The Beginning

On 16th September 2001, to mark the beginning of Gethsemane Filipino Fellowship, I wrote in the church bulletin: "The Filipino brethren who attend our church felt the need to have a special coordinated effort to nurture their spiritual growth, as well as to reach out to the large number of Filipinos working and residing in Singapore with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The session has prayerfully approved the formation of a new fellowship group for the Filipinos in our church. It will be called Gethsemane Filipino Fellowship."

Since then, several brethren have helped to preach the Word in GFF. In the early years, I have laboured, and then Reggor Galarpe (current pastor of GBPC, Cebu) laboured with me to preach the Word until he returned to Cebu in 2004. In 2004, Bro. Dennis Kabingue was sent to FEBC for training when he testified of his call to the preaching ministry. Since 2005, Bro. Dominino dela Cruz Jr and Bro. Dennis Kabingue colaboured with me to preach. In 2008, upon the completion of his theological studies, Bro. Dominino returned to Bogo, the Philippines, where he started the mission church in Bogo and later another congregation in San Antonio. Meanwhile, Bro. Dennis Kabingue completed his M.Div. and continued with Th.M. studies in FEBC, which he completed in May 2008. The church has received him as a full-time preacher in March 2008 (with the approval of S-Pass from Singapore authorities). Till this day, through many challenges and trials, Pr Dennis Kabingue has served the Lord in our midst.

Pr Dennis

Today is Pr Dennis’ last day of service with us in Singapore. He will be leaving tomorrow early morning (3:30am by Cebu Pacific, 5J 804) for his hometown Leyte, the Philippines. We sincerely thank God for His marvelous work in Dennis’s life, and for helping him to grow in faith and service. He has laboured much for the Filipino Fellowship as a preacher of God’s Word. He also contributed much to the church choir (Voices of Gethsemane) as the choir leader for more than a decade. His service in the Lord has been received by our mission stations, sister churches, BWWR, Prison Ministry, FEBC, etc.

May the Lord be pleased to nurture and strengthen Pr Dennis for His vineyard, wherever it may be. Let us also pray for his dear family – Daryl, Duaine, David and Davis – that the Lord’s goodness and mercy will surround them always.

We are grateful for the role we, as a church, could play in their lives and ministry, according to God’s good providence. "So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:7). All glory and honour be unto the LORD!

A New Chapter

By God’s providence, Gethsemane Filipino Fellowship is now moving into a new phase with the departure of Pr Dennis Kabingue. With the help of our preachers and elders, I will work to give all the necessary pastoral care for the Filipino brethren. In the recent Church Session meeting, the church leaders prayerfully considered the GFF ministry in the coming months and years. We thank God that all the preachers, elders are happy to contribute to minister the Word in GFF meetings.

On Tuesday night, the Session would like to meet with all the Filipino brethren at 7pm (prior to the prayer meeting) to discuss with you and firm up our plans for fellowship, evangelism, etc.

Please also take note that a half-day retreat is planned for GFF on 5th February (Tuesday, 2pm-6pm) at Singpost Auditorium’s powder room. (Please look out for further announcements.)

May everyone be comforted and strengthened, for the Lord has said in Revelation 3:8 – "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."

Why Earthquakes? — II

The biblical records of earthquakes reveal three major divine purposes in the occurrences of the earthquakes. They are divine revelation, divine deliverance and divine judgment. The records of these truths about the earthquakes in the Scriptures are given so that we may pause and consider God’s sovereignty, power and purposes in such cataclysmic events. The first divine purpose attached to earthquake was that:

They Betokened God’s Presence and Revelation to His People

God’s presence at Mount Sinai shook it violently.

• Exodus 19:18 – "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly."
• Psalm 68:8 – "The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel."

Ancient appearances of God are mentioned in the song sung by Deborah and Barak in Judges 5 as causing earthquakes.

• Judges 5:4 – "LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water."
• Descriptions of similar events are given in Psalm 68:7-9 and Habakkuk 3:3-16.

God’s appearance to Elijah when he fled into the wilderness from the wicked king Ahab and his queen Jezebel, was preceded by an earthquake.

• 1 Kings 19:11-12 – "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."

God’s voice is depicted as shaking the earth, which sometimes accompanied divine revelation.

1. Psalm 29:4-6 – "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn."
2. Psalm 77:18 – "The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook."
3. In Isaiah 6:4, an earthquake is indicated as accompanying divine revelation – "And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke."
4. Hebrews 12:26 – "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven."
5. Though earthquake is not specifically mentioned, the great natural phenomena recorded in Job 37:1-5 might well fit the description of an earthquake – "At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place. Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth. He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth. After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard. God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend."

God’s mighty presence is depicted as causing the mountains to tremble and "skip".

• Psalm 114:4-8 – "The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters."
• Psalm 97:4 – "His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled."

Earth shook as the Lord Jesus died on the cross, causing the Roman centurion and all that were with him to confess that He was truly the Son of God.

• Matthew 27:54 – "Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God."

Again, at Christ’s resurrection there was also an earthquake.

• Matthew 28:2 – "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it."

When God granted His presence and revelation, the accompanying signs were indicative of His glorious power. Phenomena accompanying His manifestations, such as earthquakes, filled the hearts of His people with reverence for His divine majesty. At Christ’s death, as well as resurrection, the earthquakes were open affirmation of His divinity, that His people may be assured of the grandeur of His presence and power.