacks. He started a small Bible college and a chapel near his home in Cherrapunji, and recently was granted a piece of land behind his home, on which he intended to build a small church. It was a wonderful privilege to have a small part in this work of God, with the preachers and myself having the opportunity to see and pray for the work. Most of the campers gave generously towards this building project and a sum of about S$15,000 plus was quickly raised. According to Pastor Jied, two local sisters who attended the Retreat expressed interest to join the church, and according to Pastor Koshy, 2 young boys wanted to stay behind to learn God’s Word there.

Praise the Lord! Truly, I saw the hand of God working. It was a small humble beginning; it was the mighty God who works in the hearts of men. I pray that more will follow suit, and as time goes by, the church will grow from strength to strength. “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles” (Psalm 43:3).

Shillong is a very fertile ground for the Gospel work. May the Lord raise up more like-minded able, young men who would learn God’s Word and steadfastly love the work of the Gospel to establish more mission churches there.

Esther Tang (Choy Foong)

Learning at the feet of Rev Koshy concerning the importance of the purity of the church, I thank God for a blessed time of feasting on His Word amidst the warm fellowship of like-minded brethren in Shillong, India. Thank God also for travel mercies, and for holding the rain during our visit to Pastor Jied’s church in Cherrapunji. May God bless and keep Pastor Jied and his family, as well as Bro Seraph, Sis Ribka and the Reformed Books’ team at Vizag as they serve Him faithfully in their respective ministries.

In Rev Thomas Jones and his mission work in India in the 19th century, I see a parallel in our B-P founding pastor, the late Rev Timothy Tow and his mission work in Malaysia. In his book, “Forty Years on the Road to Church Growth”, Rev Tow had called Malaysia “our Judea”, even as he envisaged himself as being sent forth from Life Church, his “Jerusalem”. Rev Tow heeded the Great Commission and took the Gospel to Malaysia almost seven decades ago. His mission trips starting in 1951 took him literally “unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Today, ought not we to follow in his footsteps and continue the good work he had begun? God has given us the Gospel light, so that we may bring it not only to our loved ones and friends still living in darkness in Malaysia and Singapore, but also beyond. Will we pray and rise up to the occasion? “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).

Dns Diana Chan

I praise and thank God for a very blessed 22nd Bible Witness Retreat (held from 14th – 17th March, 2023) in Shillong, India. Thank God for Dn Lok and Dn Norefel for their patience and labour in organising the Retreat.

The Lord is good. I thank God for His grace, wisdom and strength in enabling Pastor Koshy to preach the Word of God from the theme of the Retreat, “The Purity of the Church”. I have learned much from the various messages, and the Q&A session. Some of the key learnings include:

1. When there is purity, there will be great joy in the church.
2. When there is no purity, there will be division and deep pain in the church.
3. Christ’s love for the church has one single motive, that is, in His love, He will keep us sanctified: through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, and “with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church” (Ephesians 5:26-27).

What a joy it was that brethren travelled, far and near, to assemble for the retreat, to learn God’s Word together. With voices united to sing praises unto God, to pray and to rejoice in communion with one another. The conference room was filled with people from a diversity of background, age, ethnicity, country, tribe, language, race, colour, etc. Praise God for the assurance of His Word that regardless of our status or background, all of us who are believers in the Lord share the same spiritual inheritance, the same grace, the same power, the same wisdom from God. Indeed, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).

I also thank God for the opportunity to visit particular site in Cherrapunji; and from where we stood (on higher ground), we could look down and see the piece of land given by the local authority to Pastor Jied for him to build a church. Praise the Lord for His providence of the gift of the land! Significantly, Pastor Koshy requested Pr Kee How, Pr Jeremiah and Eld Choy to pray for the building of the church, for Pastor Jied, his wife and their two children, as well as for the brethren, for their service and labour in the Lord’s vineyard. Pastor Koshy then encouraged brethren from the retreat to give towards the building of the church, and we thank God for the generous giving of the brethren.

Let us pray that, in God’s time, He will build a beautiful church in Cherrapunji … “Dressed in His righteousness glorious and bright, Stand in the presence of Christ our King”, as in the theme song, “Church: His Gracious Redeeming Work”. May the Lord’s name be glorified and magnified!

Aileen Tan

I give thanks and praise to God for enabling me to attend the 22nd Bible Witness Retreat in Shillong, India.

I thank the Lord for His enabling grace on Pastor Koshy to preach and teach 6 messages on the theme, “The Purity of the Church”, and taking the Q&A session. I rejoice in the Lord for over 90 brethren who attended the BW Retreat. Besides the 58 brethren from Singapore, we were encouraged to see over 40 brethren from Vizag, Shillong, Cherrapunji and Pune – and all because of their earnestness to come together to receive the blessings in learning God’s Word.

From this BW Retreat in Shillong, India, I am blessed to be with our Gethsemane church to pray for:

1. all participants to heed the call for purity, individually and also as a church;
2. spiritual revival of brethren from N.E. India;
3. an open door for Gethsemane to start a work in N.E. India;
4. the brethren from Shillong and nearby places to come out from unbiblical churches; and
5. the building for a church and college in Cherrapunji.

I praise God for a very blessed and warm fellowship with Rev Sujith and Sis Dorcas, participants from India and our Singapore participants. Also, many thanks to Dn Lok and Dn Norefel for their assistance to me in administrative matters (including help with my E-visa to India).

Tan Yeh Wen

Firstly, I like to thank God for His provisions, as well as His grace, in bringing my family to Shillong, India, to join the 22nd Bible Witness Retreat. Thank God for the generous help rendered to us by the brethren to and fro, and for the strength given to my wife in order to bring our daughter around throughout the trip. Though it was not easy, yet the Lord sustained us, that we may see the Lord’s goodness in the city of Shillong. May the Lord be pleased to use Gethsemane B-P Church, that a good work be done in Shillong.

To me, the physical highlight of the entire trip was the journey to Cherrapunji in order to see the first Presbyterian church in Meghalaya, as well as to pay a visit to Pastor Jied’s church / Bible academy and home. It is a sombre experience to think of - and actually see - the Lord’s good hand through faithful men of old instituting the Lord’s work in faraway lands, to bring sinners to repentance and into His kingdom. The thought of what Pastor Koshy mentioned in a sermon later on - that the Presbyterian church in Meghalaya could have done so much more for the Gospel work, given their rich history of two centuries - rings in my soul! Oh, that God would be gracious to us, that we would not forget the place wherein God has placed us, and do our very best for the Gospel work!

Surely, no Bible Witness Retreat can go without the spiritual feasting provided to us by Pastor Koshy. I thank God therefore for the lessons concerning the purity of the church. To begin with, Pastor spoke about what the church is - without which there would be no understanding of why there needs to be purity in the church. Understanding that the church is a unique organisation on this earth, separated by God for His glory alone, for whom Christ died, to be the pillar and ground of the truth – and how the visible church is currently embattled and will be till the Lord returns – puts into perspective the necessity as well as the urgency to be concerned with and to act for the purity of the church.

Thank God for the teachings regarding the individual believer’s responsibility to separate from the world, from sin, from heresy, and even from believers who compromise and support those who spread heresy. I pray that every member in the church, young and old, no matter how big or small be his role in the church, would be gripped by the need for personal purity, for the members individually and collectively affect the purity, and therefore effectiveness, of the church.

Thank God also for the teachings regarding the need for faithful leaders to be concerned about the purity of the church, and to be vigilant to guard against sin and falsehood brought in by false believers and teachers. I pray that God would grant us faithful leaders to tend to the spiritual state of the church.

In closing, moved by stirring thoughts in the wake of the 22nd Bible Witness Retreat, I’ve penned the following two poems (to be set in tune):

The Definition of the Church, the Call for Separation

O Lord, Thy Church, which Thou hast called out from the sin-filled world,
To be Thy only Ground and Pillar of Thy matchless truth,
Its slumb’ring members cause to wake from every deadly sin,
To man the posts, and stand their ground, and valiant fight for truth!

Cause every member of Thy church, Thy sheep whom Thou hast called,
To have a heart aflame from Thee – though young or old they be.
No member is too big or small; yea, all have this command
To purify themselves so that Thy church be pure from sin!

(Refrain)
O Lord, lead Thy church in this dark’ning day,
Our Saviour, our Shepherd, the Church’s glorious Head,
Though the battle be long, the way may dreary be,
Our fainting souls now strengthen; cause our sight to be fixed on Thee!
O Lord, keep Thy church pure for Thee, From sin and falsehood, set us free!
Not for our sakes, but for Thy glory alone, O Lord, keep Thy church!

Prayer for Godly Leaders
O Lord, now raise up leaders, valiant, truth-filled, faithful men,
Who stand for Thee undaunted in this hate-filled dark’ning world,
To boldly preach without a fault Thy timeless, flawless Word,
To call Thy sheep to come to Him; to cleanse Thy church from sin!

Give them a kind, perceptive heart that gently guides the flock;
Much patience and much tenderness to tend to their wounds;
And give to them a watchful eye, a mind of clarity,
To firmly guard - within, without against all dreadful sins!

(Refrain as above)

Sermon Text: Psalm 39
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 26th March 2023

Jeremy Chan

By the grace of God, I was born into a Christian family and brought up in a Bible-believing church. For as long as I can remember, Christianity has always been a significant part of my life growing up.

However, I was not spared from some of the potential pitfalls faced by second-generation Christians. Growing up in church, I had said the sinner’s prayer many times with my Sunday school teachers, but still wasn’t exemplifying and living out the Christian life outside of Sundays.

It was only in my early twenties that there was a significant evidential change in my life. There was an interest in the reading and studying of God’s Word that wasn’t there before. Attending Sunday service, Bible studies, and fellowship meetings became more than just a routine, accompanied with a desire to be instructed by the Word of God. It was an eventual realisation of the release from the grip of sin, and finally experiencing peace with God after all these years. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

The Lord first led me to Gethsemane BPC in 2012, having heard Pastor Koshy preach during my time in Teenz and YF. However, it was only during the COVID period that I began attending more regularly together with my wife, Sandra. Throughout our time here, we’ve been greatly blessed by the messages which place emphasis on how we should be seeing our life here on earth through the lens of God’s Word. The warm reception shown by the members at Gethsemane BPC to both my wife and myself also helped us assimilate into the family of God here.

We look forward to growing more in the Lord and serving Him here in Gethsemane BPC.

Sandra Wong

I first heard about God during my preschool years. Despite coming from an unbelieving family, my parents had placed me in a Christian kindergarten, by the grace of God. It was during my time in school that I first heard about His goodness – and how He loves the little children, as we sang to the lyrics in ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and gave thanks before every meal. Even though I knew that God existed, I did not associate the singing of hymns nor the giving of thanks to His perfect goodness or to the Gospel. 

God continued to draw me closer to Him as I progressed on to a Christian primary school. It was then that I first experienced His goodness. My classmate had shared, with a hopeful demeanour, that her grandmother had passed on. Puzzled, I asked her why she was smiling, to which she responded, “Because God is with her in heaven, where we will meet again.” That was the first time I witnessed the goodness of Christ in His turning ‘death’ - a supposed fear of all men - into faith, hope and joy. Ever since that day, I would always seek Him, though lacking in spiritual knowledge, during times of darkness. Looking back, I realised it was God’s special favour upon me, in allowing that exchange between two young girls to take place and ultimately calling me to commence on my walk with Him. 

However, even though I started to identify myself as a believer, my life had not been freed from sin. Despite saying the sinner’s prayer in church during a Christmas service (which I was invited to as a teenager), my desires continued to be worldly. I thank God for eventually leading me to a Bible-believing church in my late twenties - and for prompting me to eventually seek baptism. I was exposed to His Word regularly, and by God’s grace, I found my life deeply nourished by the added knowledge of His Word. I experienced significant changes in my life, which has since revolved around a motivation to be a holy witness for Christ to point my unsaved loved ones to Him. 

God eventually led my husband and me to attend Gethsemane BPC more regularly during COVID - a period when access to in-person worship was scarce, yet even more precious. We thank God for Gethsemane BPC’s dedication to allow as many of God’s people as possible to worship within His house. We have been greatly blessed by the messages preached by Pastor Koshy, which have enabled us (through understanding Christ’s love for us) to continue to love and serve each other through our marriage. We have also been truly blessed by the warm fellowship extended to us by fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in Gethsemane. We thank God for calling us to Gethsemane BPC, and hope to continue growing in the Lord here.

Sermon Text: Psalm 38
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 19th March 2023

Rebuke by Preachers is the Best Remedy for Carnality Within the Church

Scripture clearly teaches us that the remedy for the onslaught of carnality is preaching that confronts sin with burning words and bold rebuke. Consider the preaching of the prophet Isaiah. In the very first chapter itself, Isaiah delivered a startling rebuke of sin. Isaiah denounced the Israelites’ sacrifices as hypocritical. He boldly declared that God despised their oblations, their incense, their holy days and feasts. Then in no uncertain terms, he told them that God would not hear their prayers because their hands were full of blood. Again in that chapter, he denounced them for their oppression of the poor, for their rebellion against God, for their spiritual harlotry. He was unflinching when he remarked that their princes “ran” with thieves (with everyone looking for bribes), and that their leaders did not give honest protection to widows and orphans. And that is only one example from many in the preaching of Isaiah. He preached gallantly against sins!

Consider Nathan, the prophet who rebuked David. He is a fine example of a God-honouring preacher who preaches succinctly against sin. Even King David’s royal pomp was no hindrance to his preaching against sin. So Nathan boldly preached a sermon, using a parable to show the wickedness of David’s sin. Then when anger within David was aroused against the hypothetical rich man who had taken his neighbour’s little ewe lamb, Nathan, with crushing and powerful effect, pointed his finger in the face of King David and said, “Thou art the man” (2 Samuel 12:7)! Nathan showed David his horrible sin of murdering Uriah in order to take his wife, Bathsheba. Nathan did not fear the royalty of David. Therefore, he stood up for God and openly denounced David’s sin.

Consider John the Baptist. He sharply rebuked sin. He did not try to be tactful or mild in his rebuke. He firmly told the Jews, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8). He made no exception for the Jewish leaders either. He told them they would be hewn down like fruitless trees to be cast into the fire of hell. He was just as bold when he confronted Herod the king, and told him plainly that he had no right to take his brother’s wife (cf. Matthew 14:3-4). 

Consider the preaching of Stephen. Acts 7 recounts the episode of his rebuke of the sins of the Jews. He loudly declared to them, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it” (7:51–53)!

Though many more of God’s servants can be mentioned, let us look at just one more preacher, the apostle Paul, for our consideration. On his first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas came to Paphos. When Elymas the sorcerer withstood them and tried to keep Sergius Paulus, the deputy ruler of the country, from being saved, Paul, being filled with the Holy Ghost, faced him and said, “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10).

Preachers who refuse to preach against sin for fear of being branded as negative, certainly do not follow the pattern of these great men of God. However, those who do preach against sin hurt the feelings of their carnal hearers and made some of them angry, causing frustrations amid the crowd. But they are faithful to God and to the Bible.

As much as preachers are called to preach about God’s love, they are also called to preach against sin. The Lord Jesus loved men, and loved sinners enough to die for them, but how He hated sin! Remember how He made a whip to drive the traders from the temple, overturned the tables of the moneychangers, and scattered the money on the stone floor! Preaching ought to be like that sometimes. With holy boldness, preachers ought to hate sin and expose it.

Oh, how Jesus preached against sin! He preached against covetousness; He preached against unbelief; He preached against adultery – including even looking on a woman to lust after her. He preached against holding grudges and said that if men did not forgive, neither would the Father in Heaven forgive them. He said to the Pharisees and scribes, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (John 8:44). Men hated Jesus because He preached against sin. May God forgive us preachers who do not preach like Jesus because we fear the anger of men.

Today, we need preachers who refuse to be influenced by the sophistry of the popular preachers who do not preach against sin. It is true that preachers ought not to be cowards. They must be courageous to rebuke from the pulpit, as well as privately, if need be. The preacher who never has a word to say against immodest apparel, drunkenness, adultery, lewdness, covetousness and blasphemy is a “dumb dog” who cannot bark. He is a “Balaam” preaching for profit. He has fallen into the snare of the fear of man. We need preaching against sin, against particular sins. May God give us many youthful, vibrant and fearless preachers everywhere, who will speak for God against the carnality that has invaded churches of our time.

Carnality is a swelling tide in churches everywhere, pushing godliness out of the ministries and lives of their leaders and members. Churches are crowded with carnal and materialistic people. Any form of emphasis on modesty, purity and godliness is considered weak and useless, while tolerance of carnality and worldliness is cherished as profitable virtues.

The appearance, mannerisms and pursuits of many members of modern churches speak volumes about the tragic level of accommodation of worldliness that exists within the churches today. It is all too obvious that preachers, who have been entrusted to “preach the word… reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine”, have drastically failed in their duty. Many preachers, even those who claim to be biblical preachers, shy away from rebuking carnality within their congregations. In fact, preaching has become much worse than that. Licentious preaching is heard everywhere. Many preachers have deteriorated to the point that they even make fun of preachers who warn relentlessly against the worldly mentality of churchgoers. The “acceptable preaching” of our times requires refraining from the rebuking of carnality, and the dishing out of ready reassurances and blessings to all churchgoers, even to those who indulge in carnal living.

Reasons for Preachers’ Tolerance of Carnality

The Bible clearly speaks about the reasons for the tolerance of carnality by preachers. Three of those reasons are discussed below:

Fame

The insatiable desire for popularity is often the cause for preachers’ tolerance of sin within their congregation. They would rather maintain a comfortable relationship with their carnal members than have to deal with their ire when rebuked for their carnal living. Tolerance of sin is a very different issue from being patient with a man who is repentant and submissive to the rebuke of the Word. Tolerance is to permit members to continue in their unchaste behaviour without being rebuked or warned. A preacher, who wants to be in the good books of all men, hardly dares to expose or confront his members’ sins.

A pastor who rebukes the carnality of the people is often called “a negative preacher”. He receives comments such as, “O, his preaching is too negative”; “he is a narrow-minded and intolerant preacher”; or “he has this ‘holier than thou’ attitude”. The “crime” of such a faithful pastor is that he calls their sins, “sins”. How should God’s people read and apply the Ten Commandments that God has given through Moses? Eight of them are negative! Jeremiah’s preaching ministry is summarised as: “to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). Four negatives and two positives! So was the preaching of every other faithful servant of the Lord.

Our Lord Jesus preached fearlessly against the sins of His hearers. He did not mince His words against the sins of His “religious” hearers so that He might become more popular among them (cf. John 8:44; Matthew 23). Would modern churchgoers that dislike preachers who strongly warn them against their carnal living, ever have God’s prophets like Moses, Jeremiah, Malachi, John the Baptiser, etc. to preach to them in their churches? Would they have Christ and the apostles to preach to them?

The apostle Paul instructed Timothy to “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). In the context of this instruction to preachers, Paul warned, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (2 Timothy 4:3-5). Irrespective of people’s opinions, faithful preachers must preach against the sins of their hearers.

Greed

Another reason for preachers’ present lack of rebuking of sin is their greed. Today, many who fill the role of pastors are men of “corrupt minds”, whose philosophy is “supposing that gain is godliness” (1 Timothy 6:5). The prophet Isaiah mentioned greed as the reason why false prophets of his time stirred up the wayward nation of Israel, instead of rebuking it sharply. Read carefully Isaiah’s words that rebuked the prophets who failed to warn against the sins of the people – “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant” (Isaiah 56:10-12).

Many pastors are wary of offending prominent and rich members of the church who are carnal men. The covetous hearts of these pastors would rather speak words that please the wealthy and the prominent ones than offend them. They gather people by means of pleasing music and other entertainments, and then send them away in ‘high spirits’ to continue in their sins. It is no more uncommon to see skimpily dressed singers and dancers on the church stage during worship services. Undiscerning men and women gather around these performers with loud applause and screams. Sunday services are increasingly becoming religious entertainment for a “carnally thirsty” crowd. Why would Christian preachers promote such activities? One reason, according to the Bible, is that these provide them with many gains. In turn, they also teach their congregations that “gain is godliness”. Peter describes them as “beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children” (2 Peter 2:14b). Likewise, Jude warns, “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core” (v. 11)!

Lust

Another biblical reason accounting for preachers’ tolerance of carnality within the church is that they themselves are carnal men. The apostle Peter wrote, “Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin” (2 Peter 2:13-14). They will not rebuke but quietly approve the carnal mannerisms of the congregation because they themselves are men with “eyes full of adultery”! It is impossible that a righteous man would tolerate carnal behaviour and activities within his congregation. Preachers ought to be “preachers of righteousness”.

Church leaders, who know of carnality in their congregations and yet do not reprove it, may well be living in the lust of the flesh. Outwardly, such men may look religious and pious, but the Lord who knows all hearts, says that these are men full of lust. 2 Timothy 3:5-7 says of such men in the churches, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Sermon Text: Psalm 37:25–40
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 5th March 2023

Sermon Text: Psalm 37:1–24
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 26th February 2023