MormonInfo.org

March 2, 2004

Dear Family and Friends,

Last month I had more opportunities to do some outside ministry than I had in January, but not much more. It has been a really cold and long winter. Thank God that spring is just around the corner. I have two stories. First, I met a guy named Dave, who grew up in an LDS family in Utah County, which is around 95% LDS. He went to the local state college, took a world religions class, and not surprisingly became an agnostic. I shared how different Christianity was from all other world religions in that it stresses a personal relationship with God through Jesus of Nazareth, and how God wants to change us from the inside out as we simply trust Him. I also gave Dave some reasons for why he should believe in Christianity, but he left unconvinced, needing more time to reflect. This situation confirmed to me again the need for us to have more Evangelical professors represented in the state schools. Why should agnosticism have so many victories there?

Second, I met a girl named Blair, who just left the LDS Church back in January. She was going to a Vineyard church, met the LDS missionaries, and joined not that long ago. Fortunately, she had read a lot of "anti-Mormon" literature prior to joining. After being in for a while, she began to see the truth of that literature. She told me that she had visited one of my churches before, and would like to come again some time.

My web site (MormonInfo.org) has been advertised quite a bit and continues to grow. Several more film reviews have been added since January, including a couple from a friend of mine--Dave Whitsell. I have been receiving inquiries through the site as well (see below), but most of the e-mails here have been attempted viruses.

Thank you for every prayer said on my behalf, and for every check written on my behalf.

Rob
Rob@Mormon Info.org
Mormon Info

****PRAYER LIST****

1. For more salvations
2. For God to move more people to do street ministry downtown
3. For Utah churches and individual Christians to support each other's various ministries
4. For financial provision
5. For the ability to get my rough draft comprehensive done soon
6. For God to use my web site
7. For the article I wrote on evangelistic approaches to Mormons to be published
8. For love, protection, and wisdom as I minister

****MAILBAG****

...I had a God ordained encounter with the woman to whom I sent pamphlets about the God of Mormonism and the Christ of Mormonism. I asked her if she had any questions about the information I sent her. She politely responded with, "I am a Mormon. I've been a Mormon for 25 years. The tracts you sent me are full of lies. You've been misinformed." Her mother was with her and they both declared, "There's not difference. It's the same Jesus." So I in like manner asked her, "What was wrong in it?" She responded with, "I don't know. It was full of lies. Do you have a pamphlet with you? I can show you." I did not have a pamphlet with me so I... asked her, "Is there anything at all that you can remember about it that was wrong?" Her response was, "I'd have to see the pamphlet to tell you. I have your phone number. I'll call you." I gladly accepted her offer and am awaiting her call. Every doctrinal statement in the pamphlets about Jesus and God the Father have their official LDS sources noted so I'm not sure if she really read them. That makes me even more excited because both she & her mother are more likely to dig into researching to see what's true (even if it starts as an effort to simply prove me wrong).

This challenge, combined with a phone call I had with a Christian brother (Rob Sivulka) in Salt Lake City, has inspired me to read & reread through Scriptures that intentionally emphasize the deity of Jesus Christ (John, Colossians, Hebrews, and Philippians). I was blown away by [Rob's] fundamental explanation of the nature of God (i.e. Philippians 2:6) as opposed to the nature of humans. I was confused & educated at the same time. You should check out his web site. http://MormonInfo.org/

[From the same guy who wrote above:] Rob, ...I'm planning to send a letter to the editor in a revision form. I've taken a great liking to your "Seven Differences Between Mormonism and Christianity" so it would in large part be an abridged version of that. That being the case and since you are an expert on the matter, I would want you to look it over before I submit it.

...I've been spurred on to continue in this because of an hour-long conversation I had with a pair of elders... on Friday while I was jogging. We discussed all kinds of doctrine and the validity of the Bible. I was able to refute most of what they said. There were some portions of the Bible that they used to support their doctrines and I was not sure about. So it was very good for me because I know in what areas I need to dig into the Scriptures… Their mission president must have warned them about me. At the very end of our discussion [one of the elders] said, "...I just encourage you to stop contacting people in our Church. We don't attack your church." I told him how that statement is incorrect but he would not listen. His words made me realize that what I've been doing has been a threat to the LDS Church in my town. People need to know the truth. So I just wanted you to know of the apostate influence you have on me. I'll keep you updated.

Thank you! ...Now that I think of it, you reached me outside of Temple Square at a time when I was doubting Mormonism and leaning on Catholicism (which is why I told you I was Catholic) and all the emails helped me come to Christ. So I owe you a lot of thanks.

I want to say before I sign off that I hope you are causing huge problems for the Mormon Church in telling the truth to everyone. May God continue to bless what you are doing. Take care, In Christ

[The following is a good example of some of the things continually said to me while I'm witnessing in front of the LDS Temple:]

I read one of your anti-Mormon newsletters today at Temple Square. First of all, how ridiculous it is to be passing out that garbage right outside the temple. Do Mormons go to your temples and churches and preach against your church? I don't think so....they are way above that. And not in a pridefully way. Maybe if you dropped your pride and actually cared about another person's beliefs, you wouldn't have to devote your life to things the Savior would not have done. You say that you are "real" Christians and that the Mormon's aren't, and yet you don't even practice what Christ teached. He taught that there are two churches in the world...one of Christ and one of the devil. He wasn't saying that the Mormon church is the only true church, which if you knew so much about the church as you claim should become apparent to you, he was saying that anything that doesn't bring people closer to Christ and people who live a righteous life according to his teachings is of the devil. And there are many things in the world that don't bring people to Christ in the world today...so many things that it's sickening.

Furthermore, you think that only by grace you are saved. You know that the Mormons believe that as well but you also have to have works. "Faith without works is dead." The whole grace thing is nice because then people can do anything they want - sex out of wedlock, get drunk all the time, lie, cheat, steal, etc, etc, etc - and they don't have to pay the consequences because all they have to do is believe in Christ. Well I'm sorry to tell you that that is just not how life works. We are here to be tested on how we live our lives and the decisions that we make.

And Christ outlines everything in the scriptures, the Book of Mormon and Bible BOTH. The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible, it is just another testimony of Christ. If you actually read both books and didn't just pick and choose scriptures that look nice to bash other religions, you might be able to actually learn something and learn that Christ would never ever sit outside someone's temple and preach against it. That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Open your heart to the church, or just respect it for goodness sake. Why do you feel so threatened by the Mormon Church? Obviously it's true if there is so much persecution. Satan does not want it to be on the earth and he's trying to plant hate in people's heart and lead them to follow him. Well Satan can't give eternal life, sorry. So I just wanted to tell you that I think that you need to get a life. Find something better to do with your time. Let people believe what they want to believe. Oh and I'm sure you've had a lot of success. People probably think that you need to grow up, just as I do. The Mormons don't do this, and they are definitely better people because of it.

[I responded:] Thanks for reading the newspaper. I think your problem in the main is that you're bothered that someone would stand out in front of another church to gain converts. You find this to be totally un-Christlike. I on the other hand find it very Christlike, so I'm wondering if we are reading the same New Testament. What do you think Christ was doing kicking people out of the temple with whips (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17 and Luke 19:46)? (Please look these and the following passages up and tell me what you think of them. This is God's word.) If nothing else, He was upsetting people with the truth at their place of worship. And what do you make of His apostle going to the synagogue to, as was his custom, reason with the Jews that they needed to believe Jesus is the Christ (Acts 17:1ff.)?

And what about Samuel the Lamanite in your own Book of Mormon going on the wall of the city he wasn't welcome in to preach unto the Nephites (Helaman 13:1ff.)? Now why can they do it, but I can't... especially when I'm on public property? I'm trying to be a Christian, which means a follower of Christ. And what should I care what you guys do in terms of your preaching? I'm not Mormon, so why should I act like one... especially when they aren't following the Scriptural models I just mentioned? Were those models "prideful"? It just doesn't seem to me that LDS care enough about us if they won't stand outside other people's places of worship to try and convert them.

Perhaps you just don't want to see how concerned I am that you guys are going to hell, and someone needs to tell you the truth before it's too late. What do you think motivated Christ to go to the cross and suffer all the abuse? It was simply love, and that's the same motive I have for you. I can take all your guys' belittling statements simply because I love you and want you to know the truth. You've been mislead, and it's time to wake up in Jesus' name.

You said that Christ "was saying that anything that doesn't bring people closer to Christ and people who live a righteous life according to his teachings is of the devil." I quite agree, but I think you guys are part of the Church of the devil, since you have cheapened Christ to make Him something less than your Creator, Lucifer's Creator, and the Creator of everything else that exists for that matter. You need to turn from a cult that offers you an anemic Christ who can't save you since he isn't real. As Jesus Himself said, "Ye are of your father the devil" (John 8:44).

You claimed the LDS Church isn't the only true Church. I don't see how that fits with the first vision story in which Jesus supposedly condemned all other churches as being "wrong", all their creeds an "abomination", and all their professors "corrupt". That's why Smith had to found a whole new Church, a "restoration" of the first century Church since the Church had been in a state of "complete apostasy" since then (History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, xl). This is why Brigham Young said that the Christian world was "groveling in darkness" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, 73), "more ignorant than children" (Ibid., 229), and "hatched in hell" (Ibid., vol. 6, 176 [quoting Brother Taylor approvingly]). He also said, "Every intelligent person under the heavens that does not, when informed, acknowledge that Joseph Smith, jun., is a Prophet of God, is in darkness, and is opposed to us and to Jesus and his kingdom on the earth" (Ibid., vol. 8, 223).

And since you are blind, it doesn't surprise me that you misunderstand salvation by grace alone through faith alone. The works that are done naturally "result" from simple and genuine faith in Christ. Since Christ is in my life now, I don't have the desires I used to have. The desires are something internal that Christ has changed and continues to change (that's why I still sin). Christians change from the inside out; not by worrying that if we don't measure up to some "_blank" standard we won't make it to live with our Heavenly Father one day. It's Christ that works in those He has saved through faith apart from any works (Galatians 2:20 and Ephesians 2:8-10). And if a person continues to live like the devil, it's a rather clear indication that one hasn't been changed and saved from the inside. That's why I have complete faith in Christ, which results in peace with God (Romans 5:1). You don't have that peace, since it still depends on your "worthiness". And that's not how God defined grace. Grace is not of works, otherwise grace isn't grace (Romans 11:6). You guys redefine grace like you do most other theological terms. My "sufficiency" is in Christ's work. He has made me perfect before the Father simply because of Jesus' blood (Mt. 5:48, Rom. 4:5, and Hebrews 10:12-14).

I've read the Book of Mormon all the way through, and prayed about it sincerely, and I bear witness to you by the power of the Holy Spirit, that you need to repent of the LDS Church and trust God alone to save you right now. Thanks for attempting to bash what I do for the cause of Christ. With all the persecution I feel, I know that I must be in the truth. You must have felt pretty threatened to have written me. Please read some of my testimonies on my site: http://www.mormoninfo.org/index.php?id=10. I love you and pray to God that He will give you eyes to see and ears to hear. Rob

Dear Rob, I read your letters with great interest and feel good about assisting you with my prayers and some finances. You are a great warrior for our Lord[;] may He keep you forever in His hand. Some day we may celebrate together in His presence. ...Hope to keep in touch forever--Yours in His service