Sermon Text: Psalm 16
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 31st July 2022
Sermon Text: Psalm 16
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 31st July 2022
The first day of the week, Sunday, was the typical day of gathering and worship of the early Christians (Jn. 20:19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2); and it is referred to as “the Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10). The phrase “the Lord’s day” is best understood as a reference to Sunday. It became customary to refer to Sunday because Christ rose from the grave on Sunday. The apostle John was met by the risen, ascended, and exalted Christ on the first day of the week to reveal the prophecy of the Book of Revelation. When early Christians gathered for their worship on the first day of the week, they would spend a lot of time together in worship, studying God’s Word, praying, fellowshipping, breaking bread, etc. (Acts 20:7, 11). Listening to the exposition of the Scriptures was their delight, and hence a whole-day affair (Acts 28:23).
The church historians record that in the first four centuries after the Reformation, most Protestant churches met for worship on the Lord’s Day in the morning and evening; the believers considered both services necessary for their spiritual rejoicing and edification. In the last six decades, the evening service has been frowned at and has become so uncommon. This abandoning of the evening (or afternoon) service in Protestant churches is a sign of the growing spiritual apathy and worldliness of the Christians of our time, who spend much of the Lord’s Day for secular purposes rather than spiritual.
Brethren, there is no good and acceptable reason why our generation of Christians will allow ourselves to be less passionate about spiritual things, and be unlike the godly Christians of yesteryears. Let us not waste our opportunity to serve the purposes of God devoutly. Let us consider our short time here on earth with utmost seriousness in using it for our spiritual nourishment and for God’s glory. Let us take heed of the Scriptural exhortation: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16).
There are amazing blessings in coming together and learning God’s Word from the teaching service on Sunday evenings. Come with your families to learn from God’s Word. We are now learning from the biblical history of “The Kings of Judah and Israel”. Let us gratefully come to hear His Word and save ourselves and our children from the evils of this generation. Make it our habit to be found in His house on the Lord’s Day.
The 18th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of Gethsemane B-P Church, Cebu, the Philippines, was held last Sunday (17th July 2022).
Over the past two weeks, two sisters came forward to give their testimonies during our church’s Tuesday night prayer meetings. They are published below to encourage all Gethsemaneans to consider the prayer meetings.
Judy Chan
I would like to testify of the Lord’s goodness in helping me overcome my struggle in attending prayer meetings. Coming for prayer meetings initially had been an intense spiritual battle. Before coming to Gethsemane, I thought prayer meetings were optional, on a need-to basis. Since coming here, I learned that the prayer meeting is crucial to our spiritual growth, as shown by the pattern of the early followers of Christ. They “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1: 14). Even though I became aware of the importance of the prayer meeting, because of the weakness of my flesh, I felt like my whole being was resistant to going for prayer meetings. I thank God for speaking to me continually through the messages preached. Yet, regular participation in prayer meetings was challenging for me. Sometimes I thought this struggle would never end, but God was gracious to see me through. Slowly, I experienced less resistance within me and even look forward to coming every Tuesday for the church prayer meeting. Praise the Lord for helping me overcome my struggle! Truly, as the hymn often sung by the children declares, “God is so good”!
Xin Hui
The hymn “Amazing Grace” truly testifies of God‘s goodness to me. The third stanza of this hymn spoke to me, especially when my parents were against my faith in Christ in its early stage. I went through a lot of stress and fear. Yet, God’s grace has seen me safely through all those testings of my faith. He has shown me how good He is, even in my bouts of depression and hopelessness. When we are weak, God’s strength is made perfect! I pray that we will constantly be reminded of God’s saving grace in our lives that saved us from eternal damnation and into the wonderful hands of Jesus Christ. Oh, how good our Saviour is! This comforting and assuring truth is also declared in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
Sermon Text: Psalm 15
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 24th July 2022
Sermon Text: Psalm 14
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 17th July 2022
Mutual biblical responsibilities of Christian married couples are never to be ignored if they are to enjoy the marital bliss that God has promised (Psalm 128). Here is a continuation of this topic that I began sharing with you last Lord’s Day.
May all Christian husbands and wives cultivate a divine sense of duty to the other whom He has provided for them to love and cherish. Let there be mutual appreciation and never-failing fondness and courtesy. With unceasing acts of sacred love and kindness towards each other, let us strengthen our marital union for the glory of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
God expects Christian couples to nurture their relationship according to His counsel. From time to time, our own sins and Satan’s cunning and cruel devices can leave our marital relationships in great peril. To prevent Christians’ marriages from being victimised by sins and Satan, our Sovereign Lord, in His Word, has given husbands and wives peculiar duties, which they owe to each other.
Failure to perform biblical duties not only engenders matrimonial disunity, but also bring great dishonour to the LORD and the church. Scripture reminds every Christian couple that their life together as husband and wife is to be a witness to the relationship of Christ and the church. “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:31-32).
The well-being of every marriage is assured if the man and his wife fulfil their duties as defined by the Scriptures. So, knowing marital duties and taking every care not to neglect God-given duties within marriage is necessary. The Lord has commanded, “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:6). Not working to foster matrimonial unity and togetherness is disregarding God who has joined them in marriage. Neither the husband nor the wife should undo the marriage; rather, with God’s help, they should build up their marriage in obedience to God.
More of the biblical duties of the married Christians will be addressed, God willing, in next week’s bulletin. Where the husband and wife perform their God-given duties, there will be a happy family of peace, virtue and honour.
Written by Joel Tan
I had just finished my third-year examinations in university and was preparing for the long holidays. Knowing that having nothing to do was tantamount to running the risk of drifting away from the Lord, I prayed that the Lord would give me something to keep myself fruitfully occupied during the term break while staying close to Him and His Word. Indeed, for some time, I was already in a state of deep spiritual “fault”, and I needed “urgent repairs” more than ever. Hence, I praise God for His timely provision of counsel and warning through two camps that He led me to attend in the recent two weeks – Gethsemane (GBPC) Church Camp and the Combined Youth Conference. The sermons preached in both hit me hard, as they exposed some shortcomings that I had.
The first lesson I learnt is that real joy is not to be derived from things of this earth, for they are only able to give us an emotional high for a time, and not in perpetuity. After gaining a lot of material things, one would look back and see that they do not edify the spirit: it is all “vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (Eccl 2:11). In agreement with this, I observe that it is also impossible to take these earthly things with us when we are called home, for we leave all earthly things behind when we pass on. Instead, what we should be looking for is real spiritual joy, a joy the world cannot explain and a joy that is unbreakable and unshakeable in the face of the very tough trials of life. This joy is connected to the fact that God has guaranteed that He is omnipresent and that He will be with us even in the most trying of times. Applying this to my life, I see that I have been blessed with many material things, including a comfortable home and the opportunity to receive a secular education many think is ‘world-class’. However, these and any other earthly blessing the Lord might be pleased to give me in future, are not the be-all and end-all of my life. As my chief end is to glorify God, so too must my aims be similarly aligned. May God help me to find that trust and joy in Him that would enable me to remain joyful and not be demoralised in the face of great poverty, deprivation, as well as the adversities, disruptions and trials of this life, and even in the face of repeated wrongs perpetrated against me and fellow saints!
The second thing I learnt is that real joy is commanded by the Lord, and when we are sanctified, there will be a joy that the world cannot explain. There are various passages in the Bible which exhort the saints to be joyful and constantly sing praises to God, wherever we are (even on the bed). This I can affirm in my life, whereby I have been dealt many adversities in life, such as being born without hearing, born with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and having been put on a severely restricted diet as my body cannot take many kinds of food. Nevertheless, I am contented and thankful for what I have, and I constantly praise God for sustaining me even when I have difficulties.
In one of Pastor Koshy’s messages, it was highlighted that prayer does not change things (which are so determined and permitted by God); it changes us and our view of the issue we are praying about. Reflecting on this, I have heard people saying, “Prayer changes things”, or “Prayer has the power to change things”. I now learn that this is only partially correct (correct in one sense of the word - not the ‘usual’ sense of it). We, believers, submit to and change ourselves in accordance with the will of God. The act of submitting a petition to God in prayer simply indicates trust that His perfect plan is sufficient to dispose of the subject of the petition. In other words, prayer has no power to change all the plans God since they were drawn up from before the foundation of the earth; but prayer is a statement that we look to our Saviour and that changes our perspective on the issue at hand.
This leads on to the practical application of real spiritual joy in our daily lives. Without it, we would fail very often at keeping our obligations to one another and to God. In Christian family life, trouble is still often encountered because all involved have had different upbringings and therefore may have different views on certain issues. Being in a family is never a panacea to everything - in fact, it is often the start of quarrels and troubles, and only with godly joy, wisdom and kindness can these be negotiated. As a student still under the authority of his parents, I pray that I will not be “a foolish son” nor “the calamity” of my parents (cf. Proverbs 19:13a). I have committed many follies on previous occasions. May God give me wisdom and discernment, that I will be a good witness for Him towards my family members.
All these, when taken together, eventually lead to inner joy in the soul - the realisation of celestial joy (as well as a remedy to a melancholic spirit) that lasts through the ages, for an eternity. I pray that when my time comes to leave the world, and go to be with Christ, I can truly say that the Lord had given me joy in a world which was full of trials / tribulations, and where an unbeliever would easily have said, ‘I give up’.
I am also thankful for the exhortations and reports by GBPC’s missionaries, sharing how God has provided for them and their needs, and how He has helped them overcome challenges too. I am, together with Sis Cecile, grateful to be able to witness the ordination of Rev. Donald dela Cruz, particularly seeing how Sis Cecile has prayed for the mission station and that more from her hometown would come to know God. We pray that God will give him more wisdom to tackle the increased challenges ahead.
I also praise God for the opportunity to attend the Combined Youth Conference. While (broadly speaking) it was a reminder that the Christian life is not meant to be an easy one and not to be lived in isolation from other fellow saints, there were some finer points that were imparted to me in the sessions.
The first was that sin is always near us, and just because we are Christians does not mean we are free from sin. Hence, it is important that we acknowledge it, and help each other to be restored and healed from sin, seeing it as a continuing struggle till we are called home and receive glorified bodies fully redeemed by Christ. This leads us to the fact that bearing burdens is an inalienable part of this life, that is imperfect and full of trials. Wherever we are, we can help other Christians by bearing their burdens and caring for them, for example, through prayer. We should not think of ourselves as better than others, lest we fall into the same (or a worse) trap, and suffer chastisement from God. I praise God for all these precious reminders as they can be very easy to forget at times.
Secondly, Pr Samuel Joseph admonished us on the correct way to help other Christians, and bear their burdens. He warned against the embracing of ecumenism and unity for unity’s sake. Amongst the ecumenical movement, taken at its highest, it represents a dangerous degradation and renunciation of biblical standards, and taken at its lowest, it represents a false cover that attempts to use deception to mask the differences between various denominations. I thank God for the timely warning in an age when the devil is trying to unite everyone behind his ‘one-world’ church and ‘one-world’ order, so as to, if it were possible, “deceive the very elect”.
I am grateful to God for the advice given on evangelising others. We may know what the Gospel message is, and we may have accepted it with all our heart, but the evangelism message also gave useful advice on how we can minister to unbelievers and spread the Gospel. May God use us to minister to those who are currently unbelievers, that more souls may be added to His kingdom in time to come.
I also praise God for the opportunity to get to know fellow believers from other churches and to fellowship among them, many of whom are at a similar phase of life as me now and are thus facing similar struggles.
In conclusion, the two camps have been very much of a blessing to me, both in terms of the sermons preached (with the wisdom of God poured on the preachers), as well as the opportunity to fellowship with like-minded saints. For that, I am extremely grateful and full of praise for our Lord. My prayer is that the Lord will give us more opportunities to hear sound preaching, learn valuable lessons, and fellowship with like-minded saints in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christians and the old, well-worn paths. All glory and honour be to our God and Saviour! Amen.
One of the greatest dangers that many Christian homes and churches are facing is disunity. This peril often ensues from indifference to the truths and counsels of God’s Word. Some of us confess sound doctrines, but do not appreciate and apply them in our personal and communal living. Such an attitude engenders spiritual apathy and self-promoting, materialistic, carnal lifestyles. In such an environment, the unity and co-existence of the family and church are disrupted and endangered.
Disharmony, conflict and division often stem from unbiblical living of even those who belong to churches with sound doctrines. Hesitation to align our thoughts and actions in submission to the counsels of God’s Word will disrupt, weaken and destroy Christian communities. Discord becomes a common problem in such an environment of disregard for God’s Word in pursuit of personal pleasure and pride.
When the apostle Paul concluded his last letter to the Corinthians, he expressed his fear of sins that destroy unity: “For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults” (2 Cor. 12:20). These would not just end with only some discord, but will undermine the purity, testimony and existence of the family and the church. Paul feared such a situation in Corinth; that’s why he forewarned: “And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed” (2 Cor. 12:21).
The Philippian church also faced the danger of discord and division because of the personal conflict between Euodias and Syntyche. So, Paul cautioned the two women, “I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2).
Such a situation existed in many of the early churches, including in Rome. Paul wrote to the Romans, “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits” (Rom. 12:16; cf. 15:5-7). Conflict and dissent are likely to plague every family and church whose members fail to yield fully to the doctrines / principles of God’s Word, and to commit to biblical living.
Let us consider Paul’s words in Romans 12:16 that call the church to spiritual unity. The church in Rome was made up of people from diverse backgrounds of race, language, culture, etc. Maintaining unity in a church with such diversity requires much commitment to the sound principles given to them by the apostles.
At the beginning of Romans 12:16, Paul wrote, “Be of the same mind one toward another.” The original Greek words used by the apostle can also be translated as “thinking the same thing to one another”. It is not an exhortation to think about the same thing, but a call to think of everybody in the same way. We must treat everyone equally. In the church, we are not to show favouritism or prefer one group over another.
The church should not be divided along racial or cultural or economic or educational lines. The church must be united, irrespective of the differences in members’ backgrounds. The church is a place where people of diverse backgrounds ought to come together as God’s people united in truth and love. Every member of the church must sincerely endeavour to communicate with other members of the church with respect and love.
Paul exhorted the Philippian church, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). Paul also instructed them, “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2).
Major causes of disunity and conflict within a church (though she may be united in doctrine and purpose) can be traced to sin, pride, self-centredness, selfishness, anger, bitterness, jealousy, competitive spirit, power play, unforgiveness, vengeance, etc. We must guard our hearts against all these destructive feelings and conduct, lest we become vehicles of schism within the church.
Internal discord is shattering the church. Every church member must have a commitment to peace and unity within the church. Each of us must strive to be a peacemaker. We must pray that we will not be a troublemaker. A sincere commitment to forgiveness and reconciliation must characterise every Christian. The apostle Peter instructed in 1 Peter 3:11, “Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.” We must not let unhappiness and hurt caused by others grow into bitterness and vengeful behaviour. We must pursue the path of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. Likewise, we must cease being jealous of and hostile to those whom God has been using increasingly. Let us pray that God will make us promoters of godly unity in the church.
Paul also exhorted in Romans 12:16, “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” Having commanded Christians to “Be of the same mind one toward another”, the apostle Paul then further advised them on how to maintain such a harmonious co-existence with fellow Christians. According to this apostolic advice, the Christian unity within the church is largely dependent on how each would think of himself in relation to others.
Hence Christians are told: “Mind not high things”. In other words, no Christian should be thinking of high things for himself. Seeking or aspiring for honour, rank, wealth, the company of wealthy men, etc. would lead to self-aggrandizement at the expense of others. Being too ambitious prevents one from accepting humble positions and tasks for the glory of God and for the betterment of others. Being high-minded or snobbish prevents one from stooping down to serve ordinary people or those who are of low degree. Thinking too highly of oneself can lead one to despise others and even to engage in “smear campaigns” to damage others’ reputations.
Every Christian ought to be humble and not try to grasp things which are out of his reach, or too high for him, or beyond his capacity. In order to serve everyone equally, he has to get off his “high horse” and get low to attend to their needs. We are also advised to “condescend to men of low estate”. We must not disdain to take notice of, or to greet, or to commune with men of lowly (temporal or spiritual) condition. We must make special efforts to humbly mingle with the lowly.
Moreover, we are also warned to “Be not wise in your own conceits”. No one should conduct himself as though he has all the wisdom while others have none. It is ungodly to think of oneself as socially and intellectually superior to others. Such a one is not so in the eyes of God and others. Self-conceit is often attended with bad consequences. It spoils a man’s usefulness and hinders his improvement in knowledge. It induces him to reject wise counsels given to him and to treat fellow Christians contemptuously, eventually bringing shame and pain upon himself! Proverbs 3:7 warns us, “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Likewise, Isaiah 5:21 cautions, “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” So, let us avoid being wise in our own minds.
Dear brethren,
It was indeed a special blessing of our Lord that we could witness, as part of our church camp, the ordination of Donald dela Cruz and Sujith Samuel into the pastoral ministry last Thursday (16th June 2022). Both of them had completed their theological training at Far Eastern Bible College, during which time they attended and participated in Gethsemane BPC’s ministries. Rev Donald dela Cruz started the Gospel mission work in Pangasinan, the Philippines, in June 2014, while Rev Sujith Samuel began his evangelistic work in Vizag, India, in June 2017. Knowing the need for ordained ministers in both of their places of ministry, our Board of Elders recommended that they should be ordained. We thank God for the Ordination Council that had been convened, which was made up of Rev. Dr Jeffrey Khoo (True Life BPC), Rev. Ephrem Chiracho (Gethsemane BPC, Ethiopia), Rev. Reggor Galarpe (Gethsemane BPC, Cebu, the Philippines), Rev. Paul Cheng (Bethel BPC, Melbourne, Australia) and myself. The presence and exhortations of each of them, as well as the prayers for the ordination of both men, were most encouraging and much appreciated.
Having witnessed the ordination of the two men, let our thankful hearts endeavour in prayers for them. The Word of God expects us to support them in constant prayer. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 exhorts us, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you”.
The apostle Paul often requested brethren to pray for him and his fellow labourers in the work of the Gospel. On many other occasions in his letters, Paul asked for prayer. In Romans 15:30–32, he asked for prayer for continuing and extended ministry, as well as for fellowship with them. In 2 Corinthians 1:11, he mentioned their prayers as integral to his ministry. In Ephesians 6:17–21, he sought their prayers, that he might speak boldly for Christ. In Philippians 1:15–20, he affirmed their prayers as a source of strength in his witness in and through his imprisonment in Rome. In Colossians 4:3–4, he solicited their prayers for an open door for his preaching (see also 1 Thessalonians 5:25; Hebrews 13:18).
Though the apostles were called, equipped and endowed with the Holy Spirit and extraordinary miraculous gifts, they humbly beseeched the people of the church, both young and old, to pray for them. If Paul (with all his unique, miraculous apostolic gifts) required the prayers of God’s people, how much more preachers and pastors of our time need the prayer support of the church. Those who lead the church should not forget their need for spiritual support from the congregation. One’s office of leadership in the church, or spiritual gift, or past successful service, does not make one self-sufficient for the work of the ministry. Mutual support, particularly prayer support, is vital for the success of one’s service.
Every member of the church, being joined with one another as the body of Christ, is to supply each other that which is needed. The eye cannot say unto the hand, “I have no need of thee”; nor the head to the feet, “I have no need of you” (1 Cor 12:21). Mutual support, according to the ability that God has given, is vital for the efficient operation of the whole church.
The apostle desired prayer, particularly for the ministry of “the word of the Lord”. Prayer, both requested and offered to God, recognises God as the Source of the progress and success of preaching. It is a great danger to attribute the success of preaching to the preacher’s talent and not to rely on God’s help, as that would ascribe to man the glory due unto God alone. Every Christian who hears the preaching of God’s Word must remember that he is in the presence of the preacher’s God, rather than the preacher himself. The blessing he receives through the preaching of the Word is God-sent. So, when he prays for the preacher and his preaching, he links the pulpit to the throne of God, the true fountain of all spiritual blessings.
The object of praying for the preacher is that the Word of God “may have free course, and be glorified”. Paul is here using Greek words that evoke the memory of the ancient Greek runners’ success and honour. Christians must desire and pray for great success through the faithful and fervent efforts of the preachers in turning sinners to Christ and establishing faithful churches for the edification of saints (cf. Psalm 67:1-3).
The prayer request for the ministers of the Word has nothing to do with personal well-being as an end in itself. The request is made that the ministry committed to them might continue and expand. Paul could not separate his ministry from the prayers of his brothers and sisters in Christ. Regular prayer support from caring friends is a great asset to every minister of the Word. Blessed, indeed, is the pastor who receives the continuing prayers of the people.