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October 2005 Newsletter (Harvest Special) |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is with a lot of joy and happiness that I write to you during this Harvest festival. During this thanksgiving time I would like to thank and praise my Lord for doing wondrous works in our Church and also for all the blessings we have received in this year. I would also like to take the opportunity of thanking all the prayer warriors who are praying for me and all my Church members. "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; But they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." When the spirit of God leads and guides you no evil can ever come near you nor will you fail and victory will always be yours. A sheep has many enemies i.e. the tiger, lion, fox, etc. Therefore as a sheep needs a good shepherd, as a student needs a good teacher and as a company needs a good Chairman, in the same way we need the spirit of God to lead our lives. Adam and Eve did not like to be led by the spirit of God and gave ear to Satan because of that they had such a big fall. Didn’t curse and death come become of that? Jesus was always led by and was filled with the Holy Spirit. "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." Jesus never said that I spoke this by mistake and therefore forgive me. This never happened because He was led by the Holy Spirit. "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." Eli’s children did not obey the voice of God and also did not allow the Spirit of God to lead them thus they led sinful lives. But see small Samuel "That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I." In the same way we should be ever willing to hear and obey the voice of God. I thank my mighty God how in a wonderful way He is speaking to me and according to His word we have opened the Rose of Sharon old age home in Mira Road, Mumbai. All my Church members as a family would like to thank our living Lord during this Harvest season for His mercy and grace over all of us and leading us in a wonderful way. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." God bless you….Praise the Lord… — Pastor Saroja |
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The Spirit Reaps Everlasting Life We celebrate the Harvest feast as offering to God the first fruits that our field reaps for the year. John 4:38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours. If we see from the beginning, the Lord had made everything and gave it into Adam’s hand. Adam did not sow any seed for food before he fell into sin. Likewise, today also the Lord has given us fruit for which we haven’t laboured. In the beginning we know that the real Harvest started from Abel. He celebrated the Harvest time with the Living God, the King of kings. We know about ourselves, the feelings that we feel in the worldly way. We may feel good and be joyful if any film star or a famous cricketer or any minister came to our home to celebrate with us our birthday or any function at home. But more than these people, we have to invite our true King Jesus Christ. Abel invited the Lord and celebrated with Him in Genesis 4:4, Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering. Abel very well understood that whatever he received, he got it only because of LORD’s blessing. So he gives the best offering to the Lord and the Lord had respect to his offering. Today, we also need the same respect from the Lord. When we do things in a good and perfect way in the sight of Lord, He will honour us. Then the Lord will hear all our prayers and keep us in good health and provide us our daily food and preserve us. Please have a look at the back cover of this magazine. In the Mumbai flood, so many people were affected. They must have lost so many belongings. But the Lord loves them. The Lord provided food for His people. Whatever the situation is, God knows how to provide. He will provide because He is the Provider. The Lord gave food to Elijah through ravens. If the Lord wants to give us something big, He will certainly give us, because He has plenty of ways to send it to us. If we are the children of God, we will not lack for anything. All we have to do is obey our Lord and do what He says. This Harvest feast, the Lord has honoured His daughter Pastor Saroja once again. The Lord has added one more Old Age Home to take care of His children, whom He is going to send there. The Lord says in Mathew 25, He who has more talents, more shall be added to him. Praise the Lord! Only we have to hear His voice and obey. The Lord can speak to anybody whether old women or a young boy like Samuel. We have to be eligible to stand before the Lord to do His will because He is a consuming fire. In book Exodus, the Lord asked Moses to remove his sandals, because the place that he was standing was Holy Ground. Today too, we must remember that our Holy God is in us. Thus we also should remove all kind of dirt that may be within us and celebrate the Harvest feast with our Lord. There is a kind of Harvest that should be in our life also. There is a kind of bearing first fruits for God in our life too. The farmer sows the seed to grow in the field and when the time comes, he reaps the fruit. Similarly, we also on hearing the messages in our church and reading the Bible, we must have spiritual growth in our life. Spiritual growth is the fruit in our life. Let us see what kind of fruit this is. Read Galatians 5:22; But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentle-ness, self-control. Against such there is no law. If we have the above mentioned good fruit in our life, it means that the Spirit of the Lord is working in us. Our seed is good and it has been planted into a beautiful field. Matthew. 13:37 He answered and said to them: He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The tree is known by its fruit. Likewise, our faith toward the Lord should be like a mustard seed which in size is small, but when it grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree. In our life we must only have the aim to grow in the shadow of the Lord and to search the treasure of heaven. When the Spirit of the Lord is working in us, we have to leave all kinds of bad habits and seek for a good field. When we do this, we will be blessed with fruit in different areas of our life. It is necessary to bring in the first fruits of all such produce, whether spiritual, material or physical. It is only then that we can celebrate Harvest in a good field with the Lord. Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field; which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Today, the Lord is quickly coming to our field to celebrate the Harvest feast with us. Are we ready to invite our Living God to celebrate with Him? And do we have the suitable fruit to offer him during the Harvest? — Jaykanth Victor |
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TESTIMONIES Fasting Prayer Testimonies During the last fasting prayer in our church, I had kept a prayer request for my eldest son Shankar to get a permanent job, because he was just a temporary employee at his current job. Because of our Pastor Saroja’s constant prayer for our family and with our Lord’s grace, my son now got a permanent job. We give all the praise and glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Bharti Mohite Kalina, 10-09-05 During the 2nd Saturday fasting prayer, right from the beginning, I was feeling like vomiting. Actually, a day before this, I had prayed to my Lord to remove all the bad and evil thoughts which were coming in my mind for the past few months. So, after fasting prayer, I prayed and drank the prayer oil and later that night, I vomited. I sensed as though my Lord removed all the evil out of me. Honestly, I felt free from all the evil oppression and thoughts. Since the last few days, I have been feeling very good and relaxed. I thank and give praise only to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Ravi Kumar Singh Kalina, 15-07-05 The Lord’s Heals During Sunday Church Service Last Friday, my lower back on the left side was paining severely. The pain extended even on my left knee up to my feet. I used to feel severe pain while sitting or standing up. During the Sunday service, while Pastor Saroja was sharing the word, I could feel someone touching my lower back on the exact some spot. I turned back, but it was not a human touch. I could feel a warm tingling feeling. After that my pain has totally vanished. I give all glory to God for His healing touch. I thank Pastor for her prayers. Rexy Mathew Mira Road, 27-08-05 Healing Service Testimonies For two continuous weeks I was having severe headache. On Saturday during the last prayer in the healing service, the Lord touched my head through Pastor Saroja and from that moment itself my headache completely disappeared. I thank my Lord for healing me and I also thank Pastor for her fervent prayers. Sushila Pilley Jogeshwari, 21-08-05 I was having swelling all over my body and all my joints were paining. During Saturday healing service Pastor Saroja prayed for me. After prayer, immediately, my pain disappeared and swelling vanished. I give all glory to my Lord Jesus who healed me and I thank Pastor for her love and faithful prayers. Ruby Patel Kalina, 06-08-05 Healed by Prayer Oil The last Monday, I had terrible pain in my left leg. On Wednesday I applied the prayer oil and after an hour my leg pain completely vanished. I thank my Lord for healing me through His blessed oil. Paranjyothi Jayaseelan Jogeshwari, 06-05-05 I secured a deep cut in my leg by a piece of glass while cleaning the house. I applied prayer oil on it. I thank the Lord for wonderfully healing my leg without any other medication. Sharlet Salins Kalina, 06-08-05 The Lord Removes All Fear Recently when my little daughter Yogini was standing at the railway station, she saw an accident and was frightened. Since that day she was not keeping well. She was very afraid and would speak in night, while sleeping. I called Pastor Saroja and told her the matter. She prayed for my daughter and from that day onwards my daughter started feeling better. I thank our Pastor and give all the praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Yeshawant Palbhatkar Bhayender, 10-09-05 Heavy Rain in Mumbai and Flood On Tuesday 26th July 2005, due to heavy rain and flooding, water entered into our house. It was night time and the Lord provided shelter for my family. Likewise the next day there was a rumour of flood due to a tidal wave or a dam breaking. People were running here and there for their lives, whereas I took my family and reached our church at the earliest. Pastor was very happy to welcome us and was glad that we came to church. I, along with my family want to thank Lord Jesus for protecting our lives. We would also like to thank Pastor Saroja for the help and support provided during this time. Cleavon Salins Kalina, 06-08-05 On 26th July our dear Lord saved me and my family from the heavy rain. The houses of both my neighbours were filled with water. Miraculously there was no water in my house. I thank my Lord that He didn’t allow the rain water to enter my house. I thank Pastor Saroja for praying for all our church members to the Lord Jesus who saved all of us. Paranjyothi Jayaseelan Jogeshwari, 06-05-05 The Lord Did What The Doctor Couldn’t Do My child Deepa had lost her appetite and was not able to eat anything. We consulted the Doctor and all reports were normal. We were very much worried concerning Deepa because she became very weak and was not able to go to school. We requested Pastor Saroja to pray for her. With her kind prayers and the grace of the Lord Jesus now Deepa is much better and could go to school. We give all glory and honour to our Living Lord Jesus for this wonder work in our life. A billion thanks to Pastor for her whole hearted prayers for our family from time to time. Jyothi N. Sadarangani Andheri, 09-08-05 The Lord Gives Success in Exams I had appeared for my TYBcom exam this March. I had asked Pastor Saroja to keep this in prayers. I have passed my exams with first class marks; i.e. 61.54%. This has only become possible with the prayers of Pastor. I thank Lord for hearing their children’s prayers and enabling me to pass my exams and also thank Pastor for her prayers. Benedict Thomas Mira Road, 09-07-05 The Lord Gives Admission in a Good College After passing my SSC with a good percentage, I asked Pastor Saroja for her advice for my future career. She told me to pursue the Commerce stream and advised me to take admission in N.M. College in Vile Parle which is one of the best colleges for commerce. She assured me that I would certainly get admission there and I just had to wait on the Lord. There was a tough competition for admissions there but I applied in faith. The first and second merit list appeared, but I couldn’t reach this list for the shortage of just two marks. But Pastor encouraged me that the Lord is testing us to see our faith and I was strengthened by her words. When the third merit list appeared, the Lord honoured His daughter’s words and answered her prayers and my name appeared in the third list of the college and I got admission. The Lord taught me that only through His grace I could get admission and not by my might or strength. I give all the glory and honour to my Lord Jesus Christ for enabling me to get admission. And I sincerely thank Pastor Saroja for her tearful prayers and constant guidance for me to get admission. Evangela Roberts Vakola, 09-07-05
The Lord Answers Prayer Through Phone Two months back my daughter’s father-in-law went to our native place and suddenly he fell seriously sick. My son-in-law called me up and told me about his daddy’s illness. Immediately I told this matter to our dear Pastor Saroja and she assured me that she would pray. Within 15 days, my daughter’s father-in-law was healed and was able to return to Mumbai in good health. I thank Lord Jesus for His miraculous touch and also hearing His anointed daughter’s prayers. I also thank Pastor for her faithful prayers. RamjiSingh Kushwa Jogeshwari, 14-08-05 My name is Sunayana, My father had been operated for cancer on 1st November 1999 and was also suffering from Liver Cirrhosis. After 6 years he develop some complications and the doctor suscepted it to be a Cancer. I had called Pastor Saroj for the same. Now he is perfectly fine and every thing is under control. I thank GOD. Sunayana Mumbai, 20-09-05 Rose of Sharon Old Age Home Before I came to the Rose of Sharon Old Age Home. I had a severe problem to get regular motions. I would get motions only after I took two Dulcolax tablets everyday. After coming here the tablets had been reduced and now it has been completely stopped. Now I am getting motions regularly or at the least every two days and I am greatly relieved and thankful to the Lord Jesus for blessing me in this manner. I also recall the day I had come to the home when I was extremely restless and unable to sit or stand. Pastor Saroja was informed about this and after applying the prayer oil I became extremely calm. I thank the Lord Jesus for His blessings upon my life. I believe that after giving this testimony He will bless me even more. I thank Pastor Saroja for her prayers for me which has brought about change in my life. Bro. Rao, Rose of Sharon, Mangalore, 30-6-05 My daughter Jerreline who is 8 years old was suffering from high fever for a couple of days. She also developed some strange rash on her neck. There was no sign of the fever coming down even after medication. We were very worried. On the second day we requested for prayer at the Rose of Sharon. After which miraculously the fever subsided and my daughter felt so much better. The next day the rash also disappeared. This is nothing but the Hand of the Almighty God. There is great power in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Lord for healing my child. David Ponraj Kavalkinaru, TN, 17-09-2005 For the last few years we were financially suffering very much. The festival of harvest (called Onam) is celebrated by all in Kerala, even the poor celebrate this festival. Last year during this festival we did not have food to eat and we were very sad about this. One of our Christian friend came to our house and invited us to their home and so that night we had dinner at their house. But this year due to the grace of God and the constant prayers of Pastor Saroja and the members of Rose of Sharon we are able to celebrate in a grand way and we were also blessed with new dresses. We give all the glory, honour and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ who has always been doing wonders in our life and also thank Pastor Saroja for her sincere prayers. Bro, Venu and family Mangalore |
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"Here I am Lord..... Looking Ahead" As we celebrate ‘Harvest’ festival soon, we lift up our hearts to our Almighty God in thanksgiving for his bountiful rains and abundance of grains this season. What we do look forward to in the new season..... of course, his renewed blessings, grace, mercy, kindness, love, care, protection for all our loves ones and ourselves. Indeed, if we look back at the recent deluge in Mumbai during July and also more recently the Hurricane Katrina in the US during September, both were nightmares. Thousands of people rendered homeless having lost every little thing they had. Family, loved ones, belongings, business and the fullness of life they enjoyed..... has just gone in a jiffy. As difficult as it may appear, the answer to all above has only one alternative.....’Look to God with hope, in faith believing that only HE can restore to us a new life and bring it on track once again". Same is the case with our spiritual lives, we may have back slided, turned to unrighteous/sinful ways. We believe ‘U’ turn is impossible now, we have gone too far away..... But, God had made it very clear through his scriptures that we can enter into a new life as His children and start a fresh new way of living Phil 3:13 says "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead" is of absolute importance when we have to start our renewed life with God. Do we learn from the past? Hopefully Are we affected by the past? Of course Must we be bound by the past? Absolutely not Now, we are dealing with the aftermath of the natural calamities, losses are being calculated, lives are being rebuilt, prices of essential commodities soaring, cases of water borne diseases rising. So, how do we survive these storms? Where can we go? Where is our hope..... Our hope is built on nothing less than our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, who is the solid rock we stand upon. Psalms 61: 1,2 says " Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I" However, if the past was a disaster, we must leave it behind and seek to move further. Looking forward to a new future..... makes us exercise the power of Faith, the power of Hope , the power of God in our life. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we at Rose of Sharon are blessed. During this year, God has graciously added one more Old Age Home at Mira Road. Each member has been abundantly blessed according to His will and plan. Our children have been protected from all ills of life, have secured admissions in good schools and colleges, new jobs...etc. Our good Lord, has continued to bless His shepherd, our Pastor Saroja, with immense wisdom and understanding and heavenly revelations which she in turn through the divine teachings imparts to us, blesses, counsels and corrects us. God is Good all the time and All the time God is Good. We are indeed privileged to receive this spiritual manna. Our heartfelt thanks to Pastor for her constant guidance, love and support through her prayers and thus keeping us rooted in this ministry, while the weak in faith have been uprooted. All He wants, is our heart and our faithfulness. Today, God is looking to us to be conduits of his blessings and grace..... so let us try to serve him in whichever possible way according to His mighty will and plan..... Let us together in one accord say "Here I am Lord ..... Looking Ahead". |
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God with us - Message by Pastor Saroja The promise of Joshua There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Joshua 1:5 God is giving this promise to Joshua that He will be with him. The promise to the disciples Since the beginning, if we read the Old Testament of the Bible, we see that the Lord is giving a similar promise to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. In the New Testament, He is giving the promise to His disciples. Let us read Mathew 28:20, Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. This promise that He gave to His chosen disciples is similar to what God gave Joshua in the Old Testament. We know that in this world all the people are not trust worthy. No matter what some may promise, they quickly turn from their promises. The people change very soon. But our great God is not so. Once He gives a promise, His promise is sure and established. He will certainly fulfil it. Let us read Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Though all the people in this world may change our beloved Jesus Christ will never change. The same promise to us today Just as the Lord gave the promise of His presence to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua and His disciples, today He has also given us the promise of His presence. We can see what this promise is in Mathew 1:23; Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. What is the name of our Saviour? -GOD WITH US. The same God who promised Joshua that He would be with Him, promises us through Jesus Christ that He will be with us. When we accept Jesus Christ, He comes and dwells with us. Hallelujah! The zeal of Joshua Now we see that Joshua was always with Moses. It is after Moses dies that God is giving Him the promise. But if you read the Bible carefully you will learn that even as a youth, Joshua was close to Moses. He was always serving Moses in everything. If there would be any errand for Moses, Joshua would run to do it diligently. He would always abide with Moses. That is why the same blessing of God’s presence came upon Joshua. An Illustration There is a saying that if you keep twig of any wild tree next to a sandal wood stick, that twig will automatically give the fragrance of the sandal wood. Many years back, before I came to the Lord, I had a garland of sandal wood which I always kept in my wardrobe. Whenever I open the wardrobe, any time of the day or night, I would always get that sweet fragrance, above every other perfume. When I accepted Jesus Christ, I threw that garland away. Today, I have the fragrance of the Lord Jesus Christ in my life. Similarly, when we abide with the Lord, we become carriers of the fragrance and blessing of the Almighty God. However, many a time we are hindered by the enemy, the devil. Some where or the other he tries to obstruct us from abiding with the Lord. Whenever we want to be together with God’s chosen people, or to get together and pray or sing, he is always trying to hinder and break such gatherings. He is never happy when we come together. Joshua always abode with Moses Now Joshua was always with Moses. He was always abiding with Moses in every work.. That is the reason God chose Joshua after Moses. If you read Exodus 33:11; And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. Here we see that when God is speaking to Moses in the tabernacle, Joshua was always waiting outside for Moses and then remained in the tabernacle. He was longing to meet Moses after God had spoken to him. Joshua would have been thirsty to know what the Lord has revealed to Moses. We read in this verse that Joshua was a servant to Moses and not only that, he was also a youth. We know that normally the youth are always very active and sensitive to the world. But we see that this youth Joshua was always thirsty to be with Moses rather than to be in the camp of the Israelites, to serve him and to know what the Lord will speak from his mouth. Joshua would always be waiting to know what the commandment of the Lord is concerning the people of Israel, so that he could obey it. That is the reason the Lord knew that Joshua would be a suitable man to lead the people after Moses. God knew that he was diligent about the matters of God and the people of Israel. That is the reason God gives him the promise. Let us read that verse again, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Joshua 1:5 We see that God was with Joshua and used him in a mighty way. In the same way, today if we need to see the working of God in our lives, if we want to see His mighty Hand working in a certain situation in our life, it is necessary that we must abide with Him. Let us abide in God. We never know whom the Lord can lift up for His work. Earlier, when the Lord came into my life, I never knew that I would preach one day. I never dreamt that I would be a Pastor. I never had it in mind that God would use me to build these Old Age Homes. But there was one thing that I diligently did; I always tried my best to abide in the Lord. For the love of this congregation, I would come for prayers to this church. It was not only during the evening prayer time that I would come. That was for 30 minutes only. But whenever the Lord would put in my heart that desire, I would always be ready for prayers. We would sit down and pray for hours together. The Lord sees all these things. So we must remember that the Lord can use anyone of us. There is nothing too hard for the Lord. He looks at our heart, our diligence and our love and then He blesses us accordingly. There were many great people of God in the church at that time. Many were believers in the Lord for decades. Some were very good in praying to the Lord. Some led the worship so wonderfully. But the Lord is searching for people who have that great thirst and diligence for God. Whenever we come to the church services or prayer meetings, we must come with a great thirst. It should not be out of custom or force that we should attend the services. Our great thirst should be toward the Lord our God. Yes, a love and a thirst for God. The zeal of Elisha Now we will see in the life of Elisha the prophet. We know what happened when God took away Elijah, the great leader of the prophets from the earth. Elisha was also always in an abiding relationship with Elijah his master. He never left him. Elisha was always thirsting for God’s presence. And we know that after God took away Elijah, his servant Elisha was filled with a double anointing of Elijah and he became the leader of the prophets. Let us read 2 Kings 2:1-15; And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send Just consider, not once, not twice, not even the third time did Elisha leave Elijah alone. Elijah said that he was going to the other side of Jordan. But look at Elisha how he replies. He swears by the life of God and Elijah that he will not leave him. Just look at his love, his thirst, his zeal. All the three times, Elisha abode close to his master. After that we read that Elijah struck the Jordan with his mantle and divided it. And after hearing Elisha’s desire for a double portion, Elijah gives a condition that only if he sees him go to heaven, he will have that double portion because it was a difficult thing that he asked. But in no way did Elisha feel discouraged; he kept himself close to his master. We see that Elisha beholds how Elijah is taken up. Elisha picks up the fallen mantle. Now with a great heart of repentance and zeal we see he is doing the same work that his master Elijah had done. He strikes the mantle and divides the Jordan. The same miracle! The river Jordan is divided. Similarly, it is not easy to get the unique gifts and the blessings of God. In every situation, we must stick close to God. We should keep His Word. This is not possible by lip service only. We should follow the Lord with our heart. We see in the lives of Joshua and Elisha that they thirsted for God from the heart. This is the reason after some time; God gave them this blessing in their life. Jacob the worm Let us read what the same God is telling us today in Isaiah 41:15,14; Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. What is the Word God is giving us today? Jacob thought himself like a worm. He knew that he could do nothing with his own wisdom and strength. But God is encouraging him, saying that though he thinks himself as of a worm, but God will make him a mighty instrument to thresh mountains. Hallelujah! Just like the Lord spoke to Joshua, Elisha and his disciples, God is encouraging Jacob. Today to get such blessings from our Lord, we must love and abide in him. God will give us perfect peace. Read Isaiah 26:3; Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. If one does not have love, one cannot walk in faith. It was the love in the hearts of Joshua and Elisha that they did not leave their masters. When we love and have faith in God we can never fall. We can expect great things from God. David the worm Now let us see what David says; Psalms 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. We see that David thinks himself as a worm, but the Lord gave him victory over every situation in his life. He won the victory over Goliath, over Saul and also the Philistines. Why was this victory in his life? It is because David was a man after God’s own heart. He loved God dearly and stuck close to Him. He abided in Him In the same way, we too can get these great blessings when we abide in God. We should never depend on our own wisdom, our qualification or our own strength. We must think ourselves to be like a useless worm. If today God takes away the breath from our nostrils, by tomorrow this time, we will have worms eating our flesh. It is very necessary to love and have faith on our God. It is then that He will give us victory in every situation. Today, we might think we have no strength or wisdom, but it is at this time that God will make us stand and He will work for us, provided we love and have faith in him. Let us read Isaiah 26:3 again, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Our mind should always be toward the Lord, our diligence, our thirst and zeal should be directed toward the Lord and we will have perfect peace. How the Lord was with Joshua, Elisha, Jacob and David, He will be with us today and work mighty things through us. Paul, the filth of the world Let us read 1 Corinthians 4:13, Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. What is Paul saying? He says that this world looks at him as the filth of the world. Just like Jacob and David look at themselves as worms, so Paul considers himself as the offscouring of all things. But we see how mightily God used this man. How many precious epistles that he has written are included in the Holy Bible. How many churches he had established. Today too we must consider ourselves nothing, but totally love and thirst for the Living God and for His Word; it is then that we shall be something. Consider the lives of these people, how they longed for God. That was the reason the presence of God was with them and worked through them mightily. He can do the same in our lives today. Hallelujah! — Pastor Saroja |
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Jesus in the Family Happy, Happy Home Jesus in the family = Happy, Happy Home… so the famous song goes ! Family In the worldly sense, the family consists of the Head of the family + the family members. The Head of the family normally signifies the bread-winner & decision maker which in normal cases would point to either the Father, Mother, Husband or Wife of the family. In a Christian family, Jesus takes the place as the Head of the Family & the entire family become the members. Romans 12:05 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Jesus – A Blessing in the Family As the Head of the Family, Jesus is our provider, our helper, our deliverer and our source of immeasurable blessings… Deuteronomy 28: 05-06 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. Jesus Overcomes all Challenges As any other worldly family, we may have the same, if not more, trials and tribulations in this world. Yet, we can be rest assured that Jesus will help us tackle all of these. John 16:33 These things I have spoken to 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. Today you may be
facing different types of problems ranging from financial worries, finding
a home, job related problems, sickness, problems between married couples,
disobedient children, etc. and Our worldly parents can only help us to a certain extent, but our heavenly Father’s grace knows no bounds. Ephesians 03:20 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. As Christians, we will always have one enemy who will constantly attack us. The above-mentioned problems are frequently master-minded by satan himself and if we do not have the Prince of Peace – Jesus Christ in our midst, we will fall easily. However, the wonderful blessing of having Jesus in our family is that he gives us the grace to withstand & overcome every evil plan of satan. Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise satan under your feet shortly Establish Jesus as the Head of your Family We must work towards establishing the Lord’s presence in our lives. This is not a complicated task and just requires our commitment to love & obey Jesus Christ. John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. Acknowledge Jesus as the Head of your Family Having now accepted Christ in our midst, we must never be ashamed to proclaim Jesus as the head of our family. If we try to keep this fact a secret, it means that we are embarrassed to admit this to others and that will spell doom and destruction for us eventually. We must loudly proclaim his presence in our lives as the "Master of our Ship" & the "Head of our Family" Mark 08:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. The power of family prayer As a Christian family, when we pray together we have the advantage and assurance that Jesus – The head of our family, will hear and answer all our prayers. Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Having Jesus as our head definitely gives us an edge as we become His chosen people. Jesus wants to answer our prayers and grant us our hearts desires, according to His will. As His chosen few, we are privileged to be at the receiving end of His constant grace and blessings. John 15:07 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. Jesus constantly intercedes for us with our Father in heaven and that is why if we have Jesus in our family, our prayers will reach our Father in heaven quickly as our Lord Jesus will himself plead our cause with our Abba Father. A living testimony Just proclaiming our Christianity is never enough… we must live it! People of this world must see our Lord Jesus in our every action and thoughts. For this we must live a holy and righteous life in our homes, workplaces, schools & colleges, etc., so that the world may see and glorify the Lord that we worship. Deuteronomy 28: 10 And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord and they shall be afraid of thee. — Sandra Daniels |
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Testimonies of a Living Church It’s a wonderful privilege to be a part of the Living Church of Jesus Christ at Rose of Sharon. All of us in the Rose of Sharon church and the Rose of Sharon ministries are wonderfully blessed to be a part of this plan of God. What began as an assurance by Pastor Saroja to a member in the Church that the Lord would provide a shelter for his old mother has become a testimony for the Glory of God. In just a span of few years, three Old age homes have been established in three different states of India and are serving the old, needy and destitute people according to the perfect plan of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is working wonderfully and miraculously through His anointed servant Pastor Saroja to fulfill his wonderful plan. It would be totally impossible by a human being, to be able to establish three old age homes in quick succession one after the other, first in May 2002, second in October 2004 and third in Sept 2005, unless it was led by the Holy Spirit of God. This is truly the will of God working through Pastor Saroja according to the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus says in the scriptures "Anyone who believes in Him will do all that He has done and will do even greater works than what He has done because He is going to the Father in heaven." If we walk according to His will and plan, we can be one with Him in all His works. We are hearing every Saturday the wonderful testimonies that are declaring the mighty works done in the lives of many different people across, denominations and the prayers answered by Lord Jesus Christ for the Glory of God in our Rose of Sharon Church. The Lord is blessing the works that is done by Pastor Saroja because of her faith and trust in the One and only true Living God, Jesus Christ. When the Rose of Sharon Old age home was established in Mira Road this year, the first resident to the home was again by the will of God, Pastor Saroja had decided since the beginning that only whom the Lord wills to bring to the Old age home, she would take in the home. The first resident, in Rose of Sharon, Mira Road, an elderly gentleman whose both legs were amputated below the knee, was accepted in the home through prayers and according to the word of the Lord that came to her from the Lord. Pastor remembered the words of the Lord, "I came to you as a lame man and you did not take me…………." These words led Pastor to accept the elderly gentleman into the Old age home, who needs assistance and care 24 hours of the day. The Lord is the Good Samaritan who is bringing all His chosen people whom He loves into the Old age home to be taken care of till His second coming again. We have the wonderful privilege and opportunity to serve the people whom God has brought into the Old age home. We have to serve the Lord faithfully and take care of His people till He comes. The Lord will leave and entrust His people with those whom He trusts and He knows who will take good care of His people. We have to work hard towards becoming one whom the Lord will trust and give the responsibility to take care of His people. We have to surrender ourselves completely to the will of God and be one with His Holy Spirit and the word of God. When we do so, our Lord will enable us to be worthy to do His work. — Rexy Mathew |
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Rose of Sharon Old Age Home, Mangalore It was on a cold winter morning, in the month of December that Radha aji came to the home. On that day less than two years back, she was literally carried into the home from the Railway station. Aged about 83 years, and having suffered a paralytic stroke on the right side of her body. She was not able to get up from the bed without support nor was she able to move around on her own. Without her knowledge saliva would drip from her mouth and this would increase during the intake of food. Such was her condition when she came to the home. Now there has been a great change in her physical condition. The dripping of saliva has stopped, She is able to move around with little support. The right side of her body has greatly improved in functionality.. Occasionally she is able to separate garlic cloves and also use her right hand effectively to plat pieces of cloth which is later on used to make cotton floor rugs. Of late this is her morning schedule as she sits by the window side overlooking the road and exercising her hand. Ask her who has mad e her well, and she will reply, Yeshu. Then there is Ebenezer Uncle who is always waiting for the evening prayer. He is ready much before time and just waits to come for the family prayer. And on most of the occasions he has a song or two in kannada/tulu to be sung in the evening family prayer. It is really thrilling to see him at his age with no less zeal, than as one would go to church on Sunday. Ask him how he is and he never falters in saying ‘I am fine by the grace of God and by the prayers of Pastor Saroja’. Thus the day filled with activity ends in the evening family prayer, wherein we all gather together to worship the Lord, to read his Word and to pray to the Lord who answers prayer. This is our Almighty God, who does small things in all our lives which brings about great changes in our lives. The small things that the Lord does makes us to ponder and wonder, if there is anything that He cannot do. The Lord has blessed the availability of all things in this small town of Katipalla. This was in accordance with a dream that Pastor Saroja had in the year 2003. This was during the conception of the Old age home at Mangalore. In the dream was seen a flow of water and this water was flooded with the Lady fish (popularly know as Kane fish). This was symbolic to the blessing of God and His promise for divine providence. Truly the blessing of God has been in abundance in this place, not mentioning the natural availability of different kind of fish and fresh vegetables and all good things. In the Lords service nothing is monotonous. It is amazing to note that one does not get tired with repetitive work, but He gives the energy and the zeal to carry on His work tirelessly, day after day, month after month and year after year. The Lord has kept us all in good health all these years to do His work by His grace and the constant prayers and divine counsel of Pastor Saroja. — John Marsalin |
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Rose of Sharon Old Age Home, Tamil Nadu It has been a year full of peace and the presence of the Lord at the Old Age Home here in Kavalkinaru, Tamil Nadu. By the time this newsletter is released, it will be a whole year that this centre has completed. October 3rd, 2004 was a memorable day for all of us, as we set out to fulfil God’s plan and get accustomed to what He has kept for us in the days ahead. We have indeed experienced God’s immense mercies. First of all, this place has been a tremendous blessing to the old persons living here. They have adapted well to the atmosphere of an Old Age Home and accepted this as their own home. Literally, they have no other place to think of, except heaven. Everyday has its new surprises and joys in this beautiful place. Especially, the rainy season here makes this place look so picturesque and beautiful. When we look at the back yard full of greenery and far behind the huge majestic mountains that cover the horizon, and the clouds above the mountain top and the occasional rainbow of God, we feel as though we are in some enchanting hill station. The air is extremely healthy for the old folk; as a result they barely fall sick. God is truly gracious to place His children in a perfect spot like this. This time we have an interview with old resident here whose name is Mary. She is around 62 years of age and comes from a village called Vallanad in Tirunelveli. 1. Mary paati, how long is it that you have been staying here? It has been more than seven months now. 2. Are you happy here? Yes I am. Initially, I felt a little different in this new sur-rounding, but now everything is very comfortable. 3. How do you spend your time in this Old Age Home? Oh! There are lots of things to do here. I love to read the Bible and pray whenever I can. I sing songs and praise God. I watch the news and I also love to watch the Bible movies that they play in the TV here at the Home. I enjoy cooking, so I help around sometimes to cut vegetables and clean the rice. I also occasionally spend some quiet moments reading the Bible under the cool shade of the trees in the backyard. 4. What are the things that you look forward to here? Every week I wait for Saturday to arrive. That is when they have the weekly prayer meeting. It indeed adds strength to me spiritually. I love to join everyone in singing the beautiful songs. It brings me great peace. 5. What are the best times you have experienced in this place? The best time I am experiencing is now, the rainy season. It is so wonderful here during this time. There is greenery all around. I have a special liking to gardening. Earlier, I have done a lot of gardening. Here already there are some vegetables growing and I am looking forward to plant and grow many more like, leafy vegetables, lady fingers, brinjals and so on. 6. Do you like the way they take care of the old people? Yes. Everything is done very orderly. All meals come in time and everything is so clean here. 7. What differences have you experienced after coming here? I was so full of worry when I came here. I would always be anxious in my heart. But now most of my worries have disappeared and every passing day I feel better mentally. There is a lot of peace because of the presence of God here. 8. Thank you Mary paati for answering our questions patiently. No problem. Thank you. We sincerely thank God for His great grace by using Pastor Saroja to set up this Old Age Home. When we hear these testimonies from the old people living here, it certainly brings a sense of satisfaction. Let me add something important about the rains and the water supply here. We are prominently seeing the Hand of God working, just as Pastor Saroja foretold. Our milkman who is about 40 years says that since he was a child he hasn’t seen it rain heavily in the July month (Aadi season). This year the people were taken by surprise when it started raining heavily for a couple of weeks. The actual rainy season here starts in the first week of October. Again, surprisingly, the rains have already begun since the first week of September which is a month earlier than schedule. We can conclude this only as the working of God. Whereas as water supply is concerned, it is an extremely precious commodity for this village, since all of them have to purchase water from water tankers. There is no water in their wells or bore well pumps. Miraculously, the bore well pump in our Old Age Home has never ceased to give abundant sweet drinking water since its inception until this day. The villagers on hearing this fact conclude that this is nothing but the blessing of God for us. And surely so we agree that our faithful God has never left our hands. All glory to Him. May our good Lord add another year of great peace and contentment to every old person living in this house of God. — Roshan Salins |
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