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July 2006 Newsletter (2nd Anniversary Special) |
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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK –
Pastor Saroja M. Greetings in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ to all our readers. It gives me great pleasure to write this editorial for our newsletter, as we celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the Rose of Sharon Church. I thank our Almighty God for seeing us through this year in peace. I also thank my beloved people who have helped and supported me in prayers and many other ways. Let us meditate upon a scripture verse given in Revelation 21:7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. Our God is a victorious God. The Lord’s desire for His children is that they also should live a victorious Christian life. He has made available to us all the power and grace that we require to have the victory in our lives. But do we really get the victory? Today, Christians are spread all over the face of the earth. But look at their lives closely. Most of them do not have the power to lead a victorious life. They are not able to take a steady Christian stand and they grow weak and begin to fall again and again. They are neither hot nor cold, they are unstable. They cannot be powerful witnesses for God. What is the reason? The reason is that they do not know their own Almighty God. They do not have the revelation as to what they are in Christ. They do not have the zeal to know what their own spiritual power in Christ is. They are born, eating and just living. Instead of living a victorious Christian life, they are falling into the trap of sin, bondage and the devil. The Lord grieves in His heart looking at such people. Isaiah 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. God’s children and God’s people require God’s knowledge. If we want to have victory while fighting with the flesh and evil, it is necessary to have God’s knowledge. In order to understand Satan’s wiles and to break free out of his snares, God’s knowledge is needed. God’s people must live victorious lives. Did not the Lord Jesus Christ have the victory? We are His children. If it is true that we are His children, then we must have the victory too. For this we must possess the knowledge of God. To have the victory, we must know the correct way of living that the Lord has kept. Only then can we have victory over captivity. Only then happiness, health and a rejoicing Christian life will be ours. John 8:31,32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Let me tell you a small story. One day a pastor who was powerfully endowed with spiritual gifts, went to visit a poor family. The three people in the house; a man, his son and grandson, gladly received him and joyfully served him food. The pastor who had the meal, was surprised to see that the man, his son and grandson were blind. And it was in this state of blindness that they cooked and served him food. He was moved looking at this and prayed to God to perform a miracle for these three persons. God graciously heard his cry and all the three persons received their sight. They were extremely thrilled and the pastor was also glad. After this, the man who was previously blind, day and night earned money. He brought sheep and goats and gradually became a rich man. As his money grew, the love in his heart decreased. He forgot the way of godliness. Day by day, he became hardened in heart. After many years the same pastor returned to the house. The previously small house now looked like a bungalow. When the pastor approached the house, the man who was previously blind, took him to be a beggar. He began to speak very rudely. He was not ready to open the door for him. The pastor’s heart was deeply wounded. The love which the man had when he was blind, was no more now when his sight was restored. Understanding this, the pastor turned and went away. As the pastor went away, the sight of the man also was darkened. He was blind again. Now, crying and repenting was of no use. Beloved children, Gehazi did not remember the good that his master Elisha had done, but he greedily went after the money of Namaan. What was the result? The leprosy of Namaan was all over Gehazi. This was the curse that came through Elisha. Judas, though being the disciple of the Lord, betrayed Him for the love of money and finally ended his life by suicide. So dear children, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. He is a victorious God. He only can give victory in our life. Is anything too hard for Him? No, nothing is too hard for Him. I request you all to pray for my ministry and my prayers will always be for you. The Lord Jesus loves you all. — Pastor Saroja M. |
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Testimony from Mira Road
Prayer House Dear brothers and sisters, many a times in every instance and every area of our lives, we are constantly being attacked by the devil, who is roaming like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour; while we are yet sinners and did not know or have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We find our enemies playing havoc with our lives, be it at our own house, colleges, schools, work places or in our neighborhood or in our churches. As for me, I am originally from a Hindu-Mangalorean background and received salvation after my younger brother who is in the Lord prior to me and serving full time, shared the gospel of Jesus Christ to me. He told me to repeat the sinner’s prayer after him which I readily agreed and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. I then became a part of his house church at Virar for about 4 months. In the year November 1996, I took water baptism in the church which I attended for the last seven years till 2003. Presently, I am not in that church anymore but attending some other Church every Sunday morning. That’s where I came in contact with Bro. John Shepherd who introduced me to Pastor Saroja of Rose of Sharon Prayer House in Mira Road which I am attending now for the past one year. I started attending this Church along with my friend Bro. Sunil Prabhu. On the very first day, we were warmly welcomed and I began to like this ministry. We were also given copies of the 2006 Calendar, Magazines and Jeevan Jyothi Vol. I, II and III, written by Pastor Saroja. I have no words to express about the same but just that, "it’s excellent!" Punctuality, silence, discipline and obedience is the main back bone of this Church here at Mira Road. To start with, Pastor Saroja begins her opening prayer exactly at 6.00 pm. She leads the praise and worship songs and plays the hand tambourine which is accompanied by two to three brothers singing the songs loudly and one of them playing the bongo. After about half an hour of praise and worship, Pastor Saroja starts with her message which is clearly understood by all, as she preaches in Hindi and English. The whole service lasts for an hour followed by personal or any specific prayer request for which Pastor prays by laying of her hands as per the individual needs. Once a month we have the Holy Communion. As we have just completed our 2nd Anniversary and entering into the third year on 14th July, we pray that this Church may grow and prosper in each and every area. May God add more and more souls to His Church. May God bless Pastor Saroja and her team here at Mira Road, and at Kalina Church. May God bless her ministry, her supporters and Rose of Sharon Church mightily in the days to come and may we see and experience a mighty revival in this Church in Mira Road. — Prabhakar Suvarna, Mira Road |
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TESTIMONIES
I had a Kidney problem because of which I could not control my urine flow. I came to know about the Rose of Sharon Church and attended the Saturday healing service in Kalina. Pastor Saroja laid her hand on me and prayed for my kidney problem. Soon after the prayer, I started feeling better. I can now control my urine flow and am completely healed. Now I feel free that I can do all my work easily and also walk properly. I give all glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I thank Pastor Saroja for praying for me. Sis. Mary John, Nallasoprara For the last one month I was suffering from evil spirit, black magic and breathlessness. My daddy requested Pastor Saroja for prayers. After Pastor Saroja prayed for me I was delivered from the evil spirit and all problems related to that. I thank my Jesus who touched and healed me. I thank Pastor Saroja who always prays for me and my family. Sis. Jyoti N. Sadarangani, Andheri
My name is Jayashree Karkada. I am 45 years old. I have 2 children. I had many terrible and painful experiences in my past. Previously I was leading a bad life of all kinds of sin. Then around 10 years back I became a victim of witchcraft. For those 10 years I suffered untold miseries and my life was full of unpeace and darkness. I became totally imbalanced. People called me mad. I would walk and roam around on the road at midnight. I would throw stones at anyone who would approach me. My relatives wanted to give me treatment, so I was taken to a big mental hospital in Mangalore. I was given painful electric shocks and many injections. Nothing changed. I grew even worse. I was also taken to atleast 4 witchdoctors and suffered much through them. I was also beaten with rods and I broke a bone in my right hand. Even after fixing the bone, my hand would continuously pain. Then I was also taken to many big hospitals in Mumbai and Mangalore for medical treatment, but nothing brought me deliverance. I also was taken to all possible religious places for healing. Ultimately, I was taking so many tablets per day that I was always very drowsy and dim. I would sleep all the day long. I could not do any work. During all this my aunty was taking care of my children and my expenses. Since I was sleeping all day, they finally started searching for ashrams where I could be admitted. They came across many ashrams in Mumbai and Mangalore. But on seeing the place, I refused to stay there. I had heard about Pastor Saroja and the old age homes that she had built. So one day I was taken to the Rose of Sharon church in Mumbai where I approached her and requested if I could stay in her old age home. She lovingly agreed. After affectionately taking care of me for 5 days in her own house, she sent me to Tamil Nadu, Rose of Sharon Old Age Home. Today after about just 3 months staying in this Old Age Home, I am completely healed. God has given me a new lease of life that I was longing for 10 years. Now I no longer take any medicines. I do all my own work. I help around in the Old Age Home kitchen. I also help to bathe an 86 year old lady living here in the Home. This is nothing but a miracle, because before I needed someone to give me a bath. The pain in my hand has also disappeared. My life has totally come out from darkness to light. Today my children need not worry or be ashamed of me. Though I did not receive the love of a husband, my Lord Jesus Christ has given me all the love I need. I am so happy that today I am back with my family. I want to sincerely thank our dear Pastor Saroja for her prayers and love. Glory to our God who does wondrous works. Sis. Jayashree Karkada With the prayers of Pastor Saroja I was able to secure the 1st position for my MBA-HR semester exams. I thank Pastor Saroja and Rose of Sharon Church for all prayers and answers which strengthen me and enables me to shine for the glory of God. I give glory to Lord alone. Nina D’sylva, Yari Road Since two days I was having a problem in my throat. I even had difficulty in swallowing food. I went to the doctor and took some medicines but instead of improving my condition became bad and my chest also started to pain. I attended the fasting prayer and requested Pastor Saroja to pray for my pain. She prayed and gave me the prayer oil to drink. In a few hours all my pain vanished. I give all praise and glory to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I thank Pastor Saroja for her prayers. Bro. Dinesh Patel, Andheri Last month I received news that I was getting an opportunity to go to Italy for a sponsored educational trip. This is an excellent opportunity and the practical knowledge gained will be of great help in my work. I told Pastor Saroja about this. My General Manager told me to cancel my trip to Italy as he was leaving and he wanted me here on the property in his absence. I was very disappointed and I called Pastor to share my concerns. Pastor advised me to stand strong and that this was probably the Lord testing. Pastor counseled me to accept the Lord’s will and said that she would pray for me. Within two hours, my GM called me again to his office and told me that he had changed his mind and that I could go to Italy as planned. My joy overflowed, I thank my wondrous Father in Heaven for his mercies… truly they are new every morning. I thank my spiritual mother Pastor Saroja for her intervention. Bro. Ramiah Daniels, Goa
My son Ashok was jobless even after two and a half years after his marriage. In the fasting Prayer I had kept this request seeking for an answer. I thank our wonderful Lord truly He has heard and answered the prayers. Within a few days my son got a job. I give all glory to God for hearing our prayers and answering them. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her tearful prayers which she does for all of us because of which all this is possible. All glory to God alone. Sis. Leelavathi Barot, Virar Two months back I had come to Rose of Sharon Church on fasting prayer day. I was troubled as my husband was not interested in working. I had kept this request in the fasting prayer. From that day onwards I saw an immense change in our lives, my husband immediately showed interest in working and he got a job and is now working happily. I thank the Lord for hearing and answering the prayer in the fasting prayer and for doing this wonderful work in my life. I give all glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank Pastor Saroja for her tearful prayers. Sis. Rekha, Gujarat Last week I was suffering from motions and vomiting and became weak physically. On the Fasting Prayer day I told Pastor Saroja to pray for me. After her prayers from that day onwards I have not had any loose motion or vomiting problem. I give all glory to God for He alone has healed me, corrected and set me free from this problem. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her ceaseless and faithful prayers for me. Bro. Surthi, Malad
Last week, I had boils all over my face which were very painful. Last Saturday, before going to sleep I applied the Prayer Oil all over my face, when I checked in the morning I could not see any boils on my face. I thank my Lord for healing through the blessed prayer oil and Pastor Saroja who prayed for the oil. Sis Kamalaban, Nalla Sopara Few days back I got a lump at the right side of my throat. There was swelling too. It used to pain terribly. I applied the prayer oil and added few drops of the prayer oil to water and drank it. The very next day the lump, swelling and pain had disappeared. I thank my Lord Jesus a million times for this mighty miracle which He performed through the prayer oil. Sis. Mayrose Fernandes, Vakola My husband Pratap was suffering from severe cough and cold since the last eight days. We visited many doctors and took many medicines, but nothing worked , the cough was so bad that he could neither eat nor drink. Then I applied the prayer oil on my husband’s throat and also gave him a little prayer oil to drink. My husband had not slept nicely for eight nights but that night onwards he slept very well and in the morning all his cough had disappeared. I thank the Lord for His wonderful healing touch on my husband and I thank Pastor Saroja who prayed for the oil. I give all glory, honor and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. Sis. Damyanthi Pratap, Gujarat I had a problem. While walking on the road, I used to suddenly fall down. This happened to me quite a few times. One Saturday during healing service I told Pastor Saroja to pray for my problem. She prayed and adviced me to apply prayer oil before I go out of the house. I obeyed her word and till now by God’s grace I have not fallen down on the road. I thank Pastor for her faithful prayers and guidance and my Lord Jesus for hearing and answering it. Sis. Sushila Pilley, Jogeshwari Since a couple of years I had a problem while passing urine. This used to occur once in a while, but recently this problem increased alongwith pain. I took some medicines prescribed by the doctor but there was no relief. I spoke to Pastor Saroja on the phone about this and she assured me of her prayers. To my surprise from the very next day I was totally free from this ailment. I no more have this trouble at all, it’s completely gone! All glory to Jesus Christ for healing me. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her prayers and concern. Hallelujah! Sis. Shalini Salins, Tamil Nadu My son Arun was supposed to be attending Std I. This year Delhi board had changed their rules that admission would be from Delhi and the first preference would be given to the government employees. Total seats were 120 for which there were a total of 170 applications. Out of these 113 were government employees. So there were 7 vacancies for the remaining 57 students. We called up and informed Pastor Saroja about this. Pastor assured that my son would get the admission. The school put lots and my son’s number was picked up. The Delhi board now sent a circular of the admission list, and in that list my son Arun’s name appeared first on the list of the 120 selected students. We give all the glory, thanks and praise to the Lord Jesus. We thank Pastor for her sincere and constant prayers through which the Lord has worked. Bro. Venu, Mangalore
Last year I was having terrible pain in my back. When I used to sit down it used to pain even more. Then after Sunday Church Service I asked Pastor Saroja to pray for me. She prayed over me and from that time itself I was healed from my back pain. I thank my Lord for healing me and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers. Sis. Arikmary Richardson, Goregaon I had high fever but I still attended the Saturday Healing Service. After the service, I asked Pastor Saroja to pray for me and by God’s Grace I was healed completely. I thank my Lord for healing me and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers. Sis. Paranjyothi Jaiselan, Jogeshwari During last few months I wanted to leave my current job and wanted to join a new job for good salary as it would be a permanent job. I had a desire of getting a salary slip and to have bank account which was not possible as I had no requirements as desired by the bank. So, I called our Pastor to take her advice and she advised me not to leave my current job. After obeying to our Pastor my Company made me permanent in my job and they started issuing me a pay slip and helped me to open a bank account. I sincerely thank our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and also thank Pastor Saroja for her guidance and prayers. Bro. Yeshwant Barot, Virar
I requested Pastor Saroja to pray for me to get a better job. Pastor advised me to attend a second round of interview and that the Lord would help me. Likewise on the same day I got the appointment letter with a very good salary. I thank our Lord Jesus a million times. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her timely advice. Bro. Surendra Shetty, Andheri Last month we had problems alongwith sickness in my house. My son had convulsion (fits) attack and he had to be hospitalized. After ten to twelve days I had high temperature which lead to Malaria and even I was hospitalized. From the hospital I phoned Pastor Saroja for prayers. She prayed for me and after that we were much better. I give millions of thanks and glory to one and only Lord Jesus Christ. Sis. Vishakha Apandkar, Thane
My baby Salome had severe cold and cough for almost six months. We had visited a child-specialist for the same, but there was no improvement in her health. I then requested Pastor Saroja for her prayers. God heard her prayers and has healed my baby completely. All glory to our Lord Jesus. I thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers. Sis. Lavina Lobo, Mira Road Last week my son Obed was having fever so we took him to the doctor. The medicine didn’t give him any relief from fever. He had very high temperature the whole night due to which he was speaking out. We were very upset. I called Pastor Saroja early in the morning and Pastor advised and assured us of her prayers. By afternoon his temperature started subsiding and by evening he was perfectly fine. I give all glory to our mighty God and I thank Pastor for praying for us. Bro. Austin Roberts, Vakola I was having breathing problems. In the nights suddenly I used to feel breathlessness. I requested Pastor Saroja to pray for me and after her prayers till today I don’t have any problem while breathing. I give glory to my Lord Jesus Christ for healing me and I thank Pastor for her faithful prayers. Bro. Subramani Pilley, Jogeshwari
It gives me immense pleasure to testify about the great work that God has done in my life. Since I am serving God. Pastor Saroja was searching for a God fearing girl as my life partner and one who could support me in my ministry. I had visited Mumbai for a few days. And it was time for me to return to Tamil Nadu. I attended the fasting prayer at Mumbai Rose of Sharon Church, during which the Lord Jesus Christ touched me in the Church I felt fresh and a great peace and encouragement entered in my heart. After I returned to Tamil Nadu, just in a couple of months my marriage took place. The engagement and the marriage proceedings were done so quickly that I am still amazed. On behalf of me and my wife Shalini, I thank our Heavenly Father for arranging our marriage according to His will and in His own time. All glory to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Hallelujah! Roshan and Shalini, Tamil Nadu |
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On Forgiveness So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you if you from your hearts forgive NOT every one his brother who trespasses. We all know about the parable quoted in Matthew 18, about the King who took account from a servant (Matthew 18: 23-34). From this parable Lord Jesus tries to teach us the importance of forgiveness. Jesus showed it to us on the Cross of Calvary when he said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." No matter what we do, we cannot save ourselves from sin. No good work or godly work. It is only the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us from our sins and saves us. Do we know that we have been forgiven from our sins? If we know that we have been forgiven and value the forgiveness from our God then we will also forgive our fellowmen who commit any wrongs against us. In the above story it is seen that a Master forgave a servant who begged him to give some more time to repay a certain amount. But that same wicked servant caught another fellow servant who owed him some money and who could not repay into prison. When the Master came to know about this, He was very angry and reversed his verdict on the wicked servant. Today, if we harden our hearts and do not forgive our fellow-men, friends or acquaintances. Then the same Law applies to us as we saw in the above parable. God too will not forgive our sins. As a result, there will be an adverse effect in our lives, we will not have peace and there will be pain, sorrow, sickness and even pre-mature death and also our prayers will not be heard/ answered. As a matter of fact forgiveness brings healing to our souls and our bodies and God will also hear our prayers. Let us therefore hear the voice of the spirit and humble ourselves while there is hope and repent and make restitution. May the Lord help each one of us to do our part in restoring us back to Him. — Austin Robert |
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A Good Tree Bears Plenty Of Healthy Fruit Today we can check our lives by comparing ourselves to a tree. The Holy Bible says in the book of Matthew 15:13, "But He answered and said, every plant, which My heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted." We see this healthy tree bearing a lot of good fruit, only godly fruit. In the beginning, God made heaven and earth and all in it Genesis 1:12 "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself, according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." In the same way God wishes that we also should bear plenty of good fruit. But what kind of fruit is it? Is it the fruit which we buy from market place like the Banana, Mango, Orange etc…? No! Not worldly fruit but spiritual fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. These are the good qualities that the Lord wants to see in us. We cannot purchase these fruit from anywhere else. This can be given to us only by our Lord Jesus Christ when we stand with Him. Jesus says in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches: He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. A very fruitful tree is the one which has the important necessity of its life available to it. This fruitful tree recognizes what is important for its life. It is planted by the rivers of water, and brings forth its fruit in its season. Its leaves also shall not wither. Similarly, if we want to bear spiritual fruit in our life, we also must know what is important. We also need the living water, which only the Lord Jesus can give us. Water is very important for a living tree. In the same way, living water is also very important for a person to live a spiritual life. John 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Even today the Lord is ready to give all of us this living water. Are we ready to come near Him? The Lord is ready to accept us in whatever state we are in now. The Lord wants everyone to come to Him with a repentant heart. We may be a liar, smoker, drunkard and fighter or addicted to some bad habit or we may be having diseases, sicknesses, poverty, loans, no peace, etc. We would certainly like to come out from such snares, but we cannot come out because we need power, support or someone’s help. The Lord says "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The Lord wants every one of us to come near to him to bear fruit. Today we may picture ourselves to be like a dry and dead tree, with no hope in our life. We may be living a sinful life without bearing fruit. Yet the Lord is able to give life within us because God formed man out of lifeless dust into a living being. He can do the same to a dry tree without life and then give life to it. Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Today also the Lord wants to give life to every one of us because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. If we want to live a life like a fruitful tree, we have to come to Lord, since it is only possible with the Lord. We may be wondering how to come near to Him. It is very easy. For example; when we fall in sick, we go to a particular doctor, why? Because we have faith that this doctor is good and he will give us good medication. Or probably he knows us and we know him. In the same way, we must love God. We should have a good relation with the Lord who made heaven and earth, you and me. We also must have faith in the Lord. The Bible says Roman 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Whenever we hear the Word of God, we learn something new which we did not know before. If we want to have a good relation and want to learn from God, we have to hear and read the Bible. John 8:47 He who is of God hears God’s word; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God. Just as an electrician learns to do electric work to survive, in the same way we also have to learn to bear fruit in our life. John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. If we have faith in the Lord, His Word abides in us and we keep His commandment. Then whatever we ask in His name Lord will give us. Every day we must praise and worship our Lord. Our praise must be like the olive tree mentioned in Noah’s time and not like the fig tree as mentioned in the New Testament. When Jesus came near that fig tree, it only showed off its green leaves. But Jesus could not find fruit in it and He cursed it. But the Olive tree was full of trouble and swollen with water, yet its hands were raised up toward our Lord to praise and to worship Him. Gen 8:11 Then the dove came in to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had abated from off the earth. We must be like this Olive tree, a good example for others. We should be fruitful to others. If the tree is bearing fruit, it is not only beneficial to the tree but for others also. Look at this Olive tree in Noah’s time; it did not give up in time of trouble. The other remaining trees were not ready to praise the Lord in the time of trouble. But this Olive tree was praising the Lord and sending out good news. In our life also whatever problem comes our way, we have to stand for the Lord. When we stand for Lord, whatever problems come in our life, the Lord will keep us safe. Consider this Olive tree out of which the dove had plucked a fresh leaf. This is a living tree. Ps 92:13,14 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing. — Jaykanth Victor
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A Poem O Lord, how marvelous is our life; How beautiful are our days with you. Blessed are our days, O Lord; Beyond all that we can imagine or hope for, Through your mighty hand and your strong hand; Your mighty works we have seen. Tribulations we may have seen O Lord; but through it we have experienced your grace, In our days of pain & sorrow; Your consolation was ever abounding When the evil persecuted our souls, O Lord; You were our Refuge, our Deliverer! We may have cried rivers of tears; And we may have been afraid of the dark, But through it all, O mighty God, We have experienced the heights & depths of your love. Through our tough times, you have taught us perseverance & patience, You have given us faith to put our trust in you… To hope in you. We will be brave O Lord, we will be strong… Just as you taught us… we will WAIT, we will hold FAST, we will overcome. O Lord, O mighty God, how marvelous is our life; How beautiful are our days with you… Praise you, JESUS! —Sandra Daniels |
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God Lifts Up The Humble Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Philipians 2:6 The Lord Jesus, when He came into this world, though He was the image of God Almighty, never considered Himself God. He walked as a man, but never thought or displayed Himself saying that He was the King of kings. He never went around demanding people’s worship saying that He was the incarnation of God Himself. He never exalted Himself. Instead He experienced the very sorrows and difficulties of an ordinary human being. Like any other human, He would separate Himself and pray, walk around villages and preach the Word of God. Though He was God, He did not fly from this village to that village to preach. He could very well do that, but he humbly walked on foot according to the normal course of a human being. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty God walked a life of humility. Every where in the Bible you will find out that God lifts up people who have walked humble lives. Whenever a servant of God has humbled himself before God, he has been lifted up. Humility of Abraham In Genesis chp 18:27, we see about the life of Abraham. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes: Consider how Abraham introduces himself before God. He acknowledges that he is but dust and ashes. He humbles himself before God as worthless as ash. Looking at this, God begins to listen and answer Abraham’s questions. Abraham did not introduce himself by remembering his good deeds and saying that he was the man who listened to God and left his country, his father’s house and everything. He did not approach God with rash words and did not confront God with questions as to why God being merciful, wanted destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But on the other hand he humbly said, "I am but dust and ashes" This is one reason God loved to talk to Abraham. This is so wonderful. When we break down before the Lord, God will look upon us and consider us. He will become pleased with us and love us. Whenever Abraham faced God, he always displayed humility. When God asked him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, Abraham never argued or questioned God saying, "Why did you give me this son, if you wanted me to sacrifice him" and so on. God desires the same nature in all of His children. We have to humble ourselves before God and He will lift us up. In every situation, whether small or great we must humbly submit to God. God never desires to harm us, but instead He wants us to benefit us in everything. Humility of Moses Now let us look at the life of Moses as we read Exodus 4:10; And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. When humility is in our life, we will humbly speak the truth. We will humbly acknowledge our true self that we are weak and sinful people. Moses spoke the truth in humility saying that he used to stutter in speech. This was his heart before God. God used him mightily. We must first humble ourselves before the Lord and then the Lord will lift us up. Humility of Jeremiah Let us look at the life of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:6; Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. Men like Abraham, Moses and Jeremiah are great people of God who are mentioned in the Bible. They are remembered and kept in honour because they all have humbled themselves before God. We are all dust, and God’s breath is in us. The moment the breath of God leaves us, we begin to turn into dust. Jeremiah acknowledges himself as a little child. In other words, he is admitting that he is unwise like a child, not learned and not having much strength. But God saw his humility and made him a prophet of the nations. In the same way, when we admit our weaknesses before God, He will lift us up. When we say, "O Lord, I’m just a woman, I’m not educated, I don’t know to read English nor check the reference Bible." God looks to our truthful heart and lifts us up. He will bring wisdom, revelation and all that we need. So we have see some examples beginning from our Lord Jesus who being God humbled Himself as a servant. Then we saw about Abraham how he humbles himself as dust and ashes. God heard and answered his prayers. Then we see Moses, he admitted that he could not speak properly, he was not confident to lead the people of Israel. But we see how God lifted him up to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt by walking through the Red Sea on dry land. He called out to God when the people of Israel sinned and God heard his prayers and did not destroy them. He prayed for food and water; God gave manna and water from the rock. In everything Moses had the victory. Then we see Jeremiah that when he acknowledges himself as a little child, God made him a great prophet. Thus we see that if we want to be used by God, it necessary to humble ourselves before our God. Before Him we are nothing! We are naked before Him. He can see all our hidden sins of our heart. We must greatly humble and prostrate ourselves before Him. Humility of David We see in the life of David that though Saul was the king, he was still pursuing David to kill him. But what was David’s prayer to God? Let us read Psalms 22:6; But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. He cried unto the Lord saying that he was as low as a worm. He very well knew that if he died today, the next day worms would begin to consume his body. So is the state of every man. He cried saying that people despised him and were after him to destroy him, but before God he acknowledges himself as a worm. We see that God was with David. God gave him much honour and made his name great in Israel. We have understood from all these examples that God lifted up those people who humbled themselves in the sight of God. They made themselves low in the sight of God. It is necessary that every knee has to bow before the Lord. We see that many righteous men in the Bible bowed themselves and humbled themselves before God. That is why they were honoured. Today we may be in different kinds of problems, sorrow and pain; but when we go before the Lord, let us humble ourselves and say that we are nothing, our wisdom is nothing, let us acknowledge our lack of strength. Let us lift up the name of the Lord, saying that He is the only wise God, He is Almighty and He can do all things. Nothing is impossible for Him. Are we weak today? Are we sick and suffering today? Do we lack wealth and money? God is able to do all things. He knows what we need. All we need is to humble ourselves before God. We read about the life of a lady called Rahab. She was a gentile from the land of Jericho. She had the witness that she did a good deed to the people of Israel and God delivered her out of the city of Jericho. Because of her, her whole family was saved. She was a prostitute, but because of one good deed that she did towards the children of Israel, she was saved. Similarly, somewhere or the other, in our life, if we do good towards God’s purpose, He will certainly remember us. Today, let us humble ourselves to receive God’s blessing. I have experienced this in my life. Every day we have to walk in humility only then will the Lord use us to be witnesses, to pray for the sick and do many other works for Him. No matter how great a person we are, no matter how much wealth we have, all have to humble before God. We are all but dust. Let us read Genesis 12:1; Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. Here we see the Lord is commanding Abraham to leave everything and follow Him. It is not recorded that Abraham argued with God, but we see that he obeys His command. I remember a particular brother in our ministry who would always say that the calling of God was upon his life. Yet he will always have a difficulty to follow God completely, thinking as to who would take care of his old father and who would take care of his brothers and all his property. He concluded that he would take up a job and serve God side by side. He began to experience terrible problems in his house. At that time I would always advise him saying, "If God has truly called you, you need not worry about anything. Serve him and He will take care of you." Abraham left his house, his land and his kindred. This included all his beloved relatives. His own people were not important to him before God’s command. God blessed him. Similarly, when God commands us something, if we steadfastly stand on His words, God will certainly lift us up and do what He has promised for our life. God is not a man that He should speak a lie. We must thus always be ready to do some good work to please the Lord. Remember how the prostitute Rahab got a blessing because of her good work. If we look at one of the thieves who was crucified next to Jesus, he readily recognised Jesus as the Everlasting King. He knew that Jesus had an everlasting kingdom and so asked Jesus to remember him in the kingdom of God. We who read the bible day and night, we must remember that the kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom. The thief asks Jesus for this request to enter the everlasting kingdom, but Jesus tells him that he would be in Paradise. The place Paradise is not the everlasting kingdom of God but is like the beautiful Garden of Eden where the souls of God’s people are kept. They will one day return with Jesus during His second coming. Hallelujah! To enter into the everlasting kingdom we have to walk righteously before God. It is not so easy that everyone can get it. We have to carry the cross till the end. We may have the ticket, we may have the passport but until and unless we have the visa we cannot travel to another country. This is the reason Jesus answered half of the thief’s prayer and sent him to Paradise. So when Jesus Christ comes again, the judgement will take place and then all worthy to enter the kingdom of God will enter. It is very important to know of the kingdom of God. The humble always fear the Lord Let us read Psalms 115:12-15; The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. According to these verses, we are blessed people. God knows very well what we need. Whether we are small or great, He knows our need. Thus to receive these blessings in our life it is important that we must approach God with a humble heart. If you read verse 13, it says that God will bless those people who fear Him. The people who fear Him will certainly approach God with a completely submissive and humble heart. All of must fear and remember that whatever we do, whether good or bad, the Lord watches over all of us. Let us read Acts 10:38; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. If you notice Jesus went about doing good. He was always going around. He did not sit on a rock and expect people to flock to Him. Though He was God, He humbly went about walking. Though the anointing was upon Him, He went about walking from village to village. He did good to all. He healed the sick and suffering. He was always walking around and watching all kinds of people fulfilling all their respective needs, like giving sight to the blind, healing the lame, preaching the Word to the poor and so on. One day as He passed through Jericho, He came across a blind man who called out to Him. And Jesus answering his call speaks to him. Read Mark 10:51; And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. If Jesus would not come through Jericho, this blind man would have never had the opportunity to call unto to Jesus for healing. Jesus always humbled Himself before the Father. He humbled Himself even to the death of the cross. That is the reason the name of Jesus Christ is above all names. Once, we were all sinners but today, Jesus has given us new life. What must we now do? We must walk humbly before the Lord. We must increase and go forward in all His Words and commandments. Somewhere or the other, God will remember and bless us like the prostitute Rahab. The humility of Mary Magdalene Read John 20:13-16; And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Consider this incident. Jesus came and revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene because she was sorrowful. He came to take away her sorrow. She was worried as to who had taken away her Lord’s body. How great was her love for the Lord. Jesus asks her why she was crying. Didn’t Jesus know why she was crying? He very well knew; that is reason He appeared to her and comforted her. He knew that she was on the verge of breaking down. He had compassion on her and took away her sorrow. She was so much bowed down in her heart that she was ready to take away the body by herself if she found it. She remembered all the love and the words of Jesus. She humbled herself in seeking the Lord Jesus. She humbly asks Jesus thinking He is the gardener and pleads for His body. Jesus saw her heart and appeared Himself to her calling out her name. She is so filled with joy that she goes ahead to take hold of Him and kiss Him. But Jesus avoids her telling that He has to yet go to the Father. This is our Lord. He knows our heart. He will come to take away sorrow from the heart of the humble. He cannot bear to see sorrow in the heart of His children. Let us therefore humble ourselves in the sight of God. Let us acknowledge that we are a worm, we are children and we are but dust. Let us acknowledge His great power toward us. Thus our God will certainly lift us up and glorify His name in our lives. God bless you. — Pastor Saroja M. |
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God’s grace and mercies... They are new every morning Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 The above verse says that the Lord’s mercies are new every single day. We need to have them, because without His mercies and grace we can not live in this world which is surrounded by evil. And we being in this world, we may fail some time to do his perfect will and to obey Him. God knows our weakness therefore he has extended His mercies and grace on us to live with him a godly life in the world. To obtain mercies from God, we need to return to Him with a repentant and humble heart. Joel 2:13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. We should identify ourselves as to where we are and what we are. Do we surrender ourselves to God to get His mercies and grace in every single day? We should live with Him every single day and to acknowledge Him in ever single thing what we do. Micah 7:18 Who is God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. God really delights in showing mercies towards us and our children’s children. God wants to see His children being blessed all the time. It is for this reason He made us and gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ for us. Only through Him can we live a victorious life. Dear brothers and sisters, let us enjoy with our God by receiving His blessing and by obtaining His mercies and grace in our everyday life and as long as we live in this world. — Lancy Lobo |
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STORY In a small village there lived a farmer. He loved the Lord and feared Him greatly. He had two sons. However, both of them did not walk in the fear of the Lord but were enjoying the pleasures of the world. Their father would be very grieved because of their behavior and would try and correct them but they would not give attention to his words. As per the word from Psalms 145:19, "He will fulfill the desires of them that fear Him, He will also hear their cry and will save them.", the father would daily pray to the Lord to bring his two sons in fear of the Lord. One day the elder son goes out with his friends, while the younger son goes to the farm to help his father. When the younger son sees the father working so hard in the field, he asks his father, "Father you are working so hard in this field, what will you do if you do not get a good harvest?" The father answered, "I trust my God in heaven, that He will give me a good harvest, as he always does every year. Son, I would like to tell you something, just as you have seen your father work in this field, in the same way, God our Creator has also created the world and everything in it. He has created the skies and heavenly stars and the birds that fly in the air and all the beasts and cattle’s on the earth. He has also made you and me and all the other human beings on this earth. God our Father is the Farmer and He expects a good harvest from us. He does not want that any of us should perish. He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to the cross so that all our sins may be atoned for. Jesus lovingly died for all of us. He rose again the third day by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you call out to Him in truth, He will hear you and save you." After hearing the Word from his father, the younger son surrenders his life to Jesus Christ and accepts Him as his personal Saviour. He decides to walk according to the word of the Lord. When the two brothers meet again, the younger brother tries to explain to his elder brother about the love of God. On hearing the words of the younger brother, the elder brother says, "What are you speaking? Have you gone mad like our father?" The younger son grows in the knowledge and word of the Lord. The Lord prospers him in all he does and his business grows profitably. When the elder son sees all the blessings that the younger son is getting, he gets angry that his brother has prospered greatly. Then he begins to think how his younger brother got these blessings, he realizes that the Lord has blessed his brother. He confesses his sins to God and he also starts loving the Lord. When the father sees that even his elder son has returned to the Lord, he thanks the Lord greatly and sings songs of praises and thanksgiving to the Lord. The father was praying daily to the Lord Almighty for his two sons. Surely the Lord heard the prayers of the father and blessed his family. Just like the father in this story all of us have to pray faithfully and daily to our Heavenly Father. If we are faithful He will hear our prayers and save us from all our problems. Praise the Lord. — Yeshwant Bharot |
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Rose of Sharon Old Age Home - MANGALORE Behold our God makes all things new. Our good Lord, not only makes all things new, but renews His tender mercies, compassions and His faithfulness towards us every morning according to His Word in Lam 3:22,23. It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. May 2006 completes three years of the Lord’s work at Katipalla in Mangalore. This was another year filled with His grace and tender mercies. The Lord whose eyes are upon the sparrows, looked upon us and was merciful to us. It is only by His immense grace and the prayers of our dear Pastor that we were able to complete one more year in His service. Amongst many things the Lord is teaching us to be patient, and to reflect His nature in all that we do. In the 2nd week of May we had Pastor Saroja in our midst at the Rose of Sharon at Mangalore. There was a prayer meeting arranged on the 18th of June 2006, which was attended by a few families. The Word of the Lord preached on the healing and the miracles has increased our faith to receive these blessings from the Lord. Pastor Saroja encouraged the little children as they sang praise and kindergarten songs. The family of Mr. Tellis had waited for a long time to meet Pastor. Their son Roshan, was under the influence of the evil one from a very young age and this has resulted in retarded mental growth. He exhibits intermittent violent behavior. After Pastor prayed for the child he has shown signs of improvement. He has greatly sobered down. He is now the first child resident of the home. There is change in his general condition and by the Lord’s grace has overcome all restlessness. The outside area of the home has a few coconut trees. We are very thankful to the Lord for the good yield of coconuts that He has been giving us all these years. The numbers have been increasing and the Lord has greatly blessed the yield of coconuts. It is our prayer that the Lord will continue to guide us in the days ahead. As the old song says, "we need the Lord in every thing for without Him we can do nothing." Without Him I can
do nothing But with Him I can
do all things |
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Rose of Sharon Old Age Home – Mira Road, Mumbai It gives me great pleasure and joy to write an article to testify the Almighty and wonderful name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As it is written in Isaiah 55: 8-9, For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Psalms 46:5, "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved, God shall help her, and that right early." True to the Lord’s word and assurance, He is taking care of all the needs of all the Ajaas (Grandpas) that are currently in the Old Age Home, Mira Road, Mumbai. The Lord has been very gracious and has brought 6 Grandpas and will be adding many more as per His blessed will. The Lord is working wonderfully in the life of all of these gentlemen. We have one grandpa, Joseph Braganza among us who was having high diabetes. As per the advise of Pastor Saroja, we followed a particular diet for the Grandpa. As a result, the Lord has taken care of his high diabetes level and has kept it under control. Any sore on his body gets healed fast, which is not possible for a diabetic patient. Praise the Lord! The Lord has also enabled that one of his hands which was folded and stiff and not able to straighten was straightened after applying and massaging with the prayer oil. There is a grandpa, Claude Miranda, when admitted here; he used to make a lot of loud noises. When he sits up or stands up, he would shout out loudly as and when he feels. This was disturbing the others. Due to the prayers of Pastor Saroja and the Lord’s presence, he has reduced his noise level to a great extent and has become very understanding to the needs of the others around him. All glory to God. The Lord’s presence comforts all those who are troubled. Each of our grandpas have different weakness. One particular grandpa, Ticiano D’cruz would never drink water at all; he would only have little after all his meals. The doctor had advised that he should have a good intake of water daily. We tried our best to convince him to drink more water but he would not. We informed Pastor Saroja about this; she advised us that we should give him Rasna syrup in water to drink three times a day besides his normal glass of water during his meals. We started giving him the Rasna juice three times daily and to our joy he would drink the entire glass of juice without any fuss. There is another grandpa, Johnson Kamble who is suffering from Dementia; it is a state of health where the person looses his memory completely. In his case, it is not only his memory about his family or personal self, but he has lost his ability to do his basic activities. There was one occasion when he stopped chewing food and would collect it and keep it in his mouth without swallowing it. Any amount of persuasion or talking would not make him swallow his food. It was very saddening for us to see that he would not eat his food. We kept this request in prayer with Pastor Saroja. God has answered the prayers of His servant and enabled this grandpa to start eating food and not keeping it stored in his mouth. This is a wonderful change in our grandpa Johnson. God has established the Rose of Sharon Ministries in three different states through Pastor Saroja, to take care of His people whom he has chosen to shower His love in their life and enable them to receive salvation and the Word of God in their hearts. I thank the Lord Almighty with all my heart for making me and my wife a part of His wonderful plan. Earlier, I was just living a normal life, like most of the people in this world, now my life has a true meaning and a wonderful purpose in Jesus Christ. I sincerely thank the Lord for all the wonderful ways He has blessed me and my family in my life. — Rexy Mathew |
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Rose of Sharon - TAMIL NADU He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. Isaiah 57:2. As we read this verse from the Bible, we can by far compare with the residents of the Old Age Home. Every afternoon, after their lunch, the old persons take a refreshing nap until their coffee time at 4:30pm. When one looks at each one of them resting peacefully on their beds, it is quite evident that this is a blessing from God that these old persons have. After living a life full of troubles, difficulties, pains and sorrows; now finally at the winding up of their life, they have this privilege to peacefully rest on their beds. And what’s more better than resting in the house of God. This is certainly the grace of the Lord on their lives. God has added a new resident, Kannamal paati in our Old Age Home. She is 65 years old and hails from Tirunelveli. It is now more than a month and she is happy and content to stay in the old age home. Previously, before coming here, she had much difficulty with regards to what she would eat and drink, since she was too weak to cook. But now with a smile on her face, she will say that it is such a great relief to have someone cook food and get me my meals right on the bed where I sit. She says that God has given her rest at this time of her weakness and old age. She loves the morning and evening prayer time that we have in the Home. She enjoys listening and singing to the praises of God that we sing. Early in the cool mornings and during the evenings, Kannamal paati loves to take a stroll around the facility. It is nothing but the grace of God that gives old persons like her the peace and satisfaction that they need. As the rains continue, our facility looks even more beautiful when the flowers begin to bloom and the fruit appear on the trees. God has been gracious and fruits like papayas, custard apple, tapioca and tamarind have already appeared. Our chicken have now multiplied into many little chicks. The squirrels are a common sight in our facility. We can frequently see beautiful coloured birds of various sizes flying here and there. Birds like the parrots, mynas, storks, kingfisher, weaver birds, some times the pelican, eagles, and other blue, orange and peach coloured birds whose names are unknown to us. And not to forget the beautiful and graceful peacock which occasionally visits our garden. What a peaceful and beautiful place for an old person to live in! Truly as the Psalmist says, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD." God’s beauty, His plans and mercies are great. As the Bible says, "He will certainly sustain His people in their old age." Let Lord Jesus Christ be praised forever and ever. — Roshan Salins |
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