Praise the Lord! A brand new month is here and I pray and hope that our Lord’s abundant blessings continue to shower on all the members of the Rose of Sharon Church.

Our living GOD is a FIRE – a consuming FIRE, as well as a cleansing FIRE! Prophet Elijah prayed, and God sent down fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice made by man. But the FIRE that our God Jesus Christ has come to kindle is different from all types of fires in the world. It does not destroy us but purifies us from within. Mathew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” If we accept the Fire our God sends with a welcoming heart, our lives can take a 360-degree turn. Jesus served mankind with great compassion on this earth and what is His desire for this world? Luke 12:49 “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?” He wants the Fire to spread within us, so that we may be purified inside out and become a new creation!

God promises in Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”

Our God is not a partial God, He desires to pour out His Spirit upon all His children whether young or old, sons or daughters, or whether rich or poor. He does not bless according to the size of the congregation. He blesses according to the thirst of the congregation. Whoever is thirsty today, God is ready to quench their thirst.

Like the earlier days, today too, the Lord God is like a wall of fire around us. The future is unpredictable, and without God’s grace and protection, we can do nothing. But with the Lord God as a wall of holy fire around us, we know that we will be protected from all the works of the devil.

Hence, dear children of God, do try your best in every possible way to stay within the boundaries our Lord Jesus has set for each one of us. If we abide within this boundary, no evil can ever touch us, our near and dear ones, and even our blessings!

May God bless you today and always!

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M  

 

Praise the Lord. After I cleared my 12^th standard exams, I had to fill the Mumbai University form for a degree College. While filling the form, we had to mention our Aadhaar number. As my Aadhaar number was not linked to my phone number, my form got stuck. As this form was mandatory to fill (without which I would not get admission in college), I told this matter to Pastor Saroja and requested her to keep this in prayer. After 2 weeks, my admission got done and my Aadhaar number was also linked. A million thanks to Lord Jesus for His grace and mercy on me and I thank Pastor Saroja for praying for me.

*Sis. Damaris Patel, Mumbai.

Praise the Lord! I had a bad cold and cough, so I got some medicines from the doctor. However, after having the medicines, the next day my entire body had a swelling. I asked the doctor about this swelling, and he said it could be the side effects of the medicine and that it would likely reduce in 1 or 2 days. He gave me some more tablets for the swelling to reduce, but even after 10 days passed, the swelling did not go away. I stopped all the medicines, and after the Saturday Healing Service I asked Pastor Saroja to pray for my condition. Pastor assured me of her prayers, and to my surprise, the next day itself, all the swelling in my body subsided. I thank Lord Jesus for healing me, and I thank Pastor Saroja whole heartedly for her powerful prayers for me.

*Sis. Hema Chilla, Mira Road.

Praise the Lord. Just a month back during the extreme heat wave, our village wells had run dry. We were trying to deepen our existing wells, but there was no water to be found. I called the Rose of Sharon prayer helpline and the prayer warrior prayed earnestly. Lo and behold, only my well struck water! I give glory to Jesus and thank those who prayed for me.

*Bro. Uttam Bhagat, Jharkhand. (ROS TV Program Viewer)

Praise the Lord. One night I experienced heaviness in my chest before going to bed. I applied the blessed prayer oil over my chest and slept peacefully that night. The next morning, I was completely alright. All glory and thanks to my dear Lord Jesus for touching and healing me. I also thank our dear Pastor Saroja for praying over the prayer oil and for always keeping me in her prayers. Thank You, Jesus.

*Sis. Evangela Roberts, Mumbai.

Praise the Lord. I had pain in both my eyes. I requested prayers on the Rose of Sharon Prayer number, and the prayer warrior prayed for me. Now I am healed! Thank You, Jesus, and thank you to all who prayed for me.

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

It was a hot day, and the sands were glittering like gold in a desert. Andrew, touring the place, lost his way in the desert. He could not find his way back, and the water in his bottle dried. He was in desperate search of water. With no water, he would die of dehydration.

As he struggled walking in the desert, he saw a small hut in the distance. Initially, he thought it was just an illusion, but he continued walking towards it. As he reached closer, he realized it was a hut. He opened the door and found nobody there. It seemed like the place had been abandoned for a long time. He was surprised to see a hand water pump, and it had all connections intact, and a pipeline to the ground.

He started pumping, but there was no sign of water. He continued his effort, then finally gave up due to exhaustion.

He started searching the hut for any other source of water. He found a bottle of water hidden in the corner. He was joyous, but as he was about to drink this water, he found a piece of paper attached to the bottle, saying, ‘Please use this water to start the pump. It works. After you have done so, do not forget to refill the bottle again.’

After reading the message in the paper, Andrew was in a dilemma, “Will the pump work if I use this water? Is the pump in good condition? Can I trust the words in the paper? If it is false, then my last source of water will get wasted.”

He paused for a minute and closing his eyes he prayed to JESUS in deep faith, believing that the Lord had answered his prayer. Then he poured the water from the bottle into the pump and pumped it. Soon, he heard a bubbling sound, and water started pouring out. There was a moment of relief on his face. He drank the water, thanked, and praised God, and then filled his bottle.

Now refreshed, Andrew refilled the bottle in the hut as well. He stayed in the hut for some time and looked around. He saw a pencil and a map explaining the direction to a nearby village from the hut’s location. He was happy that his faith in JESUS had made the water pump work.

Similarly, he believed the LORD would surely lead him through this map and direct him in the right direction. Andrew wrote on the paper, “Have faith in JESUS. It works.”

He then kept the bottle and the sheet of paper at the exact place where he had found them. Happily, he left the hut.

 

Genesis 18:25 “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Our Lord is the Judge of all the earth. He will judge each one of us. Jesus talks to His Father God in John 17:25 “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.”

Jesus calls His Father a ‘Righteous Father.’ He will judge the earth with all righteousness. His every work is done with righteousness and truthfulness. When Jesus prays to His Father, He calls him a ‘Righteous Father.’ Let us see what is spoken of Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” Our Lord Jesus Christ does everything in perfect righteousness. Through Him, we obtain wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. God the Father and God the Son are both ‘righteous,’ and they expect their children to be ‘righteous’ too. Revelation 22: 11-12 “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Our God expects us to remain purified, sanctified, wise, and righteous, for He has delivered us from our sins and rescued us out of the pit. He will give us our reward. The Lord has delivered us so that we remain rooted in His righteousness. Romans 6:18 “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” God desires that in our every work, we be righteous. He wants us to prosper righteously, truthfully, and wisely.

Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” The righteous have many afflictions, but at the time of affliction, our hope must be focused on God, for He alone will deliver the righteous. In our lives, both, our works, and our faith can bring glory to God. If our works are not according to God’s will, then a person with a strong faith is useless. We may be powerful believers, but if our works are not according to our faith, then our faith is unworthy of God. Both our works and faith must be equally strong, thereby glorifying God. Hebrews 11:33 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.” By faith and works, God’s children won kingdoms and shut the mouth of lions. If there is a war, and we do not go forth to fight the war, and instead stay back and pray that others win the war, what is the use of such faith? We will lose. Hence, along with faith, our works are equally important to win the war, for it is our faith and work together that can shut the mouth of lions.

Jeremiah 23:6 “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” God has given us His name as ‘The Lord our Righteousness.’ Imagine if God had not sacrificed His life for us on the Cross, what would we be worthy of today? What would our life be like today? Prophet Isaiah speaks in Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness’s are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” We are but filthy rags before God, and if our lives had continued in sin we would have been blown away as dried leaves by the wind. Thanks to the judgement of our righteous God, we are saved from filth and the dungeon. He has saved us from being like dried leaves ready to be cast into the fire. The Prophet Isaiah says, ‘Imagine what would happen to us if God did not show us His grace and mercy, for then we would perish in this sinful world. Because God showed His grace upon us, we are living in His righteousness today.” As God says in Revelation 22:11-12 “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” God’s desire for mankind is that those living in sin may continue to do so, but those redeemed of their sins lead their lives in righteousness.

Job says in Job 9:2 “I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?” How can man become righteous before God? Because God sent His only Son into this world for us, this sacrifice of His Son for us has made us righteous and worthy to stand before Him. Or else, we are just filthy rags before God. God washed and cleansed our sins and filthiness with His precious blood and thus sanctified us, making us worthy to stand before Him. Job 15:14 “What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” What is man that He is blameless? None of us were born righteous and sinless out of our mother’s womb. Sin is in a child’s blood, and hence a child is a sinner from birth. Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

None can stand justified or righteous in God’s sight by the deeds of the law, for by the law is knowledge of sin. It is only by the blood of Jesus that mankind can be sanctified and redeemed of their sins. By this, today we are made worthy to stand before God the Father. Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” There is not one person who is righteous! Hence Jesus was sent into this world to sacrifice His life on the Cross of Calvary. He rose again on the 3^rd day and gave us life everlasting. Today, through Him, our faith and our works make us righteous and worthy to stand before God the Father. The Bible speaks clearly in Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” We were granted deliverance freely through Jesus Christ so that we be made righteous. We have not given God anything but sorrow and pain through our sins. Yet God gave His son freely for us.

We often see in the malls that there are offers everywhere. Buy One, Get One Free! Here, unless you buy one, you cannot get one free. But our God gave us His Son freely, and we only need to believe in Him. Through Jesus alone, there is righteousness and sanctification in our lives. Lord Jesus says in Revelation 22:11-12 “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Remember that along with our faith, it is also important to do ‘good works’ for the Lord.

Our God is the Judge of all the earth. Revelation 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” Our Lord is faithful and true, and in righteousness, He judges and makes war. God will see our faith and good works and judge us accordingly. We must always strive to live righteously in this world.

David says in Psalm 40:11 “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.” David requests God to let His loving kindness and truth continually preserve him. David was a good shepherd. When Goliath challenged the Israelites, David stood before King Saul and asked how Goliath could dare to defy and trouble the Israelites. King Saul reminded David that he was but a youth and that he would not be able to fight Goliath. David told King Saul how he had fought a lion and a bear on two separate occasions to protect his sheep. When a shepherd fights to protect his sheep, the aggressor normally turns upon the shepherd, and this happened in David’s life too. Even in our lives, when we pray for people in bondage, the devil, a ‘roaring Lion,’ suddenly pounces on the deliverer. It is not easy to be a shepherd, for the enemy pounces on the shepherd, but in the end, the victory is of the Lord’s. Revelation 5:5 “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.“

Our God is the ‘Lion of Judah.’ If our Father God is the Lion of Judah, then we too are like Lions and must fight the devil as Lions. A Lion will not give birth to a Rat. We are all children of God, the ‘Lion of Judah,’ hence we are all Lions, and we must fight the devil with zest. The people who speak against the good Shepherd do not know the ‘Lion of Judah.’ When we do good works for the Lord, the Lord’s grace is always upon us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” God sacrificed His sinless Son for our sins so that we might become the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. God does not hear the prayers of an unrighteous person, but He hears the prayers of the righteous. James 5:17 “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” Elijah was a man who suffered in his life, but he was righteous, so, when he prayed to God that there should be no rain in Israel, God held back the rain for three and a half years. Joshua prayed to the Lord God to hold the sun from setting so that he could finish the war. Joshua 10:12-13 “Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” Joshua asked for more daylight time, and God granted him this prayer, holding back the sun from setting. God hears the prayer of the righteous. God has surely given Man dominion on this earth, but we must be righteous before Him. Isaiah 45:11 “Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” The Lion of Judah tells His people to order Him and see what He can do. Even as Elijah and Joshua prayed to God and God answered their prayers, likewise also, when we pray to God in faith, He will surely hear and answer our prayers.

God says, ‘My people perish in the world because of lack of knowledge.’ Those who are washed by the blood of Jesus will behave as lions, and not as rats. Jesus says in John 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” When we are entwined with the Lord and His Word, we will receive much.

In the olden times, we see people who along with faith also did good works for the Lord, due to which God heard and answered their prayers. Even today, God desires that our works and faith be towards Him. Then, according to His will, there will be no limit to the outpouring of His grace in our lives. We know how Daniel continued to worship the living God even after King Nebuchadnezzar passed a decree against praying to God. This was a plan by the devil to trap the righteous Daniel. But Daniel did not care of this, and he opened his windows and prayed towards Jerusalem giving thanks to God thrice a day. Daniel was punished according to the decree and cast into a den of lions.

The next morning King Nebuchadnezzar, expecting to find Daniel dead, found him well and alive amidst the lions in their den. He cried out from the mouth of the den to Daniel, asking whether Daniel’s God whom he continually worshipped was able to save him. To the King’s delight, Daniel replied that as he was found innocent and righteous by God, God saved him from the lions’ mouths. In this world, people will keep making stories against us, but we must concentrate on doing good works for the Lord in our lives.

Job 36:7 “He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.” Yes, God does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous,  and He seats the righteous on the king’s throne. The blessings that God gives are not only for us for the present, but they hold good for generations to generations to come. Hence, God’s promise holds true even for future times. Proverbs 20:7 “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” When we live a righteous life, the blessings do not just stop at us, they also percolate down from generation to generation. It is important that we as parents must be righteous, for our children will be blessed. If we are evil, how then can we expect good things from our children? As parents, we must live righteously. Our works and faith must be towards God, then our children will follow the same. If not, the unrighteous will be cut off from the roots and perish. Genesis 18:25 “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Our Lord is the ‘Judge of all the earth.’ He judges all works, and His works are always great and mighty. He will judge each one of us. Our God does not change, rather, we must change, or else, we will perish. If we are good, our blessings will remain from generation to generation. David says in Psalm 106:3 “Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.” Blessed are those who keep justice and do righteousness at all times. Psalm 112:2 “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” The Word will not change for us, hence it is important for each of us to change through the Word!

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in Him. David experienced all this deeply in his life. Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” God has made us His family. Our endeavour must always be to remain as His family. God has dominion on this earth as well as in Heaven. He is not a partial God; He will judge the earth ‘Righteously.’ He will judge the righteous and the unrighteous impartially. Therefore, let us humble ourselves before the Lord today and change our lives for the better.

I pray that this message will be a blessing for each one of us.

Pastor Saroja M.

 

Praise the Lord my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

The rains have taken a backseat this month in Mumbai. But unfortunately, it has been creating havoc in other states of India. We Mumbaikars, should thank God for His grace upon all of us, which He has time and again demonstrated and shown through His mercy, in various situations and circumstances.

Our prayers and heartfelt wishes are with all our brothers and sisters who have been affected in different ways by natural calamities. May God give them the strength to get through this difficult phase of life, which is totally out of their control.

Meanwhile, our residents, by God’s grace, are abiding under our Lord Jesus’ mighty Hand, and continue to thank Him daily for all the blessings they continue to receive.

Do pray for our residents and for all those who are suffering in different ways in and around our country.

May God be with all of them and us, today, and always!

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Saroja M

Praise the Lord! This month we had a general class where all the children learned a new action song that says, “Who has made the sun that shine? Our Father in heaven above.” After the songs, the little children read Psalms 23:1-3 and tried to memorize it.

All the other children were asked to testify what they felt every day about Lord Jesus in their lives. All of them shared how they experienced the Lord Jesus in wonderful ways.

Also, different activities were given to all the children. The smaller ones were asked to colour the pictures, while the other kids were given different puzzles to solve, which they did perfectly.

During one of the Sunday School sessions, a short story was told to the children about three friends and their faith in God. Three friends were lost in the desert and were each seeking their way out. Each of them had faith in the Lord and prayed for God’s assistance to get them out of the desert. The Lord provided each of them with a resource to travel.

To the first, God gave a horse, to the second, a camel, and to the third, God gave a donkey. Compared to the other two, the third friend reached last to a certain point where they had all stopped, for the bridge was broken, and there was a huge gap in between, which no one could even think of jumping over.

Suddenly, the first friend heard a voice from the Lord saying, “Jump!” But he refused and went back. Then the second friend came forward thinking he might jump across. But when he saw the depth and height of the chasm he got scared, and though he also heard the same voice from the Lord saying “Jump, do not fear,” he too refused to leap across, and instead, stepped back.

Finally, the third friend arrived, and to him also the Lord spoke the same thing, “Jump, do not fear I am with thee.” This time the third friend accepted God’s command, and said, “Yes Lord, I trust You.” He jumped, and he easily passed over to the other side of the broken bridge.

The learning is that we must keep our blind trust in the Lord, even as it is written in Matthew 21:21-22 “So Jesus answered and said to them, Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Do continue to keep our children in your prayers.

Kids Corner

 

Creative Corner