Praise the Lord, dear readers! I hope and pray that the past month has been a blessed one in each of your lives, and may it continue to be so, even as you abide under the shadow of our Almighty Father!

Isaiah 59:1 “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear.” Our salvation only comes from the mighty hand of God – There are no two ways.  At the very last minute, Jesus Christ saved the robber on the Cross and changed his life. If there had been a delay from the robber’s side, he would have gone to hell. But the robber realized that Jesus Christ was his only hope and if anyone could save him, it was only Jesus. He believed in his heart and accepted this truth on the Cross, and Jesus heard his cry and saved him immediately. This proves that even hell cannot fight against the verdict of Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 45:22 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” In today’s world, there is no guarantee of life as we do not know what will happen to us, in and around us. That, my dear ones, is a very scary thought! We must understand this and stay focused on our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who will be with us to take us safely to our Heavenly Kingdom. The Word of God clearly says time and again, that there is none other than Jesus to save us! Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Jesus desires that not a single soul be lost, and there is an assurance from Him directly, that whosoever praises and trusts in HIS name, will be saved.

What is God’s commandment for man?  Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”  Even today, many people do not know about JESUS, the living God. They do not know how to pray and ask anything from Him! God desires that all mankind should hear about JESUS and that they should not be destroyed. Hence, as true Christians, it is our duty today to take the Word of God and spread the good news among all people, that JESUS came into this world and died for our sins – that today, salvation can be received if ONLY we believe and trust in HIM!

Dear children, God does not prefer that we enjoy our lives in the ways of the world and live unfruitful lives; instead, He wants us to live a righteous life, a life that is fruitful, and of use to His service. Everything in this world will disappear in a blink of an eye, BUT when we trust and believe in JESUS, we will reach our Heavenly Kingdom!

Hence, spread the word about JESUS, and may you and your household be blessed!

Till we meet again,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord!! My name is Lenient Momin, and I strongly believe in the mighty prayers of Sis. Saroja. 26 years ago. when I joined Air India Ltd as a Graduate Engineer Trainee in 1997, I was burdened with thoughts on how to clear the DGCA license examination for obtaining the AME licenses. It was at this time that I met Bro. Austin Roberts who encouraged me, and through him, I requested Sis Saroja to pray for me. Now the Almighty God has blessed me with a dozen aircraft AME licenses, and I am blessed with a lovely wife and a son and a roof over my head through the mighty prayers of Sis. Saroja. For all of these blessings I express my sincere thanks to my Almighty God and Sis Saroja. Gratefully I am enclosing a small offering so that it may be used for the expansion of the Lord’s Kingdom. We shall ever remain grateful to Sis. Saroja and the Almighty God for His wonderful blessings and mercies.

*Bro. Lenient Momin & Fly, Mira Road

Praise the Lord. Since I hold a very responsible position in the Government, I am always pressured with a heavy workload, and due to this, many a time I am unable to give my full attention to my family. My son was not very confident about appearing for the IIT Entrance exam. Since I am a believer and watch the Rose of Sharon program, I requested prayer for my son’s exam, and the prayer warrior prayed for him. My son confidently appeared for the exams and cleared them too! I am grateful to our dear Lord Jesus for doing this wonderful work. Thank you, Rose of Sharon team for your prayer support for my son. Thank You, Jesus.

*Bro. Uttam Bhagat, Jharkhand. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. 2022 was an important year in my life, as I retired after 31 years of meritorious service, by God’s grace alone. During my entire working tenure, it was Pastor Saroja who prayed, guided, advised, and counselled me, and by the grace, mercy, and faithfulness of my Lord God, I was enabled to complete my tenure successfully.

Also, though there were hindrances and obstacles in my settlement, by our Pastor Saroja’s timely advice and fervent prayers, God gave victory, and all of my dues were paid to me on time. Thank You, Jesus – all glory and honour to you alone. Thank you, Pastor Saroja, for your abundant and constant love and prayer support!

*Sis. June Anchan, Mira Road

Praise the Lord. All of a sudden, I experienced patches of hair fall. I visited the doctor and took medication, as prescribed by the doctor, for Alopecia. After a month, when I went to the doctor, the situation had worsened – the patches had increased from one to four. The doctor was worried, and she asked me to do some tests, telling me that if the situation did not improve, we would have to do a biopsy.

I informed this matter to Pastor Saroja and requested her prayers for me. Over the weeks, Pastor prayed over me during the healing services and assured me of her prayers. On my next visit, the doctor was shocked since my hair had grown quickly, and I did not have to go for the biopsy. I thank our Almighty Lord for healing me, and I give all glory to Lord Jesus for this miracle. I thank Pastor Saroja for her earnest prayers for me and her guidance during this time.

*Sis. Joy Shalaka Salins, Mira Road

Praise the Lord. My name is Meena Jacob, and I wish to testify about my daughter Dolly who had tried for admission to a few colleges. Her name had not shown up even on the 3rd list, and we were worried about this, so we requested prayer through the Rose of Sharon Church Prayer helpline.

Only after the prayer was made for her, did she get admission to the college. Lord Jesus has been very gracious to us through the prayers made by the Rose of Sharon Church for our various requests (since we have been connected to the prayer line number regularly), and many of our needs have been met through these prayers. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, and Rose of Sharon Church, for your prayer support.

*Sis. Meena Jacob, Kanpur, Madhya Pradesh. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Ah! The beauty of God’s creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.

As I sat there, I felt the Lord’s presence with me. He asked me, “Do you love me?” I answered, “Of course, God! You are my Lord and Saviour!”  Then He asked, “If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?“ I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn’t be able to do and thought about the things that I take for granted. I answered, “It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You.”

Then the Lord said, “If you were blind, would you still love my creation?” I wondered how I could love something without being able to see it. Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation. So I answered, “It’s hard to think of it, but I would still love you.”

The Lord then asked me, “If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?” How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to God’s Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I answered, “It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word.“

The Lord then asked, “If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?” How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me, God wants us to sing from our very hearts and souls. It never matters what we sound like. And, praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks. So I answered, “Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name.”

And the Lord asked, “Do you really love Me?”

With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, “Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!“

I thought I had answered well, but God asked, “Then why do you sin?” I answered, “Because I am only human. I am not perfect.“

“Then why in times of peace do you stray the furthest? Why only in times of trouble do you pray earnestly?” I had no answers … only tears.

The Lord continued. “Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?”

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.

“Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name? You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all. Do you truly love me?”

I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When my heart cried out and the tears flowed, I said, “Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child.” The Lord answered, “That is My Grace, My child.”  I asked, “Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me so?”

The Lord answered, “Because you are My creation. You are my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you. When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you. I will be with you until the end of days, and I will love you forever.”

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I have hurt God as I had done? I asked God, “How much do You love me?”

The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands. I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Saviour… And for the first time, I truly prayed!

Ezekiel 38:7 “Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.” What does it mean when the Lord tells us ‘Be prepared?’ It means we must be ready spiritually, and then we must prepare our people with spiritual blessings. In our lives, we cannot be spiritually ready only by ourselves – we need the Holy Spirit to prepare us. Thereafter, to prepare the people, we need the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Without God’s blessing, a servant of God cannot be anointed, and without being anointed with the Holy Spirit, a servant cannot be ready. God told Moses how a chief priest or preacher should be. Exodus 39:26 “A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.” The Lord had commanded that a chief priest’s robe should have a fruit and a bell in alternation, around its hem. Here ‘Fruit’ signifies ‘Spiritual Anointing,’ and ‘Bell’ signifies the ‘Spiritual Gifts’ to prepare the people. Hence, it is important for the chief priest to be blessed with a Spiritual Anointing and Spiritual Gifts. As one keeps an alarm to awake from one’s sleep, similarly, the bell readies the people.

In the Holy Scriptures, we see several examples of people who were called to live Spiritual lives. They had to forsake many things in this world. Joseph was sold into bondage by his own family. When he was a slave in the household of an Egyptian, a Captain of Pharaoh’s guard, the wife of the house cast longing eyes on him. Joseph, being anointed by the Holy Spirit, did not give in to her desires, and he fled the house leaving his garment behind in her hand. Thereafter, the master’s wife gathered the men of her house and falsely accused Joseph. He was imprisoned due to this false accusation against him. However, since Joseph had his spiritual anointing intact, the Lord was with him, and he found favour in the sight of the prison keeper, and the Lord prospered Joseph even in the prison.

Genesis 39:16 “And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.” We see here that Joseph fled without his garment, and the master’s wicked wife kept the garment carefully with her to show her husband when he returned home thereby falsely accusing Joseph.

While in prison, God used Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, thereby enabling Joseph to find favour in the eyes of Pharaoh, who, impressed with Joseph’s spiritual wisdom, gifted him with a signet ring, arraying him in fine linen. Pharoah then put a gold chain around Joseph’s neck and paraded him in his second chariot, commanding the people to bow down to Joseph. He also made Joseph the ruler over the land of Egypt. Genesis 41:39-43 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

Similarly, we too, living in this world, have to forsake a lot of things to gain spiritual blessings. We may have to bear a lot of pain and sorrow in this world. But, when we overcome all these trials, our lives will be converted into spiritual blessings. Joseph not only received the spiritual anointing of God but he was also blessed with spiritual gifts from God. God gave him the wisdom to translate Pharaoh’s dream, and Joseph’s life was converted into a life of blessings.

God warns us that we should always wear the garment of righteousness – spiritual clothing, so that when He comes once again, we are not found naked, but are clothed in spiritual clothing for Him to take us back with Him. God cautions us that we must not be naked. In the Holy Scriptures, we see that a King had arranged a wedding feast for his son. There he found a man without a wedding garment, and the King asked him why he came without a wedding garment. The King commanded that this man be put into the outer darkness where there are only tears and gnashing of teeth. To gain spiritual clothing, we have to forsake a lot of things in this world. We cannot desire both worldly gains and spiritual blessings.

God told Moses ‘Prepare yourself and also your people.’ To prepare the people, the servant of God has to be prepared with Spiritual Anointing and Spiritual Gifts.

Remember, we cannot be at the wedding without a wedding garment. Mathew 22:11-14 “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.” We see here, that the Lord came in to see the guests, and found one man not wearing a wedding garment. He asked that man how he came without wearing his wedding garment, i.e., without spiritual anointing and spiritual gifts, for everyone else assembled at the wedding had their spiritual garments on them. The man was speechless, even as we too will be at the time of judgement, if we are not spiritually clothed. We will have no lawyers to fight for us then. Today, our Lord Jesus Christ is standing as a Lawyer between us and His Heavenly Father. But, at the time of the wedding celebration of the Lamb, Jesus will be standing as a Judge for us. At that time, He will show no more grace upon us. Now is the grace period of our lives! The Lord told those who wore their spiritual garments to bind the man with no spiritual garments hand and foot, and take him away and cast him into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. At such a time, our Lord God will not hear us, He will not listen to anything we say, for He will have come as a Judge.

The Lord had commanded that a chief priest’s robe should have a pomegranate fruit and a bell, alternated around its hem so that the people be prepared and cautioned for the Lord’s coming. Even today, our God has not changed. He is the same God, and He is preparing us even today for that day when He will come and take us with Him. To prepare ourselves for that day, like Joseph, we will have to run away from the desires this world offers us. We will have to refuse many things and keep ourselves from defiling our souls. Remember, it was Joseph’s very own family who sold him into slavery, putting him into bondage. Similarly, for us too, it is our very own family that will come in the way of our spiritual gains. But we must resist every temptation of this world and keep ourselves sanctified, even as Joseph kept his life sanctified for God’s glory.

Never compromise your spiritual anointing and blessings for worldly gains, for worldly gains are temporal and will not last very long. Spiritual blessings will remain forever in our lives if we are faithful to our Lord who will be with us till the end of this world. When we overcome this world, He will bless us and make us sit on the heavenly throne along with Him. We must safeguard our spiritual garments for the Lord’s second coming. Ezekiel 38:7 “Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.” God tells Ezekiel to be a guard for His people, to continue to preach to them, correct them, counsel them, and prepare them for that day.

Mathew 25:13-14 “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.” God has given His Word in our hands. He has sacrificed His Life for us and poured down His Spirit on all mankind. The Lord God can come at any time, and we must ‘watch & pray,’ and be ready to receive Him. He will come as a thief, to take us, His righteous people. We must always be ready, watchful, and prayerful. The Holy Spirit has been given to us by God, and we must keep Him carefully. We know the story of the prophet’s sons, who went with Elisha to cut wood to make a new dwelling. The axe was a borrowed one, and while chopping the branch, the axe’s head fell into the water. Even as our lives are not our own, but God’s gift to us; similarly, when the axe fell into the water, they cried out to Elisha telling him this was a borrowed axe and they were required to return it. Because Elisha was with them, they were guided to find the drowned axe and it came up, floating on the water.

The Lord says ‘Prepare yourself and your people.’ Our lives are not our own, we need to safeguard our lives until the Lord comes back once again, this time to take us with Him. Like an axe head, we may be loose for some time, but our ‘looseness’ must not be ignored, and it needs to be set tight immediately. We must not ignore the wrong and unrighteous acts in our lives, we must set ourselves right, correct our lives, and safeguard our souls for God’s Kingdom.

Revelation 3:4 “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” For those who always keep themselves ready for the Lord, He says ‘there are a few people who have not defiled their garments in this congregation and they are worthy.’ This means that God is seeing those few who have not dirtied their garments, alongside those who have dirtied their garments. God says of those who have not defiled their garments, ‘they are worthy and I will take them with me.’ If we live our lives with our wisdom, we will likely defile our garments, but if we live spiritually, we will never defile our garments. If Joseph would have given himself to his master’s wife’s desire, He would receive what this world could offer him, but imagine his end. It would be that of a lost soul. What is the use of such a life, wherein one gains all earthly things and loses one’s soul? Joseph remembered his end, and he wanted to save his soul for the end, so he left behind his garments and ran away from his master’s wife. God blessed him abundantly through Pharaoh, who blessed Joseph with all the riches of this world, and also made him a ruler over Egypt. Always look towards your life in Zion (heaven), and safeguard your soul for that Kingdom, for it is a permanent one. In this world we will have to leave back everything, hence there is no point in striving for things that we have to leave back in this world. We should never think that we are not being watched, for our God neither slumbers nor sleeps, and He is watching over us all the time.

Remember the story in the Holy Scriptures where the Lord tells us of the good deeds we have done, even when we have forgotten them? The Lord has kept an angel with each of his flock, to glorify and sing their good deeds. Mathew 25:32-46 “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” God, our Shepherd, will separate the sheep from the goats. He will keep the sheep to His right and the goats to His left. To those on the right He will say, ‘Beloved of My Father, come into His Kingdom.’

We may belong to the same church, and hear the same message every Saturday and Sunday, yet still, only a few will be to His right, while the rest will be to His left. Those on His left will wonder why they are there. The Lord answers the righteous souls who question Him as to when they had done good unto Him. God reminds them that when He was hungry, they gave Him food; when thirsty, they gave Him drink; when a stranger, they took Him in, when naked, they clothed Him, and when sick and in prison, they visited him. Only the righteous can question God. Remember the man who attended the wedding not wearing a wedding garment? He was speechless and could not question the Lord as to why he was being cast out. Only the righteous can ask God questions.

On Judgement Day, those who are unrighteous will cry to the Lord, and the Lord will say, ‘I don’t know you.’ Imagine their plight at that time. We will have to forsake many things of this world to preserve our souls till the end, even as the Zarephath widow did when she forsook her last meal for the Prophet Elijah who approached her for food. She told him that they had only a little flour and oil left in their home. The Prophet commanded her to prepare a meal for him, which she willingly prepared and fed to him. After that, we see that the spiritual blessings in the widow’s home never ceased. The flour and oil never got empty in their home. We never know how the Lord will visit us and speak to us, and we must be ready always. With the ‘Word,’ we must equip ourselves at all times.

The preacher can only preach the Word, but to internalize the ‘Word’ and live according to it, is left to us alone. In the wedding house, the preacher invited all the people, because, in his sight, everyone looked righteous. But when the King came, He recognized the man without a wedding garment, and He ordered him to be put into hell fire. We all think we are good, and that we have not defiled our garments. But God sees our spiritual blessings and our nakedness. God is our everything, and when He is with us, we will lack for nothing, and our lives will be blessed abundantly.

Remember the only son of a woman, who died, and whose funeral Jesus witnessed? Jesus saw the sorrow of the mother who had none other than her only son. His grace and mercy came immediately upon this woman, and He raised the son from the dead. This is God’s love upon us. Today, God is in our midst, He is ready to forgive our sins and cleanse us. But, when the end time comes, He will come as a King to judge us, to separate the goat from the sheep, to separate the left side from the right side. He must see our spiritual garments upon us, or else He will order those on the left to be thrown into hell fire. In this world, people live their lives according to their heart’s desire, but this must not matter to us. We must not live according to the desires of the flesh, but we must be led by His Spirit. Our conscience always whispers what we are not doing right, and we must correct our ways and mend our lives at that very moment. If we pay heed and change, we will be blessed and enabled to wear righteous garments. However, if we continue in our evil ways, we will be thrown into eternal hell fire to burn.

Ezekiel 38:7 “Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.” We must stand as sheep on the right side of the Lord God on Judgement Day. This is the time to get ready to enter the Kingdom of God. God will come as a thief at midnight. He will come to steal away the righteous, those who fear and love Him. But, those unclean and without spiritual garments, will be thrown into the place where there is gnashing of teeth and where the worms never die. Mathew 18:6-10 “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”

The Lord says that if our eyes, hands, or legs commit a sinful deed, it is better to cut it off and cast away that part which offends, for it is better to enter His Kingdom with only one eye, hand, or leg, than to be cast into hell fire with all parts intact! We must not sin even against the little servants of God, for their angels always stand before the Father in Heaven. The Lord says that these things will defile us, and when the Lord comes, it is these things that will be a hindrance in our lives. We should not think that no one is watching us. More so, we must never sin against the servant of God. Joseph said to his master’s wife, ‘If I do any wrong against you, it is like doing it to my master.’ Hence, Joseph found favour before God, who had Pharaoh parade him in front of the Egyptians, asking them to bow before Joseph. The Holy Scripture says that even if one looks at a woman with lust, he has committed adultery, and he should pluck his evil eye, for it is better to enter the Kingdom of God having one eye only.

In all these things, we must be careful, always watching and praying. The Pastor’s job is to preach the Word, it is for each one of you to internalize the Word and clothe yourself with righteous garments. Every Saturday and Sunday, we can go to church, then return and continue in our filthy ways. We should not hear the Word from one ear and let it out from the other ear. Even as cows yield milk when they eat grass, similarly, the Word when preached must be digested within us, and thereafter yield good fruit.

Luke 19:28-37 “And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.”

Jesus warned His disciples that those who did not want to hear His Word or remain with Him were His enemies. Later, the Lord went to Bethany, where He told his disciples to find a donkey, free it, and bring it to Him. When the donkey is loosed and brought, the disciples removed their garments and spread them on the donkey for Jesus, the King, to sit on. The multitudes also removed their clothes and spread them on the path for the donkey to walk over, because of their love for Jesus. This may be a small act, but surely, the Lord God seeing this, blessed the multitudes.

Here we see the true meaning of ‘being ready,’ and ‘readying the people.’ When the donkey was loosed, the disciples removed their garments and spread them on the donkey so that the King may sit on it. This signifies being ready. When the people also did likewise, and removed their garments, and spread them on the pathway for Jesus to pass over it, this means, ‘Readying the people.’ Since the disciples did it, so also the multitudes who were gathered there, followed their example and did the same. If we as the head of the house, do good things for God, so also, our sons and daughters will see it and do the same. But if the head does not do it, the family will more than likely, not do it too. When we live with God in fear and love Him, our children will also fear the Lord and love Him.

When the Lord passed by on the donkey, the multitudes rejoiced and sang, ‘Hosanna… Hosanna in the Highest.’ We must desire to be amongst the multitudes who removed their garments and spread them along the road for Jesus. Luke 15:22 “But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.” This is the son who fought with his father, took his share of the father’s wealth, and left the house. At that time, he remembered his father’s house, and how even the servants ate better food there. He decided to return home as a servant and serve in his father’s house. He returned home a pauper, but the Father, seeing him from a distance, ran and hugged him. He clothed him with goodly garments, and even put a ring on his finger, welcoming his prodigal son home. Similarly, our Heavenly Father, when we repent and return to Him, will always be waiting for us with open arms. He will then cleanse us, cover us with goodly garments, and give us authority to be His children.

However, at the end times, our Lord will not be so graceful, for then He will come to judge us. Today, our God is a lawyer for us, and He will fight our case with His Father; but in the end times, He will come as a Judge to judge us.

Luke 10:30-35 “And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” We know the story of the man who went from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves. He was stripped and left wounded to die. Our Lord, the good Samaritan, found the wounded man, nursed his wounds, applied medicine to them, brought him to the inn, and handed him over to the innkeeper to take care of him. The Lord says, that when He comes again, He will bring our reward according to our works. Once upon a time, we were all like this wounded man. Our garments were stripped off, and we were left bleeding to death because of our sins. But it was our God who rescued us and brought us to the charge of the innkeeper, saying He would return and repay all that the innkeeper had spent for our upkeep. God will surely return with our reward as per the work we have done for Him.

We need to be ready and also keep the multitudes ready for Him. Our God never lies, for He is a truthful God!

May this message bring blessings into our lives!

Pastor Saroja M.

 

 

Praise the Lord, dear readers! I trust you are all doing fine by God’s grace. The past month has been quite busy for me, personally. After 2 years of travel restrictions due to Covid-19, the travel sector has now eased considerably, and now I am back to my travel regime for spreading the Word of God around. I do sincerely request all of you to also spread the word of God, wherever and whenever you get a chance to do so!

Let me introduce you all to our new resident, Bro. Marshall D’souza, who came into our Old Age Home in January 2023 from Borivali, Mumbai. He is 74 years old and originally hails from Goa.

A very cheerful person, Bro. Marshall makes no fuss whatsoever, and neither does he suffer from any ailments, except while eating, when his hand trembles a bit. However, I am sure that with regular prayers, this trembling will stop soon. He also attends the Church services which are held in Mira Road, and actively participates in praise and worship.

We thank our Saviour Jesus Christ for bringing Bro. Marshall into our family, and pray that God may bless him and heal him from whatever minor ailments he has.

Do continue to pray for all our residents.

Till we meet again,

Pastor Saroja M

 

 

Praise the Lord! This month the younger children learned about God’s Creation.’ Since they are children of a younger age group, a different method was adopted to explain the ‘creation’ to them so that they could understand how God completed the task!

A small booklet was made for them, in which it was shown with the help of pictures, how the Lord separated the darkness from light on the first day, then separated the earth from water on the second day, and so on. In this manner, the days of creation were explained through picture learning.

The intermediate-class children were explained in detail, about the first miracle performed by the Lord. The first miracle was at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. This is described in John chapter 2:1-11, where Lord Jesus turned water into wine. Through this miracle, it was explained to the children that we must wait for the Lord’s time because His time is always the right time; also, through this, it was explained that we should always obey every command of the Lord, even if we don’t understand it at that time, for we have to rely on the Lord.

We pray our children will grow stronger in the Lord and learn to wait and keep trusting in JESUS!

Do continue to keep our children in your daily prayers.

Kids Corner