FMPB leader Bro.Stanley Prince passed away

Friends of Bangalore BYM feel very sad for the demise of FMPB pioneer leader Bro.Stanley Prince. He went to be with the Lord at 6 pm on Friday, Nov 6th. 2015.

His preaching style was very unique and very strict. His ministry was oriented towards the youth. Many of our current FMPB leaders, missionaries and lay-leaders heeded the voice of God based on his powerful sermons. He was a role model to many with his simple lifestyle and strict morals.

He worked as a teacher in his early life, before joining FMPB. He is survived by his wife Mrs. Christy and two sons. Mrs. Christy mobilizes funds for FMPB at ponnagaram, even now at her old age. His eldest son works in Coimbatore. His youngest son works in West Bengal as a Missionary.

Stanley Prince annan was affected by Parkinson disease in his old age. But even after this sickness, he continued to preach while seated on a chair.

His last words to Madurai Prayer Group
“போக வேண்டிய தூரம் வெகு தூரம்... சந்திக்க வேண்டிய கூட்டம் இன்னும் அநேகம்..”  “the distance to go is still a lot more… the people that need to be met are still so many…”

Let us praise God for his life, and pray that he would raise many, many leaders like him. Let us also remember his family in our prayers.
 (Thanks to Premkumar Stephen)

Bangalore Blessing Youth Mission.
bymebe@gmail.com

YOGA AND THE CHRISTIAN by Sandeep Poonen

YOGA AND THE CHRISTIAN

Sandeep Poonen

cfc@cfcindia.com

Yoga is a Hindu science that claims to teach people how to unite their soul with the "Supreme Soul", and merge their will with the "Cosmic Will".

The practice of yoga has three main components: 
1) The physical exercise component,
2) The mental meditation component, and
3) The verbal chanting component. 

These three are combined to make yoga what it is.Let us think of these three separately. 

1) There is nothing inherently holy or evil about the physical exercise component by itself. If someone stretches his leg in a certain way, that is neither holy nor evil. None of the physical stretching exercises in yoga need be connected with any religion. So we can stretch our muscles and body parts even if it was a Hindu (or a Muslim or a Buddhist) who first taught it. A typical yoga lesson in Western countries may not emphasize the spiritual connection initially. So when people hear that some Christians are opposed to the practice of yoga, they wonder why. The reason is that the more advanced you get into yoga, you invariably move towards the ultimate purpose behind these exercises. So while breathing exercises may appear to be innocent initially, even these could be initial stepping stones that have its overall aim as "merging the individual will with the Cosmic Will."

2) When it comes to the mental meditation component, we need to recognize that meditation as prescribed in yoga is very different from the meditation taught of in the Bible. Yoga teaches people to empty their minds of all thoughts (good and bad) as they meditate. That is simply not the way a Christian must meditate. The Bible tells us to meditate on God's Word at all times. So we are not called to empty our minds, but rather to FILL our minds with God's Word - meditating especially on the verses that tell us how much God loves us (e.g. Psalm 139:17-18, Isaiah 49:15-16, Jeremiah 29:11, etc). And beyond that, to how the love of God compels us to obey His commands and change habits, thought patterns, and mindsets to reflect His love. Yoga prescribes a peace that comes from the vacuum of a fully-emptied mind. Christianity offers the peace of Jesus Christ through the filling of our hearts and minds with the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-27).

3) The verbal chanting component is what we must also avoid altogether. Yoga typically teaches people to keep chanting the word "Om" - a syllable that is supposed to be the highest manifestation of God-consciousness in Hinduism. The invoking of Om to relax is much more than a blind chant of some random syllable. It is an opening of the mind to other spirits. As Christians, we must never seek to achieve any sort of relaxation by such chants. We do not even chant the Name of Jesus, because that Name is not a 'mantra' - and our Lord specifically forbade us from using meaningless repetitions in prayer. The Lord gives us rest in our minds through the Holy Spirit and not by chanting.

It is best to avoid group yoga classes, as these classes are most often led by yoga instructors who subscribe to underlying yogic philosophy. Submitting to their instructions may possibly open your inner being to spirits other than the Holy Spirit, if you are not strong in the Lord. Even if you are strong in the Lord, your example may encourage weaker believers to go to such classes - and they may suffer. So, if there are certain stretches that help your body but also seem to be a yoga exercise, you could practice them on your own in your own home. But if you find any uneasiness in your spirit in doing them, then avoid even that. There are many other forms of exercise that you can engage in, to keep yourself physically fit.

I want to make one additional clarifying note in this context:

There are some who were involved in yoga before coming to a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ, and have experienced the spiritual impact of Hindu yogic practices. When such people become Christians, it is best for them to avoid yoga altogether, even the physical exercise component. Others might be able to see those exercises as just harmless physical stretches, but those who have practiced this and delved into the mental and spiritual acts within yoga simply cannot see it that way anymore. So it's best that such people avoid yoga altogether and not be led into temptation.

I see a similar analogy to this in Romans 14, where Paul was dealing with two groups of people: one who felt that it was absolutely sinful to eat meat that had been offered to idols, while others had no problem with it. I can fully understand how absolutely abhorrent and sinful it must have been for those who had been used to offering meat to idols, to now feel that they could eat it. But yet we know that Paul himself didn't seem to have a problem eating food offered to idols (Rom.14:14). 

To me, the freedom expressed in Romans 14 for two very different points of view is my guide to how I have attempted to express my thoughts on yoga and the Christian.

Finally, let me end with this: We know the mind of the Spirit in all matters by peace in our hearts (Rom.8:6).

Elisabeth Elliot (wife of Jim Elliot) passed away Jun15,2015

( Thanks Wikipedia)

Elisabeth Elliot (née Howard; December 21, 1926 - June 15, 2015) was a Christian author and speaker. Her husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca (now known as Huaorani) of eastern Ecuador. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband. Returning to the United States after many years in South America, she became widely known as the author of over twenty books and as a speaker in constant demand. Elliot toured the country, sharing her knowledge and experience, well into her seventies. ^[1]

Her book "Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot", 1958 has blessed many christians.

Biography She was born in Belgium, and her family included her missionary parents, four brothers and one sister. Elisabeth's brothers Thomas Howard and David Howardare also authors.

Her family moved to the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia in the U.S. when she was a few months old.^[2] In addition to Philadelphia, she lived in Franconia, New Hampshire and Moorestown, New Jersey. She studied Classical Greek at Wheaton College, believing that it was the best tool to help her with the calling of ultimately translating the New Testament into an unknown language. It was here that she met Jim Elliot. Prior to their marriage, Elisabeth took a post-graduate year of specialized studies at Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta, Canada, where a campus prayer chapel is named in her honor. Jim Elliot and Elisabeth Howard went individually to Ecuador to work with the Quichua Indians; they married in 1953 in the city of Quito, Ecuador. But before she started work, she listened to the words of Maruja, a woman of a neighboring tribe. She was held captive for one year by the Huaorani. She stated that the tribe was fierce and they acted like savages, but she also stated that the women were likeable and kind. Their daughter, Valerie (born 1955), was 10 months old when her father was killed. Elisabeth continued her work with the Quechua for two more years.

Two Huaorani women living among the Quichua, including one named Dayuma, taught the Huao language to Mrs. Elliot and fellow missionary Rachel Saint. When Dayuma returned to the Huaorani, she created an opening for contact by the missionaries. In October 1958, Mrs. Elliot went to live with the Huaorani with her three-year-old daughter Valerie and Rachel Saint.

The Auca/Huaorani gave Elisabeth the tribal name Gikari, Huao for "Woodpecker." She later returned to the Quichua and worked with them until 1963, when she and Valerie returned to the US (Franconia, New Hampshire).

In 1969, Elisabeth married Addison Leitch, professor of theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton,Massachusetts. Leitch died in 1973. In the fall of 1974 she became an Adjunct Professor on the Faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and for several years taught a popular course entitled "Christian Expression." In 1977, she married Lars Gren, a Hospital Chaplain. The Grens later worked and traveled together.

In the mid-1970s she served as one of the stylistic consultants for the committee of the New International Version of the Bible (NIV). She appears on the NIV's list of contributors.^[3]

In 1981 Mrs. Gren was appointed writer-in-residence at Gordon College in Wenham, MA.

From 1988 to 2001, Elisabeth could be heard on a daily radio program, Gateway to Joy, produced by the Good News Broadcasting Association of Lincoln, Nebraska. 

She almost always opened the program with the phrase, "'You are loved with an everlasting love,' – that's what the Bible says – 'and underneath are the everlasting arms.' This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot ..."^[4]

In her later years, she and her husband stopped traveling but continued to keep in touch with the public through mail and their website.

Elisabeth Elliot died on June 15, 2015, at the age of 88.

Thanks to Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Elisabeth_Elliot

• Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, 1958, ISBN 978-0060622138
• Through Gates of Splendor, 1957, ISBN 978-0842371520
• These Strange Ashes, ISBN 978-0800759957
• Quest for Love, ISBN 9780800723149
• The Savage My Kinsman, 1961, ISBN 978-1569550038
• Furnace of the Lord: Reflections on the Redemption of The Holy City, 1969, ISBN 978-0340105979
• Twelve Baskets of Crumbs, 1977, ISBN 9780687427024
• Let Me Be a Woman, 1977, ISBN 978-0842321624
• The Journals of Jim Elliot, 1978, ISBN 978-0800758257
• Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under God's Control, 1984, ISBN 978-0800758189
• Discipline: The Glad Surrender, ISBN 978-0800731311
• Love Has a Price Tag, ISBN 9780830736881
• The Mark of a Man, ISBN 978-0800731328
• Keep a Quiet Heart, ISBN 978-0800759902
• A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, ISBN 978-0800730895
• Path Through Suffering: Discovering the Relationship Between God's Mercy and Our Pain, ISBN 978-0800724986
• The Path of Loneliness: Finding Your Way Through the Wilderness to God, ISBN 978-0800732066
• No Graven Image, 1966, ISBN 978-0891072355
• Secure in the Everlasting Arms, ISBN 978-0800759933
• The Music of His Promises: Listening to God with Love, Trust, and Obedience, ISBN 978-0800759919
• The Shaping of a Christian Family, ISBN 978-0800731021
• God's Guidance: A Slow and Certain Light, ISBN 978-0876808641
• Taking Flight: Wisdom for Your Journey, ISBN 978-0801011801
• Be Still My Soul, ISBN 978-0800759896