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Dear Church,
Why do we exist? A church consultant surveyed members of nearly a thousand churches asking the question: "Why does the church exist?" Of the members surveyed, 89 percent said, "The church's purpose is to take care of my family's and my needs." For many, the role of the pastor is simply to keep the sheep that are already in the "pen" happy and not lose too many of them. Only 11 percent said, "The purpose of the church is to win the world for Jesus Christ." The early church knew why they existed. And they were unified about that purpose. "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul . . . And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them" (Acts 4: 32, 33). Jesus entrusted his ministry in the hands of the apostles to continue proclaiming the gospel that belongs to one God in one faith being together in oneness. They were from different backgrounds, and they had different ways of approaching the ministry but to fulfill one Great Commission to community around. They had one leader - Jesus, one purpose - to communicate the gospel to the multitudes. These early disciples did more for the spread of Christianity than any generation of followers since. What was the secret? All the believers were unified in one Spirit. To be one in heart and mind is to be unified in every fiber of their being. They were family in a relationship. They shared a common spiritual birth - they were born again into the family of God. They shared their lives and their possessions with one another. As they have received freely all the gifts from God, they were freely sharing it with others. Chuck Swindoll wrote, "Churches need to be less like national shrines and more like bars …. less like untouchable cathedrals and more like well-used hospitals, places to bleed in rather than monuments to look at . . . places where you can take your mask off and let your hair down... place where you can have your wounds dressed." They were partners in reaching the world for Christ. They linked arms not just for their convenience and comfort but to reach out to those not yet linked up with them. Their purpose was deeply rooted in Jesus and hence the ministry of God was widely branched to the community. This can happen only when we cooperate with one another. This can happen only when we know the importance of salvation we have received. This can happen only when we cherish the precious gift of grace we have received. Until we understand our foundation and purpose, we will have no idea of why church exists. God Bless, Amutha
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Dear Church, Let us explore: Backstage at Bethlehem! Some things are much simpler than we imagine. At first glance, Bible looks like an intimidating book filled with strange names, places not able to pronounce, books we cannot remember (which follows what), and verses we do not understand. Having said, it is not the complicated book as we think. Have you heard about “The Bible in 50 words”?
People wrestle with the thought of Christmas message; how would it be possible for a virgin to give birth? How would it be possible for a Magi to visit from far land? How would it be possible for shepherds to watch the orchestra of heavenly angelic choir? How would it be possible….. It all comes down to one simple fact: At Bethlehem a baby was born who was God in human flesh. This is the central truth of the Christian faith—that God became a man at Christmastime. Everything else we believe derives from that essential truth.
Three facts in 6 words pronounce the backstage at Bethlehem!
God Bless, Amutha Dear Church,
Let us seek the real joy giver! 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come,see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah? – John 4 A man repeatedly went to a psychiatrist seeking treatment for his depression. One day, the psychiatrist asked him to visit the local circus and watch a clown, who could gladden the hearts of thousands in the city. The man then confessed to the doctor that he was the clown in that circus who desperately needed real joy in his soul. Where can one find real joy? Who is the source of our real joy? The Samaritan woman at the well had not been able to find real inner joy in her life despite having lived with six different men. Throughout her whole life, this woman had flirted with happiness which was temporary and depended solely on her state of mind at that time. These repeated episodes in her life journey exhibit her search for something that she could rely on and for a permanent solution. We can see her other struggles, because of her immoral lifestyle, that she was allowed to go to the well only during hot afternoons when no one was around there to fetch water. In such a pressured life both from within and from the outside, she must have been a desperate woman seeking for real joy. She would not have expected that the Saviour would be waiting for her at the well to quench her thirst permanently and offer her hope for a brighter future. Jesus gave her real eternal joy that permeated her innermost being. Another angle of the story explains that the Messiah, in compassion, walked all the way to Samaria to reach this vulnerable woman. This was to reveal to her where that unquenchable joy can be obtained. People now days are not content to serve in a small community, but it is to remind us, that for one soul, the Saviour put so much effort and found the suitable time to meet with her. The outcome was marvelous, she was so overjoyed that she left her water pot behind and ran to share the news with all the other people in the city. God is our real joy giver and we have already received that joy through Christ. This joy is unshakeable and overflowing. We cannot contain this within us, it keeps bubbling. Let us not get weary and tired of sharing that joy with one another. God Bless, Amutha Dear Church,
Let us celebrate God’s faithfulness and offer Him our thanks. 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:14 We are now in the tenth month of this year 2023! Every year, we celebrate our church anniversary in October. This year, our celebration may be different from the way we have celebrated before. Whenever we celebrate any anniversary, we think of its first day when it was born. It makes us ponder whether we achieved the real purpose. The church anniversary is about honouring the founders! Except the Lord build the house, they that labour do so in vain. God gave His people a vision to build this church. Though it cost them dearly in terms of money and time, they did it. Some may have seen that this work would outlive them, reaching out to generations not yet born. Some may have seen that this church would stand as the beacon for the community in the future. Have their dreams come true? The church anniversary is about the remembrance of individual members’ spiritual journeys! This is the place where we would have had many acquaintances of spiritual awakening. We come here to rub our ears and shoulders to the truth we hear and the fellowship we have with other members. We would have had sparkling experiences and rejuvenated our faith in Christ. We embraced many a times encountering people’s testimony and visualizing their faith journeys by undergoing believer’s baptism. Have we reached the pinnacle of our faith journey? The church anniversary is about reiterating our covenantal relationship! This is like taking a wedding vow. We are not married to the building but have that divine relationship of coming together and meeting the Lord with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is the place where we can experience the foretaste of heavens’ glory. Are we experiencing this covenantal commitment? Above all, the church anniversary is about remembering God’s faithfulness and to offer Him thanks. We might have had a rough patch this year, but He has been faithful in all our ways. In His kindness, He shall gather us again for celebrating Him. This year, let us take our vows saying, ‘whatever disturbances and distractions I may be facing, let me keep pressing on towards the goal that Christ Jesus has called me”. God Bless, Amutha Dear Church,
How to serve others? Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. – Phil. 2:3-5 Jesus sets an example for us to follow. After washing His disciple’s feet – an act of love, humility, and service – he encourages us to follow His lead and serve one another. “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you,” Jesus says. Jesus, the Son of God, never placed himself in a position above others. He led by serving, and He loved by serving. He washed feet. He fed thousands. He walked to visit and heal the sic and dead. He stopped to touch and heal a sick woman. He spent time with those no one else cared to spend time with. Jesus lived a life of humility. Jesus showed us that serving others and humility go hand in hand. Serving others is more than keeping up with our to-do list. To be a servant means we genuinely need to care about people. It’s keeping our eyes, hearts, and schedules open for divine appointments. Jesus was not stressed by time, what others thought of Him, or a list of tasks to accomplish each day. Jesus was led by the Spirit of God and followed His promptings to serve, love, and help others. No task was ever beneath Jesus, and no person was ever unworthy. Serving others and genuine love go hand in hand. But what exactly does that look like? How do we genuinely love even the unlovable? How do we let go of our to-do list? How do we position ourselves to act humbly? Few good places to start:
God Bless, Amutha  Dear Church,
GOD HAS NOT GIVEN UP WITH US! "...because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus". Philippians 1:5-6 We are in July now! Half of the year gone that quickly. We have completed half of this year by His grace and supreme leading. His mercy is more – now stepping into the next half of our journey in 2022. July was named in honor of Julius Caesar. Quintilis, which was his birth month, was renamed July when he died. This July month always brings excitement; parents must be ready on toes to engage children in their school holidays; people plan for holidays; more gardening; enjoying sunshine and various other activities. In all this business, let us not forget our Saviour who is walking with us. When we turn back and see the six months of His immense guidance enhances our faith in Him. This faith leads us to hope for the rest of our days. This gives us confident that He has granted not only grace to save us from our sin but also prepared to walk with us in our daily life. He who began the good work in us will help us to walk steadily along with him. His work continues until He presents us to His Father as complete and Christlike without fault and blameless. God has begun a masterpiece in our life, and He will bring it to completion too. God has not given up on us. Believers of Christ do not mean perfect and holy people. We cannot live our lives without the influence of sin either from internally, i.e., our own flesh desires and externally from the sins of the world. In the midst of all these struggles, we have decided to follow Christ and that is what called believers in Christ. Considering the mistakes, we have done and still doing, God in His holiness and perfect being can easily give up with us. His mercy and patience still covering on us, and he is leading us faithfully. When we are celebrating such an amazing God, let us decide to remain in Him always. He will carry us through. God Bless, Amutha  Dear Church,
Let us have a “Retreat at our Inner Room” When you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6 [NASB) Every day, Jesus invites us to come into his presence and have communion with him. This is a special private intimate communion with God. Good to have corporate prayer and pray with our fellow believers. But this inner room experience is very required for every believer. Jesus is inviting us to have a personal communication with him. This “inner room” is not a physical place. It is an interior place in our hearts, the deepest part of who we are. It’s a place of quiet, where we can meet the Lord personally. Pope Benedict XVI quoted, “The source of Christian joy is the certainty of being loved by God, loved personally by our Creator, by the one who holds the entire universe in his hands.” I have always been refreshed from this inner room retreat. In this meeting space, only two are present – God and us. Such a safe place and not to worry about how my friends would see me. Such a confidential place to submit all of ourselves - just as we are. Such a place to open all our concerns to our master. Such a place to meet with our friend sharing all our troubles. Such a place we can shed our tears, we can cry, Such a place free from all worldly noises. The world is filled with noise: cell phones equipped for voice, e-mail, and texting; social networks like Facebook and Myspace; and countless Web sites that offer us many ways to communicate, stay informed, or just waste time. As valuable as these tools may be, they have also created a situation in which external stimulation can come to us all day and preoccupy us. All this information, all this noise, can make it very hard for us to “be still” and know that Jesus is with us (Psalm 46:11). When we go to the movies, the show captures our attention. All the concerns of our lives dissipate as we enter into another world for two hours. In a similar way, we need to learn how to leave the world behind, enter our “inner room,” and be with Jesus for a time every day. We need to learn how to remove the obstacles and quiet the noise of the world for a while so that we can hear Jesus and sense his love and presence. God Bless, Amutha  Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?' John 11:25-26 Dear Church, We are going to soon enter into the holy week. How are we going to enter? Are we going to enter as Jesus entered - a triumphant entry into Jerusalem? Or are we going to enter with expectation of trials – as Jesus was betrayed by his own disciple? Or are we going to enter with heart of humility – as Jesus washed his disciples’ feet? Or are we going to enter with heart of submission – as Jesus submitted himself in Father’s hands? Or are we going to enter with heart of hope – as Jesus resurrected we also will be? What a package of significant events that happened in one week? This Holy Week invites us to resonate with Jesus’ suffering and glory. Why had to Jesus’ went through this? Can’t God save us in the way He created the entire universe by just uttering words from mouth? Doesn’t His supernatural power enough to save the entire humanity? Other faith friends’ question, why wasn’t God kind enough to His son Jesus? They would not perhaps see three days after crucifixion. They would not perhaps see Jesus’ work on this earth was completing by offering Himself on the cross. They would not see the sin entered through one human (1st Adam) was removed away though the human natured (partly) Jesus (2nd Adam). The consequence of sin is death and this death was conquered by Christ dying for us. His death gave us victory as when Jesus trampled it under His feet. This whole phenomenon was mainly executed for our sake, for us to be delivered from sin and united with God in heaven. Let us spend more time meditating the passages that we read through this week. During the holy week starting from Palm Sunday, (i.e., 9th of April), the church will be opened, and anyone would like to pray, reflect, and meditate can visit anytime between 9: 00 am and 7:00 pm. God Bless, Amutha  Dear church,
What is our steppingstone? Though He was son, yet He learned obedience through the things He suffered (Heb. 5:8) Disadvantages in life usually keep us humble and obedient. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was one of the most godly and successful American Presidents. He had a difficult childhood! His formal schooling was for less than a year. He failed in business in 1831 and was defeated for the legislature in 1832. The next year he again failed in business. His fiancée died in 1835. He was defeated for speaker in 1838. When he got married, his wife became a burden for him. Only one of his four sons lived past age 18. He was defeated for congress, Senate, and vice-presidency. But he was elected as President in 1860! There is no one without failures in this world. For those who love God no failure is final. Failures, crisis, suffering, losses, disappointments, and such things belong to the same category. In the providence of God, all these can be redemptively used to learn obedience. Why God takes us through such difficult voyage? Hebrews 12:9 gives the answer: ‘We have human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live? The Son of God as the Son of Man graduated with honours in the School of Suffering, with obedience as the core subject. Failures are God’s attention-getters. Failures bring us to knees. Repeated failures make us prostrate before God. If we don’t learn from failures, we are only learning to fail. Henry Ford forgot to put a reverse gear in his first car. No one repeated that mistake! An objective analysis of these failures would teach us how we can avoid them by watchfulness and diligence. Let us learn from the testimony of Psalmist: ‘Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your Word…..It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes’ (ps.119:67,71). God Bless, Amutha |
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