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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore
Bethel Tidings
(For private circulation only )
Choose this day Choose this day Choose this day
whom you will servewhom you will servewhom you will serve
Joshua 24:15Joshua 24:15Joshua 24:15
A B I LINGUAL MONT HLY BULLETIN O F BET HEL MET HO DIST
CHURCH
July 2015
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 2
KR Puram Sunday School Outreach
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 3
Pastor: Rev. T. David Livingston Cell: 99865 26450 E-mail:
[email protected]
B eth el M eth o d ist C h u rc h 21 &22, Bet h el Na ga r ,
1s t
Ma i n , Off Ko d i geh a lli Ro a d , K. R.Pu ra m Ho b l i
,
BA NG A L O RE - 560 036. Web s i t e :
ww w.b mcb a n ga l o re.o rg
Contents Page
Pastoral Letter - English 3
Pastoral Letter - Tamil 4
Testimony - Mrs Mary Rita 6
KR puram Outreach report 7
Missionary Profile - Dr Theodore Williams 8
Prayer Diary 10
Bible is different - Mr Sam Selvin 12
Missions Report - Priyankanagar Outreach 15
July 2015 Program Schedule 16
Events & Programmes 19
Pulpit Calendar - July 2015 20 Volume 9 - 7
Pastoral Letter Dearly beloved,
Greetings to you in the matchless name of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. I am
very encouraged by the donations the BMC family could raise
towards the education-
al help required by many needy families and students in our
congregation. I am also
glad that we all could participate in raising a fund for the
Nepal earth quake relief.
May the Lord continue to use our hearts to meet the needs of
this suffering world in
which Christ is actively participating.
Joshua, the mighty judge made his people to make the crucial
choice of their lives,
when they were about to settle in the Promised Land - that they
owned and served
the Lord alone as their God. His insistence created a
realization and brought re-
sponse in people on that day and they made their choice for God
clearly. No wonder
their relationship with the Lord strengthened and the Lord led
them forward in histo-
ry. The nation Israel is standing to this day. Joshua said,
“…choose this day whom ye will serve…but as for me and my house,
we will
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 4
serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
A look into our own selves may reveal our indecisiveness and
negligence in the im-
portant choices that we are supposed to have made in life.
Joshua reminded his peo-
ple with the testimonies of God’s constant presence in them that
provided miracu-
lous protection and consistent successes and clarified their
pending doubts about the
Lord’s leadership. They were radically refreshed of their faith
in Him and they surren-
dered to His Lordship afresh.
God has given ability to us to make choices and strengthen our
spiritual instabilities.
Let us work on them by meditating upon our past time testimonies
and asking the
Spirit of God to help us out. The Lord’s constant desire and
challenge to us is to fix
our dents in faith and stabilize our relationship with him and
keep our spiritual fer-
vour glowing ever.
The highlight of this month is our BMC English Annual Camp
conducted in the second
week-end at ECC and I hope and pray that the Lord will light up
our spirits in him for
the year that will follow. And then we will enjoy another music
feast brought to us by
the Bangalore Ensemble in the last week. May the Lord continue
to build us to be his
true disciples who will always follow Him.
Grace be with you always.
Rev. T. David Livingston
ப ோதகர் மடல் கிறிஸ்துவுக்குள் பிரியமானவர்களே
நமது ஆண்டவரும் இரட்சகருமாகிய இளயசு கிறிஸ்துவின் ஈடு இணையற்ற
நாமத்தில் வாழ்த்துக்கள். இந்த ஆண்டும் கல்விக் கட்டை
ளதணவயுள்ளோருக்கு திருச்சணபயின் குடும்பமாக இணைந்து உதவி அேித்தணத
எண்ைி உற்சாகமணடந்ளதன். அவ்வாளற ளநபாே நாட்டிற்காக நிலநடுக்க நிவாரை
நிதி திரட்டியணத எண்ைி மகிழ்ச்சியடந்ளதன். இவ்வுலகின் பாடுகேின்
மத்தியில் ளதணவளயாடு உள்ேவர்களுக்காக உதவ ளதவன் தாளம ததாடர்ந்து நம்ணம
பயன்படுத்துவாராக.
வாக்குத்தத்தமாக அேிக்கப்பட்ட கானான் ளதசத்தில் இஸ்ரளவலர்
குடியமரும் முன்னர், நியாயாதிபதியாகிய ளயாசுவா இஸ்ரளவலணர ஒரு
முக்கியமான தீர்மானத்ணத எடுக்கச் தசய்தான். அததன்னதவனில், அவரக்ள்
தங்கள் வாழ்நாேில் எந்த ததய்வத்ணத ளசவிக்க ளவண்டும் என்பணதக்
குறித்தது. அந்த காரைத்தால், இஸ்ரளவலர் அன்று ஜீவனுள்ே ளதவனாகிய
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 5
தயளகாவாணவ ளதவனாக ததரிந்து தகாண்டனர். அதனால், ளதவன் அவர்கள் மனித
வரலாற்றின் வழியாக சிறப்பாக நடத்தி வந்து, இந்நாள் வணர
நிணலத்திருக்கச் தசய்தது வியக்கத்தக்கது அல்ல.
“கர்த்தரைச் பேவிக்கிறது உங்கள் ோர்ரவக்கு ஆகோததோய்க் கண்டோல்,
ின்ரை யோரைச் பேவிப் ீர்கள் என்று இன்று ததரிந்துதகோள்ளுங்கள்....
நோனும் என் வடீ்டோருபமோதவன்றோல் கர்த்தரைபய பேவிப்ப ோம் என்றோன்”
பயோசுவோ 24:15
நம்ணம நாளம தற்பரிளசாதணன தசய்து பார்த்தால், தீர்மானம் எடுக்க
ளவண்டிய வாழ்வின் பல நிணலகேில் நாம் உறுதியின்றி, கவனமில்லாமல்
முடிதவடுத்திருப்பணத நாம் உைர முடியும். ளதவன் ஆச்சரியவிதமாக
எகிப்தின் அடிணமதனத்திலிருந்து விடுவித்து வனாந்திரத்தின் பாணத வழியாக
சிறப்பாக நடத்தி வந்தணத ஞாபகப்படுத்தினான் ளயாசுவா. ளதவனுணடய
வழிநடத்துதலின் ளபரில் அவர்கள் நம்பிக்ணக ணவக்கச் தசய்தான். அதனால்
அவர்கள் விசுவாசத்தில் புதுப்பிக்கப்பட்டவர்கோய், ளதவனுணடய
தணலணமத்துவதிற்கு தங்கணே அர்ப்பைித்தனர்.
ஆவிக்குரிய வாழ்வில் நாம் தடுமாறும் ளபாதும் சுயமாக சிந்தித்து
தீர்மானம் எடுக்கும் சக்திணய ளதவன் நமக்கு தகாடுத்திருக்கிறார். ளதவன்
கிருணபயாய் கடந்த காலத்தில் நம்ணம நடத்தி வந்தணத நிணனத்து, இதற்காக
ளதவ ஆவியின் உதவிணய நாடுளவாமாக. நமது விசுவாச வாழ்ணவ தசவ்ணவப் படுத்தி
அவருடன் நிணலயான உறவு தகாண்டு வாழ ளதவன் நம்ணம அணழக்கிறார்.
இம்மாதம் இரண்டாம் வாரத்தில், நமது ஆங்கில வருடாந்திர முகாம்
ஒயிட்பீல்டில் நணடதபற உள்ேது. ளதவன் தாளம இந்த முகாமின் மூலம் நமது
ஆவிக்குரிய வாழ்ணவ தபலப்படுத்துவாராக. இம்மாதத்தின் இறுதி வாரத்தில்
தபங்களூரின் சிறப்பான பாடகர் குழு இன்னிணச விருந்தேிக்க
இருக்கின்றனர், ளதவன் தாளம ததாடர்ந்து நம்ணம வழிநடத்தி வருவாராக.
ளதவ கிருணப உங்களுடன் தரித்திருப்பதாக. ப ோதகர் படவிட்
லிவிங்ஸ்டன்
இம்மோதத்தில் ிறந்த நோள் மற்றும் திருமண நோள் கோணும் இம்மோதத்தில்
ிறந்த நோள் மற்றும் திருமண நோள் கோணும் அரைவரையும் ேர யின் ேோர் ோக
வோழ்த்துகிபறோம். கர்த்தர் உங்கரை அரைவரையும் ேர யின் ேோர் ோக
வோழ்த்துகிபறோம். கர்த்தர் உங்கரை
ஆேரீ்வதிப் ோைோக! ஆேரீ்வதிப் ோைோக! Wishes from congregation to
all who celebrate Birthday and Wishes from congregation to all who
celebrate Birthday and
Wedding Anniversary this month. May God Bless you!Wedding
Anniversary this month. May God Bless you!
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 6
வோழ்க்ரக ேோட்ேி - திருமதி ளமரி ரீட்டா
என் ஆண்டவராகிய இளயசு கிறிஸ்துவின் நாம மகிணமக்காக எனது வாழ்க்ணக
சாட்சிணய இங்கு பகிர்ந்து தகாள்கிளறன். தமிழ்நாட்டிலுள்ே ளவலூருக்கு
அருகிலுள்ே குடியாத்தம் என்னும் ஊரில் நான் பிறந்ளதன். என் தந்ணத
தபயர் நாராயைசாமி. தாயார் தபயர் வள்ேியம்மாள். நான் சிந்தாமைி எனறு
அணழக்கப்பட்ளடன். நான் இந்து மார்க்த்ணத தீவிரமாக பின்பற்றி, பல்ளவறு
ளகாயில் வழிபாடுகேிலும் பங்கு தபற்று வந்ளதன். எனக்கு பதிமூன்று
வயதானளபாது எனது தந்ணத மரைமணடந்ததால், தபங்களூரிலிருந்த எனது அண்ைனின்
குடுமபத்துடன் வந்து ளசர்ந்ளதன். அண்ைனின் குழந்ணதகணே பராமரித்து
அன்றாட வடீ்டு ளவணலணயச் தசய்து வந்ளதன். பின்னர் ணதயல் கணலணயக் கற்று
ஒரு துைி ணதயல் ததாழிற்சாணலயில் ளவணலக்குச் ளசர்ந்ளதன். நான் இருபது
வயணதக் கடந்த ளபாது எனது திருமை ஏற்பாட்ணட எனது குடும்பத்தினர்
துவக்கினர்.
ஒரு நாள் நான் ளவணலயிலிருந்து வடீ்டிற்கு வந்து, சாய்ந்து
ஒய்தவடுக்கும் ளபாது ஒரு விளநாதமான காட்சிணயக் கண்ளடன். எனக்கு முன்
இருந்த சுவரில், இளயசுவின் முகம் ளதான்றி மணறயக் கண்ளடன். இளயசு
கிறிஸ்தவர்கேின் ததய்வம் என்று அறிந்திருந்ததால், அவர் எதற்கு என்
முன் ளதான்ற ளவண்டும் என்று ளயாசித்ளதன். சில நாட்களுக்குப் பின்னர்
எனது திருமைம் குடும்பத்தினரால் நிச்சயிக்கப்பட்டது. மைமகனின் தபயர்
ளஜாசப் என்றும் அவர்கள் கிற்ஸ்தவ குடும்பத்தினர் என்றும் அறிந்தளபாது
என் குடும்பத்தினர் வருத்தப்பட்டனர். ஆனால் எனது தாயார், அதில் தவறு
ஒன்றுமில்ணல என்று கருதி, எனது திருமைத்திற்கு சம்மதித்தார்.
இளயசுவின் முகம் ளதான்றியதன் காரைம் அறியாதிருந்தாலும், ஒரு கிறிஸ்தவ
குடும்பத்துடன் ளதவன் இணைக்கவுள்ோர் என்று ளதவ சமாதானம்
தகாண்ளடன்.
எனது கைவர் கத்ளதாலிக்க மார்க்கத்ணதச் சார்ந்த்வர். நான் அந்த
சணபயில் திருமுழுக்குப் தபற்று, 1983 ஆம் ஆண்டு நாங்கள் திருமைம்
தசய்துதகாண்ளடாம். எனது கைவர் ஒரு ததாழிற்சாணலயில் ளவணல தசய்தார்.
நாங்கள் தமஜஸ்டிக் பகுதியில் வாழ்ந்து வந்ளதாம். அனுதின ளதணவகளுக்காக
நாங்கள் கடினமாக உணழக்க ளவண்டியிருந்தது. அடுத்த வருடத்தில் எனது மகன்
அருள் பிறந்தான். அருள் ஒன்பது மாத குழந்ணதயாக இருந்த ளபாது, எனது
கைவருக்கு திடீதரன ளவணல பறிளபானது. ஆதலால், தமஜஸ்டிக் பகுதிணய விட்டு,
குணறந்த வருமானத்தில் வாழ ளவண்டி ஹூடி பகுதிக்கு குடி தபயர்ந்ளதாம்.
எனது மகள்கள் ஜான்சியும் கிளரசியும் ஹூடியில்
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 7
பிறந்தனர். வழக்கமாக ஒரு கத்ளதாலிக்க ஆலயத்திற்கு நாங்கள் தசன்ற
ளபாதிலும், ளதவணன அறியாதவர்கோகளவ வாழ்ந்து வந்ளதாம். குழந்ணதகள் வேர
வேர பை தநருக்கடி அதிகமானது. பிள்ணேகேின் கல்வி கட்டைத்திற்கு ளசமிக்க
ளவண்டி நான் தினமும் ஆறு கிளலாமீட்டர் நடந்து தசன்று ளவணல பார்த்து
வந்ளதன்
இந்திராநகர் தமத்தடிஸ்ட் ஆலயத்திலிருந்து சிலர் ஹூடி பகுதிக்கு
வந்து ஊழியம் தசய்ய ளதவன் முன் குறித்திருந்தார். அந்த கூடுணகயில்
நாங்கள் ளதவனுணடய அன்ணப உைர்ந்து தகாண்ளடாம். ததாடர்ந்து தஜப
ஐக்கியத்தில் பங்குதபற்று இளயசு கிறிஸ்துணவ தசாந்த இரட்சகராக அறிந்து
தகாண்ளடாம். ததாடர்ந்து இந்நாள் வணர ஆச்சர்யமாய் எங்கணே நடத்தி வந்த
ளதவனுக்கு ஸ்ளதாத்திரம், எல்லா துதியும் புகழும் ளதவனுக்ளக
உண்டாகட்டும்.
(திருமதி பமரி ரீட்டோ, கணவர் திரு ப ோேப் மற்றும் ிள்ரைகள் அருள்,
ோன்ேி மற்றும் கிபைேி ஆகிபயோர், ஹூடி த ஐக்கிய நோட்கள் முதல் இரணந்த
ஆதி அங்கத்திைர் குடும் ங்கைில் ஒன்று)
KR Puram Sunday School Outreach - Mrs Veena Paul
On Sunday 31st May 2015, irrespective of heavy rain, God
blessed and showed the alleyway for kids, BMC church members and
volunteers to gather at Sis. Ruth's residence. Pastor initiated the
out-
reach with prayer. Sis. Sharon and Sandhya took the lead in
action songs in which the children participated with great energy
and were
eager to accept to hear and accept the Word of God. A small
story was narrated by Sandhya to correlate with a Bible verse. Six
children gath-
ered on the first Sunday and the count has increased to 14 as
of
now. Since the inauguration of the K.R.Puram Sunday school, the
Out-reach has completed the fourth week successfully. The Children
are
enthusiastic and very eager to praise God and listen to His
Word. Sincere thanks to the inspiration of Pastor and Bro. Sel-
vin. May God bless abundantly all the teachers, volunteers and
kids
and help us to spread the Word of God. Our shepherds for Sunday
outreach teachings are Sis. Sharon, Sis. Leena, and Bro.
Timothy. Also, I am listing the names of the children, let us
remember in our prayers: Pallavi, Arjun, Ranjitha, Ranjith, Sowmya,
Anuradha,
Suchitra, Varsha, Sindhu, Harshita, Suveesh, Navya, Momina and
Am-
reena. Continue to pray for these children - Poverty,
Continuation of Educa-
tion, love and care.
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 8
MISSIONARY PROFILE - Mr Dilip Dr Theodore Williams
Beginnings
Theodore Williams was born on 24th February 1935 in the town of
Nazareth in the Tutucorin district of Tamil Nadu. His grandfather
was an An-glican Priest and his father was a school teacher. He was
the eldest of
four children and being born in a strict Christian family, he
attended church
services and Sunday school regularly and was made to memorize
Bible verses.
He finished his SSLC honours at the age of 14
and since he was too young for college, he started learn-
ing type-writing, book-keeping and Hindi, all of which
helped him in the later stages of his ministry. He then pursued
college studies and had a deep affinity towards
Dravidian politics and also wrote stories in a Tamil
monthly magazine. Slowly disorderliness started creep-
ing into his life but his craze over his political heroes
started diminishing when he came to know more secrets
about their personal lives.
It was about this time, in the year 1954 that he was enthralled
with a
fresh understanding of the holiness of God. The rearrangement of
his priorities
as a result of that special revelation led him to plunge himself
in teaching Sun-
day school, open air preaching and many other activities. A deep
desire to
serve God took hold of him.
After completion of his studies he gained a clear understanding
that God was calling him into ministry. Subsequently, he joined the
first batch of
students to learn Theology at SIBI, Bangarapet in 1955. His
scholarly bril-
liance shone through in the Bible college. His understanding of
holiness was
deeply affirmed in his life. He was also gripped with a
Missionary zeal to reach
the nation.
After studies, he joined SIBI as a teacher. He became an
accomplished
teacher as well as a versatile preacher. The whole SIBI
community was chal-lenged with his soul stirring messages on the
need for the Saviour in this per-
ishing World. Today a number of his students are making a mark
for God in
various corners of the globe as pioneer missionaries or mission
leaders.
Missionary Statesman
Rev. Theodore William’s life work was to build up the people of
God by
imparting the Christian vision of the mission of God, inspiring
those he touched through his uncompromising Biblical teaching and
writing. As an ef-
fective evangelist he inculcated Kingdom values and principles
in the lives of
thousands as they came to know Jesus Christ and accepted the
commission to
make Him known to others. At the annual conference of the
Evangelical Fel-
lowship of India (EFI), he presented the challenges of India. He
suggested that
an Indigenous Mission be formed to confront these challenges. So
at the age of
30, the commitment to seeing Indians mobilized for
cross-cultural mission led
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 9
him to found the Indian Evangelical Mission (IEM). Beginning
with just one mission worker in 1965, the mission grew rapidly
under his capable and dedi-
cated leadership. As the first General Secretary and then later
as a senior ad-
viser, Dr. Williams saw the IEM grow into a major mission force
within, and
beyond India, by 2010 employing over 900 mission workers.
Alongside his work with IEM, Dr. Williams also played a pivotal
role
in the establishment of the Friends Missionary Prayer Band
(FMPB), the In-dia Missions Association (IMA) and Vacation Bible
School (VBS). On a wider
canvas, Dr. Williams also served as the President of World
Evangelical Fel-
lowship (WEF) for a number of years and through that body
ensured that new
missionary enterprises were established in a number of countries
in all conti-
nents. In semi-retirement, Rev. Theodore Williams served as a
pastor at Rich-
mond Town Methodist Church, Bangalore continuing to preach and
to mentor
mission leaders.
Bible Expositor
Rev. Theodore Williams was an excellent Bible expositor and
preacher. His
knowledge of the Word and his preaching skills were well known
worldwide.
He had an English Broadcast of back to the bible and
“Satyavasanam” a Tamil
programme through which he influenced many people to turn away
from their
lukewarm faith. He has further authored many books which were
published
and translated into many languages.
Theodore Williams the Man
Rev. Theodore Williams was known for his compassion. Numerous
people bear
witness to his generosity as well. He was very concerned for the
welfare of peo-
ple. He was also a man of great faith. He looked to God in all
circumstances to
sustain him.
He married a Canadian missionary named Esther Faulkner in 1971
after
knowing that she was the God destined woman for him and with
whom his
aspirations and visions matched. She was excellent in preparing
Sunday
school materials and with her husband prepared a 3 year VBS
course curricu-
lum. Mrs. Esther also had a passion for writing. One such book
was ’Esther: A
Shining Star’, the story of a young girl who dies of
leukemia.
Nevertheless, Theodore Williams had his times of weaknesses and
failures. The moral lapse hurt his life and ministry to a great
extent. In the midst of
that, he repented and followed Christ, looking forward and not
behind. His
strength was in accepting his vulnerability. His focus on
eternal things was
undiminished till the end.
Farewell
On the night of December 29th, 2009, Rev. Theodore Williams
breathed his last, a few months after Esther, his wife, had passed
away. His funeral on De-
cember 31st 2009 had many leaders and people from all walks of
life bearing
witness to the influence Dr. Williams had on their lives. Dr
Williams was pre-
pared for his end and knew “it is well with (his) soul.”
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 10
Prayer Diary Compiled by Mrs. Anne F Sangeeth Sunday:
China: Key Facts China is officially called the People’s
Republic of China (PRC). It is the world's most populous
country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. The PRC is a
single-party state governed by the Chinese Communist Party. China
is the world's second-largest country by land area. China has had
the largest and most complex economy in the world for most of the
past two thou-sand years, during which it has seen cycles of
prosperity and decline. China officially recognizes 56 distinct
ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Han Chinese, who
constitute about 91.51% of the total population. The Han Chinese –
the world's largest single ethnic group – outnumbers other ethnic
groups in every provincial -level division except Tibet and
Xinjiang. Over the millennia, Chinese civilization has been
influenced by various religious movements. The "three teachings",
including Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, historically have a
sig-nificant role in shaping Chinese culture. Elements of these
three belief systems are often incor-porated into popular or folk
religious traditions. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by China's
constitution, although religious organizations that lack official
approval can be subject to state persecution. According to a survey
it is found that 47% of Chinese are self -identified as "convinced
atheist” and only 2-4% are Christians. Capital: Bejing, Official
Language: Standard Chinese, Currency: Renminbi, Demonym:
Chinese
Government: Socialist Single-Party State, President: Xi Jinping
1. Pray that China would realise that God exists and that the only
God is Christ. 2. Pray for the Christians in China and the home
churches that they would spread the gospel to the highly populated
nation. 3. Pray for the health conditions of the people in this
country as China has several emerging public health problems.
4. Pray for the government and the people in authority.
Monday:
Thank the LORD for the new outreach Sunday school that was
started in KR Puram.
Pray for the families that are taking care of the KR Puram
outreach that they might take Gospel to the non-Christians.
Pray for the family camp that our church and the resource people
would be benefited.
KR Puram Area Fellowship & its members (Dennis, families of
Ashok Doddanna, Atheejoe, Jayant, Jeevan, Jothi, Naveen Warren,
& Dev Sundar Raj)
Hoodi Tamil Area Fellowship & its members (families of
Andrew Isaac, Arul, Churchill, Gladston, Jyothi, Mary Rita, Sarah
Sarojini, Usha Reddy & Vasu)
Tuesday:
Thank the LORD for the library that was dedicated in June
2015.
Pray for our pastor and his family that they might be a blessing
to our church and be blessed by the LORD.
Pray for the new Pastorate Committee that has taken the
responsibilities that they may work for the glory of the LORD.
Bethel Nagar Area Fellowship & its members (families of
Pastor, Anand, Benjamin, Dr. Arun, Jays, John Prashanth, Kalyan,
Miss Simon, Paul Naveenraj, Prabhu, Publius, Rajkumar, Sahityadeep,
Saju Alexander, Sangeeth, Selina Mohandas, Sharon, Solomon, Uttam,
Vijay Prakash & Vivek)
Devasandra Tamil Area fellowship & its members (families of
Anandaraj, Koilraj, Philip, Ruth, Shekar, Thiyagaraj, Vino &
Wilson)
Marathahalli Tamil Area Fellowship & its members (Dennis
families of DC Franklin, Rani Jeypaul, Prabu, Bernard, Vasanth,
Paul Dinakaran)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_populationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Chinahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Chinesehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_teachingshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_folk_religionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 11
WEDNESDAY:
Pray for Bethel Shaale as we need teachers and volunteers to
take care of it.
Pray for the outreach fields Irula, Hoodi Sunday School,
Devasandra Sunday School, White-field, KR Puram and
Sadharmangla.
Pray for the kids of our church that they may do well in the new
academic year.
Whitefield Area Fellowship & its members (Jebakumar, Jeffry
Samuel families of Alan Paul, Binu George, Christopher Vasa, Irwin,
Praveen, Rajan Abraham, Sanjay Joel & Thomas)
Priyankanagar Tamil AF & its members (Families of Inbaraj,
Karunamurthy, Nithya, Rueben Gan-dhi, Swamidas & Suresh)
ITPL Area Fellowship & its members (Jeffin, Shanno Isaac,
families of Anban, Clement, Darwin, Dr. Kumara Rajasingh, Franklin
Koilpillai, Jabez, John Manoah, Ronald & Prem)
THURSDAY:
Pray for the health of the senior citizens of our church.
Pray for the students of S.E.A. College who attend our church
and their families back home.
Pray for the students who need support to pay the fees in their
schools or colleges.
Pray for the youth who are looking for jobs and for the ones who
have graduated this year.
Hoodi Area fellowship & its members (Ruth families of Arun,
Arul Rajasingh, David Anand, David Jabez, Isaac Peterson, Joel
Thompson, Shibu, Vivek Bangera, Meryl Joseph & Tony)
Kodigehalli Tamil AF& its members: (Families of George &
Ravi Kumar) FRIDAY:
Pray for Nepal, the missionaries the LORD there and for the
victims of the earthquake.
Pray for the people in South Korea who are becoming victims of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
Pray for troops in Nigeria who are trying to rescue the victims
of Boko Haram. (Note: We have students in our church whose siblings
are involved in the fight against Boko Haram)
Marathahalli Area Fellowship & its members (Kasturi, Merlin,
Praveen families of Dinakar, Frank Jeyakar, Himanshu, Dilip,
Melwyn, Praveen Paul, Sathiya, Selvin, Solomon, Sundar, Vadivel,
Vijay Dhanasekar & Wilfred)
Bethel Nagar Tamil AF & its members (Dorai, Jonathan,
Justin, Solomon, Peter families of Pastor, Bernard, Das, Joseph,
Huldah, Latha, Rev. Stanley Jayaseelan, Vinod & Vijay)
SATURDAY:
Mission: Urban India Ministries (www.urbanindia.org) Mission :
UIM is dedicated to building a value-based urban society. The
Family Ministry divi-sion is dedicated to bringing biblical
principles to families and propagating family values. Urban India
Ministries serves the society by serving urban families, urban
teens and urban poor with the aim to see families fulfill God’s
purpose in this generation. Urban India Ministries aims: (a) To
apply biblical principles and values for marriages and fami-ly. (b)
To assist individuals and communities to face the challenges of
urban living. (c) To advo-cate sanctity of life and the institution
of marriage. (d) To alert the society about the forces that
threaten the families, in this emerging generation in the cities
and surrounding regions. By providing resources and working through
individuals, local churches, schools and colleges, organizations,
media and government Prayer Points
Pray for the various programs like seminars & conferences,
small group meetings, leader-ship resource training etc. that are
conducting that they are meaningful for the people attending them.
Pray for the people who are serving time and also the volunteers
who serve the LORD through this ministry.
Pray for the families of missionaries who are serving here that
they may set an example for the people around. Pray for the
financial needs of various ministries of UIM.
http://www.keaministry.org
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 12
What Makes The Bible Different From Other Religious Books? -
Compiled by Mr Sam Selvin
There are many books that claim to be the word of God, so how do
we know which one is right? Is the Bible really the Word of God?
What makes the Bible
different from other religious books? Let us look at some of the
reasons:
1. Unity in Diversity: One of the first internal evidences that
the Bible is truly God’s Word is seen in its unity. Even though it
is really sixty-six individual books, written on three continents,
in three different languages, over a peri-od of approximately 1500
years, by more than 40 writers who came from many walks of life,
ranging from fishermen to kings, the Bible remains one unified book
from beginning to end without any contradictions in its
mes-sage.Every book in the Bible connects to the other books
perfectly to tell the story of man’s sin and God’s plan of
salvation. This unity is unique from all other books. Although it
was written by more than 40 people, it has been
authored by one person – God.
2. Historical and Archaeological Accuracy: No other religious
book enjoys as much historical and archaeological verification as
the Bible. Let’s look at what
the experts say:
“Little by little, one city after another, one civilization
after another, one culture after another, whose memories were
enshrined only in the Bible, was restored to their proper places in
ancient history by the studies of archae-ologists…. Contemporary
records of biblical events have been unearthed and the uniqueness
of biblical revelation has been emphasized by contrast and
comparison to newly discovered religions of ancient peoples.
Nowhere has archaeological discovery refuted the Bible as history.”
—Archaeologist John
Elder
“Where the data of the Gospels can be tested, they consistently
have proven to be remarkably accurate” –Craig L. Blomberg,
Distinguished Profes-
sor of New Testament at Denver Seminary
Here is what the non-Christian Jewish historian of Jesus’ time,
Josephus said: At this time there was a wise man called Jesus, and
his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many people
among the Jews and the oth-er nations became his disciples. Pilate
condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become
his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that
he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion
and that he was alive. Accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah,
concerning
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 13
whom the prophets have reported wonders. And the tribe of the
Christians,
so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.”
The facts on which Christianity stands are some of the most
certain facts of history, namely, the Deity, Death and Resurrection
of Jesus. There also are no
historical facts that contradict the Bible.
3. The Prophecies: Unique among all books ever written, the
Bible accurately foretells specific events-in detail-many years,
sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2500
prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2000 of which
already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors. The remaining
500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as days
go by. Since the probability for any one of these prophecies having
been ful-filled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured
very conservatively) and since the prophecies are for the most part
independent of one another, the odds for all these prophecies
having been fulfilled by chance without er-
ror is less than one in 102000(that is 1 with 2000 zeros written
after it)!
Let’s just look at five fulfilled prophecies: 1. The people of
Israel will never be completely destroyed Bible prophecy: Leviticus
26:44 Prophecy written: As early as 1400 BC Prophecy fulfilled:
Throughout history 2. Daniel foretold the destruction of Jerusalem
and the Temple Bible prophecy: Daniel 9:24-26 Prophecy written:
About 530 BC Prophecy fulfilled: 70 AD 3. Babylon's kingdom would
be overthrown, permanently Bible prophecy: Isaiah 13:19 Prophecy
written: Between 701-681 BC Prophecy fulfilled: 539 BC 4.
Phoenician Tyre would never again be found Bible prophecy: Ezekiel
26:21 Prophecy written: Between 587-586 BC Prophecy fulfilled:
After 332 BC
5. Zechariah foreshadowed the betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of
silver Bible prophecy: Zechariah 11:12-13
Prophecy written: Between 520 and 518 BC Prophecy fulfilled:
About 31 AD 4. The Bible Has the Power to Change Lives: The Bible
is without a doubt the most influential book in history. It has and
still does radically transform the lives of billions of people.
It’s not a book of history or poetry, though it con-tains them.
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 14
It’s the living Word of God. C.H. Spurgeon said, “The Word of
God is like a
lion, you don't have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let
the lion loose,
and the lion will defend itself.” The Bible is the only book on
the planet to
offer a real solution to sin. It removes guilt and softens hard
but willing
hearts. Tim Keller Says:
“The gospel is not just a truth about us that we affirm with our
minds, it is also a reality we must experience in our hearts and
souls. For example, In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 Paul wants the people
to give an offering to the poor. He says, “I don’t want to order
you. I don’t want
this offering to simply be the response to my demand.” He
doesn’t put pressure directly on the will (saying ‘I’m an apostle
and this is your du-ty to me!’) nor pressure directly on the
emotions (telling them stories about how much the poor are
suffering and how much more they have than the sufferers). Instead,
Paul vividly and unforgettably says, “You know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2
Cor 8:9). When he says ‘you know the grace’—he uses a pow-erful
image, bringing Jesus’ salvation into the realm of money and
wealth and poverty. He moves them by a ‘spiritual recollection’
of the gospel. Paul is actually saying, ‘Think on his costly grace.
Think on that grace until you are changed into generous people by
the gospel in your hearts.’”
What to do with the difficult parts of the bible? Anyone who has
read the Bible will know that there are a few parts in it that are
difficult to understand. Actually, if we could under-stand the
Bible perfectly, it could mean that it was man-made. Having said
that, what do we do with the bible difficulties? The Bible is clear
on almost every important Issue: This means that we don’t have to
understand it fully to start living by its principles. When the
Bible makes some outrageous command like ‘Love
your enemy’, we are forced to really try and understand what
this means. This can help us in many ways. This kind of
intellectual interac-tion between us and the Bible will help us
understand God more than just doing what the Bible says without
making an effort to understand why it says what it says. It is also
important to note that most of the bible difficulties can be
resolved by reading the rest of the Bible.
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 15
Missions Report - Priyanka nagar Outreach - Mr D Wesley Navaraj
(COME Ministries)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We greet you in the
matchless name of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ! By the abundant
grace of God and with the regular support of Bethel Methodist
Church, we have been doing evangelical ministry in Priyanka Nagar
since December 2013 and our missionaries visit the field on Sundays
and the results are amazing. Here are some ministry updates and
testimonies:
Names of Missionaries: (1) Mrs. Ruth Parimala (2) Mr. Lazaru (3)
Mrs. Swetha Lazaru
Worship Groups & number of participants: [1] Samuel
(Children): 50 [2] Esther
(Youth Girls): 15 [3] Deborah (Women): 15 [4] Daniel (Youth
Boys): 10 [5] Paul
( men): 12 [6] Families in fellowship: 20
Healed from Blood cancer:
Muniraj is a bachelor and a tailor; and a major bread winner of
his family.
His father a drunkard and mother doing menial job; and having a
dependent sister who is deserted by her husband, so, the entire
burden was on his shoulders. Despite his burden, he was extremely
happy as he was betrothed and looking forward for a happy married
life. Even as he was leading a happy life, one day he suffered
giddi-ness all of a sudden and fell down and started vomiting
blood. He was taken to a hospital and after thorough check up and
tests, doctors declared that he was in the last stage of blood
cancer and he won’t survive for long and his days were limited to
four months only. His entire family was in tears and lost all hopes
for the future. At this juncture COME missionaries met him and
shared the Word from the Bible and encouraged him to put his faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ who will heal him. He be-lieved in Jesus
and started worshipping Him; and after few months he went for a
regular check up and doctors said that he was healed and could lead
a normal life.
Witnessing an incredible miracle the entire family believes in
Jesus and attending a nearby Church. Saved from adultery and
death:
During the VBS days, our missionaries were visiting many homes
as to invite children and during this time they met a desperate
woman who was about to com-
mit suicide. Seeing the missionaries, she broke down and said
that her husband was a drunkard and her life was in hell with
quarrels every day and her thee children also suffered badly. At
this time, a man stayed opposite her house had befriended her
and started inviting her for a physical relationship. However,
God of all wisdom made her realize that she was married and should
not commit adultery. But, that very day,
the man had insisted that she entered in to relationship or else
he would commit suicide. His statement puzzled her and she decided
to put a stop by ending her life; not knowing what to do. Our
missionaries spoke to her the word of God and advised
her to love her husband, children and to lead a holy life and
not to end her life by committing suicide. She believed the
message, gave up adultery and leading a peace-
ful life today and God has given deliverance from adultery.
Kindly pray that she will attend a nearby Church and become a
follower of Christ.
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 16
Bib
le S
tudie
s - J
uly
20
15
Whit
efi
eld
Outr
each - J
uly
201
5 (C
oord
inato
r - Ath
eejo
e, M
issio
ns D
ept.
)
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 17
Bib
le S
tudie
s - J
uly
20
15
Sadara
mangala
Outr
each –
July
2
015
(Co. ord
.: Irw
in, M
issio
ns d
ept.
; A
ddit
ional support
: Shanm
u-
gam
, Churc
hil&
fly
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oth
y, Selina M
ohandas
)
Sunday S
chool O
utr
each - J
uly
20
15
(C
oord
inato
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yce A
run)
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 18
Regula
r &
Specia
l Pro
gra
ms –
July
, August
& S
epte
mber
20
15
Pra
yer
Meeti
ngs - J
uly
201
5
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 19
BMC Annual Camp 2015 Date 10-Jul-15 (Fri.) 6:30 AM TO 12-Jul-15
(Sun.) 5:00 pm
Venue Ecumenical Christian Centre, Whitefield, Bangalore
Speakers Mrs & Rev CA Benjamin (FEBA India)
Mrs & Mr Mathan Singh (BYM)
Mr Jonathan Rajan (SAIACS)
Total Registration fee - Rs 1600 per person
Separate Sessions for Families, Youth and Kids
Come, Experience Spiritual renewal & the joy of Christian
fellowship!
Register Today @
http://www.bmcbangalore.org/register4camp.aspx
RSVP : Shibu (9865 535 232) or Pastor (9986 526 450)
BIBLE QUEST 2015
(CONDUCTED BY INDIA CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST)
An exciting Written Quiz , Open to all age groups
Objective type Questionnaire, Available in 10 languages
Venue Bethel Methodist Church
Date 23-Aug-15, After English Service
Portions
Ruth 1-4, I Samuel 1-31 & 2 Corinthians 1-13 Chapters
Registration fee - Rs 30 only
Register today! RSVP - Mrs Angeline Isaac
http://www.bmcbangalore.org/register4camp.aspx
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Bethel Methodist Church, Bangalore 20
Pulpit Calendar - July 2015 Theme: Choose this day whom you will
serve, Joshua 24:15
Editorial Team: Anne, Rosline Prabu, Hannah, Selvin, Wilfred
& Pastor
Date Time Speaker Topic
5-Jul-15
7:00 am (Tamil) Pastor
The Choice for God 9:30 am (English) Pastor
6:30 pm (English) Pastor
12-Jul-15
7:00 am (Tamil) Pastor As for me and my family
9:30 am (English) Pastor
6:30 pm (English) Pastor
19-Jul-15
7:00 am (Tamil) Rev Dr Mrs Shanti Tilak Put away strange
Gods 9:30 am (English) Rev Dr Arun
6:30 pm (English) Mr John Prashanth
26-Jul-15
7:00 am (Tamil) Pastor
He is a Jealous God 9:30 am (English) Bangalore Ensemble
6:30 pm (English) Mrs Anina David