Editor’s Note

I greet you all in the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To know the will of God we should be very clear in our minds what the will of God in our lives is. To go to the other side of the lake, Jesus knew it was the will of His Father. Luke 8:22-24 “Now it came to pass on a certain day, that He went into a ship with his disciples: and He said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed He fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.”

Such a situation also came in Paul’s life, but Paul was confused. He was wondering whether they would be alive or dead. Acts 27:18-20 “And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” But what was the will of God? Paul had to appear before Caesar, and as the storm could not stop Jesus from crossing, in the same way it could not stop Paul. Acts 27:22-25 “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”

When you know the will of God in your life, your faith increases. For this you have to read the word of God and be strong in the word of God so that you are not stuck in worldly worries, worldly likes and worldly wishes. Many people do not know the truth and they cry, change their house, change their church, etc… in this there is no benefit. Genesis 4:6-7 “And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” Instead of asking pardon of the Lord a hundred times, it is better to know His truth once and for all. We cannot escape from His eyes, for His eyes are everywhere – to heal you, forgive you and bless you. So trust in Him, for He is faithful.

May God Bless you… Hallelujah!

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. This is to testify that year after year my Lord God has lifted me up according to His loving will and plan. This year too, Lord Jesus has blessed me with a good performance bonus and increment for 2019. All glory and honour to Jesus for His constant love and blessings upon me. Thank you also to Pastor Saroja for her continuous love, care and prayers throughout the year for me and my family. Thank You Jesus.

*Sis. June Anchan, Mira Road

Praise the Lord. While coming to Church, as I was standing at the bus stop to cross the road, a biker came in speed and met with an accident where I was standing. By grace of our Lord Jesus, the bike did not hit me and nothing happened to me. All praise to our Lord Jesus Christ who saved me and I thank Pastor Saroja for keeping me and my family in her regular prayers.

*Sis. Susamary Francis, Goregoan

Praise the Lord. This testimony is about my grand daughter Namrata. While she was playing at home she suddenly slipped and fell from the staircase in our house. She had a very bad fall. Her breathing had stopped and we were very scared. Immediately I applied prayer oil on her chest. She instantly started breathing and opened her eyes. I thank Lord Jesus that she had no major injury, only minor bruises on her body. Its only God’s grace which protected her. I thank and praise God a thousand times for taking care of my granddaughter. I and my family thank Pastor Saroja for her constant prayers for the Rose of Sharon Church members and her prayers for the prayer oil. Thank You Jesus.

*Sis. Natty Amanna, Ghatkopar

Praise the Lord. I had to go for a job interview and I had requested Pastor to pray for me. I praise and thank our dear Lord Jesus through whom I passed the interview and got the job. I give all glory to God for hearing Pastor Saroja’s prayers for me.

*Bro. Joseph Arikswamy, Jogeshwari

Praise the Lord. As my company had been taken over by another company there were a lot of problems going on during appraisals. All the managers were advising me not to expect any high increment in my appraisal, predicting that it would be in the range of 3% to 4% only. I had told this matter to Pastor Saroja and requested her to keep the same in prayer. By God’s grace alone I got double of what I had expected. I give all glory, honour & praise to Lord Jesus for hearing my prayer request and answering it. I also thank Pastor Saroja for praying every time for all of my problems in my life.

*Bro. Hardik Patel, Mira Road

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Austin Carlile was a famous frontman in the metalcore bands. When he was 17 years old, he received news of his mom’s sudden death. It was because of Marfan syndrome. He was so mad at God that after seeing his mom’s lifeless body, he ran outside the hospital and cursed God for the first time in his whole life. At age 19, music became Austin’s new god. Then he became a Rockstar. Yelling and singing in the microphone every single concert tour became his escape. All the rage and hate he was keeping inside bursts out every time he sings. And all the time, he was drinking and smoking. He was addicted.

Later, they found out Austin had the same genetic disorder like his late mom. He was diagnosed by Marfan syndrome. It causes all your connective tissues in your whole body to stretch, to pull, to break apart. People having this condition are found in wheelchairs or crutches. The biggest thing to worry about the disease is the aorta valve in your heart. Because of the disease, Austin wasn’t allowed to do sports activities. A few years into the band, he found out he needed to have a heart surgery. After going through a successful heart surgery, he went back to the band. But his health started to get worse every day. He had issues with his hip, ribs, back, and legs. And every time he sings, a sharp pain shoots up into his head and his body would have seizures. Despite his condition, Austin continued concert tours along with his band. He simply took medication every day and kept pushing through, trying to ignore the agony inside. It was very sharp decline.

One day while their band was having a good time partying, he crawled to the top of the bus and called his Dad. Feeling miserable, he said, “Dad, what is the purpose of this? What am I missing? What am I doing wrong? The band is building all this success, and all these things, but I’m still so empty and hurt and lost.” His dad simply replied, “Where’s God in your life?” “Where’s God in your life?” this phrase kept flashing through his mind. Since then, those very words from his Dad kept hanging on his spirit.

For years, Austin couldn’t write about anything other than what God was doing in his life. He craved for change and he was desperate. He told God, “You know what, God? I wanna come back. I need You. I want You to use me. Use my feet, use my hands, use my mouth, use my talent, use everything that I am for your glory.” I give You my life, I give You my heart. Use it.” After that doctor said he had to give up singing. Every time he sings, it was creating holes in his spine, because spinal fluid was coming out. He needs to have complete bed rest and can’t be a part of band anymore. Feeling hopeless decided to walk away from band. That night he prayed to God, “You have to take this from me. I can’t do this anymore.

The next day was Sunday morning, he went to church and in mid of service Pastor called out his name and said, “Austin the Spirit is telling me that you’re having some back issues right now.” Then and there he was prayed by the Pastor for his healing. Austin started to break down on his knees for healing and restoration of his body. After prayer in 2 months he was completely healed. People saw it and asked, “Did you have surgery? What happened? God healed me. He overwhelmingly testified. God made him a brand new person. And today he and his band is singing only for Lord.

Pastor Saroja M

Dove – A symbol of Holy Spirit

Luke 2:24 “And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” In the olden days, for the poor who were unable to sacrifice a big bull or goat, for them the Lord kept a commandment wherein they could sacrifice a pair of pigeons or turtledoves. It is important to give an offering of sacrifice, so in the above passage we see that Joseph and Mary, when they took Jesus Christ to the temple after eight days for the first time, they also took a sacrifice along with them to fulfill God’s command. When Jesus grew up and started His ministry, He reiterated that He had not come to break any commandment but to fulfill every commandment of God. It is also written in Leviticus 12:8 “And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” The Lord God had given this commandment for His people that they had to at least sacrifice a pair of pigeons or two young turtledoves to be purified of their sins. In the Scriptures it is recorded that Father God spoke to Joseph about how Herod was seeking to kill the unborn Christ, hence God commanded Joseph to take Mary far off and stay with her in hiding till Jesus Christ was born. Joseph and Mary had to keep changing their dwelling places. At the time of taking Jesus Christ to the Holy temple on the 8^th day, in keeping with the command of the Lord God, we see here that they took along the pigeon offering to the holy temple. Luke 2:24 “And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Now we can imagine the thoughts going on in the pigeon’s mind. It is said that when an animal is to be sacrificed, it senses the previous night itself that it is going to be sacrificed. Perhaps the pigeons realized that they were to be sacrificed the next day. They did not have fear in their hearts, rather they had joy, thinking that they would be sacrificed for Jesus Christ, son of God, who was sent into this world to save sinners as one day He Himself would become a sacrificial lamb. The pigeons would have thought that they were nothing great, but God chose them to be sacrificed for His son, thus this was the joy in the hearts of the pigeon.

It is not easy to be prepared for a sacrifice. We must be blameless, perfect and righteous before God. It is written in the Holy Scriptures that a sacrifice must be perfect, no animal lame, blind or imperfect may be sacrificed for the Lord God. In I Samuel 15, we know that God asked Saul about the offering that he had brought to the Lord. We must give God the best when it comes to our offerings. Also in the Holy Scriptures we know that both Cain and Abel brought their respective sacrifices to the Lord. Why did God accept Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? Because Abel brought the best before the Lord for sacrifice, while Cain did not bring an offering of his first fruits, rather he brought the left overs and excess which was with him. Cain remembered to offer to the Lord after he saw his brother Abel taking his offering to the Lord. Hence God accepted Abel’s offering and not Cain’s offering. God knows with which heart we make our offerings to Him. The process of rearing a young one of an animal takes time. While Cain tilled the land for two years, he ate the first fruits of all the varieties of vegetables he planted. It was only when his brother Abel was giving God his offering, he remembered the covenant with God. When God refused Cain’s offering, it brought jealousy into his heart and he murdered his brother Abel. Even today, our Lord God wants the best from us.

We know the story of a widow in the bible who did not have anything at home other than a little flour and oil. The widow was planning to bake a cake and feed her son and herself and then die, since nothing was left in their life. But when the Prophet Elijah asked her to make a cake and feed him first, she obeyed the servant of God. Her obedience brought blessings in their lives, from that moment onwards the flour and oil did not cease in her home.

Remember, our Lord God is watching our every giving, especially when we give our first fruits to Him. Thus even when the sacrificial offerings were brought to Lord God, it had to be the best and not defective. Sacrifice should also be righteous and perfect. Thus when the pigeons were chosen by Joseph and Mary to be sacrificed when they took Jesus Christ to the holy temple, the pigeons too were very happy that they were being sacrificed for Jesus Christ.

In the same way Jesus Christ was chosen to suffer for mankind and in the end He became a sacrificial lamb for us on the Cross of Calvary. Hence we must be like the pigeons, happy when we are chosen as a sacrifice for the Lord. Leviticus 5:7 “And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.”

In the Old Testament, though God had also made the way for the sins to be washed by such sacrifices, in reality the sins were only covered by the blood of the animal. God did not desire that our sins only get covered, rather He desired to give mankind complete remission and deliverance from our sins. Hence He sent His only son Jesus Christ into this world who would be sacrificed ultimately for all mankind so that we be completely cleansed from all our iniquities and sins. Jesus came for us as a sacrificial Lamb, hence today it is not necessary for us to sacrifice and shed any animal’s blood, for by the blood of Jesus Christ we all who believe in Him will be cleansed of our sins. Even today, God had made the way open for all of us. Jesus Christ’s blood is fresh even today. For children who were born 2000 years ago or yesterday or today, it is the blood of Jesus Christ alone that will wash away every sin through which we will receive remission from our sins. Thus, remember the pigeons who were chosen to be sacrificed for Jesus Christ were very happy that they were going to be sacrificed for a Saviour i.e. Jesus Christ. They thought they were chosen for a supreme cause, and so they were very happy.

It is not easy for anyone to sacrifice their life for others. They may live with you, but in troubled times when need them, they will run away from you. Even our family will forsake us if they have to make sacrifices for us. One needs to have guts, strength and love in one’s hearts. Pigeons do have strong guts, hence they are chosen as sacrificial offering for the poor who have no money to buy a big bull or goat.

The Holy Spirit could have come in any form upon Jesus Christ, but it came in the form of dove. God the Father had showed signs of the Holy Spirit in the wilderness, His presence was of the Holy Spirit with Moses and the Israelites as a ‘Cloud’ by day and ‘Pillar of Fire’ by night. Hence the Israelites believed that God was with them whenever the ‘Cloud’ and ‘Fire’ appeared.

The Spirit of God could have descended on Jesus Christ in any form, but God chose the Dove to descend upon his son Jesus Christ. God’s plans are wonderful in our lives. Jesus Christ was not sent into this world to break any commandment, but to fulfill every commandment. God chose the Dove as a sign of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Dove has guts and strength to be sacrificed for Jesus Christ, the same strength entered Jesus Christ when He was baptized and came out of the water when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in form of a dove. It is with this same strength that Jesus Christ walked up Golgotha knowing well that He would be sacrificed for all mankind. He did not cry or faint, but went to the Cross and boldly sacrificed His life for us.

The Apostle Paul says in Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Unless we are washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, we will never be cleansed of our sins. Today if we have problems in our lives; if we are facing any kind of persecution wherein we have sorrow and pain and we are carrying any Cross in our life alone, God will give us the strength to withstand everything in life. Through Christ alone we can carry all our sorrows, pain, trials and tribulations, for His strength alone is sufficient for us. Even if we have faith in God, we still need God’s grace upon us to be victorious. The devil is always after God’s children and to win in every situation we need God’s grace alone. 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” When our faith and trust is upon God alone, we will always fight the good fight against evil and obtain victory.

2 Timothy 4:17 “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” Why did Paul win his every battle? Because his faith and trust was in God alone. Even if we do not have anyone in our life to share our burdens, we always have our God besides us and He alone is sufficient in our life. God has given us wisdom, understanding and revelation in our life.  No one can understand God’s revelation, every Word has its own precious revelation and it is also different at different times. Mathew 3:16 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:” This verse alone can be preached in several different ways with innumerable revelations. We know that when Jesus Christ was baptized and came out of water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a Dove. Today, we see there are so many revelations of how the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a Dove. For different preachers, different situations and times, God reveals the same Word differently in thousand different ways. God’s Word comes alive to us every time we read it.

The revelation of the Word is an Ocean for us, there are only good things and benefits in reading it. No one can bring any revelation to us before God’s time. His time is perfect in our life. This is what we mean when we say ‘God’s Word is true, God’s Word is alive’. Everyday God speaks to us in a new way, God reveals to us wonderfully through His Word.

Nowadays, God’s Word in our ministry comes strongly because we are now grown up in the Word and not little children any more. Hence God’s counsel for us is strong. But when this same Word is preached elsewhere, it counsels and loves as a Father talking to a child, in a mild manner. In our ministry, God is speaking very firmly and strictly because we have now grown from drinking milk to eating meat. While in the other ministries, they still need milk as it is easier to digest. They are gentiles, hence they are tender yet. They do not know that God is fire, they still do not know that side of him. When a child is an infant, it drinks only milk. After a year and a half we add nourishment to his milk to help him grow. But once he becomes a grown up, we will give him rice and strong food. Why? Because rice and other solid foods gives children further nourishment. We as a congregation need to grow in Word and Faith. We cannot continue to drink milk for nourishment. We have now grown up and are capable of eating meat. The Apostle Paul says that it is God alone who helps him bring the congregation from darkness into light. With his wisdom, he could preach the same Word everywhere, yet Paul says that it is by the grace of God alone by which he preached and thousands accepted the Lord God – and yet a lot work remained to be done. Whether it is me or you, at home or in office, in every situation we must keep God ahead of us. Without Him we are worthy for nothing, for without Him we can do nothing. Even in small things – whether in studies, school, our going out or coming in, God’s grace is very essential for us. Yet, if we slip up and fall, God is willing to forgive us and lift us up once again. God’s blood is willing to wash us and cleanse us anytime and every time. Hence the Apostle Paul says that because God is with him, he is able to accomplish all things in Christ. Because we have the grace of God we can face any uncertainties in our life.

In the Holy Scriptures we know the story of Stephen’s life. The people were angry with him, they hated him and stoned him to death; but since Stephen’s mind was focused on God alone, his confidence and guts alone could help him face the wrath of man. The Holy Spirit descended upon Stephen in the form of a dove and he became bold. Acts 7:55-56 “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, he saw the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Since Stephen was bold, he could boldly face it. Many of us say that we have fear in our hearts and mind, the reason being that we are empty. When we are empty, we fear all evil. But when we are full of Holy Spirit we are filled with boldness. Stephen was filled with boldness because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, thus he could see the heavens open and he could see God the Father waiting with open arms to embrace him and welcome Him into the heavens. Though he was stoned to death and bleeding profusely, still he could not feel the pain and the light was shining upon him. He saw the Lord God waiting with open arms to welcome him into the heavens. Hence, with boldness Stephen could ask God to forgive the people for they knew not what they were doing. God knows that in this world we need boldness to survive and to avoid the stamp of the evil one on our hands. Thus we need the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us always.

When the rain ceased and Noah opened the Ark, he first sent out a Dove. It flew off and returned because it did not find any place to rest. The second time Noah sent the dove, it returned with an Olive leaf, thus showing that the waters had receded and that the trees were no longer submerged under the water on this earth. The third time Noah let the Dove out, it did not return as it found a tree to perch upon. Our God’s Spirit is moving in this earth to fulfill our desires. So today ask for wisdom and knowledge. We need the Holy Spirit to save our faith, for without wisdom and knowledge we cannot save our faith. We will fall, hence to stand firm in our faith we need the Spirit of God. 2 Timothy 4:6 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” The Apostle Paul said that as the Spirit of God rested upon him, he had not fallen yet but had stood firm for the Lord. His faith was strong till the end and he could finish his race. When the Spirit of God is not within us, we will feel defeated soon. We will become tired and unable to accomplish anything on hand. The righteous men and women of whom we have read in Hebrews 11, lived for the Lord and fought their battles and won. This gives us the strength to believe in God. Though Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were put in the furnace they did not fear, for they were filled with the Holy Spirit and their faith was strong. We need the grace of God to hold our faith strong.

In the Holy Scriptures, we also know how David fought his every battle with a strong faith in God. 1 Samuel 17:45-50 “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.” David killed Goliath with only a sling and a stone, not with any sword or any other weapon. We know that in the name of Jesus Christ alone he lifted one stone and slung it at Goliath. He knew that this one stone alone could crush the enemy. David won the battle against the Philistines with this faith. Here we see he fought Goliath only in the name of Jesus Christ.

1 Samuel 24:5-7 “And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.” Whatever wrong King Saul planned against David could not be accomplished. There are 3 types of spirits in this world viz. the human spirit, the unclean spirit and the Holy Spirit. The works of the Holy Spirit are done in mighty ways. David always gauged the situation in life and behaved as per the required situation. Sometimes he got drunk while sometimes he acted insane, but when it was the matter of the Holy Spirit, David always honoured God, hence God’s Word says ‘Do not touch my anointed.’

1 Samuel 30:1-6 “And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their   daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” We can understand the mighty defeat felt by David where he lost everything to the Amalekites. Yet David’s faith remained steadfast on the Lord God. There were many such instances that David faced in his life, but in every situation David faced it boldly, for God was with him. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. We too need God’s Spirit upon us to face the world. Remember, when God is with us who can be against us, who can fight against us and win battles? 1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.” The day David was anointed with oil, the Holy Spirit was upon David and because of this David was never afraid. He was strong for the Lord. In every endeavour of his, God gave Him success as His Spirit was upon Him. In our lives too, we may face many persecutions either through our family or friends or other relationships, but we need to put our trust in God alone, for He alone will give us victory. In our shortcomings, through our Lord Saviour we can overcome every hurdle in our life and emerge victorious. We can boldly come before God when we put our faith and trust in Him.

Then we can say as said in Romans 8:31-39 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No strength whatsoever can separate us from our Lord and no one can win a victory against us. The Lord God will be our friend and be with us in our every sorrow, pain or hurt. Prophet Isaiah, when he saw a victorious group, said that they were not separated from the Lord God. Isaiah 60:8 “Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?” Prophet Isaiah had prophesized this even before Jesus’ birth, about those who won through every struggle in their life. He saw those who have lived and died for Christ filled with faith and anointed with the Holy Spirit and flying as a group of doves. They were the ones cleansed and washed by the blood. Just as doves fly in groups, so also these people of faith were flying like the doves. The revelation that Isaiah had seen, we also need to see.  In the end times, we too will need to fly as doves in groups.

In the revelation John saw how many people had the name of our Lord God on their foreheads. Revelation 14:1 “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Here we see that there were 144,000 who stood with the Lamb on Mount Zion who had on their foreheads the names of both God the Father and Jesus Christ. To stand with God on the Mount we need to fight this world like these valiant people who fought and overcame the world. Nothing can stop us, no one can stand between the Father and us and we will win all battles in life. No one can separate us from the Lord – not tribulation, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword. We can never win this battle physically, hence we need the Holy Spirit alone to empower us to fight the battles in this world. Our battles are not just one or two; when our battle with the sword is over, famine will come, after that nakedness, and there is no end to the battles we will face. We must remember that our batteries must be fully charged at all times. Only then our Father God and Jesus Christ’s name will be inscribed on our foreheads and we will also fly as a bunch of doves and reach God’s heavenly kingdom and stand before the throne of God. Revelation 14:7 “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Revelation 14:9-12 “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” We must remember, that we must never take this stamp of the evil one on our body. In our life we may have stood firm for the Lord and have won many battles. But in the end, the evil one will bring a final test that we should fail in our love for God. The moment we take this stamp of the evil, we will fall into the hell fire. Even if we are naked or hungry, there is no reason to fret and we must withstand every temptation that the evil one brings in our life. Do not fear, for our Lord God will be there with us, He will save us wherever we go. Shout to the Lord that His mercy and kindness alone is enough for us. In the end, remember to never take this stamp on us, and be prepared to die for the Lord. We cannot escape oppression from the devil, and it is at that time we need to stand strong for the Lord. This will be a test for us in our lives and we must always stand firm in faith. Even as the devil tested Job and Job had to undergo all the trials brought upon him by the evil one, so also today the devil will bring such tests in the Lord’s children’s lives. The evil one will implement laws, rules and policies in this world to make us bow down to do all these things. The ruling government will enforce all these laws but we must be sharp as a serpent. All these are the plans of the evil one to bring defeat in our lives.

We are surely approaching end times now. We must fear the Word, read the Word and meditate upon the Word. The Word helps us face tricky situations boldly and teaches us which way to turn when these situations arise in our lives. We should not be foolish but handle ourselves in situations wisely. God’s Word is always true and we must meditate on His Word which will bring immense blessings in our lives.

May the Word bless us and strengthen our faith and trust in our Lord God.

Praise the Lord. Greetings to all our dear readers in the wonderful and powerful name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this month’s edition we introduce our new resident, Aunty Anita Rajan, who is 73 years old and was brought by her son to our home.

Anita Aunty is suffering from diabetes, blood pressure and back pain, yet she can do all her work on her own. She is not fussy about food and eats whatever has been served to her. She is very kind and sweet by nature and she likes the evening prayer held in the Home every day.

May our good Lord heal her from all her sickness and keep her in good health.

Do continue to pray for all our residents at the Rose of Sharon old age home.

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!  With a few months gone by at Sunday School the junior kids have learnt the story of Naman, Jonah and a quite a few parables. While the senior kids learnt about the lives of Abraham and Isaac.

ü  They learnt not only about obedience but also how the obedience to the word of God, lead the mighty men of God to achieve great blessings in their lives.

ü  They learnt that how the obedience of Abraham lead him to be the Father of nations and how his generations from Isaac onwards were blessed and the blessing which passed on to the generations to come.

ü  They also learned that if one has been chosen by the Lord to accomplish His will, He will fulfill it anyhow. For e.g. Jonah who went to Tarshish instead of Nineveh was swallowed by the fish sent by the Lord and brought to shore only after he repented.

ü  Which also teaches us that our Lord is a stubborn shepherd and if He wishes that He needs you to do something as per His plan, He will accomplish it without any doubt.

The general class session was an interactive one for the kids. The class was divided into two teams, one team which enacted the bible characters and the other team to guess who the bible character was. This gave them an opportunity to be more interactive and ask the team different questions. Simultaneously sharing their understanding of what they have learnt and understood over the months.

What a joy it is to watch the little kids have a wonderful time of learning and having fun!  Praise the Lord, for the fun filled Sunday classes.

Do continue to pray for our little children for God’s protection and blessings upon their lives always.

Praise The Lord. I am Bro Subash Sarkar from Kolkatta. This Testimony is to testify about the great work done in my brother- Bro. Surojit Sarkar’s life.

I, personally had received a big deliverance in my personal life through the prayers of Rose of Sharon Ministry some time back. Hence this time I sent a prayer request for my brother Surojit Sarkar. I had complete faith that Jesus who healed me would deliver my brother too from his sickness.

I had requested the ROS prayer tower to pray for all his test reports.  After the tests the doctor said that he was fearing the worst and a biopsy had to be done of his pancreas. As we were facing this crisis we called for prayers at the ROS prayer tower and the prayer warrior assured us of prayers and prayed for my brother.  By God’s grace all the reports of my brother were clear.  I, along with my family praise Jesus and thank Him for my brothers’ healing.

We are also greatly obliged to the Rose of Sharon Ministry for their constant prayers. Thank You Jesus!

Bro. Subash Sarkar, Kolkatta.