A Mormon Bishop was invited to a youth event at my church last Friday. It became a matter of prayer at our Wednesday night prayer group. My Pastor hadn't known the man had been there. The Evangelist in me was delighted to hear that the man had come, and hopefully heard some truth. After-all, Mormon Bishop or murderer the man is no more or less lost than any other unsaved person.
My Pastor had a different view. What would your view be?
He was aghast at the idea of the man being invited. Of course I was initially confused, but then I realized Pastor wasn't being foolish at all. The man had been invited in to share in the fellowship - not to be corrected of his horrendous error and called to repent in order to be saved. My Pastor saw the Devil's servant welcomed in as a friend. A ravenous wolf who would seek to draw away disciples after himself.
We are called to keep our fellowship pure, not just keep the Lord's Table pure. There is surely room to bring sinners to hear the truth, but they can not be allowed to confuse themselves with being part of the family. They must know that they need to be born again in order to be part of the family.
Then on Thursday two Mormons knocked on my Pastor's door. He reasoned with them from the Scriptures but realized that these people have been systematically brain washed. Today, two Mormons knocked on my door. Previously I have listened to their reasoning and corrected them from the Scriptures. However today, I listened closely and they were itching for an argument with me as soon as they knew I am a Christian. I asked them if Jesus Christ is God or not. I did not bite on their answers which were cleverly designed to make me ask more questions. I simply asked twice more if Jesus is God or not. Instead of answering they asked me the last time if I believe in the Trinity. I knew they had been well trained to argue with ill-prepared people who have heard some Christian terminology (this includes weak Christians). So I shut them down. "If Jesus the Christ is not God then you are still in your sins and will surely spend eternity in the Lake of Fire." They were not interested in the Truth, they were interested in drawing disciples to themselves, and their Bishop.
My Pastor was right to be upset. The Mormon Bishop, from the temple just down the road from my house and our church building, had sent these young men into our neighbourhood. He hadn't attended the Friday service and been convicted. He was going to say, as the young men at my door today said also, that he too follows Jesus Christ. The problem is that he's talking about an entirely different person. He's doing all he can, and sending people out to do all they can to make sure that people are confused about Who Jesus Christ is.
I'm studying and praying in order to assist Pastor in his job of shepherding our assembly. He's asked for my counsel. So I'm asking for the thoughts, studious notes and prayers of you all who read On My Walk.
Right now I'm thinking of passages about those who seek to make disciples for themselves, and how people outside the Church were afraid to come in because of God's judgment in Acts. I'm thinking of how consistently Christians in the bible were told to GO to the lost and preach the Gospel, and how they actually went. I do not know of a single passage in the Bible where someone was witnessed to by having them join the assembly of Believers.
4 comments:
Kev-
Are you looking specifically for information on Mormons?
JanH
Hi Jan,
Anything you are willing to share really.
However, the real concern is how Evangelism is primarily done by Believers inviting the people they know to their church service.
I understand the new reality of modern church, but I don't think this is the way things should be. I tend to pine for the "closed brethren" approach to church - but I'm not entirely sure that is the best way. After all in 1Cor 14 Paul writes about the possibility of unbelievers coming into the assembly service.
The balance of being prepared for unbelievers, with protecting the Saints (and the service focus of edifying the saints), with proper biblical outreach.
It's all on the table. I especially value your comments on any of this.
Kev
Well Kev, I'm not sure there is a best way, per se. I sort of think evangelism can and does happen in a wide variety of contexts, both in churches and out side. The main thing is ethics in evangelism. It is not acceptable to treat the unsaved as though they were saved and then tell them later they aren't really saved. That is a sort of bait and switch and is wrong.
The thing with the church, IMO, is that it is for the edification and fellowship of the brethren and not for the unsaved or "unchurched" as a main focal point. To that end, I'm not sure why the unsaved would (or should) want to come into the assembly. Yet every so often one does and it is good for them to be made welcome as a guest until they become part of the family of God.
As to what happened with the Mormon in your midst, that is troubling. I cannot see any rational reason why a Mormon bishop should be invited into a youth event at a Christian church. That is deceptive to all parties and makes it really impossible to witness to him honestly. And I don't quite get what happened there anyway. If he is a bishop, he is not a youth. So he was invited in to minister?? Or what?
Hi Jan,
He wasn't asked in to minister. He is apparently a long time friend of one couple who attend our assembly.
I really do not know the full context of his being invited, but it does seem to be more than simply coming to hear truth. Please don't take this as authoritative, it's just my opinion.
In 1Cor 14 Paul writes about the possibility of an unbeliever coming into an assembly. However, I don't know of any place where this is either done, or instructed to be done, intentionally.
I've been studying this out and will have more comments once my Pastor gets back to me with his comments about what I wrote to him.
Your point about giving a person the impression that they are saved, and then jerking them around later is an on going problem with various factions within Christendom. YOur point is well taken for this instance.
Kev
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