Editor’s note

I greet you all in the matchless name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I believe you must be enjoying the monsoon showers and I pray that the showers of blessings fall on you all. In the same way I pray that the Holy Spirit fall upon you all and that you may be a blessing for many.

Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He himself would come.

God the Father has given us the Holy Spirit to serve others and to bring many to the Lord. So never hide the talent which the Holy Spirit has given us. Whether you have time or do not have the time, preach the Gospel carefully. 

Many long for the power and gifts of God. But they are not ready to sacrifice to serve the Lord. That is the reason that their gift of the Holy Spirit has been quenched.

Matthew 9:37-38 Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest. 

 

By keeping on serving the Lord you will experience the greater power of the Holy Spirit.

Not only by sending two by two but by signs and wonders, Lord Jesus fulfilled His Word. The Lord is promising today also in Exodus 20:24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

Dearly beloved of the Lord; whichever place you are serving the Lord, He will come there and bless you.

 

Jesus said in John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. It is such a great honour to receive blessings from the Father.

See how the worldly King Ahasuerus thought of honouring a man inEsther 6:7-9. And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. So God’s beloved ones, when you serve the Lord, our Heavenly Father will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you a ruler over many things, enter into the joy of your Lord.” Our joy will be so great.

For those who serve the Lord,  He will make them a flame of fire. “No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from me, says the LORD.

So God’s beloved ones; serve the Lord. Revelation 22:4 And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.

Of the scattered crowds, five thousand men came to hear the Word of God. Five hundred people came forward to see the vision of God. Hundred and twenty people came to the upper room to receive the anointing of the Lord. Seventy people gave themselves to serve the Lord. The twelve apostles came gladly to receive the anointing of power and authority. Jesus gave them the promise according to Matthew 10:1 And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

So beloved ones, I do not want you to be ignorant concerning the Spiritual gifts. The gifts may differ but God is one. 1 Corinthians 12:7-12 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 

So God’s dearly beloved for whom are the Spiritual gifts kept? For you and for me!We may not be worthy. You may be having many weaknesses. I may be bad. Bible says in Psalms 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.Even for the rebellious has God kept His Spiritual gifts.To get the Spiritual gifts let us have the same desire as Elisha had. He left all his work and followed Elijah. For that sake he was ready to sacrifice all things and ready to walk in any difficult way. That is how Elisha received the twofold blessings of Elijah.

So my dearly beloved of the Lord, be ready to walk in the Lord’s ways, however difficult it may be, so that you may be abundantly blessed by the Lord. May God bless you all, till we meet again.

 

Pastor Saroja M.

I ask my Lord to forgive me for giving this testimony late.
On 15th March, there was a prayer meeting at Arikmary Richardson’s residence. I could not attend the same since I was suffering from high fever. My husband informed about this matter to Pastor and requested her for prayers. After that day I was completely healed and am fine.
I want like to thank God for His healing and also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers.

Praise the Lord!

** Sis. Susheela Pillai, Jogeshwari

Two weeks ago my shoulder was paining unbearably. I took a lot of medicines but the pain did not reduce. It was difficult for me to sit or walk. I told about this matter to Pastor Saroja after the Sunday service and she prayed for me. Immediately I got relief from the pain. I give all glory and honour to our Lord God Almighty and I would also like to thank Pastor for praying for me. Praise the Lord!

** Bro. Ramesh Surti, Malad

I want to thank the Lord Almighty for giving this wonderful opportunity to testify of His mighty works in my life.
My appraisals were due and also I was due to get a promotion which was pending for long. I thank my Lord for blessing me with a very good performance band though there seemed no hope. Also, I want to thank Pastor Saroja for her prayers for me. Praise the Lord!

** Sis. Smita Salvi, Thane

Firstly I ask for forgiveness for testifying late.
Since the past one year I was having spondylosis problem, due to which I used to feel giddy and I was advised to wear a brace around my neck. The doctor had also prescribed me a MRI scan. During the Saturday healing service I told this to Pastor Saroja and she prayed for me. Since then I am completely healed. Thereafter, I also went for the Church picnic and played and enjoyed myself without any neck problem. I give all glory, honour and praise to my God Almighty for healing me, and

my sincere thanks to Pastor for praying for me.

Praise the Lord!
** Sis. Geeta Gaikwad, Ghatkopar

I was due for my yearly appraisal and I had requested Pastor Saroja to lift me up in her prayers. Since I had changed my industry and moved to a completely new job profile, I was bit worried of my role and job responsibility. I personally was not confident of getting a good rating, but to my surprise, I secured the best rating amongst all juniors in my team. I am also blessed with a good pay hike and bonus, beyond my expectations.
I give all praises to my Lord Jesus for His mighty blessings and I would also like to thank Pastor Saroja for her ceaseless prayers in my life.

Praise the Lord!
** Sis. Joy Shalaka Salins, Mira Road

My apologies for this late testimony. Few days ago, my daughter Namrata had high fever and even after all the medicines her fever continued. I then applied the prayer oil and she slept well that night, but next day again her fever continued. I then called Pastor Saroja and requested her for prayers for my daughter. I want to thank and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ for healing my daughter and also my heartfelt thanks to Pastor Saroja for her prayers for me and my family always. Praise the Lord!

** Sis. Reshma Ammana, Ghatkopar

My left shoulder has been hurting me for over six months now and the pain used to be unbearable at times. I have been applying the prayer oil regularly over it and I am happy to testify that the pain has now gone completely and I am healed. Also since the past 4 years my left knee has been hurting me when I exercise or run and walk long distance. I have been applying praying oil over my knee and gradually this pain too has been healed. On a few occasions, Pastor has also specially prayed for me for my shoulder and knee pain.

I thank my Lord for healing me and also thank Pastor Saroja for praying over the oil and for us always.

Praise the Lord!
**Bro. Ramiah Daniels, Bangalore

Story – Allow The Children

One evening in September I took my 13-year-old son to see a St. Louis Cardinal’s baseball game. I was given 2 free tickets for bleacher seats from my work, what a blessing! So I picked up my son at home and hurried back to the ballpark. We were going early to watch batting practice. I told Nathaniel that from the bleachers, we might be able to get a souvenir baseball hit to us. Well, there were a lot of balls falling around us, but that’s just it, around us. Some on the left, some on the right, some in front of us, but nothing we could reach. And then it happened! A batted ball landed right at my feet. It did a double ricochet between the ground and the seat and blasted out from under there about 8 feet high right into the boy’s glove. Unfortunately for me, the boy wasn’t Nathaniel. The ball had bounced about 10 rows in front of us. At the very moment the ball hit, I was distracted and looking to my right. I didn’t even see it!

Well, that’s it, I thought. You don’t get another chance like that at the same game. So I settled in with just about 10 minutes left of batting practice content with the game we were about to see. But there was another home run ball hit in the section to the right of us some 25 feet away. An elderly attendant got the ball when it landed, and signaled pointing with his finger that he wanted Nathaniel to have the baseball.

 

I was delighted and perplexed. We hadn’t been talking with this man. He wasn’t an attendant for our section. And there were about 10 kids all excited and hopping up and down hoping for the ball. Nathaniel wasn’t even close enough to be with the other kids. He was another 6 feet in back of them. But the attendant picked Nathaniel. I thought to myself, what luck! We have our souvenir!

It wasn’t until the middle of the 3rd inning that the significance of what I had just witnessed hit me. It was then that Nathaniel leaned over to me and said, “You know dad, I prayed before we got here that I would be able to get a baseball.” Whir. Bang! My head must’ve made that noise as all at once my brain suddenly comprehended what my eyes had seen. What I had dismissed as a bit of good luck surely had a divine design!

This event has reinforced for me that God hears our smallest of prayers. Maybe even that’s wrong, maybe there’s not any such thing as a “small” prayer to God. And no request seems too trivial when asked in sincerity with the heart of child. Nathaniel has the proof! It weighs 5 ounces and has a leather cover sewn with double stitch 10/5 red thread.

PUT YOUR REQUEST BEFORE GOD AND HE WILL DEFINITELY BLESS YOU TOO…

Pastor Saroja M.

The Spirit of power and strength

Psalm 91:14 “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name”.For those who believe in our God and trust in His name, He has kept eight special blessings in Psalm 91. But many do not understand and recognize these blessings. Thus our Lord God with great sorrow says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children”.Though God has kept His blessings for us, people do not recognize these blessings; they do not recognize why Jesus was born and served in this world and finally gave His precious life on the Cross for us. Yes, God has sanctified us and made us kings and priests in this world; yet we have forgotten why our Lord paid the price of our sins through His life. Therefore Jesus says “I will also forget you and your children”. We must remember that God sent His only son Jesus Christ into this world, for our sakes, to deliver us from the sins of this world, to give us life abundant and everlasting. Jesus preached and taught for 3½ years in this world; His teachings were only to save the people from the sinful world and to grace us with salvation. But still people did not pay heed to His teachings. Hence, with great sorrow and pain, Lord said “those who have forgotten the law of God, I will forget their children”.Revelation 1: 6 “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen”.When we forget Gods’ love for us and His sufferings on the Cross, Jesus Christ is very sorrowful for us. Imagine we as sinners get hurt when our children disobey us and give us sorrow and pain; how much more our Father in Heaven will be pained by our disobedience? Our Lord God is righteous and pure in His heart for His love for us; how much He must be pained with our disobedience, that He says “I will destroy, I will reject and I will cast you out of my sight”?

Yes, we have truly hurt our God and made Him sorrowful. Let us read again Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children”.  We must know that God does everything for our own good, but we are foolish not to understand it. Thus, we fight and bring disturbance in our homes; we bring upon ourselves pain and sorrow. We have no wisdom to understand His love for us or to know the truth about our God. John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.Thus we do not get deliverance from the darkness in our lives due to the lack of knowledge of truth in us. Nothing in our life can bring happiness if we do not know the truth. It is truth alone that gives us a heart of gratitude, repentance, forgiveness, etc. We will never have anger and pride in our hearts when we know the truth, because ‘the truth alone will set us free’.

It is the evil one who keeps us in bondage. But when it is time, Lord God will take us and plant us in His vineyard at another place; to grow and dwell according to His will and plan. Remember, once God delivers us from the evil bondage, He will replant us again in His vineyard and help us dwell in His presence. Our God will never yell at us, but His Word will work miracles in our life. He will chastise us and thus we know that He loves us. But when He does not correct us, then we belong to the family of evil. Thus if we lack wisdom, let us ask the Lord and He will bless us with His divine wisdom; and that wisdom will bring joy and peace in our lives and in our family.

What is the meaning of the ‘Word’, ‘Church’ and ‘Pastor’? When we don’t understand the meaning of these three words and do not respect them, then our life is futile! We must first learn to honour these three words or else our life will become a hell fire for us. The Lord’s way is very narrow; we have to bend and humble ourselves to make way for Him in our life. If we fail to do it, we are not worthy for God’s Kingdom. We all have to learn to bend and be humble.

My life is a testimony. I waited for 10 years to become a Pastor. If I had hurried with my own wisdom and knowledge, I would not have been so blessed today. But because I waited patiently at His feet as a sister for 10 years, I am reaping His grace in my life till today. No one can do anything before time and we all have to wait for our chosen time. Remember, I will only stand by truth and support the truth alone, as My Lord is always first and last in my life. In the Kingdom of God we must be a sheep for Him and not a goat. A sheep walks humbly with its head down following the Shepherd. I will always preach the truth and never preach to please the congregation. Truth is everlasting and will always prevail above all. As the Lord sorrowfully says “My people have no wisdom to understand the truth and thus have rejected me; I will punish them and forget their children” Who can question the Lord for His acts? Our Lord not only chooses us and plants us in His vineyard, but the Word says He also puts a fence around us and protects us from all evil. He waters us and then waits patiently to see what kind of fruits we bear for Him. Do we bear good fruits for the Lord? Can we say that we are fruit bearing plants for Him? No, for it is because of our lack of wisdom that we the Lord’s children are destroyed and rejected by Him. Our good Lord has great plans for each one of us and we must have the wisdom to recognize the same.

When David was a shepherd boy he said in Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want”. David had a wonderful relationship with God. He loved God very much and they walked with each other as friends, thus he could say “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. When we love God and accept Him, we can boldly say “The Lord is my shepherd and I shall want”. It is important for us to know the deep meaning of the Word. This is the same David, who when he fought Goliath, said in 1 Samuel 17:45 “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied”. Here David calls Him ‘the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies’. What can defeat us, when we believe in our hearts as David believed? No works of the evil one can deter us from fighting any grave war. Have we also recognized our God as the ‘Lord of Hosts’ and the ‘God of the armies’? If we recognize Him as David recognized Him, then there will never be any bitterness amongst God’s children. David knew when to use his ‘Shepherd’ appropriately in a given situation. Thus, he defeated Goliath easily and he did not have to fight a great war. Similarly, it is important for us too to use the Lord God’s name appropriately in our lives; only then can we win our battles and have peace and receive joy in our lives.

God lovingly called Abraham, as we read in Genesis 14:19 “And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth”. We also see that the first priest of Israel, Melchizedek, had brought offering for Abraham and blessed him as Genesis 14:18-20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all”.

 Abraham of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: Before Abraham became a follower of God, he was an idol worshipper. But once, Lord touched Abraham’s heart, God blessed Him abundantly and He changed completely. We have seen the blessings that God bestowed upon Abraham. We too were idolaters, we were people of the darkness but when the most High God and Possessor of the Heavens and Earth touched our lives we changed and we were graced with His blessings. Acts 7:2 “And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran”.  Here God’s name is ‘God of glory’. Remember once God touched Abraham, He left all his idol worshipping and accepted the Lord God completely. But, if we continue in our sins and idol worship, we will not receive such a blessing.

When can we get such wisdom to turn away our lives from all such worldly false accolades and turn purely to God, so that we are addressed as ‘Children of the most high God’?

Just as God asked Abraham to leave his family, his country and everything behind and follow Him and Abraham instantly obeyed and followed the Lord, the Lord also asked Ezekiel, Esther, Isaiah and many more in the Holy Scriptures to follow Him and they all left their worldly things behind and followed Him instantly. They were all blessed and prospered spiritually. But, today, if our Lord God asks us to do the same, are we ready to forsake our family and leave behind everything and follow Him? When God told Isaiah to walk naked, though Isaiah was a great Prophet, he obeyed the Lord instantly. When we obey the Lord, He shuts the eyes of the world for our sakes. This is the faith, we must have. If we think with our wisdom, we will never be able to take such a step, but when we think with God’s wisdom, we will be sure that God will shut the eyes of the world for us. Yes, when God wanted to destroy Sodom and

Gomorrah, he blinded the men and they could not find the way; they frantically searched for the way out but could not find it. Yes, with our wisdom we can do nothing. But when God gives us wisdom, we will be guided spiritually and on the right track.

Thus, when Jesus preached in this world, many followers gave up half way, because they found the teachings too hard to apply in their life.  Many are called, but few are chosen. Our Lord will not take a huge crowd with Him but a select few, chosen and hand-picked by Him. Our Lord does everything for the best; He has always saved us from great dangers and destruction ahead in life. Lord knows each of our hearts and our love for Him and whether we are truthful and righteous in everything we do. One day each one of us will have to stand before Jesus on the ‘Day of Judgment’. As the bible says, there will be two of us but one will be taken away and another left back. There is no partiality or bribing in God’s Kingdom.

If we see in the Holy Scriptures, there are many names not recorded. Why? We know of the poor man Lazarus, who was begging at the rich man’s door. His name is recorded but not that of the rich man. be without pride on this earth itself. Prophet Balaam writes in Numbers 24:16 “He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open”. Remember, God will have the Book of Life in His hand and we must ensure that our names are written in God’s Book of Life. Thus, to find our names in that Book of Life, we must become humble and when we are humble and without pride, our eyes will be opened with God’s mighty revelation. Prophet Balaam gives a prophecy for the Israelites only after God opened his eyes; before that he could do nothing. If a great Prophet like Balaam needed his eyes to be opened then how much more do we need God to open our spiritual eyes that we may know the truth? 

We must always remember Jesus’ birth and death so that our blessings will flow.  Psalms 91:9-10 “Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling”. When we believe that God is our shepherd, He is the Lord of Hosts, Most High God, the God of Glory, Possessor of Heaven and Earth; only then His promise as given in Psalms 91 will come to pass. Our Lord gives us a choice to choose Him; if we wish that the evil one does not touch us or hurt us in any way. When we receive and accept the ‘Lord of Hosts’, our lives will be blessed. Let us read Psalms 92:1 “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High”.

Psalms 91:1 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”.We must give thanks unto the Lord and sing praises unto His name. Our God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Thus, we can confidently say “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. Such thoughts should be in-built within us. Our God knows everything, nothing is hidden from Him. Remember the saying “We reap as we sow”? Therefore God sorrowfully says “My people have no wisdom, thus they have forsaken my law and thus I will reject them and forget their children”.

When God sent His Angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham asked God two questions: 1) Along with the unrighteous people will you also destroy the righteous people? God replies in Genesis 18:26 “And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes”. Were there fifty righteous in the city of Sodom? No. Thus, we should be very careful in our lives too. God will save the righteous people but not the country as a whole. Lot and his family were counted righteous, amongst the whole of Sodom and Gomorrah. God will never destroy a single righteous person mentioned in the Bible. Can anyone tell me the name of Lot’s wife? She was the wife of a righteous man, but God cautions us not to be like Lot’s wife who turned into a ‘Pillar of Salt’ since she disobeyed and turned back to see her worldly possession.

Psalms 23:3 “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake”.Why should we walk in truth? Truth will comfort us and help us walk in the righteous way. Psalms 119:142 “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth”. God’s righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, He does not change with the changing governments and authorities; He is the same unchanging Jesus. He is the beginning and the end. Things in this world change, e.g. Star of Bethlehem Church has become Rose of Sharon Church now. But God’s righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. All the hidden things in the Holy Scriptures are of the Lord’s, but what is revealed to us is enough for us to know the truth. It is important to abide by the Law of God that is revealed to us. The evil always comes to fight, rob and destroy. 1 Corinthians 2:4 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power”. 

When our heart brings faith to strengthen us, it is the Spirit of power. When David fought Goliath with five stones, he went forward in the mighty faith of God and in the name of Jesus. Similarly, such a faith strengthens us with the Spirit of power. There are many who came before Jesus, He asked them “Do you believe, if you do, your faith has healed you, go away”. It is faith coupled with the Spirit of power that has healed the blind, maimed, dumb and deaf. Our God watches our heart and not our outward faith.  Thus faith coupled with the Spirit of the power of God works wonders and miracles in our life. Those who lack wisdom to understand all these things must come to Jesus and acquire wisdom. What does the bible says about Sarah in Hebrews 11:11 “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”  She believed in God and was strengthened to conceive and be able to deliver a child at an old ripe age. Thus it is faith and the Spirit of power and strength through which Sarah gained God’s blessing to be able to withstand pregnancy at an old age. God blessed her with His mighty strength. 

Peters’ mother-in-law was ill when Jesus visited his home and he saw her lying weak on the bed. So Jesus prayed for her. Mathew 8:14-15 “And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them”. Generally those who have fever take 3-4 days to recover from the weakness. But here we see Jesus prayed for her and she immediately was strengthened to work and cook food and serve Jesus; this is only because of the mighty strength of God. When the women with bleeding sickness for many years, touched the hem of Jesus’ robe, she was instantly healed, while Jesus felt His strength weaken. He asked His disciples “Somebody has touched me, because I feel the power gone out of Me”. 

Luke 4:14 “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.” Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised”.  Why did God give Jesus the Spirit of power? God anointed Jesus to preach the gospel to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

God can do anything, nothing is impossible for Him. Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”. When God gave strength to Jesus, his fame spread like wild fire through the whole of Galilee, likewise when we are strengthened by the Spirit of power and strength, we too can do mighty things in His Name. We can also become witnesses for Him.   Luke 24:49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high”.Without God we cannot be strengthened to do His works. It is important for us to remember that when we receive the Spirit of God, only then will we be strengthened. Once Lucifer visited our Rose of Sharon Church, but because of the mighty strength of God, we could defeat the works of Lucifer only by the grace of our Mighty God; through His power and strength alone we defeated the plans of Lucifer. Till we receive the Spirit of God and God’s power and strength to do His works, we should not run before time. Our God is a good God and He is mighty. But we must WAIT for His time as the Word says: “tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with Power from on High.”

In our hearts we must know that our Lord God has filled us completely, only then we should go forward; but till then we have to wait under God’s refuge and wings. When only our name is being discussed all over, it is still not time to move forward. As in the case of going to Nasik, Bhilad and other places to preach the Word, we should never do anything before God’s time. It would be useless, if I would go to these places before God’s time. Thus, till we receive the strength and power from God we must not go forward to do God’s works. All these parables are written in the Holy Scriptures so that we learn from them and gain wisdom. E.g. when we are invited to a function, we must never sit in the front row, unless and until we are led to it, or else the host can come and tell us this is not your seat, please go behind. We have to wait, to be invited to take our seats. Likewise, I waited for 10 years to start the ministry and do Lord’s work and take His Word to different places. On July 14^th 2014, our church will be completing 10 years and we will step into the 11^th year of our Ministry. It will be 21 years for me in my relationship with God. Our God does not change, but has made us Kings and Priests. Remember however that even Kings and Priests can change.  When King Saul did not rule according to God’s will, He was overthrown and David was made King.

Joshua 14:11-12 “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD”. Caleb who is strengthened by the Lord, even at the old age said “I have strength of a youth in me even today. Give that hilly region in my hand, I will make the enemy flee and bring victory to the land”. It is God who equips us with the strength, wisdom and knowledge. Our God is a good God, He never changes, He is perfect and mighty and He is the same unchanging God. We are all in God’s hand. Our God is truly mighty; He helps me to prepare my message easily. Thus I confidently say that My God is good and He will never forsake me. Our God is a wonderful and mighty God. He will always do good in everyone’s life. The wise understands this, but the fool does not understand the same, neither as a child or as a youth or even in his old age. Let the evil continue to do evil, but let the righteous continue to do righteous and more righteously.  Those who touch us, touch the ‘Apple of God’s eye’. Thus Caleb says “even at this old age I have the strength of a youth”.

Hebrews 11:34 “Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens”. With the strength of God, we too will be able to fight the armies of the aliens.

 Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”.

The God who said to his disciples “tarry in Jerusalem till I strengthen you and make you known amongst men”. The same God says to us today “Fear not, for I am with you.  Do not be dismayed for I am thy God”. Isaiah 40:9 “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God”. God said to His disciples, wait till I strengthen you after that you will be my witnesses in all Jerusalem. Jesus said to his disciples when He sent them to start their ministry “I send you amongst wolves, but you fear not”. Jeremiah 16:21 “Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know  that my name is The LORD”.  Lord Jesus was with His disciple when He showed them His strength and might. Imagine if the Lord’s hand were to fall upon us, we would not be able to get up. When we are always under Jesus’ mighty wings and in His shadow, we will be protected by Him. None can imagine the mighty works that God can do and beyond. There is nothing that our God cannot do. Because the hand of grace of God was upon the disciples, they could do mighty miracles; Peter and John could heal the lame man who was lying at the gates of the temple. They did not have gold or silver to give the lame man, but in the mighty name of Jesus they could heal. The mighty Hand of God works wonders.

Jeremiah 16:20 “Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?”  Can man make God? Is there anything like this? Is it possible that our wisdom is greater than that of God? God created this world and everything therein. Day and night were made by God. There is nothing that God has not made. Thus, Lord says “when you believe that I have made something, that day you will know that my name is The Lord”. There are no powers in this world that are not of the Lord. Ecclesiastes 11:5 “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all”. Can anyone tell how a child grows in the mother’s womb? Likewise none of the spiritual things of this world can be made known to man. While we are spiritually empowered by the Spirit, we cannot know everything of the works of God. The Word of God says that every sin can be forgiven, but the sin against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. Nobody can take the glory of God;  He is a jealous God and will never give His glory to anyone. God is a consuming fire; He will destroy those who touch His glory. E.g. do we know from where the wind blows? Likewise no one knows the will of God.
David was strengthened by God who had done two things in his life.  We will read in Psalms 18:32 “It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect”. Psalms 18:39 “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.” Because God make David’s way perfect, he got victory in his every war. David never feared the bear,

lion or Goliath; victory was always his because God was with him. David had to fight the enemy but the victory was his. Even in our lives, we have to face battles we cannot escape them, but when God is with us, He will fight our every battle.Luke 12:5 “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him”. Fearing the evil, we should not let the oil in our lamp lessen or dim, it should always glow brightly. Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:14 “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”. Apart from Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, there is nothing in my life that is worthy to be remembered or worthy to be glorified in my life. Peter says in 1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” We should be of an alert mind and not be weak, for when we are weak the evil attacks us; thus we should gird up the loins of our mind and be alert in everything we do for the Lord. We should always praise and glorify our God. Remember, we are all in the wilderness now on our way to Zion. We should not murmur nor grumble. Like Lot’s wife we should not turn back and become a pillar of salt; or fear like Peter, else we will sink into the sea. Jesus says in John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”. We are so privileged to be called God’s sheep. He says “they hear my voice, recognize it and follow me”. Jesus further says “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand”. 

Jesus came to separate father, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law.  Mathew 10:34-35 “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law”. People who do not have wisdom to understand this have rejected God’s law and command. People do not know the Bible; they do not know the truth, but still speak foolishly. It is Jesus who himself said “I have come to separate the goat from sheep within each family”. It is not by our will but God’s will alone. The Word is written by God’s people who were anointed spiritually. Thus we must accept the truth of the Word. God will definitely separate the goat and sheep and keep them so, because Jesus said ‘My sheep hear my voice, recognize it and follow me’. We should not bother about this world and its people; the only thing that matters is what will take us to God’s HeavenlyKingdom; this alone must hold good in our life. We should keep our faith and trust in God alone; He separates us from others and plants us in His vineyard and puts His fence around us to protect us from the evil one in this world. Hence, let us be humble and without pride and be righteous in all that we do for the Lord!

May this message bring blessings to everyone who reads it.

Yours in Christ

Pastor Saroja M.

 

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