Text: Selected Scriptures
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 6 September 2020
Text: Selected Scriptures
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 6 September 2020
Written by Samson Hutagalung
I am thankful to the Lord for saving me in my teens while I was still in high school. I realise that I was a destitute sinner, deserving nothing but judgment. Though I was brought up in a Christian family and lived in a Christian community, that did not make me a Christian. It was the Word of God preached, that caused me to realise that I was a condemned sinner who needed God’s mercy and grace for all my sins to be forgiven me.
Upon completion of my high school, I came to Batam to search for a job. For several months, I was searching for a church which could help me to grow spiritually. I attended different churches for that purpose. By God’s providence, in the midst of searching for a room to stay, I met a brother who was also searching for a place like me, and we rented a room together. He subsequently invited me to join him for an evening Bible study in the shipyard dormitory, which I did – though reluctantly at first, as it was quite a distance away, and travelling there would require passing through a rural area in the night. There I met a FEBC graduate conducting the Bible Study.
When I attended the Bible study, I loved the way the Word of God was expounded and felt being blessed and encouraged to follow and love the Lord. I continued to join the meeting and the church in town. After some time, I got involved in various ministries of the church. Joining the preacher in various ministries every Sunday, from morning to evening, was a joy for me!
As I continued to worship and serve the Lord in whatever area I could, I felt the call of the Lord when I first heard Matthew 9:37-38 preached during a Sunday service. I continued to meditate on that passage when I got home. I felt the call and a burden to serve the Lord, and to preach the Gospel to unsaved ones. "Then saith he unto his disciples, 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."
Then, Romans 10:14-15 was another passage that spoke to me in the same period of time. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
I knew that the Lord had called me and laid a burden in my heart to serve Him, but I dared not speak to anyone. I felt that I was unworthy for such a holy ministry. Often, I tried to forget the burden by telling myself that I still had to fulfil my responsibility towards my parents and to support my siblings’ education. In my heart was a great struggle, and at the same time I lost interest to continue my job in a company as I was thinking about serving the Lord.
It took me more than a year to finally make a decision. Matthew 6:33 was used by the Lord to comfort and strengthen me in making a decision when the Lord said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." I entrusted all things unto God, trusting that the Lord would help my parents in their needs.
With the strength and comfort from the Lord, on October 1994, I resigned from my work and stayed in the church in preparation for my theological study. On 2nd January 1995, I came to Far Eastern Bible College.
I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy in seeing me through my studies. After 5½ years, I completed my studies and went back to serve the Lord at Calvary Batam as a preacher, as well as a librarian and academic dean in the Bible College there. What a joy I had, as at last I could serve the Lord and God’s people! I was grateful to the Lord for His enabling grace in all the ministries I had for 6 years in serving the Lord in the church and Bible College.
In July 2006, I came back to FEBC for further studies, which I completed in 2007 (pending completion of my thesis). Upon my return, however, I felt that I did not have a place to serve. So, I started a service in my home, attended by my family, a maid, a friend and his wife. In 2009, upon the invitation of Gethsemane BPC (Batam), I joined the church – until November 2012.
In December 2012, my family and I came over to Singapore for the purpose of my daughter’s primary school education. We started attending Gethsemane BPC (Singapore) for the first time. In August 2013, by the grace of God, Pastor Koshy, together with the Board of Elders, accepted me as a missionary preacher, designated with the main task of establishing GBI Online.
It has been 7 years since I have become part of the ministry of Gethsemane BPC. During this period of time, the Lord has been so good and gracious in guiding me to serve Him in GBI Online. Being new to the Learning Management System, and without any background or pre-knowledge and experience in the internet field, I leaned upon the Lord’s guidance. I believed the Lord has directed me to this ministry and He would help me through all the challenges.
Day and night, I came to the Lord and surrendered everything to Him, that He might direct me to the right source and information as I tried to learn everything needed to start GBI Online. He guided me step by step to learn MOODLE (the platform which is used to run GBI Online), to the end that GBI Online may be a useful ministry for His kingdom (cf. Psalm 32:8). He granted me patience to learn, and wisdom to understand things that were needed.
Setting up a course in the GBI Online website and framing up quizzes for every subject is challenging. Praise be to God, GBI Online has been running well since we launched it on January 2015. My heart is thankful and joyful when I see God’s people from different parts of the world learning God’s Word through GBI Online! To date, 166 students are learning God’s Word online, and more would join us when we let the world know about this ministry (cf. Matthew 28:19).
In June 2015, I was involved for the first time in the editing of video lectures taught by Pastor Koshy. The aim was to enhance the presentation of the video lectures for students’ greater spiritual enjoyment. It took hours to edit each lecture. However, it is a double blessing for me as I listened to each lecture again and again. It gave me a better understanding when I spent time in editing all the video lectures.
On Friday, 13th May 2016, I had my first ministry to Calvary Kuching, attended by Bro. Jeremy Teo and family. It was basically a Bible Study on a Friday evening. In December 2016, I spent (for the first time) two weeks ministering in Kuching – for prayer meeting, Sunday service, Christmas Eve service and New Year service. Since then, I have been staying there for about two weeks every time I was scheduled to go there – until the disruption caused by the global pandemic.
During this global pandemic, I was given an opportunity to serve the Lord at Calvary Kuching via Skype for prayer meeting, youth fellowship and Sunday service. By God’s grace, our services were never interrupted hitherto.
Truly, the Lord is gracious and merciful to His people. May the Lord continue to help and use me for the ministry. All praise be to the Lord. Amen.
Written by Kelvin Lim
By the grace of God working in my life, I see God’s calling in my life as under three aspects: God’s calling, God’s training and serving God.
Serving the Lord is a lifelong struggle on earth in learning to submit to His blessed will. Often we have to say, "not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Yet, one cannot resist God’s call when he hears it! For me, the call to serve the Lord came in the year 2002. I was reading Paul’s epistle to the Romans when those rhetorical questions in Romans 10:14 "jumped out" at me. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"
Indeed, how will the unbelievers call on Jesus whom they do not believe, and how can they believe on Jesus whom they have not heard? That is, how can they hear the Gospel of Christ unless someone is sent to tell them about it! At that time, I was working in The Helping Hand (THH), a Christian drug-rehabilitation centre, where my fellowship with God was restored and I came to know Pastor Koshy while I was a resident there. Subsequently, THH sent me to join Gethsemane B-P Church (GBPC) for her Sunday activities, and I became a member in December 2000.
As I grew spiritually under the faithful ministry of the Word, I knew that the Lord saved me from my sins to serve Him in the new life He has given. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Furthermore, I recalled Jesus’ charge to Peter: "… and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). Therefore, there is this burden laid in my heart to strengthen the faith of the brethren in THH and to reach out to those under the bondage of drug addictions with the life-transforming Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!
I went to see Pastor Koshy and shared with him the Lord’s call. At that time, I was pursuing a Certificate in Substance Abuse Counselling, which would qualify me as a Substance Abuse counsellor worldwide. Naturally, I was not willing to give it up to answer God’s call into the full-time ministry! But Pastor’s advice was, "If the Lord calls you to serve Him, why bother to obtain any secular qualifications. Obey the Lord, go and study God’s Word in Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC)." Then he added, "Secular counselling can never be as effective as biblical counselling!" However, I begged to differ with him, as in my heart, I was satisfied with just attending the night classes in FEBC for equipping myself in the Word to encourage the brothers in THH, and to evangelise my friends who were addicted to drugs and other substances.
Despite my unwillingness to answer God’s call, He was patient and gracious with me. Over the next two years, He used two incidents to "jolt" me. The first occurred while I was accompanying Pastor Koshy for his overseas speaking engagement. It was my first time there and the local B-P church pastor exhorted me to surrender my life to serve God! I had barely known him and had not told him about my calling. Scarcely could I believe my ears! Still, I refused to submit to the Lord in my heart. I brushed it aside as coincidental, yet deep within I knew it was not!
The second was a minor motor accident which I was involved in. The hairline fracture on my knee confined me indoors for a good number of days. That solitary period of time helped me to relook at my life’s perspectives. If my desire is to serve the Lord, then I must submit to Him and do His will! "Not my will, but thine, be done." Our church motto kept echoing in my thoughts. Therefore, I submissively went to FEBC on 19th July 2004, to be a full-time student of God’s Word, after struggling over His calling for two years.
In FEBC, I learned many good biblical doctrines and practical lessons. During my first year in FEBC, I was invited by a staff of THH to join them in their prison ministry. Joyfully, I went to see Pastor Koshy and shared with him this wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord. But he was not in favour of it! The reason was that I should be concentrating on the study of God’s Word as a full-time student. He assured me that there will be opportunities in the future to serve the Lord in the prison ministry if God so wills! Yet, I defiantly went ahead to apply for a temporary permit under THH despite a teaching elder’s godly counsel. Though I did receive my temporary permit, somehow I never got to use it! "… ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder" (1 Peter 5:5). This was a most memorable lesson of my theological training. It is one lesson that I will not forget!
Yet another lesson: when God closes a door, He will open a window! In this regard, the Lord paved the way for me to serve Him in the Gethsemane’s Children Ministry (GCM) during my third year in FEBC, even before I completed my theological studies. I believe this "window" of opportunity came upon me because I have been blessed with a "productive" helpmeet. She gave birth to our firstborn son, Joash, and with him, the paternal care towards children in the church started to manifest. Since then, I have been serving the Lord in GCM. Indeed, "A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
As sinners saved by grace, many parents struggled to bring up their children in the Lord. My observation and biblical insight of the children’s ministry is that though it is a children’s ministry, yet it is the parents that need ministering to! Parents must be exhorted to bring their children for the fellowship meetings. "Children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward" (Psalm 127:3). It has always been a struggle to convince parents who placed secular activities above spiritual blessings, and to bring their children to the house of God!
Hence, let me share some struggles of serving God with you. One of the greatest struggles I had was to write the weekly lesson outlines for Junior Worship Classes. As I laboured to write these lesson outlines week after week, the "intensity of the pen" grew heavier by the day. Often, I stared at the biblical texts from which I was crafting the lesson and cried out to the Lord, "Why is it so difficult to bring out the text, and explain the truth in a simple manner?"
Well, the Lord answered this groan with an astonishing truth: His presence – the presence of God in the lives of His saints is a recurring truth throughout the Scriptures! In Genesis 28:15, God assures Jacob, "behold, I am with thee"; and in Matthew 28:20, our Lord Jesus assures His disciples, "I am with you alway". How could I miss these truths that are repeatedly mentioned in the Bible to assure God’s children? The discovery of this truth greatly strengthened my hands and enabled me to press on to complete the three-year lesson outlines. Praise the Lord!
The next struggle was about learning to read and speak biblical Chinese! Since the inception of the Chinese service, the Lord has given me opportunities to serve there – as chairman (monthly), as preacher (occasionally) and (sometimes) as interpreter (for the chairman / speaker during combined services and Gethsemane Senior Ministry). Though I did not even pass Chinese in Secondary 1, the Lord was gracious to allow me to serve Him in this aspect.
Then in 2012, Preacher Jeremiah encouraged me to sign up as a volunteer with Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) to serve with him in the Prison ministry. This time, I sought Pastor’s blessings first, and with his approval went to apply for the prison pass. Thanks be unto God, it has been an encouraging ministry! It is wonderful to see brethren willing to reach out to the lost in addictions and crimes, and joyful to see some of those ministered to turning to the Lord and be transformed by the power of His Word!
Lastly, I thank God for the many opportunities to help out among the various ministries of both the English and Chinese congregations of our church. As such, I think I’m not too wrong to call myself ‘gap-filler’. May the Lord give me extra grace to study His Word and grant me humility to continue serving Him submissively till He calls me home! Every day in the ministry is by the grace of God. Thank God for a Bible-believing church to serve in. All glory be unto the Lord Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour and Lord!
Text: Selected Scriptures
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 30 August 2020
Text: 2 Peter 1:2-4
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 23 August 2020
Written by Ho Kee How
As a young Christian in the 1980’s, I used to look forward to attending missions rallies and conferences organised by missionary groups (such as Keswick Convention, Overseas Missionary Fellowship) and missions-minded churches (many of which had since gone ecumenical). My heart was stirred whenever I heard reports of the Gospel work in the mission fields, and the oft-repeated refrain that "the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few" (Lk 10:2). But even at that young age, I understood (through my reading of the Bible and stirring Christian books) that not any eager or zealous fellow can enter into that "labour force" – it’s skilled labour! I knew I didn’t have the calibre to be a pastor. To me, a minister of the Gospel requires some ability. He must have the mental capacity to study, for he needs to be able to expound, to feed the flock! Though I did fairly well in school, it was all in the area of written work, not speaking assignments. Knowing my aversion to public speaking and my rather reserved nature, I realise I’m not cut out to be a minister of the Gospel. But the burden to serve the Lord full-time didn’t leave me – though my uninitiated thinking of full-time ministry referred only to "pastor" or "missionary".
As secular work didn’t interest me very much, I believe I’d have given up all and serve full-time if I had received a clear call from God. Yet I knew I should not go ahead of the Spirit’s leading in my life. Such biblical discretion has stood me in good stead – for had I gone ahead on my own indiscriminately, I’d probably have gone to study theology at SBC or BTS. These being non-committed against inroads made by charismatism and liberal theology, I’d probably come out having my doctrines tainted and faith subverted! I haven’t heard of FEBC or Life Church then. Well, God has His timing…
In the course of time, another door did open for me – "schoolteacher". Upon becoming preoccupied with pursuing a career as a schoolteacher, I did not expect God to call me into full-time ministry. I’ve always believed that God, in the normal course of affairs, would call His servants while they are young and still in their prime. (Scriptural examples and godly examples throughout church history attest that God’s choicest servants are plucked out of the world and set apart for His ministry early in life.) In the meantime, God providentially led me to Life BP Church in 1990, where my faith was strengthened by Rev Tow’s faithful, scholarly preaching (and incidentally, where I also got married). Some years later, my wife and I met Pastor Koshy through Newton NBS, where we were further nourished by his impassioned teaching of God’s Word. Over time, we were made aware of the needs of the small church at Gethsemane, and felt led to contribute there with our humble gifts and service. Hence our transfer in 1999, with Rev Tow’s blessings. We were asked to serve in the Gethsemane Adults’ Fellowship committee, and were happy serving the Lord in a small way, giving wholehearted support to the ministry in Gethsemane.
Over the years, however, there was an increasing sense of emptiness as I did not find much fulfilment in my work. I felt as if I was engrossed in things that do not matter to God’s kingdom. This heaviness and unease came to a head when I was confronted by God’s Word in Isa 55:2: "Wherefore do ye spend … your labour for that which satisfieth not?" There came a point when I told my wife that I find no more joy in preparing classroom lessons; I’d rather prepare Bible-lessons! By God’s providence, we hear of Pastor Koshy sharing more and more of his burden for an enhanced literature / publications ministry. I felt I could contribute. I don’t have many skills, but I realise I have a knack for words. My "tools" are the 26 letters of the English alphabet – whereby I’m able, by God’s grace, to use a combination of these and organise words into stirring sentences! It was also around about this time that we heard of the need for an assistant editor to help in Bible Witness ministry – in the wake of the church not being able to get an employment pass for the previously appointed personnel, despite repeated attempts at applying. I felt the urge to step in and help; to continue doing my own thing without due consideration for the Lord’s work is downright disobedience and ingratitude! I shared my inner thoughts and burdens with Pastor some time in early 2010, and with Pastor’s encouragement, I enrolled in FEBC in July 2010 for theological studies.
I thank God for the undreamt-of privilege to have studied theology in a sound Bible College (founded expressly to teach a 100% perfect Bible). Though I had not the privilege of studying at the feet of its late founding principal, Rev Tow, I’m nonetheless thankful to have learnt from some of his eminent students, one of whom is our pastor himself. It has been a privilege to be taught by him, and is now an even greater privilege to "co-labour" with him in the editorial ministry.
And now there is this growing awareness that many long-held biblical truths are being systematically distorted and misrepresented by a proliferation of modern English Bible versions, as well as liberal and ecumenical material flooding the Christian market through the media out there. God’s flock, in order to be protected and nurtured, must have constant access to sound biblical reading (and even study) material. In this age of "information explosion", having good Christian literature is simply not an option but an indispensable channel for biblical teachings to be disseminated. Thus, the need for our church’s enhanced literature ministry has never been greater.
Indeed, "the gospel must first be published among all nations" (Mk 13:10) before the end comes. One ubiquitous and effective way is through the printed page, for "the pen is mightier than the sword". Truly, while I never expected God to call me at such a "late" age, I realise that God, in His mysterious outworkings, has somehow set me apart to "labour" in the (written) word, which entails essentially the ministry of writing and editing. I feel unworthy, and yet at the same time, honored. God has granted me the desires of my heart. Having put my hand to the plough, I am not unmindful of my ever lurking tendency to fall back and slide into my old ways. My greatest fear is, in the words of Paul, "lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (or disqualified)" (1 Cor 9:27b). Realising that I cannot do without the prayers, encouragement and even admonition of church leaders and God’s people, my prayer is that the Lord may help me walk worthy of Him, and "establish … the work of [my] hands upon [me]" (Ps 90:17) – for His glory and for the edification of His saints.
Text: John 10:3
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 16 August 2020
Written by Jeremiah Sim
It is solely by the grace and mercy of God that I was delivered and redeemed from the bondage of sins to liberty, and that enable me to bear witness for the Lord Jesus of His glory and His salvation to others.
My calling from God to be a preacher came in April 2004. I was then a volunteer at the newly set-up TGCM (The Gethsemane Care Ministry) under our church. While I was serving there, the Lord laid a heavy burden upon me to be a preacher through two verses from His Word. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Saviour" (Isaiah 43:10-11). "Then saith he unto his disciples, 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). I was perturbed that there are many lost souls who are without the true shepherd and are still outside the kingdom of God. Some of them are my family members, relatives and friends. Therefore,…"how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).
After seeking the Lord in prayer, I approached Pastor Koshy and Rev Paul Cheng (who was then a deacon), and shared with them my calling and the need to further equip myself in studying God’s Word. The Board of Elders interviewed me and I was enrolled at the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC). I am also thankful to God for a supportive wife who encouraged and supported me spiritually in many ways. Having completed my theology courses at FEBC in June 2010, I was appointed to be a preacher to assist Pastor by helping to lead in the Gethsemane Seniors’ Ministry and the Lions Home Ministry.
In the same year, the Lord added another burden for me to reach out to the lost souls among the inmates who are confined within the prison cells due to their heinous crimes. With the blessing of Pastor and much prayer, God opened the door of the Changi Prison Complex for me to visit and minister to the inmates in December 2010.
In the year 2019, the Lord again moved me to serve in the Kababayan Bible Study (KBS). With Pastor’s blessing, the Board of Elders agreed to my desire to help and lead in the KBS.
The Lord has been my Overseer all these years as I serve Him in the Seniors’ Ministry. Even though much labour and endeavour are required to reach out to some of these seniors due to the infirmities that beset them, I regard it as an enormous blessing bestowed from God as I preach, teach and extend my right hand of fellowship towards them. In addition, His wisdom and charity also enable me to be patient by remembering the Scriptures: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up" (1 Corinthians 13:4). My heart is most exulted when the unbelieving old folks turn to God for salvation! I am thankful to God for my wife Gina who has been a great help in assisting me to coordinate the necessary arrangements in the Seniors’ Ministry.
The objective of the Lions Home Ministry is similar to that of the Seniors’ Ministry, where it is my desire and zeal to reach out to the elderly with the Gospel message and thus to lead them to Jesus Christ, the only Saviour. Having said this, I am aware that many of the old folks in those homes are physically impaired, and some suffer also from dementia. Their afflictions make them weary and sad too. As they often struggle to cope with their physical disabilities, some of them have come to think of life as futile and meaningless. In such a situation, I find it a necessity and privilege to encourage them with the knowledge of God’s truth that strengthens them with the promises of His grace. A team of brethren and I have rejoiced to witness several of them turning to Christ and thereafter looking unto Jesus as the Author and Finisher of their faith (cf. Hebrews 12:2).
Despite the tough demands and challenges of labouring in these ministries, I find immeasurable blessings and comfort to bear witness of God’s Word to those old folks who are overwhelmed by their ill-health and difficulties. The team of brethren and I take comfort and trust in the promises of God that "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength" (Isaiah 40:29). We served continually among them, Sunday after Sunday (before the Covid-19 "circuit-breaker" was implemented), only because of His power and strength that are abundant towards me and my fellow co-labourers in the Lord.
I consider it a privilege to be involved in meeting the challenges of proclaiming the Gospel to the "hardcore" convicted unsaved souls at Changi Prison since December 2010. The scope of the Prison Ministry is extensive and immense which requires much wisdom, long-suffering and the love of God to reach out to these hardcore criminals by bringing the Good News to them. I thank God for His grace and mercy upon me as I minister and attend to them with much care and love every Tuesday before the Covid-19 outbreak.
Sure, it is tough work in this ministry, trying to engage the inmates who have been entrenched in gangsterism. Nonetheless, "… it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Through this ministry, many have also believed and received Jesus Christ as their Saviour and some have diligently sought the Lord for direction upon their release. Some of these had also stayed in The Gethsemane Care Ministry and have been attending our church.
I thank the Lord for the opportunity given to me to minister God’s Word to the brethren at the Kababayan Bible Study once a month. In this ministry, I have learned to know them better and forged a close bonding with them. In this regard, through opportunities given to my wife and me in visiting our Filipino brethren to exhort and pray for them, we thank God for the joy and privilege of fellowshipping with our Filipino brethren.
By the grace of God, I am what I am, being able to continue to labour and serve Him in these ministries. By God’s strength, I am also visiting brethren among the seniors and Filipino brethren (in their homes) to have a short devotion of learning God’s Word and praying for them. Occasionally, I also call our brethren to comfort and share God’s love towards them. God’s Word has constantly guided me while I carry out my duty as a preacher. I am always reminded and, at times, rebuked by God’s Word to carry out my duty as a preacher diligently, by always studying and meditating on His Truth and abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). God has never failed to aid me when I cast all my cares upon Him, knowing that He cares for me (cf. 1 Peter 5:7). I am weak, but He is strong. May I continuously seek the Lord to empower me to labour and serve Him.
Lastly, I like to thank the Lord for Pastor, the Session and all of you who have been showering your love, care, and prayers towards me and my wife Gina. I am truly grateful and thankful to God for all of you, who have indeed been a great blessing to both of us in many areas of our lives. May the Lord bless Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church abundantly for His glory.
Written by Daniel Lim
I count myself not worthy to serve the Lord because of my sins and weaknesses. However, the Lord is gracious and merciful to strengthen me by His grace and power daily, especially through His Word and promises thus far. The Lord is good, who often, by His Word, encourage, renew and help me to persevere in His work though my human strength and wisdom are not equal to the task.
Thank the Lord for this sharing which serves as a reminder of how the Lord by His grace and mercy has called me to serve Him in Gethsemane Chinese Service on Sep 01, 2005 – to declare the Gospel of the Lord and to teach His Word, particularly to our Chinese-speaking brethren.
Firstly, let me highlight a couple of verses that the Lord has impressed upon my heart since I was a young Christian to serve the Lord, which often reminded me as I continue to serve the Lord in the Gospel work up till this day.
Initially as a young Christian, I often struggled with the old English word "suffer", which new converts would most likely find it hard to understand. I always wonder in my heart, why the Almighty God, who is eternal, all sufficient and does all things according to His decree and power, would call me (a mortal man, imperfect, insufficient in wisdom and strength, who needs to be forgiven of his sins), to suffer for His sake.
Thanks to God, eventually the Lord enabled me to correctly understand the meaning of the word "suffer", which is to serve, to witness, to walk with the Lord, to be a testimony of God’s grace and to do what He wants me to do. I thus resolved to always abide in the Word that the Lord impresses upon my heart. God’s Word commanding me not to love the world, often serves as a reminder and warning to me. I am convinced that to do the will of God is the primary purpose of my life as a Christian.
Since then, the Lord by His grace, has been helping me not only to be equipped in studying the Bible in the Chinese language, but also to preach, teach and even to interpret messages into Chinese when needed. The Lord has guided me to like-minded churches (local and overseas) to do His work of preaching and teaching. Initially it was difficult for me. To speak Mandarin in daily conversation is not so difficult, but to minister God’s Word in Mandarin – which requires me to preach, teach and relate well, using Bible language and terms, as well as to construct good sentences with appropriate words, so as to bring the message in a way others can understand and benefit spiritually from – is always a constant challenge. However, the Lord who calls me is faithful, He has enabled me to do what I have never thought I could do and He has always given me help. And I believe the Lord will continue to keep me in His grace and help me to be prayerful and faithful in serving Him.
During our present situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, many things have changed during these four months. Though we are not allowed to have regular worship, Bible study, prayer meeting, and various fellowship meetings, we thank the Lord that we could continue such gatherings virtually through the streaming of the worship services and fellowship meetings through "Zoom" video-conferencing.
I thank the Lord also that although I am not able to visit Kemaman, I was able to do Bible study with the youth through Zoom virtual meetings. I pray that the brethren will appreciate this means of communication and pray that the Lord be gracious to remove this Covid-19 and to restore us to normal worship, fellowship and work in the Lord. Nevertheless, we thank God for the easing of restrictions whereby we are allowed to gather in smaller groups with some safety measures put in place. I thank the Lord for the prison ministry that is opening slowly, allowing the counsellors to revisit the prison and to minister God’s Word to the inmates in prison.
Undeniably, the present situation is affecting and causing inconvenience to the carrying out of spiritual activities and the Lord’s work. May the Lord preserve me to be watchful and prayerful, and grant me wisdom and opportunity to do what He wants me to. Thank the Lord for brethren in the Chinese service who come together to serve in the Sunday worship and participate in the Tuesday prayer meeting. As we continue being accountable to one another and walking close to the Lord, may the Lord make us profitable for His ministry and be encouragers to one another – and so keep us useful for His glory.
Text: 1 John 5:14-15
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 9 August 2020