Winter 2005
Dear
Brothers and Sisters:
Greetings
in the mighty name of our Lord, Savior, and King – Jesus. May His wonderful
grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied into your life. Our hearts are hungry for
More! so we try to set aside three weeks in late
January and early February to stop everything and seek His face and wait upon
Him. It has been a good time together with Him and a time of much intercessory
prayer. We want to be ready for a busy and intense spring, summer, and fall.
Portland Is Easy!
We
were at a meeting with Roland and Heidi Baker and during the time of prayer we
heard Him speak to our hearts; “Portland is easy!” A strong witness of the Holy
Spirit, which permeated our spirit, soul, and body, accompanied this word. Many
people believe that Portland is a very difficult place to minister and many tell
us what a hard job we have but we are no longer going to listen to such negative
ideas. For the Holy Spirit, Portland is Easy!
The
next week, when we were able to return to the streets after a very cold January
snowstorm, two young men sought out Ron and asked many questions, each one
taking about a half hour. One was a volunteer from a Greenpeace group working
the downtown sidewalks and he had all kinds of questions. This was unusual
because members of such liberal environmental groups usually mock God and reject
us because they follow a neo-pagan belief that the earth is goddess and mother.
When they seek us out with serious questions it is a significant encounter.
Usually people don’t stop and talk for that long on cold winter days. It was as
if the Lord was confirming His word to us that “Portland is easy” and that He
would be drawing more and more to us in the coming months. We want to be ready.
Communicating The Gospel? – Another Look
at Romans 10
We
are amazed at what our Lord gives us to do and who He causes us to interact
with. One day we had a man
drinking on
the corner and accosting people with aggressive behavior, especially women. We
had to report him. A couple weeks later he returned and asked for a Bible and
one of our free hamburgers that we usually buy. Ron gave him one and talked
with him about Jesus. He was sober and we talked with him about the previous
incident. We also warned him about his behavior and shared the gospel of the
Kingdom with Him. He thought he was all right with God so we shared the
importance of Jesus being the lord and ruler of his life. He listened and then
said “God bless you” and left after he finished the burger.
Many
people we meet live unconcerned about what awaits them if they should remain
unconverted and in the comfort of a few religious activities. It has amazed us
how many people we have met who are ignorant of any purpose for their life here
on earth or that an eternity is ahead of them. The new age thinking that one
will just go back to the cosmic energy or have no consciousness at all at death
causes many to be very careless, even reckless. They have no fear of hell or
judgment and no desire for Heaven. God’s love working in us compels us to speak
the truth in love. We are calling them to the Father’s house.
A
young man came riding up on a bike one day. He had read the Bible and had some
questions. As we talked we referenced Romans 10:8-10:
But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and
in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This
young man had a watered-down version in his understanding. He confessed that
Jesus was Savior (not Lord) and he believed that Jesus died on a cross. He did
not believe that Jesus was Lord of his life and that Jesus was raised from the
dead, which means that he is presently accountable to Jesus and will one day
meet Jesus at the judgment. We find this problem frequently, and often among
those calling themselves Christians. It may seem like a subtle point but it is
important. If we believe Jesus was raised from the dead, then He is alive and
aware of all that we do. If Jesus is alive then we can know Him now and we are
accountable to Him now. If Jesus is not just our savior but is really our Lord,
King, Boss, etc. then we should be following Him and living in obedience to
Him.
As
we talk with people we remember something Fred Rogers of Mister Roger’s
Neighborhood once said. He said that there is a holy ground between our lips
and the ears of the one hearing our voice, between our communication through
body language and the eyes of the one receiving our message. Holy Ground is
between our spirit and the spirit of the one we are reaching out to.
Thank You for Your Prayers and Gifts
We
want to thank you again for your continuing support and prayer. Even though
what we do is small and looks insignificant, each person we reach with the truth
of the gospel of the kingdom is important to our Father. We are sent to reach
people one-by-one on a personal basis where they work and live. When we go out
to the streets you go with us. Please continue to pray for us
If
you would like to help us you can do so in one of two ways. You may give to us
personally,
Ron or Karen Rohman, or you may
give to us through
church@24/7,
a tax-deductible ministry of the Prince of Peace Ministries
(www.princeofpeaceministries.org)
(Sundays: 10:00 AM @ SE 19th & Madison)
for which we send out receipts. We are very thankful for
your generosity toward us. May our Lord Jesus bless you abundantly and may you
live in His presence more in 2004.
As
we have ended our three-week time of prayer and getting ready for
More!
we want to encourage you to be looking for the work of the Holy Spirit in your
life in the ordinary places of living. If you can spend some time each day
waiting on Him without anything else going on (no reading, TV, music, etc.) we
would urge you to do it. You will find Him speaking to you in these times of
intimacy and then you will find Him using you in the ordinary times of life –
school, work, the grocery story, etc.
~Ron & Karen Rohman
E-mail: awakening1s@comcast.net
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Ron & Karen Rohman
PO Box 14292
PORTLAND OR 97293