Pastoral Exhortation

There is no greater danger than the sin that hides within us, which we cherish either secretly or openly. Sin is the Christian’s biggest problem.

Robert McCheyne once said of the presence of sin within: “The seeds of all my sins are in my heart, and perhaps the more dangerous that I do not see them.”

The consequences of conjecturing sinlessness

The apostle John, in his first epistle, has cautioned us of the dangers of hiding or neglecting the presence of sin in our lives...

Sunday after Sunday, for many years, most of you have been hearing the preaching of the Word of God. Some of you listen to sermons as a matter of religious formality that you would like to customarily practise. Some others are curious to hear the preaching because they are interested in theology. Yet there are some who listen to the preaching because of their liking for motivating speeches. I also know of those who would like to learn one or two points of Christian doctrines so that they can enter into a discussion with others on those points of doctrine. But I would like all of you to take heed to what James 1:22 has to say, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

If you hear the truth of God’s Word and would not yield yourselves to practise it, you are being a selfdeceiving hearer. James’ warning is to those who hear without any intention to apply the truth into their lives. He finds no fault with those who are hearers but with those who are simply hearers and “not doers”...

The doctrine of the Trinity, which declares that God is Triune, is fundamental to the Christian faith. We must believe this grand doctrine because it is clearly taught in the Scriptures. But it is a doctrine that defies human logic. It is beyond man’s ability to fathom and explain.

Why is this doctrine so incomprehensible? God is infinite, and hence He is beyond human reasoning. We can know Him only because He has revealed Himself to us by His Word. Whatever He has revealed concerning Himself in His Word must be received by faith and with humility...

Christians must rejoice being in the presence of God, praying and worshipping Him. To a great many people, prayer is an activity that they engage in when they are perplexed. It is not just ‘running to God for help’. Though it is important that we call on God in our troubles, the activity of prayer is more than seeking His help to relieve us of our troubles.

The apostle Paul wrote, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8)...

Rev Ephrem Chiracho
Alem Gena, Ethiopia

Greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Thank God for succouring you in your ministry in Australia despite your going without medication and for the safety He granted to you in your journeys. I would also like to give thanks to God for the generosity of the mother church in sacrificing much for our coming to attend Gethsemane’s Silver Jubilee and making our stay convenient and comfortable...

Our Perpetual Intercessor

Christ’s abiding presence before God as our High Priest provides us with a powerful and effective intercessor. Hebrews 7:25 affirms: “he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” In chapter 9 verse 24, it is also unequivocally declared that Christ has entered heaven “now to appear in the presence of God for us”.

The Lord Jesus lives a mediatorial life for us in heaven. He not only died for us, but also lives for us and intercedes for us...

The story of Jesus Christ did not end with His humiliation, crucifixion and burial. In fact, His death led His people to greater anticipation because He had spoken of great and mighty things that would follow: His resurrection (Matthew 12:39-40; 20:17- 19; 26:30-32; Luke 18:31-33; John 2:19-22), ascension and being with the Father in His glory (Luke 9:31, 51; John 6:62; 7:33; 12:32; 14:12, 28; 16:5, 10, 17, 28; 20:17), the new dispensation of the Spirit and global Gospel advancement (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20), and the preparation of a place for all His people in glory (John 14:2-3). The power and glory of His person is to have a greater impact after His death...

We can know God, because His great love is manifested unto us. Immediately after making the assertion that “God is love”, the Apostle John wrote, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). God’s love has sent the Son of God to bear all our sins so that we may know Him intimately.

How amazing it is that God should love vile mortals like us. Who can fully comprehend that the eternal God, who is holy, would love ungrateful rebels such as we? What a great mystery and a grand miracle that the divine love would send His only begotten Son into the world for us! If this is not love, what then is love...

The article below is written by the late Rev Dr Timothy Tow, the founding pastor of Bible-Presbyterian churches in Singapore and Malaysia. Rev Tow was a man of thanksgiving. Very often, I heard him say, “Praise the Lord.” He often urged his church and his students in FEBC to cultivate a thankful spirit before the Lord. He would always call the church anniversary meeting “Thanksgiving Service”.

As we prepare for our Silver Jubilee Thanksgiving Service and Dinner, which will be held this Saturday evening, I pray that we will come together with a genuine heart of thanksgiving. May this article teach all of us to come before the Lord with a biblical spirit of thanksgiving – Pastor Koshy...

As I set my mind to praise God for 25 years that He has given to our church, I decided to list down 25 thanksgiving items about our church. I am sure that many of you would have written down many of these items and very likely, even more. It is important that everyone who is a member of Gethsemane do not forget to bless the Lord for the benefits he or she has received through the church. May it never be that we conduct ourselves like the unthankful people of ancient Israel about whom the Lord has said, “Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea” (Psalm 106:7).

I thank the Lord for Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church’s

1. Submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Head of the Chu rch.
2. High regard for the Bible as God’s inspired, infallible, inerrant, preserved and perfect Word...

If we accept God’s authority, then we must also acknowledge the authority of each and every word which He has recorded in the Bible. The following facts ascertain the supreme authority of the Bible in believers’ lives.

God’s call to keep the Bible unaltered ascertains its authority

Every word of the Bible is to be taken with utmost reverence. We are commanded not to diminish or expand, subtract from or add to that which God has already revealed in the Bible. God does not allow any change to His Word because such an action is against His own authority....

For the past 25 years, the Lord has been faithful to Gethsemane B-P Church. All Gethsemaneans have experienced great spiritual blessings from the Lord through our church’s ministries. But have we been faithful to our Lord who has been faithful to bless us according to all His promises?

Below, I have included 25 questions that pertain to our dedication to our Lord and His church. I have published 21 of them before in the church bulletin on the occasion of our 21st Anniversary. It is time again to evaluate ourselves and see how we have conducted ourselves in the church for His glory...

This Saturday night at 8 pm, we will start off a month long thanksgiving to the Lord for 25 years of His goodness to Gethsemane B-P Church. We will begin it all with a Gospel Rally. The Gospel preacher will be Rev Paul Ferguson, and the interpreter of the message into Mandarin will be Pr Kelvin Wong.

I trust that you have been praying and labouring to bring your unsaved friends and relatives to the Gospel Rally. May I once again urge you to make every effort to bring someone to hear the Gospel. May I once again urge you to make every effort to bring someone to hear the Gospel. Even if no one responds to your invitation, please come and participate in the rally as you will have a chance to talk to someone who comes to the rally about our Great Saviour. By your prayerful participation, you can be a testimony to someone about Christ...

The biblical admonition to avoid the company of disorderly and disobedient Christians is not, as some might think, an extreme, unreasonable, capricious and unprofitable command. The Bible casts much light on the necessity of this admonition. Consider the following seven biblical reasons for such a command:

Firstly, if we would not withdraw our association with unrepentant ones, this would encourage them to continue in their wrong ways. The apostle John cautioned, “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 11)...

The following list of people with bad behaviour and sinful practices are mentioned in the Bible as disorderly Christians. If anyone who professes to be a Christian is found behaving as such in the following biblical list, he warrants our withdrawal from him. “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you” (2 Thessalonians 3:6-7).

• Busybody persons (2 Thessalonians 3:11): These are those who meddle with the affairs of others instead of attending to their own duties. They pry into other people’s circumstances and domestic affairs, and tell tales about them by magnifying, minimizing, or misrepresenting.

How I long to see every Christian in our church taking the work of soul-reaping with increasing enthusiasm and commitment! May the Lord Jesus Christ, the lover and redeemer of our souls, motivate our hearts with His Words that we may be good reapers of the soul-harvest.

John, the Gospel writer, records in John 4:34-35 - “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest...

Is it unbiblical or sinful to celebrate a joyful occasion with a sumptuous meal? There are some who believe that it is a grave mistake to enjoy a grand meal even on a happy occasion, though God has provided the means to enjoy it. However, the Bible teaches the contrary.

It is true that the Bible instructs us not to live beyond our means. We are exhorted in 1 Timothy 6:6: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” We should not be spendthrifts who always live a lavish lifestyle. We must be frugal, not to amass wealth for ourselves, and yet have enough for the proper care of the poor, the Gospel work and ourselves...

“Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.”

—Isaiah 48:17

Why can we trust Him to lead?

We can trust Him absolutely, firstly, because He is our “Redeemer”. Take note that He introduces Himself to us, with all His authority and truthfulness...

My beloved fellow Gethsemaneans,

A praying church is always a great encouragement to its preachers. The prayers of the church reinforce the preachers in their ministerial tasks. All the struggles and strains of ministry are greatly helped when the church rallies behind its preachers with ardent prayers. Appreciating the prayers of the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul wrote, “Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 1:11). Christians’ prayers are the minister’s help.

Dear Pastor Koshy,

Blessed 2013 and may the Lord prosper you, your family and church leaders as all of you endeavour to serve Him faithfully and diligently, and in all the undertakings planned for the church in the new year; that the Sovereign Lord immanently and personally rules over all the affairs of the church.

Cecilia & Clarissa Lim
Wells, England