From: "20583, BENNING, BRUCE" <abvax!iccgcc.decnet.ab.com!BENNING>
Newsgroups: alt.messianic
Subject: Those Vulnerable Victim's
Date: 8 Apr 92 08:51:00 EST

subject:  Those vulnerable victim's
===================================
 Rob Strom writes:
 ----------------
>What upset me and my wife was not that her brother and sister
>became Christians, but the circumstances under which they
>did so.  My brother-in-law was converted at a time when
>he was going through a great psychological upheaval, was
>neither strong nor knowledgeable, and was very vulnerable.
                                       -------------------
Because of your perspective of Yeshua, this action of your
brother-in-law and sister becoming believers in Yeshua at a
time of their lives when they needed G-d most seems unfair
and wrong. I can't change your perspective. Only Yeshua can do
that Rob. I can offer my perspective though.

 When I was married about 1.5 years, my marriage was on the rocks.
 I was also "VERY Vulnerable" and feeling backed into a corner.
 Things were really ugly between me and my wife. We were blaming
 each other for the failure. During this time, a old friend of mine
 began calling me to tell me the "Good News" about Yeshua. I really
 didn't care about Yeshua. RELIGION WAS A CRUTCH FOR THE WEAK! But
 this guy continued to call me. So I decided I would read my old
 King James Bible and get some ammo to toss back into his face and
 prove him wrong. To make a L-O-N-G story shorter let me say that I
 read the Tanach and the New Covenant for four months. Each day I
 spent about four hours in Scripture. After this time I began to
 notice a change in -me- that I could not then explain. My thoughts
 and attitudes were being filtered through the Word of G-d and I saw
 where I was lacking. I read how Abraham had a relationship with the
 Lord. The people of Israel were with HIM day and night as HE provided
 their every need. I saw how they rebelled against G-d and HIS reaction
 to this rebellion. "What would He do to me?" I wondered. As I read
 David's Psalms I saw how again their was a relationship that was real
 between G-d and David. In fact I saw that anyone could have this type
 of relationship, IF THEY WANTED IT. Like Moses said, "Lord show me your
 glory."

Some of the Psalms spoke so clearly to my heart:
 Psalm 4:1
  Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from
  my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
 Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for
  help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into
  his ears.
 Psalm 10:1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself
  in times of trouble?
 Psalm 22:11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no
  one to help.
 Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who
  are crushed in spirit.
 Psalm 69:17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly,
  for I am in trouble.
 Psalm 71:12 Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help
  me.
 Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call
  on him in truth.
 ========
After reading these, I hungered for that active relationship with
the living and true G-d.

Well, as I read these things I also had read Matthew 11:28-30

 Yeshua says...
   "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
    will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from
    me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
    rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
                                         [Matthew 11:29-30]

 MY POINT?  G-d desires us to come to HIM when we feel vulnerable.
  Yeshua came to vulnerable people, and they responded to Him. But
  those who would live inside a set of -RULES 4 RIGHTEOUSNESS-
  could (can) never allow G-d to come near them. Rules are good,
  but when they act to close out G-d they need to be repealed.
  G-d asks us to trust in HIM. To have HIM as our father. To depend
  on HIM for our needs. If we live by a system of RULES that fence
  in our lives, we have no need for the living G-d. He is replaced
  by DO's and DON'Ts.

   Yeshua asked the religious leaders of His day this question:

   "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He
   went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the
   vineyard.' "'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed
   his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son
   and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he
   did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
   "The first," they answered. Yeshua said to them, "I tell you
   the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are
   entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to
   you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not
   believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.
   And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe
   him. -Matthew 21:28-32

 Your brother-in-law and sister are the son's who said they would
 not work in the vineyard, but changed their minds. They have now
 entered the kingdom of G-d. I suspect they don't share your grief
 over their new citizenship. They probably thank G-d that someone
 cared enough to tell them about Yeshua, when they were vulnerable
 and in need of His mercy and grace.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce Benning __________ benning@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com

          -------------Religion may inform and reform-------------
          ----------but only Messiah Yeshua can Transform----------

  |   For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are  |
  |   perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of   |
  |   God.                                                          |
                                                  [1 Cor 1:18]