Editor’s Note

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

If you all are waiting upon the Lord, He will definitely fulfill all His covenants to you, for He is a compassionate God, and because of His grace and mercy you will never be put to shame. Isaiah 49:23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

When God made a covenant with Abraham, He said, “Surely blessing, I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you.”

Abraham patiently waited for 25 years and received his blessing viz. Isaac. Hebrews 6:13-15 For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

F or nearly 120 years Noah was preaching about the great flood that the Lord was to bring on the earth, side by side he was preparing the ark of God. At the same time, he never felt defeated though time was passing away.

At a set time, he entered along with his family into the ark and were not destroyed.

Similarly the Israelites had to wait for 40 years to enter the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. Those who were in a hurry were destroyed. However, Caleb and Joshua who were patient, could enter Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey.

God had promised the coming of the Messiah in the Garden of Eden. The apostles waited diligently for Him. They were praying with oneness in the upper room where they received power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

To lead a Spiritual life every child of God requires the power of the Holy Spirit. To defeat every plan and work of the evil, you need the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

In every believer’s life, in the presence of God, it is good to fast and pray. Esther fasted and prayed for 3 days and 3 nights. These 3 days and 3 nights of fasting brought great blessings for her.

Moses and Elijah waited 40 days in the presence of God.

Jesus went to the wilderness and spent 40 days and nights without eating and drinking and received unlimited power from God in Heaven.

Do not fear the struggle and opposition when you are waiting on the Lord. The Lord is calling you to awake and shine for Him. Isaiah 52:1 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

When the Israelites were on the way to Canaan, the Lord was with them day and night. Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

In our times, instead of the Lord coming in a pillar of fire by night and as a cloud in the day, the Lord has given us His Spirit. Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Many people do not wait upon the Lord, nor do they ask the Lord’s will, they only take their own decision, which is dangerous. These live according to what the devil puts in their minds. They fulfill the desires of their body. The Bible warns them in Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Beloved ones, wait upon the Lord till He shows His way… He will surely show you His way.

I n the beginning, when Samuel anointed Saul to be King of Israel, what did Samuel say to Saul? 1 Samuel 10:8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do. When he waited, the Lord gave His counsel to Saul. However, later instead of waiting on the Lord, Saul went for counsel to the black magic lady in Endor. 1 Samuel 28:7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. Due to this action of Saul, the Lord gave King Saul and his family into the hands of the Philistines.

My beloved ones wait on the Lord.Psalms 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple.

The Lord who has promised that He will come again, will definitely come. II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

So my dearly beloved, if you are waiting diligently on the Lord today, definitely He will meet you.

May God bless you till we meet again in these pages.

Pastor Saroja M.

Praise the Lord. I ask the Lord for forgiveness for giving this testimony late. Since long time I had some issues with my team leader and management. They used to always threaten to remove me from my job. The mistakes that I did not do, were blamed upon me. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja, who assured me of her prayers. By God’s grace there is peace at my work place now. I give Lord Jesus all glory, praise and thanks for hearing and answering Pastor Saroja’s prayers. I also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me.

Bro Hardik Patel, Goregoan.

Praise the Lord. Firstly I ask for forgiveness for giving this late testimony. For the past two months, I was suffering from back pain and I tried a lot of medicines, but my pain continued and there was no relief. Then I told Pastor Saroja about this problem and she assured me of her prayers. Within a couple of days my pain vanished and I was healed of my back pain. I give Almighty God all glory, honour and praise for healing me and answering Pastor’s prayer. I also give thanks to Pastor Saroja for praying for me.

Sis. Susemary Francis, Goregoan

Praise the Lord. I ask for forgiveness for giving this testimony late. Also I thank God Almighty for giving me a chance to testify of His mighty work in my life.

I was in search of a bride for my son last year. We searched a lot, but due to some reason or the other, things did not work out. Then one day my brother informed me that they found a girl for my son. So we went with great happiness. But when we reached there, the girl’s side did not come since they had already found another alliance for her. We were very disheartened. That day, I called up Pastor Saroja and explained the situation; she ensured us of her prayers. We had almost lost hope and were planning to return to Mumbai, when suddenly we had a proposal come upfront from a family who met my son and things got finalized quickly.

I give thanks to my Lord God for this miracle in my son’s life and for opening up a way when we had lost all hope. Also thanks to Pastor Saroja for her prayers, which God has heard and answered.

Sis. Paramjoythi, Jogeshwari (East)

Praise the Lord. I have two testimonies.

• My husband and I were on the way to Church one Saturday, when our bike skid and we met with a severe accident. It’s only God’s grace that we escaped with minor injuries, though the accident was serious. Lord God saved our lives. After the accident when we arrived at the Church for the Healing Service, Pastor Saroja prayed tearfully for both of us. Our Mighty Lord God heard Pastor’s prayers and b oth of us were soon healed from all our wounds. We give God all praise, honour and glory for saving our lives and healing us so quickly and for hearing Pastor Saroja’s tearful prayers. Thank you Pastor Saroja for your prayers always.

• Post the accident, I had swelling on both legs and it used to pain a lot and I was unable to walk. One Saturday after Healing Service, I told this matter to Pastor Saroja, and she assured me of her prayers. By God’s grace the swelling vanished the next day itself. Once again I give God all glory for His healing and also thanks to Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me.

Sis. Esther Patel, Goregoan (East)

Praise the Lord. Firstly I take this opportunity to thank God for His miracle in my life. Some time ago, when I came home from work, I suddenly felt a severe pain in my stomach. It was so severe that I could not stand. The painful portion became very hard and I could barely breathe. Then I applied prayer oil over the affected portion and drank the prayer oil in some water. I give all glory, praise and honour to my Lord and Saviour Jesus for healing me immediately. I also thank Pastor Saroja for praying over the oil. Thank you Jesus!

Bro Pravin Mistri, Bhilad

Praise the Lord! For many days, I was unable to see clearly with both my eyes. I consulted the doctor and he told me that I had cataract in both my eyes and would need an operation. I told this matter to Pastor Saroja and she prayed for me. I want to testify that the operation was successful by God’s grace alone. I give millions of thanks to my Lord Jesus and also thanks to Pastor Saroja for praying for me and my family always. Thank you Jesus!

Bro Dinesh Patel, Mira Road

Praise the Lord! Sorry for this late testimony. I have two testimonies.

• My son was admitted to the hospital for dengue. His platelet count was constantly decreasing and he was becoming very weak. I kept this request in the prayer request book. Pastor Saroja prayed for the requests in the prayer book and by God’s mercy and grace alone his blood platelet count increased to normal level and within two days he was discharged from the hospital. I give all glory and honour to our Saviour Jesus Christ and also thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers.

• M y daughter-in-law was pregnant, and in the 9^th month when the sonography was done, it showed that the baby’s neck was entangled within the umbilical cord. The Doctor suggested a caesarean operation as normal delivery would be difficult. I kept this request in the prayer request book and the Lord heard Pastor Saroja’s prayers and my daughter-in-law had a normal delivery and was subsequently blessed with a baby girl. I give glory, honour and praise to the matchless name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and also thank Pastor Saroja for her sincere and fervent prayers. Thank you Jesus!

Sis Arikmary Richardson, Goregoan (East)

The Selfish Giant

Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant’s garden. It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. ‘How happy we are here!’ they cried to each other.

One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden. ‘What are you doing here?’ he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away. ‘ My own garden is my own garden,’ said the Giant; ‘any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.’ So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board. TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. He was a very selfish Giant. The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it. They used to wander round the high wall when their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. ‘How happy we were there,’ they said to each other. Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still Winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. ‘Spring has forgotten this garden,’ they cried, ‘so we will live here all the year round.’ The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. ‘This is a delightful spot,’ he said, ‘we must ask the Hail on a visit.’ So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.

‘I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming,’ said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden; ‘I hope there will be a change in the weather.’

But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant’s garden she gave none. ‘He is too selfish,’ she said. So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees.

One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King’s musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. ‘I believe the Spring has come at last,’ said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out.

What did he see? He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the children’s heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely scene, only in one corner it was still Winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree was still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. ‘Climb up! little boy,’ said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the little boy was too tiny.

A nd the Giant’s heart melted as he looked out. ‘How selfish I have been!’ he said; ‘now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children’s playground for ever and ever.’ He was really very sorry for what he had done.

So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became Winter again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of tears that he died not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant’s neck, and kissed him. And the other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. ‘It is your garden now, little children,’ said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were gong to market at twelve o’clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen.

All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to bid him good-bye.

‘ But where is your little companion?’ he said: ‘the boy I put into the tree.’ The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him.

‘We don’t know,’ answered the children; ‘he has gone away.’

‘You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow,’ said the Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.

Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. ‘How I would like to see him!’ he used to say.

Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden. ‘I have many beautiful flowers,’ he said; ‘but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.’

One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.

Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.

Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, ‘Who hath dared to wound thee?’ For on the palms of the child’s hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.

‘Who hath dared to wound thee?’ cried the Giant; ‘tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him.’

‘Nay!’ answered the child; ‘but these are the wounds of Love.’

‘Who art thou?’ said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.

And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, ‘You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.’

And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.

Meditate on God’s Word

Psalms 119:148 “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word”.Do we have the same kind of thirst within us that David had to meditate on God’s Word? There are many books available in this world, but the ‘Holy Bible’ i.e. the ‘Word of God’ is different from all the other books of this world. We must have a desire to read this ‘Holy Book’, we must have thirst and love for God, such as David had to read His Word. If we don’t have the desire and will for ‘His Word’, our God will be very sorrowful and disappointed with us. God has given us the Word in our hands so that we will read it, understand it and abide by it. We go to school and when we reach the 10^th standard, we have to give a board exam – this is the law of our Education system. We must pass the secondary examination in order to enable us to go for further studies, and in turn secure a good job in life. How diligently we study for these secondary examinations! Because we know that unless we answer the Board exam questions correctly, we will not get the required marks. Thus our passing depends upon our studies for the secondary examinations. We get up early in the morning and study or we study till late night. Why? So that we do not fail in these examinations. Similarly, the Holy Scriptures were written by saints and disciples who were anointed and led by the Spirit of God to write the ‘Holy Bible’. Hence it is important for us to know the Word, meditate upon it and inscribe it within our hearts. As David said “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word”, we too must meditate on God’s Word and inscribe it in our hearts. We take the Word of God lightly because our God does not punish us instantly, hence we do not fear the Word. During our examinations we have no time to read the Word, when we are late in the morning for work we do not read the Word. We just pray superficially and leave our homes. But remember it is our God’s desire for us that we read His Word and meditate upon it. We must always have the desire to read and meditate upon His Word. Or else our Lord

s orrowfully says in Hosea 8:12 “I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing”.Our Lord has summarized a long story short, encapsulated it in the form of ‘The Bible’ and given it in our hands. The Word says that if the Bible was to record all the things that God had done for us on this earth, the Holy Bible would not be enough to record the same. Though the Lord has summarized the Holy Scriptures and given it to us in the form of ‘The Bible’, yet we still ignore to read it and feel it is enough if we read it only in the Church. Our Lord knows how much of the Scriptures are required for us, He has given us the Bible which has only that much information. The Lord has given us the Word so that we may read it and defeat every work of the evil one in our life and that our love for God may increase each day, reading the Word. The Word equips us as a sword to fight the plans of the enemy. The Word convicts, corrects, counsels and purifies us each day. The Word gives us victory in this world. But, when we ignore the Word, our Lord is very sorrowful and pained for us.Psalms 107:9 “For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness”.Our Lord satisfies the thirsty and hungry soul through the goodness of His Word. Thus, in our life we need to be thirsty and hungry for God’s Word. The doctor tells us that our body needs 2-3 litres of water daily so that all our vital organs may function normally. How diligently we drink the required quantity of water because the doctor has advised us. If we do not do it, we know our body organs will be affected. Likewise, we must have the fear and love of God in us, only then we will diligently read ‘The Word’ regularly. Just as we fear that not drinking water can affect different organs in our body, so must we fear that not reading the Word of God will not take us to His Heavenly Kingdom but will put us in hell fire. We must have the fear of God. Every day we must read at least one page of the bible and meditate on it, this will be fruitful in our lives. It will give us life. If we read even 4 verses, over and over again, God will reveal the truth of the Word and give us counseling for that day through His Word. God will thus quench our hunger and thirst.

God chose Moses and Aaron to bring the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt. Both of them were born of the same family, they were brothers of the same blood, yet both their thirsts were different. We see how Moses stood in the wilderness and prayed to God – Exodus 33:12-14 “And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest”.We see with what thirst and hunger Moses pleaded of God, to show him the way to bring His children out of the wilderness. Hence God says “My presence shall go with thee and give thee rest”. We too must have similar hunger and thirst like Moses. But remember, God must be with us wherever we go, He alone can give us rest. Why isn’t there peace in our homes? Why isn’t there rest in our homes? In spite of having everything, why are we still suffering from various illnesses and pain in our lives? The evil one inflicts our families in different ways. If God is with us, if His mighty presence is in our lives, we will always have victory and peace that no money can buy. When God is with us, even a glass of water can quench our thirst and hunger joyfully. Moses realized this and asked God “thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me, Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight”.He still asked God to show him the way. But God promised Moses that “My presence will be with you”.Psalms 84:10 “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness”.We should also have the thirst like David had and we should serve the Lord as David served. When we pray to God, we should never go to him with our desires, He knows all that we need. As it is said inMatthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”.God will always fulfill our heart’s desires. Unlike this, we always go to God with only our own desires and wants. Let us believe in His Word and ask of Him, He will give us all that we need and want.Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive”.We should never rely on our wisdom and knowledge, but we must put our faith in God’s will and plan for us. In human wisdom, when we are sorrowful we pray to God differently and in happier times we pray to God differently. Hence, we must never go to Lord’s throne of Grace with our own wisdom and knowledge. When we are asked a question in the examination, we need to answer just like the answer given in the text books, or else it will be marked as wrong. In prayer, when we ask of God according to His will and plan, God will surely a nswer us according to His will and plan. When we claim the Word in our prayers, God will fulfill His Word and promise for us. John 14:14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”.If we ask God according to the Word that has come from the heavens, God will fulfill our every heart’s desire and His will for us.Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”.The evil one brings sorrow and pain in our lives in different ways. Even in the times of Jesus Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees tried to prove Him wrong and always found fault in His teachings and works. Similarly today, the evil is doing the same in our lives too. God’s children are troubled even today, but Jesus Christ has assured us that “You will have trials and tribulations in this world, but be of good cheer, I have overcome this world”. This is God’s great promise and encouragement for us. Yes, even today we have our God with us and our Faith should not be shaken in this world. We must stay put only in the Word of God, because for our every sorrow and pain, there is a supporting Word in ‘The Bible’. God says “I have given my Word in your hands, but the world thinks this is another book and not a ‘Word of truth”. Today, we should not only be

g ood believers, but we must also become His disciples. God wants to make us ‘His Flaming Eyes’. We are no more infants drinking milk, but are youth nourished by His meaty Word. We are blessed to belong to this congregation to get such wonderful manna for the past several years. However large the storms in our life, when we proclaim the Word, God will come to our rescue.

W e see the story in II Kings Chapter 2 about the two prophets Elijah and Elisha.The whirlwind is being sent to lift the chariot, and Elijah says to Elisha “Ask what you want before I am taken away. I will grant it to you” Elisha says “I want a double portion of your anointing upon me”. So Elijah says “What you are asking is difficult to give, but if you see me being taken away in the whirlwind, it shall be granted to you”. Elisha is thirsty for the double portion of anointing. He does not lose sight of him and is focused on Elijah and follows him. Suddenly Elijah is caught up in the whirlwind and his chariot is lifted up and taken away. Elisha was so diligent and thirsty for the anointing that he tears off his own clothes. Here ends the works of Prophet Elijah and now begins the new era, the works of a new Prophet Elisha. We see Elisha goes away disappointed and comes to the river Jordan to cross it. Elisha has never performed a miracle before, he has only seen his predecessor Prophet Elijah perform miracles. With faith he claims the promise of God in His life and He takes the mantle of Elijah and strikes the water and says “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” When He does that, the Lord comes down and parts the waters of Jordan. This was Elisha’s faith. It is useless to pray for hours and with repetition. If we only claim God’s Word and His promise in our life, God will fulfill His every Word and promise in our life.2 Kings 2:9-14 “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over”.Elisha did not ask Elijah for gold, silver, wealth, money, riches or family; He asked only for a double portion of God’s Spirit to be upon him. Why did Elisha make such a request to Elijah? He knew he would have to do Lord’s work much mightier than Elijah. He knew that the people’s problems would increase and become bigger. He would need to work harder than Elijah to sustain in this world as sickness would increase and multiply in number. Hence Elisha asked for a double portion of anointing. Just as a whirlwind was sent to take away Elijah’s chariot to heaven, Jesus Christ was lifted up in a cloud by His Father in heaven. Once again Jesus will arrive in His second coming to take away His congregation who believes in Him and who are purchased and washed by His blood. It is in anticipation for that time, that we should be hungry and thirsty for Him today. We need to know His Word, we need to meditate upon His Word and only then will we become a part of His congregation.

T he evil one knows that the end times are coming nearer and doing his best to shake the churches and unsettle God’s children. If we are weak, we will fall when the tremors of the evil one falls upon us. We should be stronger than before; we should be rooted in the Lord so that no evil can uproot our lives. We should be strong in the Word of God, we should read the Word and claim the promises therein. We should not take God’s Word for granted. We must always have the thirst and hunger for our Lord. We should taste and see that our God is Good, for unless we taste we will never know His goodness and love for us. Just as Father God lifted His Son into the clouds, likewise Jesus Christ will come to lift up His congregation during His second coming. When we are thirsty and hungry for the Lord, Prophet Isaiah says inIsaiah 44:3-4 “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses”.God will pour water upon the thirsty and flood the dry grounds. He will also pour out His Spirit upon our seed and bless our children. They will flourish and blossom like the plants sowed by the river side. All these blessings are in store for those of us who are thirsty and hungry for the Lord. When we read God’s Word, we will come across such wonderful verses that bless our lives, enrich and enlighten us. Remember we must always give God first priority in our life. But no, we do everything else and leave God aside. When we do this, our life will be futile and we will not get victory in anything that we do.

W e are privileged in life to get the truth of the Word. Remember, it is not enough for a believer to only take water baptism.John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”.Jesus says ‘Verily, Verily… I say to you that I am the door and the way, everyone should be filled with my Spirit”. End times, it is God’s promise for us that He will pour out His Spirit on all mankind. Our children will prophesy during the end times. If we are willing, God will pour out His Spirit upon us and baptize and anoint us with His Spirit.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”.Jesus Christ fulfilled the will of His Father in Heaven before he received the anointing of the Spirit. Once He was anointed by the Spirit, He went about healing the broken hearted and set the captives free. He made the lame to walk again and gave sight to the blind. He delivered those who were in bondage of evil clutches. In the Holy Scriptures, John tells Jesus Christ “I am not worthy to baptize you”, but Jesus says to him “Let my Father’s will be done”. Jesus Christ was baptized and only then He commenced His ministry in this world being anointed by God’s Spirit. To reach the kingdom of God it is important to keep the commandments of God and be anointed by His Spirit.

Z echariah 9:12 “Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee”.God declares to those who believe in Him “today, I will render double unto thee”. Just like the faith of Prophet Elisha, who took the mantle and struck the waters of Jordan to part them. God was with him and God fulfilled His desire. Similarly, God is calling all believers today saying “Come to me. I will anoint you afresh and with a double portion of anointing, strength and power”. Nothing is impossible for our Lord God. He alone can strengthen us with His power. None of us know about tomorrow. God will anoint us doubly to face the challenges and trials of tomorrow. Prophet Jeremiah assures us inJeremiah 20:11 “But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten”. When our mighty God is with us, no work and plan of evil will sustain upon us. They will be put to shame and they will not prosper. Jeremiah assures us that our mighty God is always with us. Similarly, Prophet Isaiah also assures us that our mighty God will come with a strong hand and bring our reward with Him. Isaiah 40:10 “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him”. He will also put to shame the works of the evil one. We must always remember the Word and claim its promises during the trying times of our life. God has made a way for us through our every difficulty. If we only meditate on His Word regularly, our life will change for the better. Remember the song “Jabse Pyaara Yeshu aaya, Mera jeevan badal gaya”. Yes, when we let God into our lives, He will prosper and change our lives for the better.

Let Lord bless each one of us through His Word!

Rose of Sharon Old Age Home

Greetings to all our dear readers in the most Holy and Matchless name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus of Nazareth.

Welcome back to a new edition of the Rose of Sharon Church magazine.ohoHOhhhmjlk In this month’s edition, I would like to share with you about granny Phelsitta Fernandes who has recently been added to the Rose of Sharon family.

Granny Phelsitta is from Kerala and was brought to the home in November 2015 by her family. This granny is 83 years old and speaks only in Malayalam, but she can understand English too.

Granny is a very gentle and jovial kind of a person who loves to laugh a lot. This granny loves to talk and her favorite past time is to walk in the whole house and spend time with all the residents of the home. Every day, at least once a day she will meet and talk with everyone in the home. She loves her opposite neighbor Rosy nana and takes great care of her. She helps her to sit down and pays attention to the smallest things that Rosy nana needs, like her food is on time, her blankets are folded, etc. She will keep calling the staff if she finds something amiss and will ensure that she brings it to our notice.

Granny has got a lovely voice and will sing beautiful Gospel songs in Malayalam. During the prayer time when we sing songs, she too will sing these wonderful songs.

Overall, to sum up, granny is a very loving person and likes to talk and be around with her friends, never gets upset but takes everything cheerfully. We thank the dear Lord Jesus for loving this granny and bringing her to the Rose of Sharon old age home. May the good Lord bless her and take care of her as she stays in the home here at Mira Road.

Praise the Lord.

I t’s the beginning of another beautiful year… filled with many joys and blessings as we walk in the Lord!

This year the month of January has been freezing cold, and we have all enjoyed the winter weather.

T he month of January also means the beginning of a new year in the Rose of Sharon Sunday School. This year we are blessed to have 3 new children – Abiud, Priscilla and Grace; even as one of our senior student graduates to the Youth group.

The year began with the teachings of Lazarus and the rich man. The little children learnt about the Beginning – The Creation of the World! They were also taught about the books of the Holy Bible.

The children are really looking forward to another year of singing praises and learning new action songs; and another year of learning more about Christ and The Word!

This is truly their first steps towards living a good Christian life! Do lift our little Sunday School children in your daily prayers.

Praise the Lord!