From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 1997 12:08 AM To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup Subject: "Why Were You Chosen?"
From: Suzanne Lancaster To: <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com> Subject: "Why Were You Chosen?" Dear Eddie, I have wanted for some time to share with you one of the first things I was privileged to read concerning how on earth could I speak to Jewish people about their Messiah. I found, while going through some things, my last copy of the following little booklet, and I will write it out for you, and for the Mishpachah (family). WHY WERE YOU CHOSEN? One day, two ladies and I went in our car to Jericho. When we got to the outskirts of Jerusalem, we saw some soldiers waiting for someone to give them a ride down into the valley. We stopped, and a big soldier with a tommy gun came over and said he would like to go with us and that he had a friend who would also be glad if he could come along. Of course, we were happy to be able to help with their transportation problem. We got down the road a short distance and this man began to say, "Jesus Christ." But he wasn't saying it in good perspective. It was very negative -- more like a curse word. Soon we began talking about Israel and what God was doing in the Land. The soldier said, "Now look, don't talk to me about God! I'm an atheist, and I don't believe in God." "You're an atheist?" "Yeah, I'm an atheist." "Are you a Jew?" "Well, sure I'm a Jew. Don't you see my uniform and my gun?" "Well, don't tell anybody you're a Jew." "Why?" he asked. "Because it's a disgrace for a Jew not to believe in God." And I just drove on. The two other ladies in the car didn't even look at him. In a few minutes, he said, "Well, maybe I believe in God but I don't believe in all those fanatical rules they pick up -- all those traditions, you can't do this and you can't do that. You can't pick up a stick and all that kind of stuff." "I answered, 'Sure, some of the traditions are not easy to cope with.'" He added, "And I don't believe in catholicism." "Well, there is some of that which is not too good." "And I don't believe in Protestantism." "Well, you have something there, too. But listen to this: In spite of all God has a plan and it is an important thing to know it, because you realize God doesn't depend on man's opinions -- He is GOD!" "Yeah, I guess so." I asked him, "Do you know why are Chosen?" He said, "Chosen? Yeah, I'd sure like to know. We've been spit on, we've been killed, we've been persecuted, we've been pushed around for a long time. I'd like to know why we're chosen. Why do you think we were chosen?" I said, "I have a message for somebody. It could be for you, but you have to want to hear it first before I can give it to you." He said, "Well, what are you waiting for? I'm ready. I'm listening. Just tell me." Then I said, "If you promise not to interrupt until I finish, I will tell you." He said, "I am anxious to know any truth that might help me." I asked, "Do you remember when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden?" He nodded, "Yeah, I remember the story." "Now, hear this, as long as they listened to God they had life. Whoever you listen to becomes your master." "Yeah." "God had given Adam and Eve everything, even eternal life, but when they listened to the devil, they sold out and brought the death penalty upon them and their posterity. God said 'I will send a Redeemer, I will send someone to die for you.' But how could it be? The first man had sinned and He couldn't make another man out of the dust, which was cursed. What was He going to do? With God all things are possible. It did seem impossible, and the devil laughed. God said, "It is going to be!' "Then came Abraham! God saw that he was a man of faith and said, 'Out of his faith, I'm going to bless the world.' (not just the Jews.) Much time passed and many thought that God had forgotten His promise, but God is faithful. At last, when the time was ripe, God made His Word blood. His very Word, a He placed this seed of blood in a Jewish woman. She was not an object to be worshipped, but Mary was a part of the plan of God. Her blood did not mix with God's blood, for the scientists tell us that the woman only nourishes or feeds the blood. When this baby was born, it was God's baby -- God's blood in the flesh. Here, mankind was a part of God's Plan. There is only one God, and this is the way He brought to us the Redeemer. There is no other way. You see, He sent part of Himself. He is the Lamb of God, the Ruler of Israel, which takes away the sin of the world! (Micah 5:2) If Messiah is still to come out of Bethlehem, He would not be a Jew, for it is an Arab city today! "Do you remember reading in the scriptures concerning the priest, who laid his hand on the head of the lamb as if to transfer the sins of the people to the lamb? The lamb was killed and offered as a sacrifice, but it could not take away the sin -- it only covered and rolled it back for a year. They were looking forward to the time when the Lamb of God would come and take sin completely away." He answered, "Yes." And then to this man I continued, "When it was time for this Lamb to die, God blinded the Jews, because they would not have done what they did if they had known what they were doing. They laid their hand upon the head of Jesus in condemnation. Instead of one man, it was the whole nation because it was God's Lamb. It was the Levitical, Priestly Order that laid their hand of condemnation on Him. They didn't kill Him, they just condemned Him, but they were a part of God's Plan. Then the rest of the world said, 'Look, what the Jews have done. They've killed Jesus, they've killed the Messiah.' But if He had not died, there would not have been salvation. Somebody had to do this and God chose His very own." and then, "After Jesus shed the blood of God, He went down into hell and met the devil who had deceived Adam and Eve. He made him listen, and since He had no sin, it would have been illegal for the devil to have touched Him. He asked for the keys of death and hell! He came out victorious as the Messiah-Redeemer and as Lord of all! He bought back that which was taken away from humanity in the Garden of Eden. He was resurrected as Immanuel (God With Us) and sits on the right hand of the Father God. If you call upon Him, He will wash your sins away once and for all. One day He is going to come back there on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and you will see HIs nail-pierced hands! You will ask with the Prophet in Zechariah 13, 'Where did you get those nail prints?' And hear Him answer, 'In the House of my friends (not enemies).' "'Comfort ye, comfort ye my People,' cries Isaiah 40, 'tell them that their warfare is over, that their iniquity is pardoned, that they have received of My Hand double.' "Now (the Lord says) 'If you suffer with Me, you will reign with Me', and Israel is destined to reign with the Messiah because of the part the Nation had in the Plan of God. She had truly suffered." This man sat there a minute and said, "Lady, I see that, did you hear what I said? I understand what you have said. I've read this all my life and this is the first time I've understood it. Lady, do you know what I'm saying? I understand it! We did it, but we were a part of God's plan!" It is difficult for the Chosen Ones to admit they did anything, or that Jesus was special because that puts on condemnation, but when they are free and they see that the were and are a part of the Plan, that they are going to be blessed for it, the guilt complex is lifted and they come face to face with the Almighty God. The soldier's face began to radiate. His little friend who came along kept asking him, "What did they say, and what did you hear? What has happened? You look different!" "Wait a minute. I'll tell you later. I want to ask all the questions while I can." One of my friends in the car opened the Scriptures and showed him where it was written, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9) He said, "I accept that!" We had time to pray. When I stopped the car at his destination, we asked his name. He answered that his name was Peter. When we left him the Holy Spirit just came in that car and we began to talk about the power in the Name of Jesus. Even though he spoke it as a curse word, God heard it, and sent somebody along to tell him the meaning of that Name. What a wonderful Plan God had! What great things He is doing now! When we see a Jew, remember these Chosen Ones are a definite part of His love and concern and they are to be comforted so they may receive the joy in store for them. By Edith Little Millard Little Star Ministries, Inc. PO Box 352 Euless TX 76039 817-283-7404 Eddie, this is printed out word for word in its entirety from this lady's booklet. Of course I recognize that the Ruach HaKodesh was in the car from the very beginning of their conversation, and that the radiation on Peter's face is plenty of indication to me that He had already begun His work in those Jewish lives even before they prayed together. I wish I could meet this Peter now...I don't know how many years it has been since Edith had this experience; I first met her and read this booklet in about 1987, and she was already into her second or third printing of this booklet. In fact, she was running enough low that I worked a special thing so that it could be reprinted in about 1990, about a thousand copies I think, when I worked for that Jewish print shop in Dallas! The fact that she indeed gives those booklets away in that quantity tells me getting its story out is what is important, so I am not concerned that she would hesitate in the least to allow you to send it out to the Rooters. But it would bless her, I think, to know that you would send it forth. I know it blessed me, and it has blessed everyone I've shared it with (I asked my boss Eli to print out extras for me to pass around, which he did, and she was quite delighted about that.) So, Eddie, blessings on you. Shalom Aleichem, Suzanne (Shoshannah) *******************************************************************