The Bible says thus in John 3:16 : “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. This Bible verse has been popularized in Aba, Abia State by Brother Samuel Ajayi who christened his tabernacle, a non-denominational church, John 3:16 Ministries.
And, indeed, those who believe God and worship Him in the Ministry located at River Layout, overlooking the Aba River, have different tales and revealing testimonies to give after the nasty kidnapping period in Aba.
John 3:16 Ministries, (aka, Jesus Marine Commandos), started in Aba about 10 years ago and has become a household name in the commercial city and its environs following its near unbelievable healings and miracles that have taken place in the tabernacle.
The Ministry whose membership includes military and police personnel, among other people who come from Abuja, Owerri, Enugu, Umuahia and Port Harcourt, opened a new vista for itself about three years ago.
In one of his prophesies, the Nnewi, Anambra State-born founder of the ministry had foretold the crisis – kidnapping - that almost brought Aba, the touted Japan of Africa on its knees.
But he had assured that those who were under the roof of the tabernacle would come out of the crisis unscathed.
Shortly after the revelation, Aba fell to kidnapping, which shook the city to its foundation. During the period, people of all strata became victims of this heinous crime and only got their release after payment of huge sums as ransom. Banks, businesses and schools were shut down and most residents fled the city when the heat generated became unbearable. But during this period, none of the members of John 3:16 Ministry or their family members were kidnapped or fled Aba.
According to a female member of the Ministry, Mrs. Ijeoma Obasi, “While the heat was on, the man of God (Bro. Samuel) told all the committed members of the Ministry not to lose sleep for as a good shepherd that he would stand in the gap for us daily. We took his advice and none of us was kidnapped nor fled the city because of kidnapping.
“At the height of kidnapping in the city, a school proprietor in our ministry got a letter from kidnappers, demanding an undisclosed sum of money. He brought the letter to Bro. Samuel who took it to the alter and revoked it. All private schools in Aba shut down for days due to the menace of kidnapping, but the brother’s school did not and he was not kidnapped neither did he pay any ransom. A lot of doctors, lawyers, pastors and high placed men and women who believed in the power of God took refuge in John 3:16 during the Aba crises.”
An intriguing story had brought the former area commander, Aba Police Area Command, Mr. Ebere Onyeagoro to the ministry and he subsequently became a member.
Onyeagoro had hardly settled down in his new command in Aba late last year when gunmen believed to be kidnappers abducted the driver of the Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio at Alaoji near Aba, Abia State as he was heading for Port Harcourt.
Having been mandated by the police high command in Abuja to secure the immediate release of the driver and being new in town, the officer became confused.
But somebody directed him to the ministry where he met the man of God who simply asked him to write his problem as a prayer request. That done, Bro. Samuel took the request in prayer to God and the Lord did not only show him the village in Ngwa, the compound and the house where the governor’s driver was kept, but also how to secure the release of the abducted driver. Things worked exactly as the man of God had said and the diver was freed.
While the Abia State government declared amnesty for kidnappers and other criminal elements in Aba with little or no success, these hoodlums in their numbers instead willingly surrendered their arms to Bro. Samuel and gave their lives to Christ at John 3:16 Ministries.
“In the past few months before the army was drafted to Aba, eight kidnappers and four armed robbers surrendered to Jesus in our Ministry. One of the robbers brought about 300 cell phones which were snatched from their owners at gun point.
“At about the same time, another set of six kidnappers surrendered to Jesus and their guns were given to the police. One of them confessed he repented when he read one of our magazines entitled ‘Ngwaland’ which he said he saw in their camp, claiming he was touched when he found out the man who wrote about how Ngwaland should be sanitized was not even from Abia State,” Mrs Obasi said.
For the kidnappers, most of who are in their 20s, they found the ministry a more re-assuring place to give up their evil trade.
Mrs Obasi noted that each of them would always tell Bro. Samuel on turning in his arms, that it was better for them to surrender to God through His servant, who would guarantee their future than a repugnant, flinty and somnambulist government that has relished in policy somersault, adding that all those who surrendered are today doing fine in the Lord.
“Bro. Samuel never relented in waging spiritual war against kidnapping in Aba. Apart from his magazines which dealt extensively on the menace, he spent nights on high ways in Ngwaland and the streets of Aba interceding for the city and indeed it paid off.
“A member of the ministry, who resides at Port Harcourt, had a somewhat admixture of experience in the hands of kidnappers, but at last he came out with an unusually pleasant story. He had as usual come to the ministry in Aba for fellowship in one of those turbulent days and on his way back, the commercial bus he was traveling in with other passengers ran into gunmen along the Enugu- Port Harcourt expressway.
After collecting all the money he had on him, one of the armed robbers kicked him on the chest and he began to vomit blood. On noticing that the man came from John 3:16 Ministries, they not only became apologetic, they gave him back the money they had collected from him and took him to a hospital in Port Harcourt where they paid his bills,” she said.
In John 3:16 Ministries, Bro. Samuel whose mother also called Hannah, gave birth to after thirteen years of barrenness, is seen in the light of the seers of old like Samuel, Elijah, Elisha and Nathan because of the accuracy of his prophesies and healing power.
The Ministry according to members is not a place of behave-as-you-like worship centre. It is a place of total worship where biblical injunctions are religiously observed and wearing of make-ups or putting on of trousers by women is totally prohibited.
It was testimony galore on Sunday, October 24, when the Ministry held a special thanksgiving fellowship to mark the end of the Aba crisis and to thank God for saving her members from the hands of kidnappers as none was a victim.
At the service, members were in one accord in their belief that Bro. Samuel was very much part of the success story for the return of peace to Aba.
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