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Esther Quek

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

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

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

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

Elder Alan Choy

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

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

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

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

Esther Tang (Choy Foong)

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

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

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

Dns Diana Chan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aileen Tan

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

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

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

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

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

Tan Yeh Wen

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Definition of the Church, the Call for Separation

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

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

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

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

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

(Refrain as above)

Jeremy Chan

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

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

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

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

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

Sandra Wong

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reasons for Preachers’ Tolerance of Carnality

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

Fame

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

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

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

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

Greed

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

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

Lust

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

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

Elder Mah Chin Kwang

“Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.” Thus saith the LORD in Psalm 72:18-19. May we all humbly acknowledge that it is the LORD God Almighty alone that doeth wondrous things in our lives. And so may we all always bless His glorious name for ever! I am certain that this is the happy, recurring affirmation, the joyous perspective and reaction of the entire mission team, as we reflect on what the Lord has done in our midst during the short-term mission to Pangasinan. 

There were several significant uncertainties encountered in the planning of the mission trip. In certain situations, we were able to plan for contingencies, but for several others, we would not know till the very moment of execution. The need to actualise the very theme of this mission, “Give Me Understanding”, amidst these uncertainties, was in the hearts and minds of many who were actively praying and waiting on the Lord for answers to our prayers. 

The Lord did not disappoint. Indeed, what He did for us will surely be the repeated refrain of brethren who will be sharing their testimonies in the coming days. Do read the testimonies from team members’ perspectives when they are available. For now, my reflections of the Lord’s goodness expressed in the paragraph below would suffice as a lead-in of the entire blessed story to be told by other team members, together with the photos accompanying their reflections.  

The Lord’s providence, undertakings and leading are certainly evident when we consider the spontaneous show of support by our BOE, other leaders and brethren who readily rendered love-gifts (financially and in kind), words of encouragement and prayers. That’s not all. God’s mercy was further manifested as follows: this mission trip’s timing of a choice window of opportunity during a special, atypical one-week school break; the safety and well-being of every team member, together with local brethren (some of whom having to travel several hours from their homes to the Mission Church); safe and incident-free clearance by the Immigration and Customs authorities; an 11th-hour approval by the authorities of the local elementary school of its covered basketball court and assembly hall as the venue that amazingly accommodated 349 adults and children who came for the special event on Saturday, 11 February. “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 107:1). And so we say in response – “Praise the Lord! Purihin ang Panginoon!” – as our Filipino brethren would echo.

Mission Pangasinan 2023 gave us all the blessed opportunity to be mutually encouraged and strengthened in God’s Word, and in serving joyfully as His people. Furthermore, the mission trip gave us the joy of renewing our ties with brethren we have known before and of being acquainted with other brethren we have just met in the mission church. In particular, we thank God for the joy of standing and seeing for ourselves the very place that we all hope (in the Lord and by His providence) will stand the Mission Church’s building, for the extension of God’s work. 

May the Word of God in Zep 3:17 – “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” – be our joyful assurance and hope, as we all continue to walk and serve Him; as well as be that of Rev. Donald, his family and brethren in the Pangasinan Mission Church.

Dns Diana Chan

When I learned that Mission Pangasinan 2023 would be held from 8th to 12th February 2023, I prayed that God would enable me to join the trip. Praise God for His grace in clearing the way for me to join the Mission Team. I thank God for the help rendered by Elder Mah, Sis. Luan Kheng and Bro. Matthew Mah in sharing the children’s Bible lesson outlines and other material (such as bookmarks), as well as pointers on how to plan the Children’s Vacation Bible School in Pangasinan.

Throughout the 4-day mission trip, God is ever faithful. Morning by morning, new mercies we saw. On the first day (Thursday, 9 February), we did 4 home visitations. When we visited the homes of Bro. Kyt, Sis. Charlene Mae and their daughter Hannah, and later, Bro. Jumar and Sis. Olive, I praise God for them – for their serving, hand-in-hand, with Rev. Donald in the Lord’s vineyard. I thank God that we could visit Sis. Charlene Mae Abrena’s family. I was so impressed by and thankful for how the family could use a half-complete house for the home worship of the Lord and for the communion of saints. I felt so blessed that the Mission Team, together with the brethren of each family, could listen to the preaching of God’s Word (by Elder Mah, Pr Samson and Pr Jeremiah) and also sing hymns and spiritual songs to praise God.

 Home visitations on Fri (10 Feb), were a different experience from those of the previous day, whereby we had to travel long distances from one home to another. That day, we did more walking (which was over rather rugged terrain). Thank God for His protection as some of us are quite senior in age. Along the way, we could enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, the lush greenery of corn fields, golden yellow rice fields, dried river beds, fruit trees, colourful flowers, goats and cattle. It was a joy to visit Sis. Cecile’s family. Praise the Lord for her siblings, nephews and nieces – for their service to the Lord. I was encouraged by the brethren for their warm Christian hospitality. We were delighted when served with fresh home-grown organic groundnuts, which is something so rare in Singapore.

I praise God for the street evangelism conducted with the local brethren, youths and adults alike. We paired up with the local brethren. I thank God for partnering with Sis. Marianette, who is the sister of Bro. Jomart Tindaan. By God’s appointment, we shared the Gospel with a villager. Sis. Marianette interpreted the sharing of the Gospel from English to Tagalog, the local dialect. I was pleasantly surprised to see the young man’s wife, son, mother-in-law and two other family members attending the Saturday’s children programme throughout the whole day. Praise the Lord! May God be merciful to save the family unto salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

How wonderful it was that, at the end of that day’s activities of home visitation and street evangelism, we could go into the quietness of the Lord’s sanctuary in the Mission Church for the Friday Prayer Meeting. Thank God for a blessed hour of prayer, listening to God’s Word, delivered by Pr Jeremiah. We brought before the Lord our praises and thanksgiving, as well as our petitions and prayers, especially for the Adults’ Teaching Programme and the Children’s Vacation Bible School (to be held the next day on Saturday).

Come Saturday (11 February), we were excited. Everyone in the Mission Team had a role in serving the Lord, either in the Adults’ Teaching Programme or in the Children’s Vacation Bible School. When we stepped into the Inlambo Elementary School, we tried to familiarise ourselves with the place. As we were discussing the layout and logistics, testing the equipment, we could see children, adults (some of whom with toddlers in their arms), all streaming into the school. They. We were caught by surprise by the great numbers! Yet we were joyful! Thank God for giving us “understanding”. Our local brethren quickly changed their way of registration. Rev. Donald quickly relooked at the ordering of meals for lunch and tea breaks. The Mission Team quickly reviewed the schedule of the programme and made changes to the singspiration, art and craft session, with little or no compromise on time allocated for the Bible lessons.

Thank God that the brethren from the Mission Church and the Mission Team were united in serving the Lord joyfully. I thank God for the youths, who were so ready and prepared to serve the Lord. They stepped in quickly to “fill the gap” on their own accord, such as in interpreting Bible lessons to small groups of younger children, singing with them, helping them in art and craft, and serving lunch. As I looked at the multitude of children and adults, the harvest truly is great. I pray that, by the Lord’s grace, many of the children and adults will be saved through faith, according to God’s will and time. 

On the morning of the Lord’s Day, we could see little children, youths, adults and senior brethren all getting ready to worship the Lord. It was heartening to hear that some brethren, who have to travel long distances to the Mission Church, would come to the church on Saturday and camp overnight in the open field of the church, so that they could be on time to worship the Lord on the Sabbath day! How grateful our hearts are to the Lord! Thank God that all of us could “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).

I thank God for Rev. Donald, Sis. Sejin and their son Jesher, together with the local brethren, for their labour and toil in the Lord’s vineyard. I praise God for Pastor Koshy, our elders and the church for the support of the Lord’s work in our Pangasinan Mission Church.

Praise the Lord for Elder Mah for his leadership in Mission Pangasinan 2023. Thank God for Dn Gan for his support of the Lord’s work in the trip. Praise God for all the brethren, for the care and concern for one another as we served the Lord together. Most of all, I thank our most High God for His grace, mercy and protection of the Team. I am awed by the miraculous power of God and how He could use each of us in the mission trip for His purpose. To God be the glory, great things He had done!

Dn Gan Chin Hwi

I thank the Lord for the encouragement of my daughter, Chien Huey, to participate in Mission Pangasinan way back in April 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this mission trip was postponed to February this year – a lapse of almost 3 years.  By the grace of God, we were once again able to travel to serve the Lord in the mission field of Pangasinan. Indeed, the Lord decides the timing.

This is my very first mission trip. I did not have much idea of what to expect.  Elder Mah had asked me to support the mission as the assistant mission lead; I simply yielded myself, knowing that the Lord had placed me there for a specific purpose and that I would be able to learn from Elder Mah and other team members.

I praise the Lord for enabling the Mission Team to work together as one body in Christ, everyone functioning as a member of the same body, receiving the grace that is given unto us by God to work on the different needs of the mission (cf. Rom 12:5-6). In the process, I have experienced the love, joy and commitment of each of the team members, serving harmoniously together, with much humility, and with one heart.

I have also seen God’s intervention in facilitating the Mission Team to cross the checkpoint at Clark International Airport smoothly. We were granted a swift clearance by the customs officer when we presented the supporting letter from Rev Donald to him. I knew we cannot take this for granted, it was truly the intervention of God!

The visitation to 8 homes by the Mission Team was most encouraging and enriching. Our hearts were knitted together with the brethren in Pangasinan as we fellowshipped and rejoiced in the same Lord, sharing the same faith in Christ Jesus. Whilst the purpose of the Mission Team is to encourage our brethren in Pangasinan, I was even more encouraged by the testimony shown and the hospitality showered by our brethren in Pangasinan. They live a simple life, as compared to us; yet they showed no lack of praising and thanking God for what they have (cf. 1 Tim 6:6). At times, I felt that the Lord had given them a more rewarding and enriching life than us living in affluent Singapore. Our daily quests for the material world have, on many occasions, blinded our hearts to turn away from the simple truth of leaning on our Lord and enjoying Him forever!

Saturday (11 February), was one day that I will not forget. The sovereign Lord had brought many to hear the Word of God – way in excess of our initial estimates. When I looked at the faces of those children, I saw many eager souls wanting and determined to learn, and to know more. This is especially the case for those Grade 5 & 6 students, as I observe their focused participation during the art & craft session. I cannot help but pray within my heart that the Lord of the harvest will be merciful unto many of them, and that some will soon come to the knowledge of the saving grace of our Lord. Though none of these children turned up at the worship service the following day, I am comforted that the Lord had used us on that day to sow the seeds. The rest, I know my Lord will lead the way. 

I praise and thank the Lord for this unique experience of serving Him in the mission field of Pangasinan. The Lord has been very gracious and merciful in leading us all the way; it was not as tough as I expected it to be. My heart is enlarged, and encouraged to serve Him in future mission trips. Indeed, the Lord has preconditioned and planted the deep desire in me to serve Him in future mission trips. There may be different challenges and even greater obstacles to come, but whatever it may be, there is joy going through the process of submission to the Lord, trusting in His protection and provisions, and seeing the mighty hand of God leading us to serve Him in the mission fields. As Psalm 32:8 reminds us, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” All glory be to His name!

Taken from Jeremiah Burroughs’ “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment” (p.45-47), published by Banner of Truth. Jeremiah Burroughs (1599–1646) was an English Puritan preacher, who played a prominent role in the Westminster Assembly of divines.

A Christian comes to contentment, not so much by way of addition, as by way of subtraction. That is his way of contentment, and it is a way that the world has no skill in. I open it thus: not so much by adding to what he would have, or to what he has, not by adding more to his condition; but rather by subtracting from his desires, so as to make his desires and his circumstances even and equal. A carnal heart knows no way to be contented but this: I have such and such possessions, and if I had this added to them, and the other comfort added that I have not now, then I should be contented. Perhaps I have lost my possessions, if I could only have given to me something to make up my loss, then I should be a contented man. But contentment does not come in that way; it does not come, I say, by adding to what you want, but by subtracting from your desires. It is all one to a Christian, whether I get up to what I would have, or get my desires down to what I have, either to attain what I do desire, or to bring down my desires to what I have already attained. My wealth is the same, for it is as fitting for me to bring my desire down to my circumstances, as it is to raise up my circumstances to my desire.

Now, I say that a heart that has no grace, and is not instructed in this mystery of contentment, knows of no way to get contentment, but to have his possessions raised up to his desires; but the Christian has another way to contentment, that is, he can bring his desires down to his possessions, and so he attains his contentment. Thus, the Lord fashions the hearts of the children of men. If the heart of a man is fashioned to his circumstances, he may have as much contentment as if his circumstances were fashioned to his heart. Some men have a mighty large heart, but they have straitened circumstances and they can never have contentment when their hearts are big and their circumstances are little. But though a man cannot bring his circumstances to be as great as his heart, yet if he can bring his heart to be as little as his circumstances, to make them even, this is the way to contentment. The world is infinitely deceived in thinking that contentment lies in having more than we already have. Here lies the bottom and root of all contentment, when there is an evenness and proportion between our hearts and our circumstances. That is why many godly men who are in a low position live more sweet and comfortable lives than those who are richer. Contentment is not always clothed with silk and purple and velvet, but it is sometimes in a home-spun suit, in mean circumstances, as well as in higher. Many men who once have had great estates, and God has brought them into a lower position have had more contentment in those circumstances than they had before.

Now, how can that possibly be? Quite easily, if you only understood that the root of contentment consists in the suitableness and proportion of a man’s spirit to his possessions, an evenness where one end is not longer and bigger than the other. The heart is contented and there is comfort in those circumstances. But now let God give a man riches, no matter how great, yet if the Lord gives him up to the pride of his heart, he will never be contented; on the other hand, let God bring anyone into mean circumstances, and then let God but fashion and suit his heart to those circumstances and he will be content.

It is the same in walking: Suppose a man had a very long leg, and his other leg was short—why, though one of his legs was longer than usual, still he could not go as well as a man both of whose legs are shorter than his. I would compare a long leg, when one is longer than the other, to a man who has a high position and is very rich and a great man in the world, but he has a very proud heart, too, and that is longer and larger than his position. This man cannot but be troubled in his circumstances. Another man is in a low position, his circumstances are low and his heart is low too, so that his heart and his circumstances are even. This man walks with abundantly more ease than the other.

Thus, a gracious heart thinks in this way: “The Lord has been pleased to bring down my circumstances; now if the Lord brings down my heart and makes it equal to my circumstances, then I am well enough.” So, when God brings down his circumstances, he does not so much labour to raise up his circumstances again as to bring his heart down to his circumstances. Even the heathen philosophers had a little glimpse of this: they could say that the best riches is poverty of desires—those are the words of a heathen. That is, if a man or woman has his or her desires cut short, and has no large desires, that man or woman is rich.

So, this is the art of contentment: not to seek to add to our circumstances, but to subtract from our desires. Another author has said, The way to be rich is not by increasing wealth, but by diminishing our desires. Certainly, that man or woman is rich, who has his or her desires satisfied. Now, a contented man has his desires satisfied – God satisfies them, that is, all considered, he is satisfied that his circumstances are, for the present, the circumstances. So, he comes to this contentment by way of subtraction, and not addition.

In our recent mid-week gathering on Tuesday nights, we have been focusing on John 15:1-11 for the meditation of His Word before our prayer time. We learned how our Lord Jesus Christ has emphasised the importance and benefits of the spiritual relationship which all true believers should have with Him and the Father, using the imageries of the Father as the ‘Husbandman’ (vinedresser), Christ as the ‘Vine’ and believers as the ‘fruitful branches’. Towards the end of the above section of His discourse, Jesus emphasised how those who abide in Him will be prayerful, resulting in their experience of joyfulness.

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:7–11).

Clearly, according to Christ, those who abide in Him and His words will be moved to ask of Him whatsoever they will, and they will be granted the requests. Prayer will be the natural expression of the desires and expectations of their hearts, resulting from their abiding in Christ. Prayer becomes the verbal articulation of their communion with Christ. Prayer is not meaningless utterance (i.e. vain repetition of words [cf. Matt. 6:7]) or demand of carnal desires (i.e. asking amiss [cf. James 4:3]), but vocalisation of desires of hearts that abide in Christ! Our prayers must flow from our relationship with Christ and the nourishment we receive through His Word. Prayers not defined by our abiding in Christ are null and void.

From the understanding that Jesus gives in John 15:1-11 about the correlation between our abiding in Him and our prayers, I shared some vital truths that should shape and constitute our prayers last Tuesday night. They are briefly recounted below.

Father, we thank Thee for:

1. Christ, the Vine, which Thou has made us branches thereof (v. 1). Without Christ, whom the Father has sent, we shall never be part of the vineyard.
2. Thy pruning (“purging”) that makes us abundantly fruitful. “… every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (v. 2).
3. The spiritual nourishment we receive from Christ through His Word, just as the branches that abide in the vine receive their nourishment. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (vv. 3-4).
4. The fruitfulness we are assured of (and expected from us). “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (v. 5).
5. The promise of prayer to all those who abide in Christ. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (v. 7).
6. The promise of divine love to all those who abide in Christ. “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love” (v. 9).

Father, we ask of Thee for:

1. Spiritual nourishment to be fruitful believers. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away…” (v. 2a).
2. Greater fruitfulness through Thy nourishing and chastening (“purging” or pruning). “… and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (vv. 2b-3).
3. Thy abiding presence to delight us to abide in you and be fruitful. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (vv. 4-5).
4. Thy mercy to forgive and revive us if we are withering or lacking fruit. “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (v. 6).
5. Understanding to pray according to Thy Word. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (v. 7).
6. Thy glory to manifest in and through us. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit…” (v. 8a).
7. Help to bear the genuine marks of discipleship – “so shall ye be my disciples” (v. 8b). Let all the proofs of being Christ’s faithful disciples be experienced and seen in us.
8. Help to rejoice in Thy love for us, just as the Lord Jesus delights in the Father’s love for Him. “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (vv. 9-10).
9. Help to know and obey Thy commandments as we abide in Thy love. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (v. 10).
10. Fullness of joy to fill us. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (v. 11).

Elder Mah Chin Kwang

All of us praise and thank the Lord for His grace and mercy in bringing our lives a little closer to what they have been in early 2020 before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sudden surge of the virus upon the shores of our little island resulted in 2.2 million confirmed cases and 1,700 deaths, thus far. In our church, many brethren and friends, together with their respective families, were infected, but none succumbed to the disease. All glory and praise to His precious Name!

We praise the Lord that after 3 full years, the Lord is pleased to ease His hand of judgment and chastisement upon our sinful world, re-opening windows of opportunity to serve Him. Like God’s people of old (as we read in Scripture), we too would be guilty of gross negligence and disregard of Him if we do not seize every opportunity to share the blessed Gospel once again, near and far. And thus, by God’s singular grace and pleasure, with the unanimous support of the Board of Elders of our church, Mission Pangasinan 2023 shall be held from 8th to 12th February, God-willing.

Owing to the opportune short school break this week, Rev. Donald dela Cruz, our missionary in the mission church in Pangasinan and his co-workers have worked extremely hard to organise and facilitate the upcoming event. Not all in the 25-member team of 2020 are able to join us this time, owing to the date of this mission and other personal constraints. Nevertheless, all praise to the Lord that despite the present smaller team of 16 brethren, the scope of this short-term mission was not curtailed.

The evangelistic fervour and brotherly care of the apostle Paul and his co-labourer Timothy set for us an enduring example, as we read in Colossians 1:9, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”.

Truly, not all can be with us on this mission, but all can be engaged in prayer for the Lord’s outpouring of His blessings in the learning of God’s Word, and through the fellowshipping with the saints in praise and prayer. May the Lord bring salvation to many, and grant strengthening to all saints, during the following planned spiritual activities:

• Visitations of 8 homes on Thursday (9 February) and Friday (10 February), with devotions to be shared by Pr Jeremiah (at 2 homes), Pr Samson (at 2 homes), Elder Mah (at 4 homes)
• Street evangelism on Friday (10 February)
• Prayer Meeting on Friday (10 February), with a message by Pr Jeremiah
• Adults’ Teaching Meeting on Saturday (11 February), with 4 messages by Pr Samson
• Children’s Vacation Bible School on Saturday (11 February), with 3 lessons to be taught by Pr Jeremiah, Dns Diana, Sis. Aileen, Sis. Gina, Sis. Kim Lei
• Worship Service on the Lord’s Day, with Rev. Donald delivering the sermon 
• Junior Worship on the Lord’s Day, incorporating a lesson by Sis. Aileen, Sis. Kim Lei.

May the Lord Jesus Christ be highly exalted in these spiritual endeavours.

Things That Wreck Short-Term Missions

Prabhudas Koshy

Our self-conceited attitude, unreasonable expectations and hypocrisy can disrupt, or even ruin the short-term missions organised by our church or fellowship groups. To maximize your contribution to the missionary, mission church and the mission team, please avoid doing the things mentioned below:

1. Negligence of personal daily devotion. Some have neglected their time of prayer and meditation of God’s Word because they have to pursue a busy schedule. It is inadequate just to rely on group devotions and the preaching of the Word during the mission activities.
2. Unwillingness to do any menial work. To make a mission trip successful, everyone in the team must always be ready to take up any task or challenge. It is absurd to refuse to do any menial work, saying that your only duty during the missionary trip is to win souls. It is false to think that doing menial work (like data entry, loading trucks, cooking, etc.) will distract you from your primary task of winning souls. Not everyone is called to be a preacher. For example, younger Christians in the team who are not equipped to preach and teach can contribute by helping in the physical aspects of the ministries.
3. Pick on the missionaries and their mistakes. Do not jump to conclusions quickly when you notice something that appears wrong. Be patient and careful not to make an unjust and erroneous judgment.
4. Disagree, criticise and murmur against your team leaders. Normally, leaders of mission trips are Christians who are experienced and mature. They make decisions based on their best knowledge and judgment. It will be far better to prayerfully cooperate with the leaders in whatever way you can, than be a “dissident” in the mission team. If you complain and murmur, it will affect the team’s unity and effectiveness. 
5. Harshly deal with team members who make a mistake. Unkind remarks and discourteous behaviour can lead to much grief and problems during mission trip. Be gracious and affectionate to one another.
6. Being too suspicious or too trusting of everyone you meet during the trip. It is wrong to think everyone in poor countries is out to get something from you. Also, it is dangerous to think that everyone who appears to be friendly is safe to trust. The best is to follow the instructions given by the team and local leaders.
7. Refuse the local food, as it might not have been cooked well to your taste.
8. Keep your distance from team members who cannot raise their full support. Be kind and generous towards one another.
9. Get involved romantically with someone or get into a quarrel with your friend. Though there is nothing wrong with getting to know someone closer, you must not lose focus of the nature and purpose of the mission trip. Also, avoid getting into petty quarrels with your friend.
10. Scold your home church upon your return from the mission field for their lack of commitment, their weak prayers, or their inadequate giving to missions. One or two mission trips do not prove that you have become the “perfect” evangelistic Christian. Instead, encourage the home church by your example in supporting the missions, since you have witnessed the needs and struggles of the church’s overseas missions.

Christianity has spread all over the world because of men who have unashamedly gone forth to preach the Gospel everywhere. Hence, we can say that the history of the church is the history of valiant men of faith. Chief among those men is certainly the apostle Paul, who said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Be Not Ashamed!

Feelings of shame and fear are not helpful at all in the work of the Gospel. Those who are ashamed of the Gospel are a hindrance to the work of the Lord. Dear brethren, in these days we are witnessing an increasing aversion to the Gospel of Christ everywhere. Sadly, the unpopularity of the Gospel has compelled many Christians and preachers to compromise the content and delivery of the Gospel. They try to make the Gospel inoffensive. But such a gospel is not the Gospel of God (cf. Romans 1:1) or the Gospel of Christ (cf. Romans 1:9, 16), but the gospel of man, which cannot save sinners! 

What are your personal feelings concerning the Gospel? Would you say, “I am not ashamed”? Without a bold determination, we cannot make progress in the Gospel work – in the face of extreme ridicule and opposition. In the past, men and women suffered much to hand down to us the Gospel of salvation. Today, it is our duty to preach the Gospel. We cannot fail. So, let us not cower and falter in our duty to preach the Word of salvation. If the people in the church would fail to preach the Gospel, there will be none other to do it.

We who have received the salvific blessings of the Gospel have a great responsibility to declare it. We are entrusted with the Gospel, that it may be preached. Let our resolve be clear and well expressed, like Paul who said, “for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

Gospel Has Power!

Our motivation to preach the Gospel in all circumstances is its power to save sinners. Paul said about the Gospel that “it is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16b). The power of the Gospel is “the power of God”. Through the Gospel, the resources of God’s infinite power work to save sinners from the bondage of sin. The Gospel is the way through which God exerts His omnipotent power for the quickening of souls that are dead in trespasses and sins. It is the efficacious or mighty plan of God, by which His power goes forth to save, and by which all the obstacles to man’s redemption are taken away. 

In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul said, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” Again, he wrote in the same chapter in 1 Corinthians, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (vv. 24-25).

The fact that the Gospel is the power of God implies some profound truths about the Gospel. Firstly, the Gospel is completely God’s plan, and not a device of man. Secondly, it is the perfect and effectual means to the salvation of sinners. Thirdly, the Gospel is mighty; hence it is called “power” – “the power of God”. The Gospel is not at all feeble or ineffectual, but it is “mighty … to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4b). It has shown its power to be applicable to every degree of sin and every combination of wickedness. Nothing can make the Gospel void from saving God’s elect. 

Gospel Saves!

The Gospel guarantees complete deliverance from sin and hell, for it is “unto salvation”. By the power of God in the Gospel, those who trust in it shall be saved to the uttermost (cf. Hebrew 7:25). The Gospel also offers salvation to everyone who believes – “to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16c). Salvation is offered to everyone who believes in the Gospel of Christ. Those who reject the Gospel will not be saved, for it is the only way of salvation. But salvation is conferred on all who receive it by faith. One’s racial or social background would not prevent one from being saved upon faith in Christ. Jews and Gentiles alike can receive salvation by faith in the Gospel of Christ.

The phrase “to the Jew first” does not suggest that Jews are better or that they have preference over the Greeks when it comes to salvation. It simply indicates that the Gospel came to the Jews before the Greeks, through the ministry of Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 10:5-7) and the apostles (cf. Acts 3:26). “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:12-13).

So dear brethren, since the Gospel has the (divine) power to save sinners from eternal damnation, let us never, for a moment, be ashamed of the Gospel – but “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ … that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

The Doctrine Defined

The doctrine of the preservation of Scripture teaches that God providentially preserves all the inspired words of the Bible, in the original languages, forever. It proclaims the indestructibility of the Bible. The Bible today is every bit as perfect as it was first written, and it shall be so forever. Hence, God’s people of all ages esteem the Bible as entirely trustworthy and authoritative. It is forever the inerrant, infallible source of truth.

Despite the intense efforts of some wicked men to destroy the Bible, God has sovereignly overseen the process of Scripture’s preservation and transmission down through the ages. Throughout the history of God’s people, He has been actively preserving all the words of His Scripture. The LORD has kept all the inspired words of Scripture until now; we have no reason to believe He will stop preserving it now or later. We can confidently say that the LORD keeps His Word intact, as He has promised.

The Westminster Confession of Faith declares, “The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which, at the time of the writing of it, was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and, by His singular care and providence, kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical…” (Chapter 1, Para. 8).

Certainly, this declaration corroborates our stand on Verbal Plenary Preservation. “Verbal” means every word in the Bible. “Plenary” means all parts of the Bible. So, just as we affirm the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture [i.e. the entire Bible is divinely inspired, down to the very words of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; Matthew 5:17)], we also affirm that all the verbally, plenarily inspired (VPI) words in the original languages are verbally and plenarily preserved (VPP) by God throughout the ages. God assures us that we can trust the whole of Scripture to be accurate and perfect, because He preserves every word of it.

The Doctrine’s Biblical Proof

The LORD has promised to keep His Word intact. In the following Scripture portions, He has declared His perfect preservation of every word He has uttered in His Book. God has promised to keep His Word perfect, and make it available and unchanged as long as the earth remains.

• Psalm 12:6-7 – “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”
• Psalm 33:11 – “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”
• Psalm 111:7-8 – “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”
• Psalm 119:89-90 – “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.”
• Psalm 119:144 – “The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.”
• Psalm 119:152 – “Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.”
• Psalm 119:160 – “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”
• Isaiah 40:8 - “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
• Matthew 5:18 – “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
• Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).
• 1 Peter 1:23 – “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
• 1 Peter 1:25 – “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

The Identification of the Preserved Scriptures

Do we have the inspired words of God today in the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek)? If we do, then where are they? We stand with the traditional texts, which have been identified and propagated by the Reformers, namely the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament (Hebrew/Aramaic) and the Textus Receptus of the New Testament (Greek).

The Westminster divines in 1648 believed their Bible to be totally infallible and inerrant without any mistake. This is observed by William Orr who wrote, “Now this affirms that the Hebrew text of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New which was known to the Westminster divines was immediately inspired by God because it was identical with the first text that God has kept pure in all the ages. The idea that there are mistakes in the Hebrew Masoretic texts or in the Textus Receptus of the New Testament was unknown to the authors of the Confession of Faith.”

Our English Bible, the King James Version (KJV), being the most faithful translation of the preserved texts (words) of Scripture in the original languages, is therefore used as our Bible in all our worship and fellowship meetings. We refuse translations based on other original language texts, which the Reformation scholars and theologians had rejected.

The Hebrew O.T. text and Greek N.T. text that the Westminster divines used in their day were the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus, which underlie the Reformation Bibles, as best represented by the KJV. If the Westminster pastors and theologians did not think that the Bible which they possessed in their day had any mistake, why is it so wrong and sinful for us today to also believe that the same Hebrew and Greek Scriptures (which the Westminster divines used) are without any mistake?