Praise the Lord, everyone! This blessed month, let us be eternally thankful to our Heavenly Father, God, who loved us sinners so much that He sent His only Son JESUS into the world, to be sacrificed for us; and then raised Him from the dead so that He may be with us forever, in Spirit!

Wishing all of you readers, a blessed Good Friday and a Happy Easter, with hope and prayers that our resurrected JESUS CHRIST will abide with you and your families today and always!

2 Timothy 4:17 “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” Paul was victorious in every battle for He trusted in JESUS and had complete faith in Him. He knew that victory in every way would come only through JESUS! Likewise, in today’s times also, we must rest assured as well, to testify to family and friends; that, no matter what hurdles we face in our lives, IF we have JESUS with us, we can face every battle, and emerge victorious in life.

Stephen, a man of God, was a very hated person – to the extent that people were ready to stone him to death. But Stephen’s mind was always focused on God alone, and the trust he had in JESUS, gave him the courage to face the wrath of the people of the world. Acts 7:55-56 “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’”

When does fear overpower us? When we are empty, all sorts of fear and dark thoughts consume and overpower us. When do we feel defeated? When the Spirit of God is not within us, we become tired, are unable to accomplish anything, and feel defeated in life. On the other hand, when we are full of the Holy Spirit, we are filled with boldness, strength, and zeal to work for the Kingdom of God. God knows that if His children have to survive in this evil world, we need boldness, which can only be derived from the Holy Spirit. Hence, we need the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us in truth and boldness, today and always.

Today also, God’s Spirit is moving on this earth to fulfil all our desires. Hence, ask the Lord for wisdom and knowledge; for without these two spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, we cannot save our faith, as we will be fearful and feel defeated, constantly stumbling on our spiritual path. As the Apostle Paul himself said in the Holy Scriptures, because the Spirit of God rested on him, he did not stumble, but stood firm in his faith, thereby completing his race.

Hence dear children of God, hold on to your faith! As the word of God says, there will be trials and tribulations in this world, but those who endure till the end in faith, will complete their spiritual race and enter the eternal Kingdom of God, which He has prepared for each one of His children.

Till we meet again,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. My daughter Srishti had a severe viral fever for 2-3 days. The fever was coming and going repeatedly. She was taking medicines, but there was no positive response.

Twice a day, her body would become so hot that she would not be able to sleep. I then called up Pastor Saroja and told her about Srishti’s fever. Pastor assured me of her prayers. By Lord’s grace, from that night, the fever did not return, and her body also was back to its normal temperature, and she slept nicely.

I thank Pastor for keeping Srishti in her prayers. Also, I give millions of thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for healing Srishti from sickness.

*Sis. Shelly Pillay, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. My car met with a very bad accident, and this was due to my own fault. I thank God for His grace, mercy, and holy blood covering me that I was not hurt, nor was there any other human life involved in this accident, though the car was damaged badly, along with some property damaged around the accident site. Again, it is Pastor Saroja’s prayers alone that resolved all the matters peacefully, and the car also got repaired quickly. The car repair amount was paid by the Insurance company, and I had to pay only a nominal amount. This is God’s grace and faithfulness to the prayers of Pastor Saroja, and once again my Lord God lifted me up victoriously from this crisis. I whole heartedly thank our Pastor Saroja for her continued advice, correction, counselling, and above all, for her love and prayers that cover me with the grace and mercy of our faithful Lord God. All glory and honour only to you, Lord Jesus! Thank You, Jesus!

*Sis. June Anchan, Thane, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. I was experiencing severe cough and cold. Due to the cough, I was unable to sleep for a few days, and I experienced severe throat pain. I requested Pastor Saroja to pray for me. Pastor assured me of her prayers and asked me to drink prayer oil. The same day I informed Pastor I was able to sleep peacefully and the cough too subsided. I thank You, Lord, for Your healing touch and thank you, Pastor Saroja, for your earnest prayers for me.

*Sis. Joy Shalaka Salins, Thane, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. I was experiencing a severe burning sensation all over my face, and also had black spots which were not going away, in spite of applying various creams. I requested the Rose of Sharon Prayer Tower for prayers, and the prayer warrior prayed for me. Within two days the black spots have gone and all the burning sensation has reduced, and I feel better now. Thank You Lord Jesus for healing me. I also thank the Rose of Sharon Prayer team for praying for me.

*Sis. Sultana Khan, Madhya Pradesh. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. I would like to testify of a wondrous work done by my dear Lord Jesus in my life at my workplace. Within six months since my last role revision, the management in my company again revised my role, and sent me a letter redesignating me upwards from the position of a ‘Senior Assistant’ to that of an ‘Assistant Manager’ in Finance. All this is only due to the fervent prayers of our dear Pastor Saroja, and the tender mercies of my dear Lord Jesus, through which I am able to succeed in at my workplace. I give all glory, honour, and praise to our Almighty Lord for His manifold grace and kindness towards me. Thank You Jesus!

*Sis. Evangela Roberts, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

There was once a bridge that spanned a large river. During most of the day, the bridge stood with its length running up and down the river at an angle, almost parallel with the river bank, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned back across the river, allowing the train to cross it.

A switchman sat in a shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place before the train crossed.

One evening, as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights. He stepped onto the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance. Then, as he turned the bridge into position, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was not securely in position, it would cause the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river, and this would be a passenger train with many people aboard.

He left the bridge, now apparently straightened, but not yet locked in, and ran across the bridge to the other side of the river, where there was a lever switch which he needed to hold tightly in position, to operate the lock manually.

He would have to hold the lever back firmly, as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge completely. He kept applying this pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man’s strength.

Then, coming across the bridge, on the other side of the river, from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold.

“Daddy, where are you?” His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, “Run! Run!” But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time.

The man almost left his lever to snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever in time, if he saved his son.

Either many people on the train, or his own son – must die.

He took but a moment to make his decision. The passengers in the train were oblivious to the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging to the locking lever long after the train had passed. They did not see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked; to tell his wife how their son had brutally died.

Now, if you comprehend the emotions that went through this man’s heart, you can begin to understand the feelings of Our Father in Heaven when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life.

Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died? How does He feel when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us, through Jesus Christ?

Adam and Eve were given the Garden of Eden, a fruitful place to dwell in. God restricted them from eating from the ‘Tree of Knowledge.’ However, they disobeyed God’s instruction and listened to the serpent (the devil). It is not our responsibility to know the Good and Bad, it is for God to know that. Yet, Adam and Eve listened to the devil and ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, thereby disobeying God, and discovering their nakedness. They covered their nakedness with leaves, not realizing that the leaves too would dry up one day, leaving them naked once again. Today also, we are trying to hide our nakedness, but not for long. We must acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and know that Christ died for our sake. We must receive Him in our lives, then He will cover our nakedness. We will have many trials and tribulations in our lives, and we may have to lose everything in life, but be of good cheer, for our God has overcome this world. Our God neither sleeps nor slumbers, He is watching over us, and He will bring our reward when He returns once again, to separate the sheep from the goats.

Before Jesus’ disciples received their anointing and blessing, they visited a place in Jerusalem. The people of Samaria did not believe Jesus, and this angered his disciples (John and James), and they told Jesus, ‘Just as Prophet Elijah prayed for the fire to come down from heaven and destroy the people, so also should we do likewise? But, on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples received their anointing, John wrote ‘Those who do not love the Lord, do not know Him, for God is Love.’ Here we see how John’s heart was converted, for before receiving the anointing he spoke differently and after receiving God’s anointing, he spoke differently. 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” Hence, God’s anointing is very important in our lives, and without His anointing, we cannot know the love of God. Even Jesus’ disciples did not have God’s love for the people before they received their anointing. It is only with love that we can recognize others’ love for us, we can feel their sorrow and pain, and we can understand their service for us. Without love, we cannot understand all this. When love is not within us, we will never know God. It is only with God’s anointing that we can receive wisdom and understanding to know our God’s love.

Love is patient, kind, and peaceful. In the book of Galatians, we know the fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Temperance. When we receive God’s anointing, only then can we experience the fruits of the Spirit.

When we do not have God’s anointing, we cannot fathom His love. God says in John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” We must bear fruit for the Lord, and the fruit must sustain within us, then whatsoever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, He will grant to us. Indeed, we did not choose God, but He chose us. He chose His disciples, He chose Saul, then He chose David… He chose us!

As a bee flits from flower to flower for nectar, so also the people came seeking Jesus Christ. Why? Because they saw that Jesus healed the brokenhearted and set the captives free, He made the lame to walk again and the blind to see, and He made the dumb to speak and the deaf to hear. Hence multitudes came running towards Him to receive their blessings. Multitudes of five thousand men, along with women and children stayed for three days and nights hearing the Word and teachings of Jesus Christ. This was because there was power and truth in the Word, and the Word was life-saving. The multitudes forgot their problems, their families, their sorrow, and their pain, and they continued to sit before Jesus, listening to His Word in rapt attention. Just as Mary chose the right path and sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to the Word, likewise, the multitudes also sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to the Word. When He finished, He knew that the people were famished and had to go a long way home. Jesus commanded his disciples to make the people sit down.

He then asked them to look around if any food was available. A small boy had five loaves and two fish with him. His disciples told Jesus about this, and Jesus asked them to bring it to Him. Jesus looked towards heaven and prayed to His Father, then broke the bread and fish, and distributed the same to the multitude of 5000 men with their wives and children. Everyone ate sumptuously, and the remains were collected in twelve baskets.

We must be like this boy who did not even ask any questions. He did not resist but gave all that he had so that Jesus could perform this miracle and feed the multitudes. Is our faith like this boy’s? Do we have that love within us to share all that we have with others? No! That is why we haven’t seen such blessings in our lives till now. Our God is the same, His Word is love, and it comes with counselling and correction. When we love Him, He will never let us down.

After our sins are washed away, what is the first blessing that God gives us? He gives us salvation and fills us with His Holy Spirit. Psalm 65:9 “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.”

In the Garden of Eden, there was a pure river, and wherever its waters flowed, it gave gold. By blessing us with His Holy Spirit, God has poured His abundant blessings on us. Psalm 66:12 “Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.” It is important for us to be put in the furnace for cleansing, only then can we come out into a wealthy place, purified for God.

In the book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were put into the furnace. If they had not been put into the furnace, they, as well as those gathered around them, would never have known the love of God. Similarly, if Daniel had not been cast into the Lion’s den, King Nebuchadnezzar would never have known the love of God. We also must go through the furnace of cleansing to know the love of God. David knew this, and when he became a King he said, ‘God brought us out through fire and water into a beautiful and wealthy place.’

We must not be like the Israelites who murmured against God when they did not have water to drink. The Israelites were brought out of Egypt, and they crossed on dry land through the Red Sea. They saw mighty and great miracles, yet almost immediately, within no time, they forgot these great miracles and grumbled about the lack of water in the wilderness. The Holy Scriptures say that many perished in the wilderness itself.

We should not perish in our wilderness, for God has done great things in our lives too; yet, if we forget the power of God, we will perish. Always remember how God brought the Israelites out of Egypt – He was a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. As the Lord was constantly with the Israelites, so also, He is with us all the time, and He continues to travel with us in our wilderness today, so that we may reach the city of Zion one day.

We must never forget God’s power, love, and great works in our lives. Never murmur like the Israelites, even as they grumbled for Egypt’s cucumbers and garlic and said they wanted to go back to Egypt as they missed them. So quickly had they forgotten how they were harassed as slaves, not given dry straw to make bricks, and beaten mercilessly in bondage. How quickly they forgot the atrocities they had faced in Egypt. At that time, they had cried and prayed to the Lord to rescue them from bondage. Our merciful God heard their cry and prayers and sent Moses to rescue them from bondage. In the wilderness, the Lord God provided them with heavenly manna, yet they remembered the cucumbers and garlic of Egypt and murmured against God. Hence many of them received instant punishment from God, and they perished in the wilderness itself. In our lives, we must fear this, and never remember the days of our bondage fondly, rather we must look ahead, remembering the Cross of Calvary and Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

God has washed away our sins and made us wear spiritual garments. Now, we must ensure not to dirty our garments once again. We need to remain entwined with the Lord always. Jesus said, ‘In this world, you will face trials and tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome this world.’

The Lord did not promise us a bed of roses, or that there would be no pain and sorrow in our lives. But we must have faith in Him. God has asked us to prepare our lives for Him, for one day He will return to take us along with Him to His Heavenly Kingdom.

Psalm 16:6 “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” David trusted in God and remembered that God had made him sit in pleasant places, because of which he had a good heritage. In return, David realised he had to do good service for the Lord and live a fruitful life in Him.

We must also remember that God has washed us in His precious blood, filled us with His Spirit, and seated us in a pleasant place. Now we must bear good fruits for Him. The Lord wants us, His sons and daughters to bear good fruit for Him.

Isaiah 5:2 “And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.” The Lord speaks with much sorrow, of how He removed the stones, cleared up the stony land, and planted the choicest vine, post which He watered and fenced it. He expected the crop to bear good fruit, and He took care to ensure no wild animals would enter the field and eat of it. Day and night He toiled in this field and waited for the fruits. But the yield bore forth wild fruit and the Lord was disappointed.

Similarly, our God will be disappointed if He does not find good fruit in us, for it would mean that His suffering, sacrifice, and humiliation on the Cross would be in vain. God knows our every heartbeat and our every thought. Jesus cried when He looked at Jerusalem, for He knew the coming days would be tough.

Ephesians 4:13 “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” God has prepared us to be in the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to be a perfect man in the fullness of Christ. God sent many Kings, Prophets, and Priests, but the people did not pay heed to any of them. Each time the people sinned; their sins would be covered by the sacrifice of an animal. But their sins could not be washed and cleansed by animal sacrifice.

Hence, Jesus had to come into this world, and by His sacrifice on the Cross, we are now cleansed by His precious blood. Jesus desires our lives to be fruitful for Him. He has cleared the field, ploughed it, planted the good vine, watered, and fenced it. If we do not bear good fruit for Him, He will be sorrowful.

Jesus sacrificed His life for us. John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” The Lord has loved us, He gave His life for us so that by His sacrifice on the Cross, all men will become His disciples and love one another. Do we have such love for mankind? If the love of God is within us, then our hearts cannot be sinful, and full of filth. We will have peace, happiness, and joy in our hearts when God’s love is within us.

Our Lord is a forgiving God, He immediately forgives our sins when we confess them. But, are we in turn unable to forgive others however much they ask for our forgiveness? The Lord does not like this nature in us, for He wants us to be merciful to others too. All our pride and ego must be set aside, only then will our lives be blessed. The devil always points a finger at us, our families, and finally our Church. When our anger rages to such a degree, when our jealousy reaches that height, we must know that this is the devil’s work. Remember, our God wants us to live in unity and oneness, while the devil always wants to break this unity and oneness.

Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour” Our God has loved us so much that He has sacrificed His life for us on the Cross, likewise we also need to sacrifice a lot of things in this world for our Lord.

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The Lord has left His peace with us, a peace that passes all understanding. The Lord God tells us to be of good cheer and not to fear, to live in peace, and have faith in Him, for He has overcome this world. Our God is the Prince of Peace, and we must always yearn for His peace. He will make us perfect men and women with His peace. John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” The Lord God wants us to constantly pursue Him. For our happiness and peace, God desires that His joy remain in us and overflow within us.

The moment our focus shifts from Him to the things of this world, our joy vanishes and brings sorrow once again into our lives. Once again, our garments will be made dirty and filthy.

Our God is always looking for good fruits that we can bear for Him. We must always be ready for the Lord. This change within us does not happen in a day, we must constantly keep correcting our lives with God’s Word, and only then we remain washed and cleansed of our sins.

Jesus Christ lived a glorious life, and in turn, He always glorified His Heavenly Father. John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Jesus did every work on this earth with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He advised his disciples repeatedly to be humble, for when we are humble, God will lift and uphold us. Jesus never once boasted that he is the Son of the Heavenly Father, and He remained humble on this earth constantly.

Herod, filled with pride, boasted about himself, and the Lord’s punishment came upon him at once. The work of the king is not to preach, but to rule and guide the people. Instead, King Herod went up to the podium and started preaching. He did not give glory to God, and this angered God, and God commanded His Angel to strike King Herod. The Angel struck him and he died instantly, and thereafter his body was eaten by worms. Acts 12:21-23 “And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.”

Always give God the glory, whether in small or big things. God blessed Job abundantly. God testified that He had not seen another righteous person like Job on this earth. Satan told God that Job glorified and worshipped God because of the holy protection that God had hedged around him. Satan further said that Job was blessed with God’s choicest blessings, hence he was comfortable.

Satan sought God’s permission to test Job, and the Lord told him he could go ahead, but not touch Job’s soul. In moments thereafter, Job lost everything, including his family, his wealth, his house, his livestock, etc. Yet, Job never complained or cursed God, even though his wife asked him to do so. In the end, the triumph was Job’s. The Lord blessed Job and restored everything in double measure.

Our Lord will always forgive our sins, but we must be careful here, for a sin committed against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.

Let us live with a holy and pure heart before the Lord, and our God who knows the desires of our heart will surely bless us abundantly.

May this message bring blessings into our lives!

Pastor Saroja M.

 

 

Praise the Lord, dear readers. I wish you a very Happy Easter! May our resurrected Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be with all of you in the coming year.

Good Friday stirs a very different emotion within us. It is a day when we realise again, that our Father God loved each one of us so much that He sent His only Son to save sinners like us. Not only that, He raised JESUS from the dead on the third day, so that He will be with us in Spirit eternally! We have to be forever grateful for that love and never forget the price paid for us!

The ‘Hot Cross Buns’ are a hot favourite for the residents of the Old Age Home, since they are made only for this day, and they very much look forward to partaking of them. Easter eggs in different shapes and sizes are also available at the home, but they are given to them in moderation, keeping everyone’s health conditions in mind.

The residents send their prayers and best wishes to each one of you during this Holy month.

Do take care of yourselves and your family members, and continue to keep our residents in your prayers.

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

 

Praise the Lord! Wishing all the readers a very HAPPY EASTER. It is by only God’s grace that our Sunday School children are continuing their spiritual journey and exploring new biblical learnings.

The children of our junior class are being taught about the importance of OBEDIENCE, through the story of Jonah.  Through his example, the children are understanding how important it is to obey the Lord. Alternatively, they learn alongside, how many troubles they may face if they do not obey the Lord!

Intermediate children are learning about the kind of FAITH and TRUST one should have in the Lord, as clearly stated in the book of Matthew 8:5-13, where Jesus healed a Centurion’s Servant only through the faith held by the Centurion. The children were encouraged to inculcate this type of faith within themselves as well.

The senior children are learning from the book of 2 Samuel 3:22-30, about ANGER, and the kind of sin a person can commit in a fit of rage. They were told of how Joab killed Abner, without knowing that Abner had now allied with David. Thus, Joab committed this sin in the spirit of revenge/ anger.

We pray and hope that the Sunday school teachings will grow with the children, and enrich their innocent lives, thereby increasing their faith in JESUS CHRIST!

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

Kids Corner