An Infidel in Mecca

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land of the Mormon Faith, Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. On Monday evening, I had the honor of visiting the new Art Museum with my parents and two sisters. They are all Mormon. So out of respect for them, I restrained myself from interrupting the tour guide as she explained the different displays. From my eyes the museum is an attempt for Mormons to find some substance to their faith. Their faith is anchored only to a single testimony.

The witness of visitation by God and of receiving new holy scripture. This alleged holy scripture chiseled on Gold Plates, the original source of the Book of Mormon, is nowhere to be found. It is said they were taken back to heaven until the world can handle the remaining sealed portion of its message. One can only image that marvelous day, when an angel from Heaven brings the plates and more written scripture is given to the Mormon saints. Joseph Smith, jr. is the witness. The only person who has supposedly seen God, the Father, and Jesus, and was instructed that no truth could be found on the earth and he needed to restore it. These main pillars of faith for the Mormon are based on the words of a single boy.

The museum tries to anchor the Mormon Faith to reality. There is no disputing that their was a farmhouse where Joseph lived when he was a boy or that the Hill Cummorah even exists. It is also remarkable all the effort and craftsmanship that early believers poured into their faith. But what can not be shown in any photograph or by any physical evidence is the truth of the claims made by the Mormon faith. It is not unlike what some early Christians attempted when visiting the Holy Land. Building large monuments to show where milestones in Jesus’ life took place. His birth, His miracles, His death, His resurrection. There is danger in creating idols or the needing of physical evidence for faith. It is even more dangerous to deceptively advertising these relics as proof of faith. Relics do not prove faith. They may demonstrate the commitment of the believer, but it does not prove the claims.

Later in the week, I returned to Temple Square. I had planned to met up with a small group that was passing out tracts at the North gate of temple square, but I arrived way too early. So as a non-member, infidel, I entered the gates of Mecca to the Holy Sites of the Mormon Faith. The visitor center was to my immediate right so I went in. I wondered around the first floor looking at the lovely paintings of Jesus and climbed the arching walkway up to the giant statue of Christ. It is a magnificent statue.

Next I wandered into the basement where the distinct Mormon story is told. The displays demonstrating the diverging beliefs and world view of the Mormon faith compared to traditional or historic Christianity. The theme was a restored gospel. It was in the middle of these displays when I was approached by two young ladies, Mormon missionaries.

They arrived at the moment I touched the screen to listen to a short narrative about the two witness of Christ. The Bible. The Book of Mormon. I listened and the two missionaries asked me how I felt about what I had heard. I took this as my Que to begin sharing my Christian faith with them. After talking with them for several minutes, I walked toward the next display and sat down. They followed cautiously joining me on a neighboring bench.

Eighty minutes later and at some point of the discussion two more missionaries joined us, they made their final testimonial witnesses and departed. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was about to begin rehearsal and they wanted to go and listen. So we parted. It is hard to remember everything I asked them about and talked about and heard, but much of our discussion was about truth, discovery of truth, feelings, the bible, the need for modern prophets. One point I remember asking them, “Why do you consider the Latter-Days after Joseph Smith the fullness of times, and not the time when Jesus walked in Galilee?” They assured me that the mission of Christ was important and nothing measured up to the atonement of Christ, but that Joseph weaved all the gospel together. Restoring it to its fullness.

Another moment that I wanted to share was about truth. The discovering of truth is unrelated to warm feelings. Human emotion is fickle. Truth is not. I shared with the missionaries that asking the Lord to confirm the truth of written words by feelings, is backwards. The written words should confirm themselves without tempting God for emotional proof. There is a subjective response for me when I read or discover truth in the bible. I did not ask for the response, it is given, though. My point is that if you are looking for a specific emotional response to measure your spirituality, you will eventually get it.

In the end, the challenge remains to me and to the rest of the world either Joseph was a prophet or he was not? Either the Bible is the word of God, or it is not? Either Joseph was a prophet or the bible is the word of God? Both can not be true. They both exclude that possibility. The only other option is that neither is. For me I have chosen to trust that the Bible is the word of God. That God is able to protect his words. The apostle Peter, recognized by Mormons, Catholics, and Protestants clearly states in his epistle,

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV)

The Bow

Another meaning for the name of my web log: from the sermon given by Jonathan Edwards on July 8, 1741.

“The bow of God’s wrath is bent and straining. The arrow is already set on the string, and justice aims it directly at your heart. It is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, an angry God, who is not restrained by any promise or obligation that keeps that arrow from being drunk with your blood. This means that all of you whose hearts have never been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit and who have never been born again and made new creatures, raised from being dead in sin to a new light and life, all of you are in the hands of an angry God.”

I add this quotation because it echoed from my past before my heart was changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I was in the sights of an angry God. A God that was not angry with me. God loves me. God loved me while I was still a sinner. A God angry with my sinful heart (nature) and with my sins.

Are you still in God’s bow sights? Take the target off your heart, today, and trust in God to create in you a new heart. A heart that desires to please and worship God. Not a wicked heart to please and serve yourself. Ask God to give you a new heart. A pure heart.

The Gospel, Me-centered or God-centered?

The link below is a series of charts (.pdf) that compare the me-centered Gospel to the God-centered Gospel.  It is research that I am using while I am writing a book, but was very interesting, so I share it here.

View of God

Sweet and Salty Mix–Part One

For length the following narrative is divided into three parts. This is part one that sets the stage.

Last Thursday, I took advantage of my afternoon break to sneak over to the Taggert Student Center Patio to see if some of my fellow Christians were witnessing to passersby. When I arrived there was no evangelical camp set up, so I decided to run over to the Aggie Quick Stop and get a cup of coffee. Walking down the main hallway in the student center, I changed my mind and instead kept walking out the west entrance with my small bag of a sweet and salty mix. I had brought the mix to work to eat as a snack and it was the last one in the box.

Two things before I get back to the narrative. First, the sweet and salty mix was suppose to be a high energy, healthy snack for my wife to eat on her daily pilgrimages to the elementary school with our three youngest children, our middle two attend the school, the youngest just along for the ride in her stroller which was a “gift” from my sister in Idaho. In this case gift means give away my baby stuff to someone else because it is filling up my house and all my children have outgrown the baby stuff.

Second, the snack was bought at Sam’s club that would be the Republican’s version of Costco for those of you familiar with the large warehouse–buy 12 dozen rolls of toilet tissue for the low low unit price of 12 cents even though whenever you leave the store you have spent a minimum of $100.00 dollars. So I had a nearly full box of these snacks, because I had bought them for my wife. She later discovered that she did not like them and that they contained more calories than a steak dinner. I volunteered to take the box to work and eat them as a snacks, because sitting at a desk for 8 hours behind a computer monitor requires more energy that walking three kids back and forth to school. By the way my wife decided to get those fancy on the go drink mixes that are added to bottled water, which by the way you can purchase in bulk at Sam’s for a great unit price.

The snack contains nuts that are salty, some raisins, sunflower seeds, and chocolate coated candies. Every bite may either be a salty one, a sweet one, or both.

Sweet and Salty Mix–Part Two

This is second part of the narrative…

Back to the narrative, Upon exiting the west side doors there was a bench conveniently placed as a rest area, so I stopped opened my snack bag and started to eat my snack. Then I became aware of my surroundings. I was facing a monstrous brick building. Although located on campus, It is not a public building. It is the Institute of Religion building.

The only equivalent I can think of is a theological seminary for Mormons. I had long been curious what the inside of the building looked like. I sat there and finished my snack weighing the possible scenarios of what might happen upon entering. Scenarios ranging from my spontaneous combustion to kidnapping. None of which happened.

I observed those entering and leaving through the front door for a few more minutes, then decided to preform a quick walk around to gauge the size of the building. After walking for four hours to get to the back of the building, It was a large building–just kidding it was about a minute. I decided to sneak in the back door. Upon entering an older gentlemen asked me if I need some help. It was obvious I did. I asked him where was the main office and that I was seeking information about classes taught at the Institute.

He lead me through a maze of hallways finally leading to a lounge that was by the front doors were glancing out the window I could see the bench I had been sitting at only three minutes ago. He invited me to have a seat on a comfortable chair while he went to find some information. He promptly returned with a pamphlet about the current schedule for classes and asked me what I was interested in.

I was guarded in my response, and answered that I was curious about the distinctive teachings of the Mormon church. He quickly countered that he could arrange for a meeting with some representatives of his church and we could meet and discuss those differences. I graciously responded that I had meet with Mormon missionaries on many occasions and never made it beyond the milk of Mormonism with them.

I omitted my last encounter with some missionaries because It would not have helped. The last encounter was having the missionaries knock on my front door and setting up an appointment to return. They never returned. I still wonder if I am on a blacklist of do not visit people because of my previous encounter with missionaries, or if they just forgot. Either way not very good representatives (or are they making promises they ultimately can not keep).

Sweet and Salty Mix–Part Three

This is the concluding part of the narrative…

Just then a young college student sat in the chair across the lounge and this instructor turned and asked her, if she knew of any good classes for an investigator to take. She recommended the Gospel Doctrine class that meet at 11:30, Monday and Wednesday. and She just happened to be in that class. I inquired what text was required-rather than saying scriptures, she responded with the gospel doctrines manual. I said I did not want to purchase any books.

The older gentlemen stood up and said he would check in the bookstore and see if they had any copies and left. I spent about five minutes listening to the young lady explain how the class worked. I politely listened and when she was finished the gentleman had returned with two books, of which he offered as gifts. I graciously accepted them.

I told them both I had to get back to work and that I was all ready 5 minutes passed my break time, but that I would consider attending one class to see what it was like. They both assured me that I could stop by anytime to attend and they would introduce me the instructor. I left the building with three works-a handbook for the Logan Institute of Religion, A new gospel Doctrine manual, and another quick reference guide of Mormon Doctrine.

I wonder if they would have been as polite to me if that had know three key facts–
1. I was an X-Mormon and now an Biblical, Evangelical Christian
2. I was not naive to Mormon Institute just with its current methods and message while I was still a member I had attended some classes
3. My only motivation was to see how the package of Mormonism was currently being given to members. I know how it has been packaged for non-Members.

In the end It had been an educational experiment, I decided not to pursue any further based on the little snack wrapper that was in my pocket on the walk back to my office. I was reminded of the snack when changing arms while carry the books because my arm was getting tired and they rustled against my leg. To me Mormonism is a sweet philosophy of human construction that has an answer to every question and for several of the questions even has more than one. It is a quick and pleasant way to feed the body. It is enjoyable to the appetites with little substance, but in the end just adds extra weight to the body. To me Biblical Christianity is salty. It is a real preservative for life and at times an irritant to open sores. And besides Jesus called us to be salt, not sugar. Matthew 5:13

My current motivation came from an inquire from a member of FOCUS wanting my wife and I to have a workshop on how to speak to Mormons for the college students that are not familiar with much about Mormonism. I have determined that I will asked him, if he would like to have lunch with me and I can talk with him about it.

Church of the Holy Muffin

Once again, I took the day off from work to go back up to campus at Utah State University to witness to the crowd that was drawn to the traveling preacher who decided to stay for a while longer. According to my wife, I have crossed another line that would displease my parents: proclaiming Jesus in a very public way. I am not here to please my parents, I am here to worship and please God, by doing His will. His will is to proclaim the good news and make disciples of all nations.

When I first arrived, I noticed that a friend of mine was open air preaching. Within a few minutes of starting to settle in another stood up on his soap box and proclaimed the beginning of a new religion to enter the world. The Church of the Holy Muffin. He obnoxiously mocked the outreach and blasphemed God. His actions only point to the deep need that is in our valley for the gospel. Within the course of several minutes the crowd was rallied up into a frenzy. At the conclusion of his persecution he tossed the muffin into the crowd and someone yelled, Amen brother.

When the muffin man was finished, my friend continued with a sobering response about the seriousness of the gospel relating his recent losses, both his wife and daughter had recently died and are now in the Kingdom of Heaven, and proclaiming the urgency for everyone to respond to the love of God and turn to Jesus. From his speaking about his loss, I was able to start into a conversation with a student about death and witnessed to him about all our need for Jesus and the work He did for us on the cross and our work to believe in him and the new life we can have in Jesus. A life of peace, joy, and rest. I will be praying for this student’s salvation. I may never see him again but the thirty minutes I spent telling him about the forgiveness and love of God planted a seed of hope and joy within. May God continue to draw him close and water that seed so it may blossom into a fruitful plant.

My message to the muffin man and to his disciplines is that although the chocolate muffin he had would satisfy the appetite for a moment and give life for a day or so. It will not endure nor can it sustain. There is only a single muffin there is not enough to go around. In the true gospel, the atoning blood of Christ can sustain and nourish all into everlasting life. That worshiping the creation (idol worship) rather than the Creator is folly. I am not talking about the chef that baked the muffin, I am speaking of God that made everything. And finally, Jesus is the bread of life. John 6:51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

I had a great time today being a witness for Jesus Christ. By the way for any of you out there that think it is too hard, consider this:

I did not go alone, my wife, my five-year old, and my three month old came with me. The young ones behaved themselves well considering. It was not easy, but it was rewarding.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” [Matthew 6:19-20]

Mormonism is not True!

Yesterday afternoon I found myself standing outside by the Student Center quietly sipping my coffee listening in the back to open air preaching of the Bible delivering the gospel of salvation. I was there to see this street preacher that is surrounded by so much controversy. I had just read the local newspaper during my lunch hour and with the headline for the article screaming ‘Street preacher says Mormonism is not true‘ and having then watched a quick movie on the internet showing a young college lady pouring water on this messenger. My curiosity was peaked. My excuse for going over to see him was to get a cup of coffee at the student center.

As I looked around the gathered crowd, I saw several members of my church in conversion with others witnessing to them. Rather than just standing there for a few minutes and then moving back into the normal hum-drum of life, I stopped and then moved closer to one of the conversations. It was between a young man and one of the elders from my church. The young man was adamant that salvation only came from faith and baptism (Mark 16:16). I now wonder if he is the same one from the third paragraph of the newspaper article. I spent a while explaining that it is faith alone, but in the end could not convince the young man otherwise. The conversation was respectful and was a great experience for me. I was standing there contending for my faith and my motivation for speaking was the Love of God within me.

Later, I thought about the words of that headline. The gospel of Jesus Christ is controversial in its most fundamental and pure form. It is that Jesus is the Messiah and you desperately need Him without Him there is only death. Not only physical death, but death in every sense. However with Him there is life, even everlasting (eternal) life. I had only wished that I had been more prepared. I do not mean that I should have spent more time studying my bible-that is important. But that I would have prayed more fervently to speak the words that needed to be heard. Next time, I will fervently pray, before speaking.

I trust that even though I did not communicate as clear a message as I wanted to, God can use even my poor attempt to communicate the gospel. I remember several others stopping to here our conversation and listen as I continued to return the conversation to the Cross, to Jesus, and to the reality that it was the work of God that saves all mankind. It is not any human effort, not even baptism that saves. Though, every believer should earnestly seek water baptism (immersion), as a outpouring or demonstration flowing from their faith in Jesus (James 2:26) and their desire to be numbered with the saints. Now on the next day, I would have only added one thing to the conversation I had. It would have been what work (John 6:29) is connected to all passages from the Bible that teach salvation. The answer is belief in Jesus. There are all types of actions and conditions that attach to belief, but fundamentally it is belief or faith in Jesus as the Beloved Son of God that saves!

I did eventually reach this notorious preacher and spent less than five minutes listening to him and talking with him. In that short time, I found that he was not as the newspaper painted him to be. He seemed humble and meek with the gift of evangelism that is contagious and raises the temperature for believers around him–including me–to want to preach the gospel and forces others to react to the gospel whether it be for their salvation or for their condemnation. The gospel cuts all to the heart (Hebrews 4:11). Evangelism is his gift and He is not ashamed to apply it to the world around him.

The Burden of Heritage

Celebrating the Past
On July 24th, the State of Utah erupts with celebration to commemorate the arrival of the first Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley, when Brigham Young made the famous, “This is the place” statement. The parades and celebrations remind the world of the high value Mormons place in honoring their rich heritage and connecting to their ancestors.

Many people of different faiths enjoy the hobby of searching out the origins of their families. They seek to find out as much as they can about the place and the time where their families came from. Some search for a connection to their forefathers and for any stories about their forefathers. Their hope is that discovery may give purpose or meaning for their presently empty lives. There is limited value in knowing who our forefathers were and about the triumphs and struggles, they faced. Their lives can show that we are are not alone in our experience of both difficult and joyful times. However, our dead fathers and mothers can not extend any help from the grave. Nor can aid be given by the living to those who are dead. We can not offer anything to give comfort or aid to those long passed.

Only the Everlasting God can reach beyond the grave to offer assistance through His Son the Resurrected Christ who defeated death. Jesus is the only source of hope from beyond the grave. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God alone can extended aid and offer help. Jesus teaches whether aid can be given to the dead in the gospel of Luke. Read Christ’s words found in the short narrative about the eternal destiny of two men and if they were able to render any aid beyond that barrier called death or if the living offered them any hope, found in Luke 16:19-30.

To the Mormon seeking family history and finding the names of past family members is more than a hobby. They believe it is a commission by God. The works of the Mormon faith are divided into three categories: Proclaiming the gospel, Perfecting the Saints, and Redeeming the Dead. This third category separate Mormons from Christians. The salvation of the dead becomes part of a mighty list of works that Mormons must do to guarantee salvation. Another hindrance that burdens Mormons with more tasks that must be done. It gives Mormons more busy work to distract them from experiencing the peace, rest, and security of completely trusting in the Lord. Jesus has completed the work to save mankind. Our task is believe in Christ and pursue our Messiah.

My childhood burden
I have memories as a youth of entering the magnificent Mormon temples and serving as proxy for the dead ancestors of the faithful to aid them in obtaining salvation and entrance into the third heaven (Celestial Kingdom). To ensure that families are together. I remember the misuse of the quotation of Elijah found in Malachi chapter 4, turning the heart of the fathers to the children and heart of the children to the fathers as the scriptural support to do all this work. In being baptized over and over again for dozens of Manuel’s or Paco’s and later having hands laid on my head dozens of times to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for those deceased spirits.

I can only imagine the time and effort that Mormons must do to redeem the dead. They must take each name through the entire endowment ceremonies as proxies. They also serve as proxies for “eternal” marriages for dead couples. All work that according to the Mormon faith must be done in this physical realm, on earth. Saving work that can only be done within the walls of modern Mormon temples no where else can the work of salvation be done for both the living and the dead. Some Mormons may claim that it is only faith that saves, but ask a Mormon friend or neighbor, why they work so tirelessly to do temple work for the dead, if works do not save or are not necessary? Then wait for the long pause. It is true that the work of God does take place in a temple, but the only perfect temple was the Body of Jesus. The work for salvation being His death on the Cross.

From the Bible
The Bible teaches that God’s free gift of salvation by faith in Jesus is a limited offer that expires at death. There are no second chances after death according to scripture “… it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” [Hebrews 9:27, NKJV (c) 1982] Mormons teach that there is a vast missionary effort in the afterlife to convert the lost to their Christ, and those dead spirits who accept the Mormon Christ in the afterlife eagerly await for their works to be accomplished by those who are still alive in sacred temple ceremonies. Upon completion the dead are able to cross out of spirit prison and enter into paradise. The living serving as proxies doing the work for the dead, acting in essence as a private messiah for the dead. The Bible teaches that Jesus alone is the Messiah for all. “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” [Hebrews 10:10, NKJV (c) 1982] There is no proxy or private messiah that can perform any sacred ceremony to save anyone, only Jesus Christ.

Any human effort to save the dead through endless temple work is nothing more than a needless burden of heritage.

But there are new pioneers in Utah, Christian Pioneers proclaiming the love of God. The love of God expressed in the coming of Jesus. [Romans 5:8] They have been commissioned to teach the blind, the deaf, and the sick about the hope, life, and salvation that comes from believing in Jesus Christ revealed to us by the inspired and complete message from God found in His Living Word- the Bible. Of all the words from Brigham Young, he at least spoke one truthful statement, “This is the place.” It is the place God desires for the lost to be redeemed.

A False Peace

Before I begin, Happy Birthday to my 5 year old!! The bowling and pizza was fun…

1 Thessalonians 5:1-10
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

Am I contributing to the false peace?

I have a strong belief based on God’s Word that faith in Jesus is the only means of salvation. Yet I am not very bold in proclaiming my faith. I rarely talk to anyone outside of my small church family about Jesus. I hardly ever even speak to my own extended family about Jesus. Sure it is ok to talk about God and praying, but mention Jesus and then there is trouble. Most of my extended family is still LDS; I have been promoting a peace with them as it relates to speaking about religious topics.

If I am such a strong Evangelical Christian, why do I not care to share my faith in Jesus with others? I don’t know. I would like to blame our tolerant and permissive culture, but the blame really lies with me. I am not sure if it is pride or fear of rejection. Most of the time I have deep fear of rejection. The source of fear is pride though. It is the thought of alienation or ridicule from others about talking about their sin and need for a Savior. It is foolishness to talk to others about the cross from the perspective of the world.

Last Sunday night after attending a pray meeting at my church, I was convicted to witness to my parents. That night I wrote them an email, telling them I was deeply concerned with their eternal destiny and that they need put their trust in the biblical Jesus. The last two words are the only difficulty. They do have faith in Jesus, just not the Jesus of the bible. They believe in another Christ. I was convinced that the family peace I share with them now is a false peace. I need to be bold in witness. Forget a temporary peace in this short life. I would rather them be angry with me for preaching Jesus to them for a few years-If they are drawn to God because of it, we can talk about in heaven later. Otherwise, there will be no conversation. For they will be away from God and I will be in His presence.

I need to be the same with other people in my sphere. A false peace of tolerance of others beliefs is not that valuable to either of us. I do them harm by not telling them about the hope I have found in trusting in Jesus as my Lord. The Day of the Lord is coming. Jesus will return in glory and then it will be past time for accepting Him. May I be able to overcome my fear of rejection and preach of Christ-and were necessary use words.