June 2014 Magazine

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Editor's Note - Pastor Saroja
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Editor’s Note

Dearly beloved, I greet you all in the matchless name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I believe Jesus of Nazareth has kept you all in the best of health and peace.

The Lord had spoken to Jacob that He would not leave him, until He did that which He had spoken to Jacob of. Genesis 28:15 - And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 

The Lord’s promise to you is that He will preserve you all. So, gladly praise the Lord. Psalms 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Jesus said in Luke 12:7 - But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Dearly beloved, learn to live your lives with Jesus. Because Jesus said in John 15:5 - I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If we are one with the Lord Jesus, we will also be one with Him in the Spirit. John 17:22 - And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

In many families, when the finances are low the peace in that house goes away. Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Hence, today whatever be your situation, your mind should be stayed on the Lord Jesus.

Bring the Prince of Peace into your home. John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The Bible says in Psalms 147:14 - He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

Believe that this word has been given to you directly by the Lord and He will do a miracle in your life. 1 Chronicles 12:18 - Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

Pastor Saroja M.                            

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 Who built the first city in this world? It was Cain the murderer. Genesis 4 : 17 says “17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.“ This city does not exist today. Assyria’s capital was Ninevah, today this city also does not exist. The city of Capernaum also does not exist today. Hence, in different ways, which ever cities were built by mankind were all either destroyed due to the wrath of God or during different war times. Even this world that exist today, will be destroyed some day. Thus, David asks in Psalm 60 : 9 “9 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?“. When we are protected by God’s wings, He covers us and He is our shadow. Psalm 91 : 5-6 says “ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. “When we believe in Lord Jesus Christ, even if the cities are destroyed, but the strong city will live forever and no sickness of this world, nor wars can harm God’s children. Like the cities in the world that were destroyed, we who fear God will never be destroyed when our strong hold Lord Jesus Christ’s hand is upon us. Psalm 121 : 6 says “6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. “ Whether it is the scorching sun by day or the moon by night nothing can harm us, when our faith is on Lord Jesus Christ. It is our Lord Jesus Christ who will lead us to the strong city.

 How does a city get strong? Is it through the learned men, wise or wealthy men, or through our powerful world leaders. Who can make this city strong? Remember, only a righteous person can make the city strong. God saw that sins abounded in the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sins of this world reached the heavens, thus God came down to destroy this city from the face of the earth. At that time, Abraham stood between God and the angel of destruction, he question God “If there are 50 righteous in this city , will you destroy it?” God answers “No, if there are fifty righteous, I will not destroy this city.” Then Abraham again asks God again “If there are forty-five righteous, will you destroy this city?” God answers again “No, if there are forty-five righteous, I will not destroy this city.” Then Abraham asks God again “If there are forty righteous, will you destroy this city?” God answers again “No, if there are forty righteous, I will not destroy this city.” Abraham again asks God “If there are thirty righteous, will you destroy this city?” God answe rs again “No, if there are thirty righteous, I will not destroy this city.” Abraham again asks God “If there are twenty righteous, will you destroy this city?” God answers again “No, if there are twenty righteous, I will not destroy this city.” Finally God says to Abraham “If there is one righteous, I will remove him out of this city, then I will destroy this city”. By this, we know that only a righteous person can make a city “strong”. When a righteous man leaves a certain city, immediately the evil one enters this city and destroys it. Thus, we must remember that only ‘A Righteous’ person can make a city strong. Neither a rich nor a wealthy person, wise nor a powerful person, but only a ‘Righteous person’ can make the city strong. Let us read in Genesis 18 : 24-32 “24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 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? 26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. “But there was only one righteous man in Sodom and Gomorrah whom God pulled out of the city before destroying the city. Thus only a righteous man can make a city strong. But when the righteous leaves a city, the evil one enters the city and destroys it. The only man who can prevent an anti-christ from coming into the city and destroying it, is a ‘Righteous man’. Let us read 2 Thessalonians 2 : 6-7 “6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.“ Till the time the righteous are in the city the evil one cannot touch it, thus the evil brings about trials and tribulations upon the righteous, so that they leave the city and go away and then they can conquer and destroy it. Thus, our Lord God has raised up righteous men and women in every city, these are the ones who take the Word of God to every nook and corner of the world. They preach the Word, to make the city strong and that the evil will fall. Psalm 127 : 1 “1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.“ It is God alone who can make our city strong, we do not need rich and wealthy, nor the strong and wise, nor powerful people. Rather till we have righteous people in this city, the evil one cannot touch this city. The evil one from time to time removes the righteous from the city so that it can work and destroy the city with its evil plans. Let us read again 2 Thessalonians 2 : 6-7 “6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.“ The work of the antichrist has been arrested till such time that there righteous people in the city, so the destruction of the city is delayed. Jeremiah 1 : 18 “18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.“ God had instituted Prophet Jeremiah in this city to preach people’s sins and the way of redemption. But what did the people do, they did not accept his preaching, rather they put Prophet Jeremiah in the dungeon. God shows His love for people, through the preaching from time to time through the ‘Word’ that is being preached. This Word of God is not written today or yesterday but 2000 years ago. Hence, we must meditate on the Word of God preached to us. The people go to Prophet Jeremiah again and again, but Jeremiah’s response to them is the same “that you will go into captivity and that your city will be destroyed by fire”. This angers the King and he wonders why Prophet Jeremiah is repeating the same thing again and again. But what the Lord God says, Jeremiah repeats the same to the King. Hence, Jeremiah was captured and thrown into a prison that was like a dungeon. Thus, it is you and me, the righteous children of the Lord alone who can save the city.

Let us read Isaiah 26 : 1 “1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.“ We know that whenever people won victories from the enemy, they praised and sang to the Lord. When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea successfully and the enemy were destroyed in the same sea, they praised and sang to the Lord, we read in Exodus 11. When David defeated Goliath, the Israelite women praised and sang before the Lord “Saul destroyed hundreds but David destroyed thousands”. Now the Israelites are praising the one who saved their city wall i.e. “Jesus Christ” the meaning of Jesus Christ is “Savior”. Jesus Christ is the strong wall of the city. Our God’s hand is not shortened nor his ears deaf. He can give us salvation, He is our strong hold Isaiah 59 : 1 “1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:“ When God saves us, even hell can do nothing about it. Our salvation comes from the mighty hand of God. We know how Jesus Christ saved the robber on the Cross and in a second that he was going to hell, Jesus

Christ saved him and changed his life. The robber realized that Jesus Christ is his ‘Strong City’ and if anyone can save him it is only ‘Jesus’. Thus the robber believed in his heart and accepted this truth on the Cross, Jesus heard this cry and saved him immediately. So remember even hell cannot fight against the verdict of Jesus Christ. Mathew 16: 18 says “18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. “Our eyes must be stayed upon the one who will deliver us. Let us read, Isaiah 45 : 22 says “22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. ”God says whoever it is, their eyes must be focused on our Lord God Jesus Christ who will bring us to the strong city and who will lead us to the strong city. We must remember, in the past several people were destroyed and several cities were also destroyed. There is no guarantee of lives on this earth. We must recognize this and stay focused on our redeemer ‘Jesus Christ’ to take us the strong city i.e. the Heavenly Kingdom. The Word says to the people across all corners of the world, that there is none other than ‘HE’ to save them and the city.

Acts 16 : 31 “31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.“ The only way to salvation is through “Jesus Christ”. Jesus Christ alone can take us to the strong city. Every city that people have built will be destroyed. The Word says in Romans 10 : 13 “13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. “Whoever takes the name of Jesus will be saved and receive their ‘Salvation’. Thus Jesus desires that not a single soul is lost. Whoever praises His name will be saved. What is God’s prime commandment for men? Let us read in Mark 16 : 15 “15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.“ God’s desire is that all mankind should hear the good news and that they should not be destroyed. Thus, it is our duty today to take the Word of God and spread the Good news amongst the gentiles. Even today, many people do not know the living God, they don’t know how to ask of Him and how to take their burdens to Him. It is our duty to spread the good news to gentiles who still haven’t heard the good news and preach the Word of God amongst them. God’s Word says that “No one who praises and worships me will be destroyed”, thus our prime duty is to teach those who still haven’t heard the Word. We have to preach to people about our living God? Who is He? How He can save them? We know that our God’s hand is not shortened nor his ears deaf. If we only cry out, He will hear our cry and save us. This is God’s command for us. God does not prefer that we enjoy our lives in the ways of the world and finally perish, rather He wants us to live a ‘Righteous’ life. Everything in this world is futile, it will all perish one day. Thus, remember only God who can save us and lead us to the strong city.

Prophet Jeremiah was put in the prison, because he preached the truth that this city would go into captivity. The King who put him into a prison like dungeon, who did not bother at first, now commands his people to gather 30 of them to go and pick him out of the dungeon. Remember, it is important for us to lift up those that are righteous and who have fallen. The evil one is waiting for the righteous to fall, so he can destroy that city. Pastor cites her example “how the evil has been bringing trials into her spiritual life since the past 5 years. But the rock on which she stood is ’Jesus Christ’. She challenged the evil one and said “do what you want to do, I am sitting on the Rock of all Ages. Now before the 10^{th year ends, the trials and tribulations are only increasing. The evil expects that I will curse the Lord God and fall. But NO, I stand firm for my Lord God ” Let us read Jeremiah 38 : 10 “10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.“ The same King who put Jeremiah into the dungeon, now commands that 30 people go and pull him out of the dungeon. Let us read how Jeremiah was lifted out of the dungeon, Jeremiah 38 : 11-13 “11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.“ Here we see the people used old clothes, torn basket, made a rope of the old clothes and pulled out Jeremiah from the dungeon. God did not use the rich and wealthy, the wise and powerful, rather He used what people thought cheap and useless i.e. old and torn clothes, made a rope of the useless old clothes i.e. those people whom the world thought cheap and useless. Remember, when Jesus Christ lived in this world, preached the same from place to place preaching salvation, likewise He also went to his own country, so that his own country people will know the truth and hear it and be saved. But his own knew him not, they thought he was only as a carpenter’s son and wondered from where he got this wisdom to preach. Hence, Jesus says “A Prophet has no respect amongst his own”. Thus, Jesus could not work in his very own country. Whom we think lowly about, Jesus lifts them up to show us that they are chosen vessel. Like the people used old and used clothes to make a rope to pull out Prophet Jeremiah from the dungeon, Similarly, Lord God used the lowly people of this world to pick up the ‘Righteous’. Let us read Mathew 13 : 49 – 58 - So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. 53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. “Here we see Jesus Christ worked amongst His people. But his people did not accept him as God. Similarly when Saul was persecuting Lord’s people, Lord asked him “Saul, Saul, why are you kicking against thorn?”. We must accept the truth and walk in truth or else our life will be the same and we too will perish in this world. We should never think lowly of Jesus servants like the Israelites thought Jesus was carpenter’s son. Vs. 57 says “57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.“}

Jesus is the same forever, He will never change. It is not easy to bring fresh manna to the congregation week after week. During the past ten years, Jesus’ grace has been fresh upon our congregation, not a single day the manna has been repeated. Thus, never think lowly about preachers and God’s servant. Through them alone, Jesus performs mighty miracles. Whenever we leave anything for the Lord Jesus, He will bless us a hundred times. What did Lord God tell the people who saved Prophet Jeremiah from the dungeon. Let’s read Jeremiah 39 : 16-18 “16 Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. 17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. 18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD. “Though it was prophesied that the city will go into captivity, but God promised these men that they will not be persecuted by the sword but rather they will be saved. Lord God’s prophecy for all His servants is that “no weapon formed against His children will prevail”. The Word is True the Word is Living, it is the Word alone that will deliver us from all dangers of life. The sword will never persecute Lord’s people, this is His prophecy for His righteous ones. Everything will perish in this world, but the righteous will be saved in the end. We may be old, torn and used clothes, but when tied together we will become a strong rope for the Lord, by which we can pick up other fallen righteous people of the world.