A. The growth of Mormonism

1. Just past 11 million worldwide in 2000, by 2080, 260 million worldwide – Projected.

2. Over 5 million within the USA

3. Over 60 Thousand missionaries at any given moment. This is about how many total Protestant missionaries there are combined. This includes Christian and non Christian.

4. Around 300 Southern Baptist become Mormon each week.

5. This area has several meeting houses. A small but growing church in Quakertown, a large church in Pottstown, Allentown, Doylestown, Dallas, Tunkhannock, Berwick, Morrisville, Valley Forge, Reading, Kutztown, Scranton, and Clark Summit.

6. Most of its growth comes from the religious but lost Christian community.

7. Even a few Evangelicals become Mormon each year.

8. They spend about one billion dollars each year on their missions programs.

9. They have several higher educational institutions including Brigham Young University with an enrollment of over 30,000, BYU of Rexsburg, Idaho, A BYU Campus in Hawaii, and extension on the Mount of Olives. Recently a group of Mormon Businessmen purchased a College in Southern Virginia with hopes of turning this school into a Brigham Young University of the East.

 

1. Some Christians consider Mormonism to be just another Christian denomination.

2. Christians have problems discerning the differences between Biblical Christianity and Mormonism.

3. Some Christians believe that because Mormons talk like Christians, they must in fact be Christians.

 

1. Much of their public relations is geared in convincing the Christian community that they are Christians.

2. Recently they have been targeting Christian Pastors and even teaching seminars with the theme "Win a Minister and influence a thousand."

3. They have been targeting individuals with what's called "Friendship", which is basically a discipleship program, which targets a family.

4. Some of the things Mormons are doing include the following:

a. Visiting each minister at his church

b. Attending special events

c. Inviting pastors to lunch

d. Offering trees and shrubs

e. Involving themselves in community improvement activities.

f. Inviting pastors to special open houses at the ward.

g. Getting involved in Ecumenical activities

As Mormonism continues to grow in our area, their presence will become more and more apparent as they increase their outreach activities.

1. The Mormon Church takes in about 12 million dollars each and every day.

2. Much of the income of the Mormon Church is through its many businesses.

3. They have been known to apply pressure to companies that oppose Mormonism. Several years ago they pressured 60 minutes to publicly apologize for a segment they ran about the Mormon Church.

4. They bought out certain companies that were producing films that would of been critical of the church, including the Multi-Million dollar mini-series "The Mormon Murders" a film about the crime that rocked the foundations of the Mormon Church.

 

1. They claim to be the one and only true church on the face of the earth. All other churches are part of the great apostasy including your church.

a. If . . . the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased." D&C 1:30

b. Joseph Fielding Smith, 10th Prophet said, "True Christianity, so far as the Latter-Days are concerned, is very young, for it has only been since 1830 that the Church of Jesus Christ has been organized in the earth, and the gospel restored."

2. Their claim of superiority.

a. "It is true that we are the Best people there are on earth." HCK

b. "We are the smartest people in the world." BY

c. "We in fact are the saviors of the world." JT

d. "We are morally clean, in every way equal, in many ways superior to any other people." JFS

3. Their claim of authority.

"God reveals His will to his authorized priesthood representative on the earth, the prophet. The prophet, who is the president of the Church, serves as the spokesman for God to all the members of the Church and all people on the earth." BM

 

1. Joseph Smith was seeking truth and asked God to show him truth. God told Smith that the true Church was not to be found on the face of the earth at that time therefore a restoration needed to take place. God told Smith that he was foreordained to bring about this restoration. Shortly after this encounter with God an angel revealed to Smith the location of buried scriptures written by prophets that lived in the Americas between 600 BC to about 421 AD. Smith translated these golden plates and it became what we call the Book of Mormon. Smith and 5-others in 1830 organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

B. The Biblical Version

1. The Bible is clear in that there is nothing new under the sun. The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

2. The Bible is also clear that the Church will never vanish from the earth. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

3. The Bible is also clear that Christ will be with us till the end of the age. ... lo, I am with you alway, (even] unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28)

4. The Bible warns us of false christs, false prophets, false apostles, false teachers and false gospels

5. The Bible gives the teachings of these false individuals as doctrines of devils. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" (1 Timothy 4:1)

6. Mormonism claims that it had its origins in a garden in upstate New York. I believe it indeed had its origins in a garden.

7. Mormonism claims that it came into existence when the spiritual realm interacted with the physical realm. I also believe Mormonism came from a communication from the spiritual realm.

8. It is interesting that every teaching that Satan espouse to Eve in the garden of Eden, Mormonism believes and teaches. Gen 3

1. God's word can not be trusted.
2. Sin has no real consequences.
3. Man can progress to become a god.

There are several implications to such teaching, first if God's word can not be trusted, addition information is needed that can be trusted. Second, if sin has no lasting consequences then all will be able to enter heaven. (Mormons are universalist) And third if men can become gods, They become their own savior, working their way to godhead.

9. Within the Garden of Eden, Mormonism had its beginning, Through nearly 6000 years of history, Satan has managed to repackage the same lies and call it different names, however Mormonism has been one of the most successful attempts to package the lies in the wrappings of Christianity. (An interesting note: Satan gave a total of three messages that are recorded in the Word of God. Each one of these messages lasted perhaps about 5 minutes. In a total of 15 minutes, Satan gave his teachings to the world. We can read all of Satan's messages in about 1 minute, I'm assuming that Satan said more than what is recorded. The Bible takes a total of 70 hours to read, God gave us hundreds of messages, some of, which will take several hours to read. Yet, with all that God gives us Man still as a whole believes 15 minutes of Satan's message, and rejects God's entire message.

10. For the origins of Mormonism go to Gen 3.

11. Questions:

12. REMEMBER:

1. Mormonism perhaps successful, but success doesn't indicate truth.

2. Mormonism claims much, but truth is not determined by a claim.

3. Mormonism is repackaged satanic lies. At the very heart of its teachings are these lies.

a. God's word can not be trusted.

-Therefore additional information is needed to determine truth.

b. Sin has no lasting consequences.

-Therefore all will go to heaven. (Except ex-Mormons)

c. Mankind has the potential for Godhead

-Therefore man becomes his own savior working their way to godhood.

 

 

1. Recognize that when confronting a Mormon with the Gospel, the battle is not against flesh and blood.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."(Ephesians 6:12)

A. Mormonism as a religious system had its beginning in Gen 3.

B. Evidence proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Joseph Smith was deeply involved with occult practices before and during the inception of the Mormon Church.

1. Dr D. Michael Quinn, Historian and former BYU professor clearly proved that Joseph Smith was an occultist and wrote a book on the subject called "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View." Quinn remained a Mormon several years after writing this book and recently was excommunicated after years accusing the Mormon Church of revisionism.

2. Recognize that the drive and power behind the Mormon Church is not of this world.

 

III. The motivation to witness to Mormons ought to be the Love of Christ.

A. Religion: The Mormon Church has religion down to a science. If you want to be religious, become a Mormon. The Mormon Church excels the Christian Church in religious activity and attempts to improve it. Examples: Mormons Baptize, so do Christians however; Mormons not only baptize the living but also the dead. Mormons practice the Lords supper so do we, however Mormons practice the Lords supper each week. Mormons read their Scriptures, so do we however Mormons believe 3 additional books. Mormons have missionaries, so do we, however, Mormons nearly require a two-year service for all their young men. Mormon tithe, so do we, however, Mormons require tithing, in that each Mormon reviews with his bishop each year his earnings and determines what amount needs to be given. The Mormon Church has effectively placed a barrier of religion between them and a personal relationship with the Lord.

B. The language: Mormons use the same terminology as Christians yet each word means something different.

 

Examples:

Christian                                          Mormon

God                            Eternal, Infinite Creator                               Exalted Man, Great Organizer

Jesus                          Eternal Son of God                                    spirit brother of Lucifer.

Trinity                         One God, Three Persons                          three Gods, one godhead

Salvation                    Being free from the penalty of sin            Resurrection

Eternal Life                Life Everlasting with God                          eternal progress with nature of a god

Damnation                The Lake of Fire                                         The prevention of Eternal progress

Heaven                       The place where God dwells                    One of three realms of glory.

Original Sin               Adam brought Sin into the World,            Man does not have a sin nature.                                      result is that we all have                                      a sin nature

Man                             Totally distinct from God                           gods in an embryonic state

Angels                        Totally distinct                                            The same as men

C. Questions like, "Are you sure of heaven when you die?" "Do you know Jesus as your Savior?" "Are you a Christian?"

These questions and similar ones will not have their intended result with Mormons. And their answers will just frustrate the witnessing Christian. The key is to understand their terminology so the Mormon and the Christian can communicate on the same level.

D. Their experiences-Mormons rely totally on feelings to determine truth. They will say that the reason that we cause them a bad feeling to come on them when we witness to them is because we are telling them errors.

The reason that they believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God is because it causes a burning in their bosom-It brings about feelings.

Important: Heart knowledge according to the Bible is the least reliable source and determination for truth. "The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

P - (Petition God) We must petition G6d on behalf of the individual that you are witnessing to.

1. When praying for an individuals salvation we know that we are praying according to the will of God.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

2. We should pray as though the person's salvation is totally dependent on God working with that individual.

3. We should pray that God would open their eyes, their hearts and their minds to the truth of the Gospel.

4. We should pray that God would make us effective witnesses to them.

5. We should recognize that God loves them as much as he loves us.

6. We should pray continually for them. Don't stop, we for the most part only catch glimpses of the workings of God in a person's life.

 

R - (Relationship Building) We must establish a relationship with the Mormon. We live in a very non-trusting society and for the most part people will not listen to you until you have proved yourself trustworthy, that also includes your message.

1. Relationship Building involves a lot more than what we think.

1. Inviting them to family activities
2. inviting them to church activities
3. showing real concern and love
4. writing letters
5. learn everything you can about Mormonism
6. learn everything you can about their family
7. Being transparent- that means when you go through a trial don't try to cover it up. Be real, be human. For the most part, they are tired with the fake.
8. They should clearly see that the relationship that you are building with them is in a lot of ways the relationship that you are building with Jesus Christ. Express that to them.

2. Once a relationship happens, (It takes about 5 to 15 close encounters to establish a relationship where trust is developed).

3. Once trust is developed, we then can confront them with the truth.

A - (Always Be Ready to give an Answer) "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" (1 Peter 3:15)

1. Prepare, Prepare and prepare to present the Gospel to everyone. We should be in constant preparation of learning how to share Jesus Christ. a. It is an individual responsibility b. It is a church's responsibility "Equipping the Saints for the work of ministry." (Ephesians 4:12) 2. Some feel that we must be harsh in presenting the Gospel. However, the Bible states we must be meek and gentle. The Gospel already is offensive, we need not to be. We must, "speak the truth in love."

3. The best way that I have found in presenting the Gospel to the religious (Mormons) is to have a Bible study with them in the Book of John. John 1 contradicts Mormonism alone in at least 16 different areas. The small formulas like the Roman's Road, 4 Spiritual Laws, Evangelism Explosion, etc. are largely ineffective. Get them into the Word, and the Word will get into them.

 

Y - (Yield the results to God) Recognize that God is working even when we do not see results. Don't get frustrated, don't give up. Men in Utah say it takes about two years of dealing with a Mormon to see them come to Christ. Rejoice, rejoice when you do see the fruits of your labor, but remember laboring is never done in vain.

Remember to P.R.A.Y. for your Mormon Friend

What the Mormons say:

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heaven." JS King Follett Discourse

". . . for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and suppose that God was God from all eternity. I will refute the idea and take away the veil, so that we may see." JS KFD

"In the beginning the head of the Gods called a counsel of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the earth and people it." JS KFD

"God is literally the Father of the spirit of every human being." Latter-Day Christianity pg. 10

"There are three Gods-the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." Mormon Doctrine pg. 317

"God the Father is a glorified and prefected Man, a personage of Flesh and bones." MD pg. 319

"The prophet also taught, there is a God above the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." MD pg. 322

 

What the Bible says:

"I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me." Is 45:5

"I am God, and there is none like me." Is 46:9

"Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. Is 43: 10 even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Psalm 90:2 I am God and not man." Hosea 11:9

"God is not man." Numbers 23:19

"God is (a) Spirit. . ." John 4:24

". . for a spirit hath not flesh and bones. . ." Luke 24:39

"And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into a image made like corruptible man." Romans 1:23

 

            What the Mormons say:

"Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers." MD pg. 547

"He is the firstborn of the Father. By obedience and devotion to the truth he attained that pinnacle of intelligence which racked him as a God." MD pg. 129 11re

 

What the Bible says:

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." John 1: 1

"Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Phil 2:6

"For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." Col. 1: 19

"For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Col. 2:9

"Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of his person." Heb. 1:3

Mormons deny the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity and the absolute Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Official Mormon teaching: Jesus Christ became a god at some point like his father in heaven.

This study has been researched and presented by former Mormon, Jeff Klansek.

For further information concerning Mormonism, or concerning a presentation in your Church, please contact directly:

Missionary Jeff & Lisa Klansek

225 W. Ridge Street

Nanticoke, Pa. 18634

570-740-1142

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