I want to thank you
for your prayers – I can’t thank you individually, somehow all your messages got
lumped into one, no individuals, so will use this method to thank you.
Art :-)
September 13, 1985, the
beginning of the end of Rancho Rajneesh.
On September 15th, in the
afternoon, I was made aware that the Rajneesh was supposed to speak to his
followers that evening. He had invited
news media, State Police, our District Attorney and me to the meeting.
I had one of the Sergeants
attend the meeting. I picked up the DA
and headed to the ranch. We arrived
about the same time an OSP Captain arrived and we went into the meeting area
together.
The news conference was held in
the two acre ‘green house’ turned meeting room.
There were several doors opening into the room from the south side. We were asked to sit in the front row on the
south side of the platform where Rajneesh would be talking.
The Rajneesh followers, still on
the ranch, were dancing and singing to a small band as they waited for him to
come.
There were several news
reporters present. Rajneesh had been big
news for a number of years, and this news conference was purported to be a major
development at the ranch.
Rajneesh came into the room from
a door leading onto the back portion of the platform. He sat down in a large chair near the edge of
the platform.
Smiling and looking around the
room, he moved his arms up and down in time with the music then held up his
hands for quiet. The band stopped and he
started speaking.
This was the first time I had
seen the man in person.
He was not a very tall man; he
had a long grey beard and long hair, wearing a knitted cap of some kind. He was wearing expensive long flowing robes
and a very expensive watch.
As he looked around the
room. His eyes were what I would call
hypnotic, rarely blinking, very piercing.
He spoke good English but very
slow, very deliberate. While I cannot
recall all that he talked about the gest of it was that after Sheila had fled
with her entourage a couple of days ago (the 13th,) her criminal conduct was
uncovered.
In front of him on tables were a
number of items, particularly recording devices. He claimed that Sheila had caused these to be
placed in the hotel, restaurant and other areas where they could monitor and
record conversations.
He was asked about the buildings
in Antelope and he said it was all Sheila’s idea, not his. He said something like, “I am the Guru of the
rich, why would I want AIDs patients as part of my commune, they would cost us
too much money” as he rotated the $25,000 watch on his arm.
He was asked about the
restaurant poisoning, the burning of the planning office and many other
charges. He said that Sheila was the one
who planned all of it.
Most of the followers, in the
building, were very surprised; they had no idea that these things had been
done. And then having been done in the
name of Rajneesh just added to their distress.
Those of us who had been dealing
with the antics of Sheila and her group were not surprised. We had long suspected they were committing
crimes, but were unaware of the total extent.
We did not trust them and our feelings were now vindicated.
We looked at the ‘evidence’
after he was done, but they weren’t tagged and were useless as evidence; too
many people had handled them and the chain of custody had long been
destroyed.
However, as he accepted
questions from the floor and he admitted that Sheila and her entourage had
committed many crimes; we had barely scratched the surface that night.
We had information, but it was
all hearsay. We would have to formulate
a plan to begin the investigation into Sheila’s, and her henchmen’s,
activities.
As we left the building to head
home, the Chief came up to me. I looked
at her, put my hands on her biceps and asked her, “What happened to your crime
free city?”
She said, “I don’t know I was
wondering the same thing.”
John 4:39-42 And many of the
Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which
testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans
were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he
abode there two days.
41 And many more believed
because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman,
Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and
know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the
world.
My mind is a bit fuzzy, still
suffering from the after effects of surgery, so I hope this makes some
sense.
As I read these verses this
morning, I can’t help but see that when we witness, others might ‘believe’ Jesus
is Lord from what we tell them – but it is a surface belief.
It may be enough to get them to
come to Jesus, but our experience
doesn’t save them, it can’t. Even the
curiosity factor that says, because we ‘hear you’ and want to see more, is
insufficient for their salvation.
In order to accept Jesus as the
Savior, these people had to meet Jesus.
When they did, they found the Savior – not because of what the woman
said, but because they met Jesus, personally.
We still do that today. We meet Jesus. We came to know Him because someone told us
about Him. But acknowledging He exists
is not the same as “knowing Him.”
While someone told us about
Jesus we needed more, we needed to open our hearts to Him. I may or may not have been a conscious effort,
but our hearts suddenly felt His presence.
When we opened our heart, and
listened to the Holy Spirit speaking to us, we met Jesus. He is as real to us, today, as He was to the
disciples that walked alongside Him.
The world is searching for
something to fill the void in their heart.
They purposely close their heart to God, but their mind still searches,
their soul knows that there is a greater purpose than what they are living;
there is a need to connect with the God of the Universe, the Creator that longs
to meet with them.
People go through all kinds of
hoops to try and get to the place that Christians have found in Christ.
Our responsibility to God is to
live like we are His; in doing so we draw others to Him.
We then must tell of His love
and saving grace. Each of us in our own
way, can present the true unfettered Gospel of Christ, telling others what He
has done in our lives. Our experience in
Christ will be insufficient for them to believe He is Savior, but it will touch
their hearts so they want to know more of Him.
As those that heard the woman at
the well tell of her experience and it drew others to Christ – so too will our
experience with Christ draw others to Him.
They will soften their heart and
allow the Holy Spirit to expound on our experiences, that the truth of Who
Christ is will become their experience and they will proclaim him as their
Savior.
There will always be those that
refuse to listen. That will strive to
deny God’s Words, His works, and that they can only be saved through Christ.
We cannot let those that would
deny Him, keep us from preaching Him.
May we have an open heart to
Christ and the leading of His Holy Spirit.
May we be unafraid to tell others of our experiences with Him, bringing
them before Him and let them experience for themselves their personal meeting
with Jesus and receive the salvation that Jesus Christ offers.
Later, Art :-)
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