Editor’s Note

I greet you all in the matchless name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I hope you are all in peace and in the Lord.

The Holy Bible says in 1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.”

Eli’s sons were corrupt and they did not know the Lord. They were the children of the High Priest and they were serving the Lord, yet they did not know that He is a God of Judgement. They did not know that He is a consuming fire. They did not know that He is a God who would remove the lampstand of those who did not give light.

We should rise and shine for the Lord. We have to grow in His understanding, even as the Apostle Paul teaches us to grow in the Lord. Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”

To know the Lord, the Holy people spent time in fasting and reading the Word and spending time in unity with God’s people and thus they grew in the knowledge of the Lord.

Moses knew the Lord well. Exodus 15:11 “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

Isaiah too knew the Lord very well. Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” From that time, Isaiah’s service to the Lord changed and he became a great prophet.

Many of us do not know Jesus, but because He is good we are blessed. Hebrews 6:13 “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself.” In whose name has God given the promise? If he had promised it in man’s name the promise would change if man changes. But because God does not change, His promise will not change.

The Lord knows our life in reverse. If Judas Iscariot knew the Lord, he would not have betrayed Him. If the Jews knew God, they would not have given Jesus into Pilate’s hand. If the High Priests and the Pharisees and Sadducees knew the Lord, would they have shouted ‘crucify, crucify Jesus’?

1 Corinthians 2:8 “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

Our God is a God of glory. 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 Charran.”

God is the King of Glory. Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”

You should know the Lord so that you do not lose His glory.

Why is it that the glory of the Lord left Israel? It was due to the fact that:

1) There was no fear of God.

2) They had not worshipped God in truth and spirit, as a result of which they sinned without fear.

The person who has no fear of the Lord will lose God’s glory.

My beloved ones, take care of God’s glory and the Lord will be with you forever and ever and you will be blessed.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in peace, till we meet again through these pages.

Yours in the Lord’s service,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. I got a very bad shock while operating the heater. It was so severe that I could not even move my hand. I was taken to the doctor for treatment. Within two days I also experienced severe chest pain and stomach ache which would aggravate at night, because of which I couldn’t sleep. After watching the Rose of Sharon TV Program, I gave a prayer request to the Rose of Sharon prayer helpline. That very night I had a very peaceful sleep and the next day the chest pain and the pain in my stomach had vanished. Also there is a lot of improvement in my hand which was not so before. I thank Lord Jesus for this mighty healing and I thank the ROS prayer helpline for praying for me.

*Sis. Puja Devi, Patna (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. Due to my pregnancy I was finding it difficult to go to work, due to which I applied for an early maternity leave. As I am a government school employee, it is the rule that only after completion of two years during provision period, leave with full pay is allowed. Since I took the maternity leave four days prior to completion of my two years provisional period, the school authorities told me they would only pay me my official half pay leave. However our Lord is so mighty and wonderful, that a week later I received a call from the school saying that they are ready to pay me my full pay leave. All glory to Lord Jesus who did this wonderful miracle in my life. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her continuous prayers for me and my family.

*Sis. Esther Patel, Mira Road

Praise the Lord. I am Sweta Gupta and I work in a school in Lucknow. After watching the Rose of Sharon TV Program, I had requested for prayers regarding an incident which took place with me. One of the teachers in my school had presented me with a dress as a gift. After wearing it, I had severe itching all over my body which went on for two to three days, until only after prayers from ROS prayer helpline, the itching was stopped.

Secondly, I had also requested for prayers for my husband who was working in Delhi to be transferred to Bhopal. In a month’s time after the prayer was made by the ROS prayer helpline, my husband has got a transfer. All glory to Jesus.

Thirdly, my father had gall stones and he was to be operated. I had kept this request too at the ROS prayer helpline that the operation would go smoothly. By God’s grace the operation also went nicely. I thank and praise Lord Jesus for granting all my prayer requests through ROS prayer helpline and thank the ROS prayer team for praying for me.

*Sis. Sweta Gupta, Lucknow (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. My husband was very sick, having severe chest pain and was unable to eat food properly since many days. After watching the Rose of Sharon TV program, I called the number on the TV screen for a prayer request for him. The brother there prayed for my husband. Today my husband is healed and has no chest pain; he is also able to eat his food properly. After suffering for so many days he is perfectly all right. I do not know how to thank God for His healing. I also thank the ROS prayer warrior for praying for my husband. God bless the ROS Ministry. Thank You Jesus.

*Sis. Sarita, Bihar (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. Ever since the start of my pregnancy, I was in constant touch with the Rose of Sharon Prayer Tower for prayers, as I had lot of problems. I am happy to say that I had a normal delivery. My child was not keeping well, but after prayers over the phone, my child is now well. I thank God for answering prayers and I also thank the ROS team for their prayers. Thank You Jesus.

*Sis. Rachna Cyril, Madhya Pradesh  (ROS TV Program Viewer)

The Blood of JESUS

One night in a church service, a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God’s call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and saviour. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs and other bad habits. The change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the Pastor’s son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. But they faced opposition from those around them. Half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a Pastor’s son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. The people argued and tensions increased. The meeting was getting out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry, the Pastor’s son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this: “My fiancée’s past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?”

The whole church wept as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely, then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22”

Pastor Saroja M

Pray believing and you shall receive

1 Chronicles 4:10 “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” Jabez was a man who changed sadness into happiness. Jabez has proved that we have a God who not only hears but also answers our prayers. An impartial God heard and answered Jabez’ prayers and fulfilled his every heart’s desire.

Acts 10:34 “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” Our Lord is a God who is an impartial God, who changed Jabez’ sadness into joy, He heard and answered his prayers. When we pray to God, we must believe that we will receive it, as said in Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” When we go before God in prayer, we must always believe that our God will turn our sadness into happiness and that our God will hear and answer our prayers. With this faith, when we go before God, He will always grant our prayers. Jesus said that when you come before God with a petition, believe it will happen and it will be granted to you. The same God who heard and answered Jabez’ prayer will also answer our prayers, for He is a God who answers. We know how Jabez fought with God in faith; he was stubborn with his prayers, hence he received what he asked of God. We do not know the sorrow in Jabez’ mother’s life, for after Jabez’ birth she was still in sorrow and named her son Jabez meaning ‘because I bare him with sorrow.’ For an ordinary mother like you and me, however sorrowful we may have been, our sorrow would be changed into happiness after the birth of a child. But Jabez’ mother, even after the birth of her son was still sorrowful and so she named her son Jabez. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 “And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”

Our God too has walked in such sorrow and pain in this world, hence He understands our suffering. When we go through suffering, God is near and not far away from us. Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Because Jesus himself went through all these sufferings, He knows the suffering men go through. Whether the people of this world recognize it or not, God recognizes our suffering. Thus we can boldly take our sorrows and pain before God, because He can perfectly understand it. Hence when Jabez prayed to the Lord with great sorrow, our good Lord heard his prayers and answered it.

There are different types of prayers, and there are long prayers and short prayers. God hears each and every prayer and answers them. Let us see Elijah’s prayer: his prayer was short and God heard it. 1 Kings 18:37-39 “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.” God heard Elijah’s short prayer and answered it. It is important for us to understand that Elijah’s short prayer was made with great faith, hence it was effective. When God answered his prayer, all those who were witness to this, glorified God.

When King Hezekiah was informed that he was soon to face death, he made a short prayer to God and God heard his prayer, extending his life by 15 years. We must understand that short prayers made with faith reap great benefits. The secret of this prayer was that it was made with ‘Great Faith’. We may be praying long prayers, yet they may go unheard by God… Why?  It is because ‘faith’ is missing and that is why God does not answer that prayer. In the Holy Scriptures we read that Jesus says ‘Ask in faith and believe you have received it,’ such as we sing the Hindi worship song ‘maango toh tumko mil jaayega.’ There are great testimonies in the Scriptures to support this… People prayed small prayers, but God answered and did mighty things in their lives.

King Hezekiah made a small prayer with great groaning and God heard his prayer and answered him and increased his life by 15 years. Isaiah 38:3-6 “And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.”

God saw Hezekiah’s faith and answered his prayer. We see in the examples given of Jabez and King Hezekiah, how God answers such small prayers which are made with great faith.

Samson went against the Lord and made such big mistakes; as a result of which his life was filled with sorrow and pain. But God heard Samson’s prayers and answered him and once again filled him with His power and strength. Like Samson, we too must have given God lots of pain and sorrow through our disobedience and sin. We too may have faltered in life. But God is willing to hear and answer our prayers, if we only believe in Him and have faith in Him. Our God has not come to destroy us but to give us everlasting life. None of us are righteous and there is no goodness in us, our every thought is sinful and our every action is unrighteous. Many a times we have hurt our Lord God, but still He is willing to forgive us if we ask Him in faith and believe that He will hear and answer our prayers. We must know that we have no other way and that Jesus is the only way to restore our peace, joy and happiness in our life. Judges 16:28 “And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” Samson prayed with sorrow and pain and in faith for strength for one last time to defeat the Philistines. God answered this prayer made in pain and great sorrow and faith.

At the same time, we see Judas’ life. It was a wasted life. He betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins, and he did not go back to Jesus, rather he went and hung himself on a tree. We do not recognize that our God is a gracious God, and forgiving when we go to Him in repentance. We must remember that Jesus was sent into this world for our sins, so that we may be redeemed by His blood and be saved. We may have sinned against God several times, but He is still willing to forgive us with His great love and lift us up once again. We have seen many such examples in the Holy Scriptures.

Elijah made a short but effectual prayer and the Lord God heard and answered him. We know that many people witnessed this and came to the Lord’s saving grace. Then, we see King Hezekiah’s tearful prayers, and how his prayers changed God’s verdict and increased his life by 15 years. This was a tearful and effectual prayer made by Hezekiah. Samson disobeyed God many a time; he lied and sinned against God. Whatever he should not have done he did, and went against God. In the end he lost his blessings, strength, power, eye sight, respect and status. He was made a joker in the end. Finally, he knew that it was God alone who could help Him and so he prayed to Him with great faith. Judges 16:29-30 “And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” Here we see in the Scriptures that the people who were killed by him in the end, were much more than all those killed during the several wars in his life time. Till the end, the Lord God did not forsake Samson. It is important for us too, to believe in God till the end. When we ask God in faith, we must believe that we will receive it either today or tomorrow, or perhaps after a week or even a month… But surely God will answer our prayers and make the way. Just as the Tax collector prayed with crying and groaning whilst beating his chest, asking God for forgiveness and to have mercy upon him; where Jesus heard his prayers and answered him and made him a righteous man, the same God is with us even today.

Each year as we celebrate our Church Anniversary and step into the New Year, it is by God’s grace alone that the faith with which I Ieft my home to serve the Lord God is the same faith in me even today. Many a storm arose during this time, many wagging tongues and lying lips came against me, but my focus was only on God and it is my faith and trust in God alone that has held me in good stead till this day. We are special people, unlike the people of this world. We get the true Word of God straight from the throne of God and this is our strength and our faith. Jesus said ‘if they did this to Me, remember they will do it to you too; be of good cheer I have overcome this world.’ Revelation 7:13-16 “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.” We have to suffer for the Lord, we have to face people’s criticism against us and withstand the same and overcome it, and we need to pass through all the pain and suffering this world offers us. Only then will we receive the robe of righteousness from the Lord and also make our place in God’s Heavenly Kingdom. Only then will we be able to stand in God’s presence before His throne. Let people wag their tongues, let them scorn and laugh at us, but let us continue to be focused on the Cross of Calvary. Let us remember Jesus’ sufferings on the Cross for our sake, let us remember how he was stripped and lashed, how he was spat at, how people called him of the devil, and how he was humiliated. If we think of Jesus’ sufferings, our sufferings are nothing in comparison. We must never grumble and murmur against God, the things that we face in life are nothing to what Jesus suffered for us. We must have faith in God alone.

Let us see how Moses prayed in Psalm 90:15-17 “Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” This was Moses’ prayer. We have seen that God was with Moses in different ways and He answered his prayers. We also see Apostle Paul’s faith in 2 Timothy 4:18 “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Likewise, it is important for us to have the same faith. The apostle Paul said that God shall save him from all the ills of this world to take him to His heavenly Kingdom. In this world there are constant clashes against us, only to stop us from reaching God’s Heavenly Kingdom. The devil is not worried about anything and will fight for our soul alone so that we do not enter the Kingdom of God. The apostle Paul says that his faith in God is that God will save us from all the sins of this world and help us enter His Kingdom.

Who does not want God’s blessings in life? There is none in this world who will refuse God’s blessings. Jabez prayed to God for blessings for he knew that God, along with His blessings, would add no sorrow. Hence Jabez asked God boldly for His blessings. Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” Jabez realized this of the blessings of God and hence he asked God for His blessing. Even if we experience sorrow, God will give us His grace to overcome the sorrow in this world. He saves us from falling down. Jabez’ prayer was for God to increase his boundary and it was thus that God blessed him.

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” Faith is the most important thing in our life. Through Jesus Christ, God has sent His choicest blessings upon this world. We must only ask in faith to Father God through His son Jesus Christ. God has granted us blessings from above; we have the highest blessings upon us and so we are God’s chosen ones. Haggai 2:19 “Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.” We read in Ephesians 1:3 that God has already showered us with heavenly blessings. The Prophet Haggai says that if we have not received the heavenly spiritual blessings that are already poured down on us, God will once again shower us with the same. It is our disbelief and lack of faith due to which we have not received the Lord’s heavenly blessings yet. Every Prophet’s promise and prophecy for us will be fulfilled in our lives by Jesus Christ. Jesus said ‘I have not come to destroy those promises of the prophets, rather I have come to fulfil them.’ The Prophet Haggai says that if we have not received the heavenly spiritual blessings sent for us in this world through God’s son Jesus Christ, then today it will again be poured down upon us, but we must only believe in Him today. God is willing to fulfill our lack, He is willing to fill our warehouse. Every hindrance that comes in our life, God is willing to break for our sakes. God is willing to answer our every unanswered prayer if we only believe. Jesus performed every miracle in this world, He healed the broken hearted and set the captives free, He made the lame to walk again and made the blind to see; all these miracles were performed only through faith.

In our lives too, if we only believe in Him, He is willing to answer. Let us see how Moses blessed the Israelites. Deuteronomy 1:11 “(The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)”

Haggai 2:19 “Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.”

Whatever be the storm in our lives, whatever the hindrances the evil one brings into our lives, our sufferings are but for only a few days. We know how in Job’s life, storms came in different ways and destroyed his entire family, yet Job never cursed God. Even before tragedy struck his family, Job used to offer sacrifice and ask forgiveness of the Lord for his family; in case his family had ever cursed God or sinned against the Lord. Job never cursed God. Hence in the end, we see God blessed Job in double measure and restored everything and much more in his life.

In our lives too, we must never curse God for our lack, but like Samson we need to make a small faithful and fervent prayer to God. God is not too far from us, in fact at such times, God is close to us. Isaiah 54:2 “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;” God is the one who will fulfill and answer all our prayers. It is God alone who will lead us and prosper us. In the days ahead, let us put our faith and trust in Him alone for He is a God who will provide for us from time to time and fulfil our every lack in life.

Let us remember that with small prayers God did mighty things in the lives of all those we have seen in the Holy Scriptures. Let our faith similarly be like them.

May God bless this Word and everyone who reads it!

Pastor Saroja M.

Rose of Sharon Old Aged home

Greetings to all our dear readers in the most Holy and Wonderful name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

On the occasion of Republic day and Mr. Amit Shah’s wife and daughter’s birthday on 26^th January, 2019, they along with their family and friends celebrated the joyous occasion  in our Home.

The celebrations went on for nearly an hour which included cake cutting and distributing eatables to the inmates in the Home. They also interacted with the inmates.  All the residents of our home were very happy and joyful.

We thank Mr. Amit Shah and his family for spending time and coming to our home to celebrate their happiness.  May God bless them and may they encourage many more to come and share their happiness and bring cheer to the residents.

Thank You Jesus.  Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord! As we celebrated the day of love in February, our children were explained a story of a Princess who was tired of false suitors and announced to  marry the one who would present her the most valuable and sincere gift of all. Amongst all gifts, she found, a simple dirty pebble. Intrigued, she demanded to see who it was.

The young man was brought before her, explained it to her like this, “Dear Princess, this pebble represents the most valuable thing one can give – it is my heart. It is also sincere, because it is not yet yours, and it is as hard as a stone. Only when it fills with love will it soften and be more tender than any other.”

The Princess  fell so in love that she took the little pebble  wherever she went, and for months she regaled the young man with gifts and attention. But his heart remained as hard as the stone in her hands. Losing hope, she ended up throwing the pebble into a fire.

In the heat of the fire, the sand crumbled from around it, and a beautiful golden figure emerged. That’s when  the Princess understood that she herself would have to be like the fire, and separate herself from what is useless .And as with the pebble, the fire of her presence melted the young man’s heart that he became so tender and considerate that he made the Princess happy till the end of her days. Similarly like the princess we need to soften and separate our ways from the wrong things to let the love of God fill our lives.

To sum up the week of love we had a small activity of card making. The children expressed their emotions of love to Jesus, their Mom, Dad and friends by making handmade cards.

Shalaka Salins

Praise the Lord. This testimony is of my Baby Abigail who is 2 years old. She was suffering from brain tumour (medulloblastoma) and she was to undergo brain surgery. Unfortunately, the doctors had informed us that even after the surgery there were no chances of  Abigail surviving as there was no hope and they did not give any guarantee that she would live.

I then contacted the prayer centre of Rose of Sharon Church for prayers. After prayers she was operated and she is now well as the surgery was successful.

I thank Lord Jesus for answering this prayer and I realised that where there is no hope only Jesus can give us hope.

Thank you Jesus for this miracle and thanks for the prayers through Rose of Sharon Church.

*Sis. Meenakshi Raut, Pune

ROS TV Viewer