Online House Church Community

February 20, 2008

Dearly Beloved of our Lord:

A Short Testimony From Ron

I was walking into the Office Depot store on MLK Blvd. in southeast Portland when a man in his forties or fifties came up to me asking for money.  His hair and clothes were dirty and unkempt.  He had no teeth and smelled like he needed to clean up.  I had a hard time understanding him because he had no teeth and seemed to have difficulty expressing himself clearly.  After some time of listening I understood that he had pooped in his pants and need $3 so he could go to a nearby shelter and bath and wash out his clothes or get some fresh underwear.  I told him that I don’t give away money like usually tell people.  But I couldn’t stop looking at him and listening to his heart expressing his desperate need.  As I looked into his eyes they seemed clear.

So I stopped and began to share with him about the importance of knowing and walking with Jesus as his Lord.  He then began to confess Jesus as his Savior telling me that he had been praying for someone to help him.  I asked him if he had a Bible and he said that he needed one.  So I walked him back to my car as he pulled along his shopping cart loaded with his worldly goods.  I unlocked the car and got out a New Testament and handed it to him while he started to hug me and thank me.  As I talked with him about the importance of reading the Scriptures I pulled three $1 coins out of my pocket and began to give them to him.  With this he started to hug me and shake my hand saying “Thank you, Thank you.  This is so good because I need to have $4 to get cleaned up and I already have $1.

We hugged a couple of times, shook hands, exchanged names, and had a short prayer right there in the Office Depot parking lot.  Two or three coming together in His wonderful name having church right in the parking lot!  As I walked toward the door an African American woman yelled out at me through the open window of the passenger seat of a car parked near the entrance to the store.  She had been watching the exchange and yelled out a big “God Bless you!” for all to hear quite clearly.  I replied a blessing back to her as we exchanged smiles and I walked into the store.  More than two of us had been coming together in His name in that parking lot. 

I do not have words to describe the stirring in my heart as I walked into the store or as I sit and write out this short testimony.  Our testimonies are important because they reveal our relationships.  I sensed a renewed brokenness and the fear of God.  Much more had been going on than I realized at the time.  Even now I still find myself thinking back on the time in the Office Depot parking lot along MLK Blvd.

Perhaps these scriptures help put it all into context.

Matthew 10:7-8

⁷And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Matthew 25: 37-40

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Revelation 12:11

 ¹¹And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 

Walking Along The Way With Jesus,

Desiring to Live In The Glory Of Fully Awakened Hearts.

~Ron & Karen