Praise the Lord and greetings in the most matchless name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Human strength comes in different packages for us in different stages of our lives, but all have an expiry period. After a certain point, we cannot trust in our strength or the strength of others. But the strength we derive from our Lord God is eternal, and hence the Bible teaches us that we should only and always hope and trust in our God who is our strength and redeemer till the end of time. Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” When we trust our Lord Jesus blindly and do the works He wants us to do, and not follow our whims and fancies, He will remember us and fulfill our every need in a timely manner – even as David says in Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”  There is nothing that God has not given us. In different ways, we are blessed, for He has loved us very much. Every day, even just for a minute, if we sit and recollect the works our Lord has done in our respective lives, our love for Him will keep increasing day by day. He has chosen us and kept us safe, right from our mother’s womb, so today will He ever leave us? It is only we who go away from God -As Lot did, our heart starts wandering and we chase worldly desires, and in that process, we go away from God and start drifting away from the Word.

John 17:23 “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”  God desires that His children work in unity and oneness and be perfect in their calling to serve Him. We must know this truth in our lives, for once we accept this truth, we will be blessed.Thus, we also need to be entwined with God. Without God our life is futile, it cannot become a testimony to others. In every situation of our life, we must never forget that God alone is with us. It is God’s love alone that will help us tide the storms of life successfully. We must not perish in the darkness of this world. Our God is not a partial God, He will bless us, each one according to our works done for His Kingdom.

The apostle Paul writes to the congregation of Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 2:6 “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” Here, he does not advocate the perishing wisdom of this world, rather he promotes the wisdom of God. Thus, when we come before God, we must never come before Him with our understanding and wisdom.Instead, we must stand emptied before Him, so that He may fill us with His knowledge and wisdom and that we may learn more from Him. It is very important to understand that when we do this, God will be willing to teach us more.

Hence, this month onwards, pray that God fills you with His wisdom, so that you may understand what He is trying to teach you, for He only is your strength, and only HE can redeem you.

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord. Our son Joel suddenly started complaining of chest pain. The pain was initially less, but then it started getting intense the next day; so much so that he could not sleep for 3 nights. The pain kept coming on and off at regular intervals especially during the nights. It was a piercing pain at the center of his chest, and he used to cry bitterly. We were very much worried for him, and we called and informed Pastor Saroja about it.She assured us of her prayers and after hearing his symptoms, she said it would be a severe case of acidity and advised us accordingly.

We admitted Joel at Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road. We were very afraid while doing this, due to the Covid-19 situation, but we remained in regular touch with Pastor who assured us of her prayers each time. Before the diagnosis could begin Joel had to undergo a Covid-19 test, which we were again very tensed about. We informed Pastor about it who assured us that God will take care of it.True enough, Joel’s report came negative. All glory to God!

After conducting all the tests, the Doctor informed us that it was a case of acid reflux and extreme constipation (a problem which Joel had earlier, and which Pastor had mentioned too), because of which Joel was getting the pain. We kept informing Pastor about Joel’s progress and she constantly kept praying for him. After 2 days in the hospital, the pain had subsided completely and he was discharged. I am extremely thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for being with us during this tough time. I thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for Joel and our family, which we believe is a major reason for his quick healing and discharge from the hospital. God is good!

*Bro.Shibu & Sis. Marina, Kurla, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Praise be to Lord Jesus. My mother was suffering from cough and fever for the last three months. She couldn’t sleep due to continuous cough in the night. I contacted the Rose of Sharon prayer line for prayers, after which my mother was completely healed from her cough and fever. Thank you Jesus, for healing my mother. Thank you ROS Ministry for praying for her.

*Bro. Arun Koli, Malegaon, Maharashtra (ROS TV Program Viewer).

Praise the Lord. My name is Salome Lobo. My mother had severe cough, and when she did the test,she was found to be Corona positive; subsequently she was admitted to the hospital. I never realised that they will take me and my brother Heresh too, for testing. After a few days of this test, we got to know that my brother too had tested Corona positive. By God’s grace, I came out negative, though for the entire week, I had been with my brother and with all the Corona patients in the hospital. My Lord Jesus Christ took care of me and saved me. I thank my Lord Jesus Christ for saving me from this danger and I also thank our dear Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers for me and my family.

*Sis. Salome Lobo, Mumbai.

Praise the Lord! I was suffering from acidity problems for the past 6 months. This caused me a lot of trouble like heaviness in my head, etc. I saw Pastor Saroja’s message on Shubh sandesh TV and called the Rose of Sharon prayer line number for prayers for my illness. Lord Jesus healed me totally after the prayer. My Doctor had advised me not to consume Tur dal to avoid acidity. But after prayers and my subsequent healing, I am now consuming Tur dal; and am not having any acidity issue. All glory to Lord Jesus for healing me,and I sincerely thank ROS Ministry for praying for me.

*Sis. Uma Priti, Aurangabad (ROS TV Program Viewer).

Praise the Lord. For over a period of 16 months. I had a gland at the back of my head and it kept growing. I had requested Pastor to pray for the same. I was afraid to go in for any test or surgery,as I had a similar gland in my hand which had to be operated a year ago. Eventually one day, all of a sudden there was pus oozing out of the gland (which had grown to the size of a marble), and the lumpjust disappeared. I give millions of thanks to God Almighty and thank Pastor Saroja for her ceaseless prayers, due to which, without any medication or suffering, the gland has gone. Thank You Jesus.

*Sis. Joy Shalaka Salins, Mumbai.

It was an early morning.  Daniel was getting ready for his office when His wife, Sharon asked him to put just a few clothes out for laundry today.  He asked his wife, “Why?”  She told him, “Because our maid will have to leave early today to catch the bus and she will not be coming for two days”.  Daniel asked her, “Where is she going for two days?”  She told him, “Tomorrow is the birthday of her Grand Daughter, so she is going to spend time with her and celebrate.”

But then Sharon asked him, “Oh one more thing!  Should I give her Rs. 500 as a bonus?”   Daniel said, “Why now?  We will give her during the Christmas”.  His Wife said, “Well, she is hardly able to manage her expenses and she is visiting her Grand Daughter, so not sure how she will be able to manage as these days inflation is high.  I feel she can use a little bonus”.

Daniel said, “Oh dear, I feel you are getting too sensitive and worrying too much”.  His wife said, “Don’t Worry, I will cancel our plan to go out and have a pizza, that way we can give her extra Rs. 500 as a bonus”.  Hearing that Joshua, their son, starting crying, saying he wants to go out for Pizza and have fun at the game zone and cannot cancel plans as he already told his friends about it. Daniel said, “Are you  ready to take the pizza out of our Son’s mouth?  Well, do as you feel ?”Sharon then explained to Joshua and said that next time they will definitely make plans and go out for pizza but to let this time go!

So, after a couple of days, when the maid had returned, she was cleaning the floor.  Daniel, was sitting on his chair and Joshua was with him.  He asked her, “Did you enjoy a good time with your Grand Daughter?”  The Maid replied, “Yes Sir, I enjoyed a lot, I spent whole Rs. 500 in 2 days!”  Daniel with a smirk on his face, looking at his wife said, “Oh really!  How did you spend Rs. 500 so quickly?”

The Maid replied with a happy smile, “For Rs. 150, I bought a Dress for my Grand Daughter, bought sweets for Rs. 50, Paid Rs. 100 for Bus Tickets, bought bangles for Rs. 50 for my daughter, for my son in law I bought a belt for Rs. 50 and last Rs. 100, I gave to my Grand Daughter to purchase pencil and papers for her school”.

Daniel and Joshua were shocked!  Joshua started thinking about the 6 slices of pizza.  Each slice started hitting in his mind.  He started comparing the cost of the pizza with his maid’s expense.  He was lost in thoughts that how she bought something for everyone in her family and spent a quality time with them for her Grand Daughter’s birthday- and all these just for the cost of the pizza!

Moral:  We have a right to do what makes us happy and spend our money as we like for our own happiness.  But, if you feel you have spent your money for only temporary happiness, even if it was occasionally, you have a chance to do something of a greater good for others in need.  A little goodwill can light up someone’s life in many ways.

Think about it!

John 6:5 “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” Jesus looked at the great multitude around him and asked his disciple Philip, where they could buy bread, that the multitude may be fed. The Bible says that though Jesus knew what His next step would be, He questioned His disciple Philip, thereby testing him. John 6:6 “And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.” Jesus knew how He would feed the multitudes, yet to test Philip, He asked him where they could buy bread, that the multitude may eat thereof. Many a time in our lives too, Jesus knows everything about us, yet He tests us. He asks us a question, gives us time to think, and then waits for our answer.

John 1:44 “Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.” Jesus himself called Philip to serve Him. John 1:43 “The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.” Jesus had earlier called Philip to serve Him, so now He questioned him as to how they may feed the multitude. When Jesus questioned him, Philip began calculating the expense that would be incurred to feed the multitude of five thousand men, beside women and children,just as we at our church functions calculate the cost of how many idlis and bottles of water we would require for our congregation, and where we could procure it from. At that time, another disciple named Andrew, said in John 6:9 “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” Andrew, another disciple, had discovered amongst the multitudes, a young boy who had five loaves and two fishes, and he conveyed this to Jesus. Andrew also pondered, ‘What are they among so many?’ Andrew wondered how this small quantity would feed five thousand men, beside women and children. What do we understand by this? We understand Andrew’s lack of faith. Immediately, Jesus asked that the people be made to sit. John 6:10 “And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.” By this, we learn that with disbelief we can do nothing. When we pray with lack of faith, that prayer avails nothing. It is faith alone that can reap much. Jesus told Andrew to make the people sit. Mark 6:39-44 “And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.”

Jesus knew beforehand how He would feed the multitudes, yet He asked His disciples, Philip and Andrew, only to test their faith. Even in our lives today, God knows how He has planned it; what He is going to do next in our lives, how He is going to bless us, etc. Yet, many a time He tests us and questions us to check our faith in Him. To win in every situation of our lives, we need faith to trust our God Almighty. We may never know why God questions us, even though He already knows the answer. Jesus wants to check our thoughts, to test our faith, hence often He questions us.

Jesus fed the multitude of five thousand men, beside women and children,with spiritual manna by preaching the Word. Subsequently, He also fed them physically by blessing the 5 loaves and 2 fish and feeding them to this multitude. Our God hasn’t changed even today, He is the same. The Word says ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.’ Never forget this Word. God will test us in many ways, He will ask us several questions, and we have to be prepared always and be in faith to believe what He says. Then He will continue to fulfil our lives with His plan.

In the past, whenever I used to travel, I would look at beautiful women and compare myself with them. I would think of how they were so fair and beautiful while I am dark. I would ask the Lord to erase the dark patch blemish from my face. During a visit to Chennai, my eyes fell upon a woman who had met with a fire accident and burnt her face and neck. Only one eye had sight, and the entire face had a burnt look. With sight in only one eye, she was holding the Bible close to her good eye, and reading it. At that moment, I said to my Lord “What a great lesson you taught me today. I have two eyes and clear skin. I am such a foolish woman to think about only a patch of dark skin on my face.” Forgetting all about His wonderful grace and mercy upon me, and how He had taken care of me over the years, I had been complaining. On my return flight, I just uprooted this thought that had troubled me all these past years,and threw it down from the height of the flight. I thought to myself “Lord I am very beautiful the way you have made me, I thank you.”

Always remember how Jesus tested Philip. God knows everything that He will do in our lives, yet He constantly tests us. We must continually praise God’s Holy Name,the God who feeds us spiritually and physically. In this way,we can trample the devil under our foot. The devil will bring upon us great sorrow and pain, but if we continue to praise God unceasingly, God will permit us to remain in bondage only for, say ten days; then on the 11^th day, we will rise, walk, and run, and never be tired and weary. During these ten days, when the devil may keep us bound, God tests us even as Jesus tested Philip by asking him where they may buy bread that the multitude may eat. At that time, we must stand in faith and not be shaken, for thereafter we will win our victory through God alone.

Psalm 81:1-4 “Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.” The Israelites were given the Law and Statutes of God to follow. But the Lord laments in Psalm 81:13-16 “Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.”

During troubled times, we must continue to praise and sing to the Lord. When we do this,the Hand of the Lord will rise against the enemy, and trample the devil under our feet. Psalm 81:16 “He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” Today, if we suffer from high cholesterol and diabetes, the Doctor recommends that we eat wheat bread or chapattis. Thousands of years ago, the Lord said that He would feed the people with the finest of wheat. The people of those times who followed God’s statutes were saved from any illness, and they remained healthy. When God blessess us, He never adds sorrow to it. Hence God says in Psalm 81:16 “He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” When we praise God and sing in faith, imagine the big victory that we will experience. We must continue to praise the Lord even more. Then the Lord will say to us ‘Your enemy is my enemy, I will destroy him.’ This must be the faith in every situation of our lives. God constantly checks our faith to see whether we areas Philip, who wondered how they would feed the multitude of five thousand men, beside women and children, with just five loaves and two fish.

Know that the Lord can question us, but we cannot question Him. The Lord has all right to question us. When the hand of the Lord carried the Prophet Ezekiel out in His Spirit and set him down in the midst of a valley full of bones, God asked Ezekiel ‘Can these bones live?’ At that time, Ezekiel answered, ‘O Lord God, thou know est.’ God then gave authority to Ezekiel to prophesy and bring the bones back to life, joint to joint, and nerve to nerve. The veins joined, the blood flowed, the skin and muscles grew thereon, and all the skeletons rose up as an army of people. This is faith, wherein Ezekiel answered ‘if you say, Lord, it will come to pass.’

When the Lord begins to walk, the devil runs in the other direction. Just as the Lord fed the Israelites for forty years, He is the same unchanging God, who will feed us even today. Isaiah 58:14 “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” This Word has come from the mouth of God. God will make us the head and not the tail. He will keep us in high places, He will feed us physically and spiritually, and He will continue to take care of us everyday.

In the Holy Scriptures, we read of how Jesus once went into His Holy Temple. Here, He saw that the people had made His Temple a den of thieves.Jesus immediately made a scourge of small cord and cast them out of the temple. He overturned the tables where goods were being sold, and the people ran shelter-skelter out of the temple. Our body is a Temple for the Lord, and He has right over us to raise a scourge upon us when we defile it. Believe that you are His Holy Temple, a house of prayer, and not a den of thieves.When your prayer lacks the Holy Spirit it is not heard by God. Luke 19:45 “And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;” Remember, an empty mind is the devil’s workshop. God is always watching over us since we are His Holy Temple. God does not dwell in temples made by man, rather He dwells within Man, for we are created by Him. Thus, our bodies should constantly have prayers and gratitude. When our life is superficial before God, He hates it,as it becomes a den of thieves. He can raise His hand upon us to drive away thieves from our lives. Whenever we pray, it must be from our heart, and with the fear of the Lord, for God sees our heart. We must pray in faith and compassion.

Jesus asked His disciples ‘Could you not watch and pray with me for an hour.’ Our prayer must be a prayer of faith and love of God. There must be compassion within us. As the disciples slept while Jesus prayed, similarly we may be sleeping today, and our prayers may just remain words. This type of prayer becomes a den of thieves. John 2:15-16 “And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”

Luke 19:46 “Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.” God’s house is a house of prayer. Our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost,hence our prayer must be made in spirit, in compassion, and not simply in words.

Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Who is there to help us today? Today we have the Spirit of God that is within us, who helps us to pray. God says‘I do not look at your outward self but I see your heart.’We must be led by the Holy Spirit to pray. When we ask the Spirit to guide and lead us, He will surely teach us. Because we do not know how to pray, Jesus prays for us and says to the Spirit ‘Teach them to pray, for they are my temple.’But remember that if we continue to keep our body as a den of thieves, Jesus will raise His hand against us anytime!

1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We are purchased by Jesus’ precious blood, hence we must do what God wants us to do. Jesus died for us and has paid the price of our sins on the Cross. He has kept His Kingdom ready for our sakes, hence to get victory in this world, to pray in the spirit is the key. We must continue to praise God with a true spirit in our hearts. Our prayer must be a sweet aroma before God, even as Noah offered burnt offerings on the altar to God, where his prayer was a sweet aroma before God, and the Lord blessed mankind thereafter.

When the Israelites fasted and wailed and prayed to God, He heard their prayers and halted the sun from setting, thereby gifting and blessing a victory to the Israelites fighting the war. How do all these great works happen? God hears the cry of His people, and answers them. Our bodies are not our own, for they are purchased by the blood of Jesus. Hence, it important our prayers be made with the true spirit within us, for us to truly praise and glorify our God.

Psalm 69:9 “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.” Jesus had great zeal for His Holy temple. John 2:17 “And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” When Jesus came into the temple and started throwing out transgressors from the Holy Temple, the disciples saw this,and they remembered what the Psalmist had said – ‘For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up’. So, if we want Jesus Christ to dwell in us, we must first be filled with the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 -19 “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” God keeps His eyes upon us daily, to check if we have defiled His Holy Temple. God loves us and wants us to always be filled with His Spirit and be sanctified. When our Holy Temple is defiled He will lift His hand against us. We must be sanctified by His blood everyday. How can we do it? We must love Him and fear Him. Then our good God will bless us. Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” What is the secret of this? God will keep questioning us to test our faith in Him.

Luke 12:25 “And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?” What a wonderful question this is! Can we ever extend the length of our life or our bodies simply by worrying? No, we can do nothing. But it is only God who can do it for us. Mathew 6:27-28 “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:” Why should we worry for anything? We have a God who worries for us. Man worried since the beginning of time, and he sinned in the process. God created man and woman and kept them in the Garden of Eden.There was no tension of food, water, and clothing. But, when sin entered their lives, they worried about the fact that they were not clothed. They began to worry about their food, water, clothing, and shelter. When Adam and Eve were in obedience to God, they worried for nothing. But when sin entered their lives, they had to fend for themselves.

Luke 12:27 “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” King Solomon used to go to the flower fields and see different colours, hence he desired to wear vibrant coloured robes. But even as a King, he could not acquire all those beautiful colours. God has gifted nature with wonderful colours, which even King Solomon could not get. When we have the Creator, the King of Kings with us, will we lack for any colour in our life?

God says‘ Why worry about anything in our life, give your burden in my hands but do not defile your body, for it is my Holy Temple’ When God’s Spirit is alive within us, He abides freely within us. Thus, let us always pray and praise God from our hearts and not our mouths.

May the Lord bless this message. Praise the Lord!

Pastor Saroja M.

Praise the Lord! Life moves on and does not wait for anyone or anything was proved in 2020. A month has passed by and now we are in February, 2021. The year has begun on a positive note with news that the vaccination for Covid19 has been found. Hopefully, the vaccination drive will be completed successfully all over the world by God’s grace.

With the beginning of the New Year, we have begun the Church Services in Mira Road too and all our residents in the Old aged home are very happy about it. In fact, they are the ones who were always requesting me to begin Church services in Mira Road, so that they too can come to Church on the Sabbath day and praise God.

It gives me immense joy and happiness to see the enthusiasm of our residents that even at this age they want to attend Church so that they can praise God with singing and hearing the word of God being preached. I truly believe that all our residents are really the chosen ones of God and hence they have the thirst for the Lord’s word.   May God bless them with good health today and always.

Wishing and praying that all our readers too continue to be safe and take care of your near and dear ones.

All Glory to God alone! Praise the Lord!

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord! As we have stepped into 2021 most people would have different New Year resolutions. Most of the parents and kids would want their kids to do better at schools and achieve better grades. Plan to join a good college post the SSC and decide on the carrier parts they would want to venture into.

This year while we begin Sunday School the one story that passed through my mind was that of the pencil maker. Once when the pencil maker made a setup of pencils and before setting them into the box took aside the pencils and explained, the 5 things they needed to remember to become the best pencil in the world.

The Pencil understood and promised to adhere to its master’s words and went into the box with a purpose in heart.

Similarly, today if we compare our kids to the lives of that of a pencil we too can do great and mighty things in our lives be it academics, professionally, personally or spiritually.

We pray that our kids learn that our maker is our heavenly Father, if we entrust our lives in His hands. We may face certain corrections and hardships but if we accept the same, this in turn would better our relationship with Christ and help us achieve great success in our lives.

As we continue to teach our kids we entrust them into the hands of our Saviour Jesus Christ, do uphold in your prayers so that they shine for His glory.