witnessing experience

Torah · #1 3rd November 2004, 10:39 AM

First I would like to induce my self, as I am new here.
My name is Otto Strand
I was born in Norfork VA in 1953; my parents moved to Miami Fla in 1956. My Mom & Dad were good parents My Dad took me fishin, hunting, & camping. But when it comes to things of G-d my parents did not put much time into. I might have went to Church two or three times. I had no teaching of G-d. When I was 15 I had my first girlfriend, I was in love!. After 3 weeks she broke up with me. I was crushed, I said to G-d that night. “I hate you for allowing this hurt” This was the first time I even though about G-d. But at that moment there was an awakening in me that there was a G-d. At about the same time my Sister turned me on to smoking pot. This started a 6-year drug and alcohol abuse.
Each day started with smoking a joint (Marijuana cigarette) driving to a construction job.
Where at break time I would smoke more pot, Lunch time was the same thing, afternoon break same. After work I would go Disco dancing heavy drinking and sometimes popping pills. To help supply my drug habit I would sell drugs. I had friends who were killed, arrested, and overdosed on drugs. At one time I even smoked and sold drugs to an under cover cop. I guess was just a middleman and he was after bigger fish. After about 5 years of this life style I was sitting on the roof of my apartment complex on a Saturday night. I looked up at the stares and said. “G-d is this all there is to life. Getting high, go to work and then get high again? God if your there let me know”.
It was 1974 and I went to see a play called “Jesus Christ Superstar” There was a seen where People with disease were pushing in on Jesus and asking him to heal me. Jesus yelled at the people stop pushing me there are too many of you. Leave me alone! I had little knowledge of who Jesus was. I new he was born at Christmas and died at Easter. After the play I started to ask myself. Did Jesus push people away? Was he as the play portrayed him? About this time I met this nice girl, Jackie. She was refreshing from all the girls I was use to hanging out with. We started dating. She was a Jewish girl that was raised Catholic. She too was having questions about G-d. She had a Good News Bible that we would sit and read and try to figure out what we were reading.
I had moved into a new apartment and meat a man and his wife Tom & Gill. And it did not take long before they started buying their drugs from me. In 1976 Jackie and I got marred. I keep up my drug use and would still sell to my friends. Tom & Gill had not come by my apartment for about 3 weeks; So, I went to their apartment to see how they were doing.
When I saw them there was something different about them. What was it? There was a glow or something? What’s up, I asked. You got some good dope. They just smiled and showed me a new Bible. O-NO I said. Don’t tell me you guys are Jesus freaks! They
Tried to tell me about being born again. And ask me to come to Church with them.
No way! am I going to a Church. I did not see Tom & Gill for about 3 month’s. One day
They show up at my door. Otto & Jackie they asked would you come to some friends house with us. There will be a gaiter player from the group called “Black oak Arkansas”. This got my attention, I loved rock music. And I had a chance to meet a rocker. G-ds trap was set.
What I didn’t know was that the rocker was going to give his testimony and the house was part of the Vineyard movement. And the gentlemen that lead Tom & Gill to the L-rd
Would be there also. Tom & Gill picked us up and we went. The Rocker sang some songs and then give his testimony. The gentlemen Wade sate down and talked to me. He laid out G-d’s plan for salvation from Genesis to Revelation. He spoke of things like sacrifice and blood
Atonement, and how Jesus was our Sacrifice and one time blood atonement.
We talked for hours. He answered all my questions. Then he asked me! Would you like to ask Jesus into your heart right Now? Now. But I do drugs; I drink like a fish,
I use bad langue. That’s O, K Wade said don’t worry about that stuff. Come to him just as you are. So I said O, K. He leads me in a prayer and I repeat what he say’s. The prayer is over, but I keep my head bowed and my eye’s closed. I’m thinking I want what
Tom & Gill have but what will all my friends say. But tom & Gill look so happy & new
But my friends. I want it, I don’t, I do, I don’t, do, don’t, do, don’t. I felt like I was about to explode. Then I threw both my arms in the air and yell. “JESES”. With my eyes still closed. I saw a howl open in my chest and a light comes out of me. I was standing in the living room looking at myself and could see the come out of my back and my chest and out the walls. I was next standing in the street and could see this light going through the houses and down the street. I was next in space and could see the light going off into space. I open my eyes and it felted as if I had just taken a backpack off my back. My skin felt as if it was aglow. For month’s people would ask what was different about me.
When we were driving home Wade said to me, that I should tell someone as soon as possible what happen to me tonight. I rolled down the car window and yell at some lady
Walking her dog. “Jesus saved me tonight!” When I got home I pulled up the 6 Marijuana and put them in the trash, I flushed the pills’ and poured out the booze.
My life was changed that night. The craving for drugs, pills and booze was gone.
My old friends eventuality stop coming by. But the trade was worth it.
One week later Wade, Jackie, Myself, and another brother named Trace.
Went to a little food store to hand out tracks and to tell people what happen to me last
Weekend. We were handing out tracks when a Policeman drives up. I hand him a track
And he becomes irate with me for handing him some religious martial.
He starts accusing us of soliciting for money. He makes us stop handing out tracks.
I start telling people what happen to me last week. The police officer ask for our
Idenafaction, witch we hand over. He puts our driver Trace in his portal car and tells
The rest of us to go home. This we can’t do. We tell him because you put our driver in your portal car. He tells us to stop talking to people about Jesus or he will run us all
In. We keep sharing. Now! In front of the convenient stores there is a three-car accident. In about 30min there are now. 6 police cares and
2 ambulances. By this time people start gathering around to see what is going on.
Thanks to that angry police officer I got to shear with a lot more people than if he had not showed up. After the accident was cleared up and all the people left Trace was cleared and we all went home.
I begin to read the Bible with a new understanding and hunger. One day while I was reading my Bible I come to
Psalm 103:12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
As soon as I read this I hear a small voice say, “I showed you this.”
It has not always been an easy walk with the L-rd. My wife and I have raised five children.
All Still Believers! One is a schoolteacher, one is a Police officer, one is going to collage to be a Doctor, Another one is in collage for science, and my Last one is about to finish High School.

I know that I have been given a FREE gift. And there is nothing I can or could ever do to deserve this free gift of my salvation. This is perfectly clear to me. In 1996 something started to happen to me that was as powerful as my salvation exspearrents. I started to wonder after reading. 1Corinthians 5: 8 “Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.”
Now I have read this scripture 100 times. But this time it jumped out at me.
“Let us keep the Festival”. Keep Passover! I was not keeping Passover. I went to my Pastor and asked, “ Why don’t we do Passover.” Because! He said, that’s OT teaching and we are free from all that. Wait a moment this is the NT. (Don’t rock the boat just keep rowing)
I called a local Synagogue and asked their Rabbi where I could find information about putting on a Passover Seder. He sent me to my Library. In 1996 I held my first Passover Seder.
In 1997 I held another Seder at home. And in 1998 I held a Passover Seder at my church.
My wife and I started asking more & more questions about the Jewish part of Christianity That was not there. I would ask “If Christianity come from Judaism why is there nothing Jewish in Christianity”? I never did get an answer. (Don’t rock the boat just keep rowing)
At each service the Pastor would always say something negative about Judaism.
In 1999 my wife and I found a Messianic congregation. Now I did get an answer to my question. “If Christianity come from Judaism why is there nothing Jewish in Christianity”?

By Otto Strand
As you can see I started out witnessing right after my salvation. This started years of witnessing on the streets of Miami. And there have been lots of strange places. In Bars, X-rated bookstores, drug house, once in a circle of people in a park as they were passing marijuana joint around.
Two times stand out for me.
[1] Each weekend a friend (Steve) and myself would go to a park. (12am to 3am). At this park kids would hang out. We would go and hand out tracts and ask if they would like to receive Jesus as their savior and pray with them. Then pick them up for Church.
Each weekend a drug dealer (Mark) would drive up in his sports car [Porsche]. And each weekend I would sit in his car and witness to him. And each weekend he would say, NO. Then one weekend he said he wanted IT. Right in the front seat of that Porsche he received the free gift.
[2] This is my most memorable witnessing experience. The Lord wakes me up at 2am; I start to drive around town (praying) where do you want me to go Lord? I go in to this bar
And sit at the bar. (Order a coke) Now what Lord? Just then this Man about 35. Sits next to me. I hand him a track and ask him “if you were to die right now where would you be?” He starts crying. He asks me to go to the parking lot with him. When we get out to the parking lot, he tells me, “I use to be a believer but I have got involved in drugs & booze, and my wife has left me. I was going to get drunk and end it all”. He prays right in that parking lot and becomes a new man.

Other places and things we did.
{1} Steve would drop me at a buss stop he would drive to the next stop. I would get on and sit next to a bunch of kids. Steve would get on and start witnessing to me. Then when he asked me to receive my free gift he would ask the kids who were listening would they want this free gift also.
{2} Another thing we did was gift wrapped a tract in a small box. Then go out and hand out the free gift.
{3} Another thing was put tracks in a sandwich bag fill balloons with helium and tie them together. Then drive around town and let them go.
Warning: I know this type witnessing is not for all people. I spent time with street people before I got saved. If you do feel the Lord is leading you into this kind of witnessing I would like to make some suggestions.
(1) I am sorry girl! But the street is not a place for you. (Read the news papers) Unless you know that you know that God has called you.
(2) All ways go out by two. Again! Unless you know that you know that God said. Don’t go alone.
(3) Always pray! Ask the Lord where to go. Ask for his wisdom. And to protect you! (I always knew that I might be with the Lord tonight).
(4) Remember why your out there! To lead someone in prayer and for him/her to ask the Lord in there life. Don’t get drawn into long discussions about the weather in heaven. You could spend 2hr talking and walk away with no one knowing the Lord. You must be willing to Disciples the person that comes to the Lord.
(5) Know when to walk away and know when to run. If some guy calls you down a dark alley to tell him about Jesus! “Don’t go! All ways look at people’s hands, if someone hides his hands you might not want to approach them. Stay where there are other people.
(6) Be familiar: Pick a park or place that kids like to hang out at. And keep going back. At first they will think you’re 5-O (cops) but as time goes on you will be able establish their trust. It took about 4 or 5 months before Mark give his life to the Lord. Be persistent.
(7) Don’t get discourage. Give the Lord time to work in people’s life. Remember one plants, another waters, but it is God that grows his word in there life.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Shalom

clonenomore · #2 3rd November 2004, 02:35 PM

Torah, thank you for sharing! You said a lot of things that I have said before.

1. God isn't looking for the religious people -- He is on the lookout for those that need the healing power of Jesus. God is looking for the lost -- how can we do any less?

2. While we can't forget our past, we can't let our past hold us back. Our past experiences are a part of what makes me who I am, and God can and will use that. However, God doesn't remember our past when we are saved -- so why should we? In addition to this, we can't hold the past of others against them.

3. We don't have to be Bible scholars to witness. Jesus gave us our orders in the Great Commission. He says to "Go!". He doesn't say, "Wait until you are more spiritually mature". He says "Go now!" He also promises that He will be with us, and that He will show us what to do when God sends folks to us that need to hear our story.

Again, thank you for this powerful post!

Torah · #3 27th September 2009, 09:06 AM

Bump