Recent Posts

God’s Word instructs us in 1 Timothy 6:18-19, “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Paul stated at the end of the previous verse (v. 17) that it is “the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy”. If God is the One who bestows all good things on us, then He also has His reason to give us those good things. Our text for today’s meditation delineates God’s intention to bestow us wealth.

Firstly, it tells us that God bestows wealth on His people for a purpose: “that they do good, that they be rich in good works”. The love of money is the parent of all wickedness. J.C. Ryle said, “Nothing I am sure has such a tendency to quench the fire of religion as the possession of money.” We must not allow our wealth to affect our spiritual and moral commitment. Money is given unto us, that we may increase in “good works”. Good works are the fulfilment of the Lord’s will concerning us. Every work of self-gain and self-glory is evil work. Always remember that your money is to help you further God’s will. We can never be used or blessed by the Lord, if we do not fully commit to giving all for His glory.

So our Scripture text tells us that we must be “ready to distribute, willing to communicate”. When we receive money, most of us immediately think of keeping or saving it, if not multiplying it. But we are instructed that it is wrong to withhold from the needy when the Lord has not withheld it from us, though it was more than sufficient for all our needs. The Scriptural exhortation is: “distributing to the necessity of saints” (Romans 12:13), and “to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). More blessings come from giving than receiving (cf. Acts 20:35). As it is commonly said by preachers, “Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving!” The right mindset is: “Get all you can, save all you can, and give all you can” (John Wesley). Note this attitude of giving must be accompanied by “readiness” and “willingness”. The words “ready” and “willing” in v. 18 call us not to delay when it comes to giving to the needs of the Lord’s work or for the poor. We should give as we would receive – cheerfully, quickly and without hesitation.

If we give generously as God’s Word teaches us, we are assured in v. 19 that we will be “laying up in store for [ourselves] a good foundation against the time to come, that [we] may lay hold on eternal life”. Generosity is a good foundation for the rest of our time in this world and even eternity. Our Lord Jesus’ teachings corroborated this truth. He said in Matthew 6:19-20, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal”. Jesus also taught us that He will reward us – “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). 

That is biblical investing of our lives and resources according to what the LORD has commanded – which is “investment with sure returns”!

Report from Rev. Reggor Galarpe (Gethsemane BPC, Cebu, the Philippines)

Dear Pastor, greetings to you in our Lord’s most blessed Name! Praise God for His sustaining grace upon us in the ministry of the Gospel. Glad to hear of the good report on the recent Malayalam Fellowship Retreat in Vizag through the report of Dn. Benny. Praise God for sustaining you in the many opportunities to teach and preach God’s Word among His people, and to fellowship among the brethren there in Vizag.

We praise and thank God for His grace as we carry on in the work of the Gospel. 

(1) Thank God for the ongoing studies in GBI-Cebu’s second semester. Praise God for the KJV Reference Bibles received from Mr. Yong (Pr. Joshua Yong’s father) that he sent for our students. He did mention to me his burden to send Bibles for our GBI students during the combined retreat here last December. 

(2) Thank God for the new resident in TGCM-Cebu. He was introduced to us by a Baptist pastor, who originally wanted to bring his younger brother into the programme. However, his brother was unwilling; he ended up bringing to us one of their worshippers. Praise God nonetheless! 

(3) As for the church, we thank God for the recent combined fellowship meeting we had last Sunday afternoon. It was held at TGCM premises. It was the first time for most of the brethren to visit TGCM after it underwent renovation last year. So, we take time to praise God and dedicate the premises to the Lord in thanksgiving. Thank God also for a good number of brethren who came for the meeting, and for the blessed time of learning God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship among us. 

(4) Also, I thank the Lord for sustaining our children’s outreach in the home of our Sis. Ophelia. By God’s grace, it’s been more than a year since we started reaching out to the children in the neighbourhood. It was originally held every Thursday afternoon, but was moved to Saturday afternoon, starting January this year. Bro. Johnny Rey and I take turns teaching the children, while Sis. Carol would prepare some activities for them.

In another update, I would like to inform you that Bethel BPC has invited me to minister among the youths in their YPG Camp, which will be held 7th-11th July this year. Praise God for this opportunity to visit the church and minister to our brethren there.

Lastly, we are praying for the upcoming Missionary Conference in June. The Lord will provide! Once again, thank you, Pastor, for all your prayers and support for us. Please convey our greetings to all our brethren there. 

King David spoke of his motivation to give generously in 1 Chronicles 29:13-14, “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.”

David uttered those words before the LORD after he had prepared, with all his might, the things needed to build the house of God. With the help of his people, he had gathered gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, onyx stones, glistering stones of diverse colours, and all manner of precious stones and marble stones in abundance. Beyond all these, David made a sizeable public love offering from his private estate to stir others with his example. His gifts included gold and silver, and 1 Chronicles 29:4 records that David gave “even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal”. David’s generosity was lavish. His generous giving served as a catalyst for the generosity of the people. Christian leaders will do well to remember that they will never see open-handed giving from their people if they themselves are not willing to take the lead in this as well.

David’s words uttered before the LORD as he dedicated his gifts to the building of God’s house, instruct us on how to be generous givers.

David’s heart was thankful to God for all the material blessings he had in his possession. He acknowledged that they were God’s gift to him. So, David said, “for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” We, too, must always be thankful to God for all our wealth and possessions, which He has bestowed upon us. Whatever we possess is what we receive from the LORD, so they belong to God. 

Our attitude concerning our assets is revealing. If we think that all of our possessions are ours, we will be unwilling to give generously. Scripture reminds us: “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). We need to start with an attitude recognising that our assets belong to God. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Then we will be motivated to give generously by having this attitude: “If He gave me all these things, what right have I to keep them from Him when His work requires them?”

May the same conviction be in us constantly, that we may never withhold what God has bestowed on us. Wealth and honour cometh from Him. So, when God’s work requires funds, let us quickly release what God has entrusted us with. It is only because of God’s enablement that we are able to give as generously as David did.

Report on Gethsemane Malayalam Fellowship Retreat 2024

Report by Dn Benny Skariah

We thank God for enabling Gethsemane Malayalam Fellowship to organise our first overseas retreat in Vizag, India, from 10th – 12th February 2024. A small team of nine from Singapore travelled to Vizag on Friday evening (9th February). We were gladly received by a few brothers from Vizag. After a sumptuous dinner, we had a good night’s rest. Pastor Koshy, Sis Carolyn, and a few other brethren from other parts of India also travelled to Vizag to join this retreat. On Saturday morning, about 70 participants gathered together at Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church, Vizag City to be taught on the topic, “Doctrines of Grace”, by Pastor Koshy in English. In the afternoon, we had a special session in Malayalam. In that session, Rev. Sujith Samuel led us in a “Survey of the Book of Numbers”, where he highlighted the working of God’s grace in the Old Testament (cf. Numbers 6:22-27). In the evening, we spent our time visiting a few places in Vizag, went to the hilltop park in the city, and took a train ride to take in the beautiful night view of Vizag.

On the morning of the Lord’s Day, we joined our Telugu brethren in worship of the Lord and partook in the Holy Communion. Rev. Sujith Samuel preached to us on the theme, “Perseverance of the Saints”, based on John 10:27-30. His message was translated into the Telugu language by Pastor Bhagavath. In the afternoon, we joined the English worship service, where Pastor Koshy expounded on the topic, “Perseverance of the Saints”, from 1 Peter 1:1-5. He explained how the apostle Peter encouraged the Christians – who were under persecution, rejected by their society and displaced in various places – with the truth of God’s election of them. They were His beloved people whom He would preserve by His great power for the ultimate salvation in heaven. In the evening, we organised a fellowship dinner for all our brethren in Vizag, and 50 of us enjoyed a time of fellowship over food. 

Early in the morning on the last day of our retreat in Vizag, some of us, together with Rev. Sujith and Pastor Bujji Babu, travelled 40km from the city to view some lands for sale, with the intention to consider whether they are suitable for building a church-cum-Bible college and associated amenities. Please pray for God’s leading in this matter and for the necessary funds. Pastor Koshy and others went directly to Gethsemane Bible Institute in K. Kotapadu (30km from the city) to teach our students. In the afternoon, we all gathered together with some of our past GBI graduates who are currently serving the Lord in the nearby villages, and we enjoyed a good lunch prepared by our GBI staff. On our way from GBI to the airport, we visited the homes of our preachers, Rev. Sujith Samuel and Bro. Seraph McGregor, where we enjoyed the warm fellowship that their families offered to us.

“The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3). We are truly blessed by this retreat, and we give all glory to our Lord for all safety, protection and provisions. We also thank God for the many brethren who have laboured much, especially Pastor Bujji Babu, Bro. Anand, Bro. Joyson, Bro. Bharath, Bro. Solomon (and many more), as well as for all who joined us, and for all who prayed for us!