Praise the Lord dear brothers and sisters in Christ. December is the last and most wonderful month of the year, for in this month our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST came into this world in human form, to save all mankind from their sins and to give salvation to all those who believe in HIM!

Here’s wishing all my readers a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS and A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. May this prosperity be in abundance, not only financially, but even spiritually.

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

In our daily lives, in so many ways, either knowingly or unknowingly we end up doing something which is not right in the sight of our God. Hence, it is imperative that every day we go to our Lord with this humble prayer. There will be many barriers and hindrances which will not allow us to do so, yet we must go down on our knees and pray so that every day we are renewed in body, mind, and soul.

Proverbs 23:26 “My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways.” David was very close to God from his childhood. He was a simple shepherd, but God lifted him and made him the King of Israel. During his tenure as the King, once, during a time of war, he chose to stay back and hence fell into sin. After committing sin and receiving punishment from God’s hands, David knew that the only way he could survive was by submitting himself to the Lord’s feet, and that is exactly what he did. Our God who is forgiving pardoned David of all his sins and lifted him once again. Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Our trust should be in God, who sees and knows of all our good works that we do or do not do, and He will reward us in His time. Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Our God is a gracious God who will come again in His Second Coming, this time to take us to His Heavenly Kingdom. As we enter the New Year, we need to pray to God to keep us in His righteous ways and to prepare us for His Second Coming, to reach His heavenly kingdom.

Till we meet again, next year.

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord! I had symptoms of viral fever on a Friday, but I neglected it. The next day on Saturday, the fever increased quite a bit, and since I wanted to attend the Saturday Service, I rang Pastor Saroja and told her of the matter. Pastor advised me of a few things I should do and assured me of her prayers. By God’s grace, the fever subsided by evening, and I was able to attend the Saturday Service. I give all glory to Lord Jesus for healing me and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me.

Bro. Hardik Patel, Thane, Maharashtra

Praise the Lord. Our building was to go for redevelopment. The process for this began in 2015, and at that time I had requested Pastor Saroja to keep this matter in her prayers. The Society selected one builder, post going through his proposal. After several meetings over the years between the builder, his representatives, and the society members, the agreement and the proposal were taken ahead. Finally, this year (2022), the Society received permission from the concerned authorities for redevelopment. We all were advised by the builder to vacate our flats along with our belongings and to look for rented houses. I had requested Pastor Saroja to keep this matter also in prayer. God, by His mercy and goodness, granted me a good flat on rent and helped me to shift with our household belongings smoothly and peacefully. I sincerely and earnestly thank Pastor for her kind concern and prayers for us always and for her counsel and advice. Thank You, Jesus.

Bro. Austin Roberts, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. My son Irwin had a high fever, which at first, we thought to be just a normal viral fever that would subside in 3 days. However, when a week passed by with no change, we were worried and told this matter to Pastor Saroja, especially as he was now having a cough along with the fever. By God’s grace and Pastor’s advice and fervent prayers, Irwin’s fever vanished. I give all glory to Lord Jesus for healing Irwin, and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her precious advice and fervent prayers.

Sis. Esther Patel, Thane, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord! While boarding a local train, my wallet slipped from my hand on the platform. Our God is so good, and He keeps a watch, not only on us but also on every belonging of ours. A lady noticed the wallet falling and picked it up (without knowing whose it was), and came all the way near my seat in the crowded train and asked me and my fellow passengers whose it was. When I said it was mine, the ladies next to me marvelled that I had got back my wallet amidst such a crowd, that too with all my money and cards in it, intact and safe.

I give thanks and all glory to my dear Lord Jesus for His great mercies and for taking care of me and my belongings every day. I also sincerely thank Pastor Saroja who fervently prays for me daily. Thank You, Jesus.

Sis. Evangela Roberts, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord! My name is Kailash Damodar. For nearly two weeks I was unable to sleep. I would wake up to the sounds of chattering and someone walking with anklets in my house at around 2:30 – 3:00 am in the night.

I would then remain very scared and disturbed, and would not be able to sleep till the morning.

One of my relatives shared the Rose of Sharon Church prayer line number. I called for prayers, and all thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ – from that day on, all the disturbing noises stopped, and I could sleep peacefully from then on. Thank You, Jesus. Thank you, Rose of Sharon Team for praying for me.

Bro. Kailash Damodar Rokade, Thane, Maharashtra. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

 

Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he punished his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had used up the family’s only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.

As money was tight, he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve he saw that the child had used all of the expensive gold paper to decorate one shoe-box she had put under the Christmas tree. He also was concerned about where she had gotten the money to buy what was in the shoe-box.

Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, “This is for you, Daddy!”

As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her.

But when he opened the shoe-box, he found it was empty and again his anger flared.

“Don’t you know, young lady,” he said harshly, “when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside the package!”

The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling down from her eyes… She whispered, “Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was full

The father was crushed.He fell to his knees, and, hugging his daughter, he begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.

Each of us has been given an invisible golden box filled with unconditional love from God through His Son, JESUS CHRIST, who is the best gift mankind could ever receive!

This Christmas season, let us learn to value that love, and help spread the Good News about the love that God the Father has shown us through His only son, JESUS!

Mark 7:26 “The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.” A Syrophoenician is an inhabitant of Phoenicia (when it was part of the Roman province of Syria), a country besides Israel. Jesus Christ performed many miracles in Galilee, Israel. This Greek woman had heard a lot about Jesus Christ and the miracles He performed. She believed in Jesus and His miracles, and brought her daughter to Him for healing. She fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to deliver her daughter from an evil bondage. In the Bible, this lady’s name is not recorded, and she is amongst the unknown people in the Bible. With her belief and faith in Jesus Christ, her sole desire was that her daughter must get deliverance from the bondage of the devil.

Even today, there are many people in this world who want only prayers for deliverance and for prosperity. They do not want a Church, nor do they want to become a practising believer. In their heart, their only desire is to seek prosperity and deliverance from their problems. In the world, people hear that there are ‘Hallelujah groups’ working to deliver and heal people. In Gujarat, there was a lady who was paralyzed and bedridden. When she met us, she said that people in her village had told her that that only a ‘Hallelujah group’ could heal her. Similarly, this Greek woman had also heard that Jesus Christ was a healer and that He was healing the broken-hearted and setting the captives free. She heard that He was making the lame to walk again, and the blind to see. This news spread like wild-fire to neighbouring countries. So, the Greek woman, from a neighbouring country came to meet Jesus Christ, keen that her daughter be healed and freed from the evil bondage. Even today, these types of people who desire only physical healing, do exist.

Our lives should not be like this, where we only desire physical healing. Rather, desire to be righteous to the core, so that our prayers be heard by God. We must desire that the Lord God know us by name, rather than to be unknown as this Greek woman. We have all accepted the Lord and been baptized in His Name; we have abided by His law, and we partake in His Holy Communion regularly.

We are all saved by Jesus’ blood alone. He has the ‘Book of Life’ in His hands, wherein only He may write our names in this Book. God has chosen some of us in our mother’s womb, others He has known even before their birth. Thus, many are called even before their birth, and God knows us by our names; hence we have to become prayer warriors for the Lord, rather than simply following prophets and healers for our physical healing.

Many people give their prayer requests to the Pastor, while their own hearts are far away from the Lord, enjoying their lives in the ways of this world. Our lives must not be like this, and we must strengthen our lives spiritually. Isaiah 35:3 “³Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.” You and me should become ‘prayer warriors’ for others, we should be able to counsel people whenever required, and we should be able to comfort them when they are in pain and sorrow. Do not become like the unknown Greek woman who came searching for God, only for her daughter’s healing. We must be able to pray for others, share God’s great doings in our lives to others, and be able to strengthen the weak and needy, thus becoming a blessing for others.

In the Bible, we see that while many rich people’s names are mentioned, there are some whose names are not mentioned. Luke 16:19 “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.” This rich man had five brothers. In the Bible, none of their names are recorded. The rich man, after he died and was cast into the lake of fire, cried out for help to ‘Father Abraham.’ Through this we understand that he knew of the Lord, and of God’s love for mankind. In this world, the Rich Man lived a lavishly rich life, lacking nothing. Even today, there are many who live rich lives, never bothering about others or even sharing their faith with others. Such people’s names are not recorded in the Book of Life. This Rich Man, while he lived, did not care for poor Lazarus, who was dying at his doorstep. Instead, he was busy enjoying his own life with his family, not tending to others in need. Hence his name was not entered in the Holy Scriptures nor in the Book of Life. After his death, when he was cast into Hell’s Lake of fire to burn, he cried out to Abraham to save him.

Similarly, today, many of us are leading lives similar to this Rich Man. Rest assured, such people’s names will be deleted from the Book of Life. Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Our God gives us several chances to do good deeds, so that our names may be recorded in the Book of Life. Remember Lot’s wife? She was a wife of a righteous man. In the whole of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was the only righteous man, and his family was rescued by the Angel of God before God destroyed these cities. God does not desire a single righteous person to be destroyed. He sent His Angels to save Lot and his family, prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. But what happened to Lot’s wife? She heart remained with the wealth and worldly riches left behind. In spite of the Lord’s warning to not look back, she turned to look at the destruction of their worldly treasures, and was turned into a Pillar of Salt.

In the Holy Scriptures it is said ‘Remember Lot’s wife?’ Even the Lord does not want to remember her name! Her name has been deleted from the Book of Life. We too must be careful with our lives. Our lives must not be like the aforementioned Rich Man or Lot’s wife, whose names were deleted from the Book of Life. The Lord should always remember us.

Isaiah 35:3 “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.” Our Lord came to save and comfort the needy. He came on this earth to fulfill His Father’s work. We too must be like Jesus, doing good deeds in this world. You and I are chosen to glorify God’s name, and we are called to serve Him in this world. We are not called to simply enjoy ourselves and destroy our lives in this world. Proverbs 10:7 “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” The same God who wrote the name of ‘Lazarus the beggar’ in the Book of Life, did not record the Rich Man’s name in the Holy Scriptures, nor in the Book of Life. Always live a righteous life before God, for the memory of the just is blessed, while the name of the wicked shall perish. We are created by God; we need to fulfill God’s desires in our lives, not our own wicked desires. We must submit our lives into God’s hands, even as Lazarus did; then will our names be recorded in the Book of Life. Deuteronomy 29:20 “The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.” Our Lord God has the authority to purge any name from the Book of Life. He is the one who has given us life, and He alone has the authority to blot out our names from under the heavens. The Lord’s anger and jealousy falls on the unrighteous.

Our Lord has always shown His love and compassion for us. However, when we live our lives like the Rich Man in the parable, not bothered about others, and only worrying for self and family; at that time, God’s anger and jealousy will fall upon us, and our names will be destroyed from the face of this earth.

Why did God have such anger on the Rich Man? What did he do that displeased God? We know that when men are born, they are born in sin. David says in Psalm 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” All of us are conceived in sin and hence, born in sin.

What did this Rich Man do to bring upon himself the wrath of God? What happens after a man is born in sin, so that His name is subsequently erased from the Book of Life? 1 John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”

Firstly, it is unrighteousness that increases in our lives after our birth, which leads us into deeper sin.

Secondly, it is our lust that brings forth deeper sins. James 1:15 “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Lot’s wife lusted for worldly things hence she perished as a pillar of salt.

Thirdly, it is our doubt that takes us deeper into sin. Romans 14:23 “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Our disbelief takes us into deeper sin.

These are the reasons due to which our names may be blotted out from the Book of Life. We are born in sin, and sin keeps increasing in our lives through unrighteousness, lust, and disbelief. All these things combined, draw us into deeper sin. Apart from these, there is another principal sin which takes us into deeper sin. James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” He who can help others, yet does not help them, commits the greatest sin of all. The Rich Man did this when he did not care for poor Lazarus, though he could have helped him. Many of us are like this Rich Man. Even if we can, we do not help in furthering God’s service on this earth. This will be the top-most reason for our name being deleted from the Book of Life. When we are able to help others, we must, or else this becomes a noose around our necks which takes us into hell fire and deletes our names from the Book of Life. In our lives, God has shown us His love through His sufferings for our sake. He has taught us so many things in our lives, and shown us the way. He always comforted the sorrowful and those in pain, and He wants us to do the same to people in trouble. In different ways, God has shown us how to serve Him and please Him. But we have let sin increase in our lives, taking us deeper and deeper into sin. Thus, it is due to our 1) Unrighteousness 2) Lust of life 3) Doubt, and 4) Refusal to help (even when we can help), that we are taken into a deeper sin.

God’s children must never have a hard heart. Those who have experienced God’s love, those who are washed by His blood, those who have been delivered by His grace must never be hard-hearted. As a human, I too get tired as I run for the Lord and serve Him. With the constant travelling, preaching, and regular meetings I get tired; but what did God tell us in Isaiah 35:3? “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.” We must do our Father’s will on this earth. I can conduct only a Saturday and Sunday meeting and then relax. Why do I have to run so much, then? I do not do this to get a compliment from the mouth of people or to receive a pat on my back from them. Rather, I am ensuring my name be written in the Book of Life! My job is to spread the Word of God; so also, it is the responsibility of all of you to do the same. If we don’t spread God’s Word, then we will head into deeper sin; and in the final reckoning, we will be cast into the lake of fire – like the Rich Man. Hence, do not harden our hearts!

Proverbs 21:13 “Who so stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.” It is important to not harden our hearts. We know that at Galilee, when Jesus Christ preached for many days, He desired at the end of His preaching to feed the people as they would be weak and hungry. At that time, His disciples told Jesus that the multitude numbered 5000 men. They asked who would have so much food available, and how could they feed such a large flock? But there was a young boy who had five loaves and two fish, and he willingly and happily gave away his food to the disciples. How thoughtfully his mother must have packed this lunch for her young child, who wanted to go and hear Jesus’ preaching. Yet, when the disciples asked him for his food, without any hesitation he joyfully gave all his food to them.

Jesus blessed this food and fed a multitude of 5000 men. Our Lord Jesus is watching our hearts, and He wants our hearts to be like that of the young lad, viz. a giving heart. The Lord Jesus will never take anything from us, and make us lack for anything thereafter; instead, He always desires to bless us. Imagine the blessing that the little boy received for sharing his two fish and five loaves. We must all have a giving heart like this little boy, then we will be truly blessed.

I once visited a family in Chennai because they had some problems. They invited me to pray in their house. When we reached the home, there were children playing in their garden. We too had some children accompanying us, and since both families knew each other, the children ran ahead. I saw clearly that as soon as the visiting children ran enthusiastically towards the children of the family we were visiting, they started hiding their toys and putting them away. I was shocked to see the behaviour of these children. Imagine the heart those children had, of not wanting to share their toys with outsiders. God does not want us to have such a nature. I thought to myself, ‘how can there be any light in this family?’ Here I was, invited to pray for this family, but this incident disturbed me a lot, and it became a hindrance in my prayers for them. God is watching upon all of us, even if we may or may not perceive these small things. God neither slumbers nor sleeps!

John 6:9 “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” On the other hand, we see this boy, who at a tender age came to hear Jesus. How much he must have loved Jesus to came from afar to hear His Word! Even as Jesus blessed this little lad, so will He bless us too, if our heart is like this little lad. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Now we will see about a prophet’s family. 2 Kings 4:1 “Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.” The Bible does not record this Prophet’s name, nor that of his family members. But the Word says that the Prophet was a servant who feared the Lord. The Prophet Elisha instructed the widow to borrow and gather up all empty vessels from her neighbours and fill them with oil, till no more empty vessels remained. He told her to then sell the oil and pay off her debts, and with the remaining, live comfortably with her children. What was the reason for this blessing? Elisha was a man who feared God, and the fear of the Lord in our lives is important for us to receive God’s blessings. Psalm 115:13-14 “He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.”

Regardless of stature, those who fear the Lord will be blessed. The Prophet’s wife told Elisha that her husband had feared the Lord, hence she received God’s blessing in her family. The Bible does not record the names of anyone in this Prophet’s family, yet they received God’s immense blessings upon their lives.

Remember, everyone who fears the Lord God will be blessed. Psalm 128:1-6 “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.”

Even after several years of the prophet’s death, God blessed this prophets’ family through Elisha. 2 Kings 4:5-7 “So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.”

So also, in our lives, we do not know when we will need the grace of God. Never harden your hearts to the Lord’s work. We are all sinners and were all born in sin.

Do not allow your sins to increase in your life through 1) Unrighteousness 2) Lust of life 3) Doubt 4) Refusal to help others. All these 4 things together, take us into deeper sins in life.

Our Lord’s Hand of grace is upon each one of us. Neither by our might, nor by power can we do anything in our lives, except by God’s mighty Hand and grace upon us. With His blessings alone, can we conquer all, and gain victory in life.

May this message bless one and all. Praise the Lord!

Pastor Saroja M.

 

Praise the Lord dear readers!  On behalf of all Rose of Sharon Old Age Home residents, I, Sis. Asha would like to wish all of you a Very Happy Christmas and New Year.

We had two reasons for celebrations in the month of November at our Old Age Home, one being my birthday and the second being the third Anniversary of the Rose of Sharon Church, Kohinoor, Kurla.

Thanks to Pastor Saroja, I could celebrate my birthday by giving a birthday treat to all my brothers and sisters in my age home with wonderful Mayo sandwiches. We all enjoyed the same to our heart’s content. The Church Anniversary was celebrated by us getting to eat rich plum cakes. I am thankful to my Jesus for giving me so much love, joy, and peace in the Rose of Sharon Old Age Home, and especially for keeping me in good health.

 I pray, that I always remain faithful and never forget the love that my dear Lord JESUS and Sis. Saroja has been showering on me continuously for so many years.

Wishing all of you once again a very Happy and Blessed Christmas and New year!

Sis. Asha Salins

 

Praise the Lord! Time flies, and December, everyone’s favorite month of the year, especially for the kids, has arrived!

The past few months have been exciting, with several new learnings, wherein the children have spent their Sunday School sessions studying from the old and new Testaments of the Bible.

It has been a blessed year, during which the children have grown in the faith and love of our Almighty God, wherein they have learned to experience God’s acts and to testify His wondrous works in their lives.

With the advent of Christmas, the children are excited and gearing up for the upcoming Christmas program, practicing and participating in singing and dancing acts for Jesus’ birthday.

What a joy it is to celebrate the birthday of our Lord Jesus!

As we prepare to celebrate the beautiful season of Christmas, we wish all our readers a blessed and joyous Christmas.

Kids Corner