Sermon Text: Galatians 5:16–25
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 31st October 2021
Sermon Text: Galatians 5:16–25
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 31st October 2021
Written by Ricky & Stella Yang
“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth” (Psalm 71:9).
On 19th September (Sunday), just before the Evening Service, we received news from the Nursing Home that Aunty Poh Eng tested positive for Covid-19, but was asymptomatic. There wasn’t much other info then, except to wait for further instructions from MOH. There were many questions running through our minds. Was she infectious? Would she be placed in isolation? Would there be other medical complications, knowing that she is of old age, and has some existing medical conditions? Would she be transferred to a hospital or other recovery facility?
We subsequently learned that she was placed in isolation at the Nursing Home. As the news sank in, we could only pray and requested prayer of brethren from the church, family and friends to plead for God’s mercy to sustain Aunty Poh Eng, as we awaited updates from the Nursing Home (on her condition) and instructions from MOH. Thank God for opportunity to have a video call with her to inform her of the situation and to explain to her why she was placed in isolation, knowing that she would usually feel uncomfortable to be alone. We thank God for opportunity to sing the chorus, ‘Chin Chia Ho’, to encourage her and also ourselves – a chorus that reminded us that God is good every day, and that we should praise Him even in such time of need, in time of old age and physical vulnerability, and when her bodily strength was showing signs of failing, when her voice became hoarse and her energy level was getting lower due to the virus. Like the psalmist, we interceded for Aunty Poh Eng that God would not cast her off.
“O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help…. Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth” (Psalm 71:12, 20).
On 21st September (Tuesday), we thanked God for answered prayers. God had heard our pleas and had “made haste” for our help, and opened up the space for Aunty Poh Eng to be transferred to NCID. Her initial days at NCID were concerning. Some days, her vital parameters were stable, and on other days, they were not so good. During those initial days, her Covid infection was worsening, and she also had bacterial infection. The initial medications were not producing the desired results and she needed supplementary oxygen support. How we thank God that He has opened the way for such a timely help and move to NCID to receive the much needed medical attention and care. We continued to have video calls with Aunty Poh Eng occasionally. Though lying on the bed of sickness, she showed no signs of despair but was at peace spiritually and mostly lucid, though physically weak and sometimes weary. Whenever we had the opportunity for video calls, we were always most encouraged to hear her affirming Jesus Christ as her Saviour, trusting in her Heavenly Father and thanking people who were praying for her. Indeed, the psalmist’s plea, “O God, be not far from me”, was our intercessory prayer for her, and we found comfort and rest in the knowledge that it is the Spirit of God that has drawn Aunty Poh Eng close to her blessed God.
On 25th September (Saturday), we got a call around noon from a doctor that Aunty Poh Eng’s infection level was getting higher and some of the parameters were becoming critical. She was going to be placed on the “Dangerously ill list” (DIL). We were told to be mentally prepared, and we were also told that for patients on DIL, one visitor was allowed. Suddenly, it looked like things have taken a very sharp downturn. Our hearts were heavy, and we started taking out our N95 masks to prepare to visit. Shortly after, we were told the doctor has assessed that they were not going to put her on DIL but would continue to monitor her. It indeed felt like the Lord has quickened Aunty Poh Eng again and brought her from the brink of being dangerously ill. Oh, what a relief and yet at the same time, it reminded us how variable and uncertain the next few days could be. We felt a mix of relief, thanksgiving and a need to continue to plead for Aunty Poh Eng to cling on to Jesus as she wasn’t completely out of the woods yet. The Hokkien chorus, “Kang Wa Eh Qiu” (“Hold My Hand”), played in our hearts. We continued to have video calls with Aunty Poh Eng and sang the chorus to her. On one rare occasion, she struggled to recognise us. We were concerned, but it was more important that Aunty Poh Eng would not forget Jesus Christ, her Saviour. Praise God, through the period of fluctuations in her condition, the Lord has kept her close to Him and enabled Aunty Poh Eng to remain steadfast in affirming her faith in Jesus Christ.
“Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come” (Psalm 71:18).
The next few days were days of slow but sure recovery. Aunty Poh Eng was slowly increasing her food and water intake and gaining strength slowly. After 2 weeks in NCID, she was discharged to Bright Vision Hospital. On one Saturday when we had a video call with her, she could even remember that next day (Sunday) was church day! Yes, it was the strength of the Lord God that has enabled her to stay the course in her battle with the Covid-19 virus, and to remain steadfast in her faith. Though Aunty Poh Eng was making good recovery, she was not shedding the viral fragments enough to be discharged from the hospital yet. It was a period of waiting upon the Lord, and again God was faithful and has not forsaken Aunty Poh Eng or us. It is the Lord’s mercy and strength that enabled her to have made the recovery thus far, and we simply had to wait for the Lord’s timing for her discharge from the hospital. All praise and thanks to God, last Monday (18 Oct), exactly a month after Aunty Poh Eng tested positive, the Lord has restored her to health. We rejoice to echo the psalmist’s declaration – “Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.”
We conclude with the psalmist’s praise: “My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed” (Psalm 71:23). All praise and glory to God the Almighty, who is the God who heals both the body and soul.
Sermon Text: Galatians 5:13–15
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 24th October 2021
When a person is ordained as an elder of the church, he is being entrusted with God-given duties to fulfil. His ordination is a public acknowledgment of his calling and equipping by the Holy Spirit to carry out the God-given duties of an elder. Following is a brief discussion of some of the major biblical duties of an elder.
In conjunction with the pastor (the teaching elder), the elders take the oversight of the spiritual and administrative matters of the church. Elders are exhorted in 1 Peter 5:2 to “feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind”. The word “feed” translates a Greek word (poimaínō) which denotes the duties of a shepherd towards the flock. An elder is to be like a shepherd who cares for the flock of God in the local church where he is appointed to the office. His duty of shepherding means that he must willingly and readily “take the oversight” of the congregation. Exercising oversight – as denoted by the Greek word (episkopeo) – would mean that he cares for the nurture, protection and guidance of God’s people like a shepherd (Acts 20:28a).
Every elder must co-labour with the pastor and fellow elders to provide the necessary spiritual and administrative oversight. He must work with genuine pastoral concern for the flock of God. He must know the affairs of the flock and oversee their spiritual well-being. As part of the Board of Elders (or presbytery), he must personally and jointly labour to watch over the flock of God. The wise words of Solomon are applicable to every elder: “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds” (Proverbs 27:23).
The oversight of the flock would include visiting the poor, the sick and the afflicted. The elder must be willing and prepared to attend to the spiritual and temporal needs of the needy among the congregation. In fact, Scripture encourages the needy to call on elders – “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). As under-shepherds of Christ’s flock, every elder ought to manifest Christ’s compassion and care, with much love and tenderness to His suffering sheep. He may minister to the afflicted with an appropriate hymn, or the reading of a portion of Scripture, or a brief prayer.
That is not all. He must also attend to the backsliding members of the church in order to correct them and nurture them back. Every elder must prayerfully work to avoid the spiritual decline of the congregation. He should admonish members who neglect the fellowship gatherings and sacraments, which are means of grace that are essential to spiritual growth and health. Without proper supervision, the members of the church can slowly slip into spiritual lethargy and degeneration. Every elder must labour to avoid having members of the church degenerate and fall away unnoticed. Though the pastor bears much of the responsibility of the pastoral care, elders are also called to share with him the pastoral supervision of the church.
According to 1 Timothy 3:2, elders must be “apt to teach”. In Titus 1:9, elders are expected to be “holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” The Greek word (parakaleô) translated as “exhort” can also mean “encourage”, “comfort”. Thus, the ruling elder’s teaching – though not formal or on a full-time basis like that of the pastors who are teaching elders – includes informal counselling and words of encouragement. The elder should also be able to “convince the gainsayers” by sound doctrine (Titus 1:9). The Greek word (antilegô) translated as “gainsayers” refers to “those who speak against”. Hence, elders must acquaint themselves with the biblical doctrines and practices of the church, that they may give a sound response to those who object to the doctrines of the Word of God.
This, of course, does not mean that every elder must be equally knowledgeable and gifted to perform the task of teaching. It is abundantly clear that there are some elders (being pastors) who are specially tasked to “labour in the word and doctrine” (1 Timothy 5:17), while others focus mainly on ruling the church. However, every elder must be able to communicate sound biblical knowledge. To fulfil such an important duty, elders must have a constant, prayerful commitment to equip themselves with sound theological knowledge. They must equip themselves to teach competently in Bible studies and to answer the inquirers wisely and adequately. They must labour to both propound sound doctrines and defend them for the purity of the church.
Elders are expected to rule well, and such are worthy of double honour (1 Timothy 5:17). As rulers, they are not to be “lords over God’s heritage” (1 Peter 5:3a), but rather as fathers who rule their household (1 Timothy 3:4). They teach the Word of God (Hebrews 13:7), and labour to admonish the church (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:12). They watch for the souls of God’s people (Hebrews 13:17b), and lead them by example (1 Peter 5:3b; cf. 1 Timothy 4:12). As men entrusted with responsibility for the well-being of the souls of the people, they will have to give an account to the Lord for them (Hebrews 13:17b).
Elders ought to be in charge of the admission, spiritual nurture and discipline of the members of the church. Their collective supervision as rulers of the church is crucial to maintaining the purity of the church. The special attention of the elders to catechise those who seek membership and to ascertain them to be credible followers of Christ is most needful. It is also their duty to admonish (with a loving and firm spirit) members of the church who walk disorderly. They are expected to carry out their roles as rulers with much diligence and labour (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:12).
In order to rule well, the elders also have important duties to perform in the meeting of the Board of Elders. In this meeting where the situation and needs of the church will be considered, the elders should confer together to find the best biblical way to manage matters at hand for the benefit of the church. Hence, elders must have a commitment to attend such a meeting and to participate in the discussions concerning the administration of the church with eagerness and patience. As the Board meeting cannot be held in a hurried or perfunctory manner, much forbearance, tolerance and endurance are expected. Elders must not think of themselves as mere advisers in the Board, but as co-labourers together with the pastor to shepherd the flock of God. In this respect, elders must also be careful to avoid any misunderstandings, quarrels or alienation among themselves.
The importance of godly, able and dutiful ruling elders in taking the oversight of the church cannot be overemphasised. The apostle Paul knew this full well, hence he was not at all apologetic to write: “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour” (1 Timothy 5:17a). Indeed, such honour would be gladly rendered by the discerning church which recognises that only when the elders – who are the rulers of the church – endeavour to work together in sincerity and faithfulness, in harmony and love, and with zeal and patience can the church be effective in bearing a glorious testimony for the Lord.
Sermon Text: Galatians 5:7–12
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 17th October 2021
Our church constitution states, “The spiritual oversight of the Church in matters of doctrine, principles of government, church elections, admission and discipline of members and the administrative oversight of the Church shall be the specific responsibilities of the BOE” (12.2). “The BOE shall consist of the Pastor(s) and Elders, and Supervisory Pastor, if any” (13.1).
As we now look forward to the election of the BOE at the end of next month (Sun, 28th Nov 2021, 4pm), it is important that we understand the biblical necessity, nature and importance of the elders. To help us to be well-furnished with the biblical and constitutional requisites, an expanded version of an article that I previously wrote in 2017 is included below.
In the apostolic times, when the Gospel spread through Judea, Samaria, Asia Minor and in other regions, churches were formed. Their proper spiritual and administrative care became a great concern to the apostles. Paul then wrote to Titus what should be done for the proper management of the church – “thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee” (Titus 1:5).
The apostolic instruction is that the appointment of elders as church officers is vital to an orderly, well-managed church. The ordaining of elders is an imperative. It is on no account to be omitted. Paul’s admonition was that Titus would go through city by city and ordain a body of elders in each congregation (cf. 1 Timothy 3, where Paul also mentioned the appointment of deacons, who are to be assistants to the elders). The elders, then, are to rule and organise the church.
The basic biblical pattern for the proper organisation of a local church is that elders (plural in number) ought to be ordained from within the congregation, in accordance with the biblical requirements of abilities and standards of behaviour. This is corroborated by Acts 14:23 – “And when they (Paul and Barnabas) had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”
Elders ought to be men of sound moral and spiritual character. Their qualifications are plainly laid down in the Word of God, as attested to by Titus 1:6-9, “(being) blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
A similar requirement of conduct is also given in I Timothy 3:2-7. “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
The passages quoted above lay special emphasis upon high morals and sound spiritual abilities and character. So, every man who is considered for the office of eldership ought to be blameless in life and steadfast in the faith. He should be a man of wisdom and discretion. Neither riches nor wealth nor social position can qualify a man to be a ruler in God’s house. Holiness must characterise his pursuit of life so that he may be an example to the flock. Devotion to God – piety – should characterise every ruling elder. He must be a godly, spiritually-minded man. His piety is the measure of his strength. All his duties require godliness, and without it, all his skills and capabilities are of little use in the government of the church. If he is truly godly, then he will truly influence the church for the glory of God. It is the godly influence of the elders that direct the proper conduct of the church.
Though piety is indispensable, it is not the only qualification. Not every church member who is devout is qualified to be an elder of the church. A candidate to the office of eldership must also be a man of intelligence, practical wisdom, experience, and administrative capacity. The best and wisest godly men in the congregation should be selected. From time to time, the board of elders will have to deal with matters of utmost gravity and also grapple with perplexing problems. In such situations, the ablest of minds and the most knowledgeable of men are to be found among the rulers of the church. Men who lack excellent mental capacity would not be able to handle such duties. While we thank God for capable men whom God has given to us, let us also pray for more competent men for the eldership.
The apostle also insisted that an elder should be “apt to teach”. This is not necessarily a reference to public and official instruction, for ruling elders are not those who are called to labour in the Word as teaching elders (cf. 1 Timothy 5:17). There must be, however, the ability to communicate and defend sound doctrines of the Bible. Elders must take every opportunity available to them to increase in the knowledge of God’s Word. They should be diligent and faithful students of God’s Word so that they may teach in the Bible class, and guide worshippers and inquirers in the wisdom of God’s Word. The role of elders is of vast importance in preventing the church from departing from the truth of God’s Word and defending the church against errors of all kinds that will creep in through false teachers. So, the apostle Paul instructed the Ephesian elders, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
In order to implement the biblical requirements for elders, our church constitution states, “The office of Elders shall be borne by spiritually matured and God-fearing men (1 Timothy 3:1-7) and a nominee for election to the office of an Elder shall be a man of not less than six years’ Christian leadership service in the Church or like-minded Church, save that the BOE may in its absolute discretion, shorten the qualifying period.”
Thus, the candidates for election to the BOE must thereby be such spiritual men who “shall satisfy the requirements listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-11. In addition, to ensure better objectivity in selection, they shall fulfil the following conditions:
God willing, I will address the topic of the ruling elders more next week.
Sermon Text: Galatians 5:2–6
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 10th October 2021
Pastor’s note: Many among us remember Bro. Jumar Balicao from the Philippines, who worshipped with us while he was working in Singapore. (His brother Juffrey, together with his wife Nydel, are active members of our church). Jumar and his wife, Olive, have been joining our GYAF online meetings and other online activities regularly. They had earlier shared with great joy that Olive was expecting their first child. However, last Thursday, Sis Olive experienced an emergency medical situation, and their “6-month” baby girl (Ann Lois) was born prematurely on the way to hospital. Though the baby was taken to another hospital for neonatal care and kept in an incubator, it pleased the Lord to call the baby home on Saturday morning. The burial of Anna Lois Balicao was held on Monday by Pr Donald dela Cruz, our missionary in Pangasinan, the Philippines.
Like Jumar and Olive, some others among us also have gone through similar grief of losing their babies prematurely because of failed pregnancies. Experiencing a miscarriage is very hurting for the parents, and one of the hardest things in the world to handle. May the following email I received from Jumar and Olive help those of us who might face such grief, to know that the LORD will comfort and strengthen you too.
Dear Pastor Koshy,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord!
Matthew 5:4 tells us, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
The grief we felt was hurting us deeply for the past few days. We put the body of baby Anna Lois in the grave last Monday, with great comfort in knowing that Anna is in heaven enjoying God's presence.
It has been really hard, but our loving God wants us to go to Him to find rest and comfort in Him. Indeed, I have drawn my strength in God as I continue to lead and comfort my wife during these hard and trying times. In such a sorrowful event like this, we witnessed the importance of how our amazing God has designed the God-given roles of each member of the family, especially the role of a godly father as the leader / head of the family.
We continually praise God as we reminisce now His goodness, providence, and mercy unto us. He never lacks in providing us, no matter how small or big it may be. The fellowship of the saints gave us much comfort, even if we are all physically apart. Those brothers and sisters who included us in their prayers, and even those who recorded their sweet singing of hymns, comforted our souls. We thank the Lord for blessing us with godly brethren in the midst of this trying time. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
Thank you, Pastor, for your comforting words, as well as always keeping us in your prayers. We are now both rejoicing in the Lord as Job did, when he said, "the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21b).
We thank God also for the comforting words of the Lord from 365 Daily Exhortations from God's Word, which came in very timely: "Believers’ afflictions are not indicative of the lack of God’s ‘goodness and mercy’. God may have allowed those dark experiences to serve as a means of chastisement or purification process in believers’ lives. At the same time, He will sustain them with His ‘goodness and mercy’, and help them to emerge from their trials with greater confidence in God" (cf. Psalm 23:6a).
Praise be unto God.
Love in Christ,
Jumar and Olive
“Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:17).
This is a portion of Paul’s prayer for the believers in Thessalonica who were in the midst of persecution and trials. Paul’s prayer, which began in the previous verse, reads: “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). God can give His people comfort amidst the greatest tribulation. As long as we have God to stand by us and the blessed hope of eternal life that His grace bestows in our hearts, all troubles will be counterbalanced. Our God is the “the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Since God is the source of all comfort, let us go to Him in prayer for it. Let us not expect men to provide it, though God may use His children to bring His comfort to us. If, by God’s grace, they be instrumental in God’s hands to comfort us, let us gladly accept it. However, we must ask God to send His comfort into our hearts.
It is important that we do not allow our troubled hearts to slip further into depression by thinking that there is no comfort for us. We must encourage our weary and sad hearts to hope in the Lord for our comfort. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5).
The apostle also prayed for the Lord to “stablish” suffering believers “in every good word and work”. The word “stablish” means make firm and steadfast. When God by His grace comforts our hearts, He will also strengthen us in “good word and work”. The expression “good word” refers to the truths of God’s Word, while the phrase “good... work” relates to the performance of all His good will concerning us in His service.
Trials often compel the hearts of believers to question and distrust the truths of God’s Word, and even to refrain from serving and praising God. However, those who wait upon the Lord for their consolation shall receive His aid to grow in faith and in understanding of His Word, and thereby offer themselves in greater service to the Lord. We may find ourselves being shaken by our trials, but let us seek His strengthening grace in prayer. As Paul assured the believers later in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
Sermon Text: Galatians 4:21–5:1
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 3rd October 2021
Herein is the last portion of the article based on Jeremiah 23, calling the church to stand up and be counted as “the pillar and ground of the truth”.
In the next 2 verses, we note how intensely God expressed His anger to the unfaithful prophets and people: “Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly” (vv. 19-20). Indeed, who could withstand such fury of the LORD? Before such consuming wrath, we can only plead, “O Lord, have mercy, hide Thy face against our sins.” The LORD again reiterated His strong displeasure of the prophets of Israel in verse 21, “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” The LORD was upset with the prophets for taking the office without being called and appointed by Him, hence His damning denunciation: “I have not sent these prophets”!
A similar phenomenon of an increasing number of false teachers and pastors is seen in Christendom today. Is there a preacher or missionary in this conference who is not sent by God? Is there a preacher who has come by his own will? Is there one sent by the devil? Is there a man here who is considering the office of the church without having a clear calling from the LORD? You might think me to be uncharitable, ill-natured and hurtful in raising these questions. But recall how Jeremiah had to proclaim the LORD’s scathing pronouncement that “I have not sent these prophets”. It was Jeremiah versus the entire association of prophets! It is imperative for all of us to understand that a divine call is indispensable to be a preacher of God’s Word. God must first beckon him, equip him with the necessary gifts and qualities, and then train him in His Word to be a preacher. No one should try to become a preacher, without the LORD’s clear appointment. No one can say, “Trust me, I am confident that I will make it.”
One who is called by the LORD will not only have an inner conviction of God’s call, but also the external evidence of spiritual qualities (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:7-9) and the necessary spiritual gifts (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6). Bible colleges cannot make one a preacher. Rather, Bible colleges can only aid those who are called to gain knowledge through godly and faithful teachers. In this respect, pastors are to be careful not to lay hands upon a man who has not proven his calling. “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22), so wrote Paul to Timothy. I dread the possibility of unwittingly ordaining a person whom God didn’t ordain. Beware of men who rush to become pastors, men who quickly want to put on the “clergy cloak”, even though there is little to prove that they are called. None should pretend that he is called.
Dear Gethsemane churches, let us not delight in the number of preachers we have, but pray that they are called and equipped by God. I would ask all the preachers and missionaries present, to examine whether they are truly in the ministry in obedience to God’s call. Is it because the Lord has called you that you are a preacher? Is your heart led by the Spirit? Or is it your own carnal and materialistic thoughts that teach you what to do? If your heart is not guided by the Blessed Spirit and Truth, you had better step down from your post. Let us also pray that God will prevent us from ordaining a man who is not called by Him. May our “sweat and blood” not go into supporting a man who is not called by God. Do not rush to ordain men into the ministry. Your heart will be broken, and you will be dragged into places and situations that you should never be in. Pretentious, ungodly men cannot lead you into righteousness and truth. They will corrupt you; you will then cry and weep, and howl in great misery. May God be merciful to protect our churches. Let His Word defend us!
My dear friends, let me tell you how we become defenders of God’s Word. When we allow God’s Word to defend us, we naturally become the defenders of its truth. We are not supposed to fight the battle with fleshly means; we fight the battle with the spiritual armour God has given. You do not go up to God and say, “Count on me God, here I am. Look at my strength; look at my intellectual ability. Why don’t you enlist me?” “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). If God has not called you, if God has not given you the armour, if God has not equipped you with skill and ability, how can you defend God’s Word? Unless we let God’s Word defend us, we cannot be defenders of God’s Word. May God save us from the folly of human pride that assumes that we are capable of defending His Word by our own human devices and wisdom! If Gethsemane is ever to be a church that defends God’s Word, then her preachers must be moulded by the truth of His Word, and hence unreservedly yield to it.
Likewise, worshippers and church members must also live according to His Word. In this respect, be watchful! Analyse what you hear in the church, whether it is of God. Many false prophets have gone out! 1 John 4:1 admonishes us, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God”. Having heard from one of our conference preachers about an American pastor caught in an adulterous relationship after being in the ministry for twenty years (how tragic!), we can never let our guard down. Anyone who disobeys the Word and does evil is not a defender of God’s Word. By acting against its counsels and living a compromised life of worldliness, he has instead ridiculed and maligned it, and “thrown it away” for the world. “But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings” (Jeremiah 23:22). It is the duty of the church – even every Christian’s duty – to make sure that the preacher is following God’s Word. This cannot be assumed.
O, may Gethsemane churches arise; repent of our unbelief and disobedience; and pray: “LORD, I am prone to wander. O LORD, defend me, deliver me.” May God defend us, that we may be defenders of His holy name and His truth. Defenders of God’s Word are those who stay under its truths, trusting everything it says and appropriating all its counsels by faith and obedience. They believe, preach and affirm it; they do not question it.
Finally, we do well to remember Paul’s reason in giving Timothy advice on the orderly governing and conduct in the local church: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Blessed be His name! We are not the church of any heathen statue or idol; we are the church of the living God. Just how do we prove that? By being the pillar and ground of the truth! The church ought to show the world the magnificence of God’s Truth by yielding to its authority. God’s Truth rules over us as we submit to its counsels. We in turn, like a pillar, hold up the Truth. In so doing, we are deemed to be defending God’s Word.