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From the Editor's desk - Pastor Saroja
TESTIMONIES
Hope in Jesus - Sandra Daniels
What is more valuable than life? - June Anchan
MESSAGE - Wait on the Lord -by Pastor Saroja
Join the God's Army - Asha Salins
Can I become a good Christian? - Derek Anchan
God is good, all the time - Lancelot Lobo
STORY about day-to-day life - Sussana Patel
Picnic
Humility is of the Lord - Ramiah Daniels
Walking the extra mile... - Mercy George
STORY - Evangela Roberts
Top of the mountain - Godwin Salins
Old Age Home - Moses George
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From The Editor’s Desk
Praise the Lord. Anniversary day is the day which makes us glide through the past. It brings to memory the days, the moments which we have passed through may be in happiness, in joy, in pain or in troubles. But I, personally would like to recollect only the good things which my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has done for me individually and our Church, collectively in the past 6 years. In the past 6 years the Lord has continued to do mighty things as He had promised many many years ago in this very place. His promises are true right from the beginning of this world till this very day and I am happy to testify about the wonderful things the Lord has done in our Rose of Sharon Church.
As we have completed 6 years, we thank and praise the Lord who has enabled us to step into the 7th year. This year look at the Lord's raised righteous right hand. Is. 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Surely His mighty and righteous hand will take care of you. The Lord will uphold your family. The Lord says, “when you will be weak I will uphold you in spirit. I will fight your case for you. I will complete all things for you.” His righteous right hand will give you righteousness and justice and no one will be able to change it for you. The ones who think of doing injustice to you, the Lord with His powerful hand will bring them to nothing.
Ps. 3:5 says I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. Here sleep talks about peaceful rest, the peaceful rest which dwells in us, the physical rest which we have. Today we have a fearful rest because we do not know when we sleep whether we will get up tomorrow or no, because anything can happen. There may be an earthquake, tsunami or an accident. But the Lord has promised us that 'Dear children when you sleep in your bed I will give you rest and uphold you in my righteous right hand'. Ps.91:5-6 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
When we talk about sleep, it talks about 3 types of sleep:
a) Relaxing sleep
b) Sleep when you are in sickness and pain
c) Sleep when you are physically tired and weak.
But in all these situations still the Lord's right hand will uphold you as Ps.41:3 says, The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.
In the normal circumstances the Lord is with you but when you are ill He is even more closer to you.
Song of Solomon 2:6 says, His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.
The Lord who promised us that He will take care of us when we are sick will definitely turn around our sickness and will remove our weakness and give us strength and angels will guard our bed.
The third type of physical res. The Lord will remove tiredness and weakness away from us. The great prophet Elijah once had this type of burden as we see in 1 King 19:5, Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat. At that time the Lord upholded Elijah and sustained Him and with the angels food he walked forty days and nights as far as Horeb the mountain of God. Definitely the Lord will uphold and sustain you. Whoever slips to fall the Lord will hold them Ps. 145:14 says, The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down.
King David once when he fell into sin cried very bitterly and turned towards the Lord and prayed to the Lord as in Ps.51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit, Then David stood up and the Lord's grace upholded him.
There are those who have fallen or gone away from their first love also. Then there are those who keep falling into sin. Also those who fear they may fall into sin.
In the last year there may have been many troubles and tribulations. With our own thinking we may have tried to save our self from all these troubles and sins. This year let us slant towards the graceful God. His hand will sustain us.
Listed below four verses do read and gain strength from them:
a) Ps. 94:18
b) Ps. 18:35
c) Ps. 37:24
d) Ps. 37:17.
In St. Peter's life there were many troubles and tribulation. In the sea when he was about to get drowned and when he called the Lord to save him, didn't the Lord sustain him? Another time when Peter denied Jesus and sweared upon it, Jesus was hurt. But still when he repented Jesus sustained him with his righteousness. Definitely he will sustain all of you too. Till the end He will sustain you.
Is. 46:3-4 says, Listen to Me, O house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
Forever he will sustain you till the end and forever and ever.
Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
On this 6th Anniversay day of Rose of Sharon let us all make a conscious effort to think and thank God for all the good things the Lord has done for us in the past years. Let us all look to the blessings we have received instead of all the problems. Let us be thankful to our Saviour for all the wonderful things He has bestowed upon us like love in our hearts, health in our family members, good children, peace within our families etc etc. As we step into the 7th year let us enter into it with praise and thankfulness and our lives will be forever and ever flooded with love, joy and peace which no man can ever give or snatch from us. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all readers and Rose of Sharon Church members a very Happy Anniversary.
— Pastor Saroja M
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Testimonies
My son was removed from his place of work where he was working since sometime. I mentioned the same to Pastor Saroja and requested for her prayers. She prayed for my son and assured me saying, “Do not fear he will get a new job”. Praise God, now my son is working at a better place than his earlier job. Before coming to Rose of Sharon Church, I had problems, sickness, worries… But now I and my son are not only happy but we feel good with no worries at all.
I give millions thanks to Lord Jesus who heard Pastor Saroja's prayers and helped us. Thanks to Pastor Saroja for praying for us.
Sis. Lalitha Poojari
I want to thank and praise my Lord Jesus for the great opportunity He gave me to visit Israel the Holyland, which our church, Rose of Sharon Church had arranged. This would not have been possible without the prayer support of our dear Pastor Saroja. There were many barriers for this tour especially the finance part as this year there were a lot of my personal expenses. I had not enough finance and even thought of canceling this tour even though I had paid the booking amount. When the time came to pay the balance amount, I told Pastor to cancel my name but the very next day I changed my mind, God made a way through this financial crunch. But there were a lot of battles from within to cancel the tour, but each time God comforted me. I also thank my Lord for the support of my family members to go for this tour.
I thank my Lord and give glory for taking me along with my brother and sisters and I thank Pastor Saroja for comforting me and arranged this tour.
Bro. Austin Roberts
I was down with fever continuously for 3 days. I took medicines but the fever remained. On the third day my father requested Pastor Saroja to pray for me. The very next day the fever stopped completely. I thank and praise God for this healing touch on me. I thank Pastor Saroja for her earnest prayer for me.
Sis. Joy Shalaka Salins
My younger daughter was to get married but we had financial problems. We told this matter to Pastor Saroja who prayed for this matter over the phone. The Lord very wonderfully provided for the marriage and the marriage of my daughter went of very nicely . I thank the Lord for the wonderful work in my daughter's life and sincerely thank Pastor for her prayers.
Sis. Dhamyanti
I am around 55 years old. I had never dreamt in my live that one day I would visit Israel. I used to also fear by the fact that if I visit Israel how would I climb mountains and walk the distance to visit and see His holy places. But our Lord is wonderful and only by God's grace I could see all the places without getting tired. I give all glory to Lord Jesus and also I thank to Pastor Saroja who helped me in my every needy time.
Sis. Paramjyothi Jayseelan
Three weeks back my cousin sister's daughter Nikita, met with a road accident while going to college. She was taken up in an unconscious state and was very critical due to head injury. When I heard about his incident, I was very much moved. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja who assured me of her prayers. After prayers she miraculously came out of her unconscious state and spoke few words with doctor. I thank my Lord Jesus for doing this wonderful miracle in Nikita's life and I also sincerely thank our Pastor for her earnest prayers.
Sis. Savitha Roberts
Two years back I fell down and got hurt on my head which was swollen badly. I took all the medicines but did not recover. Three months back I came to 'Rose of Sharon Church' and met Pastor Saroja on fasting prayer day. She laid her hands on me and prayed and gave me prayer oil and said apply this oil and you'll be healed. After applying the prayer oil the swelling vanished. Moreover, I was unable to sleep due to the pain and could not keep my head down. But after applying the prayer oil I got sound sleep. I thank Lord Jesus for healing me and giving me rest from this sickness which no medicines could cure. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her assurance and prayers.
Sis. Rekha Dadaroa
In our home we had multiple problems also in our shop, we were totally disturbed and confused and my son Manoj called up and requested Pastor Saroja to pray for us. With the grace of the Lord and kind prayers of the Pastor all our problems almost got resolved on next day itself. We give all the glory and honor to the living Lord Jesus and billion times thank to our Pastor Saroja for this miracle.
Bro. N.N. Sadarangani
For the past one and half years I was looking for a job change but failed. I had told about this matter to Pastor, she assured me of her prayers. Then I directly received a call from my old company HR who called me for an interview. By the grace of God I passed and got the offer letter via e-mail, but when I checked the offer I was not happy with the amount. Then when I went to take the hard copy of the offer letter I again requested Pastor to pray for me. To my surprise when the HR discussed the offer letter with me, this time the offer was nearly a 80% + hike to my existing salary. I thank Lord Jesus for this miracle of not just giving me the job but an excellent pay hike which is not possible under normal company standards. I also would like to thank to Pastor for her prayers guidance and support throughout.
Ms. Joy Shalaka Salins
My daughter Neelam who stays in Surat had called us last Wednesday and informed us that her daughter was very sick. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja on Good Friday day service. Pastor assured us that she will keep this in prayer.
As soon as we returned home from the Good Friday meeting we got a call from my daughter Neelam saying that her daughter was now completely healed. I give all glory and praise and honour to our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ for this miracle and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers.
Sis. Tara Khushwa
I had to go to my corporate office to do my budget presentation with my CMD and I had asked for prayer support from our dear Pastor Saroja. Budget presentations are normally very difficult times for us and as a result lot of high tempers and shouting. To my relief, this presentation was one in which I spent two hours explaining the strategies to achieve my budgets and my CMD actually spent time understanding and approving them. Eventually this got passed and was totally approved with no changes and I am told that this is the first time in the history of our company that anybody has got her undivided attention for so long and were she has not walked out of the room even once.
Only our Lord Jesus can make this happen and I remembered how the Lord tells us that we can stand before kings and he will put the right words into our mouth and that we should never fear man.
I thank dear Pastor Saroja for supporting in prayer and I thank and give all glory to our dear Father in Heaven.
Bro. Ramiah Daniels
I was working with the crane operator in a rig. During the maintenance day work we normally remove all metal scrap from the rig. We were moving a number of boxes and during the movement my right hand two fingers got trapped between two boxes and I had severe pain since I had worn gloves I thought my fingers got injured, but when I removed the gloves except pain I could not see any sign of injuries. This is all because of Lord Jesus's care. I give all glory to my Lord Jesus who protected me from this accident also I thank our dear Pastor Saroja for her faithful prayers for our family.
Bro. Lancelot Lobo
I want to testify of a brother in our office and in our department who was not coming to the office for the past ten (10) months. It was a time when our company was going through a very severe financial crisis and rumours of lay offs, compulsory retirements and removal was going on. Many letters were sent to the brother from his office and even phone calls were made to his residence and to his mobile in order to get his response, but it was of no use. Finally an inquiry committee from the department sent a letter to him to urgently contact the office or face consequences. The previous day the brother met me and he was all nervous to face the committee. I immediately contacted Pastor and told this matter to her and requested to keep this matter in her prayers, Pastor very graciously agreed. The next day the preliminary inquiry was conducted and the committee took his statements. At the end of the inquiry he was straight away told to join his duty as these was not any allegation against.
I thank and praise God for His mighty work in this brother's life and for restoring back his job. I sincerely thank on dear Pastor Saroja for keeping the matter in her prayers.
Bro. Austin Roberts
Due to my fever, I was shivering and had high fever. I consulted the doctor. For the first two days, he gave me medicines for malaria and antibiotics. But my fever never came down. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja. She assured me of her prayers. Then from the next day onwards my fever came down and slowly I regained my normal self. Now I am completely alright. I thank our Pastor for her prayers for me and also thank and give all glory to our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ.
I was unemployed for some month in the last year because of my sickness. I gave an interview in Air-India. As they knew I was desperate for a job. Few people asked me bribes. I asked Pastor and she said not to bribe, “I will pray for you, if Lord's will is there you will get it no need of bribing.” As a result the process took long time and slowly I lost faith that I would get the job in Air-India.
On my birthday Pastor prayed for me and on the next day I got a call from Air-India saying, “you are selected for the job.” The Lord knows I was not fit some months back to work hence after healing me the Lord gave me the job as for this work we need good physical strength. I have cleared all the medical tests too. I give all glory and honour to our Lord Jesus Chirst and I thank Pastor Saroja for her support and prayers.
Bro. Ravi Singh
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Hope in Jesus
But I will hope continually, And I will praise You yet more and more. Psalms 71:14
Steve, a 11 year old boy, was God-fearing - obedient to the Lord and obedient to his parents. Steve depended on Jesus for all things in his life – be it in school or at home. Steve had a great God given gift – he had a beautiful voice and whenever he would sing hymns - joy and peace would fill the hearts of the people listening. When asked how he learnt to sing so beautifully and how he remained joyful all the time, he would say “JESUS is the secret of my energy”
Steve’s used to walk to school everyday. One day as he was crossing the road he got distracted and he did not see the speeding car. The car hit Steve with great impact. They rushed Steve to the hospital immediately, but he was serious in ICU and the doctors gave his parents no hope of his living.
Steve parents were distraught. They had lived all their lives trusting and hoping in Lord Jesus – so they prayed and fasted for the life of Steve. Miraculously in 3 days a surprised doctor declared that Steve would survive - but the bad news was he would never walk again! His parents – trusting and having faith that “nothing is impossible for our Lord and Saviour” praised God for Steve's recovery and continued in faith for his complete recovery.
Steve was the most cheerful patient in the hospital. The nurses and doctors loved him.
Every morning and evening – during his prayer time in the hospital Steve would sing praises in his sweet voice – his voice would fill the hospital corridors and the patients would be filled with peace and joy. They would look forward every morning and evening to Steve's praise.
Steve was always so peaceful and joyful, despite knowing that he would one day leave the hospital and go home but he would never walk. The nurses looking after him would secretly cry knowing that Steve would never be able to live a normal life again – and he was such a lovely boy.
The nurses always wondered about Steve – how could he be so cheerful despite knowing that he would never walk again? One day they asked him – “What is your secret Steve, how do you remain so happy always?
With much innocence and great faith he said “JESUS CHRIST is the secret of my energy”. I love to sing to Jesus because when I sing - Jesus fills me with great joy, peace and hope for tomorrow. I know in my heart that one day I will walk! The nurses were amazed to see such great faith in such a little boy.
Weeks passed by – and Steve was still in the hospital and unable to walk. But he continued to be cheerful – in faith that “Jesus Christ who is the secret of his energy” would never fail him.
One day – very early in the morning Steve woke up and he had the urge to sing. He sang silently on his bed with a soft voice “It's no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me ….” and then suddenly he heard a sweet gentle voice calling out his name “Steve, my son”! Steve opened his eyes and he saw the room was filled with a bright light and in the midst of the room he saw Jesus – all arrayed in white!
Jesus said “Steve – I know you have been waiting for me, my son – Get up and walk! Steve who never doubted that he would walk again immediately got off his bed – but he could not stand as he had no strength in his legs. He then looked up at Jesus. Jesus smiled and said “Walk, my son – and remember the secret of your energy...” Suddenly Steve's legs received strength and he stood erect and walked. When he looked up the room was empty!
There was no stopping Steve after that. He walked, played and did all the things other boys did. But he remembered always the secret of his energy “Jesus Christ”.
He testified to all the kids in school and to whomsoever he met. He never forgot the mighty miracle in his life and he dedicated his life to Jesus. Steve grew up to become a great Gospel singer. He never forgot the secret of his energy; and he spent all his life giving hope to those who needed it, through his gospel singing.
As we celebrate the 6th Anniversary of our Rose of Sharon Church – let us remember the great love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that redeemed us from our sinful life and taught us to live a true Christian life through this ministry... A ministry that gives us 'Hope” that yes, someday we will see the kingdom of God!
May “Jesus of Nazareth” be the secret of our energy forever and ever!
– Sandra Daniels
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What is more valuable than life?
It is God's steadfast love, His covenant shown in so many ways… makes us praise HIM life long. In Psalm 63 vs 3-4 we read “Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.”
What are our expectations from life? Before God touched our lives, our life was a desert, dry wilderness desperate for a water brook to quench the dryness. Desire and yearning for a relationship with God and we expected that once God touches our life, His blessings will automatically fill us. Psalm 42:1 says “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” This desire is no ordinary and when we connect with God with this longing in our heart, God looks at our heart and fulfills this desire of ours.
Once our life is touched by God, He takes us to His sanctuary. Where his presence never leaves us. A place where all His elect continue to worship the most High. Every one shouts the power and glory of God. The blessings of a sanctuary is powerful and is experienced by those who have the spiritual eyes and ears. Our life is absolutely and joyfully centered around God.
In the similar way, we the congregation of Rose of Sharon Church, surely enjoy God's sanctuary in this world. Our church is God's chosen place, we the little flock are His chosen children. Every church meeting be it Fasting, Saturday healing or Sunday Church, Lord speaks to us through His daughter, our Pastor Saroja - through His living word. We are a privileged congregation where the word comes in truth, power and boldness. It convicts us, counsels us and corrects our lives. The congregation loves as well as fears the Lord. The teachings of the word, has strengthened our faith and have also made HIM our goal in life.
God is AWESOME and GOOD. Unfailing, unchanging, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has worked mighty miracles through our church.
Truly our Rose of Sharon Church is His Sanctuary for His chosen children. As we celebrate our 6th Church Anniversary, we want to shout to the Lord and praise and thank HIM for His Grace upon our Pastor, the families of ROS Church, all brothers and sisters and above all to everyone who support our ministry and believe in the works done through our ministry. Lord we pray that you will continue to fulfill every promise made for our ministry and hear and answer every prayers made in this place.
Thank You Lord Jesus, that more valuable than our life is our reverence and relationship with YOU. Bless our ministry and keep your holy fence of protection always around the ministry … your holy temple.
– June Anchah
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Wait on the Lord
Who does God give power and strength to? THE WEAK. Who brings tiredness and weakness into our lives? SATAN
Isaiah 40:29 says - “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength”. When weakness comes into our life, our body becomes tired, we become sick physically and also emotionally we get drained out. So physical and mental illness affects us, our faith is also shaken. We begin to doubt the promises of our Lord. But the holy scripture is true, we must focus on our Lord God at all times, specially in the low times of our life we must cling to Him. We must not consider our weakness as our sin and think in our mind ……that's why we are sick!
It is in such time of weakness in our life that both God and the evil one is watching us, God is waiting to strengthen us while the evil will pounce on us in such weak times and make us sin, he will put wrong thoughts in our minds and make us do wrong things in our life, we are most vulnerable in that point of weakness in our lives. But we are children of God, and God's children should never fear the weariness of life. Scriptures in Deuteronomy 20:13 says “And when the Lord your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword.” Children of Israel should never fear weakness, but face the same with strength. Do not let your heart faint but be strong because our God is with us at all times.
In the Bible we see, how Jacob was complaining of tiredness. Isaiah 40 : 27 says - Why do you say, O Jacob and speak O Israel “My way is hidden from the Lord and my just claim is passed over by my God”. There are two parts to this 1) My way is hidden from the Lords and 2) My claim does not reach the Lord. When Jacob was tired and weary he said this, even we like Jacob say the same thing….how many prayer meetings we must attend? Every Sat and Sun we attend meetings, but the Lord is doing nothing good in our life. Our life is filled with pain and sorrow. But our Lord is indifferent to our pain and sorrow. He is not bothered to answer our prayers. We are fed up and tired and continue to grumble.
There are three truths in our Lords love for us :
1) Psalm 121:4 says “Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep”. Yes our God is our keeper, is watching us round the clock, not for a wink He keeps us out of His sight. When we are tired and weak, this should strengthen us
2) Ish 40:29 says – “He gives power to the weak and those who have no might, He increases strength. Surely when we receive the strength from our Lord, the evil works will be put to shame. God once again lifts and empowers us
3) Ish 40:31 says – “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength : they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint”
Hence, once again to reaffirm, its not our sins that make us weak, but it's the evil one who weakens us. We must not think how many church sessions we should attend to get God to answer our prayers. But, our love for God must be unconditional and we must pursue and love Him ceaselessly.
David says in Psalm 42 : 5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” Once again the same is repeated in Psalm 42:11 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God”. Yes, we must learn to praise the Lord in every situation of our life, we must sing praises to Him, God is watching and listening to us. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, but is watching over us at all times, especially in our tiredness and weakness, His eyes and ears are fixed upon us, to see, if we are grumbling and murmuring on Him.
Psalm 68:9 “You O God sent a plentiful rain, whereby You confirmed Your inheritance. When it was weary”. Our good Lord always wants our life to be plentiful, bountiful and joyful. Yes, we do have trying times in our lives, for eg. Bro Ravi's testimony, for nearly a year he suffered ill health and he was also jobless. How frustrated he must have been, how many times he must have lost faith in God. But our Lord was watching over him through all these trying times. Today, he has a confirmed job with Air India and also passed all his medical examination. Through all the trials of his life, he has emerged strong with the Lord and a winner too. His faith, his perseverance, his patience and above all his love for the Lord has all been tested through these trying times of his life. He could have used short cut and bribed people and got this job, But NO, he waited on the Lord, constantly seeking advise from Pastor. God is good, All the time! He has blessed Ravi wonderfully today. In the same way, His blessings are poured upon everyone who waits upon Him. During our tired and weak times, our faith under goes testing in furnace, and how we withstand the test, is important. Our love for the Lord and faith in Him, is the most important.
Lord will give us plentiful rain, he will shower His choicest blessings on us ….but only if we wait upon him. He has promised, those who wait upon Him will never be put to shame. The same God who watched over Jacob will watch over us. In the similar way the daughter of Zion also complained in Isaiah 49:14 says - But Zion said “The Lord has forsaken me and my Lord has forgotten me” Our Lord was pained to hear his daughter complaining and He questioned and said in Ish 49: 15-16 “Can a woman forget her nursing child and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget, yet I will not forget you. See I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands, your walls are continually before Me.” How true, even our own parents will forget us, but our God, our Creator who made us in His own image will never forget us.
This is once again confirmed in the book of Psalm 27:10 says “When my father and mother forsake me. Then the Lord will take care of me”. We must always remember that when our Lord is with us, who can be against us. If we only keep our faith upon Him, He will win every battle of our life. No work of the evil can come in between God and us. Eg. In the sea there is water as well as tidal waves, but still fishermen continue to fish. They do not fear the waves and stay away from the sea. In the same way, in our weak times, both God and Satan is watching over us. But if we are strong and stay focused on God, He will help us withstand the tiredness and strengthen us. Evil will always put us to test, but if our faith is in God we will always have victory. Every battle of ours is between Lord and the evil one. Lord's children will always have victory in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Isaiah 5 : 27 says “No one will be weary or stumble among them, no one will slumber or sleep nor will the belt on their loins be loosed nor the straps of their sandals be broken” Isaiah 52 : 1-2 says “Awake, awake! Put on your strength O Zion, put on your beautiful garments. O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you. Shake yourself from the dust, arise and sit down O Jerusalem: loose yourself from the bonds of your neck. O captive daughter of Zion !” We must be awake at all time, awake means alert. Being alert for the Lord is important, so the evil cannot plant any doubts in our heart or mind.
There is a story about Isaac's son Esau who was a good hunter and how Esau sold his birthright for hunger. Genesis 25 : 27-32 - “So the boys grew and Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field but Jacob was a mild man dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game and Rebekah loved Jacob. Now Jacob cooked a stew and Esau came in from the field and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, Please feed me with that same red stew for I am weary. Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said “sell me your birthright as of this day. And Esau said Look I am about to die, so what profit shall this birthright be to me?” See how Esau's weariness and hunger made him loose his birthright. Hence, we must always remember, our tiredness leads to unbelief, unbelief in turn leads to sickness of the mind and body, it weakens our faith, etc. Just like Esau's tiredness and hunger lead him to sell his birthright, so also our weariness will lead us to get entangled in the cunning plans of the evil one and we could also lose everything in our life like Esau did.
Especially, we must always beware of Satan's temptations while we are weak. As the scripture says in Mathew 4: 2-3 “Now when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry. How when the tempter came to Him, he said, if You are the Son of God command that these stones become bread” even Jesus Christ was not spared by Satan the tempter, how will Satan ever leave us alone. Especially when we are weak, he looks for opportunity to attack us. Like he did to Jesus Chirst, He was hungry, thus he challenged Him to make the stones into bread and eat it. In the similar manner, Satan is all the time like a roaring lion waiting to pounce upon us as prey. If Jesus Christ was not spared, will we be spared……NEVER. But Jesus Christ, gave a befitting reply and said “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. To give such reply to Satan, we must be strong in the word, strong in our love for God and strong in our faith to believe that our Lord alone can deliver us from all evil plans.
Hence, once again, to reassure us, our God neither sleeps nor slumbers, but is always watching over us and is mindful of our every weakness. He alone with strengthen, empower and mount us with wings of eagles and win our race for us. But, if only we put our faith and trust in Him.
Jesus Christ is the chief priest in our life. Our Lord, Jesus Christ loves us and cares for us. He does not want us to ever be tired and weary. His eyes are watching over us and his ears are inclined to our prayers always.
Matthew 15:32 says – “Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said I have compassion on the multitude because they have now continued with me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” Our God is a compassionate God, he loves us and knows our every need. Here, He is concerned of the people, 5000 in no, they have been listening to his preaching for the past three days, and have not eaten anything. God knows their tiredness and weakness, He knows their hunger. Hence, He asks the disciples what they have with them, to feed the people. They said 2 fish and 5 loaves, with this He fed the 5000 full to their hearts' content and the people departed happily. Ephesians 1: 18 says – “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” It is important for us to open our spiritual eyes and look upon Him for understanding and wisdom. Yes, as God's children, we must know that when we trust and wait upon him, our inheritance is the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. 2 Corinthians 4: 16 says – “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” This is the reason, Lord's children do not become weak, since the outside perishes and the inner strength is being renewed through Jesus Christ.
Luke 21:26 quotes “Men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.” Jesus Christ is watching upon us, like He watched the poor widow putting her two copper coins, when she did that she put all that she had and only thing that remained in her was her faith in God, He would take care of her. Many people contributed, but they contributed out of their abundance, while this widow contributed her everything. No penny left with her. God watches our heart, not our pockets. Many of us feel that we are doing a big favor to God by giving our contributions, but in Lord's sight that is nothing. In the same chapter, Jesus speaks about the destruction of the temple and also signs of end times. Hence, when we are tired and weary, we must not be jealous about anyone, we must not grumble, not speak wrong about our Church and its Pastor, because she is instituted by the Lord.
Who fears the end times? Those who do not believe in the Lord, those who do not believe in His Second Coming and His day of judgment. When Jesus comes again, those who are His children will not be shaken, but they will stay focused on Him alone. The holy scripture vividly describes the end times to us in - Luke 21: 9-13 “But when you hear of wars and commotions do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately. Then He said, Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places and famines and pestilences and there will be fearful sight and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you, persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons and you will be brought before kings and rulers for My names' sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion of testimony.” We must be great testimonies for Gods glory. We must always share the good things that the Lord has done for us. We must acknowledge Him in our lives. This is the only way to strengthen our stronghold with the Lord. We have seen the tiredness of Jacob, the grumbling of the daughter of Zion and Esau's tiredness and hunger made him sell his birthright. Let us learn from all this that in our weakest moment, Lord is the closest to us. When we see the end times approaching, let us not be weary, but look to God and stay focused on Him. Jesus Chirst alone is our life giver. Luke 21:27 says – “Then, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”. At this time, the whole world will be plunged into darkness, at that time it is important for God's children to stay focused on Him without any fear. We must not lose heart, our inner faith must be greater than the events of the world. Our faith in God only increases by such events prophesied in the holy scriptures years ago.
Exodus 15: 18-22 quotes “The Lord shall reign forever and ever. For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of sea. Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them 'sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously. The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.” The Israelites just saw a wonderful miracle three days ago, they were praising and singing and giving glory to our Lord. But memory is too short, when they got tired in the wilderness and were thirsty, they started grumbling and murmuring instantly “What shall we drink?”. The water they found, was bitter and not worthy of drinking. This grumbling our Lord heard instantly, God showed Moses a tree in the wilderness, when he cast it into the water, the water became sweet and the people could drink this water. Our God is love, He is compassionate, He does not want His people to suffer.
In the holy scriptures - Psalm 34 : 10 “The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” How true, those who love the Lord will never lack any thing in their life. 3 days He continued preaching, people listened to Him patiently. They did not move at all. He had compassion on them and fed the 5000 sumptuously with 2 fish and 5 loaves. He made the Israelites to pass the Red Sea on dry land and drowned the Roman soldiers in the same sea. He is the same God watching our tiredness and weariness even today. In the holy scriptures, we see another eg of Daniel who was tired because of lack of food. Many a times we see, due to our long work hours we do not eat on time, skip meals, and don't get enough sleep. All this also adds to fatigue and tiredness. We see in Daniel 8:27 “And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterwards I arose and went about the king's business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.” Daniel got sick, he was weary, but God did not forsake him. He sent His angel to care for him. We must never take short cuts in our life to do away with tiredness, men grumble and take to drinking if there is a problem in their life, some men and women commit adultery when their personal lives are in a mess, others finds ways of relaxation through movies and social outings to release them from tiredness and weariness. But this is not right, our Lord is most worried for us. Daniel 10:11-18 says “And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” 15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons[c] of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.” 18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me.”
Even today, we may be tired, down and out, we must give ourselves in Lords hand and he will guide, lead and help us through all situations of our life. Romans 6:14 says “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Our life must be in Gods hand to deliver us out sin, sickness and pain. Genesis 20:6 says “And God said to him in a dream “Yes I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also with held you from sinning against Me, therefore I did not let you touch her”. How God saved Abimelech from sinning, because He loved him and He was watching over him. Just as our Lord took care of Israelites while crossing the Red Sea, and then in the wilderness gave them water to quench their thirst. In the same manner, when we are focused on Lord for His love He will take care of us. But we must also remember, He will judge us at the right time. He watches over us, He knows us inside out, there is nothing hidden from Him. We must seek Him patiently, patience satisfies our soul.
When the Israelites cried for water God gave them water, now they wanted meat to eat. Numbers 11: 4-8 says “ Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving so the children of Israel also wept again and said “Who will give us meat to eat?”. We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onion and the garlic. But now our whole being is dried up there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes. Now the manna was like coriander seed and its color like the color of bdellium. The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans and made cakes of it and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.” How marvelous is our Gods' love, when the people started grumbling to Moses once again, this time Moses was tired … he did grumble, but his pain and sorrow he took to the Lord in prayer Numbers 11: 15 says “If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now – if I have found favor in your sight - and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
Tiredness did not spare Prophet Elijah too 1 Kings 19 : 4 & 2 says “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree and he prayed that he might die and said – It is enough! Now, Lord take my life for I am no better than my fathers” Elijah was fed up trying to escape Jezebel, vs 2 “Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying – so let the God do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time” hence Elijah was running for his life to be saved from the hands of Jezebel. So Elijah too was tired of running away, but God did not forget him, He sent His angel to feed him and strengthen him. Truly our God is compassionate and full of love for us. It was Elijah's loneliness that made him tired. But God's word strengthen him all over again 1 Kings 19: 10 “So he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Yours prophets with the sword. I alone am left and they seek to take my life”. Lord reveals to Elijah how 7000 people have not bowed down to Baal in vs 18 “yet, I have reserved 7000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Nothing in our life should deter us, God is our strength, our very help in times of need.
Isaiah 61:3 says “to console those who mourn in Zion to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified”. Surely those that are planted by the Lord, will be watered and nourished by Him. Whatever He plans for us, he will fulfill. In the life of Nehemiah also, we see, when he planned to repair the temple, how the people came against him, Nehemiah was totally shattered. In the Bible, Nehemiah 2:10 says – “When Sanballat, the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well being of the children of Israel. “ But Nehemiah won this battle only because of prayers he made to the Lord. Lord heard his prayer and blessed him. Nehemiah 4: 9 says – “Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God and because of them we set a watch against them day and night”.
2 Corinthians 4:1 says – “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.” Our calling is from the Lord, He will strengthen us in every situation. Lord will save and rescue us from every situation of our lives, if we only trust and hope in Him. Every plan of the evil one will be put to shame. Hence, we must never grumble re. going to church every Saturday and Sunday, whatever we do, we must do it willfully and not grumbling. It is our Lord who will give us victory in our race. Let us pray diligently like Nehemiah, and win every battle in our life by grace of our Lord alone.
May God bless each and every one of us through His word and strengthen our faith in Him.
— Pastor Saroja
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Join the God's Army
Ephesians 6:12 ‘For we wrestle not against the flesh and the blood but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places.’
Today our world is plunged into utter darkness. The powers of darkness are in full swing. The newspaper displays all his activities openly. Terrible, horrible things are happening – like murders, rapes, kidnapping on large scale. Why? His time is short and is making the best use of it to fill hell fire and destroy God’s creation. The Bible says even the elect are deceived. What’s happening today, we never heard when were of small in age.
Ephesians 5:16-17 says – ‘Redeeming the time because the days are evil’ ‘Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.’
God’s will is that we should be witnesses and give testimonies to the people of this world. We, ourselves should be right with God and be filled with His presence and surrendered complete to Him that He can use us as instruments to save souls from Hell fire. Every day, pray that God would give us one person to testify Jesus’s love. Pastor had once preached that rapture is soon. Therefore, we should not sleep but be alert – Ep 6:18 says – ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for saints’ We should pray for our pastor and preachers who are in the forefront of the battle-line. It’s a tug of war. All signs are pointing to the end time.
Just as the evil is roaring like a lion to devour God’s children. We, the children of the Almighty, Eternal and all Powerful God, should with great zeal pray to destroy his works. This we can do only when we have surrendered fully to the Lord. Our eyes fixed upon Him. Our heart burning for Him and our lips praising Him; God is love and if we are the temple of God; He is in us. So love is in us. Therefore, we should love one another, stand united and fight the battle. United we stand – Divided we fall. Evil tries to divide. Jesus binds us together with cords of love. So, let’s all make up our mind to join the Lord’s army. For the battle is the Lord’s and the victory too.
II Corinthians 13:5 says; ‘Examine yourselves whether ye be in faith, prove your ownselves, know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are disqualified.’ Thank you Jesus!
--Asha Salins
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Can I become a good Christian?
It would have been much easier if I knew exactly what I had to do to become a good Christian.
I vote in favor of asking God.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3
Following Christ Jesus is much easier than trying everything on my own.
When I am tense, I have to call out to Him. When I am troubled, I have to remember Him. When I am hurt, I have to ask Him to ease my pain. I can go on, but I would rather ask God about all these things.
Every morning before I start work, I read the Bible, sing, and pray that my day goes well.
Tension is part of my curriculum. Sometimes, I get tense trying to reason out why my work gets delayed. It actually doesn't. If I check out my monthly report, I find everything in order. So then why do I get tense? “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)
This does work and my day does go well. Maybe, if I learnt not to get tensed up, even sometimes, I would become a good Christian.
My life has been blessed by God who gave me tremendous zest and energy to continue playing soccer till I was 52 years old. Not many have had this privilege. When I had to discontinue, I prayed and pleaded with God to grant me the strength and willpower to overcome pain. I wanted to continue playing. I had decided I would continue till I was at least 55 years old.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
God had other plans for me. Today, my lifestyle has changed. I am less active physically, but my mind is more active. All my life I dreaded the thought of sitting behind a table working with files and paperwork.
Today, I can communicate with people across the world with a confidence that only the good Lord could have granted me. Maybe, …just maybe, If I realized fully that my life has become better, I would become a good Christian.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. (Psalm 127:1-2)
I was used to sitting up late with work that yielded some results. With money in the bank, I started spending more time on my computer. Income remained the same. Reality struck, and I realized I was getting tired spending many hours doing unproductive work. I put my foot down and decided to resume walking.
My prayers were answered. The very spurs on the back of my heels that stopped my soccer delight did not hurt me that much anymore. I started jogging once again. People who knew me just smiled knowingly. Life was getting better.
I wish I had asked God earlier. Maybe, I would have become a good Christian.
Life has always been good to me. God has always been with me all through my rough days. Life is not a bed of roses. In this world, there may be some good days and some not so good days. I don't know why it would be thus, but I pray that our lord and savior Christ Jesus grant me the wisdom to deal with a situation I cannot handle myself.
Maybe if I learn to do this, I can become a good Christian.
– Derek Anchan
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God is good, all the time
Isaiah 9: 6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The EVERLASTING Father, The Prince of Peace.
As we read the above verse it clearly mentions to us that :
a) Unto us a child is given and the Lord sent Him in this world for us. Now it is upto us how we take Him. He can work in our life the way we believe and love Him.
b) He is a good counselor and a good Teacher. He can teach us the right way of God and the right things to do in our life for God.
c) Same time He is a Mighty God. He can work in our life the way we have never dreamt of. Things may be impossible for us but all things are possible for Him because God has given Him all authority.
d) Everlasting Father He is because He can work in our life being an excellent Father. We can rely on Him all the time better than our earthly father. He will be our everlasting Father. He can take all our responsibilities till we remain in this world.
e) The Prince of Peace He is called because He can give us perfect peace. The peace Lord Jesus can give us we cannot find anywhere. Neither can we buy paying any good price.
As we see in John 15: 13-15 If we take Him as our Friend He will be our faithful Friend. We can tell Him all our secret things, even the things we cannot share with anyone. He can set us free from all our secret sins, sickness and all our secret problems in a secret way. He can work in our life any time, any where in any situation. We can find all kinds of help in the time of trouble. He calls us friends so we can have freely friendship with our Jesus by keeping His commandments. .
Mt. 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are HEAVY laden, and I will give you rest.
Our good Lord is always ready to take our heavy yoke (any problems). As above verse says, He is calling us. All we have to do is to go to Him and we have to give all our problems to Him. He has solution for all our problems because God gave his beloved Son as the greatest gift for us. Therefore friends let us love Jesus in our life and He can make our life better and beautiful and thus we can say GOD IS GOOD AL THE TIME WITH ZEAL AND TRUE JOY.
– Lancelot Lobo
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STORY about day-to-day life
“Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works, which You have done.
And Your thoughts which are towards us cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Ps. 40:5
Yes, this word is really true. Our God is a marvelous God who does mighty works in our life. Everyday our God does wonderful works and we all experience it. There are many things happening around us but God takes care of us because we are His children. From the time we get up early in the morning till the time we go to sleep in the night; God helps us in every situation whether we are at home, workplace, school or in college.
I remember a small story which is about a girl who belonged to a believer's family. It was the month of June, the rains reason had just arrived and the schools had re-opened. She used to begin her day with prayer. After praying she would become ready to go to school by school bus.
It was the first day of her school, she prayed as usual before going to school. But today the girl prayed for a good teacher in school. She went to school and was surprised to know that she got her favorite teacher as her class teacher. Now she came back from school and thanked God for answering her prayers.
This was a very small story of a girl but if we observe it carefully we would understand that God took care of her while she was going to school by school bus, she got a good teacher, her day in the school passed nicely and again while coming back home from school God took care of her school bus and she reached safely.
There are many things which we feel are small but it is not small. In this story the girl went to school bus it school but is a small thing but if God would not be with her anything could happen to the school bus. By this we can know that there are many things happening in our day-to-day life but our God is with us and every difficult thing becomes simple for us.
Everyday our Lord Jesus does mighty works in our life and we cannot count all things because they a innumerable. So we all must know that our God is the Almighty God and whatever he does for us is for our benefit. And it is our duty to thank Him and give Him the glory and praise always. Hallelujah.
— Susanna Patel
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Picnic
Behold how good and pleasant it is
for brethren to dwell together in unity. Psalms 133:1
Our dear Lord Jesus enabled us - the Rose of Sharon family to go for a 2 day fun-n-frolic picnic on the 17th and 18th of May 2010, to the quaint little village of Poladpur near Mahad - just a few miles away from Mahableshwar.
We were a big happy family of 44 members including kids! We gathered on the 17th morning at 7:30am at the church. Our Pastor Saroja prayed for a blessed and safe trip, and then we boarded our bus.
The bus journey was fun with praise & singing. Sisters & brothers also shared their wonderful testimonies of the mighty love of God in their lives.
The place was indeed breathtaking. There were lush green hills with a gushing river flowing on the other side. In the middle was the holiday resort where we stayed, spread over 3 acres of marvelously fertile land full of fruitful trees like we have never seen before. What an amazing sight for us to see fruiting chickoo trees - one tree had upto twenty dozen chickoos! They looked liked Christmas trees filled with decorations!
It was very hot in Poladpur - the temperature going up to 45 degrees. Our dear Pastor came up with a brilliant idea that we should all swim in the cool waters of the river in the afternoons. We joyfully went and plunged into the cool waters of the river - what a refreshing feeling! Not many of us knew how to swim; but Pastor who is a good swimmer was encouraging all the little ones, and also the older members to come in and enjoy. The hours that we spent in the waters were really enjoyable and refreshing - and took away all our tiredness & exhaustion!
In the evenings we spent some relaxed moments in the garden -sitting around in the hammock and on the swings, some brothers playing gully cricket whilst the sisters relaxed about and chatted.
The days ended with a family prayer and dinner.
The family who looked after us served us traditional Maharashtrian meals everyday - with some specialties like puri-bhaji, kombdi-wadi, kanda-poha, refreshing masala chaas, jalebis, farm grown sweet paan etc.
18th May was the blessed day of Baptism for our 7 brothers and sisters. They woke up early and Pastor spent some time with them sharing words of advise and counsel on how they should prepare themselves for their Baptism and prepare for a new life ahead.
The Baptism was conducted by Pastor in the river. It was a blessed time for all who were baptized.
Later, that morning we explored the farm which was spread over acres of land on the hill. The jackfruit tree was filled with jackfruits, some seemed like they were growing from the ground. Then there were mango trees, guava trees, karvanda trees, coconut trees, lemon trees, various varieties of spice trees, pineapple and many more... All of them fruitful - such a marvellous sight to behold!
We relaxed under the cool shade of the mango trees - eating and enjoying all the fresh fruits and coconut water sent for us by the family who owned the farm.
After 2 enjoyable days - it was time to say good-bye! We prayed and bid farewell to the family who were very hospitable and loving to us. Then we all settled down in the bus and left for Mumbai.
We reached back safely to Mumbai - everybody having had a fun holiday together as one big happy family.
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Humility is of the Lord
Pride is known as one of the seven deadly sins and this purely comes from the devil... Humility is of the Lord...
Jesus teaches us a lovely parable on Humility in the Bible in Luke 18:10-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
What a beautiful statement... “He that humbleth himself will be exalted”
Here are two true biblical stories of rulers who had no humility:
1] Acts 12:21-23 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
2] Daniel 4:29-33 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
The king spake, and said, Is not this the great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the
kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
While the word was in the King's mouth there fell a voice from heaven saying, O king
Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will
The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar; and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like bird's claws.
Of the above two examples, the second one, viz. King Nebuchadnezzar eventually succeeded in finding favour with the Lord and regained his kingdom as he gave glory to God and looked up to heaven for his forgiveness. In effect he humbled himself and thought himself to be nothing and praised & honoured the most high Lord, that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation[Daniel 4:34].
In life, we always seek success in everything that we do. If we fail, we are unhappy, but we fail to see that most failures happen because we have no humility to accept these so called failures in our lives.
In the process of seeking this glory for ourselves, we forget the basic tenets of our Lord Jesus' teachings on the mount which cover the basic teachings on Humility.
As we read through it, reflect how Jesus himself followed each teaching so perfectly in his 33 years on earth.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus cried out to our Abba Father in heaven for comfort and strengthening of spirit at the garden of Gethsemane on the night prior to his arrest.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Jesus wept when he saw what was to become of Jerusalem.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Can we think of anything meeker than the picture of our Lord Jesus' birth in a stable, or of our Lord Jesus coming into Jerusalem seated on a donkey?
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil and prevailed against him...all this because he hungered and thirsted (physically & spiritually) after righteousness.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Jesus forgave so many whilst on earth...the most prime example stands out in the famous words he cried out whilst dying on the cross – “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
At the beginning of his ministry, while being baptised, the Holy Spirit came down from the Father like a dove onto Jesus.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
When Jesus was being arrested just after Judas betrayed him, his disciple Peter cut off the high priest's servant Malchus' ear in anger. Jesus, the true peacemaker immediately restored the ear and healed Malchus.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus suffered persecution for all his righteous works on earth during his 3 and a half year ministry and eventually suffered death on the cross.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
If we remain humble in our lives, we can be sure of our reward in heaven! Paul was an extremely learned Pharisee. He was responsible for persecuting many Christians and was also present at the time of Stephen's death by stoning.
However, once the Lord Jesus touched his life, he changed and all his pride melted away & humility filled his life.
I Cor 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Whenever we feel that we are exalting ourselves, we must always remember this verse:
Is 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
May we always be grounded and live in humility!
-- Ramiah Daniels
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Walking the extra mile...
Psalms 27:13 ‘I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness in the land of the living.’
Many of us may have experienced tedious times; hectic schedules; hustle and bustle in our day to day routine. At the end of the day, how’s the feeling? Tired? Exhausted? Need a change! Need revival! We have seen that even King David sought to see this revival as he mentioned in Psalms 27:13 ‘I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness in the land of the living.’ Now, what could this land of the living be? The land of the living is the land of people who are spiritually alive; abiding in our God’s life-restoring manna – The Word of God.
Today, we’re glad to be in a Church led by the Spirit of God! We get to hear His Word, coming directly from His throne. His purpose and calling is revealed in our lives through our anointed Pastor. It’s for us to understand and tune ourselves to His purpose and calling in our lives and see the goodness in the land of the living. Direct our life to the way in which our Lord wants us to follow.
How is this possible? There’s a way out - Lord Jesus says in Mathew 11: 27-29 ‘Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest unto your souls’
People who chose to serve the Lord in accordance to His calling always have inherited this blessing. He is ready to bear all our trials, tribulations and strife also; provide rest and peace that passes all understanding. When we obey Lord Jesus gives us the grace to walk the extra mile He mentioned about in Matthew 5: ‘And whosoever compels thee to go a mile; go with him twain…’
When Lord Jesus, our companion, wants us to go the extra mile – it’s time to do so – There’s a famous quote – Along the extra mile – there’s no traffic jam! If our companion, our dear Lord Jesus compels us to walk 1 mile, then we should walk 2 miles. Let’s give our 200% in whatever small work we do for our Lord. This will bring the change; the revival we long for. We can feel His rest in our daily life as our Lord Jesus is faithful to the Word He’s spoken well over 2000 years ago. In Matthew 11:30, Lord Jesus says ‘For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ Be it in our work-place, in our homes, in our personal lives; He will lift us up when we are faithful to Him and choose to take His yoke on ourselves. King David has a very beautiful piece of advice for us in Psalms 27:14 ‘Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the LORD.’ Whoever, has waited on our dear Lord Jesus, has never been rejected. So, let’s walk the extra mile… closer to the rest He's promised!
– Mercy George
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Story
In a crowded, noisy classroom in a corner bench sat little Johnny all alone. It was his first day in school. All children were excited and glad to make new friends. Little Johnny to sat in anticipation to make one. Just then a sweet little boy came up to him and asked his name, stating his name to be Jimmy. Both were glad to have found company.
Jimmy was smart in studies and helped Johnny out in all his difficulties. The day passed away in a joyful manner and little Johnny reached home excited.
He told his mom that he made a new friend and told her all about Jimmy and now he was so helpful and kind. His mother just smiled and heard everything what he said.
This carried on for some days. Then one day, the normally excited little Johnny started appearing sad. When his mom asked him the reason, he finally told her that his best friend Jimmy, no longer sits with him in his bench, Jimmy had found another friend and no longer talks or plays with him and neither helps him out with his difficulties in studies.
His mother silently heard everything, but this time, she lovingly hugged him and told him, “come Johnny, sit beside me, today I will tell you about a friend who will always be with you and help you”.
Little Johnny was very excited and innocently asked her,”Who is he?”
His mom answered,” He is our Lord Jesus Christ; He is the best friend anyone can ever have. He will never leave you as the world does. He is the same God who was with little Samuel, Joseph and many great servants of God. He is the best friend who united us with our God the Father and has poured out His Holy Spirit on us”.
Hearing this, little Johnny knelt down and with tears in his eyes he accepted Jesus as his Saviour and friend in his life. And from that day his life was never sorrowful but full of joy because he knew the right person to turn to in his times of trouble and difficulties.
In the same way, are we bogged down with difficulties, trouble, hardships, persecutions, loneliness in your life???. At such times are we turning to the world for help?? OR our Saviour Jesus Christ ???
Because He says in Isaiah 41:10 “ Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am you God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”.
We just have to believe on Him as Abraham believed as it says in James 2:23- And the scripture was fulfilled which says,: Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness”. And he was called the friend of God.
So let us fully trust and obey Him and as the song goes -- He will never let go my hand, Jesus will never let go my hand, Though the storms may come and the winds may blow, He will never let go my hand.
— Sis Evangela Roberts
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Top of the mountain
A comfortable drive on the Mumbai-Nasik new highway bought us to our destination, Khardi in two hours. This place is well connected by rail on the Kasara section of the Central Railway. The proposed new “Rose of Sharon Old Age Home” is about ten minutes from the railway station.
Standing on this beautiful site brought to mind the Scriptures in Mt. 5:14,15. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”
The Lord had prophesised through many of His mighty servants and also confirmed in our church to Pastor Saroja saying your every heart's desire shall be fulfilled. It was the desire of our Pastor to personally oversee the work of the old age homes. She wanted to have all the homes under one roof. So the Lord is making it possible in His own unique way, though one door closes Lord opens many other doors.
So as we stood on that high beautiful place, what a panoramic view! Next to the Bhatsa Lake Dam and a wooden valley from our plot. A serene place for the people in their twilight years to spend this time. I know this old age home shall be a beacon of light for many. When the construction is completed it shall verily be like the house on a hill. The Lord has given us light through our Pastor and we believe she shall shine as a bright star for many, many more, even though she passes through many trials and tribulations we know she shall overcome for the love of God is in her Roman 5:5 says Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
So as we at Rose of Sharon Church step into the seventh year. We pray that our Heavenly Father will Bless our Pastor to enable her to complete this new home that is more than eight times the size of our other old age homes. Our Lord will fulfill her heart’s desire as she trusts in no man but God only. May mercy, peace and love be multiplied in our life in the coming years.
– Bro. Godwin Salins
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Rose of Sharon - Old Age Home
Psalms 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: He is their help and their shield.
The Rose of Sharon Old Age Home, Mira Road, greets all our readers in the most Highest and Matchless name of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The Lord has been the help and shield of our ministry and has been faithful to lead and guide us in our day to day affairs here in the old age home.
We take this opportunity to thank our Almighty Lord for keeping all the residents in good health and perfect peace. We also thank the Lord and give Him all the glory for enabling all the caretakers to take good care of all the residents. Without His grace, mercy, knowledge, wisdom and strength, we would not be able to do anything. We pray that the Lord's presence may continue to lead us and guide us in the time to come.
We thank the Lord for His manifold blessings in the Old Age Home (OAH), the Lord has blessed the home and filled it with every manner of good things from time to time through someone or the other, thus fulfilling all our needs. We remember in our daily prayers all those who have been led by our good Lord Jesus Christ to extend their hand in supporting the OAH by way of donations or grocery etc, and we will continue to lift them up in our daily prayers.
This year, though there was a huge scarcity of water and though the whole city of Mumbai bore the brunt of it, the Lord Jesus has miraculously provided and sustained all our water needs. We thank the Lord for helping us pass through this period without feeling the shortage of water. We thank Lord Jesus sincerely for this.
We thank the Lord for His healing touch on one of our grandpa, Kamruddin chacha who has completely recovered from his weakness and is now able to walk and move around without any problem, earlier he was never confident to walk on his own, but now he is able to walk without any assistance and is a lot more confident.
We also thank the Lord for healing our new granny Pushpa Rao who when first came to the OAH was very scared even to sit down, but eventually as time has progressed, she has become more confident and all her fear has disappeared. She now sits down on her own without any support or help. Not only that, but she gives thanks and praises to the Lord Jesus Christ with songs and prayers at all times for bringing her to the right place, the Rose of Sharon Old Age Home. The Lord has done innumerable such things in the life of all the Grandpa's and Grandma's and the caretakers present in the old age home, without the Lord's help, these wonderful testimonies would not be possible.
We sincerely thank our dear Pastor Saroja who has been a guiding force in our lives through the Lord Jesus Christ, for her invaluable prayers and support for each one of us in the OAH. We also thank all our well wishers and all brother and sisters who pray for us and urge them to continue to pray for us always.
– Moses George
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