Editor’s Note

Praise the Lord. Wishing all my readers a very Happy, Prosperous and Blessed New Year in the mighty and most matchless name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. May our Good Lord Jesus guard and guide you and all your near and dear ones throughout this year.

Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there any thing too hard for Me?

Our God is full of love, compassion and rich in mercy. Our God changed water to wine; Our God calmed the sea and the storms; Our God walked on the sea in the middle of the night to help the disciples. With five bread loaves and two fishes, God fed five thousand people. Again, with seven bread loaves and some small fishes, God fed four thousand people. Are these not miracles and mighty wonder works which God does? Will anything be difficult for the same God?

Deuteronomy 33:3 “Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.”

On one side God is doing wonderful miracles and on the other side, He trains His disciples to do miracles.  Acts 19:11 “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul”.  My beloved ones, it is now your time to do wonders and miracles. The Lord wants to give the gift of healing and miracles to you.  Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

In the Old Testament, the ten miracles which Moses did before Pharaoh were miracles of judgement. Yet even after the ten plagues, Pharaoh hardened his heart, due to which he lost his firstborn son.

When Moses’ sister Miriam spoke against him, God’s terrible judgment came upon her and immediately, she got leprosy. Numbers 12:8-10 “With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.”

He that touches you, touches the apple of His eye, will not God bring terrible judgement on those who touch you?

Jesus who came seeking fruit from a fig tree found only leaves and no fruit. God’s judgement came immediately upon the tree, and it dried up from the roots. Mark 11:20 “And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.”

Today too, the axe is at the root of the trees, therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. Hence one must always blossom and be fruitful for the Lord.

The God that gives us this authority is Almighty. He has all power in heaven and on earth. He that is in you is greater than the one in this world.

So my dearly beloved, let this year be a great year of victory for all who believe and claim the promises of God.

May all of you abide under the shadow of our mighty Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Till we meet again,

Pastor Saroja M

 

Praise the Lord. I am Trupti Sawant, 17 years old. I hail from a Hindu family and have three testimonies to share.

✓ My aunt Manda Pawar had fought with her husband and come to stay with us. As there was no communication from him for the past three days, she was very upset. I contacted the Rose of Sharon prayer helpline and requested for prayers. Two hours later, post-prayer, her husband called up and spoke to her, after which all her misunderstandings went away. After seeing this miracle, my faith in Lord Jesus has increased.

✓ My father had become very ill and was diagnosed with a heavy heart problem and Tuberculosis, due to which he was vomiting blood, having high fever and was unable to go to work. Though my dad was not believing in Lord Jesus, still I gave the prayer request for my father’s healing to the Rose of Sharon prayer helpline. Within a few days my dad became alright and he has also started believing in Christ Jesus.

✓ My sister and I are studying in the 11^th and 9^th standards respectively. We were very weak in our studies and our parents could not afford to pay for our tuitions. I once again requested for prayers. I am glad to say that my sister and I have passed our respective classes. I thank my Lord Jesus for doing all these mighty works in my family and in my life. I also sincerely thank the Rose of Sharon Ministry for their prayers.

*Sis. Trupti Sawant, New Panvel, Maharashtra (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. One day while crossing a road, a rickshaw came near me. I thought the rickshaw would pass by me as I was standing safely on one side of the road. Yet within a fraction of a second as I moved from that spot, that very same rickshaw came and dashed a bike where I had just been standing. It is only by God’s grace that I was saved from that situation. I give all glory to God and I also thank Pastor Saroja for her prayers that she always does for me and my family.

*Bro Hardik Patel, Mira Road, Maharashtra

Praise the Lord. For the past 3 years I have been suffering from severe headache, ear pain, chest pain and high B.P. Due to this I constantly suffered fear and couldn’t sleep at night. The doctors were unable to understand what was wrong with me, because all my reports came normal. One day I contacted the Rose of Sharon prayer helpline and asked for prayers. Within a few days there was an improvement in my health and I was able to sleep without fear. This was only possible through the mighty hand of our Lord Jesus and the prayers of Rose of Sharon Ministry. I give all glory and honour to our Lord Jesus Christ and thank the Rose of Sharon ministry for their prayers. Thank You Jesus.

*Sis. Ranjana Bante, Tumsar, Maharashtra (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord, I had to suddenly undergo a wrist surgery and the cost of the surgery was quite high. Since I was in the midst of a job change, I was doubtful of receiving my company Mediclaim. I requested Pastor Saroja for her prayers and by her prayers and advice I received the complete reimbursement through my Mediclaim. I thank God Almighty for helping me to get through this difficult situation. I sincerely thank Pastor Saroja for her fervent prayers and advice.

*Sis. Joy Shalaka Salins, Mira Road, Maharashtra.

Praise the Lord. I come from a Gujarati Hindu family. After watching the Rose of Sharon TV program on Shubhsandesh Channel, I started believing in Jesus Christ. For the past 5 years I had been suffering from severe chest pain for which I took lots of medicines and visited many doctors, and though all my reports showed up normal, yet there was no improvement in my health. However I had faith in Jesus, so one day I contacted the Rose of Sharon prayer helpline and asked them for prayers. After the prayers, within a few days, my chest pain started subsiding and my health improved a lot. I give all glory and honour to my Lord Jesus and also thank the Rose of Sharon ministry for praying for me.

*Sis. Poonam Kahar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (ROS TV program viewer)

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Ah! … the beauty of God’s creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there, I felt the Lord’s presence with me. He asked me, “Do you love me?” I answered, “Of course, God! You are my Lord and Saviour!”

✓ Then He asked, “If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?” I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn’t be able to do and thought about the things that I take for granted. I answered, “It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You.”

✓ Then the Lord said, “If you were blind, would you still love my creation?” How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation. So I answered, “It’s hard to think of it, but I would still love you.”

✓ The Lord then asked me, “If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?” How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to God’s Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I answered, “It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word.”

✓ The Lord then asked, “If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?” How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me, God wants us to sing from our very hearts and souls. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks. So I answered, “Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name.”

And the Lord asked, “Do you really love Me?” With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, “Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!” I thought I had answered well, but God asked, “Then why do you sin?” I answered, “Because I am only human. I am not perfect.” “Then why in times of peace do you stray the furthest? Why only in times of trouble do you pray the earnest?” I had no answers … only tears. The Lord continued. “Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks. “Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?”

“You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all. Do you truly love me? I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When my heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, “Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child.”

The Lord answered, “That is My Grace, My child.”

I asked, “Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me so?”

The Lord answered, ” Because you are My creation. You are my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you. When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you. I will be with you until the end of days, and I will love you forever.”

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I have hurt God as I had done? I asked God, “How much do You love me?”

Pastor Saroja M

Be like God – Perfect in all ways!

Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” Our God is a perfect God as written in Mathew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect. God’s creation is perfect, His ways are perfect, His laws are perfect, His judgment is perfect, and the burden of our sins that He carried for us is also perfect. There is no imperfection or pretense in Him. God wants us to be like Him. Mathew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Our Heavenly God is perfect, hence He wants perfection in all our ways, our works, and also in our suffering, pain and sorrow too. God desires us to be perfect in all our ways. Little children play a train game where the one standing in front is the engine of the train, while the others standing behind are the compartments. The one standing as an engine instructs the others to follow him step by step so that the compartments are aligned with the engine and turn wherever the engine turns and stand still whenever the engine stands still. Similarly, God is our Head – those of us who follow Him must follow Him step by step perfectly. Right from God’s creation, ways, works, laws, judgments, and the pain and sorrow that He bore for us whilst taking our sins upon Him, God is perfect in every way. God wants us to be perfect in every way even as He is our perfect God. 2 Samuel 22:31 “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.” God’s ways are perfect, His Word is proven. In our lives too, our ways should also be perfect. By the ways of the world we may not be perfect, but to ourselves we know where we stand with the Lord. Psalm 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” God desires that we too walk in perfection in this world.

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Our God alone is the perfect truth; when we walk with Him along the path, only that path will lead us to the Heavenly kingdom. Without Jesus we cannot reach God’s kingdom, hence we need to be perfect. Our God’s way is perfect, and when we walk in His way we will be perfect. There is no other way, but Jesus’ way alone is that of truth and life. The Israelites did not understand this truth and so they wandered in the wilderness. God says about them in Hebrews 3:10-11 “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)” In spite of knowing God’s way, they did not walk in this way. Hence God said in His wrath “They shall not enter into my rest.” God came into this world to show His perfect ways to His people. When we follow God in that way, He will help us along the way. But the Israelites always strayed from the way and they did not walk in His way. Hence it is important for us to recognize God’s way and walk in it. We must always cry out to God ‘Lord God, show me the way.’ When we cry out, He will hear us and answer, He will show us the right way and we will meet rest at the end; or else we will never enter His rest. It is important that we cry out to our Lord to show us the way of truth. When we realize our works and our ways are not according to God’s will, we need to cry out Him saying ‘there is something wrong with our ways, show us the way Lord.’

Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” When we realize we are going the wrong way and when we call out to our Lord God, our Shepherd will speak to us and lead us and guide us in the right direction. He will tell us to turn right or turn left. We will hear His instructions along the way and so our way will be correct. In the Holy Scriptures, in the book of Ruth and the story of Naomi, we know the trials and tribulations she faced. Also in the Scriptures, when a man chose to go from Israel to Jericho, we are aware of how much persecution he faced along the way. When we call unto the Lord God to show us the right way, He will show us the perfect way.

God’s statutes are perfect. Psalm 19:8 “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” When we follow God’s statutes and commands, we can show Him how much we love and acknowledge Him by keeping His Word. 1 John 2:3 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” The Word says that when we follow every commandment of God, it will be proved that we know Him. God watches over us all the time. When we do not follow God’s commandments, it means we do not know Him. It is very important that every work of ours must reflect God. We read about the obedience to the Lord’s commandment by the house of the Rechabites in Jeremiah 35:5-7 “And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.” Here we see how the Rechabite family were entwined in the promise given by God to their fathers. Whatever God had commanded them to do, they did, keeping every command of God. Hence God acknowledged their works and ways. Jeremiah  35:12-17 “Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.” Here we see how Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did not follow and keep the commandments given to their fathers, as a result of which God was angry with them and pronounced doom upon them, whilst the obedience of the Rechabites pleased God. God has given us His commandments; many a times we hear it but do not keep it nor follow it. God’s ways are perfect, but many a time we do not walk in that way. We must always strive to walk in God’s perfect way, for it will only yield us good.

God sent us His only son Jesus Christ as a chief priest, whom God also sacrificed for our sins. Hebrews 2:10 “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” God’s only son Jesus was sacrificed for our sakes to make the author of our salvation perfect through sufferings. God sent His son Jesus who was perfect, to carry our sins and take our burdens upon Him. Our ways must be perfect. Whatever our judgement is, we should be perfect. Whenever we shoulder sorrow and pain in our lives for God’s sake, we must gladly and joyfully carry that sorrow and pain. Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” For those who trust in God, to make them perfect, Jesus gave His life on the Cross. In every trial and tribulation, Jesus was only obedient to His Father God. Jesus died for us joyfully on the Cross obeying the will of His Father God. Jesus showed His perfection on the Cross by saying ‘Father forgive their sins, for they now not what they do.’ Jesus thus showed us on the Cross that His love for us is perfect, even after all the suffering He bore for our sakes. It is very important for us to know that it is only by His grace we can walk in perfection in His ways and show it in our works. When we are obedient to His commandment, we will be able to hear His voice in our lives, the voice that will help us turn right or left, wherewith we will eventually reach Zion – our eternal rest.

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” The apostle Paul says ‘Follow God even as I follow Him.’ It is important for us to be obedient even as Jesus was obedient to His Father God, even unto the Cross. Colossians 3:10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” In the beginning, man disobeyed God and lost God’s grace. To restore that very grace to mankind, our Father God commanded His son Jesus to go to the Cross. Today, whatever we have, whatever we wear, whatever we do, is all God’s blessings and grace upon us. We must not have the spirit of Adam (disobedience) within us. Rather, we must have the spirit of Christ Jesus viz. that of an obedient nature within us. For obedience to come within us, we must internalize the life of Jesus, only then will we have the qualities of Jesus within us. Hence today we must be rest assured we do not have Adam’s disobedient nature within us, rather we must have Jesus’ nature. After accepting Jesus in our life we have a new life within us. Before Jesus entered our lives, we had within us Adam’s nature – a spirit of disobedience. We walked in darkness and sin, but now we are all changed since Jesus came into our hearts.

In spite of Jesus teaching us the good ways of life through His works and teachings on how to separate ourselves from the darkness of this world, God writes about the church of Sardis in Revelation 3:3 “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” The congregation was taught to obey every commandment and keep their ways and works perfect; by teaching good works to the people to keep their lives perfect before God. But seeing that none of this nature was present in this church, God warned the congregation of Sardis that there would be war upon them. God, who asked mankind to be perfect in every way will not keep quiet and He will keep checking the changes in the lives of the congregation, or else His wrath will come upon them. In the congregation of Ephesus, we see that the love of God had left them. 1 John 2:5 “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” We have seen in the book of Revelation that the congregation of Ephesus was without love for Jesus, while the congregation of Sardis disobeyed God and their faith in God had diminished. But the word says ‘those who obey the commandment of God, in them is the love of God.’ Thus, those who do not keep God’s commandments, on them will come the judgment of God. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” It is not by any goodness of ours that we have the gift of God, for it is by His grace that we have been saved. When we see many congregations, they do not have any truth in them and their ways are not perfect, yet these congregation still exist. Why? Because of God’s grace alone. It is grace alone that makes a congregation stand.

What did Jesus say to Peter? ‘Before the rooster crows thrice, you will deny me.’ At that time Peter did not understand what Jesus said, but when the time came, the rooster crowed thrice and Peter instantly repented and cried bitterly. Mathew 26:75 “And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.” Today, if we realize that our ways and our works are not right, we are not keeping God’s commandments; then it is time we repent. It is one more chance that our Lord God is giving us. Repentance is very important in our lives, even as Peter repented and cried out to the Lord. The Lord once again lifted Peter up and also used him according to His will and plan. Peter was not perfect in his ways, for initially He did not accept what Jesus said about denying him. However when the time came, Peter accepted Jesus’ word and repented and cried.

Every week God gives us the opportunity to check our lives; whether we are living it according to His command and ways. We must take this opportunity to change our lives and repent. We must recognize His way of truth in our lives. We must recognize that our God is perfect and His ways are perfect and we must live our lives according to His perfection. David sinned, but he repented thereafter. Psalm 51 is a repentance Psalm. Many a times we wrong God in many ways, but remember repentance is the key. We must cry out to the Lord; He will hear our cry and deliver us from our sins. Like Peter and David, we too must cry out in God’s presence and God will see our tears, hear our cry and deliver us.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ,he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” When we repent and cry and when God delivers us from our sins, God makes us a new vessel for His glory. All our old nature within us must die and a new nature must control our lives. Till now, if we have not suffered for our Lord God, if our ways are not perfect, if we have not kept the commandment of God, once again He is giving us another chance to do so.

Today, let us re-submit our lives into God’s hands and pray that He will renew our lives with him. Let all our old nature be dead to this world and let a new holy nature once again grow within us. May God bless this Word!

Pastor Saroja M.

Seasons Greeting to all our dear readers in the most Holy and wonderful name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

In this month’s edition we would like to introduce our new aunty, Aunty Maria Emeliana Barretto. She is 81 yrs old and suffers from diabetes, spondylitis and a kidney problem and is on medication for these ailments. Aunty Maria is a very soft spoken person and she can do all her personal work on her own. She likes to sing gospel songs and at times she sings loudly by herself. We pray that our dear Lord heals Aunty Maria soon from her sicknesses.   Do continue to keep all our residents in your prayers.

May our good Lord keep all our residents in good health and guard and guide each one of you in the coming year.

Praise the Lord! Christmas praises were in the air! Children were dancing everywhere welcoming the new born King in all their singing and dancing. Their happiness was literally bursting in all forms of smiles on their faces. The kids at Sunday school were super excited, during all their performance at the Christmas programs, especially for the fact that since now we have been blessed with a new Church and performed on a new stage for our Jesus Christ!

This season brings in so much of joy and happiness not just to the little kids but to people of every age. It makes us want to dance and sing in joy and thank the Lord for what He has done for us in the past year and pray that He will continue to do so in the coming year.

We wish all our readers a VERY HAPPY, PROSPEROUS AND BLESSED NEW YEAR IN CHRIST from all our loved ones at the Rose of Sharon Sunday School.

Praise the Lord!  I was suffering from fits (epilepsy) from the age of fourteen. Once or twice a year I would be troubled severely due to this. Many people of God prayed for me for my suffering but there was no relief. I then went to the doctor and got myself checked up twice for this problem as I was having continuous headaches. After diagnosing me the doctor told me that the tests revealed that I had a tumour.

Then one day I saw Pastor Saroja’s message on Shubsandesh TV.  In faith I contacted the Rose of Sharon Prayer Tower for prayers for my problems. The prayer warrior prayed for me. After prayers first my headaches stopped and then later when I did the check-up again, the reports showed that there are no tumours. Even the doctor was surprised as to how this was possible!

I praise and thank Jesus Christ for this great miracle in my life because only JESUS did an impossible work in my life. I thank the ROS prayer team for their prayers for me. Praise the Lord!

*Bro. Govind Kumar, Kanpur, U.P (ROS TV Program Viewer)