Who We Are
Who We Are
We are a Church, focused on the life of Jesus. We are a people who imbibe his teachings. We believe God works within us inwardly, and He expects us to express that work outwardly, in all its vibrancy, reaching out to people at all the ends of the earth. We give thanks. We celebrate a saved soul. Pride repels us, and humility attracts us. We love each other, and with us, everyone has a part to play.
What We Believe
We believe that Jesus is unique – one of a kind. We believe in One God (Trinity). We believe that the Cross had to become a necessity for our salvation. Finally, we believe that He was resurrected, and He is going to come again.
We also believe that the core to start afresh is with prayer and scripture. Prayer – is to have a sense that we are having an audience with the living God. Scriptures – is what inspires us. We consider Prayer and scripture as acquired tastes, because we develop an appetite for the Word of God, the more we feed on it.
The Essentials
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1: 5). God told Jeremiah that He called him before he was formed in his mother’s womb. There is no amount of fasting and prayers that can take the place of a true calling from God. A true calling comes with an authentic anointing for that specific purpose.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3: 5-6). It takes the leading of the Holy Spirit to tell you what to do and when to do it so that “all things work together for your good”. You cannot substitute the role of Holy Spirit in your life for hard work, inkling or anything else. True Christ like leadership cannot happen without the leading, authority and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). If you are not single-minded about your purpose for being in the ministry, you will not have any definite direction. The Bible says, “no one who puts his hands to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom”. There’s one strategy that the devil likes to use to knock people out of their assignment and destiny, and that strategy is being double minded.
Only prepared leaders will be propelled. Jesus had 30 years preparation for 3 years of effective ministry. Don’t be a in a hurry to do what God has called you to do. Take time to be prepared. Learn under a mentor, read books, attend conferences, pray, fast, and let the Holy Spirit make you into the very best you possible.
You need a mentor to learn from their successes and failures. Why struggle through battle, suffer losses, loose resources like time and energy and fight when you can sit at the feet of someone who has been through it? Learn from your mentor, gain wisdom and insight and surpass what should have been a battle. This is the key of the wise.
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4: 19) The first thing that Jesus did while starting His ministry was to build a team. He went looking for people that would believe in Him that he can train for ministry. You have got to build a team that would help you to fulfil the will of God for your life.
The plan of God for your life, business or ministry does not usually manifest immediately. It takes time until God sees fit, or until you are ready to receive them. It is very unwise to compare the size of your ministry with that of someone else. Patience is required in ministry, and most of the time, it is the key.
Our Growing Years
With 22 believers, a hall size measuring 25 feet in length and 24 feet in breadth, along with a leaking roof, and a small drum to lead worship, Bethel AG Church, Bangalore, was established. The cup of the Church over- flowed over the years, and what increased generously is the strong presence of God, soul inspiring worship sessions, & most importantly new souls who experienced salvation, not by their merit, but by His Power and Grace.
Today, with over 25,000 people attending worship services, in seven different languages at different locations in the city on a given Sunday, online and offline, the Church has become one of Asia’s largest and leading Churches under the leadership of Rev. Dr. M A Varughese, who with his family, selflessly and tirelessly considered their life’s mission to empower people and branch churches globally, creating sustainable change, and inspiring them to pursue their own callings to ministry. God’s promises got fulfilled when the Church stood strong and steadfast in its founding principles through the years, equipping each soul to lead a tried and tested holy life, and receiving God’s promises through anointed Ministers. All this, through different lingual services, helped in molding the Church’s focus to bring about a global awakening in recent years.
Our Leadership
We may sound biased, but we are blessed with an anointed team of Pastors as our leaders. Bethel AG Church is led by Pastor M A Varughese + Sr. Aleyamma Varghese, and Ps. Abraham Varghese + Sr. Jisha Abraham, who are supported by an incredible team of Pastors and their families. They are gifted and anointed in their own ways, and together, they take personal responsibility for the vision of the Church to be fulfilled, and unity of the Church to be maintained.