That’s Ron's voice!

Three years ago I attended the Northeastern Conference Camp Meeting in Poughkeepsie New York. I was only able to attend one day and that was on Sabbath. There were no available seats in the dome so we stayed on the outside. For some reason or another I did not hear when they announced the speaker of the hour but when he began speaking, I sat up in my chair. That’s Ron’s voice! I said to my wife. Who is Ron? My wife inquired. I replied that Ron is a young minister that I met at Niagara Falls church in the early 80s. My brother Henry was sitting a few feet away from where I was; I looked across at him and in a tone loud enough for him to hear me I said, "Henry, that is Ron!" "Yes" he replied, "he is on the program to speak today." I certainly did not have a program, plus my wife and I were now living in the State of New Hampshire; therefore we lost track of what was going on in that part of the vineyard.

By now I was bubbling over with excitement, with the thought of seeing Ron and his family again. As I listened to him speak, I felt a mist of proud cloud engulf me as I questioned my thoughts and tried to control my excitement. Is this the tall and skinny young man I knew 12 years ago? In my mind and in my heart I had adopted him as my younger brother; I always admired his will and determination to succeed.

I remember in the early 80s how concerned I was about him and his family. I was concerned, knowing that he had to drive a long way from where they were living, to attend the Colgate Seminary in Rochester NY. I decided that after the service, I would go and talk with him. Even though he was taller than I was, I would go up to him and give him a bear hug. Well, after the service ended I tried to make my way to where he was but I was unable to do so. He was surrounded by a swarm of people who were reaching out to him in order to shake his hand and talk with him. I have not seen or spoken with him for over ten years but all I could do that day was to look at his head above the crowd.

Through God’s Son

We are of one blood through God's Son, that is why we have been redeemed. You might have noticed that up until now I have not addressed Ron as Pastor Ron Smith! Well, have you? Let me clarify one thing for you and that is, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that he is called by God. For sure he is a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is his credential, but in our family we call each other by our first names. If he should come up to me and address me, as "Brother Nelson," I would start to wonder; doesn’t he like me any more? He is my brother! He is my blood! We are of one blood through the redemption of the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

You could even say that he do not reassemble me; true, but I have brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, who do not resamble me. You see it all depends where you are looking and what you are looking for. We cannot compare who we really are by what the camera shows us. No one is able to touch the goodness of a person. You may touch the result of the goodness but not what produces it. Through the eyes of love, one sees no color. As far as I am concerned, everyone looks the same. The true color of brotherhood or sisterhood is not black, pink, yellow, brown, white, red, green or purple. The true color of Brotherhood or sisterhood should represent true love, which is as pure and as fresh as lilies moist with morning dew. This purity can only be obtained through the source of God Almighty!

My wife Emmeline and I have moved from New Hampshire and have been living in the Dallas area for over two years now. Three months ago something caught my attention in a brochure that I was reading at our church in Irving, Texas. "Pastor Ron C. Smith will be one of the guest speakers at the Ministries Seminar in Dallas Texas."

Ever since the Camp meeting in Poughkeepsie New York, I started telling myself that people come and they go, and Pastor Ron Smith and his family were just a passing chapter in my life. Tough luck for me if I did not seize the opportunity to let them know that I care a lot about them. I was convinced though, that I did not do anything to make their lives unpleasant. Ron (Pastor Ron Smith) was coming to our area and I would have another chance to see my BROTHER again!

The Spirit of God

I attended the seminars and I was spiritually blessed by what I have learned. Of course Pastor Ron Smith spoke. I saw and I heard the man but I felt the Spirit of God in the place where we were. I believe that God can make you and mold you into who you should be. He can do that overnight, but I do not think that it would be the same as when He takes you through floods, valleys, hurricanes, shipwrecks, broken-hearts, loneliness, earthquakes, and fires. I do believe that every child of God, each of us is tested by the ability of our endurance, and who knows us better than our Lord and Master?

What I gathered from what Pastor Smith said, maybe these were not his exact words but "God had to put him down so He could lift him up. I am glad that my dear brother has gone through the initiation period. His eyes are now steadfast on Jesus, knowing very well that He is his only true source. Have you been there as yet? Have you been laid down and have been lifted up again? If you have, then remember that you are still climbing, you have not yet reach the mountaintop. If you can with conviction pray the prayer that I have prayed, I am sure, thousands of others have prayed this same prayer also; then you are in the right arena:

I must stress that the refrain to this lyric "Spirit of the living God" is a well known one and it can be found on page 672 of the SDA Church Hymnal. (Daniel Iverson, 1926 1890- )

O Spirit Divine:

[1] I will open my heart to receive you,
So Master don’t pass me by.
I humble myself and adore you,
O Lord won’t you bless me today?

Refrain:
"Spirit of the living God, Fall afresh on me!
Spirit of the living God, Fall afresh on me!
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me!
Spirit of the living God, Fall afresh on me."

[2] I have come to this place in my life Lord,
Over hills, and valleys of shame.
I know the pathway to heaven is through you,
Oh bless our dear Savior’s name. (Refrain)

[3] Lord; teach us how to love our brethren,
Then unite our hearts with thine.
While the storehouse of mercy is open,
Fill us O Spirit Divine. (Refrain)

If we have not heard Jesus ask us this question "Who touched me." ST. Luke 8: 45. Then we need to get closer to Him. I have seen that the Holy Spirit of God is upon Pastor Ron Smith and upon thousands like him all around the globe. Are you ready to experience the same; if so, just how high is the level of your conviction? Think this over, can you say without any doubt that Christ is the source of your life?

Close enough:

After the service ended, I waited for my turn. I walked up to Pastor Smith and said hi Ron! We shook hands, then we hugged, it wasn’t a bear hug but it was close enough for me. I was able to talk with him briefly, he told me he recognized me while he was preaching. I told him that I was not sure that he would have remembered me. He assured me he did and he would never forget a friend. That is exactly how I feel about him, a dear friend and highly respectable one too. He is Pastor Ron C. Smith, God’s faithful messenger. I pray that God will continue to give him strength to preach His word with vigor for a long, long time. Now I say this without any trace of disrespect behind it. He is still RON to me; he is my brother, We are of one blood through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.