Pastoral Letter

Dear beloved RTMC members,

I greet you all in Christ’s precious name. We praise and thank God for His mercies and kindness in the previous month of August 2026. The Lord has been gracious in preserving, protecting, and providing for us. I do believe that God has ministered to each one of us through the pulpit series ‘Giving to God with Generosity.’ Many people in our church have been blessed through the study from the Scripture.

Not only does the Scripture talk about generosity, but it also talks about ‘revival.’ What is Revival, and how does Revival come in the church and also in the life of an individual? The Scripture gives four steps to experience revival in one’s life. Let me put four steps.

1) Humility:
The Hebrew word for “humble” (kana) means to “bend the knee.” To humble ourselves before God means to drop the fake that we so often wear around others, and agree with God’s assessment about the universe—that He is king, that we are sinful, and that the whole created order belongs to Him. To paraphrase one of my favorite writers, humility doesn’t mean thinking less of ourselves, but rather thinking of ourselves less. In this instance, it means taking the focus off myself and putting it back onto God. Across the pages of the Scriptures, one of the things that God despises more than anything else is pride. It’s a virus that shuts us off from experiencing Him, connecting with others, and receiving good things from His hands. In the Bible, God promises that humility comes before honor (Proverbs 18:12); that blessings and life come from developing humility (Proverbs 22:4); and that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

2) Prayer:
While humility admits that we need God’s intervention, prayer is actually taking the next step and asking for it. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote to early believers that “you do not have because you do not ask.” Sometimes, it really is as simple as that. Once, when walking along the road, Jesus encountered a blind man calling out loudly for Him. Jesus called the man to his feet and asked a surprising question: “What do you want me to do for you?” While it might seem pretty straightforward, Jesus waited for the man to ask with specifics before He did anything. This ties back to step one, humility, because pride is generally the thing stopping me from asking for God’s help. So in humility, I’m making specific requests of God. Since He’s God, and I’m not, He is open to answer each of them in the way He wants… but I’m determined not to be the bottleneck of answered prayers because I wasn’t bold enough to ask. If Jesus asked you the same question He asked the blind man, what would you say?

3) Seeking:
We’ve humbled ourselves enough to pray, but that’s not where this ends. After we ask in prayer, how do we seek God? It’s not unlike the way you’d look for your friends back in grade school when you played hide-and-seek. You take a good look around. You listen for unfamiliar sounds. You check places they’ve hidden before. You slow down and look for anything out of the ordinary. Most of all, you keep moving. Nobody is ever found when the seeker is counting to 100 behind a tree, eyes closed. Seeking God is much less a checklist and more a lifestyle. In the Scripture, God Himself says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” If God is doing something new, it will likely require new things from us as well. Hang onto humility, pray, and seek God.

4) Turning:
Most of us live like spiritual hoarders. We’re walking with Jesus, but we keep picking up rocks along the way, filling our pockets with them. We have difficulty keeping stride with Christ because of the extra weight. We fall behind. Jesus becomes a speck in the distance. Turning is about emptying our pockets, so we can run light and free again. Specifically, God commands His people to turn from their wicked ways. The word God uses here for “wicked,” in Hebrew, can mean “evil” or “bad.” We have a pretty good idea what that means. We can’t expect to experience a fresh encounter with God while we’re actively taking advantage of others, cheating to get ahead, or filling our minds with fleshly desires. The sins that continually trip you up—that’s something we must turn from if we want more of God in our lives. A wise friend told me recently that “the cost of a new life is the same as the price of your current one.”

Early missionary Paul explains that it is “for freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1), and Jesus Himself said that those who felt burdened should come to Him to find rest (Matthew 11:28-30). That doesn’t mean following Jesus is always a breeze, because He also said walking with Him would be like carrying around a cross. We choose to die daily to ourselves, to our desires, even to some hopes and dreams so that God’s kingdom moves forward. What’s slowing down your stride? Leave it behind. A bad habit? An addiction? Not sleeping enough? An overstretched calendar? A need to never say “no”? Keeping up with the other families at school? Too many kids’ activities? Extra work hours at home every night? Frivolous spending? Anger? Want to really take it to the next level? Borrow this prayer from King David, the ancient king of Israel, described as “a man after God’s own heart.” He prayed:
‘Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Psalm 139:23-24).

As we journey through the month of September and October 2026, let’s humble ourselves, pray, and seek God’s face by turning from our sinful ways, so that God would bring revival in the life and ministry of Richmond Town Methodist Church. Let’s keep all the guest speakers who will be ministering throughout the month of September and October in our prayers. Let’s continue to intercede for the Bangalore Regional Conference and its leaders, for our beloved Bishop Dr. Anil Kumar John Servand, all the district superintendents, pastors, and their families. Let’s keep all the standing committees, additional members, and organization officers of the RTMC pastorate committee in daily prayers.

In closing, let’s keep in step in obedience to God’s Word and God’s Will. May the good Lord continue to bless, keep, guard, and provide for you and your family throughout the month of September and October 2026.

In His Service,
Pastoral Team, (RTMC)