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Posts Tagged with Mormonism

I Am He

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I’ve been preaching through the book of Isaiah for over a year and a half now. I have come to the forty-third chapter and the great news of the unchangeable Gospel is as strong as one can find anywhere in the sacred text of the Holy Bible, the only authoritative word to know God.

In the middle verses of this chapter Isaiah paints a word picture of all the nations gathered together and all peoples are given the opportunity to state their case on who their god is. He instructs those who have given themselves to false or strange gods to declare what their gods have done. He instructs those who are His people to declare what their God has done. He welcomes all to present their case so they might be justified and that their god gets to be fairly presented.

This is not something that the Almighty God is required to do, it is more that those who are blind or deaf to truth can see that their false gods are just that, impostures. It is a kindness from God to extend His mercy to those who have given themselves to the counterfeit.

This fabricated, propped up god, comes in many forms. Perhaps you have given yourself to one of the many pretend gods?

God has been kind to give a witness of Truth. He has given the nations a people who bear His name to advance His glory to all, the church. And of course He has given His only begotten son, Jesus the Christ, as described by the Bible, to stand as a witness of His glory to all nations. In Isaiah forty-three He also even shows his triune nature by revealing to the reader that there is one, and only one, God. He is identified by God as “My Servant” and He declares that “Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me.” (Isaiah 43:10-11)

That one phrase, “I am He”, is not to be missed or passed by so quickly.

In the New Testament when Jesus asked the Roman officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees who they were looking for, they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answers “I am He.” This alone is not that unusual, unless the reader keeps reading. The New Testament book of John records that Jesus said, “I am He” the Roman offers “drew back and fell to the ground (John 18:5-6).” This is a witness to the nations that this Jesus is unlike all others.

Whatever fake god you have been bowing down to has been exposed for the sham that it is. Only God can have this kind of impact on a people when He bears witness of deity. His eternal deity. Not a man who became God or earned the right to become a god. Not a god who was once a man. No, this eternal deity “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, by emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

This coming Lord’s Day I hope you will find yourself willing to examine truth without the fear of what men might say about you. The Magic Valley is blessed with many Bible believing, God fearing churches who will open their Bibles and preach this truth this weekend. Gather in one of those churches and be set free from the bondage of your sin. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as described by the Bible, and be saved from the idolatry of following a spoof. If you don’t have a church to gather in this weekend then consider gathering with Eastside Baptist Church, 204 Eastland Drive North, Twin Falls, Idaho.

On Monday, September 9, 2019 there is an opportunity to hear what several religions think about the person and nature of God. At 6:30 p.m in the Shields building room 118 on the campus of the College of Southern Idaho there will be an open forum discussion among many different religions about God. Come hear the difference. Learn that the god of Mohamad, the god of Joseph Smith, the god of Humanism, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are entirely different.

Come hear and see.

Theology and the Funeral Service

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Where I live, today is a big day.

In the common human experience of life, all will die. The funeral service exposes theology of the person, the preacher, and the more.

I do not embrace Mormon doctrine as orthodox in any way and hold that the Mormon religion is a cult.

This does not diminish the real common human experience of all of humanity; death. Real people are sad, real people are hoping, real people are mourning. I will watch the funeral service online and update some observations of the theology of Mormonism as the service for the late president Thomas S. Monson unfolds.

I don’t mean any disrespect in my observation. It is purely a look at the theology of a professing “church” that is not really the church.

Visual observation:

  • Choir – as always, the best face of the Mormon religion is the musical skill, talent and beauty of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. If there is a matter that creates greater confusion of Mormonism it is this talent that God has given for the worship and glory of the true God, allows praise of this skill to another. This may actually be one of the most complicated matters to reconcile. Like the Piano Guys, talented, skilled, enjoyable to the ear, the Jesus of the Mormon religion is not the Jesus of the Bible; there is no way to reconcile or argue that they are the same at all.
  • The video shots of the crowd look as though the building is full, but a few shots show large sections in the back completely empty.
  • The face of conservative and wholesomeness can not be ascertained by appearance only.
  • That massive pipe organ.

Examination of the speakers: 

  • Language (words and phrases): Testimony, God, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, Well done thou good and faithful servant, heaven, blessings, prayer, Courage, Comfort, angels, family, atonement, Seal, eternal family, prophet… (nearly everyone of these words and phrases require study for clarity in what Mormon theology means and what the Bible teaches.
  • Quotes from: the Bible, Doctrine and Covenant,
  • Emotions: joy, sorrow, tears, laughter, calculated
  • Props: reading from teleprompters, flowers, plants
  • president of the quorum of the 12 gave the final message; president Russell Nelson. (clearly reading from a teleprompter)

I reserve my observation of the speaking until a further date. But let me express this in my overall observation. I must preach the gospel at the funerals I officiate over. The biblical gospel of the nature of God, the sin of men, the wrath satisfying atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, and the transforming from mortal man to immortality by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Bible believing followers of the Lord Jesus Christ as described by the Holy Bible alone, be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Ecumenical Universalism is not the same as Religious Freedom

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Full disclosure: I was not personally present at the event I’m writing an opinion about…

What took place on Saturday morning in Twin Falls appeared to have been more of an ecumenical attempt of universalism that amalgamated pieces of many beliefs into essentially a castrated god of nothingness.

To speak up for religious freedom does not mean we put our gods aside and pretend we are worshipping the same god. When that happens you are not at a religious freedom rally, you are at an ecumenical worship service where every god but the God of the Bible is worshipped.

Religious honesty is needed today.

We can sit down at the table and dialog of our differences without compromising our convictions and setting truth outside the door.

Where I am an advocate of religious freedom for all, I in no way support or participate in universalism disguised as religious freedom.

As a pastor of a biblical ordered church, I do not support any event that is not intellectually honest or biblically true as a valid voice for true religious leaders.

I will be brief in my response to what was called a religious freedom rally at the Twin Falls City Park on Saturday, December 2, 2017.

Granted, again, I was not present…

Prayer cannot be mutually given to whatever god you want to say you are praying to. For example: if a Muslim man is praying to his god, Allah, the Mormon man cannot at the same time say amen or agree with his neighbor on whose God is being prayed to. If a Christian man is praying in the name of Jesus, the Mormon and Muslim must inquire if he means the Jesus of their books.

If a religious freedom rally is what you want with people of differing religions and you begin with prayer you have at that moment acted against your conscience by putting your religious freedom upon the alter of universalism. You have ceased being who you say you are and stopped believing what you profess to believe.

I’ll stand for religious freedom all day long. But I will not put my conscience aside to pray with someone to their god in hopes that my God will understand. In a day where religious integrity is needed most, religious leaders should be articulating with greater clarity.

This pastor preaches a Triune Godhead. No honest Muslim would ever join me in a prayer to this God. No honest Mormon would submit himself the the authority of this God. To do so, both would be required to repent of their worship of their current gods, unless they are secretly ecumenical universalist, like many other false professors calling themselves Christians.

Religious freedom is not what is celebrated at an ecumenical, amalgamated gathering, of confused religious leaders.

I suport religious freedom. I denounouce any other kind of false representations of misleading wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Does Truth Matter?

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The truth matters to God so the truth should matter to us.

This examination is of the orthodox Presbyterian church and Latter-day Saints. The examination is thorough, helpful, and considerate. I post it here to help all who might watch.

How Aware Are You?

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It won’t be long and you’ll begin to see the talented musicians playing those familiar Christmas tones on their pianos, cellos and violins. I don’t mean to make small of their talent when I bring up the matter of their beliefs. I don’t mean to be critical of you if you post their clever videos or are impacted at some level by the music. I simply want to only bring up the question… How aware are you?

Music is a fantastic place isn’t it? It is marvelously  close to the heart. Which should give reason to ask oneself, “How aware are you?”

I don’t have any angst with the music of the Piano Guys. I agree with many, they are talented. I enjoy a story told by the music played. But when it comes to music in worship… I have to be aware.

A musician who plays music for the purpose of worship is responsible for what god he is leading the worshiper to worship and the worshiper must know that the leader is leading the worshiper to worship his god. This is why I take issue with believers using music from an unbeliever to generate a worshipful experience. Can the unregenerate properly lead another to truly worship God?

Most don’t know that the Piano Guys are on public record as stating their faith, they are not ashamed of their faith. For that I respect them for disclosing that. How aware are you that they offer full statement of belief on their website, it is as follows…

“We believe the purpose of life is to be happy.
We believe the best way to be happy is to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and to love others more than yourself.

We believe family is most important.

We believe we are all children of a God who loves us dearly.

We believe that good music can be a source of joy, inspiration, and fulfillment.

We believe as Bobby McFerrin once said, listening to only one kind of music is like insisting on living in only one room of
your home your entire life.

We believe in as much laughter in life as possible.

We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as “LDS” or “Mormons”) to learn more about this church please visit mormon.org”

Last year I pondered the matter like this…

Why is this important for me? Why should you find it a significant thing to think through?

Learning that the Piano Guys are LDS did not change the fact that these [piano] guys are talented. They are. What changed is the origin of their faith. When a Mormon speaks of the birth of Christ, sings of the birth of Christ, or even plays music [without words] of the birth of Christ I’m in a different place of critique. I’m no longer simply enjoying music, I’m in doctrinal conflicted with the musician. When a Mormon sings of the birth of Jesus, he means a god left heaven, came and had sexual relations with a woman, and she gave birth to a child. They are the same words an orthodox Christian may sing but the teaching behind those same words are radically different.

I can still respect the talent of the Piano Guys, but I can’t experience worship as a result of their music. I might feel emotion that their music creates but I can’t trust my emotions to lead me to worship. I must give direction to my emotions. It’s possible that many will disagree with me on this. I welcome the disagreement, I’m only stating my observation from comparing the doctrines of the Book of Mormon and the Bible.

What do followers of Christ (defined by the Bible) have in common with Mormons? There is no place where the two are the same. The two doctrines are at conflict with each other, they have two different masters.  The Bible teaches that “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24)

Can a follower of Christ enjoy the talent of the Piano Guys? I think that’s clearly possible. Can the Piano Guys lead a follower of Christ (defined by the Bible) to worship? The answer, in my observation, gets sticky. Because the Piano Guys state their beliefs on their website as clearly Mormon, and because I believe the Bible to be a sufficient rule for my life, I say no; they can only lead someone to worship their god, and clearly they want listeners to worship their god because they invite visitors of their website to check out Mormonism.

I might listen to music from the Piano Guys but I will direct my spirit to not be carried away with emotion. If I’m not careful, my emotion will deceive me and lure me into idolatry. Giving my emotions to another god must be guarded always. Clearly there is a secular product that is enjoyable by the Piano Guys, but just as clearly there is a spiritual component that must not be ignored. If I’m not careful, I can let the familiarity of the music played by the Piano Guys to eventually weaken my heart as to considering that ‘maybe we do worship the same deity.’ We don’t worship the same, so I’ll guard my heart

Be on guard. Guard your heart Christian.

Offered for consideration

the Piano Guys

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Tis the season for video posting of the extremely talented and fun to watch videos of the Piano Guys. If you’ve never heard of the Piano Guys you must still be accessing the internet with dial-up access (is that even still possible to do?).

Out of curiosity, a few years ago, I decided to do a little background research on the Piano Guys. Where there is no mistaking, they are talented and have engineered new ways of playing instruments (they usually don’t play the piano), but the platform of their faith is the reason for this caution.

Most don’t know that the Piano Guys are on public record as stating their faith. They offer full statement of belief on their website, it is as follows…

“We believe the purpose of life is to be happy.
We believe the best way to be happy is to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and to love others more than yourself.

We believe family is most important.

We believe we are all children of a God who loves us dearly.

We believe that good music can be a source of joy, inspiration, and fulfillment.

We believe as Bobby McFerrin once said, listening to only one kind of music is like insisting on living in only one room of
your home your entire life.

We believe in as much laughter in life as possible.

We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as “LDS” or “Mormons”) to learn more about this church please visit mormon.org”

PianoGuys
photo source: thepianoguys.com

Why is this important for me? Why should you find it a significant thing to think through?

Learning that the Piano Guys are LDS did not change the fact that these [piano] guys are talented. They are. What changed is the origin of their faith. When a Mormon speaks of the birth of Christ, sings of the birth of Christ, or even plays music [without words] of the birth of Christ I’m in a different place of critique. I’m no longer simply enjoying music, I’m in doctrinal conflicted with the musician. When a Mormon sings of the birth of Jesus, he means a god left heaven, came and had sexual relations with a woman, and she gave birth to a child. They are the same words an orthodox Christian may sing but the teaching behind those same words are radically different.

I can still respect the talent of the Piano Guys, but I can’t experience worship as a result of their music. I might feel emotion that their music creates but I can’t trust my emotions to lead me to worship. I must give direction to my emotions. It’s possible that many will disagree with me on this. I welcome the disagreement, I’m only stating my observation from comparing the doctrines of the Book of Mormon and the Bible.

What do followers of Christ (defined by the Bible) have in common with Mormons? There is no place where the two are the same. The two doctrines are at conflict with each other, they have two different masters.  The Bible teaches that “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24)

Can a follower of Christ enjoy the talent of the Piano Guys? I think that’s clearly possible. Can the Piano Guys lead a follower of Christ (defined by the Bible) to worship? The answer, in my observation, gets sticky. Because the Piano Guys state their beliefs on their website as clearly Mormon, and because I believe the Bible to be a sufficient rule for my life, I say no; they can only lead someone to worship their god, and clearly they want listeners to worship their god because they invite visitors of their website to check out Mormonism.

I might listen to music from the Piano Guys but I will direct my spirit to not be carried away with emotion. If I’m not careful, my emotion will deceive me and lure me into idolatry. Giving my emotions to another god must be guarded always. Clearly there is a secular product that is enjoyable by the Piano Guys, but just as clearly there is a spiritual component that must not be ignored. If I’m not careful, I can let the familiarity of the music played by the Piano Guys to eventually weaken my heart as to considering that ‘maybe we do worship the same deity.’ We don’t worship the same, so I’ll guard my heart

Be on guard. Guard your heart Christian.

Offered for consideration

 

Saratov Approach

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It’s not often that I get a call from the local theater to be offered free tickets to view a movie they are playing. (This was actually the first time this has ever happened.) It was not unusual to talk to Kim at the Twin Cinema 12 in Twin Falls though. Twin Cinema has been willing to help with multiple things for me over the past 12 years. There was a season of time that Eastside actually rented space at the Orpheum in down town Twin Falls for several months while sorting out space needs for our weekly gathering. Then there were those Sherwood Baptist guys and their successful movies… Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous. Larry and Kim are always willing to help.

Kim called late last week and asked if I would be willing to come view this movie they have showing right now called Saratov Approach. Kim was quick to let me know that this was a movie about two Mormon missionaries who were kidnapped in 1998. Her request was simply to watch the movie, their treat.

Tonight, Renee and I walked into the Twin Cinema 12 on the corner of Kimberly road and Eastland just before the 5PM showing. I explained to the cashier that Kim left me two tickets to see Saratov Approach, she was eager to accommodate by pulling out the tickets Kim left.

Here are a few reflections on the movie.

The story itself (not addressing any of the spiritual conflicts between orthodox Christianity and Mormonism) was told with skill. The skilled cinematographers did their duty to capture my attention and hold it for the entirety of the movie, even with occasional poor acting by some of the secondary actors. I was emotionally moved by the plight of the kidnapped Americans. I felt for the young men and even related to some of the internal struggles of faith and hope. I was moved with compassion for their families, and even the kidnappers from time to time.

The movie did what I think the makers wanted to achieve; there was a likability and an endearment to the two Americans and their genuine care for people, even their kidnappers. I found myself from time to time relating in a strange way to the young men. I was moved to tears as I watched their parents struggle with hope, fear, and joy. This was a good reminder that there are risks to Americans who travel abroad.

I was in constant conflict with the spiritual content. Renee noted that the two Americans would quote from the bible or reference the New Testament as they spoke of spiritual matters and not the Book of Mormon. There was language of god and Jesus that was familiar; but in light of truth, it was uncomfortable. Mormon doctrine was revealed from time to time, but always in subtle, veiled ways. Especially in relationship to the various spiritual paths that men travel down and essentially leading to the same god. This was not a focal point of the movie, but I picked up on it from time to time. A few conversations between the kidnappers and the two Americans felt like an attempt by the director to bridge an emotional bond between the viewers and the kidnappers so that Mormonism appears to be Christian. This language is always complicated. Mormon doctrine is anything, but orthodox Christianity.

I think the movie accomplished telling the story. It was done with seriousness, laughter, fear, tension, shock, tears and relief. The story showed two men loyal to their belief, honorable to their families, and compassionate to their captors. The story, for the sake of a story, was good. I’m glad I went. I’m glad to know the story. I’m thankful to the Roper’s for their kind gift of the movie passes.

I was reminded of Albert Mohler’s recent comments in a lecture at BYU last month speaking as an orthodox evangelical Christian seminary president to a student body of Mormons… “I am not here because I believe we are going to heaven together, but I do believe we may go to jail together.”

Mormonism is Not Evangelical

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In two weeks Southern Baptists will gather in Houston, TX for our annual meeting. This resolution will be submitted for consideration. I think it is a helpful resolution. It brings clarity about how Southern Baptist view the evangelical and Mormon confusion that surfaced during this past political season that brought confusion. There are parts of the resolution I  would like to have seen speak with more clarity but it is helpful. I would have liked the resolution to identify Mormonism with the classification of cult, but the North American Mission Board makes this clear in the comparison examination of the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

Resolution: On the Mormon Church – Mormonism is Not Evangelical (by Dwight McKissic and Tim Rogers)

WHEREAS, Historically, Southern Baptists have embraced Christian brotherhood and cooperation with other evangelicals and

WHEREAS, We have witnessed in recent years the portrayal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as Christian and termed an evangelical group and

WHEREAS, We have witnessed in recent years an increased call of denominations as barriers to be overcome on the road to unity and

WHEREAS, our convention along with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a long history of affirming the sanctity of life and

WHEREAS, The Word of God, the Bible, is the complete, trustworthy, and inerrant written record of God’s revelation of Himself to man (John 16:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21) and

WHEREAS, The Bible reveals God as the only true, eternal Creator and self-sufficient, self-existent Sovereign of the universe, one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6-8) and

WHEREAS, Jesus Christ is the unique and eternal Son of God, the incarnate Word, who was with God and was God, and was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit, without sexual relations, born of the virgin Mary (John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:14-16; 9:6-7; Matthew 1:18-21) and

WHEREAS, True Biblical unity can only be realized in the bond of truth, and never at the expense of Biblical truth; Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, That the Southern Baptist Convention meeting, June 11-13, 2013, in Houston, Texas, urges the Boards and Agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention to maintain the historic position of Southern Baptists as they cooperate with various other groups in appropriate evangelistic enterprises, and on issues of justice, morality, and religious liberty both at home and abroad; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That such efforts not commit Southern Baptists to any organizational or long-term relationship which would risk possible compromise of historic distinctives or the unique witness of Southern Baptists to the world; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Southern Baptists affirm the finality, sufficiency, and exclusivity of the Christian Gospel and of biblical revelation as the sole source of saving truth, “For there is no other name under heaven given among man by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; Any group that denies the sufficiency and exclusivity of the Christian Gospel and of biblical revelation as the sole source of saving truth, while cooperating with on issues of morality, social justice, and religious liberty, will not be a group Southern Baptists cooperate with on evangelistic endeavors, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; We call on all Southern Baptists to cooperate with all groups on issues of morality, social justice, and religious liberty while maintaining the understanding that the term “evangelical” is reserved only for those who affirm the exclusivity of salvation alone, by faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone, according to the scriptures alone;

AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED; Any group that adds to the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the eternal son of God, or denies the work of the Holy Trinity, is not considered Christian, or part of an evangelical belief system.

(HT: www.sbcvoices.com; Dave Miller)

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