AOJ NEWS

How strong is our faith in the power of Christ?

Lord do not trouble yourself for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word and let my servant be healed.

Luke 7:6-7

These are the words spoken by a wealthy Roman centurion. He is a model of SERVICE, HUMILITY and FAITH.

1 SERVICE–

Centurion had a slave whom he valued highly and who was ill and close to death. When he heard about JESUS, he sent some Jewish elders to Him asking Him to come and heal his slave. Centurion had an unusual attitude towards his slave. Usually servants serves the Masters. But to the centurion we see the Master Roman officer (centurion) becomes servant to his servant (Slave). The centurion was a humane master Thou Roman officers was a gentile he was imitating Christ in his life.

Mathew 20:26- Whoever wants to become great among you must be a servant

Are we concerned about our helping staff?

2. HUMILITY:

One profound truth this verse reveals is that humility Centurion deeply sensed his unworthiness before JESUS and humble truth of His greatness. As Jesus was arriving the centurion sent his friends to humble greet Jesus profess his unworthiness and perform his faith that Jesus could heal his servant from a distance.

The Jewish elder praised the roman officer that “He is worthy” but the Roman officer says I am not worthy. People are praising him for his good works before Jesus. Centurion humbles himself before Christ (Profess his unworthiness) an amazing contrast.

James  4:10 says Humble yourselves before The Lord and he will lift you up.

Humility is the principal character that should be seen in those who follow Jesus Christ. Jesus is the best example of someone who humbly followed God’s plan for His life on this world.

3. FAITH :

Luke 7:7 says That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Centurion showed great faith in Jesus word. He understood that Jesus could heal with his word just as easily as with a touch

Humility:

The Centurion was a remarkable man. The elders said “He was worthy.” he said he was unworthy . They praised him for building a house. They said he was deserving; he felt he was undeserving strong faith is great humility are entirely compatible

Finally “Jesus marveled at him. His simple confidence in the ability of Jesus “mere word to heal showed faith

This was great faith worthy of praise. Jesus can be amazed at either our faith or our unbelief

Let’s examine…How strong is our faith in the power of Christ?

Reflect:

Today, upon these inspiring words of the centurion “ Lord , I am not  worthy….” Say them over and over and allow them to become the foundation of your relationship with our Lord. In this humility you will be richly blessed.

Prayer

Most merciful Lord I’m not worthy of all the grace you have given me. Give us the grace to humble ourselves before you and always trust in you in all our situations.

In Jesus name I Pray.

Amen

Sol. Annapurereddy

Mathew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

I John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

In the above verse in Mathew 6:24 it is written that we cannot serve two masters and if we worship The Lord then we cannot worship any others things like money or idols. We cannot sail into two boats since sailing in two boats will lead to accident and destruction (disaster). Similarly we cannot serve God and Satan together. Since it written if you love the world or the things of this world, then you cannot love and serve the father God whole heartedly James 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. I Timothy 6:9-10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Those who love money, world, idols, peoples and who desires to be rich will fall into temptations, snares of the evil one which will lead them to destruction. If you are loving money more than god & giving priorities to other things than god than this will make you to do all sort of evil & wrong things. Thus you cannot serve both God & money.

You have to decide and choose life over death. If you love God then you cannot love money, world or people. You should be faithful to your God and serve only your living God. Love your God with all your heart. If you are giving other things more important & making them your priorities then you will be wandered from your path & you will fall into all kinds of evil desires & temptations. So, cling to God , cling to His words have complete faith in Him. Worship Him with all your heart and he will guide you, protect you and be with you all.

Prayer

Heavenly father I praise you and thank you for everything you have done. Lord I pray today that whosoever is reading this be touched by the holy spirit and they should know and understand that there is only one god and they should serve only him & no other thing. Lord, open their spiritual eyes, mind and truth and the truth will make them free.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Sol.Dr.Himakshi

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Matthew 1:5

Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
I want to bring your focus to Ruth, the Moabite woman, a pagan whose name became worthy of mention in the book of Matthew in chapter 1. King David and Jesus Christ came out of the lineage of Ruth.

A famine had struck in Bethlehem Naomi with her husband Elimelech and two sons had left for Moab, Moabites were idolators.

Bethlehem means house of bread; they had left to look for bread in Moab. They lacked faith to dig in their heels and stay in Bethlehem. Her sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.

Little by little her joy eroded and she lost it all.

Naomi lost her husband and two sons in Moab, this plan was certainly not from God although she said, God had dealt treacherously with her.

Life had become chaotic and her name had lost the meaning from sweet to bitter. Her goals, plans and all of it had gone haywire.

God has said in, Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 

 When troubles come don’t let the enemy make us run away, but God will give the grace to withstand that challenge and see us through victorious.

Naomi had heard that the famine was over and she decides to return to Bethlehem, she lets her daughters in law to return to their homes as it is customary. Orpah returns to her home but, Ruth decides to hold onto her mother- in law and her God with grit and determination. She had no clue as to what her future would be or what could be expected but she decided to be a risk taker, loyal, committed, humble and caring. It’s better that some people leave for their destiny is not tied with you. Naomi arrived back in Bethlehem along with Ruth during harvest time.

The city was excited to see them for the devil tried to destroy them, they went through the wind and the storm but here they were with the city celebrating. They all probably praised away. Destiny has it that Ruth walks into the field of Boaz, a very wealthy man, in whose eyes God grants her favour, the whole town knows of her as a virtuous woman and Boaz ends up being a kinsman redeemer.

Ruth who was gleaning among the sheaves was now the owner of the field, overnight a wife and a wealthy woman. Little did she know that the best season of her life was awaiting here in Bethlehem, but she decided to cling onto the Lord God of Israel who changed her life forever (Ruth 4:21-22) Ruth gave birth to Obed. Ruth 4:22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David. God also made this pagan Moabitess, the great grandmother of Jesus Christ.

Under all circumstances, even when you can understand nothing, hold onto Jesus and His promises, nothing is over as long as God is on the throne!! He will turn it all for your good beyond your expectation and imagination.

Loving heavenly Father, give us the grace to withstand the wind and the storm, for as long as You are in charge of our life, all is well. May we know that deep in our heart at all times, in Jesus mighty name!!

Amen!!!

Sol. Lalitha, AOJ

“WHY ARE YOU SO FRIGHTENED?”

Jesus answered. “How little faith you have!” Then he got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:26

This verse always encourage me in unpleasant circumstances because in my fear, in my little faith & in dangerous situation my Jesus is standing up to protect me. The result is GREAT CALMNESS.
This verse teaches us to be calm. Let’s know & understand the POWER OF CALMNESS.
Devil wants us to have a STRESS MIND. Stress makes us narrowly focused, preventing us from seeing the bigger picture. When we’re calmer , our attention becomes broader. In fact, we literally see more things. Calm helps you focus on what you need to do and get it done much more quickly.
If you want to get the most out of yourself in terms of your productivity, creativity, and innovation—making progress at work or just solving the basic problems of life that you’re faced with—calm is the key.
The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance.
I am sure many of us have this question:- why Jesus was sleeping & what is He teaching us in His sleep?
Jesus is teaching each one of us about the VALUE OF GOOD SLEEP. Good sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. In contrast, poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function and decision making skills.
Science have proved:- Short sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity and weight gain. Sleep deprivation may increase your appetite and cause you to eat more calories. In particular, you’re more likely to eat foods high in sugar and fat.
Poor sleeping patterns are strongly linked to depression, particularly for those with a sleeping disorder. Along with nutrition and exercise, taking care of your sleep is one of the pillars of health.
Lack of sleep is associated with many negative health effects, including increased risk of heart disease, depression, weight gain, inflammation, and sickness.

Psalms 46: 10:- “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”

This verse is teaching us to be still and receive the knowledge of God.
Calmness & stillness will bring us closer to God. Don’t over think & create fear in & around yourself. Our fear is not pleasing to our Lord. Learn to meditate on the word of God and it will add success to your life because you will know the plan of God & Holy spirit will help you to be obedient (Joshua 1:8).
Calmness is a divine quality. Jesus is training us to enjoy this GREAT CALMNESS.
Don’t forget that Jesus was sleeping to teach us that He is pleased with Great faith not little faith. Because little faith believers have fear & great faith believers have manifestation of supernatural blessings.
Prayer:–

Dear Jesus, today we ask only one thing and that is:- bless us with the spirit of faith. We have little faith and it’s only you who can take us to Great faith. Thank you Jesus for calming the Great Winds in our life. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Sol.Priti Jain

” Jesus said to her ,”Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”.

John 11:40

The above verse was spoken by Lord Jesus Christ to a lady called Martha who was crying bitterly for her brother who had died four days ago. When Martha pleaded for her brother  Jesus didn’t ignore her request but gave her assurance and said, “this illness does not lead to death .It is for the glory of God, so that the son of God may be glorified through it”.(John11:4) .To turn impossible into possible is faith. The word of God says in Roman’s 1:17-Righteous man lives by faith. Martha believed and brought her brother back to life. All glory to Christ.

              What is faith?

Faith is to know how much our God loves us.He lives with us and is always concerned for us. He has put his trust upon us .We need to surrender ourselves completely in His hands and follow Him. We need to walk in His truth and see His goodness for every person of our family in every circumstances .We have many such cases in Bible where people showed extraordinary faith in the goodness of God and saved their entire family.

                   In the book of Joshua  chapter two, we read about a harlot Rahab who was not living her life according to the word of God but had heard about the God of Israel .She got a chance to show her extraordinary faith on the God of Israel and she helped two Israelites in hiding them from their enemies .

             I know that the Lord has given you the land and that the fear of you has fallen upon us ,and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you .For we have heard how the lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it our hearts melted and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the Heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you  also will deal kindly with my father’s house ,and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”

            And we see how God helped her in building up her faith and saved her family. Not only this, God also helped her in getting married  and she became the grandmother of Boaz. There is one more lady in Bible with name Esther. We see Esther was very strong in her faith for God. And we see the glory of God in whatever God did through Esther. The king of Susa  had commanded beautiful young virgins to be brought to the Harem. Esther was also brought to the Harem along with other virgins and she was the only one chosen by the king to be his queen. Once it so happened that the king ordered  all the Jews to be killed( the people of Esther’s  tribe). Esther believed her God .She declared three days fasting and praying for all her people. God showered His  grace upon Esther and all her people and they were saved. So by having extraordinary faith she could become a queen and also save all the people of her tribe. Acts 16:31 also says that -“you believe in Lord Jesus Christ you will be saved you and your household.”

Prayer

            Thank You lord that You are a true God and that You shower Your mercy upon all those people who show their faith in You. Lord we pray to You that as You blessed all these ladies in the Bible and saved their families  ,You also bless each and everyone who is reading this article .Let their families also be saved in Jesus name .

Show your glory to every person of our family in Jesus name we ask Lord.

Amen.

 Sol.Khushi

“Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety” – 1 Timothy 2: 15

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.””- Gen 2: 28

Families play a primary role in establishing God’s kingdom on earth, and for dominion. When God created man in his own image (both Male & Female) (Gen 1:27), He blessed them with an assignment to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28), we are of His own image and He wanted his image to fill and subdue earth as His ambassadors enforcing His authority.  There are two critical parts to this blessing;

1- Fill and 2 -Subdue,

it is obvious that Adam could not have fulfilled both this task on his own and the blessing was given in the context of man (as male & female), Adam had begun the role of subduing whilst lacking the capability to fill, and therefore God creates a woman (Eve) as suitable helper to Adam and they are now uniquely equipped to fill & subdue.

The Woman is assigned to “fill” through reproduction and Man takes the role to “subdue” through headship as he was created first. Here partnership is important for the blessing to manifest, the offspring are produced, imparted with wisdom in a family unit and sent out to fill & subdue and this continues from generation to generation. Filling and Subduing are to be done in tandem otherwise its useless. That’s why man and woman are to be one flesh to fulfill their roles.

When sin (through the influence of the enemy) manifested through disobedience, the curse impeded this unique capability of Man and Woman, it added pain to their respective assignments, for Man he will subdue (work the ground) with pain whereas for a Woman she will reproduce (fill) with pain.  At this stage Adam prophetically declares Eve as the mother of all living things, whose offspring (Jesus) will eventually bring redemption from curse of sin restoring life, reinstating the fill & subdue blessing, and allowing for it to manifest. She bore Cain and Abel, again sin (influence of the enemy) brings on a disaster destroying the offspring capability to fill & subdue, Abel is killed whilst Cain is cursed making him incapable of subduing. God gives them Seth, whose name means Appointed or Compensation, and in his lineage, Christ is born. (Cains’s offspring were fully destroyed in the great flood)

In conclusion Paul in his letter to Timothy in 1 Tim 2:15 (“Saved through childbearing”), emphasizes the role & assignment (to fill) of a Woman as per the blessing of God (Gen 1 :28), her children are a compensation, by earnestly exercising Faith, Self-sacrifice and holiness, just as Eve (Mother of all living things) was saved by bearing Seth, in the same way a woman is saved (from the enemies influence & sin and its curse) by filling the earth with more images of God who either go on to fill or subdue thus annihilating the enemy and expanding boundaries of God’s Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord I pray, as you reveal the deeper purpose of our lives, help us take our respective roles with earnestness. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Sol.Paul

Ezekiel 22:30- “And I saw for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me for the land that I should not destroy it but I found none”

I thank the lord our God that on 1st June 2020,when I was praying earnestly for my constituency ,He gave me burden to pray for Uttar Pradesh along with the revelation of this verse.After getting this clue from the God, I continued to pray for UP and again God spoke to me through verse Mathew 17:21 which says, “but this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting”.The verse encouraged me to go for one year that is 365 days prayer and fasting.From that day onwards we started preaching about repentance and other related topics in our morning worship and encouraged people to be ready for 365 days continuous fasting and praying as commanded by our God. When we started praying and fasting continuously, God started to move people ‘s heart in the north region and they started showing interest in the works of God. In the month of July 2022 ,for the first time online BFF (Be formed and form)classes began. After this,God even opened the door for BFF classes in Punjab and Gurgaon (Haryana). If we walk according to God’s will, He surely opens the door for us. We need to listen carefully what God is telling us to do.

Isaiah 50:4-5 says” the lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary .Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear here to hear as those who are taught.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, give us the Grace O Lord to hear your voice daily and to act according to your will. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” Luke 18:28

Peter says this in contrast to the example of the rich young ruler who chose his possessions over the opportunity to follow Jesus. Looking for assurance that the apostles have made a wise choice. Before we proceed further, I encourage each one of you to answer the following questions to yourself.

1. Think about 3 decisions you made in your life where, if you had made a different decision, you would have a completely different life today.

2. How do you think your choices impacted your life?

3. Have you ever felt your choice was not yours?

I believe that in the above verse Peter is showing The Power of Choice. Yes Jesus called him & at the same time he chooses to follow Jesus. This verse is the confirmation from Peter that he need eternal life. He need Kingdom of God. Life is not always easy. There will be moments in life when decision-making is tough. Many times the thought of the unknown and what lies ahead in our lives paralyzes us because we cannot see it. But unless we move on the chosen path, we will not know where it is leading us. The only thing we can control is making a choice; consequences are something we have to deal with later. But fear of the consequences should not stop us from making a choice. The choices we make define us as a person. Deuteronomy 30:15 “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death. We grow up thinking that we are powerless. So we listen to the outside world to tell us what to do. We live by a social manual. If something doesn’t go right, we are supposed to complain. If the majority says it’s right, it must be so. If someone acts a certain way, they are “this” type of person. If an authority figure says something, we must obey. If a doctor recommends something, we must listen. Whatever food the supermarkets are selling, must be good enough for us to eat. We don’t question anything and we keep letting the people in power decide our fate. SO HERE IT IS… You are a FREE person. You do not belong to anyone and no one has the power to control you, unless you let them. You have the free will to decide how much power you give to the outside world to control your feelings, your attitude, and your behaviours. YOU HAVE A CHOICE IN HOW YOU RESPOND. If someone makes fun of you, you have the choice to take it personally and fight back or to move past it as it has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with their own inner pains. When you take up all of your mental focus on seeing the bad, you leave no room for seeing the good! What purpose does it serve to focus on the bad? It doesn’t even make you feel better so there is absolutely no point. But unfortunately, no one teaches us in school or in our life that we have a choice to believe, think, and do what we want…instead, we get taught the very uptight and limited rules of our culture at a very early age. I encourage you to become aware of your inner power. To own your freedom to reevaluate your inner belief system, let go of outdated ideas, and learn new ways of thinking! Let go of thoughts that keep you negative, limited, and miserable! The only thing that is stopping you are your own beliefs about what is right, accepted, normal, and possible…just a simple belief. Do you want to live on the negative or positive side of life? Do you want to take responsibility for your actions or do you want to blame others for where you are? Do you want to focus on the ugly, dark side of life, or the good, bright side of life? YOU have a choice. Embrace this gift. You were born with it for a reason.

Let’s Pray:- Lord Jesus, we believe that you have called us to Follow you & in your name we declare to stand still in our heavenly calling…in Jesus name we pray. Amen!

Sol.Priti.jain.

I AM THE LORD THAT HEALTH THEE –

(Exodus 15:26)

As the above verse clearly indicates that the lord our God is a God who is interested in healing His children on earth and has all the power to heal us.After all He is the creator of this universe and every thing that is there on this earth is made by Him.As John 1:3 tells us, ” all things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.

"God has the power to create and to recreate anything that He wants.

We are His creation. Hallelujah ! God knows that man when lives here on earth gets infected by various diseases and sicknesses not only due to climate change and other reasons but also due to their sins and various other spiritual reasons and because of these sicknesses his life becomes miserable and weary. God loved Adam and his descendants like His own children that is why He could not see mankind in pain and afflictions and decided to send His own son to be a living sacrifice forever for their sins. Jesus when gave up His life on the cross fulfilled what was spoken by prophet Isaiah:

This shows that God was really concerned for our sicknesses and diseases and could not see us in pain.
Friends whenever we are suffering with some disease or infections in our lives we must remember

Isaiah 53: 5-" but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our inequities upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed."

This is what He did on the cross for each one of us and Numbers 23:19 says that ,”God is not human that He should lie not a human being that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act. Does He promise and not fulfill.
I have seen many people losing their hopes in their sickness and accepting sickness as a punishment from God and tolerating it but we must remember that it is due to our disobedience which gives satan an opportunity to bring diseases or illnesses in our lives and not God.As proverb 4:12 tells us ” for they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh”.

So brothers and sisters word of God is the medicine which guarantees to cure our entire body. 

Praise be to our God, Lord Jesus .In order to keep ourselves healthy, fit and fine we need to do some physical exercises and read and understand the word of God properly .Even 1 Samuel 2:6 says, “the lord kills and brings to life, He brings down to sheol and raises up.” So it is God who decides or allows any sickness or disease to infect our body or commands that sickness to leave our body and it is done because Ephesians 1:21 says “far above all rule and authority and power and Dominion and above name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
In case of Job also we know how God allowed satan to destroy his wealth and children and his health. Job developed sores all over his body but later he was cured by our God and satan had to flee away from him.
When are God Jesus has all the powers to keep us away from all sorts of sicknesses and diseases then why not stay with Him, listen Him and be obedient to Him so that satan may never get a chance to touch us.

Lord God ,our Father in heaven, we thank You for being so loving .We thank You for Your word which cures us of all our diseases and sicknesses .Help us in being more obedient to You. We thank You for Your divine healing in our lives .We need You more everyday. Amen.

Sol. Richa Jain, AOJ

I AM THE DOOR

If anyone enters by Me,he will be saved,and will go in and out and find pasture”.

John 10:9

This is the declaration of our Lord,Jesus. The power of declaration or decree is the power of kings.It is spoken with confidence and authority such that everyone who hears it are forced to execute it. In the Old Testament Jehovah declared to Moses His identity “I AM WHO I AM”(Exodus3:14).

• “I am the true vine”.John15:1
• “I am the bread of life”. John 6:35
• “I am the Truth,the Way and the Life”. John 14:6
• “I am the Good Shepherd “.John10:11
• “I am the door of the sheep “. John10:9, 1Corinthians16:9
• I am the resurrection and life”.John 11:25
• “I am the light of the world”.John 8:12

When we declare the above declarations of Jesus,we are releasing His kingdom power, in this world and in our lives.We can declare it to ourselves and on to others.

When I was young and didn’t know about biblical declarations,I used to say in the face of affliction that “the Lord is my Shepherd “.( psalms23:1).He guided,lead,protected and saved. me as a shepherd protects the sheep from all dangers. I believed that due to that God stretches forth His right hand and saved me .( psalms138:7). Through AOJ classes I came to study all those things. Thank you Jesus.

John 10:9 Speaks about “Jesus as the door of opportunity and He will open the right door for us”.Jesus is the fate altering miraculous door.He is the shepherd’s door

through which we have entrance to the sheepfold. He is the door to gain access to good pastures.The promises of God are the high Pastures.

The Good Shepherd assures the safety of the sheep.Jesus is our good shepherd.

 When we ask,we will receive, when we seek we will find and when we knock at the door, the door will be opened.

If we trust in Jesus, His words,

He will give protection,salvation,solutions to life,s great problems, eternal blessings, peace and joy, abundant life and wisdom. The door is open to anyone who trust or believe in the name of Jesus. Jesus came to earth at God’s appointed time to protect His sheep and to expose the false shepherds. He gave His life for the sheep.

Heavenly Father I thank you for sending Jesus as our Shepherd. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to enter the kingdom of God,through Jesus,the door..
In the name of Jesus I pray,
A M E N

Sol. Gigi Jacob, AOJ