Housekeeper and/or Keeper of the Divine Secret

UPDATE: This post was recently published on the front page of the Church of the Nazarene official website at www.nazarene.org.

Jesus told his listeners in Mark chapter 4 verse 11: “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.” This is a true story from another part of West Africa.

A woman named Dala works as a house maid. She had a secret to tell. Do you want to hear about her secret? Four months ago she became a Christian believer and attends the Church of the Nazarene. She now carries the secrets of the Kingdom, and the seeds of God’s Word, in her heart and life.

Every few days she goes to a local vendor to buy charcoal. This particular day the vendor asked Dala a question.

The vendor was a middle-aged and man devoted to his religious ideals. When he saw the cross on her necklace, he asked her to give it to him. She said, “Absolutely not! You will just take it and throw it away.” He asked her why she wore it. She began to share with him the Secrets of the Kingdom.

The charcoal vendor was just one of many people in this neighborhood trying to make a living. He was exhausted and grimy from the work of making and selling charcoal. He was usually ignored by most people, except Dala who could not keep the Divine secret hidden in her heart.

Every few days Dala would return to buy charcoal and the man said he wanted to know more about this Jesus. He always had more questions about her God, this prophet Jesus, and the meaning of the cross she wore around her neck. She did not go get her pastor to answer for her. Instead, she shared what she had been learning about God from His Word and from weekly sermons. Within a few weeks, the man received Jesus Christ as His Savior. He later told Dala’s pastor that whenever he had a question, Dala would respond with just what he needed to hear.

Dala found out through their roadside conversations over piles of charcoal that this man also knew much about his former religion. Now, after many weeks, Dala asked her pastor to help the man understand more about this Jesus who is found in the Bible and is now living in his heart.