Praise the Lord and greetings in the name of our most wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As we step into a new year, I pray that may all of you be led by the Holy Spirit in every sphere of your life.

Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Our Father God knows that we could never become righteous on our own, hence He had to send His one and only Son, Jesus as a sacrifice for us. It is only by His grace that we are redeemed from our sins and converted into fruitful trees. As a fruitful tree which blossoms when it receives good sunshine, water, and soil,likewise, our lives will also blossom when we have the love of God, and we will be blessed.

Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” When we fear God truthfully, as the word of God says, we would try and separate ourselves from all types of sins i.e. pride, arrogance, evil ways, and a perverse mouth. Once all this darkness leaves us, only then will God’s light shine within us, as darkness and light cannot abide in a person together. Malachi 4:2 “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Those who fear God will be like a well-watered tree, that receives good sunshine and soil, and which will spread its branches beautifully, like the Olive tree. Similarly, if each one of us wants to blossom and be blessed in our respective lives, consciously remove every tiny bit of darkness that will hinder the Lord’s light from entering into your heart.

As Paul writes in Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” In today’s times we realise that as per the Old Testament, no one can keep the Lord’s commandment, and hence no one can be called righteous. But today, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, we are redeemed from our sins and called righteous. Romans 5:19 “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” One man i.e. Adam’s sin led the whole of mankind into sin and separation from God. But by the obedience of one, i.e. Jesus Christ, whosoever believes in HIMis called righteous, and can be entwined in God again. We as humans can never be called righteous under the law of God; only if we believe that Jesus died for our sins, and in faith we accept it,only then will we be called righteous and the children of God!

Proverbs 11:28 “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” Money, beauty, degrees, wealth, etc are all fleeting glories. Our earlier generations eventually had no use for them, and neither will we. The word of God says very clearly that all those who trust and boast in them will eventually fall. They will fall in time,like dried leaves. Where do dried leaves eventually go? Into the pit, which is used for burning. Our livesshould not be like this. Our good Lord has given us all good things so that we can enjoy them and glorify God through it. But after receiving these good things from the hand of God, we should not become proud and glorify ourselves. Jesus, though being the Son of God, proved in every way how to walk in humility in this world,as given in Philipians 2:5-8. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” If Jesus, being the Son of God was so humble, and in every work glorified God, how much more should we walk in humbleness, and glorify our Heavenly Father?

Day and night we should meditate and try to walk according to the word of God, only then will our lives blossom like a healthy tree, asgiven in Hosea 14:6 “His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.”

In 2021, may each of you blossom and flourish spiritually, financially, and emotionally in your respective lives. Remember, the only way is through abiding in the word of God, and trusting with your whole heart, mind, and soul that only JESUS CHRIST is your saviour who can turn around your lives; but this is possible only if you trust in HIM completely and obey His commandments.

Till we meet again, your sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. My dad had been diagnosed with a weak heart in Oct 2015. His Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) which is the measurement of how much blood is being pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart (the main pumping chamber) with each contraction was at a low of 20% (normal should be in the range of 55% – 70%). I had testified of this matter over 4 years ago wherein I had tearfully requested Pastor Saroja for her prayers. Since then, my dad was able to lead a near normal life by God’s grace.

Recently, the hospital did a 2D & Colour Doppler Test for his heart and the results were astounding and miraculous. His LVEF was now showing as 64%, that of a healthy heart!His doctor would not accept these results and asked Dad (87 years old) to do the test again after a week, the results were the same!

Our God who created us, is anything too hard for him? He made us and to re-charge and heal our bodies is an easy task for Him!

I sincerely thank our Pastor Saroja for her heart-felt and long-suffering prayers for my parents. Lord,Your mercy is abundant. Thank You Jesus.

*Bro. Ramiah Daniels, Bangalore.

Praise the Lord. My mother who is eighty years and resides in Pune. She suddenly had a fall and went into coma. She was immediately taken to the hospital and was kept in the ICU. The doctor gave us only 50% hope of her survival. I requested our dear Pastor Saroja to keep her in prayers. By evening she came to consciousness and within two days she was taken out of the ICU and shifted to the normal ward. And by the third day she was discharged from the hospital.

I thank and praise Lord Jesus for healing her and sincerely thank Pastor for praying for her. Thank You Jesus.

Bro. Anand Gaikwad, Ghatkopar.

Praise the Lord. I was experiencing problem in my eyesight. And was unable to see clearly and everything appeared hazy. This happenedall of a sudden. I then called up Rose of Sharon Prayer helpline and requested for prayers. The prayer warrior prayed for me and today my eyesight is perfect.

I thank Lord Jesus for hearing prayers and healing me. I also thank the ROS Church team for their prayers.

Bro. Arjun Bhuria, Jharkhand. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. My name is Kiran Ravi Singh. When I was three months pregnant and had done my sonography. After checking my reports, the doctor said that my baby was having problem and is not growing. The doctor told me to do some further tests so that they could find some solution for this problem otherwise had to abort the child. In the fourth month, I did some tests and the reports were abit normal. Then again in the fifth month, I again did some tests, and this time, the doctor told me that all my reports were normal. Without taking any medicines, my child was normal. When I asked the doctor about, they stating my child had severe problems initially. The doctor said maybe the machine was faulty wherein the faulty reports got generated. But then I realised that this was not any problem of the machine but this was God’s great miracle done in my life and Pastor Saroja’s fervent prayers, whom I had informed about my problem immediately after my first check up only. Pastor Saroja had told me at that time to not worry and Lord Jesus will make everything normal and the same thing happened, because every thing in this world happens according to His will.

I thank my Lord Jesus Christ for this great miracle. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me and my child. Thank You Jesus.

Sis. Kiran Ravi Singh, Kalina, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. I was experiencing severe back pain and could not move. I then called up the Rose of Sharon Prayer Helpline and requested for prayers. The prayer warrior prayed for me. Within a day, God has heard prayers and healed me.

I thank and praise dear Lord Jesus that I am able to move without any pain at all. I also thank ROS Ministry for praying for me. Thank You Jesus.

*Bro. Samuel Hora, Assam. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. All glory to God alone, as everything works in our Rose of SharonMinistry only according to HIS will. Our Lord had prepared our Ministry years ago for an unheard situation like today, where Churches all over the world are closed. The work in our Rose of SharonMinistry has been going on non-stop, even during lockdown; only because of God’s love and grace on all of us and our Pastor Saroja’s prayers and efforts towards working fervently for His Kingdom. This year’s Christmas program was a great progression of the previous years – even as per God’s promise for Rose of Sharon Ministry – where each year was promised to be a progressive Christmas celebration!

Due to the pandemic, meeting and practicing together was not feasible and hence all participants took to the virtual world, like fish to water!Performance practices and rehearsals were mostly held on Zoomand video calls and eager participants began practicing in November itself, to hone their performance skills. What came together on the great big day of Christmas Eve, was the culmination of all these efforts, through live performances at the Rose of Sharon Church… and what a lovely performance it was! All glory to Jesus alone!

After the opening benediction by Pastor Saroja what followed wasa 2 hour journey of amazing, fun filled solo and group performances by different generations of our Church in Hindi, English, Marathi and Rajasthani languages. This showed that we can praise our Lord Jesus in any language and that language is definitely not a barrier.

A wonderful mime performance by the youth with a learning as to how we must give our Lord His due time and not be so lost in worldly cares that we have no time for Him because one day a time will come in everybody’s life where we will need our Lord’s grace and help and at that time HE should not tell us, “I don’t know you!”

Our Bangalore couple performed a wonderful musical which finally culminated with the ‘Jerusalema Challenge Song,’ wheremany of the audience joined the dance, to prance and oscillate to this Gospel inspired South African Zulu song.

Towards the end, we had the Tableau which depicted the birth of Jesus followed by gift distribution to all the performers from our dear Pastor Saroja with a word of thanks. Finally the arrival of Santa, distributing chocolates for everyone and ended the celebrations with a tasty round of special snacks arranged for all the members.

Everyone had a wonderful time with lots of fun, cheer and music all around and we were especially  thanking our Lord Jesus at every opportunity because HE made this impossible event possible only due to His love on His children! This proved to us once again that our Living God is a God of impossibilities!! Praise the Lord!

We continue to keep Pastor Saroja and her family in our prayers so that we, as one Spiritual family may live and strive for God’s Kingdom in one Spirit!

Thank you JESUS!

 

There was a 9 yearold kid name John sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this had happened. It’s never happened before and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they’ll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer “Dear God, this is an emergency! I need HELP now! 5 minutes from now I’m dead meat.” He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher.

As the teacher is walking toward John, a classmate name Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy’s lap.The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, “Thank You LORD! Thank You LORD!”

Now all of sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to open on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. She tries to help, but they told her to get out. “You’ve done enough, you silly girl!”

Finally, at the end of the day, as they all were waiting for the bus. The boy John walks over to Susie and whispers, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Susie whispers back, “I wet my pants once too. As I entered the class, I saw only you putting your head down and soon my eyes went down on the puddle between your feet and immediately, I remembered the day I wet my pants and I way I felt. So, I decided to help you out.”

Luke 24:2 “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,” The biggest mistake believers make is that they do not believe the Word spoken by the prophets of God. Luke 24:25-27 “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” This was the shortfall of many who believed in God, hence God called them foolish and slow of heart.

It is very important for us to have wisdom and understanding. Daniel thoroughly read the book written by the Prophet Jeremiah and recognized the powerbestowed uponprophets. He recognized in them, the grace, kindness, mercy, and authority of God. He repented for his people, prayed for them, and interceded with God on behalf of his people. By doing this, Daniel saved them from sin and perishing. Daniel 9:2 “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” Because of this, Daniel could save the Israelites. It is important for us to realize in our life, that we need to heed what the prophets say to us; we need to meditate upon the Word spoken by the prophets. We must not be foolish and slow at heart to accept what the prophets speak to us through the Word.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, himself read the Holy Scriptures and went from place to place healing people and preaching the Word unto them. Mathew 21:42 “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” Jesus not only read the Scriptures but also taught the high priest to adhere to the Word. In one instance in the Bible, we know of how the Pharisees and Sadducees twisted and hurled questions at Jesus. Mathew 22:28-30 “Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” Jesus asked these foolish people whether they knew or had read the Word.

The Word is the only ‘True Way’ in our lives. In our lives, it is important to believe every Word spoken by the prophets. From the beginning, the Israelites were foolish and slow of heart and disbelieved what the prophets spoke or wrote. In today’s day, we must change our foolishness and slownessof heart and submit our understanding into God’s hands.

At the age of 12, Jesus had fully read the Holy Scriptureswritten by the prophets and was well versed with the Word. He believed the Word and understood it. When He went into the temple of Jerusalem, He started preaching and teaching the Word to all the priests and high priests. Luke 2:42-47 “And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.”

Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary searched for Him amongst the crowd travelling with them. Luke 2:45 “And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.” They returned to the temple in Jerusalem, where they found Him teaching the Word to the priests, high priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, and council members; answering their every question, whilst asking them many questions in return. Luke 2:47 “And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.” Jesus preached to them ‘You foolish and slow of heart, understand what the Word of the prophet speaks to you.’The people were astonished at his wisdom and understanding. God’s desire for us is to have wisdom and understanding. It is only when we have the fear of God within us, that we will have wisdom and understanding, and the Word will automatically work in our life.

From the beginning times itself, God’s people lacked this wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, because they lacked the fear of God in their lives. God continuously corrected His people, calling them ‘stiff-necked’ and ‘blind.’ God lifted many priests, high priests, and prophets amongst the people, but the Israelites were only slow in heart to accept the Word. Hence God had to send His only Son, wanting the people to accept the Word and transform their lives. As the hen collects its chicks, so also was Jesus sent on this earth to collect souls for the Kingdom of God. Yet, the people who were foolish and slow of heart did not accept Jesus Christ and His teachings, rather they crucified Him on the Cross. They did not have the wisdom to understand Jesus’ teachings, nor the heart to accept Him. Jesus came down to earth so that all the Word of the prophets would be established and come true, even unto His death on the Cross.

Jesus strove to accomplish every Word of the prophets. Mathew 26:53-54 “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” God has given us the Holy Scriptures in our hands, we must read and meditate upon it day and night; this is very important in our lives. Just as a hen collects her brood, Jesus callsout to His people again and again.

Jesus spoke to His people in parables.In one such parable, Jesusspoke of a vineyard owner who cultivated the fields and kept gardeners to work in his fields. No one paid heed to him,and instead, they killed his people. Likewise, our God has kept sending more prophets,hoping that people would change, but it wasall in vain. Finally, God thought that if he sent the owner of the fields, viz. His Son, the people would be afraid. Rather than fearing Him, the people got together and killed Him. The people’s downfall came about due to their foolishness and slowness of heart to accept the Word of God. Our lives must not be like these foolish people, rather we must believe in the Word and overcome this world.

Mark 14:48-50 “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.And they all forsook him, and fled.”

Jesus Christ sacrificed his life on the Cross so that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled. We who love the Lord, say ‘God has separated us from the world. God has died and alsorisen for us.It is only through Him that we can be delivered of our sins. It is only through Him that we can reach the heavenly kingdom.’ This must be our hope and our faith.

Then, should we not adhere to what the prophets have written and spoken of, in the Holy Scriptures? Should we also not believe in God?

We all know that there is no other God above our God. He is the only one who came from heaven onto this earth for our sakes. He lived for us, died for us on the Cross, and rose again on the third day, and He lives forevermore.He will come back one day for us.Jesus alone can show us the way, and if Jesus himself read the Holy Scriptures, how much more should we read the same?

Luke 24:25 “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:” Jesus does not question us by our rank, work, or our nature. From the beginning, God’s believers did not seek wisdom and knowledge to understand the Scriptures. Even today, we lack wisdom and understanding. Jesus started preaching from the age of 12;years before the priests, high priests, Pharisees, or Sadducees did.

Jesus responded only through the Word. When the devil tempted Him on the Mount, Jesus responded only through the Word and caused the devil to flee away. The angels then came and ministered to Jesus. Even in our lives, it is only the Word that can give us victory. Without the Word, we can fight nothing. It is very important for us to understand every revelation made by the Spirit in the Word. If we do not believe the Word today, Jesus will call us foolish and slow of heart.

In the story of the beggar Lazarus, who ultimately died and reached heaven and sat in the bosom of Abraham, a Rich man in torment (in hell), pleaded with Abraham to send Lazarus to his family, to warn his five brothers, so that they would not also come to this place of torment. God does not change, hence Abraham replied that there were priests and prophets kept on the earth to warn the people. Abraham told the rich man that if the people on earth paid no heed to theteachings of the priests &prophets, thenthey would not be convinced to change, even if someone rose from the dead.

We too must believe in the revelation of the Word that the prophets preach to us, for if we do not change today, we will never change. God will ask this of us, years later. What will we respond to Him then?

God has not left us alone, He promised us that His Spirit will come and teach us and make revelations to us. Today, it is His Spirit that is taking us places to teach the word to the people. If we do not believe the Word and take rightful advantage of it, God will question us after many years. He will call us‘foolish people, slow of heart to accept the Word spoken through the prophets!’ Our God will not change, He is the same unchanging God. God will accomplish His works in this world.It is important for us to hear His Word, be doers of the Word, and become wise.

Psalm 1:2-3 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” What is the secret of our success in this world? When we love God’s Word first, and then meditate on it day and night, then we will be blessed and become wise. God’s love for us is immense, and we forget it easily. But if we meditate on it day and night, it is more likely that we will remember it and try to live our lives according to the Word. God’s Word must be the first love of our life.But we are foolish, we forsake God’s love and follow the love of this world. If we remember the Word preached on this earth, and meditate on it, we will be blessed. If we do not remember the love of God that is being preached, we will never find God’s love. When God’s love is the first love in our hearts, He will bless us with everything in His time.Instead, we want to wander in this world for love,seeking the love that the world has to offer us,and we do not seek after God. Why?Because we are foolish and slow at heart to realize God’s love for us. We must always keep God before us in everything we do.

Jesus preached the Word amongst people, taught His disciples, fulfilled His Father’s wishes on this earth, and then, when He had finished His work on this earth, He died for us on the Cross of Calvary and rose again the third day as promised. Jesus once again met His disciples by the sea and asked them if they had any food. John 21:5 “Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.”

Would Jesus ever feel hungry, or have need to be fed? He is the God who fed Elijah through the widow of Zarephath,and also through the angel in the wilderness. He is the God who fed 5000 people who came to the Mount to hear his Word. He is the same God who fed the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness. Will this God ever feel hungry?Though God may ask us for food, will we say we have no food?Still, the disciples told Him they had no food. God’s people chosen by Him, those who had witnessedHis miracles, and been fed through those very miracles;these were foolish ones. They told Him they had no food. What is the reason for this? After Jesus died, they forgot His teachings, they went away from Him. We must not be like this, we must remember every teaching of God.

Jesus showed His disciples several miracles, and He was with them through all of them, yet now that He had died, His disciples had forgotten His teachings.

John 21:1-5 “After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.” The disciples had forgotten all that Jesus taught them and they went back to their old profession viz. fishing. Mathew 10:1-8 “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.Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”

John 21:3-5 “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.” The disciples answered‘No we have no food.’ The disciples did not remember any of Jesus’ teachings, and once again, out of fear of the world, they returned to their former profession as fishermen.

Theyfished all through the night, but in vain, and they caught nothing. When Jesus met His disciples in the morning, let us see what happened. John 21:9-13 “As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.”

The disciples had said to Jesus ‘we have nothing to eat.’SoJesus showed them the way and asked them to put their nets on the other side of the boat where they caught plenty of fish. He also cooked fish for them, and invited them to join Him in a breakfast by the sea!

His disciples had forgotten all that Jesus had done for them. We are foolish people before God. He broke His body for our sakes, He sacrificed His blood on the Cross of Calvary for our sakes. Our God is unchanging and unfailing, He gave His life on the Cross, and with His blood, He has renewed His blessings upon us.

John 6:48-51 “I am that bread of life.Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Our God is the same God, who even when His disciples went back to fishing after His death, prepared thema breakfast by the sea, and invited them to eat. He is the same God who gave Himself on the Cross of Calvary and broke his body so that we may be able to partake in His body and blood, as a sacrament of His love for us.

Mathew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” It is not by food alone that we can live, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. God’s Word was ‘Take my body, I give as a living sacrifice for your sakes.’ This is life for us, and without this, we have no life. We must meditate on the Word of God, day and night. We must fulfill every Word said by the Lord. Today God is a lawyer to us, but there will come a day when He will be a Judge.

Mathew 25:31-46 “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd dividethhis 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.”

Jesus wants us to be obedient to the priests andprophets whom He has instituted for us. We need to open our wisdom and understanding, we need to love the Word of God. The timewe have now is our‘grace’ period. In Ecclesiastes 3, there are 28 mentions of time. We must pay attention to the Word preached by the priests and prophets, and abide by God’s Word,or else we will stand in the queue of goats.

Hebrews 5:4 “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” God reminds us that Aaron was chosen by Him. We know that no one can do God’s serviceunless it is their calling from the Lord.Also, we can never please all mankind, for we will have enemies in this world. Today we are a congregation, so there is discipline and adherence to God’s Word. God has kept a watchman over us. Those whom He has called, He will anoint for His service. No one can escape His call. We know the story of Jonah, a prophet who God asked to go toNineveh to do His work. Jonah instead went in the opposite direction to Tarshish, so God taught Jonah a lesson by preparing a huge fish to swallow and keep Jonah in his belly and then vomit him out later. Many are called, but few are chosen.

Mathew 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Jesus asked Peter thrice ‘Do you love me? Feed my sheep.’ John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

Do we love God as much He loves us? Song of Solomon 8:6-7 “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.”

God loves us very much. What can we give Him in return? Remember, we have nothing worthy within us that can compare to His love for us.

Pastor Saroja M.

Praise the Lord.  A very Happy New year to all our readers from all of us in the Rose of Sharon Old Aged home with wishes, hope and prayers that all of you continue to be safe and healthy in 2021 too as we abide under the mighty shadow of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Since March 2020, festivals of all religions were not granted permissions to be celebrated throughout the country especially in Maharashtra. But the government opened up all religious places in time so that we could celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year without any restrictions.  Hence our Lord Jesus proved once again that He is alive and His children will never lack for anything! Praise the Lord!!

Jesus’s word for our Rose of Sharon Church is that “you will celebrate Christmas every year better and better”. True to this even during Covid situation,Rose of Sharon Church, celebrated Christmas with a lot of joy and happiness. On 24 Dec, we had our Annual Christmas programs,and it was so wonderful to see that even in such difficult times all the children of different age groups performed so beautifully. On 25 Dec after the Christmas service, lunch was arranged for all Church members and we enjoyed it as one big Happy Family. As I time and again say, “Lockdown is not for the Lord’s children”, we in the Rose of Sharon Church and Old Aged Home, celebrated the birth of our Saviour with the same joy as the earlier years. All glory to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord!

I thank Jesus that throughout 2020, He has kept all our residents in good health and protected them from this pandemic which has literally overtaken the globe. Praise the Lord for His grace and love on all the residents!

Do continue to keep them in your prayers and take care of yourself and your near and dear ones in 2021 too. God bless all of you today and always.

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord!Wishing all our readers a Happy New Year in Christ from all our little kids at the Rose of Sharon Sunday School.

The year gone by would be remembered well in history all over the world. We too at the Rose of Sharon Church shall remember this as a most eventful and blessed year. Surely no lockdown can stop us from worshiping our Living God!

The word of the Lord says Heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never fall to the ground. As the Lord had promised each yearwe shall celebrate Christmas in a better manner, we were blessed for the churches to be opened in time before Christmas celebrations.

“O what a special night when baby Jesus was born”, surely it was a special night for our kids and everyone in our church. Inspite of the lockdown we were blessed to continue Sunday school via the online platform.

Nothing could hold back the zest of Christmas too, our kids, you and different age groups of our ROS Church put up solo and group dance performances. Truly, no lockdown could stop or slow down the spirit of Christmas!

The joy and zest of Christmas reflected in the faces of all the people in the congregation and our kids very overjoyed to have Santa visit them.

As we step into the New Year we pray the Lord continue to help our little ones to grow in the love and fear of our Lord Jesus Christ.