Editor’s Note

Dear Readers, I greet you all in the matchless name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I thank and praise my Lord Jesus for His grace and mercy upon me, for helping me to complete 15 years in His service.

Psalm 86:13 “For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.”

His Mercy is most wonderful, and greater than everything. He came searching for us because of His grace. He humbled Himself and has given us salvation and peace and joy.

By His great mercy towards us He has delivered us from the depths of hell. King David knowing His mercy, praised the Lord saying that His mercy is great. Psalm 118:1-2 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: because His mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that His mercy endureth for ever.”

The Lord gives a promise to each one of us in Isaiah 54:10 “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.”

Yes, His Grace is sufficient for us. For those who fear the Lord, His goodness is great. Psalm 31:19 “Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!”

The Bible says in Psalm 25:8 “Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will He teach sinners in the way.”

This world is full of God’s goodness. When He was in this world He was always doing good. Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.”

Fear the Lord and have faith in Him and you will be blessed; for the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him.

He created us by His goodness. Even on the Cross of Calvary He has shown us His goodness and has given us eternal life. Not only this, but He has kept immeasurable goodness for us in Heaven.

Even today also we receive all good gifts from our Father above. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

So my beloved ones, surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life.

The Lord’s Love is great. Apostle Paul asks a question: which is greater – faith, hope or love? All three are needed and Paul himself answers by saying that Love is the greatest of these… For God is Love. 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Due to that love He has given Himself for us. Knowing that great love, the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:7-8 “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 8:32 “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?”

Yes my beloved, God’s love is great towards us. So let the great love of God be with you and your family always.

May God Bless you.

Yours in the Lord’s Service

Pastor Saroja M.

 

Praise the Lord. I am testifying on behalf of my sixteen year old niece Lydia Adhav. She had chronic head pain for about three weeks and no medicines were of any use to her. I had called the Rose of Sharon Prayer Tower when she had to go to the neurologist for tests. I praise God for their prayers. The neurologist reports came normal and her head pain also has been healed. We as a family thank the Rose of Sharon Church for their sincere prayers.

*Sis. Vishaka Kulkarni, Nasik (ROS TV Programme Viewer)

Praise the Lord. My granddaughter was suffering from a very bad cold, due to which she was unable to breathe. Due to uneasiness, she would cry a lot as she is only four months old. Even after taking medicines there was no effect on her health. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja and she assured me of her prayers. By God’s grace and Pastors’ prayers, her cold reduced and finally subsided and she could now sleep peacefully.

Secondly, since one month our entire household were facing a lot of trouble; we would get very bad dreams at night and my granddaughter would cry a lot. Then one day when I was dusting my house I found one packet and there was something unusual in it. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja. Pastor prayed and we threw all the stuff out of the house. We all had peace in our house from that day. I give all Glory to Lord Jesus for saving me and my family from Satan’s trap and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers.

Thirdly, my son used to get fits in his body. I immediately admitted him in the hospital. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja and I requested her to pray for my son. His sonography was taken but every report came normal. It is only the Lord’s love, care and mercy upon my son. I give millions of praise to Lord Jesus and thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers.

*Sis. Bharti Mohite, Kalina.

Praise the Lord. I had placed a request at the Rose of Sharon Prayer Tower for our housing loan to be sanctioned. I thank and praise God, for the loan has been subsequently sanctioned by HDFC Bank. Thanks to the Rose of Sharon Ministry.

*Sis. Sandra D’Silva, Pune. (ROS TV Programme Viewer)

Praise the Lord. I thank my Lord that He has helped both my daughters to pass their respective classes. My elder daughter has been promoted to the tenth standard and my younger daughter to the eighth standard. They have passed without proper tuition, only through Pastor’s prayers. I thank Pastor Saroja for her earnest prayers for our families. Thank You Jesus.

*Bro. Jayantilal Patel, Jogeshwari.

Praise the Lord. I was watching the Shubsandesh TV Channel and saw Pastor Saroja speaking. I called the prayer tower and spoke to the brother there and gave him my prayer request about buying a house. The Lord has answered the prayers and I could buy a house in Nagercoil, TN. I thank and praise God for answering my prayer request and I thank the Rose of Sharon Prayer team for praying for me.

*Bro. Sankar, Nagercoil (ROS TV Programme Viewer)

The Little Boy

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: “How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?”

The surgeon said, “I’m sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn’t make it.”

Sally said, “Why do little children get cancer? Doesn’t God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?”

The surgeon asked, “Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he’s transported to the university.” She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.

She went on, “My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.”

Sally walked out of Children’s mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy’s belongings on the seat beside her in the car. After everything is done. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy’s belongings, to her son’s room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said:

“Dear Mom,

I know you’re going to miss me; but don’t think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just ’cause I’m not around to say I LOVE YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn’t look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God’s knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That’s when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good-bye and everything.

But I already knew that wasn’t allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him ‘Where was He when I needed him?’ “God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I’ve written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn’t that cool? I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I’m, sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don’t hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I’m glad because I couldn’t stand that pain anymore and God couldn’t stand to see me hurt so much, either. That’s when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from: God, Jesus & Me.”

Pastor Saroja M

Jesus – the only way to salvation

Psalm 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” When the temple was ready, God commanded Moses to prepare the door of the temple. He also kept Moses in charge of the people’s movement through the door, since the temple was pure from within and all around. In the olden times, only the people of Jerusalem could enter the temple through the gates. Gentiles were not permitted to enter the temple through the gates. Spiritually we see that it is only by God’s grace the gates were eventually opened to the gentiles to enter the temple viz. through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ alone is the way to Salvation for us, for it is through Him alone we can walk through the door of the temple. John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Jesus Christ is the way; through Him alone may we receive our salvation and enter the temple. He is not only the Door, but also the Way. John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus says ‘Only through me may you reach my Father.’ When we receive our salvation, we become worthy to walk through the Door to reach the Father. We become worthy to call God our ‘Abba Father.’ Remember, without salvation we cannot go through the door or walk the way to reach our heavenly Father. We gentiles were shown the way through Jesus Christ alone; for gentiles could not only not enter the gates but also not go close to temple as it was pure and holy from all sides. The temple had the anointing of God, thus it is only through Jesus Christ that we can enter the door and also walk the way. Jesus gave us salvation and He alone enabled us to walk the way to the Kingdom of God. This is a great gift from Him.

We read in the Holy Scriptures that when Noah was commanded to make an Ark by God, the Lord also asked him to make a door for the Ark. Genesis 7:1 “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” When God gave Noah the plans for making an Ark, He also gave him the plan for making the door. Just as He later commanded Moses to make the gates of the temple, God finding Noah and his family righteous in the entire generation, wanted them to enter the Ark through the door. God also gives us the privilege to enter His Kingdom through Jesus Christ. Just as God gave Noah plans for the Ark in three forms, we also have three forms: the soul, body and mind. For all these three forms to be purified we must get the gift of the door in our lives. Even today, when sins abound on this earth, people are looking for the door to be saved. Genesis 19:11 “And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.” People were tired searching for the door. Jesus Christ is the Door; He is calling us even today to enter the door. Whosoever wishes to enter the door, must heed to Jesus’ calling. Sins have increased in different ways in this world, but it is by His grace alone that Jesus Christ is still calling us and He is ready to grace us with salvation today. Unlike in the olden days when the gentiles kept searching for the door but did not find it, we are privileged today that Jesus Christ – the Door, is inviting us to enter through Him as the way to His Father, and thus be saved.

Jacob had also seen the heavenly door in Genesis 28:16-17 “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Jacob saw the Lord in this place and proclaimed that this was the house of God and the Gate of Heaven. It is important for us to know that to reach the heavenly kingdom of God there is only one Door and Way i.e. Jesus Christ. In the olden days when the gentiles were not allowed to enter the gates of the temple, imagine how much this would have grieved Jesus Christ and how mindful he would have been of his children. To open the gates to the heavenly Kingdom, God the Father had to send His son Jesus Christ. To keep the door open and the way accessible, Jesus Christ had to die on the Cross of Calvary for our sakes. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, the door of salvation is open for us and the door of His heavenly kingdom is open for us. If we walk by that way, we will be able to call God ‘Abba Father’ and we can become His worthy children.

Revelation 3:8 “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” When we are obedient to God’s Word, when we accept His Word, God keeps the door open for us. Who is the Word? Jesus Christ! When we accept Jesus Christ and receive our salvation, no one can close the door for us, for it is Jesus Christ himself who is the door. When we have loved God with all our heart, mind and soul, no one can close the door for us. When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed to His Father God in John 17:4, He said “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Jesus accomplished two works for His Father God 1) He glorified His name and 2) He accomplished and fulfilled the work given to Him. With confidence Jesus prayed to His Father God for he had accomplished His works. Even we must work for God with such zest and confidence. Jesus knew that the next day He would be captured, hence the previous day itself He confirmed to His Father God that His works on this earth were now accomplished.

What was the work Jesus was sent for on this earth? To prepare the Door for us, Jesus Christ Himself became that door. This is the work he has accomplished that He tells His Father about in the Garden of Gethsemane. By Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, the door will remain open for us. What love God has bestowed upon us, for it is through this door alone that we can reach the heavenly kingdom, where we can proclaim Him as our Abba Father and become His flock. Hence Jesus Christ prays in the garden of Gethsemane to His Father that the work that He has given Jesus to perform on this earth, Jesus has fulfilled.

In our lives we give a testimony after the work is accomplished, but here Jesus confidently gave His testimony to God the Father before the work was accomplished. We think and re-think before giving testimonies, but Jesus Christ testifies of His works before accomplishing the same. Hebrews 10:7 “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” Jesus was sent into this world for those in sin, sickness and bondage, to deliver all of these people. It was God’s desire to sacrifice His son Jesus Christ for our sakes. How willingly Jesus Christ accepted His sacrifice for us sinners on this earth, thus making the way for us to reach to the holiest place in the Kingdom of God.

God has revealed His deepest secrets and will continue to reveal them to us. Isaiah 40:5 “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” God’s glory will be revealed to all flesh openly. Remember, this will not be seen by everyone. Those who love the Lord and continue to keep seeking His deepest secrets alone will find it. We have seen that when Jesus Christ was on the Cross, and it was time for Him to die, He looked all around Him and said in Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” He said ‘Father God they do not know what they do, forgive them’. Just before Jesus breathed His last, he still asked His Father for forgiveness for His people. He still had mercy upon us sinners and those in bondage. There are many religions on this earth, but in no religion did their God die for them. It is Jesus Christ who died for His people and opened the Door and made the Way to the heavenly Kingdom. In Jesus Christ we still have forgiveness for our sins, we still have deliverance by His blood. Here in the above verse we see how wicked the people were, they tore his clothes and cast lots for it. How wicked were they? Yet on the Cross, Jesus asked for forgiveness for them.

Jesus says ‘I am the Door, and no one goes to the Father but only through me.’ Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” It is through Jesus Christ’s blood alone that we are washed and cleansed and delivered from our sins. Each one of us have many sins within us, but it is by the blood of Christ that we are washed and sanctified. Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” It is only through Jesus Christ’s blood that we are redeemed and thus it is important for us to remember that by the blood of Jesus alone we are delivered from our sins. Sin brings many sicknesses in our life. When Jesus was preaching in a house, four men carried a paralytic person into the house. Seeing the faith of the four men, Jesus said to the paralytic ‘your sins are forgiven.’ Many of the sicknesses in our lives are due to our sins alone. It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ and His stripes that we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Thus, let us glorify the holy name of God, for it is by His salvation and love alone that we need to abide and dwell in. We cannot go away from God and yet expect anything from Him. James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” We must always try to be close to the door and make our way to the heavenly Kingdom. We must never have a double mind about God, our faith must be stayed upon Him alone. Our Jesus Christ alone is the door and the way; when we accept this truth in our life we will surely reach His heavenly Kingdom.

Let this message bring blessings in our life.

Pastor Saroja M.

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

In this month’s edition of the magazine, we would like to introduce you to Uncle Dhondu Gopal Rane, who is 70 years old. He was brought to our home by his daughter and son-in-law.

Uncle Rane can do all his work like eating, bathing etc all by himself. He has been suffering from high blood pressure and even though by nature he is a little hot tempered person and gets angry very fast yet many a times he also lends us a helping hand for any work. He also likes the food that has been served to him. He is hard of hearing but can understand when we talk to him with hand gestures.

May our good God keep him in good health and take care of him. Do continue to pray for all the residents of our Home that they may always be in good health.

Thank You Jesus. Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord! This month the kids learnt about the story of Ananias and Sapphira. In this story the kids learnt how in the times of the early churches when the word of God spread far and wide. The believers stayed together in the churches and helped each other as one family. Many sold all of their belongings and gave all of their savings to the church without withholding anything.

One amongst such couples was Ananias and Sapphira who sold their land and withheld a part of the money with them. Both of them acted deceitful and did not tell Peter about the complete truth. They informed Peter that this is the complete amount received for the land been sold which was not the truth.

They wanted to show that they are way righteous and lied to Peter. Though their intent to help the fellow believers was a good thought. However they failed the Lord by lying to Peter and behaving dishonestly by keeping aside a part of the money of the sale proceeds.

If only they had not to lie about the amount of the sale proceeds they would not be entitled to the punishment of death. God did not ask them to sell the land neither were they forced to give the complete amount to the church.

Of this story the kids learnt that how powerful God’s judgment can be, most importantly they learnt to be honest and be away from hypocrisy.

Joy Salins