Yesterday’s Sunday Service, 24th July 2011, the theme being ABUNDANT BLESSINGS, saw a record number of people who attended. Every chair in the hall was occupied, stools had to be brought in and several regular church members had to stand. Most of the new comers had seen Pastor Robin on one or more of the daily programs “Pyare Masiha”, telecast on Campus Channel twice a day at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. They came from distant places in Mumbai to experience for themselves what they had seen on T.V. None of them were disappointed. The Lord Jesus honored their faith and there were miraculous healings and deliverances. When Pastor Robin called for testimonies, there was such a long queue of those who had come for the first time, that the meeting yesterday took an extra long time to conclude. There was no time for testimonies of others who had been attending earlier and had also received marvelous healings and blessings. Everyone who came yesterday, mostly belonging to non-Christian faiths, including some Muslims, all acknowledged that JESUS was the ONE TRUE GOD and that they had been blessed in His Mighty Name. Halleluia! Pastor Robin explained to them the meaning of the word “Halleluia” and they were soon repeating it.
Pastor Robin preached on Ezekiel 37: 1-14, on the topic of the dry bones that God called the prophet Ezekiel to prophecy to and how these dead dry bones became an army of living people. The passage starts by saying that the Lords hand came upon Ezekiel. Pastor noted that the Lord's hand was on each one of us present there and asked us to repeat that. Just as God sent his prophet Ezekiel to the dry bones, many of us present there were dead in our spirits and God had brought His prophet Pastor Robin to speak life into us. He then spoke on the importance of bones in the body as the main structural support. Going back to the creation of Adam and Eve, Pastor Robin described how, unlike the rest of creation, God had STOOPED down to lovingly take up mud from the earth and to form it into a man. In the case of Eve, God took a rib (bone) from Adam and shaped it into a woman. So woman is the structural support of the family and when a man foolishly destroys that support with his own hands, he causes the downfall of the entire family, including himself! Therefore, a husband’s first duty is to encourage and protect this main support. Why did God take Adam from the earth? Because seeds are always planted in the earth and so the entire human race actually GREW out of Adam. One can say that Adam came first and “gave birth to Eve!”
The Lord came upon Pastor Robin and caused him to prophecy to the whole assembly. He made many prophecies about healings and blessings that Jesus was pouring out on us at that very moment. Healing did not only refer to the body. Healing is necessary for the whole of us: body, mind and spirit. The testimonies at the end were a proof that Jesus had truly spoken through Pastor Robin and had poured out His Love on us. Praise The Lord!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
REPORT ON WEDNESDAY'S BIBLE CLASS
Mark chapter 1, verses10-13
The Gospel of Luke records the event of Jesus at the age of 12, being lost and found by Mary and Joseph in the temple at Jerusalem, sitting among the Teachers who were astounded at his wisdom. After that, nothing is recorded about Jesus until the age of 30, when the Gospels record how John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. When Jesus came up from the water, he saw the heavens parting and the Holy Spirit descending upon him in a beautiful, majestic way, as gently as a dove. Then Jesus heard His Father’s voice come from heaven saying, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This event was a wonderful revelation to us of the interaction between the three Divine Persons. Pastor said that after our own baptism, we too should hear the Father say these same words to us. After baptism we are protected by Him and He will say to Satan, to every sickness, to every curse, to every evil that tries to attack us “Keep away, this is MY child!”
Jesus’ earthly ministry began on this very ecstatic note. Then verse 12 tells us that immediately, that same, gentle Holy Spirit, led Jesus into the wilderness for forty days where He fasted, was among the wild beasts and was tempted by Satan. Jesus’ wonderful baptism experience was immediately followed by a period of testing! Pastor then took us back to our own situation where we may have experienced an initial euphoria soon after our water baptism. But not long after that, we have all gone through times of severe testing. Many of us may still be in that period. We may find ourselves among the “wild beasts” of today’s world in the form of people around us who are ready to pounce on us and tear us apart. We may experience this in the society in which we live, in our work place or even in our own families. The “wild beasts” may also come in the form of evil thoughts and tendencies that we have to fight against.
Jesus Himself overcame the testing period triumphantly by the Power of The Holy Spirit (Christ) in Him and the “Word of Scripture” that He was familiar with. We too are provided with these same weapons. So we see how necessary it is to equip ourselves with The Word of God. If it is already within us, it will come to our assistance at the right time and enable us to overcome every attack of Satan. Jesus did not turn stones into bread and never did that at any time of His ministry. Pastor said that he too would never try to do that, taking stones figuratively as referring to people or other obstacles in our lives. We may be holding onto them trying to change them instead of moving them out of our lives. Jesus always moved stones out of the way, as He did at Lazarus’ tomb. Many of us may be still in the wilderness, going through our period of testing. All of us may be at different stages of growth in our lives and before every major step ahead, there will always be a period of testing as in any system of education. At a really high level at which Pastor is, the testing will be far more severe than for some of us who may still be at a primary level in the spiritual life.
Before Pastor could appear on stage for the Bible teaching, the Lord had given him a “Word of Prophecy” that said, “Your time of testing is over!” When Jesus’ time of testing in the wilderness was over, verse 13 ends with “and the angels ministered to Him.” When our time of testing is over, God will send blessings and deliverance upon us through His angels. At that moment, Pastor said he could see the hall full of angels! While everyone closed their eyes and raised their hands toward heaven, Pastor prayed and began to sing a new song: On the Wings of Angels, deliverance is coming to you!” Many began to weep and cry loudly, many got slain in the Spirit, many were delivered from evil spirits and some began to laugh uncontrollably with joy. Praise the Lord!
The Gospel of Luke records the event of Jesus at the age of 12, being lost and found by Mary and Joseph in the temple at Jerusalem, sitting among the Teachers who were astounded at his wisdom. After that, nothing is recorded about Jesus until the age of 30, when the Gospels record how John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. When Jesus came up from the water, he saw the heavens parting and the Holy Spirit descending upon him in a beautiful, majestic way, as gently as a dove. Then Jesus heard His Father’s voice come from heaven saying, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This event was a wonderful revelation to us of the interaction between the three Divine Persons. Pastor said that after our own baptism, we too should hear the Father say these same words to us. After baptism we are protected by Him and He will say to Satan, to every sickness, to every curse, to every evil that tries to attack us “Keep away, this is MY child!”
Jesus’ earthly ministry began on this very ecstatic note. Then verse 12 tells us that immediately, that same, gentle Holy Spirit, led Jesus into the wilderness for forty days where He fasted, was among the wild beasts and was tempted by Satan. Jesus’ wonderful baptism experience was immediately followed by a period of testing! Pastor then took us back to our own situation where we may have experienced an initial euphoria soon after our water baptism. But not long after that, we have all gone through times of severe testing. Many of us may still be in that period. We may find ourselves among the “wild beasts” of today’s world in the form of people around us who are ready to pounce on us and tear us apart. We may experience this in the society in which we live, in our work place or even in our own families. The “wild beasts” may also come in the form of evil thoughts and tendencies that we have to fight against.
Jesus Himself overcame the testing period triumphantly by the Power of The Holy Spirit (Christ) in Him and the “Word of Scripture” that He was familiar with. We too are provided with these same weapons. So we see how necessary it is to equip ourselves with The Word of God. If it is already within us, it will come to our assistance at the right time and enable us to overcome every attack of Satan. Jesus did not turn stones into bread and never did that at any time of His ministry. Pastor said that he too would never try to do that, taking stones figuratively as referring to people or other obstacles in our lives. We may be holding onto them trying to change them instead of moving them out of our lives. Jesus always moved stones out of the way, as He did at Lazarus’ tomb. Many of us may be still in the wilderness, going through our period of testing. All of us may be at different stages of growth in our lives and before every major step ahead, there will always be a period of testing as in any system of education. At a really high level at which Pastor is, the testing will be far more severe than for some of us who may still be at a primary level in the spiritual life.
Before Pastor could appear on stage for the Bible teaching, the Lord had given him a “Word of Prophecy” that said, “Your time of testing is over!” When Jesus’ time of testing in the wilderness was over, verse 13 ends with “and the angels ministered to Him.” When our time of testing is over, God will send blessings and deliverance upon us through His angels. At that moment, Pastor said he could see the hall full of angels! While everyone closed their eyes and raised their hands toward heaven, Pastor prayed and began to sing a new song: On the Wings of Angels, deliverance is coming to you!” Many began to weep and cry loudly, many got slain in the Spirit, many were delivered from evil spirits and some began to laugh uncontrollably with joy. Praise the Lord!
Monday, June 27, 2011
REPORT ON SUNDAY 26TH SERVICE
Last Sunday was a special service emphasizing the NEW LIFE in JESUS. The hall was packed to maximum capacity, with many people attending for the first time. The service began with praise and worship. People were encouraged to believe that none of them were there by accident, but that Jesus had called each one by name and made it possible for them to attend. They were also encouraged to have faith that Jesus wanted to bless them in various ways and to heal all their sicknesses. When Pastor Robin came on stage, he welcomed everyone with similar words of encouragement in his own powerfully anointed style. He began with praying and asking the Lord for special blessings on each one present there, for deliverance and release from all sickness.
He then proceeded to preach on the Gospel of John chapter 11, verses 1-44, regarding the death and raising to life of his dear friend Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary. Although this family was very close to Jesus, they were not spared the problems that try our faith! Everyone has to face such problems in life. Pastor noted how Satan always tries to kill the men first, knowing that if he succeeds in eliminating the head or future head of a family, he can easily destroy the other members. Pastor invited everyone to observe this phenomenon in society. Who are the people most prone to alcohol, drugs, tobacco and other harmful habits? Apart from a minority of women, it’s mostly the men. Who are the people in a family first attacked by fatal illnesses? It’s mostly the men. However, there is ONE NAME that can cancel all Satan’s evil plans and that name is JESUS!
Pastor also brought out the point of how Jesus went to Lazarus’ tomb four days after he had been buried and asked the people there to remove the stone closing the entrance. Martha warned Jesus about the stench that would be emitted by such an action. Jesus did not care. He is willing to come to us wherever we may be, however repulsive be a situation that we may be in. Only He can take us out of it, as He called Lazarus out of the grave after being buried four days! When Lazarus came out, he still had the bands of cloth with which dead bodies are wrapped. Jesus commanded the men there to unbind him. When Jesus calls us out of our bad situation/s, He will also release us from bondages that have held us captive and set us completely free!
Pastor then prayed for everyone to be freed from various bondages and illnesses that he named. He made many prophecies, especially about broken relationships being healed. He ended the service by praying for relationships in families to be healed and cemented, especially families who were present that evening. He asked them to come together, to hold hands and finally to embrace each other. At the end of the prayer, there was a long queue of people who went up and gave amazing testimonies of how God had touched their lives that evening and healed them. These testimonies will be telecast in various parts of India on Campus Channel (daily program at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.), on New Hope television and N.M. T.V. Praise the Lord!
He then proceeded to preach on the Gospel of John chapter 11, verses 1-44, regarding the death and raising to life of his dear friend Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary. Although this family was very close to Jesus, they were not spared the problems that try our faith! Everyone has to face such problems in life. Pastor noted how Satan always tries to kill the men first, knowing that if he succeeds in eliminating the head or future head of a family, he can easily destroy the other members. Pastor invited everyone to observe this phenomenon in society. Who are the people most prone to alcohol, drugs, tobacco and other harmful habits? Apart from a minority of women, it’s mostly the men. Who are the people in a family first attacked by fatal illnesses? It’s mostly the men. However, there is ONE NAME that can cancel all Satan’s evil plans and that name is JESUS!
Pastor also brought out the point of how Jesus went to Lazarus’ tomb four days after he had been buried and asked the people there to remove the stone closing the entrance. Martha warned Jesus about the stench that would be emitted by such an action. Jesus did not care. He is willing to come to us wherever we may be, however repulsive be a situation that we may be in. Only He can take us out of it, as He called Lazarus out of the grave after being buried four days! When Lazarus came out, he still had the bands of cloth with which dead bodies are wrapped. Jesus commanded the men there to unbind him. When Jesus calls us out of our bad situation/s, He will also release us from bondages that have held us captive and set us completely free!
Pastor then prayed for everyone to be freed from various bondages and illnesses that he named. He made many prophecies, especially about broken relationships being healed. He ended the service by praying for relationships in families to be healed and cemented, especially families who were present that evening. He asked them to come together, to hold hands and finally to embrace each other. At the end of the prayer, there was a long queue of people who went up and gave amazing testimonies of how God had touched their lives that evening and healed them. These testimonies will be telecast in various parts of India on Campus Channel (daily program at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.), on New Hope television and N.M. T.V. Praise the Lord!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
WEDNESDAY BIBLE TEACHING
Pastor Robin spoke on mark chapter 11, verse 1 onwards. Jesus sent two of His disciples to bring a colt to him to ride on. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy made in Zechariah 9:9, “Behold your King is coming to you…riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Pastor Robin noted that Jesus was not merely fulfilling a prophecy that he knew about. If He had been doing just that, He would have sent them to bring any donkey they found. But Jesus, in His Divine Spirit had seen a particular colt that He was targeting and gave His disciples precise instructions about where they would find it and described it to them to ensure there would be no mistake. Jesus directed them to untie it and reply to anyone who questioned them, that He needed it.
With his Divinely gifted deep insight, Pastor Robin made a comparison of how Jesus, from whom nothing can be hidden, had seen you, unable to get out of your bad situation, perhaps rejected by everyone, bound by chains of helplessness and feelings of uselessness. So Jesus sends His own person to you, to release you from those chains and to bring you to Him because He needs you. Even if no one else finds you to be of any worth, Jesus has decided to use you for Himself and His service! There’s always a precise time for everything, even for your release. So you need to wait with hope and trust, knowing that God has already sent the right person to free you at the right time. When Jesus sat on His chosen colt who no one had used before, the people laid their garments on the road He was traveling and waved leafy branches as they went in procession with Him, proclaiming Him King. This was usually done as a sign of victory when a king returned after winning a battle. Here they were doing it in advance. So whenever we pray for something, we should thank and praise God for the victory that is already ours because He has already won the battle for us!
In a previous teaching, Pastor Robin had noted that Jesus does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. How does He qualify us for service? Before He distributed the bread at the last supper with His disciples, He broke it. Jesus can only use “broken people” through whom He can release His love and power to free others. Every successful and well-known preacher, prophets of God sent in the Mighty Name of Jesus, have all gone through severe breaking and remolding to be powerful instruments for His service. Anyone who desires to be used as a powerful instrument in God’s hands must go through this breaking.
Pastor Robin then prayed for everyone to be released from various bondages and while commissioning us to go out and give the Good News to others, prayed that the Holy Spirit might work through us with His gifts of healing and deliverance. He asked everyone to write down at least five names of people whom we could reach out to before Sunday. As we placed our hands on the names, Pastor Robin prayed for them and said that if we do this every week, we’ll be reaching out and freeing people from Satan’s power very quickly. Praise the Lord!
With his Divinely gifted deep insight, Pastor Robin made a comparison of how Jesus, from whom nothing can be hidden, had seen you, unable to get out of your bad situation, perhaps rejected by everyone, bound by chains of helplessness and feelings of uselessness. So Jesus sends His own person to you, to release you from those chains and to bring you to Him because He needs you. Even if no one else finds you to be of any worth, Jesus has decided to use you for Himself and His service! There’s always a precise time for everything, even for your release. So you need to wait with hope and trust, knowing that God has already sent the right person to free you at the right time. When Jesus sat on His chosen colt who no one had used before, the people laid their garments on the road He was traveling and waved leafy branches as they went in procession with Him, proclaiming Him King. This was usually done as a sign of victory when a king returned after winning a battle. Here they were doing it in advance. So whenever we pray for something, we should thank and praise God for the victory that is already ours because He has already won the battle for us!
In a previous teaching, Pastor Robin had noted that Jesus does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. How does He qualify us for service? Before He distributed the bread at the last supper with His disciples, He broke it. Jesus can only use “broken people” through whom He can release His love and power to free others. Every successful and well-known preacher, prophets of God sent in the Mighty Name of Jesus, have all gone through severe breaking and remolding to be powerful instruments for His service. Anyone who desires to be used as a powerful instrument in God’s hands must go through this breaking.
Pastor Robin then prayed for everyone to be released from various bondages and while commissioning us to go out and give the Good News to others, prayed that the Holy Spirit might work through us with His gifts of healing and deliverance. He asked everyone to write down at least five names of people whom we could reach out to before Sunday. As we placed our hands on the names, Pastor Robin prayed for them and said that if we do this every week, we’ll be reaching out and freeing people from Satan’s power very quickly. Praise the Lord!
Friday, June 3, 2011
BIBLE TEACHING - Numbers 13:23-33
God told Moses to send out men to spy out the land He had promised to give them. There had to be one representative from each tribe. So they went out, the 12 of them and came back with samples of the luscious fruit they found there. They reported that it was truly a land flowing with milk and honey. But they also reported about the difficult foes they would have to fight against to be able to take over the land. There were well fortified and protected cities with strong men, even men of the stature of giants, descendants of Anak. In front of these men, the Israelites felt like grasshoppers and the men of those cities also considered them to be so. They passed on their fear to the awaiting congregation. Only two of them, Caleb and Joshua were willing to trust God and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Pastor Robin noted that like the fearful Israelites, there are many born again Christians who have left Egypt, meaning the old life, but are still in the desert. They have not yet got into the Promised Land, the Kingdom of God, where they can enjoy the complete care and protection of the Lord and avail of all it offers namely love, joy, peace, good health and God’s blessings of abundance. The desert is meant to be only a necessary passage to The Kingdom of God. But to get into the Kingdom, we need to trust God to overcome every obstacle of our minds, mainly the lies that Satan has put in and keeps reinforcing by whispering negative thoughts to us if we listen to him. Many Christians believe Satan’s lie and depend on their own strength rather than God’s mighty power to overcome them and experience failure. So they feel themselves to be as small as grasshoppers and those whom they have to deal with also see them in the same light. They do not always feel capable of taking a bold stand for truth and feel the need of merging with the society in which they live. That’s what grasshoppers do. Green, brown and mud colored grasshoppers are always found in the environment of their particular color.
Satan protects and prospers his own people while they are in the world because he knows they will eventually be with him in Hell. God protects and prospers His own people who are in His Kingdom. But for those who remain in the desert, there is no one! So we should boldly go forward in the mighty power of God and enter the Kingdom that is our eternal destiny. Pastor Robin said that in one finger of a believer is more power than the whole of Hell! Praise the Lord! Then he prayed for the whole class to be convinced of whom they really are as born again children of God. After that, many came forward to share how the teaching had really applied to them and while thanking the Lord and Pastor Robin through whom He had spoken, took a decision to move forward boldly. Praise the Lord!
Pastor Robin noted that like the fearful Israelites, there are many born again Christians who have left Egypt, meaning the old life, but are still in the desert. They have not yet got into the Promised Land, the Kingdom of God, where they can enjoy the complete care and protection of the Lord and avail of all it offers namely love, joy, peace, good health and God’s blessings of abundance. The desert is meant to be only a necessary passage to The Kingdom of God. But to get into the Kingdom, we need to trust God to overcome every obstacle of our minds, mainly the lies that Satan has put in and keeps reinforcing by whispering negative thoughts to us if we listen to him. Many Christians believe Satan’s lie and depend on their own strength rather than God’s mighty power to overcome them and experience failure. So they feel themselves to be as small as grasshoppers and those whom they have to deal with also see them in the same light. They do not always feel capable of taking a bold stand for truth and feel the need of merging with the society in which they live. That’s what grasshoppers do. Green, brown and mud colored grasshoppers are always found in the environment of their particular color.
Satan protects and prospers his own people while they are in the world because he knows they will eventually be with him in Hell. God protects and prospers His own people who are in His Kingdom. But for those who remain in the desert, there is no one! So we should boldly go forward in the mighty power of God and enter the Kingdom that is our eternal destiny. Pastor Robin said that in one finger of a believer is more power than the whole of Hell! Praise the Lord! Then he prayed for the whole class to be convinced of whom they really are as born again children of God. After that, many came forward to share how the teaching had really applied to them and while thanking the Lord and Pastor Robin through whom He had spoken, took a decision to move forward boldly. Praise the Lord!
Monday, May 16, 2011
TESTIMONY
SANJAY SASANE
On the morning of 12th May 2011, at 2.30 a.m. I suddenly suffered a stroke. My left side got paralyzed and my mouth went askew, affecting my speech. My wife was understandably alarmed. But the first thought that came to her was JESUS and she immediately called up one of our church leaders for prayer. I felt a little better after that and the same evening was able to drag myself to the Wednesday Bible class. Everyone was shocked to see me. Pastor Robin Almeida prayed over me while the others silently joined in agreement, extending their hands towards me.
During the worship that followed, my mouth came straight and my speech became normal. I was able to raise my limp arm, my leg got strong and I began dancing in joy and praise to Jesus who had worked this great miracle in me. Praise be His Holy Name forever and ever!
On the morning of 12th May 2011, at 2.30 a.m. I suddenly suffered a stroke. My left side got paralyzed and my mouth went askew, affecting my speech. My wife was understandably alarmed. But the first thought that came to her was JESUS and she immediately called up one of our church leaders for prayer. I felt a little better after that and the same evening was able to drag myself to the Wednesday Bible class. Everyone was shocked to see me. Pastor Robin Almeida prayed over me while the others silently joined in agreement, extending their hands towards me.
During the worship that followed, my mouth came straight and my speech became normal. I was able to raise my limp arm, my leg got strong and I began dancing in joy and praise to Jesus who had worked this great miracle in me. Praise be His Holy Name forever and ever!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
SERVICE OF SUNDAY 8th MAY
Pastor Robin preached on the passage from John 20: 19-22, in which John tells us that Jesus showd Himself to His disciples on the evening of His Resurrection as they were gathered together behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Jesus stood in their midst and said, "Peace be to you." The disciples must have been stunned! But they were sure it was Jesus only when He showed them the wound marks on His hands and side. The passage says,"Then the disciples were glad..."
Pastor Robin said that it is easy for us to wish others peace. Anyone can do that. People will recognize the Lord in us only when we show them our former wounds. Behind what people now see as glory, there is a story! People may try to immitate Pastor Robin in his style of preaching and teaching. But no one can immitate the wounds that are behind the power and glory of Jesus that he now displays. Jesus forms and trains his people in secret, away from the view of others. That's why a real person of God cannot be immitated. Pastor Robin spoke of the long and terrible suffering that Pastor Benny Hinn had been put through by his own family. Behind every glory, there is a story!
If we are now experiencing hardships and suffering, it can only mean that the Lord is preparing us for greater service in His Kingdom! Before babies are born into the world, they are formed in the darkness of the womb. Seeds are sown into the darkness of the earth and must remain in darkness until it is time to shoot up into daylight as glorious new plants. Pastor Robin encouraged everyone to stand firm in the face of suffering and to wait in hope for the day of glory. Praise the Lord!
Pastor Robin said that it is easy for us to wish others peace. Anyone can do that. People will recognize the Lord in us only when we show them our former wounds. Behind what people now see as glory, there is a story! People may try to immitate Pastor Robin in his style of preaching and teaching. But no one can immitate the wounds that are behind the power and glory of Jesus that he now displays. Jesus forms and trains his people in secret, away from the view of others. That's why a real person of God cannot be immitated. Pastor Robin spoke of the long and terrible suffering that Pastor Benny Hinn had been put through by his own family. Behind every glory, there is a story!
If we are now experiencing hardships and suffering, it can only mean that the Lord is preparing us for greater service in His Kingdom! Before babies are born into the world, they are formed in the darkness of the womb. Seeds are sown into the darkness of the earth and must remain in darkness until it is time to shoot up into daylight as glorious new plants. Pastor Robin encouraged everyone to stand firm in the face of suffering and to wait in hope for the day of glory. Praise the Lord!
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