Sharing the Truth in Love

FaithWalkDaily October 18, 2008

Acts 20:30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

Someone I love fell prey to a huge and growing cult religion and it broke my heart. When I shared my faith in Christ with this beloved person in hopes that she too would see the light, she told me she disdained organized religion of any kind and didn't want any part of it.

A few years later she moved to Utah. Within months her family was caught in the LDS machine.

Our ministry, the Circle of Grace was birthed from that chapter in our lives. Yesterday as I was doing some research, I came across the website of an LDS man that I've often visited when questioning their beliefs. He seems to fancy himself something of a "Book of Mormon answer man," as it were.

2 Peter 2:1-32:3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

If you're unfamiliar with the false teaching of the LDS, I suggest you get to know your Bible well (fi you don't already,) compare it to the Book of Mormon which they tout as the truest book ever written, then study their beloved founder Joseph Smith who was a hypocrite, adulterer, fornicator and polygamist not to mention a liar, thief and murderer - unrepentent. You do the research and decide for yourself.

I have written to this man before, disputing his theories. Of course he defends his faith. He's steeped in deception. Reaching people like that isn't easy. Perhaps I never will. But I choose to continue to dialogue with him and pray for him. As he is leading people astray, how can I sit and do nothing?

Beloved, we have a responsibility to stand up for the gospel truth and not let it be trampled, no matter how big the church that perpetuates false doctrine.

I wrote to Jeff again yesterday. Here is a portion of it. I share it with you for insight and perhaps it will help you in sharing the truth with love to someone your concerned about in a cult.

Dear Jeff,

I know with all my heart that you mean well and really believe what you post. Every once in awhile when I'm researching something on Mormonism I land on your website. This time it was a google search for where J.S. came up with his convoluted notion of 3 heavens. Please, please, please read my entire message because I'm going to reveal something to you in the end that will rock your world.

When I read your explanation that Joseph Smith's fabricated heavenly realms stemmed from any knowledge of Greek language (when he was clearly not a student of Greek, Hebrew or theology,) and that God the author of language gave it to him somehow, all I could think of was my sister's propensity for making up words that have no meaning, just as telestial has no meaning. Smith made it up. Forgive me. I don't mean to be contentious or demeaning. You're obviously a well educated man. But you, as so many others, have been duped. It happens to the best of the best.

As for the 2nd letter Paul wrote to the Corinthians in chapter 12, in his reference to third heaven and paradise, it is clear they are one and the same. Since this is the only mention of third heaven in Scripture, since Paul spoke of himself in the 3rd person in an attempt at humbling himself in the presence of those he challenged, the only explanation man can render is pure speculation. I've read a number of commentaries, concluding the authors gave fair guesses based on studies of the Greek language used, but no one knows for sure. I personally prefer because it makes sense, the explanation that the first heaven refers to the clouds we can see, the second refers to outer space - the inky blackness filled with stars, the third heaven being God's realm from whence He rules.

The bottom line, there's no mention in any Scripture anywhere, or in any church history, or in any history for that matter, of a celestial, terrestrial or telestial domain. Although the concepts of heaven and paradise have been widely accepted through the ages by believers and nonbelievers alike.

Your argument from the perspective of a dear and devout follower of the teachings of Joseph Smith would be that J.S. was a modern day prophet of God. And my challenge to you, as to all who profess faith in Joseph Smith, is to ask and answer the question, how do you test a true prophet? (Deuteronomy 13)

Since the inception of both the Mormon and Jehovah's Witness sects, "prophets" of these organizations have made claims and predictions that did not come to pass. There are Christian men and women today claiming to be modern day prophets of God and I'll reserve that judgement to God. I will not follow them nor accept what they say because we need no more than what God has already given us. There are no modern day prophets because all that needed to be said, has been said. We exist in a time of waiting for the return of our Savior. We have but one course to follow - His.

The prophets of old were found to be credible because their prophecies were ALL fulfilled. A man who got 3 out of 10, 5 out of 10, even 9 out of 10 guesses correctly would not have been accepted. If a prophets predictions were not 100%, the man was put to death for heresy.

The LDS think "ordinary" Christians hate them, persecute them, mock them. Nothing could be further from the truth. You have no idea the tears we shed in crying out to God Almighty on your behalf because the grief of Christ grips our hearts and will not let us rest without doing all we can to open your eyes.

Can we cut to the chase here? All we need to know has already been given us and it's ridiculously simple. Yet man, for some reason, thinks he must twist it into something complicated so he can feel good about himself when he's the only one who "gets it" and has to tell the rest of the world how to think and what to do.

This is all we need to know. By the way, I didn't come up with this, Jesus the Christ did.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength. Love your brother as yourself. (Matt. 22:37-40)

Simple, yes. Easy? Well, let's consider.

The first statement encompasses all the commandments. In order to fully love God as instructed, we look to who God is, what God wants and we naturally desire more than anything to please Him. So, what were the commandments? Not all the convoluted laws tacked on through the ages by Jews, Christians and Mormons. The original 10 commandments given by God to Moses, broadly addressed all sin. Read them carefully, paying particular attention to the first 4. (Exodus 20)

The second command Jesus gave - which He conferred because His life and death were appointed to fulfill the law, therefore to love and follow Him is the fulfillment of all the commandments - is also more difficult than it appears on the surface. But again, if we love God, there is great joy in selfless care for others. And yes, Jesus is one with God though different in nature just as I'm a wife, mother and writer - but that's a discussion for another time. I already know your arguments in that arena. (Col. 1:15-16)

We don't need a modern day prophet to tell us the end is coming - Jesus told us that already.

We don't need a modern day prophet to tell us when the end is coming because Jesus told us that also - NO ONE KNOWS, not even Christ. No one is meant to know. The whole element of surprise is what keeps us on our toes. (Matt. 24:26)

We don't need a modern day prophet to tell us to worship God and live reverently.

We don't need a modern day prophet to tell us what to wear or what to eat or how speak or work or live - all of those things are summed up in the first commandment Jesus gave. For if we love Him, we will worship Him in our hearts, in our attitudes, in our thoughts, all day every day and on the Sabbath. We will respectfully dress modestly by choice, not mandate. We will speak with love and gentility, without profanity. We will want to share the love of Christ with others. We will want to eat right and take care of ourselves for our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:19)

These are all common sense issues that we know - how? Of course through the Holy Spirit who gives all wisdom and understanding. We don't need a modern day prophet because we all have one in us when we choose to follow God.

Before I had the Holy Spirit in my heart, I didn't care what anyone thought of me, didn't care what came out of my mouth or what went into it, didn't care how I dressed, didn't care about worship or others. I pretty much didn't care about anyone or anything except myself. But by the power of the blood of Jesus, by His atoning death on the cross, the day I believed, the day I chose to follow Him, I was transformed in ways I could never have managed on my own. Nobody told me to stop cussing and dressing inappropriately. This new awareness was similar to the awakening of Adam and Eve in the garden, when they were suddenly ashamed. I was different in the blink of an eye. The foul language dried up, the attitude was softened, I was reverent, hopeful, joyful, decent, modest - everything was transformed. That, my brother, is the power of the Holy Spirit. He is THE modern day prophet and the only spiritual guide we need. The Holy Spirit then is also one with God, just as Jesus, a separate entity. They are not three Gods, they are not three different people, they are not a god, a spirit and a man. They are God in heaven, God represented in flesh as the Son, and God given within each believer by His Holy Spirit. (John 14:26)

I love the purity of God's word and the simplicity of His message. It truly grieves my heart that so many want to pervert it with their sinful desire to be like God - the very thing that brought the fall of mankind. For any man to think he might attain some sort of godhood, to seek self-importance or for whatever reason man envisions himself in a loftier place, is beyond my understanding, for we were created to worship not be worshipped.

May God have mercy on you and those you lead astray for your are truly, though innocently unaware, deceived. Seek the truth lest you call out the wrath of our God who reigns forever.(Psalm 9:7) The devil wears fine clothes, shines brightest among all men and creatures, dazzles the eyes and heart, beguiles with a poisoned tongue. And he will burn in eternal damnation, taking with him all who believe his lies. Satan's light will burn out. The light of Christ rules forever.

As long as you persist in defending the unqualified teaching of Joseph Smith, I will persist in praying for your eyes to be opened. Because I love you with the love of the Lord.

For the love of Christ, by His grace,
anne hughes
Psalm 23:!

Heavenly Father, thank You for laying it on my heart to share Your truth in love with Mr. Lindsay. I pray Lord, that You will use my words to cause Jeff to consider his place and what he's doing, to protect the great numbers of people he influences with his writing on the web. I pray for those reading this blog, that they might be enlightened about Mormonism, that perhaps they would be prompted to do further research on their own. Holy Spirit, if there are any reading this who are gifted and compelled to pray, who feel led to join the Circle of Grace, would You make that abundantly clear to them. Father we pray in one accord for all those who have been deceived by the lies of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and all who carry on in their stead today, that the scales would fall from their eyes and they would seek the true Gospel for salvation. In Jesus' precious name we pray, amen.