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December 2007 Newsletter (Christmas Special) |
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It’s Christmas time once again and it gives me immense happiness to greet and wish you all, my dear brothers and sisters A HAPPY CHRISTMAS and A BLESSED NEW YEAR. As Christmas season sets in and as we reach the end of yet another calendar year 2007 with a brand new year 2008 ahead of us, let us all go down memory lane. Let us recollect and be thankful to the Lord for all the blessings each one of us have received in the past year. I personally would like to thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus for the wonderful blessings I have received this year. The Lord has been gracious enough to take me to Dubai, Singapore and Mauritius this year to spread His word and to testify about the works He continues to do in our Rose of Sharon Church and Ministries. The prophecy which I had received a few years back from a mighty servant of God comes to my mind, when he had prophesied saying, “The Lord will take you from nation to nation and ocean to ocean”. I feel really blessed and am humbled that the Lord is using me in His own special way to contribute whatever little I can for His Kingdom. All glory to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Halleluiah ! At the beginning of creation in the Garden of Eden, God kept the TREE OF LIFE. The Lord desired that Adam and Eve should eat the fruit of the tree of life and grow, multiply and have everlasting life. But Adam and Eve did not obey the Lord’s word, they disobeyed Him and ate from the TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. The Lord then put them out of the Garden of Eden and moved the Tree of Life to Paradise. “…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Rev. 2:7“. There was a prophesy through Isaiah as given in Is.11:1 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots.” He was also called the root of David. Jesus is this TREE OF LIFE. When this Tree came to earth that was the real Christmas day. John 10:10 says”…. I am come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” During Christmas time wherever we see the Christmas tree it is decorated with beautiful lights, greetings on the tree, etc. At the same time we should imagine Jesus, the Tree of life as our own. So this Christmas season may our eyes be fixed on Jesus who came to earth to give us everlasting life for the word says, “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink: but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost”. The Lord for His name will lead and make His children walk on the path of righteousness as He says in Isaiah 41: 13, “For I the Lord your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, Fear not, I will help you.” Job had made up his mind that the Lord would lead my way and he gave his hand in the Lord’s hand and says in Job 23:10, “But He knows the way that I take when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” In the same way if you give your hand into the Lord’s hand and have faith, He will lead you in a way of righteousness and holiness as the word says in Isaiah 35:8, “And a highway shall be there, and a way and it shall be called the way of holiness, the unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for those the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” To make us walk in the way of righteousness the Lord has given us His holy spirit. When the Holy spirit will come the word says , “He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment. “ In truth He will lead you wonderfully as the Psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The Bible says in Psalms 77:20, “ Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” The Lord spoke to the Israelites saying, “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God lead you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deut 8:2.” The goodness, blessings and grace He gives us will never decrease, as Psalms 36:9 says, “For with you is the fountain of life, in Your light shall we see light”. Let us therefore praise the Lord ! This fountain of life will fulfill wherever there is scarcity. Once there was a prophet’s wife in whose house there was finance scarcity. She could not repay her loan . But the Lord through a vessel gave abundance of oil. Till there was no empty vessel left, the oil did not quench. Like there was unquenching oil in that vessel in the same way we have the anointing of the Holy spirit. Isn’t Jesus the fountain of life? Jesus says in John 4:14, “But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” When the poor and humble people searched for water and could not find it and when their tongue was thirsty, I the Lord says in Isaiah 41:17 & 18, “ When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue fails for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water”. Jesus is the only one who can satisfy the thirst of our spirit and give us the living waters. The people of the world are in search of worldly pleasures and are not at all satisfied. But the Lord will not only satisfy your thirst but will make you a blessing for others. The Lord does not look at you as a dry and barren land but as a tree planted by the river with unquenching water. Psalms 114:8 says, “Which turned the rock, into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of water.” Yes dear children of God in this new year may the Lord not only make your life fruitful but may you be a blessing and a fountain of life for others. In this year put the Lord ahead of you, give Him the importance, praise Him and exalt Him in every way and give all glory to Him. Halleluiah !! I would once again like to wish the children, youth, married couples and elders of Rose of Sharon Church and all those who are reading this newsletter a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY BLESSED NEW YEAR and may my good Lord bless you all with abundance of love, joy, peace and happiness in the coming year.
- Pastor Saroja M
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Testimonies From Mauritius
We are Mrs. & Mr. Esram from Mauritius. We have a bungalow in Mauritius but there was a lot of problems in the bungalow. We could not sleep in the bungalow and there was a feeling of a strange movement in the Bungalow. We informed a church Evangelist Bro. Stephen about this problem. Bro. Stephen had seen the Rose of Sharon Magazine and was aware that the Lord is working mightily there. Then Bro. Stephen contacted Pastor Saroja by phone and informed her about the problems and requested her to come to Mauritius. Pastor was kind enough to come to Mauritus. Pastor and her daughter came to the Bungalow and were there for the whole day. They were praying and fighting against the forces of the evil one. Then from the next day we could peacefully sleep in the bungalow and were also not having strange movements. There is no word to thank Pastor for her powerful prayers. We have great peace now through Pastor Saroja in Jesus Christ. All glory to Jesus Christ.
I am Bro. Stephen. I and my wife thank Jesus Christ. Three days the Lord gave us wonderful time to spend with Pastor Saroja and the Lord has done mighty work here in Mauritius. I am really very touched with Rose of Sharon Magazine. In the Harvest magazine the editor’s note really touched me. Really the Rose of Sharon Church members are blessed, Thank God for that. Pastor has also been kind enough to allow me to share her messages in our Ministry so that even our people can be blessed and in turn we all are blessed in Jesus Christ. Thank you Pastor and I thank Jesus for bring Pastor to Mauritius and for doing marvellous work. Hallelujeh.
Enchanting Mauritius
I have heard the following about Mauritius, “Mauritius will enchant you, will uplift your soul, making you feel that you belong to the chosen few. Mauritius, a melting pot where past and present are smoothly blended together, offers an essential beauty that will compel to return to its shores time and time again. May your stay with us remain engraved in your memory forever.” Truly this trip was an unforgettable experience! It reconfirmed my faith in our Living Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and makes me realize time and again how blessed we are to be living under His mighty and loving shadow. It also proved to me again that money is not everything in this world. We may have all the riches and luxuries this world can offer us but if we do not have the Lord’s love, joy and most importantly peace everything about this life is a total waste! As Eccel 1:2 says “ Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men”. Psalms 107:8. During my personal prayer in Mauritius one day I read Psalms 107 and the above verse particularly touched me because it is repeated four times in the same Psalms. I read the whole Psalms again and then connected the same to Pastor Saroja. This was exactly what she was doing (1) Praising the Lord and (2) Testifying about His works to others. I have been blessed to travel along with Pastor Saroja this year for two of her international trips i.e. to Singapore and Mauritius, and its amazing to see the way she interacts with people testifying about the Lord’s works and His love. When I see her talking to very learned and qualified people the following verse from Mathew 10:20 comes to my mind, “For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you.” Praise the Lord! The experience in Mauritius was one of a kind, though I was a bit scared since it was in a way my first experience but Pastor was very confident that the Lord Jesus would glorify His name in an unknown land. And true to her faith the Lord did a mighty and wonderful work there. All glory to our Living Lord Jesus, Halleluiah ! I only hope and pray that I continue to remain faithful to the Lord and most importantly humble in the Lord’s presence so that the Lord may use me in any way He wishes and I be worthy enough to travel in the future also along with Pastor Saroja. Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus! Sis. Padma Jaykanth
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TESTIMONIES
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Ps.50:15
I am Philomena from Kurla. My daughter was not well and yesterday she suddenly started shouting with loud and very wild voices. I called Pastor for prayers at night and by God’s grace and Pastor’s prayers my daughter became peaceful and now is quite. Thank you Jesus for this miracle and thanks to Pastor Saroja for her prayers. Sis. Philomena, Kurla
Since many months I used to get pain in my stomach which would go towards the back side. This pain would be unbearable by the end of the day. I requested Pastor Saroja for prayers as the Doctor was doubting cancer. When I took the sonography to the doctor’s surprise every organ was perfectly all right. Seeing this the doctor said this is really a miracle. This is the God we worship, a God of miracles, a living God JESUS. Let all glory, honour and praise be to His holy name and my sincere thanks to Pastor Saroja. Sis. Asha Salins, Mira Road
One student in my school created all false stories about the other students. When her parents told us the matter, all the teachers were surprised to hear that she was given trouble from other students. We tried to tell her parents and assured them that this won’t happen and its not possible as all teachers keep a watch on everyone. But they were not listening and they told us they will go to police, media and so on. I was very tensed as I was her class teacher. Myself and my other colleagues did not understand how to handle and solve this matter. I then called Rose of Sharon Church and gave a request with Pastor. The next day I got news from the school that the parents took the leaving certificate of that particular child from the school as they were wrong and false. I was so relieved and tension free that I had no words to express at that time. I know it was my Lord Jesus Christ who took me out from this problem. I thank from my heart Jesus Christ and Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers which helped me to come out of the problem. Sis. Vishakha Aparkar, Thane
Last month in September, I was admitted to the hospital due to a severe fever which had grasped me. I was admitted in the hospital for four days but even after that my fever was not decreasing and I did not show any signs of healing. I then called up Pastor and told her about the fever and requested her to pray for me. She comforted me by saying that she would pray for me. I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ heard our Pastor’s prayers as the very next day all my fever disappeared and I got discharged from the hospital. This was only possible due to the prayers of Pastor. I thank Pastor Saroja and give all glory to Lord Jesus Christ for setting me free from the fever and healing me. Sis. Heena Patel, Daman
My name is Shamel. I had fractured my wrist and I had a swelling on it and it used to always pain me when I used to carry anything. When I went to the doctor after checking he said that this pain would always recur when I would carry any weight. I then attended the Rose of Sharon, Mira Road church service and requested Pastor Saroja to pray for my wrist. To my surprise after the prayers the pain has completely disappeared and now I can carry anything heavy. I therefore thank Jesus Christ for this healing and Pastor for praying for me. Shamel, Mira Road
Last week when I was returning from an interview I forgot my whole file which contained all my certificates in the bus. Myself and all my family members were worried. At that time my neighbour gave me Pastor Saroja’s contact number. I contacted Pastor and explained to her my problem. She told me not to worry you will get your file. True to her word on the third day someone couriered my file to me. I thank Pastor for her prayers and Jesus Christ for hearing and answering her prayers. Praise the Lord! Ramki, Chembur
I am Henry from Singapore. I was having slip disc problem and for more than six months was under treatment and on bed rest but had no relief. When Pastor Saroja came to Singapore in the month of August 2007, I attended the prayer meeting which was in my friend’s house. After the prayer meeting Pastor prayed for my back pain, she also prayed over the oil and advised me to apply daily. I followed as per her advice. Today by God’s grace I do not have the back pain and am completely healed from the same. I thank Lord Jesus for the healing and for Pastor Saroja’s prayers. Bro. Henry, Singapore
I thank my Lord for giving me an opportunity to testify about his mighty work in my son’s life. This whole week my son Obed had high fever and was not well. I got worried and decided to go to doctor the next day. Before going to the Doctor in the night I informed Pastor about this concern, who assured me that she will pray for him. After that the whole night my son slept peacefully without any fever and is now completely alright. This is just because of the Lord’s grace and the fervent prayers of our Pastor Saroja for my son. I once again thank my Lord Jesus for healing my son and thank Pastor for her fervent prayers. Sis. Savitha Roberts, Vakola
My brother-in-law had a five minute black-out at work and was taken to the hospital on recovering consciousness. I requested Pastor Saroja to pray for him as he had to undergo various tests connected to his brain. He is fine now and back to work as all his reports are normal. Thanks to Pastor for her loving prayers. May God continue to bless her mightily! Bro. Ramiah G. Daniels, Goa
I would like to thank the Lord for His healing touch in my life. I had requested Pastor to pray for me as since three days I had severe headache and the pain was unbearable. Pastor told me to apply the prayer oil. From the moment I applied the prayer oil all the head pain disappeared. I thank the Lord for his healing touch and also thank Pastor Saroja for her earnest prayers for me. Sis. Rani Laxman, Kalina
My brother is working in Dubai. One day suddenly he called and informed us that he is sick and has been admitted to the hospital through his company. Since then he was in the hospital for a month. They were not relieving him to come to Mumbai for treatment we were all worried as we wanted him to be bought to Mumbai as he was not being treated properly there. With tears I called Pastor and informed her about the problem and requested her to prayer for my brother’s healing and that he be allowed to come to Mumbai. She consoled me and said she would definitely prayer for this request. True to her word and by God’s grace my brother has been allowed to come to Mumbai . Now by God’s grace and Pastor’s prayer he is also feeling fine. I therefore thank Lord Jesus for his healing touch and Pastor Saroja for her prayers. Sis. Rachel, Mulund
Last month, due to some reason or the other, there used to be regular heated arguments between me and my husband. He used to give me a lot of bad words. I was unhappy with this situation and called up Pastor and told her about this problem. She assured me that she would pray for me. I believe the Lord has heard and answered Pastor’s prayers because after keeping this request with Pastor there is now complete peace in my house. This is only possible due to Pastor’s prayers and God’s grace. I thank Pastor Saroja with my whole heart and thank Lord Jesus for answering this prayer request. Sis. Kamala Kelkar, Nallasopara
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STORY (Disobedience)
Once there lived a girl whose name was Sanju She was 16 years old and a very disobedient child. Often her parents would advice her and scold her by saying,‘’ child please obey God, read the Bible or else one day there will be no one to help you‘’. But Sanju would never listen. One day Sanju got up from her sleep and could not find her parents around. She searched for them all over the house but could not find them anywhere. Suddenly she remembered what her parents used to keep repeating to her everyday. It was rapture time now. Sanju started to cry and started to pray to God. But there was no answer. After some time she started to feel hungry, she went to a shop which had a sign board saying, “Put the mark of 666 then you will get everything.“ She recollected parents saying “Do not take the mark 666 if you take it you will be destroyed”. Sanju thought to herself now what will I do and she started to cry again as she could not bear being hungry. Suddenly she got up from her sleep crying. Hurriedly she went to her parents room and saw her parents sleeping. She was very happy and from that day onwards she realized her mistakes and became a good child and obeyed her parents and read the Bible regularly. — Angel Roberts, 6th Std.
Make Jesus Your First LoveThe Lord has given us victory in all matters and has given us His salvation. Whatever the difficulty, sorrow or sickness in our life, the Lord will hear and answer our cry. Remembering all that He has done we must open our hearts and joyfully praise Him. The Bible says in Zeph 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Hallelujah ! We have to joyfully praise the Lord, so that He is pleased and remains with us in our homes and our Churches. So to get victory in the coming year in all that we do, we have to give the first place to our God. The Lord has to be pleased with our life, our talk and our works. If two people are not in oneness then they cannot walk together. If two families are not in oneness then they cannot live happily. It is important that there be oneness in every work. If we are in oneness with the Lord then in our life, our home and our family the Lord will happily be with us. When the Lord is happy and with us, then we will receive His blessings of joy and peace.
SEEK HIS KINGDOM EVERYDAY The Bible says in Luke 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. The above Word says that as we seek the Kingdom of God we will receive all things in our life. What are things that we need? Is it strength, wisdom, knowledge, wealth, joy happiness and salvation ? You can receive everything in your life when you begin to search for the Kingdom of God. In this coming year let us give the first place to our Lord and every morning let us seek His kingdom, His presence and seek Him. When we continue to seek Him incessantly in prayer, His face comes before our eyes. Every morning tell Him that only after seeing His face and His presence, you want to start the day. It may take one month, two months or more, but by the year end you will see His presence. Every day you must ask without fail. Keep on asking and the Lord will not refuse. Everyday you must seek His Kingdom and one day you will definitely find the Kingdom. I have received the Kingdom. I came new to this ministry but before coming here I was an idol worshipper. Seeing the idols all my life, each time I would pray, I would see the face of the idols. At that time during the rally, I would open my eyes and look to the picture of the last supper on the wall and then pray. After many days, I received the Kingdom of God. Seek the Lord this New Year. Seek the Kingdom and you will definitely find Him in your life. Once you find Him then your life will not lack for anything. The Lord can bless you in such a manner that there will be no place to keep the blessings because the Heaven and the earth are His. All things belong to Him. He can put all things into your hands. That is the mighty and wonderful God. So as we are coming to a new year ahead we must decide that ‘this year Lord I will seek your Kingdom’ and surely you will find it. If He could not be found then the Lord would not have spoken as in Luke 12:31. He is not a man that He should lie. Our God is the King of Kings. His Word is true. If we seek Him this year then we will definitely find His Kingdom in our lives. Everyday early in the morning if we seek Him joyfully and with praises then definitely we will find Him. The Bible says in 1 Sam 2:30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. The Lord gives His salvation to all. He loves everyone and that is the reason He came as a man into this world. So when we show love and seek Him then definitely we will find His love and salvation in our lives. When we do not seek Him then we will fall many times in our life. So we must seek Him daily. Without the Lord with us we have no value, our value is zero. But when the Lord is next to this zero then the value becomes nos. ten. Without the Lord our life becomes a zero. So we have to search for the number 1. Apostle spoke about this number ‘1’ in John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. When we know our God then we can become number 10 in our lives. When the Lord is not with us then everything in our life becomes ‘0’. So when the true God, Jesus Christ who was sent by the Father is along with the zero, then the value of the zero becomes ‘10’. To keep the Lord happy everyday there must be praise and prayer in our lives. Then the Lord will be bound with us and we will have joy, peace and happiness always in our lives.
THE MEANING OF JUDAH When the Israelites were praising God and preparing to go for war against the Canaanites, they inquired of the Lord who must go to fight against the Canaanites and win the battle. The Lord told them to send Judah. We can read this in Jud 1:1,2 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. It was important for the Israelites to win this war, but who was to go first and lead the Israelites. The Lord answered them that to get victory and to reach and live happily in that land they must send Judah. There were twelve tribes in Israel, then why did the Lord choose the tribe of Judah. Now Judah means ‘Praise’. The Lord is pleased with the praises of His people. The Lord is pleased when we thank Him, praise Him, be His witness , trust Him and love Him. Without love in our hearts we cannot praise Him. If we do not have faith on Him then we will not praise Him. With love and faith in our hearts we can praise the Lord. When we praise Him with all our love and faith then we can get victory in the war. We see the example of a lady in the Bible whose name was Leah. She got victory through praising God. She was not pretty to look at and she was cock-eyed. Her husband married her sister and despised her. There was no one to love her and to listen to her. She was a sorrowful woman. She was ready to do any service for her husband. She had one son who was named Reuben. She thought that after that her husband would be happy with her and the child. But it was not so. She got another son and now she thought that as the two children would play together, her husband would be happy to see them and be happy with her. But even after that her husband did not love her. And even after she got the third son her husband did not love her. She was very sorrowful and troubled. Many insulted her. It was at that time she thought that she would praise God. Then she left the love of the family and started to praise God. After that she got one son who was called Judah and the Lord Jesus came through this tribe. Then she received peace, joy and happiness. So here we see that the praise came from Leah, to teach us to keep our Lord happy. The Bible says in Gen 29:32 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. Even after all the affliction, when she got the child she thought that her husband would love her and named the child as Reuben. But she did not get the love, joy and peace in her life. Let us read Gen 29:33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon. After getting her second child she hoped that her family and her husband would love her and named the son as Simeon. Even in this she failed. We are all different in appearances, in our colour and our height. This is not our mistake. Similarly Leah was not pretty to look at and was cock eyed this was not her mistake. In her own wisdom she was again and again preparing herself to be happy with her family. Even after she received the second child she failed. Let us read Gen 29:34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. She was very sorrowful in her heart because her husband loved her sister dearly. Now after getting the third child, thinking that she would give him for God’s service she called him Levi. Even after this the problems in her life continued. After three children she still had sorrow in her life. The Bible says in Gen 29:35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. Now we know that the tribe of Judah is the tribe that praises God. We know what the meaning of Judah is.
ALWAYS GIVE YOUR BEST TO THE LORD The Lord can do great and mighty works in your life. There is nothing that He cannot do. When you have the real love for the Lord then He will surely show you the kingdom. But the first thing that you have to do is to give your lives into His hands. The Bible says in Prov 3:9,10 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. It is important that we give all that we have gained in our life to the Lord. Then what is written in Prov 3:10 will happen in our lives even today. His love, salvation and blessings will overflow. This is what the Lord wants to give each and every one of us. When Elijah went to the house of the widow of Zarepath he did not ask anything for his personal gain, but what he said was the command of the Lord. The Lords command had to be fulfilled there. Let us read what he told the widow in 1 Kings 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. Elijah spoke this as per the command of the Lord and the widow received a great blessing after she obeyed the prophet as written in 1 Kings 17:14-16 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. The widow was preparing to eat her last meal and die. But according to the Lords command Elijah asked her to make him the cake first. She obeyed and the Lord opened the Heavenly door for her to eat for many days. This is our God. It is important that we give Him the first place in our life and in every work that we do. If we hear every word in our ear, read every Word with our eyes and keep it in our heart then we will become a vessel of blessing. She obeyed and the blessing was upon them to eat for many days. Elijah did not ask the bread for personal gain but it was the command of the Lord that had to be performed according to Num 15:20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. The Lord will not break His commands. According to this commandment the prophet asked the widow for the first share of the cake. She gave it to the prophet according to this command and the Lord blessed them to eat for many days. When we give the first place to the Lord then His eyes are always upon us. The world, you neighbors and your family may or may not see your heart but the Lord will definitely see your heart. According to that He will do His works in your life. Before the Lord we have to become His beloved. It is important that we seek Him and His love. When we have this love in our heart and we call Him in our need then He will hear and give us an answer. We cannot say that we will not face any problems. It will not always be joy and happiness. There will be many problems. But in all things the Lord will give us the victory. Tomorrow is known to the Lord. In all sorrows, tears and difficulties He will give us the victory. The Bible says in Jn 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. So in the war the devil is the loser and the Lord is the victor. We have to remember that there will be tribulation, but the Lord has overcome all these things. When we become His beloved then the victory is ours. The Bible says in Ex 22:29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. The Lord wants the best from us. When one of our children is not studying well, or is not doing well in life then we think of sending Him for the Lords service. This is not correct. As a couple waits for their first child, they do a lot of planning. They discuss amongst themselves to take good care of the child, that they should make the child a doctor, should love the child and give all that the child wants. But then the Lord says ‘Give me that child.’ As Elijah asked the widow ’What do you have’ and she replied that she was preparing to have the last meal and then die. Elijah asked for the first cake to be given to Him. Amidst the joy of the first born the Lords asks for that child. But because one of our children speaks lies and is mischievous we should not think of sending him for the Bible class expecting Him to change. The Lord does not want that. He wants the best. Even from the beginning we see that the Lord loved the brother who brought the best offering. Abel brought the best offering after about a year whereas Cain ate of the yield of the land after six months, and then brought the offering. The Lord knows all things and He asks for the best. So what can we give the Lord? We have to give ourselves to the Lord. We should tell Him ‘Lord without You I am nothing, Lord you are everything in my life. My breath, my life, joy and everything is given by you. You are everything. You have given it, you have given it, Lord.‘ Let us read Deut 26:2,3 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. We have to know that we have to give the first place for the Lord in all things. If we give the first place to the Lord in this manner then He will open the Heavenly door and bless us, and there will be no place in our house to keep those blessings. After we get His blessings, strength and joy in our lives then we must never forget our God.
KEEP AWAY FROM VANITY AND LIES There is a wonderful prayer in the Bible. After we receive the Lords blessings everyday we must have this prayer in our heart. Let us read this prayer in Prov 30:7-9 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. After we accept the Lord Jesus in our heart and love Him, and receive His blessings in our life, then our mind, thoughts and love towards Him should not change. The person prays and keeps two requests so that the Lord may answer it before he dies. One is to keep him away from vanity and second to keep Him from the lies of this world. When these are away from him then evil will never come in His life. When there are lies in our life then we are destroyed. The Bible speaks about the family of Ananias, how they lied to Peter after selling their property. They have not done harm to any one in the temple of God. But they spoke lies in the temple of God to Peter about the value of the property which they sold. They hid some of the money and came to the temple and lied in Gods presence. The Lord did not permit them to enjoy the money they hid in their house which they wanted to use afterwards. Both of them planned and came, and first the husband died and then the wife. After getting salvation and receiving peace from the Lord we must not speak lies in the presence of the Lord. That is what the above prayer is to keep him from lies as it can bring him to destruction. He requests the Lord to save Him as one day it could destroy him. We know the story of Nabal how he received blessing from the Lord. Till the time he was with the Lord all that he had was blessed by the Lord. When the time came the servant of God asked Nabal for help. But Nabal forgot the help given by the servant of God and did not offer help and Nabal was destroyed. We have to know that everything in our life is given by the Lord. So when we do not thank and praise Him enough then the Lord knows how to take back what He has given. We should understand that all that comes in our life - the victories and the sorrow are all according to the will of God. It is very important that we open our hearts and praise Him, having full faith upon Him, and lead a good life. Then everyday in our life can be a joyful one. We only want the salvation of God in our lives and nothing else of this world. Apostle Paul writes in 1 Cor 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Nothing can stop him from loving God. There may be a desire to know and get many things, but nothing can stop him from giving the Lord the first place in his life. The Bible says in 1 Cor 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. We should understand that the Word of God can give everything in our life and do everything in our life. This entire year the Lord was with us and blessed us and gave us peace, joy and also gave us our daily bread. In the coming year also if we love the Lord with our whole heart and seek His Kingdom then He will give us everything in our life. Whatever we need the Lord knows to give it. We have to give our spirit, soul and body into His hands and make Him the head in our lives, and then we can witness His works and receive His blessings in our life. — Pastor Saroja
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STORY (I don’t have a good voice)
One day three friends were sitting together and chatting about their achievements in life. Among them was one named Steve who was a believer Christian. The other two who were well known singers started boasting about their talent. The first one said that when he would sing, the plants and birds around him would feel so happy that they would sway to his voice. The second one said when he would sing it would start raining, but Steve was quiet, looking at him the other two friends started laughing and making fun of him saying he did not have a good voice but he always sang loudly to his Lord God. Then Steve answered them,” I know friends, I don’t have a good voice like you nor do I know any thing about rhythm but when I sing to my Lord God with my whole heart, no birds dance, neither the trees sway nor it starts raining but the Creator of Heaven and of all the things of the earth, Himself is pleased and comes in my midst, this brings me great joy.” Hearing this, the two friends of Steve felt ashamed of their boasting and kept quiet. From this we know that the Lord God whom we serve is a mighty God. Today we may feel, Oh I don’t have a good voice, how can I sing? Or I can’t dance properly. But we must remember that the Lord God whom we praise is the Creator of the Heaven and earth and He comes in our midst when we praise Him with our whole heart as given in Ps149:3, 4 , “the Lord Jesus is delighted and sets us free from all bondages of sin and sickness.” Let us at this Christmas time praise Lord Jesus with our whole heart for all the wonderful things He has done in our life with dancing and Joy and He will surely visit us to bless each and every one. — Evangela Roberts
In our life, we desire the very best for ourselves and our loved ones. We constantly aspire for more and more all the time. When we had a radio back in the 70’s, we aspired for a black and white TV, then in the 80’s a colour TV, then a large screen colour TV in the 90’s, and finally now a flat screen LCD TV. Over a period of time, if we look back, our Lord has blessed us with so much, yet we are still desirous of more and are never yet fully satisfied. We all must toil in our lives to support ourselves and our families. The origin of this toil was due to Adam and Eve’s mistake in the Garden of Eden where they had everything they wanted, yet they hungered for what was not theirs. Gen. 2:15-17 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’. After this the Lord God created woman for the man and thus was created Eve before Adam even realized he was lacking company. God knows our needs and wants and many a times He provides us the same before we even realize that we need something. In spite of having everything Adam and Eve still hungered for more and were easy prey to the devil in the form of a serpent, who beguiled Eve into convincing Adam to eat the forbidden fruit together. Gen. 3:6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Adam and Eve had everything they would ever need in the Garden of Eden. They would never have had to toil or work for anything if only they had obeyed the Lord God. Alas! this was not to be, and so they had to face the Lord’s wrath. Gen. 3:17 And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. From that day forth, they were driven out of the Garden of Eden and they had to work for a living. In spite of this, God’s love and mercy on us is so abundant that David says in the Psalms that he has never seen a righteous man begging… Even though man has had to work for a living ever since, a believer will never lack or have to beg for a living. Jesus himself says that our Father in heaven cares for us and even our hairs on our head are numbered! Mt. 6:25-30 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Jesus very clearly tells us to stop worrying about our wants. He says that our Father in heaven knows what we want and He will supply all our needs according to His riches and glory Mt. 6:31-32 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. So what should we, as Christians and believers do then? The answer lies below: Mt. 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Our prayer to God must therefore be as follows: Proverbs 30:8,9 ...give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. The Lord will then surely bless us according to our prayer and we will never be found wanting. This Christmas, we celebrate once more, our Father’s most precious gift to us ever…Jesus Christ’s birth anniversary. Now, all that we ever need will be answered for, when prayed for through the mighty name of Jesus to our Father in heaven. Let us be rest assured that HE already knows our needs before we even know of them, ourselves! Bro. Ramiah G. Daniels
SUNDAY SCHOOL REPORT 2007
We thank and praise our Lord Almighty for being in the Sunday school this year too. We thank Him for his faithfulness and for leading His children in the paths of truth .We thank and praise Him for guiding us through His spirit to lead the children in the paths of His righteousness. We thank and praise our Lord for bringing the children to Sunday School regularly and for keeping them all in good health to attend the same. We do believe that the children are blessed and so are we, as we taught them about the things of God. In the vacation time (May holidays) we had asked the children to review the lessons which were already done. The children were asked to read the lessons chapter once again and study the question and answers. We thank you all for upholding the Sunday School in your personal prayers. May the Lord God continue to work in the hearts and minds of the little ones and may they lift the banner of Jesus Christ and shine for His Glory. Praise The Lord! Bro. Austin Roberts
ADMISSION DETAILS
New Admissions January 2008 Eligibility 5 years to 15 years Sunday School Timing 10.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m. Open for all Castes and Creed.
STORY - The Lord gives us courage
This is a story of a 10 year old boy named Rahul. Rahul was very nice but fearful boy, he was scared of the darkness, loneliness, insects, etc. He used to not go from one room to the other without the light or without someone. He always needed his mother or father with him. Such was his fear that in the nights if he had to go to the bathroom, he would make his parents stand on the door of the bathroom and then step inside. His parents were very worried about this fear in him. They used to advice him to be courageous but he would not listen. When Rahul’s grand-mother came to know about this fear she advised him that,”whenever you get scared or feel fearful immediately close your eyes and pray to Jesus and He will take care of you.” Then one day it so happened that when Rahul and his mother were at home in the night alone. Rahul’s mother fell unconsious. Rahul’s father had gone out and Rahul did not know what to do, he got scared. But then he remembered what his grand-mother had told him,”that whenever you get scared pray to Jesus.” He immediately for a second closed his eyes and prayed to the Lord Jesus to give him courage. Suddenly a strange peace came over him and he was not scared. He immediately called his dad on his mobile and informed him about the situation. He also went to his neighbour aunty and called her for help. The aunty came and splashed some water on Rahul’s mother face and she regained consciousness. In the meanwhile Rahul’s father also came home and everything was Ok. The next day Rahul’s mother asked him, “Son you are such a fearful child, weren’t you scared when I fainted.” Rahul replied, “Yes Mom, I was initially scared but then I remembered what Grandma told me, she said whenever you are scared pray to Jesus”. And that is exactly what I did, I prayed to Jesus and was not scared at all.” By this story we see that it may be a small thing what we ask from the Lord but if we ask with our whole heart, He will definitely hear us and answer in our time of trouble.
The Most beautiful gift of Jesus
There was once a family of a father and a son Jesse. Jesse had lost his mother when he was young. The father was a wealthy and much respected, religious man. Now when Jesse grew up, he grew up with rich bad friends and lived a worldly sinful life. Often his father would counsel Jesse to give up his worldly ways & turn to Jesus Christ; but Jesse would poke fun at him and say “Father I have everything because of you – wealth, riches, a good life – what more can God give me?” On his 18th birthday – Jesse demanded a bike from his father. On the day of his birthday his father lovingly gifted him a Bible. Jesse was so furious when he saw the Bible – he just put it away & planned never to look at it again. He thought in his mind “My father is such a fool”. That same year his father passed away and went to be with the Lord. Jesse continued to live in his worldly ways – a life full of friends, gambling and sin. Due to his wayward ways he lost his job, and started living on his father’s wealth. After a few months he lost all his father’s wealth, even his house had to be sold, he struggled for basic things like food. All his friends left him and then he slowly started realizing what a fool he had been and how he had wasted his good life. Jesse started grieving & mourning … He was lonely and started remembering his father and missing him. He realized how much his father had loved him & nurtured him. He remembered all the good times & cried. Then suddenly he remembered the Bible his father had gifted him for his birthday – and he searched & searched for it and at last he found it tucked away in some corner in his cupboard. He picked the Bible and opened it. As he opened it he found an envelope in one of the pages. He opened the envelope – and saw a letter from his father and a key. The letter read “Jesse, my dear son, this Bible is the world’s most precious birthday gift I can give you. Let me tell you a secret of my life. Yes, I was rich & successful – but I lived a lonely life without your mother – who was my closest companion. But in my sad, lonely days it was this Bible that was my comfort & constant companion. Whenever I would read the Bible, Jesus would always comfort me through his many many compassionate words, and He would strengthen me to live this life. It is He who has made me a respectable, successful man. Nothing of my own, but all glory to Lord Jesus. On your birthday, my son, I wish to give you my most prized possession - my Bible; and I pray that in your deepest & darkest hours – Lord will comfort you through his words even as you read it.” Jesse was deeply touched by his father’s message and he repented and cried out loud. He spent all night reading the Bible and he accepted Jesus Christ in his life. A strange peace came over him that moment. Next day Jesse wondered what the key in the letter meant. He looked closely at it and it had an address on it. He searched for the address and when he reached there, he found out that it was the key to his own new home, fully furnished with all things. And in the backyard was the bike that he had wanted for his birthday. Jesse lived a blessed life thereafter – and he remembered to thank Jesus each day for changing his life and bringing him the realization that indeed Jesus was truly the most precious gift of all – over every worldly wealth & riches. As we celebrate Christmas – may we all look to our dear Father in heaven and thank Him for the most beautiful and most precious gift in our life – Jesus Christ! Sis. Sandra Daniels
Let’s welcome the dawn of the New Year 2008! Praise the Lord! Sis. June Anchan
Evil company corrupts good habits In this world there are many types of people, some with good and some with bad habits. We cannot judge a person from the outward or physical appearance until we come in close contact with them. Only once we are close to someone can we know their inner qualities, nature, habits, etc. Do not be deceived. “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 1Cor. 15:33. The above verse talks about “evil company”. What is this evil company? Evil company are people who have bad habits and who are always scheming evil things against others. The Holy Bible says every good gift comes from the Heaven above. So then its quite clear isn’t it that if every GOOD habit comes from God then BAD habits comes from the devil? Good Man i.e. JESUS came into this world to give His life for us, but bad habits (SATAN) came only to destroy and to kill. In our life also we may have to meet with bad people but we have to be wise. Jesus says in Mt.10:16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The Lord sends us not strong as a Lion but innocent as a sheep. In our day to day life there would be many instances where we would come across people who are not a good influence on us. We could meet them anywhere may be in our working places, in schools, colleges, our neighbourhood, our relatives, etc. But we have to learn to differentiate the good over the bad influences on us. Jesus came and lived in this world as a man and taught us how to overcome the world amidst difficulties. His teachings teach us to be like fishes in the sea water who though live in the seas but still do not absorb the salt. In same way we have to choose the company we keep. Most of the people fall in sin because of “evil company”. They do not have the wisdom or the knowledge to differentiate between right and wrong. They always trust and believe their friends or their near and dear ones for any advice. They do not wait or hope on the Living God nor do they meditate on the ‘Word of God’. Take for example a man named “A” who since childhood has been regularly going to church, reads the Holy Bible, give his regular tithes to his Pastor and alms to the poor. Then suddenly one day a new friend “B” enters his life who is a very worldly person and finds spirituality a difficult life to lead. “B” tries to explain his lifestyle to “A” and keeps repeating to “A” that he is wasting his time and money. “B” influences “A” by showing his lifestyle of pubs, theaters, clubs, drinking, dancing etc. He portrays a very happy picture of himself to “A”. That’s when “A” starts desiring “B’s” lifestyle and starts to wander from his spiritual life. Finally one soul is lost! Dear brothers and sisters that’s precisely what the evil one wants, He does not want us to lead a spirit filled life but brings doubt in our hearts and washes out all our good habits. It is basically a Crab mentality. Like how one crab will not allow the other one to climb out of the basket, in the same way the people of this world will not allow us to grow spiritually strong. Bible says that when Simon Peter was walking on the sea, suddenly fright entered his heart because he heard the noise of the sea. The moment he got scared, he started sinking! Mathew 14: 30 & 31 says, “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord save me. And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him and said to him, O ye of little faith, wherefore did you doubt?”. Thus we should be very focused in our lives and never doubt the good things because doubt changes our good habits thus a GOOD habit is our faith in Christ. Now we have to know how to choose the good people. Do you feel it easy like choosing a vegetable or fruit? No! Choosing a good friend is like searching for a treasure in the land. The Holy Bible talks about the friendship of Jonathan and David who were very good friends. Jonathan knew God is with David and He was anointed. So Jonathan said to David. “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.” 1Sam. 20:4. Jonathan was a prince and David was a poor shepherd boy but still Jonathan was ready to fulfill the desires of David because God was with David. We also should choose the people who love our Lord and who fear Him. Jesus once asked, “Who is my brother and sister, the one who hears the ‘Word of God’, He is my brother and sister”. An old proverb says, “A man is known by the company he keeps”. Hence let us always have good friends in every stage of our lives who have good influences on us and who in any way would not lead us away from our spiritual life but would only help increase our faith in our living saviour JESUS CHRIST! Bro. Jaykanth Victor
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Rose of Sharon Old Age Home - MANGALORE
As usual one feels that the year has ended sooner than it began. We thank the Lord for His sustaining grace each day this year and thank Pastor Saroja for her continuous prayers and counsel that we received. The good Lord has graciously added Leelavathi grandmother who is 88 years old, to our family. Soft spoken and always smiling she is comfortable at the home and has taken very little time to adjust. She has many instructions - to check that the door is closed, to remove the clothes put up for drying and so on. In the month of November, Pastor Saroja was at the home for a short visit. On this joyful occasion a special meeting was arranged on the evening of 22 Nov’07. The meeting was attended by many families. After hearing the Word of God many people came for individual prayers and Pastor Saroja prayed for their needs. People kept coming even after the meeting. The Word of God was a blessing to everybody especially the Sunday school children who listened very attentively. The children perfo |