Christians have hope because of our Savior. The hope the world offers of sin separates us from God and places away from our need of a relationship with the Savior. I am against coming to the Savior for any reason other than out of a contrite heart thankful for the Savior for paying our sin debt, but I am so glad that God is a good Master. Watch this video:
Warning: Brain Dump Ahead
I cannot seem to get ahead. I work, but have no extra money. Time passes, but I am no closer to my goals. I need a boost. I need help. This is so frustrating. I am hoping for a miracle. It is my fault, but I am excited it happened because it is leading me to Leavell College. Now I just have to find out how to get there by jogging in place.
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A few days ago, two nice missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints along with a 15 year old guy from the local ward came to deliver a Bible to me that I had requested from them online. They asked if they could discuss a lesson so I agreed and invited them in. Here is how it went.
First they saw Ricky’s gun case and asked if we hunted. I guess they were looking for something to try to connect with us, which I don’t look down on them for - I do the same when making home visits. After just a little small talk, they wanted to get into discussing the Book of Mormon. I had mentioned earlier that I already had a Book of Mormon given to me earlier, so they asked me what I was told the Book of Mormon was. I had been told that the Book of Mormon was another testament of Jesus Christ and let them know that. They then went on into the story of how the BOM came to us. Throughout there story, I had a few questions to ask them. I asked how they knew the BOM was true. They responded that I should pray about whether or not it is true and had me read a verse from the BOM stating this (technically, it says to pray if the BOM is not true). I asked them if this was a false test, because if you felt something then it confirms the book, but if you don’t then it just means you were not sincere - there is no room for the BOM being wrong. There responce was basically that they had experienced the Holy Spirit confirming to them and that it was like trying to describe salt to someone who had never tasted salt. I then asked them what about the warning of Jerimiah 17:9. This verse states (KJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” I asked them how can we trust a heart that is deceitful. They paused for a moment and couldn’t really answer, except to say again that they had experienced it. I again said I didn’t think we can trust our feelings when we could be deceived and let them move on in their lesson.
When they came to discussing some of the Isrealites coming on a boat to the Americas, I piped up, “well great, then we can just do some DNA testing and find out.” I knew that several DNA tests have been attempted and none of them are able to confirm the story of the BOM. In fact, they all testify to the story we have learned in our history classes. They said something about they were likely in the areas of the Mayas and Aztecs, but they really did not know. I knew that this was one of the arguments made by the LDS church and has its rebuttle, but I did not know it at the time and let it go. Even so, they seemed to admit there was little evidence and it must be taken by “faith”.
I then complimented the use of a map in the Bible they had given me. I then asked if there was a map to show where the civilizations mentioned in the Book of Mormon were. The missionaries further demonstrated that they did not really know. I think the 15 year old guy was learning more than the missionaries had originally intended.
At this point my Mom was in the room. She had told me earlier that she did not really know what the Mormons believed, so I aimed my questions to show simply that the Mormon church is not simply “another Christian denomination”. I asked them if they believed the Bible was the perfect Word of God. They said no and went into why they said it was not. Of course, the Bible can be trusted and is the perfect Word of God without any mixture of error, but that is for another post.
There was so much more that was discussed. Among this is:
*The missionaries believe God the Father has a body of flesh and bones.
*The missionaries are trusting in their works for salvation (note: if you ask them this, they may likely say no, but that is just because they can use the term salvation to mean the general resurretion of people after death which does not necessarily mean eternal life in Heaven. They do, however, trust in their good works as necessary for exaltation, their true salvation, which includes progressing into godhood).
*According to the missionaries, if I was not “saved” (again, moving towards exaltation), I would be put in a spirit word. They said this is similar to the Roman Catholic purgetory and they told me missionaries in the afterlife could convert me then. I said then why don’t I just wait until then, and they didn’t really have an answer for that surprisingly…
*So much more… maybe I will discuss them later.
Before they left the missionaries asked if they could come back sometime for another lesson. I told them I would look forward to it. Then one of the missionaries told me that I had obviosly read much of the Book of Mormon and asked me if I would consider praying about it. I told him that on his next visit he could show me from the Bible that I should pray about the Book of Mormon, then I would. He laughed and went on his way.
I look forward to his return.
Wow, that was fun. A couple Mormon missionaries and a 15 year old guy from their church came to bring me a Bible today and “share a lesson”. I was expecting them to catch me off guard at least once with something, but it was basically your typical works righteousness wrapped with a few out of context Bible verses. They were so nice. One of them towards the end “shared their testimony” (which is about the same for every Mormon -I know the Book of Mormon is true, they say…) and seemed a bit over practiced, but for the most part, they were willing to go off their presentation to discuss the questions I had for them.
Some things I asked that may be helpful in a conversation when you talk to LDS missionaries:
I will post more about this conversation soon hopefully, but I wanted to get those out while they were fresh on my mind.
I’ll be straight up honest - I am not very good at being a friend, but I am learning. I try to do well, but usually I end up falling flat on my face. I had a 35 minute phone conversation with my best friend that went from me being mad and wanting to end the friendship, to realizing I was trying to cope with a situation, to crying my eyes out out of desperation of not knowing what to do. It is good to be loved, but it is better to know you are loved. I know I am loved today and that makes quite a difference.
I am still embarrassed about what I confessed though.
I am looking for people who would like to be a contributing writer to this blog. You must be a Christian, a member of a church, and agree to a doctrinal guideline that I will give you. If you are interested in writing for this blog and are a college student, email me at JRG39402@yahoo.com
Do you have a good church to go to? I do! There are so many great things I could say about Calvary Baptist Church. In the fall I plan on going to Leavell College and that is going to be tough on me. I don’t know what it will be like, not only to leave my family, but my spiritual family of Calvary as well. I moved from one area to where I live now between 6th and 7th grade, but that was different. Back then I went to church. Now I am a part of the church and it is strange to think that I will be away from them. Is this childish thinking?
Some things I love about Calvary:
I love my pastor. Brother Jeff is such a loving guy who makes you want to fall in behind his leadership. I can tell he puts genuine effort into his sermons and that he cares about the church. I feel comfortable talking with him. I know that if I needed him, I could call in the middle of the night and he would be there. I can tell he loves his family. My dad that I grew up with wasn’t the best, but I thought he was the “norm”. I am glad I have had the opportunity to be around people like Brother Jeff to see what a man of integrity is really like (of course my stepdad, Ricky, is a great man himself).
I love David Jacks, the minister of youth and education. Years ago when I felt I had tried everything else, I got a newsletter from Calvary’s youth ministry and saw the faces of happy kids. I wanted that and came for the first time to church on a Wednesday night. I didn’t even know church’s met on Wednesdays before then! When I came, David spoke on a topic that cut to the core of me. It was as if he knew everything about me. I now know that this was the Holy Spirit dealing with me, but I am so grateful for David to allow himself to be used in such a powerful way. As those of you who know me may have realized, I went off to Student Life camp that year. It was a huge social step for me. I did not know what to expect at all, but God had amazing plans. God brought me into a right relationship with him (I am not talking necessarily salvation here, but this was the point when God made a practical difference in my life). I called my Mom from that camp and told her things were different. And they certainly are. David has been used powerfully in my life and I have some of my closest secrets with him.
I love Daniel Lee and Georganna McLain. I have not had as much time to spend with them, but what people of God! They have personalities unlike my own that cause me and the church to stretch spiritually. Daniel is quite talented and has got me to worship musically in a way I never expected (I am not saying I can sing, but I CAN worship through song). Georganna LOVES children. I don’t know what other way to say it. My sister is growing up at Calvary and I trust Georganna to lead Amanda to makes the spiritual steps she needs to take.
I love Calvary’s ministry. Calvary loves people, and this is demonstrated in many ways. Vacation Bible School, mission trips to Puru and Alaska, men’s construction teams, FAITH evangelism, the Calvary Sportsman’s Outreach, and just today the church’s appreciation service to law enforcement officers. I love how Calvary is seeking to more and more be the church rather than just being content to “do church”.
I love my friends at Calvary. Some of my closest friends come from Calvary. I’m not going to name them all, but I will spend some time writing about my closest friend: Tyler. Wow, Tyler has saved my life is many ways. He is going to be one of the toughest things about leaving. I COULD call people from Calvary at any point if I needed help. I HAVE called Tyler though. He is my confidant, my pal, and the best friend a guy could wish for. He trusts me with things and I trust him. He doesn’t take advantage of me. I really don’t even know how to describe our relationship, but let me just say this: find yourself a friend like Tyler. It makes life go by so much better.
The church is the people, and I love the people of Calvary. All of them. It is tough and some of us fight, but that just shows we are living. We have problems, but they can be worked through. My church family has experienced births and deaths, divorces and marriages, gain and loss, and I am so glad that we are going through it together. When someone in our church is hurting, we all hurt. When someone is being lifted up, we all celebrate. I love my church.
As I wrap this up, I am reminded of a conversation I was having with a girl trying to explain the importance of being a part of a church. I should have told her all of this. The Church is God’s plan, and I am happy to be a part. That is probably why it hurts so much to be leaving.
If anybody from Calvary happens to read this, let me just say I love you so much!
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