EDITORS NOTE

My dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet you all in the matchless name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I believe the Lord has taken good care of you all in the past month.

The Lord of Israel has given his laws in the Scriptures according to Leviticus and Deuteronomy, to show his own people how to live in this world. The Lord has given His Ten Commandments for all the people of this world.

He says in Deuteronomy 25:1 “If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgement, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.”

The Lord is our judge. He is our righteous judge. When the people of this world come against you by changing the judgement by bribing the judges, at that time call out to our righteous Judge, the King of Kings; He will not be quiet till he will give you the right judgement.

The judgement is true in the tabernacle of David. Isaiah 16:5 “And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgement, and hasting righteousness.”

In our hands we are holding the Holy Scriptures. It is also called the Holy Bible. The role of the Bible is also to teach heavenly judgement to the people. According to the Bible, he who gives the right judgement is blessed.

In the entire Bible at least 40 important judgements are given. The first judgement was pronounced in heaven upon the proud angel Lucifer. The last judgement also will be in heaven, from the great white throne. All those born in the world, the small and the big, will stand before the Lord for judgement. Revelation 20:11-15 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

On earth, the first judgement came upon Adam and Eve. After that it came on the earth and the serpent. Due to Adam and Eve, all of mankind and earth had to suffer pain. Genesis 3:17-19 “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

In the time of Noah, the Lord saw the people’s iniquity and sins. Genesis 6:3-6 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”

Because of man’s wicked behaviour, the Lord wanted to destroy the inhabitants of the earth. The waters came and took away all the people and none escaped but the righteous man Noah and his family, who were saved in a beautiful way along with all the pairs of animals who were with him in the Ark.

God gives time for repentance. In the time of Noah the Lord patiently waited for 120 years. He was patiently waiting to see if the peoples would change their minds. But the people did not use that time. Even after Noah and his family entered the Ark, the Lord waited for seven days. Genesis 7:7-10 “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of everything that creepeth upon the earth. There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.”

Jesus pronounced judgement upon Capernaum, as in Matthew 11:23 “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” Till today that city is not built !

Even after the Lord had shown compassion on Nineveh they continued to sin, so Lord eventually destroyed the city (Nahum 2). Even Tyre and Sidon are no more as in the days of their glory, but are now depressed and deteriorated cities.

So my dearly beloved, fear the judgement of our Lord. Walk according to your conscience and the Lord’s words will show us the way. One day we should not stand before the great white throne with fear, pain and sorrow.

Let us have the good conscience of having walked before our Lord in truth.

David says in Psalms 139:1-3 “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.”

In the same way pray to the Lord every day and walk according to the Law the Lord has given in your hand. Thus you will rejoice in heaven!

Till we meet again, may God bless you all.

In Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. I thank my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ for giving me an opportunity to testify His wondrous works in my life. Before appearing for my 12 th (Science) exams, I asked Pastor to keep me in her prayers. In the month of May the Board announced that the 12^th results will be declared. I was quite tensed as my 2 papers did not go that well. On the day of my result, I passed in all my subjects cleared my 12^th standard by God’s grace. I give all praise, honour and glory to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and also thank Pastor Saroja who keeps me and my family always in her prayers. Thanks you Jesus.

*Bro. Obed Roberts, Vakoka

Praise the Lord! In the month of March 2017, I visited an orthopedic doctor for my knee problem. During consultation doctor asked me if I was driving, when I replied “yes”, he said that if it was a manual car it should be immediately replaced with an automatic car. Since driving to work is long distance and gear car would aggravate my knee further. At that time, my financial position was not too favorable, hence I could not even think of buying a new car. But by God’s grace alone and Pastor Saroja’s encouragement to go ahead and buy the automatic car since it would be good for my knee problem, in a most miraculous way God took care of my financial shortfalls and within the next month enabled me to buy a new automatic car. This is God’s marvelous doing in my life. As Psalms 22:22 says “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” I want to praise, thank and glorify my Lord God for His grace and mercy upon me. Also, thank you Pastor Saroja for always praying for me and guiding me in the right path.

*Sis. June Anchan, Mira Road

Praise the Lord. I want to thank our Lord Jesus for always protecting me from seen and unseen dangers. In the month of March 2017 I feel down from the school staircase and from that month I had a very bad knee pain and swelling of legs and could not even stand for a longer time. I told about this pain to Pastor Saroja and she assured me of her prayers. On 2^nd June when I had gone for Pastor Saroja’s special birthday prayer meeting due to my leg pain I could not sit down but to my surprise and it was Lord’s miracle that I could sit down for more than an hour and that day my legs were healed completely. Now I am able to sit down with my legs crossed as well as I can run too. I give millions of thanks and praise to our Lord Jesus for his marvellous miracle and special thanks to our Pastor Saroja for her constant prayers for our well being and for all our family. Thank you Jesus.

*Sis. Salomi Fernandes, Uran (Navi Mumbai)

Praise the Lord. One day suddenly I felt restless and breathlessness and because of that I got up from my sleep. I was extremely restless and fearful. I immediately called up Pastor Saroja at 2 am and requested her to pray for me. She assured me of her prayers and told me to trust in God. Within 10 mins all my restlessness and fearful feeling was completely gone. I had very sound and peaceful sleep after that. I thank our Lord Jesus Christ for his healing and Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me and my family.

*Bro. Jayantilal Patel, Jogeshwari

Praise the Lord. I would like to testify on behalf of my daughter, Namrata. We had applied for her admission in a school nearby. After filling the forms there was no response from the school. We told about this matter to Pastor Saroja and also that we are applying to another school. But Pastor wanted Namrata in a nearby school. Suddenly within 2 days we got a call from the nearby school and all the admission formalities were completed without any problems. I praise and thank Pastor Saroja for her prayers which got my daughter admission in a nearby school.

*Sis. Reshma Amanna, Ghatkopar

Praise the Lord. I want to thank the Lord for His wonder work in my life, again! My appraisals were due in the month of July 2017, but I was worried as the person I am currently reporting to was only from the month of June 2017. I was quite scared because he was not at all aware of all the tasks etc I had performed in the last year because of which he could assess me. I mentioned about the same to Mom (Pastor Saroja) and she assured me of her prayers and only told me to believe in God. Before going into my appraisal discussion I again called her and told her to keep me in prayers. To my utter surprise during the appraisal discussion my current boss was very supportive, encouraging and knew about my work and also told me that he was pleased with my work. He gave me a rating above my expectations and also gave me a very impressive monetary hike. This is only my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ doing, all praise, glory and honour to my Lord Jesus. I am also very grateful to the prayers of my mother because of which this was possible. Praise the Lord.

*Sis. Padma Jaykanth, Kalina

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said: “Look man, I don’t believe that God exists as you say.”

“Why do you say that?” asked the client.

“Well, it’s so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can’t think of loving a God who permits all of these things.”

The client stopped for a moment thinking, but he didn’t want to respond as to cause an argument. The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy).

Then the client again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber, “You know what? Barbers do not exist.”

“How can you say they don’t exist?” asked the barber. “Well I am here and I am a barber.”
“No!” the client exclaimed. “They don’t exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and a beard like that man who walks in the street.”
“Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me.”"Exactly!”- affirmed the client. “That’s the point. God does exist, what happens is people don’t go to Him and do not look for Him. That’s why

“Exactly!”- affirmed the client. “That’s the point. God does exist, what happens is people don’t go to Him and do not look for Him. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”

Go to God with your prayers and you will be blessed!!

Diligently accomplish God’s vision, prophecy and promise.

Psalms 89:19 “Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.”

Our Lord God gives us a vision, and when He gives us a vision He gives us help, strength and wisdom to accomplish this vision. But ultimately the final accomplishment of the vision is in our own hands, for we must fight for victory till the end. God first gave the vision of the Promised Land – Canaan, to Terah. Terah obeyed God and took along his wife, son Abram, daughter-in-law Sarai and grandson Lot. God gave him all the help he and his family required to go to the Promised Land. God also gave Terah strength and wisdom. But on the way, as they passed by Haran, Terah found this to be a beautiful country. He found everything good for settlement and he decided to settle in Haran itself with his family, forgetting the Promised Land that God had promised him. Genesis 11:31 “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.”

When we see a vision, it is important for us to remember the place from where the vision has been sent to us; for therein lives Father God, the righteous people, the wise, and the Book of life wherein our names are also written. It is to this place besides our Father God that Jesus Christ had gone after His resurrection and sat on the right side of His Father God. We must always remember that it is important to fulfill God’s vision given to us. A Vision is a Prophesy, a Prophesy is a Promise. Jesus Christ prophesied the following for our lives, John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” We know that Jesus is seated on the right side of Father God along with the many righteous people, God’s loved ones and those who have accomplished the visions given in their lives. The Book of Life has names of all those who have won their victory on this earth. God has kept different crowns for us and hence when we accomplish the vision or promise that the Lord God has given in our lives, He will give us the Crown of Life, Crown of Righteousness & the Crown of Glory. We have seen how Terah did not fully accomplish the vision God had showed him. Thus when Terah decided to dwell in the country of Haran, it was in this same place that He died too. Genesis 11:32 “And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.” Hence it is important that we fulfill God’s vision, prophecy and promise in our lives. Spiritually we are dead in this world when we do not accomplish the vision of God for us.

We know the story of Adam and Eve where God had given them a vision, i.e. eat of all the trees in the Garden of Eden, except for the Tree of Knowledge. But the moment Adam & Eve disobeyed God, they died spiritually and became naked before God. In our lives too, the moment we disobey God’s vision, prophecy and promise in our life, we die spiritually that very moment, just as Terah died in Haran since he disobeyed Lord’s vision of the Promised Land – Canaan. Genesis 3:7-11 “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”

It is very important for God’s children to diligently pay heed to God’s vision, prophecy and promise. 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” We must constantly be alert of God’s vision, promise and prophecy given for us. After Terah’s death, God gave this same unfulfilled vision to Abram. God told Abram to get out of the country he was in, away from his father’s household and family, and to go to the Promised Land that God would show him. Genesis 12:1 “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:” Here we see that God shows the same undone vision to Abram, and God clearly said to him to leave his father’s house and forget his father’s household and go away. This was because Terah disobeyed God and did not fulfill God’s vision, prophecy and promise. In our lives too, when someone does not fulfill God’s vision or promise, He separates us from such people for good, just as God asked Abram to separate from his father’s country and household and to forget his father because he disobeyed God.

Mathew 9:16-17 “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” The same God who wrote in the Ten Commandments to honour your Father and Mother now tells Abram to leave his Father’s country and his household because he disobeyed God. The vision that God gave Terah was the vision of the Promised Land – the land of honey and milk, The Land of Zion chosen for His righteous children. It was this vision that God had given Terah. But Terah decided to dwell in Haran since this country looked fruitful and pleasing in his eyes, where he saw beautiful women and that there was plentiful food to eat. Thus, God commanded Abram to forget his father, the land his father Terah chose to dwell in, and his entire household. Abram obeyed God’s command and took along his wife and Lot too joined them. Later, on the way we have seen that Lot too left Abram midway. He separated from him and chose the land of Sodom and Gomorrah to settle down. We know what happened in the end, and how this country was destroyed by God. It is very important even in our lives to diligently accomplish the vision, prophecy and promise given to us by God.

Mathew 9:26-29 “And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”

Revelation 3:5 “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

Revelation 3:21-22 “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

In our lives we must strive to live for God and win victory in this evil world, right till the end. It is very important to fulfill God’s vision, prophecy and promise in our lives. Terah had a vision, but on his way when he passed through Haran, this place became a trap for him and he continued to dwell in this country, forgetting the vision God gave him. Thus, in the end he died in this same country. We also know Lot’s story, how he separated from Abram and settled down in Sodom and Gomorrah and how this country had to be destroyed by God. Sodom and Gomorrah thus became a trap for Lot.

We also know Solomon’s story, wherein God blessed him with mighty wisdom, for there was no other wiser man in this world than him. God showed him visions, prophecies and promises, but he set his heart on the daughters of idol worshippers, and these women became the trap in his life. Solomon did not win the race of life but got lost in this world.

Another example is in Judas Iscariot’s life; he was amongst the 12 disciples chosen by Jesus Christ. He lived amongst Jesus and the other disciples, did marvelous works like the rest of the disciples. But the day he got tempted for thirty silver coins, he betrayed Jesus Christ into the hands of the enemies. Temptation for money was the biggest trap of his life.

All the men mentioned above are the ones who were lost in this world. They were unable to fulfill God’s vision, prophecy and promise given to them. We must be very careful in our lives too and we should love the Lord more than anything in this world. His vision, prophecy and promise we should strive to fulfill with all our heart, mind and strength and in great faith. God tested Abraham’s faith in different ways, He was tested when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. But Abraham had instilled his complete faith in God’s vision, prophecy and promise and hence he won victory in every trial in his life and fulfilled every vision, prophecy and promise God had given him. Because of his obedience, God changed his name from ‘Abram’ to ‘Abraham’ meaning Father of many nations. Genesis 17:5-6 “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” God also promised Abraham that many Kings would arise from these nations.

Jesus Christ too has made a Covenant with His people. 1 Corinthians 11:25 “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” Jesus Christ sacrificed His life on the Cross for our sakes. He loved us selflessly and His love was complete. Jesus said ‘Every time you renew your covenant with me, remember My Agape Love for you.” We must remember the gift of life that we have received from Him. We must also remember the Vision, Prophecy and Promise given by Him, for us. It is always important to remember God’s awesome doings and works in our life. God also made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” God’s covenant with Abraham still holds good for generations to generations i.e. for you and me too. We are Abraham’s children for generations together, so till Jesus returns we must be diligent in this world to fulfill every vision, prophecy and promise of God in our life, just as Abraham did.

Genesis 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” God took Abraham out of the tent and showed him his generations. Genesis 15:5 “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”

Daniel 12:3 “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Just as God showed Abraham how his generations would be like the stars in the sky, so also Daniel says that the righteous and diligent people will be like stars in heaven. We being Abraham’s generation with a great promise from God, should never forsake God’s vision or prophecy in our lives. Till the end we must remain entwined with God and be ready to go through various trial and tribulations in life. We must be rest assured that God alone will give us victory from all these trials and tribulations of life.

He brews chapter 11 teaches us how God’s people suffered to fulfill God’s vision and prophecy in their lives. God was constantly with them; He gave them help and support, strength and wisdom to accomplish it, but finally the will to complete and accomplish the vision and prophecy was in their own hands. Similarly, we too must have that great faith and strength to accomplish God’s vision and promise in our life. God will help us and strengthen us along the way. Hebrews 2:10 “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Our work today, is that we must bring the perishing of this world to God’s saving grace. We must show them the way. Even today, many are still in the darkness of this world, and if they continue in their sins, at the end of their life they will perish in the hell fire. Hence today our works must be to save these perishing souls.

2 Timothy 4:10 “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” We must always strive our best to fulfill God’s vision in our life. We must not be like Terah, who gave up mid way and settled down in Haran – this becoming a trap for him. Solomon was blessed with great wisdom; there was no other wise man as he, but he perished because he married women who were idol worshippers and started worshipping their gods. Lot separated from Abram and settled down in Sodom and Gomorrah, the land which God had to eventually destroy for sin abounded in plenty in this land. We also saw how Judas Iscariot was tempted with 30 silver coins to betray Jesus Christ – this becoming a trap for him. Judas eventually hung himself from a tree and killed himself.

We must remember the new covenant that God promised His children. Whenever we come to renew our covenant with God, we must remember His vision, prophecy and promise for us. What was God’s promise when he left this earth? Jesus said ‘I will return to take you back to my father’s home and make you sit on the right side of Father God. Till then live a good life in this world and overcome trials and tribulations and win every battle of life.’ We must glorify God’s name and be His witnesses on this earth. Finally when we win the battle, we will receive the Crown of Life and be able to sit on the right side of God the Father. God will make us a pillar, give us authority and make us kings and priests. Let us read Acts and see what the Apostle Paul speaks of Demas. Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Demas, a fellow worker of the Apostle Paul, loved the world more than God, hence he left Paul and went off to Thessalonica. He loved whatever he could see with his eyes and left God’s work behind and went away. Demas deceived God, left God’s works and His people and separated from them.

But what is God’s promise for us? That we are a ‘chosen generation, priests, kings and prophets.’ Our only work now is to bring the perishing to His saving grace at the soonest. Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” We will be HIS testimony till the ends of this earth. For whom is this vision, prophecy and promise given? This promise is for God’s chosen generations. God gives His vision, prophecy and promise, so that His congregation increases. Those who are deep rooted in His Word and this temple, cannot be plucked off from this place. But those who are not deep rooted will be plucked off. We recognize people by the fruits they bear. We must be able to recognize the fruits of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, God will use us for His glory. God will give us help, strengthen us, and fill us with the wisdom to do His works such that He alone is glorified to all the ends of the world. Our names will never be erased from the Book of Life when we have the burning desire to serve Him; and He will give us all the help we need to fulfill His vision, promise and prophecy in our lives.

But remember, the final decision is in our own hands.

May the Lord God bless each one of us. Praise the Lord!

Pastor Saroja M

Sunday school sure is fun

Bring the children one by one.

Fill the place up wall to wall,

Fill it right up to the door,

Then we’ll go and get some more!!

We had 2 new children Namrata and Prem join Sunday school this month. While Namrata is more spontaneous and loves to get every action right at the first go, Prem works at his own pace, but is quite attentive to what is being said in class. These kids joined us during the general class and were quite comfortable by the end of the class, with their new friends.

For the lessons that the children continue to learn, we ended our learning about the Kings in the Bible. These lessons are a constant reminder to the kids that even if you are the chosen one and have all the blessings, the most important lesson is of obedience at all times. It doesn’t matter if you are in the presence or absence of the elders, teachers or in the church. God is everywhere and we ought to obey him always.

We pray that the spirit of obedience prevails in our kids always. Do lift our Sunday school children in your daily prayers.

Joy Salins