Praise the Lord. The Rose of Sharon Church completes 17 years on 14 July 2021. I would like to thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for His mighty Hand upon me and all our Rose of Sharon Church members and Ministries through these years, and especially through the past one and a half years where the whole world has been fighting Covid-19. So many people have lost their lives but our Lord Jesus has kept our ROS Church members and all in our old age home, safe, and in perfect health. Thank you, JESUS!

Haggai 2:23 “In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Many are called but few are chosen. When the Lord puts His seal upon us, He gives us authority and power. Who can see this seal that is upon us? Other than God, even the evil one can see it. When the evil one tries to snatch us away, God always saves us as His own, so that we would not be destroyed in this world.

Always remember the biblical reference about the ‘Ten Virgins.’ All the women were chosen, but from those ten, 5 were wise, while 5 were foolish. In the end, the foolish women ran to God, knocking on His door, but God refused them saying, “I don’t know you.” Imagine, if this were to happen in our life – what a disastrous day that would be for us!

God chooses us that He may make us worthy vessels for His glory. He chooses us that we may walk blameless and holy before Him in this world. We must know that when God chooses His servants, His mighty grace rests upon them so that they can face various challenges in their lives. Moses had God’s grace; hence he could sustain the murmurings of the Israelites. David too had God’s grace, and he could not remain silent when he heard Goliath screaming and abusing the Israelites.

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;”

Yes, God has chosen the foolish of this world to shame the wise. When Jeremiah was called to be God’s servant, he too gave many excuses like Moses saying, “I am young. I stammer. I cannot speak before men.”

God has chosen many, but only a few have been given the right to be called His Servant! Hence, we should be very careful when we speak against any “True Servant of God,” for while the Servant of God may not know about it, God hears from the heavens, and His judgement will surely come down heavily on those who speak against His chosen servants.

In the most trying times in our respective lives, when we were sinners, God delivered, saved, and redeemed us. Hence, we should never forget the pit from where God has delivered us; and like David, we should always praise God in every situation in our lives. Our mornings may be good and nights may not be good, yet we need to praise our Saviour at all times, for that is the key to receiving more and more blessings in our lives.

Happy Anniversary once again to all the Rose of Sharon Church members. Continue praising and testifying about all the wonderful things our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has done in your lives.

Till we meet again…

Your Sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise The Lord. Our son Joel had a squint and vision problem right from the age of 3 years. He had already undergone a squint surgery in 2015, but the squint had reappeared and his vision problem persisted. The Doctor had suggested surgery to be done again, but we postponed it due to the Covid Pandemic. Since Joel’s vision kept worsening, we decided to go in for surgery. We informed Pastor Saroja about this, and she assured us of her prayers. Eventually, Joel’s eye surgery was done, and by the immense grace of God, the surgery took place without any problems. The Doctor had informed us that if the eye muscle did not align properly in the first instance, she would have to do a re-surgery after a week. However, on follow-up, the doctor informed us that a second surgery was not required. We thank our Almighty Lord Jesus Christ for being with us all the time, and for healing our son’s eye. All glory and praises to our Lord Jesus Christ and many thanks to Pastor Saroja for her constant prayers for Joel and our family all the time. Thank You, Jesus!

*Bro Shibu & Sis Marina, Kurla, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Praise The Lord. My daughter Sara was suffering from redness in her eyes, due to which her eyes were continuously watering. I called up Pastor Saroja and told her of the matter. Pastor advised me to apply prayer oil regularly over Sara’s head and eyes and said she would keep the same in prayer. By God’s grace, by following this advice, Sara became alright.

After a week, I too experienced the same issue, and Pastor Saroja advised me to do the same as before; and she kept me in her prayers. I followed the advice and was healed. I give all glory to Lord Jesus for healing me and my daughter. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her precious advice and fervent prayers for me and my family.

*Sis Esther Patel, Mira Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

I am Rahul Kumar Shaw, 36 years old. Since 2009, I was undergoing treatment for a neurological condition. Constant fear, anxiety, and depression troubled me, which would tighten and cause my body to vibrate. The right side of my body would get stiff and my face muscles would tighten up. I would go blank for hours, like an epilepsy attack, especially in the evenings. From a young age, my parents showed me to many Doctors, and I went through many scans, tests, etc., but it did not show up in the reports, and the doctors could not figure out the problem. The prescribed medicines did not give much relief. I tried homeopathy too, but nothing worked. Due to my health condition, along with my small shop not doing much business, my wife would get very aggressive toward me. Often, she left me for her parent’s place, taking my two-year-old child with her. At that juncture, I saw the Rose of Sharon TV program, and I called the prayer line number. From the time, prayer was offered for me, I kept on feeling something leaving me, in the manner of smoke, or vapour, coming out of my nose and ears. For 3-4 hours, I continuously felt this way, and later felt light. Since then, I have not suffered a vibration and stiffness attack. My wife and child have come back home. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for healing me and bringing my wife and child back home. I sincerely thank the Rose of Sharon Ministry for fervently praying for me.

*Bro Rahul Kumar Shaw, Jharkhand, Bengal (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. I would like to testify about a wonderful miracle my JESUS has done in my life. A fortnight ago, my reporting manager (Managing Director) had left the company due to some issues, and I had no reporting manager. The future was uncertain and we were not sure when a new MD would join. During this time, I suddenly received a call from a placement agency for a job opportunity. On discussing the same with my mother (Pastor Saroja), I decided to go ahead with the same. From the time my mother started praying for me, I could experience God’s mighty hand on me. I cleared all the rounds of interviews, and within a week I was handed over the appointment letter with a good increase too. The company I am joining is a wonderful one, by God’s grace! In these Covid times, it is so difficult to get new job opportunities, but nothing is impossible for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; which He has proved once again. Thank you Jesus for this wonderful blessing in my life through the prayers of your daughter. All Glory to you, JESUS!

*Padma Jaykanth, Mumbai

Praise The Lord. My name is Sukhlata. My son Lawrence was not keeping well for two days, he suffered from a fever with cold and cough, and medicines were not doing any good to him. While surfing channels, I came across Pastor Saroja’s message. I felt very blessed and thankful to God for giving me the Word, and I dialled the prayer line for prayer.

My son started feeling better the next day and could join back to his work the day after. All praise to Lord Jesus Christ for healing my son. I thank the Rose of Sharon Prayer Tower for their fervent prayers for my son.

*Sis. Sukhlata, Dharavi, Mumbai, Maharashtra. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

I quit my job, my relationship, & my spirituality… I wanted to quit, and I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

‘God,’ I asked, ‘Can you give me one good reason not to give up?’

His answer surprised me. ‘Look around,’ He said, ‘Do you see the fern and the bamboo?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them light and I gave them water. The fern grew quickly from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year, the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.

In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo. I still did not quit!

Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant, but just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots, which made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.’

God said to me, ‘I would not give any of my creations challenges they could not handle. Did you know my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing your roots? I would not quit on the bamboo, and I will never quit on you! Don’t compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet, they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come,’ God said to me, ‘You will rise high!’

‘How high should I rise? I asked.

‘How high will the bamboo rise?’ God asked in return. 

‘As high as it can?’ I questioned.

‘Yes, He said, ‘Give me glory by rising as high as you can!’

Genesis 25:34 “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.” We are warned about Esau in Hebrews 12:16-17 “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Esau once went to the jungle, and on his return, he was very hungry and weary. His brother Jacob was preparing a lentil stew for himself. Genesis 25:29-33 “And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.” Just as Esau sold his birthright for two morsels of food; today the same happens with us, as we sell our birthright for a few morsels of food.

God is good all the time, and it was only after the Israelites reached the Red Sea, that God separated the Sea. Likewise, we must continue with our work; for in His time, God will do mighty works in our lives. We can only take the horse to the water; we cannot force it to drink, for the horse must drink the water itself. I can only preach the Word, but to change is in our hands; to accept the Word of God and walk His righteous path is all in our capacity. Our children will learn from their parents; hence parents must live their lives worthily before their children, as they watch them. What we do, our children will see, and then follow us. If we live in unity with our Church congregation, our children will also learn that, and live likewise. If we do not do that and expect good behaviour from our children, it will not likely happen. Here we see that Esau – the firstborn, for his one-time hunger, gave up his birthright and blessings. Jacob, the smart brother said, ‘I will remain hungry and feed you the food that I have cooked, but you will have to give me your birthright.’

The Bible says ‘Man should not live by bread alone.’ In the end, we know how Esau wanted back his birthright; he cried to get it back but he could not. Similarly, in our lives too, when we lose the chance, that particular opportunity will never come back again. God has promised blessings for us and our generations, but we must not sleep and dream about God’s blessings – rather we must be alert, and from time to time, work out to achieve things, so that we may receive His blessings. For our dreams to become a reality and become true in our lives, we must work hard for them. Then our lives will get better and better. in our lowest times when we have sorrow and pain in our lives, or when we are sick and ailing, we fail to seek God’s strength, and we forsake Him. God’s grace in our life is new every day, His mercy and kindness are fresh each day. Similarly, the manna fed in our church is new for every service; there is never a repetition of the Word; hence we must not miss a single Church service. When we miss a service, we lose God’s great love, truth, and revelation through His Word. Hence, we must be regular for every service. Just as there is a record here in church, our Heavenly Father also records it in heaven. Our God has a record of every member. This is not an exercise in teamwork, we are answerable individually. Hence in times of trouble, we must never forsake God, even as Esau sold his birthright for one meal.

In this world the devil works very cunningly, for he entices us with great desires, and snatches away our blessings. 1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” The devil is a roaring lion, and in this world, he is after every believer, every servant, and every family of the believer. Hence, we must resist and fight the devil, and the thoughts he puts in our hearts and minds. This fight was first fought in the Garden of Eden, and it continues even today, and it will continue till the end of this world. The evil one met Esau, Daniel, Job, David, etc., and he will meet you and me too. Samson too was tempted by the devil, but he fell to his plan; for Samson was enticed by his eyes and the lust therein. Samson was anointed by birth, and God blessed him with strength. He was a mighty man of valour, yet he was reduced to a sport for his captors. Samson sinned and gave in to the devil’s plan. He was captured by the Philistines and paraded like a joker before them. Samson thus defamed the name of the living God. Our God neither sleeps nor slumbers, but watches over us all the time. Samson was defeated, for he sinned against the Lord God when he was enticed by the lust of his eyes.

Solomon, the son of David was a wise man, and God gave him the right to build His Holy Temple. Solomon loved his people and his kingdom, and God blessed him with wisdom and riches to rule them with. However, Solomon married many gentile women and built them temples to worship their gods. Therein began the fall of Solomon! We must always have the fear and love of God within us. The devil will touch our lives in many ways. We must not care about it and we must never heed to him. We must never bow down before the devil, rather we must cry out aloud before our God.

Job was struck by the devil. He lost his entire family except for his wife, he was inflicted with physical illness and suffered, yet he only cried before God and said ‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.’ Job did not bow down before the devil. Thereafter, the devil used Job’s wife, and she told Job ‘Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.’ But Job said to her, ‘Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’ Thus, Job did not sin, even in his speech. Despite the painful sores that the devil inflicted upon Job’s body, Job did not sin when his friends questioned him about His living God. Instead, he challenged his friends on what they said to him. In the end, Job won God’s blessings in a double measure in his life, and God restored everything – much more than what he had lost. Remember, we must never forsake God, even as Esau sold his birthright to his brother.

1 Peter 2:9-12 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” We are God’s chosen generation; His own people, called to do His good works, and we are separated from darkness. Now it is our duty to spread His light in this world. We were once sinners, and we did not know about God, but now we are His chosen children. We have obtained God’s mercy and grace. Now we must keep every sin and lust of the flesh away from our lives. We are only wanderers in this world, preparing to go to our eternal land in Heaven. Hence, we must try to be victorious in this world, and keep away from the snares and traps the devil lays for us. We must never become a sport for the wicked, as Samson; and like Esau, we must never sell our birthright.

Like Job, we must not bother about what the world says. Job’s wife and friends, all discouraged him about God, yet Job did not care for anything they said. He continued in his suffering and reverence for God. Likewise, the world will discourage us many a time, but we must not care for the world. Instead, we must continue in our faith and belief in God. When we desire to do anything for God, He will enable it to happen in our life. The devil will discourage us, and bring many obstacles in our lives, but it is up to us to overcome these trials and tribulations. The Word says that both good and evil will dwell together on this earth, but in the end, at the time of harvest, God will separate the good, and take them with Him; while the evil will be put into hell fire, to burn eternally.

We must never lose our soul; we must strive to keep our soul for the Lord God till the end. When we are in love with God, live in His fear and eagerness to do His will, and God will work in our homes and our family. But, when we have no zest for the Lord God, and when our faith and belief are weakened, our family will also suffer; and the devil will capture both our home and family. The Word is truth, and the truth will always prevail.

1 Peter 2:12 “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” On the day of judgement, we will see the grace of God upon those of us who stood for Him and His works. We must never forsake God for even the small desires of this world.

In the Bible, we know the story of Jacob’s son, Joseph, who was born in a family where his siblings were jealous of him. Joseph eventually became a ruler in Egypt, but before that, his brothers ill-treated and disowned him. When Joseph was a young boy, he saw a dream of greatness and revealed it to his brothers. Genesis 37:7 “For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.” Joseph’s brothers got very jealous and were angry with him. Genesis 37:9 “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.” In those days, God used to talk to people in dreams, and God spoke to Joseph in his dream. We must be able to recognize the true dreams from God, for one may also get dreams from the devil. Hence, we cannot believe all the dreams we see. God says, ‘I will speak to my people in their dreams,’ so today the devil takes advantage of the same, and misleads people.

1 Corinthians 2:10-15 “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” Joseph’s dream was from God. It was a revelation to him, and it was the truth. It was a dream given to a servant of God.

It is written in Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” The dream given to Joseph was a dream of God’s revelation. The God who created this world, the heaven, and the stars, sun, and moon, revealed to Joseph in a dream, what He going to do in Joseph’s life. When Joseph told his brothers about this dream, they were jealous of him. Genesis 37:20 “Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” Joseph’s brothers decided to kill him and put an end to the dream that Joseph dreamt. In the end, the brothers even sold him as a slave, but God’s plan could not be stopped by any of these misdoings. In Egypt, Joseph was sold as a slave to an officer of Pharoah. Joseph found favour in his master’s sight, and he was given charge over the entire household. Here, the master’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. Genesis 39:8-9 “But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Joseph could have easily sinned, but he decided not to sin against the Lord God. There was no one to watch over Joseph, and he could have easily sinned, but Joseph refused to give in to the devil’s schemes.

Just as Joseph fled from sin, we too must be determined in our lives not to sin against our God. We must never do anything that displeases our God. In this world, we will get everything we want, but we will never receive the grace of God once we lose it. Mathew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Remember, when the root of a tree is good, its fruit will definitely be good too. When the parents are good, the children will automatically be good; and the family overall will be good. Children learn by watching their parents, and if the parents fear God, so will the children fear God. If parents are thirsty for the Lord, if they have respect and love for the Lord God, their children will automatically follow the same. David advised his son, Solomon, ‘If you forsake the Lord, He too will forsake you.’

The Word is a mirror. We can reflect on ourselves in it, and see our inner-most being through the Word. God says to us, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always.’ We must be beautiful for the Lord, and there is no harm in looking good when we come before the Lord. Song of Solomon is a beautiful book, describing how we must love God and how He loves us. Our innermost beauty must be acceptable for the Lord. Our God is gracious and loves us very much. Remember, the devil is always on the lookout for us, for when we are weak and most likely to fall.

Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” God does not want us to hide our sins, rather we need to confess them before Him, and then He will deliver us from them. In the Old Testament, we see that the Israelites were always in battle. God told them never to fear when they went to war. Deuteronomy 20:1-4 “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” Fear not when you see horses, chariots, or people coming against you, for the Lord your God is with you. He is the same God who was with the Israelites, and who brought them victoriously through the Red Sea. In our weakest time, we must remember this, and immediately the same God will strengthen us, and our physical bodies will be immediately fortified.

God says ‘I who brought you out of Egypt, am always with you.’ Hence, we should never fear or be weakened by our enemies. Our disbelief should not overpower us, rather we must believe that our God is with us and that He will fight against our enemies and save us. It is our God alone who can make us victorious in our life. Our God is a ‘gracious God,’ and we must always remain entwined in Him. We must never sell our God for the little things of this world.

Just as Pharaoh troubled the Israelites in Egypt, Satan will continue to trouble us in our lives today. But, let nothing of this world trouble or weaken us, and let us rise high for the Lord.

May this Word bless everyone who reads it. Praise the Lord!

Pastor Saroja M.

Praise the Lord my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2021 is passing by so quickly, and we are already in the month of July. The situation across the world though has not changed much. Corona is still very much around, and we are dreading the third wave which will supposedly hit our country post September. May God keep all our children under His shadow, and protect them from every seen and unseen danger.

All the residents of our Rose of Sharon Old age home have taken their first dose of vaccine in the month of June, and by God’s grace none of them have had any after-effects of the same. Praise God for His wondrous mercy on all of them!

Time and again, I have testified how God provides everything for the residents of our Old Age Home in a timely manner, and this is again one such testimony. I am so thankful to God that He takes care of all the needs of our Old Age Home in a very timely fashion, as and when required.

Do continue to be safe and take care of all your family members.

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. Vacations have come to an end, and the academic year for 2021-22 has begun, and all our children are back to their routine of online studies. It is very sad to see that our children are missing out on the pleasures of physically going to school, taking part in competitions – be it sports, debates, etc. The situation around the world is not in our control, but instilling good values in our children is very much within our control, especially now, since they are not physically mingling. One such very important value which has to embedded in our children is HONESTY. A short and simple story explaining how HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY is given below.

An emperor had no children. He decided to select a suitable successor to his throne from the boys of his empire. He proclaimed that the interested boys should assemble in the palace on a specified date. When the boys arrived, he said, “There is a simple test for you. I will give a seed to each one of you. You must take it home and carefully plant it in a pot and bring the pot to me at the same time next year. I will examine the pots and adopt the winner as my successor to the throne.”

The boys carried the seeds home and planted them. One of the boys found that his seed did not sprout even though he gave it all possible care. He continued to tend the pot and water it daily, but could not get any result. The others tended to their growing plantlets with the utmost care, and some of their plants developed buds and flowers.

After one year, all the boys reached the palace to proudly display the result of their sustained effort. The poor boy alone sat there without any plant to display. The emperor examined each pot and resumed his throne.

He summoned the boy who could not grow the plant to come near him. The other boys laughed at the poor boy who was holding his barren pot. The king stood up and declared, “I had given each of you a seed after cooking it by prolonged and vigorous boiling in water to destroy its viability and assure that it would not grow at all. But all of you except this honest young man, have managed to raise plants using your own seeds to impress me and gain the throne by fraudulent means. Honesty, truthfulness, courage, and integrity are the qualities I expected in my successor. Only this boy has succeeded in the test.”

Hence dear parents, it is very important that we be faithful and truthful in our every action, both big and small; and teach our children the same, because children learn by watching us.

It does not matter where we are, as God’s eyes are all around, watching all that we do.

Do continue to pray for all our children so that they may grow up to be amazing children of God!

Praise the Lord! Thank you, Jesus!